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M&M Breaking News

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M&M Breaking News

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  • Hong Kong apartment block fire death toll jumps to 128, officials warn could rise further The number of people killed in Hong Kong’s devastating apartment complex fire has risen to 128, officials said Friday. Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang warned during a press conference Friday afternoon local time that the death toll could rise further as there are about 200 people whose situation is unknown. At least 79 people were injured in the disaster, he added. Authorities received 467 missing persons inquiries, of which 39 have been confirmed to have died. This is a developing story and will be updated.
  • The world has struck a new climate deal at the COP30 summit in Brazil, which calls for a tripling of funding to help countries adapt to increasingly severe climate impacts. But countries failed to agree to a roadmap away from fossil fuels, after entrenched divisions threatened to collapse the talks.
  • Mexico’s Fatima Bosch crowned Miss Universe winner in glittering finale of scandal-hit pageant Fatima Bosch of Mexico has been named Miss Universe 2025 in a scandal-hit competition where she emerged as a fan favorite after she was berated by a Thai pageant director during a live-streamed meeting, triggering a walk out by contestants. The 25-year-old humanitarian and vollunteer was crowned by last year’s winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark. Miss Universe is widely known as the “Super Bowl” of beauty pageants and draws millions of viewers each year. Delegates for each country are selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. Thailand’s Praveenar Singh came runner up, with Venezuela’s Stephany Abasali, Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo and Ivory Coast’s Olivia Yacé also making it to the top 5. Thailand, this year’s host country, has a vibrant and lucrative pageant industry with one of the largest fanbases in Asia, alongside the Philippines. This year’s event featured representatives from 120 countries. Nadeen Ayoub became the first woman to represent Palestinian people at the pageant, and made it to the final 30 semifinalists before she was eliminated. Friday’s finale was hosted by American comedian Steve Byrne and opened with a performance by Thai singer Jeff Satur. Following the swimwear round, the top 30 contestants were narrowed down to 12, and then down to 5 after the evening round. Finalists were asked questions including which global issue they would speak about in front of the United Nations General Assembly, and how they would use the Miss Universe platform to empower young girls. “Believe in the power of your authenticity,” Bosch said. “Your dreams matter, your heart matters. Never let anyone make you doubt your worth.” The competition took place over three weeks, with delegates traveling around the country to rehearse and participate in events. On Wednesday, the beauty queens competed in the national costume showcase, which saw contestants donning flamboyant outfits designed to highlight their homelands. Miss USA, Audrey Eckert, paid homage to her home with an elaborate bald eagle costume designed by Simon Villalba. The contestant from Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, took a scary tumble during the evening gown round at Wednesday’s preliminaries and was carried away in a stretcher, according to social media videos which circulated of her fall. Miss Universe President Raul Rocha said in an update to Instagram that Henry was “under good care” in hospital and that she had not broken any bones. This year’s Miss Universe competition was beset by scandal, which sparked conversations over the merits of the international beauty pageant which claims to promote female empowerment. At a live-streamed pre-pageant meeting earlier this month, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly scolded Bosch, Miss Mexico, for not posting enough promotional content, appearing to call her a “dumbhead,” though Nawat denied this, insisting that he had actually accused her of causing “damage.” After Bosch pushed back against the insults, Nawat called security to escort her out of the room. Other contestants then stood up and walked out in solidarity. The incident sparked widespread allegations of misogyny and drew global backlash, including from Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, who described it as an “aggression” that Bosch handled with “dignity.” The Miss Universe Organization condemned Nawat’s behavior and limited his role in the pageant. Nawat apologized in a livestreamed welcome ceremony and declined to comment further on the incident to CNN. Then, in an Instagram live video discussing the incident, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, sparked backlash for racist comments. Machado referred to Nawat as “that despicable Chinese,” and when a commentor pointed out he is Thai, Machado said “Chinese, Thai, Korean. To me all these people with slanted eyes like this are all Chinese,” while pulling up the corners of her eyes. Machado’s representative did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged. Composer Omar Harfouch said on Instagram he had resigned from the eight-member judging panel, and claimed there was a secret, “impromptu” panel of judges who had pre-selected the top 30 contestants in advance of the final. “I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in,” Harfouch said in a statement. The Miss Universe Organization said Harfouch’s claims “mischaracterize” the judging process. “The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the organization said in a statement. The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. A second judge, former French soccer star Claude Makélélé, stepped down the same day, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”
  • Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death after crimes against humanity conviction Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of crimes against humanity for the violent suppression of student protests last year that led to the collapse of her government. A panel of three judges from the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court, delivered their verdict Monday, ruling that Hasina was responsible for inciting hundreds of extrajudicial killings carried out by law enforcement. The courtroom, where some victims’ families were present, burst into applause as the judges delivered their sentence. “Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement, order and failure to take punitive measures,” one of the judge said as he delivered her verdict. It was “crystal clear” that she “expressed her incitement to the activists of her party… and furthermore, she expressed that she ordered to kill and eliminate the protesting students,” the judges said. What began as peaceful student demonstrations over civil service job quotas last year transformed into a nationwide push for Hasina’s resignation. The turning point was a government crackdown that may have killed up to 1,400 people, according to the UN human rights office. Up to 25,000 were also injured, the court heard. Hasina faced five charges primarily related to inciting the murder of the protestors, ordering protestors be hanged, and ordering the use of lethal weapons, drones and helicopters to suppress the unrest. She denies the charges. The former leader ruled the South Asian nation with an iron-fist from 2009 until her ouster in 2024 and it’s feared Monday’s verdict could set off a wave of political chaos ahead of national elections expected in February next year. Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile in India’s capital New Delhi since August last year, after the student protesters forced her and her Awami League political party out of power. She was not present at the court in Dhaka and the trial was criticized by her lawyers, who last week submitted an appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions over “serious concerns about the lack of fair trial rights and due process.” The interim Bangladeshi government has formally requested her extradition but New Delhi has so far remained silent on the request. Fresh violence ahead of verdict Violence erupted in capital Dhaka ahead of the verdict, with several Molotov cocktails exploding after being thrown by people on bikes on Sunday, police said. Security was tightened, with armored vehicles and officers with riot shields placed around the courthouse, and police, border guard and rapid action teams deployed near key government buildings. Hasina’s son on Sunday told Reuters that supporters of her party would block next year’s elections if a ban on her party was not lifted, warning that protests could become violent. “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead,” he said. “Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we will do whatever it takes. Unless the international community does something, eventually there’s probably going to be violence in Bangladesh before these elections … there’s going to be confrontations.” Hasina’s political journey is a story of tragedy, exile and power, inextricably linked to the history of her home country itself. Under her stewardship, Bangladesh was ushered into an era of significant economic development albeit alongside accusations of corruption, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism and human rights abuses. A life in politics The eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh, she was thrust into politics early in life as she witnessed the struggle for Bengali autonomy from Pakistan. Following a 1975 military coup in which her father, mother, and three brothers were assassinated, Hasina and her sister were forced into exile. She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 to lead her father’s Awami League, and after years of political opposition, first became Prime Minister when the party won the 1996 election. She served for one term and later returning to power in 2008, ruling Bangladesh with her Awami League until last year. Bangladesh had seen strong economic growth under Hasina, but human rights organizations warned that she and her government were headed toward a one-party system. Critics expressed concerns over increased reports of political violence, voter intimidation, and harassment of the media and opposition figures. During her time in power, rights groups say the government used its cyber security law to crack down on freedom of expression online, arresting journalists, artists and activists, with reported cases of arbitrary detention and torture. But Hasina had managed to weather many previous protests against her rule that erupted particularly during elections. That changed last year with the successful Gen Z led revolution toppled her authority. Many of her family members, along with prominent party leaders and former ministers from her administration, are also residing outside of Bangladesh. Supporters of Hasina dismiss the legal proceedings as politically motivated and designed to remove her from the political arena. The Awami League party has been banned from political activities while the trials against Hasina and party leaders continues. Conversely, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, asserts that these trials are an essential step toward restoring accountability and rebuilding public trust in the nation’s democratic institutions.
  • Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, the godfather of Seattle basketball, dies at 88 Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88. The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death. Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches. Related article Massive fire heavily damages home owned by Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team — on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold at the Atlanta Games as well in 1996. Wilkens played 15 seasons in the NBA and was named an All-Star nine times. “Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.” Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle — which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since. And he did it all with grace, something he was proud of. “Leaders don’t yell and scream,” Wilkens told Seattle’s KOMO News earlier this year. Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of the year with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 coaching wins — a league record that was later passed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) and then Gregg Popovich (who retired with 1,390). Wilkens played 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. He was an All-Star five times with St. Louis, three times in Seattle and once with Cleveland in 1973 at age 35. A statue depicting his time with the SuperSonics was installed outside Climate Pledge Arena in June. Wilkens coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. “Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver said. “He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.” Wilkens twice led the league in assists but was also a prominent scorer. He averaged in double figures scoring in every season of his career, except his final one in 1974-75 with the Trail Blazers. His best season as a scorer came in his first season with the SuperSonics in 1968-69 when he averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds. Leonard Wilkens was born on Oct. 28, 1937, in New York. His basketball schooling came on Brooklyn’s playgrounds and at a city powerhouse, then Boys High School, where one of his teammates was major league baseball star Tommy Davis. He would go on to star at Providence and was drafted by the Hawks as the sixth overall pick in 1960.
  • Tesla shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 5: Elon Musk leaves a meeting with House Republicans in the basement of the U.S. Capitol building on March 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. Musk is meeting with Republicans in Congress today to discuss some of the dramatic cuts made, and ones yet to be made, across government agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Tesla shareholders approved a pay package on Thursday that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. Tesla announced that more than 75% of shares voted in favor of the pay package during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The vote didn’t include the 15% of the company that Musk already owns. The crowd at the meeting broke into cheers and chants when the results were announced. Musk thanked the shareholders and the Tesla board soon after. “I super appreciate it,” he said. Musk doesn’t take any salary, but the approved pay package comes in the form of a stock grant that would give him as much as 423.7 million additional Tesla shares over the next 10 years. Those shares could be worth about $1 trillion, assuming the company reaches the $8.5 trillion market cap needed to have Musk qualify for the full potential payout. In addition, Tesla needs to achieve a series of either operational or financial targets for him to get the full number of shares, which would be distributed in 12 equal blocks. Getting all the shares available under this package over the next 10 years would be the equivalent of earning $275 million a day, dwarfing any other executive pay package in history. Lofty targets for stock growth For Tesla to reach the $8.5 trillion in market value needed, shares need to jump 466% from today’s stock price. That’s also about 70% higher than the world’s most valuable company, Nvidia, which hit a record $5 trillion market cap last week. Musk is already worth an estimated $473 billion according to Bloomberg’s billionaire tracker, most due to his holdings in Tesla, as well as the other companies he controls, including SpaceX and xAI. A vote to reject the pay package Thursday could have meant his exit from Tesla’s CEO office. Tesla’s board said in a filing that Musk had raised the possibility of leaving the company if he didn’t get the assurances of control that the pay package could grant him. However, the company has had a rocky year. Sales and profits plunged in the first half and Tesla faces potential billions in lost revenue due to reduced US government support for electric vehicles. A future bet on robots and AI But Musk and Tesla executives dismiss those problems, saying Tesla is shifting focus from merely selling EVs to selling self-driving cars, including a fleet of “robotaxis,” as well as humanoid robots. In his remarks to shareholders, Musk spoke more about robots, which have yet to go on sale, than he did about the company’s cars. Most of his references to cars were about its so-called full self-driving (FSD), a driver assistance feature that still requires drivers to stay alert and ready to take control of the cars. But Musk said the robots will be bigger than the company’s car business - or any other business, even. “I think it’s going to be the biggest product of all time by far,” he said. “So like bigger than cell phones, bigger than anything. I guess a way to think about it is that every human on Earth is going to want to have their own personal R2D2 or C3PO.” He even predicted Tesla’s robots could replace surgeons, lead to the end of global poverty and re-shape the global economic order. He claims they could be produced for $20,000 each, allowing the company to sell them for about the price of a car. Still, those products and concepts are still under development and haven’t gone on sale. That means even with the passage of the pay package, it’s not certain that Musk will ever see any of its potential hundreds of millions of shares. He will need to straighten out the company’s current problems and then live up to the big promises that he’s made for the future. Musk has insisted he needs the additional shares to have more control over the company, not because he wants so much more wealth. “It’s not like I’m going to go spend the money,” Musk said on a call with investors last month. “There needs to be enough voting control to give (me) a strong influence – but not so much that I can’t be fired if I go insane.”
  • Trump says he’s ordered Pentagon to ‘prepare for possible action’ in Nigeria President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he arrives at Palm Beach International Airport on October 31 in West Palm Beach, Florida. US President Donald Trump said Saturday he has ordered the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria as he continues to accuse the nation of not doing enough to stem violence against Christians — an accusation Nigeria has repeatedly denied. In a social media post criticizing what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in the country, Trump wrote the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and warned the government there to “move fast.” In the lengthy message, Trump said the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks by radical Islamists in the country of more than 230 million people. The violence in the country is driven by varying factors: some incidents are religiously motivated and affect both groups, while others arise from disputes between farmers and herders over limited resources, as well as communal and ethnic tensions. Although Christians are among those targeted, local reports indicate that most victims are Muslims living in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” “Yes sir,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on social media with a screenshot of Trump’s comments. “The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Trump’s announcement comes after he accused Nigeria of religious freedom violations on Friday, claiming that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and designating the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. The label is a suggestion that his administration has found that Nigeria has engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.” In a social media post after the designation, but before Trump’s mention of the military, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote: “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.” He added that Nigeria is “working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.” Tinubu’s press secretary, responding to a social media post from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the “slaughter of thousands of Christians,” called the characterization “a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation,” adding that “Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques are attacked randomly.” “What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” said Bayo Onanuga. Spokespersons for the White House and Tinubu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
  • Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives at prison to start five-year sentence Nicolas Sarkozy walks with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy after leaving his residence to present himself to prison in Paris on October 21. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a prison in Paris on Tuesday on the first day of a five-year sentence, marking the first time a former leader of modern France has spent time behind bars. Sarkozy was driven to the prison complex on Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house. The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris. Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors. The former president, who left office in 2012, intends to appeal but in the meantime is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex. That wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety. They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported. In a statement posted to X shortly after the car carrying him set off for prison, Sarkozy stressed that he is an “innocent man.” “As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Santé prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said. “I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it’s not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, it’s an innocent man,” he continued. The former leader said he will “continue to denounce this judicial scandal” but added that he is “not to be pitied because my wife and children are by my side, and my friends are countless.” On Tuesday morning, however, Sarkozy said he felt “a deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level.”
  • Trump asks Supreme Court to OK National Guard deployment in Chicago President Donald Trump on Friday urged the Supreme Court to allow him to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, putting the explosive legal fight over his ability to use those troops on American soil before the justices for the first time. The filing sets up a showdown over presidential power at a moment when the administration is attempting to deploy the National Guard to multiple US cities. The emergency appeal follows a series of decisions from lower federal courts, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts on the grounds that Trump vastly overstated the need for deploying the National Guard. On Thursday, the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals let stand an order temporarily blocking that effort. Trump filed the appeal at the Supreme Court in a case involving his effort to deploy the guard to Chicago. In the appeal, the administration said that lower court order “improperly impinges on the president’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property.” The litigation puts the controversy before a Supreme Court that has rarely ruled on such deployments – but that has often deferred to the president on matters of security and defining what constitutes a national emergency. The administration asked for a quick order that would allow them to carry out the deployment while the high court considers the case. In the appeal, the Trump administration argues lower courts were impermissibly encroaching on the president’s authority to control federalized guard members. The lower court order temporarily blocking the deployment, the administration said, put the judicial branch “in the untenable position of controlling the military chain of command and judicially micromanaging the exercise of the president’s commander-in-chief powers, including the decision about which military forces the president can deploy.” The appeal uses striking language to describe the situation in Chicago, asserting that federal officials there “have been threatened and assaulted, attacked in a harrowing pre-planned ambush involving many assailants.” “Federal agents are forced to desperately scramble to protect themselves and federal property, allocating resources away from their law-enforcement mission to conduct protective operations instead,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court. That framing starts in stark contrast with how US District Court Judge April Perry described the situation on the ground in an order earlier this month. Perry, a Biden nominee, pointed to what she described as a “a troubling trend of defendants’ declarants equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning, and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting, or doing violence.” To make its case for the deployments, the Department of Justice has relied heavily on a Supreme Court decision from 1827 – Martin v. Mott. The case dealt with Jacob Mott, a member of the New York militia who disobeyed President James Madison’s order to mobilize during the War of 1812. The Supreme Court balked at Mott’s argument that Madison had misjudged the danger and wrote that “the authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen belongs exclusively to the president.” In the administration’s appeal on Friday, Sauer said that case “squarely controls” Trump’s current deployments. Based on that, the Trump administration has argued, federal courts may not even review a president’s decisions to call up the guard. But the states challenging those decisions have scoffed at the notion that the protests against ICE agents are akin to an invading foreign army. And they have pointed to a 1932 decision, Sterling v. Constantin, in which courts reviewed a former Texas governor’s decision to deploy the National Guard to shut down certain oil fields in the state in order to limit production. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that courts could review such deployment decisions that fell beyond a “range of honest judgment.” Just how fast the Supreme Court will move in the case was not immediately clear, but the court requested a response from state and local officials by Monday evening – a faster than usual turnaround. The 6-3 conservative court has sided with Trump in the vast majority of emergency cases he has filed since returning to power in January.
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    Hong Kong apartment block fire death toll jumps to 128, officials warn could rise further The number of people killed in Hong Kong’s devastating apartment complex fire has risen to 128, officials said Friday. Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang warned during a press conference Friday afternoon local time that the death toll could rise further as there are about 200 people whose situation is unknown. At least 79 people were injured in the disaster, he added. Authorities received 467 missing persons inquiries, of which 39 have been confirmed to have died. This is a developing story and will be updated.

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    The world has struck a new climate deal at the COP30 summit in Brazil, which calls for a tripling of funding to help countries adapt to increasingly severe climate impacts. But countries failed to agree to a roadmap away from fossil fuels, after entrenched divisions threatened to collapse the talks.

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    Mexico’s Fatima Bosch crowned Miss Universe winner in glittering finale of scandal-hit pageant Fatima Bosch of Mexico has been named Miss Universe 2025 in a scandal-hit competition where she emerged as a fan favorite after she was berated by a Thai pageant director during a live-streamed meeting, triggering a walk out by contestants. The 25-year-old humanitarian and vollunteer was crowned by last year’s winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig from Denmark. Miss Universe is widely known as the “Super Bowl” of beauty pageants and draws millions of viewers each year. Delegates for each country are selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. Thailand’s Praveenar Singh came runner up, with Venezuela’s Stephany Abasali, Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo and Ivory Coast’s Olivia Yacé also making it to the top 5. Thailand, this year’s host country, has a vibrant and lucrative pageant industry with one of the largest fanbases in Asia, alongside the Philippines. This year’s event featured representatives from 120 countries. Nadeen Ayoub became the first woman to represent Palestinian people at the pageant, and made it to the final 30 semifinalists before she was eliminated. Friday’s finale was hosted by American comedian Steve Byrne and opened with a performance by Thai singer Jeff Satur. Following the swimwear round, the top 30 contestants were narrowed down to 12, and then down to 5 after the evening round. Finalists were asked questions including which global issue they would speak about in front of the United Nations General Assembly, and how they would use the Miss Universe platform to empower young girls. “Believe in the power of your authenticity,” Bosch said. “Your dreams matter, your heart matters. Never let anyone make you doubt your worth.” The competition took place over three weeks, with delegates traveling around the country to rehearse and participate in events. On Wednesday, the beauty queens competed in the national costume showcase, which saw contestants donning flamboyant outfits designed to highlight their homelands. Miss USA, Audrey Eckert, paid homage to her home with an elaborate bald eagle costume designed by Simon Villalba. The contestant from Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, took a scary tumble during the evening gown round at Wednesday’s preliminaries and was carried away in a stretcher, according to social media videos which circulated of her fall. Miss Universe President Raul Rocha said in an update to Instagram that Henry was “under good care” in hospital and that she had not broken any bones. This year’s Miss Universe competition was beset by scandal, which sparked conversations over the merits of the international beauty pageant which claims to promote female empowerment. At a live-streamed pre-pageant meeting earlier this month, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly scolded Bosch, Miss Mexico, for not posting enough promotional content, appearing to call her a “dumbhead,” though Nawat denied this, insisting that he had actually accused her of causing “damage.” After Bosch pushed back against the insults, Nawat called security to escort her out of the room. Other contestants then stood up and walked out in solidarity. The incident sparked widespread allegations of misogyny and drew global backlash, including from Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, who described it as an “aggression” that Bosch handled with “dignity.” The Miss Universe Organization condemned Nawat’s behavior and limited his role in the pageant. Nawat apologized in a livestreamed welcome ceremony and declined to comment further on the incident to CNN. Then, in an Instagram live video discussing the incident, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, sparked backlash for racist comments. Machado referred to Nawat as “that despicable Chinese,” and when a commentor pointed out he is Thai, Machado said “Chinese, Thai, Korean. To me all these people with slanted eyes like this are all Chinese,” while pulling up the corners of her eyes. Machado’s representative did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. Two judges abruptly stepped down from the competition days before the winner was crowned, with one accusing the pageant of being rigged. Composer Omar Harfouch said on Instagram he had resigned from the eight-member judging panel, and claimed there was a secret, “impromptu” panel of judges who had pre-selected the top 30 contestants in advance of the final. “I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in,” Harfouch said in a statement. The Miss Universe Organization said Harfouch’s claims “mischaracterize” the judging process. “The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the organization said in a statement. The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to a request for comment from CNN. A second judge, former French soccer star Claude Makélélé, stepped down the same day, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”

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  • bangladeshs-ousted-leader-sheikh-hasina-sentenced-to-death-after-crimes-against-humanity-conviction-sheikh-hasina-the-ousted-prime-minister-of-bangladesh-has-been-sentenced-to-death-after-b

    Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death after crimes against humanity conviction Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of crimes against humanity for the violent suppression of student protests last year that led to the collapse of her government. A panel of three judges from the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court, delivered their verdict Monday, ruling that Hasina was responsible for inciting hundreds of extrajudicial killings carried out by law enforcement. The courtroom, where some victims’ families were present, burst into applause as the judges delivered their sentence. “Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement, order and failure to take punitive measures,” one of the judge said as he delivered her verdict. It was “crystal clear” that she “expressed her incitement to the activists of her party… and furthermore, she expressed that she ordered to kill and eliminate the protesting students,” the judges said. What began as peaceful student demonstrations over civil service job quotas last year transformed into a nationwide push for Hasina’s resignation. The turning point was a government crackdown that may have killed up to 1,400 people, according to the UN human rights office. Up to 25,000 were also injured, the court heard. Hasina faced five charges primarily related to inciting the murder of the protestors, ordering protestors be hanged, and ordering the use of lethal weapons, drones and helicopters to suppress the unrest. She denies the charges. The former leader ruled the South Asian nation with an iron-fist from 2009 until her ouster in 2024 and it’s feared Monday’s verdict could set off a wave of political chaos ahead of national elections expected in February next year. Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile in India’s capital New Delhi since August last year, after the student protesters forced her and her Awami League political party out of power. She was not present at the court in Dhaka and the trial was criticized by her lawyers, who last week submitted an appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions over “serious concerns about the lack of fair trial rights and due process.” The interim Bangladeshi government has formally requested her extradition but New Delhi has so far remained silent on the request. Fresh violence ahead of verdict Violence erupted in capital Dhaka ahead of the verdict, with several Molotov cocktails exploding after being thrown by people on bikes on Sunday, police said. Security was tightened, with armored vehicles and officers with riot shields placed around the courthouse, and police, border guard and rapid action teams deployed near key government buildings. Hasina’s son on Sunday told Reuters that supporters of her party would block next year’s elections if a ban on her party was not lifted, warning that protests could become violent. “We will not allow elections without the Awami League to go ahead,” he said. “Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we will do whatever it takes. Unless the international community does something, eventually there’s probably going to be violence in Bangladesh before these elections … there’s going to be confrontations.” Hasina’s political journey is a story of tragedy, exile and power, inextricably linked to the history of her home country itself. Under her stewardship, Bangladesh was ushered into an era of significant economic development albeit alongside accusations of corruption, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism and human rights abuses. A life in politics The eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh, she was thrust into politics early in life as she witnessed the struggle for Bengali autonomy from Pakistan. Following a 1975 military coup in which her father, mother, and three brothers were assassinated, Hasina and her sister were forced into exile. She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 to lead her father’s Awami League, and after years of political opposition, first became Prime Minister when the party won the 1996 election. She served for one term and later returning to power in 2008, ruling Bangladesh with her Awami League until last year. Bangladesh had seen strong economic growth under Hasina, but human rights organizations warned that she and her government were headed toward a one-party system. Critics expressed concerns over increased reports of political violence, voter intimidation, and harassment of the media and opposition figures. During her time in power, rights groups say the government used its cyber security law to crack down on freedom of expression online, arresting journalists, artists and activists, with reported cases of arbitrary detention and torture. But Hasina had managed to weather many previous protests against her rule that erupted particularly during elections. That changed last year with the successful Gen Z led revolution toppled her authority. Many of her family members, along with prominent party leaders and former ministers from her administration, are also residing outside of Bangladesh. Supporters of Hasina dismiss the legal proceedings as politically motivated and designed to remove her from the political arena. The Awami League party has been banned from political activities while the trials against Hasina and party leaders continues. Conversely, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, asserts that these trials are an essential step toward restoring accountability and rebuilding public trust in the nation’s democratic institutions.

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  • hall-of-famer-lenny-wilkens-the-godfather-of-seattle-basketball-dies-at-88-lenny-wilkens-a-three-time-inductee-into-the-basketball-hall-of-fame-who-was-enshrined-as-both-a-player-and-a-coach-has-d

    Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, the godfather of Seattle basketball, dies at 88 Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88. The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death. Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches. Related article Massive fire heavily damages home owned by Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team — on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold at the Atlanta Games as well in 1996. Wilkens played 15 seasons in the NBA and was named an All-Star nine times. “Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.” Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle — which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since. And he did it all with grace, something he was proud of. “Leaders don’t yell and scream,” Wilkens told Seattle’s KOMO News earlier this year. Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of the year with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 coaching wins — a league record that was later passed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) and then Gregg Popovich (who retired with 1,390). Wilkens played 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. He was an All-Star five times with St. Louis, three times in Seattle and once with Cleveland in 1973 at age 35. A statue depicting his time with the SuperSonics was installed outside Climate Pledge Arena in June. Wilkens coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. “Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver said. “He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.” Wilkens twice led the league in assists but was also a prominent scorer. He averaged in double figures scoring in every season of his career, except his final one in 1974-75 with the Trail Blazers. His best season as a scorer came in his first season with the SuperSonics in 1968-69 when he averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds. Leonard Wilkens was born on Oct. 28, 1937, in New York. His basketball schooling came on Brooklyn’s playgrounds and at a city powerhouse, then Boys High School, where one of his teammates was major league baseball star Tommy Davis. He would go on to star at Providence and was drafted by the Hawks as the sixth overall pick in 1960.

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  • tesla-shareholders-approve-elon-musks-1-trillion-pay-package-washington-dc-march-5-elon-musk-leaves-a-meeting-with-house-republicans-in-the-basement-of-the-u-s-capitol-building-on-march

    Tesla shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 5: Elon Musk leaves a meeting with House Republicans in the basement of the U.S. Capitol building on March 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. Musk is meeting with Republicans in Congress today to discuss some of the dramatic cuts made, and ones yet to be made, across government agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Tesla shareholders approved a pay package on Thursday that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. Tesla announced that more than 75% of shares voted in favor of the pay package during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. The vote didn’t include the 15% of the company that Musk already owns. The crowd at the meeting broke into cheers and chants when the results were announced. Musk thanked the shareholders and the Tesla board soon after. “I super appreciate it,” he said. Musk doesn’t take any salary, but the approved pay package comes in the form of a stock grant that would give him as much as 423.7 million additional Tesla shares over the next 10 years. Those shares could be worth about $1 trillion, assuming the company reaches the $8.5 trillion market cap needed to have Musk qualify for the full potential payout. In addition, Tesla needs to achieve a series of either operational or financial targets for him to get the full number of shares, which would be distributed in 12 equal blocks. Getting all the shares available under this package over the next 10 years would be the equivalent of earning $275 million a day, dwarfing any other executive pay package in history. Lofty targets for stock growth For Tesla to reach the $8.5 trillion in market value needed, shares need to jump 466% from today’s stock price. That’s also about 70% higher than the world’s most valuable company, Nvidia, which hit a record $5 trillion market cap last week. Musk is already worth an estimated $473 billion according to Bloomberg’s billionaire tracker, most due to his holdings in Tesla, as well as the other companies he controls, including SpaceX and xAI. A vote to reject the pay package Thursday could have meant his exit from Tesla’s CEO office. Tesla’s board said in a filing that Musk had raised the possibility of leaving the company if he didn’t get the assurances of control that the pay package could grant him. However, the company has had a rocky year. Sales and profits plunged in the first half and Tesla faces potential billions in lost revenue due to reduced US government support for electric vehicles. A future bet on robots and AI But Musk and Tesla executives dismiss those problems, saying Tesla is shifting focus from merely selling EVs to selling self-driving cars, including a fleet of “robotaxis,” as well as humanoid robots. In his remarks to shareholders, Musk spoke more about robots, which have yet to go on sale, than he did about the company’s cars. Most of his references to cars were about its so-called full self-driving (FSD), a driver assistance feature that still requires drivers to stay alert and ready to take control of the cars. But Musk said the robots will be bigger than the company’s car business - or any other business, even. “I think it’s going to be the biggest product of all time by far,” he said. “So like bigger than cell phones, bigger than anything. I guess a way to think about it is that every human on Earth is going to want to have their own personal R2D2 or C3PO.” He even predicted Tesla’s robots could replace surgeons, lead to the end of global poverty and re-shape the global economic order. He claims they could be produced for $20,000 each, allowing the company to sell them for about the price of a car. Still, those products and concepts are still under development and haven’t gone on sale. That means even with the passage of the pay package, it’s not certain that Musk will ever see any of its potential hundreds of millions of shares. He will need to straighten out the company’s current problems and then live up to the big promises that he’s made for the future. Musk has insisted he needs the additional shares to have more control over the company, not because he wants so much more wealth. “It’s not like I’m going to go spend the money,” Musk said on a call with investors last month. “There needs to be enough voting control to give (me) a strong influence – but not so much that I can’t be fired if I go insane.”

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  • trump-says-hes-ordered-pentagon-to-prepare-for-possible-action-in-nigeria-president-donald-trump-speaks-to-reporters-as-he-arrives-at-palm-beach-international-airport-on-oct

    Trump says he’s ordered Pentagon to ‘prepare for possible action’ in Nigeria President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he arrives at Palm Beach International Airport on October 31 in West Palm Beach, Florida. US President Donald Trump said Saturday he has ordered the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria as he continues to accuse the nation of not doing enough to stem violence against Christians — an accusation Nigeria has repeatedly denied. In a social media post criticizing what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in the country, Trump wrote the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and warned the government there to “move fast.” In the lengthy message, Trump said the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks by radical Islamists in the country of more than 230 million people. The violence in the country is driven by varying factors: some incidents are religiously motivated and affect both groups, while others arise from disputes between farmers and herders over limited resources, as well as communal and ethnic tensions. Although Christians are among those targeted, local reports indicate that most victims are Muslims living in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” “Yes sir,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on social media with a screenshot of Trump’s comments. “The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Trump’s announcement comes after he accused Nigeria of religious freedom violations on Friday, claiming that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and designating the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. The label is a suggestion that his administration has found that Nigeria has engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.” In a social media post after the designation, but before Trump’s mention of the military, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote: “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.” He added that Nigeria is “working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.” Tinubu’s press secretary, responding to a social media post from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the “slaughter of thousands of Christians,” called the characterization “a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation,” adding that “Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques are attacked randomly.” “What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” said Bayo Onanuga. Spokespersons for the White House and Tinubu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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    Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives at prison to start five-year sentence Nicolas Sarkozy walks with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy after leaving his residence to present himself to prison in Paris on October 21. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy entered a prison in Paris on Tuesday on the first day of a five-year sentence, marking the first time a former leader of modern France has spent time behind bars. Sarkozy was driven to the prison complex on Tuesday morning, waving to his supporters as he left his house. The car driving him was surrounded by dozens of police motorbikes and vehicles, making its way to La Santé Prison in southern Paris. Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors. The former president, who left office in 2012, intends to appeal but in the meantime is expected to occupy a cell either in solitary confinement or in the so-called “VIP wing” of La Santé prison complex. That wing is usually reserved for prisoners who are considered unsuitable to be kept among the prison’s general population, usually out of fears for their safety. They could be politicians, former police officers, members of far-right organizations or those tied to Islamist terror groups, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported. In a statement posted to X shortly after the car carrying him set off for prison, Sarkozy stressed that he is an “innocent man.” “As I prepare to step inside the walls of La Santé prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said. “I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it’s not a former president of the Republic being locked up this morning, it’s an innocent man,” he continued. The former leader said he will “continue to denounce this judicial scandal” but added that he is “not to be pitied because my wife and children are by my side, and my friends are countless.” On Tuesday morning, however, Sarkozy said he felt “a deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level.”

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  • trump-asks-supreme-court-to-ok-national-guard-deployment-in-chicago-president-donald-trump-on-friday-urged-the-supreme-court-to-allow-him-to-deploy-the-national-guard-in-chicago-putting-the-explosive

    Trump asks Supreme Court to OK National Guard deployment in Chicago President Donald Trump on Friday urged the Supreme Court to allow him to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, putting the explosive legal fight over his ability to use those troops on American soil before the justices for the first time. The filing sets up a showdown over presidential power at a moment when the administration is attempting to deploy the National Guard to multiple US cities. The emergency appeal follows a series of decisions from lower federal courts, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts on the grounds that Trump vastly overstated the need for deploying the National Guard. On Thursday, the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals let stand an order temporarily blocking that effort. Trump filed the appeal at the Supreme Court in a case involving his effort to deploy the guard to Chicago. In the appeal, the administration said that lower court order “improperly impinges on the president’s authority and needlessly endangers federal personnel and property.” The litigation puts the controversy before a Supreme Court that has rarely ruled on such deployments – but that has often deferred to the president on matters of security and defining what constitutes a national emergency. The administration asked for a quick order that would allow them to carry out the deployment while the high court considers the case. In the appeal, the Trump administration argues lower courts were impermissibly encroaching on the president’s authority to control federalized guard members. The lower court order temporarily blocking the deployment, the administration said, put the judicial branch “in the untenable position of controlling the military chain of command and judicially micromanaging the exercise of the president’s commander-in-chief powers, including the decision about which military forces the president can deploy.” The appeal uses striking language to describe the situation in Chicago, asserting that federal officials there “have been threatened and assaulted, attacked in a harrowing pre-planned ambush involving many assailants.” “Federal agents are forced to desperately scramble to protect themselves and federal property, allocating resources away from their law-enforcement mission to conduct protective operations instead,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court. That framing starts in stark contrast with how US District Court Judge April Perry described the situation on the ground in an order earlier this month. Perry, a Biden nominee, pointed to what she described as a “a troubling trend of defendants’ declarants equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning, and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting, or doing violence.” To make its case for the deployments, the Department of Justice has relied heavily on a Supreme Court decision from 1827 – Martin v. Mott. The case dealt with Jacob Mott, a member of the New York militia who disobeyed President James Madison’s order to mobilize during the War of 1812. The Supreme Court balked at Mott’s argument that Madison had misjudged the danger and wrote that “the authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen belongs exclusively to the president.” In the administration’s appeal on Friday, Sauer said that case “squarely controls” Trump’s current deployments. Based on that, the Trump administration has argued, federal courts may not even review a president’s decisions to call up the guard. But the states challenging those decisions have scoffed at the notion that the protests against ICE agents are akin to an invading foreign army. And they have pointed to a 1932 decision, Sterling v. Constantin, in which courts reviewed a former Texas governor’s decision to deploy the National Guard to shut down certain oil fields in the state in order to limit production. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that courts could review such deployment decisions that fell beyond a “range of honest judgment.” Just how fast the Supreme Court will move in the case was not immediately clear, but the court requested a response from state and local officials by Monday evening – a faster than usual turnaround. The 6-3 conservative court has sided with Trump in the vast majority of emergency cases he has filed since returning to power in January.

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  • supreme-court-rebuffs-alex-jones-effort-to-overturn-1-4-billion-sandy-hook-judgment-the-supreme-court-declined-an-appeal-from-alex-jones-on-tuesday-brushing-aside-the-right-wing-conspiracy

    Supreme Court rebuffs Alex Jones’ effort to overturn $1.4 billion Sandy Hook judgment The Supreme Court declined an appeal from Alex Jones on Tuesday, brushing aside the right-wing conspiracy theorist’s effort to overturn a $1.4 billion libel judgment a lower court ordered against him over his false comments about the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre. Jones has faced mounting legal pressure after juries in Connecticut and Texas found him liable in 2022 for defamation and emotional distress over his lies about the massacre, in which 20 first graders and six educators were killed. Jones has repeatedly tried to head off the sale of his far-right platform, Infowars, to pay those damages. “The result is a financial death penalty by fiat imposed on a media defendant whose broadcasts reach millions,” Jones told the Supreme Court in an appeal filed at the Supreme Court in September. The families waived their right to respond to that appeal — and the court did not order them to do so. In a separate emergency appeal Jones filed at the Supreme Court last week, he said his platform has an average of 30 million daily listeners. Without an intervention by the high court, his attorneys wrote, “these viewers/listeners will not have just been deprived of a valued source of information, the risk is they will have been greatly deceived and damaged by operation of media source InfoWars by their ideological opposites.” Earlier this year, a federal judge ordered that Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, be turned over to a court-appointed receiver, who would be responsible for selling the assets. The order paved the way for the satirical news outlet The Onion to revive its bid for the platform. As is almost always the case, the high court did not explain its decision to deny the appeal. Jones was found liable in 2022 for defamation after repeatedly claiming on air that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a “hoax.” He has yet to pay a single cent of the more than $1 billion in damages he owes the families.

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    Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated Trump in court, indicted by Justice Department Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference in New York, on February 16, 2024, following a verdict against Donald Trump in his civil fraud trial. New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as President Donald Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. James has been under investigation since May over a 2023 mortgage she took out to help her niece buy a home in Norfolk, Virginia. The charges come as Trump continues to call for his enemies to be prosecuted in court. Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday to allegedly making a false statement in a congressional proceeding. The Justice Department has also opened investigation into former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, and others. James’ relationship with Trump has been adversarial for years as James campaigned on promises to investigate Trump and ultimately won a civil fraud case against Trump, his adult sons and his real estate business. A judge found them liable for fraud for inflating the value of their properties, and ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties. Trump has appealed. During the 11-week trial, Trump’s anger toward James was palpable. He railed against her in the courthouse hallways and from the witness stand. Trump testified as James sat across from him in the courtroom galley. “This is a political witch hunt and I think she should be ashamed of herself,” Trump testified. “You believe this political hack back there and that’s unfortunate.” James often punched back outside of the courtroom, on social media or in video statements. Last month CNN reported that Justice Department prosecutors in Virginia, led at the time by Erik Seibert, interviewed dozens of witnesses and did not believe they gathered enough evidence to support criminal charges against James. Under pressure by Trump to bring charges against Comey and James, Seibert resigned and was replaced as US attorney by Trump’s former personal attorney Lindsey Halligan. New York Attorney General Letitia James sits in the courtroom during the civil fraud trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump at New York Supreme Court on January 11, 2024 in New York City. Mortgage fraud investigaiton The investigation is focused on a mortgage obtained in 2023 for a property in Norfork, Virginia. Her attorneys provided a document to the Justice Department in April to push back on what they called “threadbare” allegations. They said that one document in the mortgage application “mistakenly” said the property would be James’ primary residence. But they submitted other documents to argue there was no fraud. In one document, James writes in an email to her loan originator, “this property WILL NOT be my primary residence.” James also checked a box on another document that indicated the property would not be her primary residence.

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  • supreme-court-lets-trump-end-deportation-protections-for-300000-venezuelans-the-us-supreme-court-building-in-washington-dc-on-thursday-october-2-2025-the-supreme-court-on-friday-for-a-second-tim

    Supreme Court lets Trump end deportation protections for 300,000 Venezuelans The US Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, on Thursday, October 2, 2025. The Supreme Court on Friday for a second time allowed President Donald Trump to strip temporary deportation protections from 300,000 Venezuelans, handing the administration another win in its effort to rapidly remove non-citizens from the United States. In a brief order, and over the dissent of the court’s three liberals, a majority of the justices ruled that the administration could move forward with its plans to end a form of humanitarian relief known as Temporary Protected Status for the Venezuelans – a move that will make them more vulnerable to deportation. The Trump administration asked the justices earlier this month to allow it to withdraw deportation protections that had been extended to some 300,000 Venezuelans living in the United States. The case stems from a decision earlier this year by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end TPS for Venezuelan migrants. The court had reached a similar outcome in the same case in May. After that decision, a district court in California entered a more permanent ruling against the Trump administration – a decision that restarted the emergency appeal process that ultimately wound its way back to the Supreme Court. “Although the posture of the case has changed, the parties’ legal arguments and relative harms generally have not,” the court wrote in its order. “The same result that we reached in May is appropriate here.” While all three liberal justices noted their disagreement with the decision, only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote an opinion explaining her position. As she has in past emergency orders, Jackson criticized the way the court handled the case, saying the court was allowing the administration to “disrupt as many lives as possible, as quickly as possible.” Jackson said she viewed the decision “as yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket.” The Biden administration first granted TPS for Venezuelans in March 2021, citing the increased instability in the country, and expanded it in 2023. Two weeks before Trump took office, the Biden administration renewed protections for an additional 18 months. In his decision earlier this year, US District Judge Edward Chen described Venezuela as “a country so rife with economic and political upheaval and danger that the State Department” has warned against travel there “‘due to the high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure.’” Chen was appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama. The challengers, Venezuelan migrants covered under TPS, contended that Noem’s abrupt reversal of the protections violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which mandates specific procedures for federal agencies when implementing policy changes. They also had argued that Noem’s decision was motivated by racial and political bias. Congress created the TPS program in 1990, allowing the federal government to provide temporary protection for migrants from countries enduring natural disasters, wars and other conditions that would make it dangerous for people to return. At the end of the first Trump administration, officials described Venezuela as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere” and granted a different form of temporary relief to some of its migrants.

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    Sinclair ends its Jimmy Kimmel boycott The blackout of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is halfway over. Sinclair, one of the two major station groups that preempted the ABC talk show earlier this month, said Friday that it will bring the show back starting that same evening. Sinclair indicated in a statement that ABC did not accept any of its proposals, like the hiring of a “network-wide independent ombudsman.” “As a company rooted in local stations, Sinclair remains committed to serving our communities with programming that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue,” Sinclair said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to work with ABC to deliver content that serves a broad spectrum of our communities.” Nexstar, the other major station group blacking out Kimmel, did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment about its plans. On Thursday night Kimmel made light of the preemptions in his monologue. “Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air,” he said. “Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone. And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. We got the Trump bump, and we appreciate it.”

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    White House budget office threatens mass firings if government shuts down The White House budget office is telling federal agencies to prepare plans for mass firings in the event of a government shutdown, with instructions to target programs they are not legally required to continue. The directive, outlined in an Office of Management and Budget memo to agencies and obtained by CNN, represents a sharp break from the government’s handling of past shutdown scenarios — and an escalation by the Trump administration amid a standoff with congressional Democrats over federal funding. In the memo, OMB directs agencies to identify programs whose funds will lapse if Congress fails to meet the September 30 funding deadline and that have no alternative source of funding. Those programs should then be targeted for sweeping reductions in force that could permanently eliminate jobs that are deemed “not consistent” with President Donald Trump’s priorities. “We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” OMB wrote in the memo. An OMB spokesperson declined to comment. Politico first reported the details of the memo. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the memo “an attempt at intimidation.” “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare,” Schumer said in a statement Wednesday evening. “This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government. These unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as today.” The threat of mass job losses across the government is likely to further intensify the partisan funding showdown over the next week, where Democrats have demanded a series of concessions in exchange for keeping the government open into November. Most notably, Democrats are insisting on an extension of the enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, which are set to lapse at year’s end. Would a federal government shutdown affect you? Tell us about it The White House and congressional Republicans have so far refused, insisting on a so-called “clean” extension. Trump earlier this week canceled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders to discuss the funding impasse, issuing a blanket rejection of their demands. The OMB memo on Wednesday doubled down on that stance, calling Democrats’ position “insane” and noting that it would continue to fund “core Trump Administration priorities” in the event of a shutdown. The planning for mass firings in other areas of government, the office added, would proceed unless Democrats take up the administration’s position and pass a clean funding extension. Gutting the federal workforce The memo is the latest – and perhaps furthest reaching – effort by the Trump administration to overhaul and shrink the size of the federal workforce. In February, Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to draw up plans for a large-scale reduction in force. The results were mixed, with some agencies letting go sizeable portions of their staffs, others walking back at least part of their layoffs and still others asking some employees who departed to return to their jobs. . The current effort was foreshadowed in another memo that OMB and the Office of Personnel Management sent to agencies in late February concerning the executive order. The memo directed department leaders to identify by March 13 “all agency components and employees performing functions not mandated by statute or regulation who are not typically designated as essential during a lapse in appropriations.” In another unusual move, OMB has yet to post agencies’ shutdown contingency plans on its website, even though the federal government’s funding will lapse in less than a week unless Congress acts. In its memo, OMB wrote that it had received updated lapse plans from “many, but not all” agencies to date. The plans detail which functions and employees are deemed essential during a shutdown and will continue despite the impasse. Those workers remain on the job, though many are not paid until Congress agrees to appropriate funding. Every government shutdown is different, but key services – including Social Security payments, law enforcement, air traffic control and border patrol – continue uninterrupted. Previous shutdowns have closed national parks and museums; stalled food inspections; canceled immigration hearings; and delayed some federal lending to homebuyers and small businesses, among other impacts. In March, the last time a federal government shutdown loomed before being averted, more than 1.4 million employees were deemed essential and would have had to report to work, according to Rachel Snyderman, managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. About 750,000 of them would have continued to be paid since their salaries were funded through other sources. Another nearly 900,000 workers would have been furloughed without pay. (Snyderman noted that the estimates did not include the layoffs and departures that occurred in the early weeks of the Trump administration.) A spokesperson for the National Treasury Employees Union, the second largest federal workers’ union, said it has no knowledge of the memo, while the American Federation of Government Employees did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Left-leaning advocates decried the idea of using a shutdown to gut the federal workforce. “Setting aside the question of legality, this would be an action of enormous self-harm inflicted on the nation, needlessly ridding the country of talent and expertise,” said Bobby Kogan, a former OMB official in the Biden administration and senior director of federal budget policy for the Center for American Progress. “It’s also extortive. ‘Give us what we want in a funding fight, or we’ll hurt the country.’”

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    Nvidia will take a $5 billion stake in Intel, joining the US government as a major shareholder Nvidia said on Thursday that it would buy $5 billion worth of Intel’s common stock, becoming another major shareholder in the beleaguered company just weeks after the US government took a roughly 10% stake. The tech giant, which makes artificial intelligence chips, will pay $23.28 per share, it said in a joint press release. The purchase will give Nvidia around 4% or more of Intel after new shares are issued to complete the deal, Reuters reported. Last month, US President Donald Trump and Intel announced that the government was making an $8.9 billion investment in Intel’s common stock, calling it “a Great American Company that has an even more incredible future.” “This is a great Deal for America and, also, a great Deal for INTEL,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. The investment is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States and cement America’s position as a leader in the global chipmaking industry. Trump has said that he plans to impose 100% tariffs on imported semiconductors, excluding suppliers that have committed to building products in the United States. Although Intel was once one of America’s most important tech companies, it has fallen behind rivals after failing to anticipate successive technology waves. Lip-Bu Tan, who took over as CEO in March, has been attempting to turn the company around. The two tech companies also announced that they would jointly develop custom data center and personal computing products. Analysts at Wedbush Securities said the overall agreement was “a game-changer deal for Intel as it now brings them front and center into the AI game.” “Today’s announcement further strengthens the US lead in the AI arms race against China as Intel now goes from a laggard to a catalyst,” they wrote in a note. Thursday’s announcement sent Nvidia’s (NVDA) shares soaring in premarket trading. They pared those gains later in the day.

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    French government collapses after prime minister loses confidence vote French lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou Monday, plunging the country into a new political crisis and leaving it without a government at a time of increasing economic strain and geopolitical tensions. A total of 364 MPs voted against Bayrou and 194 voted for him after he called the vote in a bid to push through an unpopular €44 billion ($51 billion) savings plan that included scrapping two public holidays and freezing government spending. The 364 votes against Bayrou were well above the 280-vote threshold needed to topple the government. Bayrou will now be forced to step down after just nine months in office, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Michel Barnier, who lost a no-confidence vote last December. Bayrou is expected to submit his resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday morning, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. The prime minister’s departure leaves Macron with few palatable options. Investors have been rattled. Yields on French government bonds – or the interest rate demanded by investors – have risen above those of Spanish, Portuguese and Greek bonds, which were once at the heart of the eurozone debt crisis. A possible downgrade of France’s sovereign debt rating review Friday would deliver another blow to its economic standing in Europe. “You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers on Monday ahead of the vote. “Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.” “We broke the social contract” with younger generations, Bayrou added. The political instability can be traced back to Macron’s own dramatic decision last year to call a snap election. Piqued by the remarkable results of the far-right National Rally in the European Parliament elections of May 2024, the French president forced a vote in which his party lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a splintered parliament. What comes next? Even before the vote, the prospect of Bayrou’s downfall sparked calls for the president to step aside, though he has vowed to serve out his term. Far-right doyenne Marine Le Pen has demanded he dissolve parliament, but fresh elections would almost certainly strengthen her party and fracture the French parliament further. Another path would be for Macron to appoint a caretaker government while looking for a new prime minister, with Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin among the frontrunners for what is likely to be a poisoned chalice. The trouble for Macron is that, after three failed centrist prime ministers, the opposition parties are in no mood to give another one a chance. Both the far right and far left have signaled they would immediately call for a vote of no confidence if another such premier were appointed. Naming a prime minister from another political camp is, in theory, an option, but a choice on the right would be blocked by the left, and vice versa. A French flag flies above the entrance of the Hotel Matignon, the official residence of the French Prime Minister, on Monday, as François Bayrou lost the confidence vote. For the next prime minister, the budget fight will be just as fraught. The Socialists want to tax the rich and roll back Macron’s tax cuts for businesses – all red lines to Les Republicains, the long-standing conservative party and a key player in the coalition cobbled together after the snap election. The upshot is that France’s fiscal mess is unlikely to be fixed anytime soon. In the event of another snap parliamentary election, a recent Elabe poll suggests the National Rally would emerge on top, with the left coming in second and Macron’s centrist bloc a distant third. Many now assume the far right will eventually take power – if not now, then after the 2027 presidential election – though few believe such an outcome would solve the country’s problems. Public trust in the political class has collapsed and anger is set to spill onto the streets: the far left has called nationwide protests for Wednesday, under the banner “Bloquons tout” (“Let’s block everything”), with trade unions planning another mobilization on September 18. All of this comes at the worst possible geopolitical moment, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East. Instability in Paris is a gift to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, who share a common delight in mocking Europe’s weaknesses.

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    French government collapses after prime minister loses confidence vote French lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou Monday, plunging the country into a new political crisis and leaving it without a government at a time of increasing economic strain and geopolitical tensions. A total of 364 MPs voted against Bayrou and 194 voted for him after he called the vote in a bid to push through an unpopular €44 billion ($51 billion) savings plan that included scrapping two public holidays and freezing government spending. The 364 votes against Bayrou were well above the 280-vote threshold needed to topple the government. Bayrou will now be forced to step down after just nine months in office, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Michel Barnier, who lost a no-confidence vote last December. Bayrou is expected to submit his resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday morning, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. The prime minister’s departure leaves Macron with few palatable options. Investors have been rattled. Yields on French government bonds – or the interest rate demanded by investors – have risen above those of Spanish, Portuguese and Greek bonds, which were once at the heart of the eurozone debt crisis. A possible downgrade of France’s sovereign debt rating review Friday would deliver another blow to its economic standing in Europe. “You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers on Monday ahead of the vote. “Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.” “We broke the social contract” with younger generations, Bayrou added. The political instability can be traced back to Macron’s own dramatic decision last year to call a snap election. Piqued by the remarkable results of the far-right National Rally in the European Parliament elections of May 2024, the French president forced a vote in which his party lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a splintered parliament. What comes next? Even before the vote, the prospect of Bayrou’s downfall sparked calls for the president to step aside, though he has vowed to serve out his term. Far-right doyenne Marine Le Pen has demanded he dissolve parliament, but fresh elections would almost certainly strengthen her party and fracture the French parliament further. Another path would be for Macron to appoint a caretaker government while looking for a new prime minister, with Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin among the frontrunners for what is likely to be a poisoned chalice. The trouble for Macron is that, after three failed centrist prime ministers, the opposition parties are in no mood to give another one a chance. Both the far right and far left have signaled they would immediately call for a vote of no confidence if another such premier were appointed. Naming a prime minister from another political camp is, in theory, an option, but a choice on the right would be blocked by the left, and vice versa. A French flag flies above the entrance of the Hotel Matignon, the official residence of the French Prime Minister, on Monday, as François Bayrou lost the confidence vote. For the next prime minister, the budget fight will be just as fraught. The Socialists want to tax the rich and roll back Macron’s tax cuts for businesses – all red lines to Les Republicains, the long-standing conservative party and a key player in the coalition cobbled together after the snap election. The upshot is that France’s fiscal mess is unlikely to be fixed anytime soon. In the event of another snap parliamentary election, a recent Elabe poll suggests the National Rally would emerge on top, with the left coming in second and Macron’s centrist bloc a distant third. Many now assume the far right will eventually take power – if not now, then after the 2027 presidential election – though few believe such an outcome would solve the country’s problems. Public trust in the political class has collapsed and anger is set to spill onto the streets: the far left has called nationwide protests for Wednesday, under the banner “Bloquons tout” (“Let’s block everything”), with trade unions planning another mobilization on September 18. All of this comes at the worst possible geopolitical moment, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East. Instability in Paris is a gift to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, who share a common delight in mocking Europe’s weaknesses.

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    RFK Jr. testifies before senators as America's top health official faces growing calls to resign over vaccine policy changes and CDC turmoil. Follow live updates

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    Cardi B found not liable of assault allegations in civil case A California jury has found Cardi B not liable of assault allegations in a civil lawsuit filed by a former security guard. The case stems from a 2018 incident involving plaintiff Emani Ellis, a former building security guard who sued Cardi B for alleged assault during an interaction between the women in the hallway of a medical office where Ellis was employed. The artist, who was pregnant at the time and on her way to see her obstetrician, denied the allegations. Ellis was seeking punitive and other damages that included medical expenses for a scratch on her face. The Grammy-winning artist, who testified over two days in the trial last week, reacted with a sigh of relief to the verdict. Outside of court, Cardi B expressed thanks to her lawyers, the jurors and her supporters. She lamented that she missed her children’s first day of school because of the trial, which she criticized as being the result of a “frivolous” lawsuit. “I’m not even playing around, even if I’m on my death bed, I swear to God I will say it on my deathbed, I did not touch that woman. I did not touch that girl. I didn’t lay my hands on that girl,” she said. The “Up” rapper told reporters gathered that she’s in the middle of an album rollout. She said she had late nights and early mornings, waking up at 5:30 am in order to be camera-ready for court and joked that her forehead is “raw” from changing her wigs. Her hair, fashion, candor and occasional humor during her courtroom testimony, which was live-streamed by Court TV and recirculated across social media, brought new attention to the 7-year-old case last week. “I hope that this is something I leave behind,” Cardi B said Tuesday. Ron Rosen Janfaza, an attorney for Ellis said his client plans to file an appeal. Ellis, meanwhile, criticized Cardi B’s conduct on the stand as “totally unprofessional” and told reporters that the musician’s “body language, body gestures, facial expressions (and) disrespect for the court speaks to who she is.”

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    Thailand’s prime minister removed from office over leaked phone call scandal with Cambodian strongman A Thai court removed suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday, ruling that her controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader breached ethics rules, in a move that plunges the kingdom into fresh political turmoil. Paetongtarn, daughter of influential and divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, became the country’s youngest prime minister in August 2024 and has served only a year in office. In the leaked call, which took place on June 15 as border tensions with Cambodia escalated, Paetongtarn could be heard calling former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen “uncle” and appeared to criticize her own army’s actions in the border clashes that had led to the death of a Cambodian soldier. Paetongtarn also added that if Hun Sen “wants anything, just tell me, and I will take care of it” — contentious remarks that became the center of the case against her. Her comments in the leaked audio, which was confirmed as authentic by both sides, struck a nerve in Thailand. Nationalist fervor was already running high over the border dispute, and opponents accused her of compromising the country’s national interests. Weeks later the two countries engaged in a five-day conflict that killed at least 38 people, mostly civilians, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. Paetongtarn apologized to the Thai people “who may feel uneasy or upset about this matter” and said her remarks were a negotiating technique used to diffuse tensions. On July 1, the court suspended Paetongtarn from prime ministerial duties, though she remained in the Cabinet as culture minister following a reshuffle. The Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday represents another wave on the turbulent rapids of Thai politics, in which those pushing for change have frequently run foul of the establishment – a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites. Last week, Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin survived a lese majeste case against him that could have seen him jailed for up to 15 years. Thai court topples governments, dissolves parties Over the past two decades, dozens of lawmakers have faced bans, parties have been dissolved and prime ministers have been overthrown in coups or by court decisions – with the judiciary playing a central role in the ongoing battle for power. In the past three years alone, the kingdom has seen two prime ministers removed from office and an election-winning party dissolved. Before that, former army commander Prayut Chan-o-cha ruled as prime minister for nine years after seizing power in a coup in 2014. Paetongtarn is the latest in her family to be dismissed as premier – political parties allied to Thaksin have repeatedly won elections but struggled to hold on to power. Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office before the military seized power in a 2014 coup, and her father went into self-imposed exile in 2006 for more than 15 years to escape corruption charges after the military toppled his government. Her uncle Somchai Wongsawat was briefly prime minister in 2008 but was removed in a court ruling. Paetongtarn herself came to power after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was removed from office in a shock court ruling last year by the same Constitutional Court. Srettha had led the Pheu Thai Party in forming a government with its conservative and pro-military rivals following the 2023 election. The uneasy coalition was forged to prevent the progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most votes, from taking office after it promised deep-seated reforms to Thai ruling institutions, including the monarchy. With Pheu Thai in power again, Thaksin — who continued to play an outsized role in politics behind the scenes despite his absence — was allowed to return to his home country. What happens next? The verdict against Paetongtarn could spell trouble for the powerful Shinawatra family’s political fortunes. The clan have dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years, but the government is now on shaky ground. Internal conflict in the ruling coalition and the delayed rollout of flagship policies has dented its ability to govern at a time when the economy is faltering. The leaked phone call plummeted the party’s already declining popularity. Pheu Thai must now nominate a new candidate for prime minister, which will be voted on by the 500-seat parliament. Their last remaining choice is former justice minister Chaikasem Nitisiri, though it is unclear whether he would get the necessary votes from the party’s coalition partners. Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, who would be another candidate for prime minister, quit the coalition and resigned as deputy prime minister and interior minister over Paetongtarn’s leaked phone call. If the party fails to put forward a new prime minister, it raises the prospect of new elections, with Pheu Thai in a much weaker position. Some analysts say the establishment would still favor the Thaksin-backed party as it would act as a firewall against the main opposition People’s Party, which is seen as a major disrupter to the Thai establishment with its reformist agenda and high approval ratings.

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    Thailand’s prime minister removed from office over leaked phone call scandal with Cambodian strongman A Thai court removed suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday, ruling that her controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader breached ethics rules, in a move that plunges the kingdom into fresh political turmoil. Paetongtarn, daughter of influential and divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, became the country’s youngest prime minister in August 2024 and has served only a year in office. In the leaked call, which took place on June 15 as border tensions with Cambodia escalated, Paetongtarn could be heard calling former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen “uncle” and appeared to criticize her own army’s actions in the border clashes that had led to the death of a Cambodian soldier. Paetongtarn also added that if Hun Sen “wants anything, just tell me, and I will take care of it” — contentious remarks that became the center of the case against her. Her comments in the leaked audio, which was confirmed as authentic by both sides, struck a nerve in Thailand. Nationalist fervor was already running high over the border dispute, and opponents accused her of compromising the country’s national interests. Weeks later the two countries engaged in a five-day conflict that killed at least 38 people, mostly civilians, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. Paetongtarn apologized to the Thai people “who may feel uneasy or upset about this matter” and said her remarks were a negotiating technique used to diffuse tensions. On July 1, the court suspended Paetongtarn from prime ministerial duties, though she remained in the Cabinet as culture minister following a reshuffle. The Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday represents another wave on the turbulent rapids of Thai politics, in which those pushing for change have frequently run foul of the establishment – a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites. Last week, Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin survived a lese majeste case against him that could have seen him jailed for up to 15 years. Thai court topples governments, dissolves parties Over the past two decades, dozens of lawmakers have faced bans, parties have been dissolved and prime ministers have been overthrown in coups or by court decisions – with the judiciary playing a central role in the ongoing battle for power. In the past three years alone, the kingdom has seen two prime ministers removed from office and an election-winning party dissolved. Before that, former army commander Prayut Chan-o-cha ruled as prime minister for nine years after seizing power in a coup in 2014. Paetongtarn is the latest in her family to be dismissed as premier – political parties allied to Thaksin have repeatedly won elections but struggled to hold on to power. Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office before the military seized power in a 2014 coup, and her father went into self-imposed exile in 2006 for more than 15 years to escape corruption charges after the military toppled his government. Her uncle Somchai Wongsawat was briefly prime minister in 2008 but was removed in a court ruling. Paetongtarn herself came to power after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was removed from office in a shock court ruling last year by the same Constitutional Court. Srettha had led the Pheu Thai Party in forming a government with its conservative and pro-military rivals following the 2023 election. The uneasy coalition was forged to prevent the progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most votes, from taking office after it promised deep-seated reforms to Thai ruling institutions, including the monarchy. With Pheu Thai in power again, Thaksin — who continued to play an outsized role in politics behind the scenes despite his absence — was allowed to return to his home country. What happens next? The verdict against Paetongtarn could spell trouble for the powerful Shinawatra family’s political fortunes. The clan have dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years, but the government is now on shaky ground. Internal conflict in the ruling coalition and the delayed rollout of flagship policies has dented its ability to govern at a time when the economy is faltering. The leaked phone call plummeted the party’s already declining popularity. Pheu Thai must now nominate a new candidate for prime minister, which will be voted on by the 500-seat parliament. Their last remaining choice is former justice minister Chaikasem Nitisiri, though it is unclear whether he would get the necessary votes from the party’s coalition partners. Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, who would be another candidate for prime minister, quit the coalition and resigned as deputy prime minister and interior minister over Paetongtarn’s leaked phone call. If the party fails to put forward a new prime minister, it raises the prospect of new elections, with Pheu Thai in a much weaker position. Some analysts say the establishment would still favor the Thaksin-backed party as it would act as a firewall against the main opposition People’s Party, which is seen as a major disrupter to the Thai establishment with its reformist agenda and high approval ratings.

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    FEMA workers put on leave after signing letter warning of Trump’s overhaul of the agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday placed several employees on administrative leave effective immediately, just one day after they signed an open letter warning Congress that the Trump administration’s sweeping overhaul of the agency could lead to catastrophic failures in disaster response. Titled “Katrina Declaration,” the letter accuses President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, of undermining the agency’s capabilities, ignoring its congressionally mandated authority and appointing unqualified leadership. The group calls for FEMA to be shielded from political interference and for its workforce to be protected from politically motivated firings. Of the more than 180 current and former FEMA staffers who signed the letter, most did so anonymously. Only 36 signed publicly, though it’s unclear how many were still employed when the letter was released. Among them was Virginia Case, a supervisory management and program analyst, who told CNN she received notice Tuesday evening that she’d been placed on paid leave. “I’m disappointed but not surprised,” Case said, adding that she was aware of at least six other FEMA workers who received similar emails. “I’m also proud of those of us who stood up, regardless of what it might mean for our jobs. The public deserves to know what’s happening, because lives and communities will suffer if this continues.” Workers who are placed on leave “will conduct no business, visit no FEMA/DHS facility and contact no FEMA/DHS personnel,” according to an email to FEMA employees reviewed by CNN. Employees were also ordered to share their personal email addresses because access to their FEMA/DHS accounts had been suspended. “It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo, who have forgotten that their duty is to the American people not entrenched bureaucracy,” a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “Our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems. Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, FEMA will return to its mission of assisting Americans at their most vulnerable.” The “Katrina Declaration” letter warns that critical reforms enacted after the failed response to Hurricane Katrina are being unraveled, as the Trump administration moves to either abolish or drastically shrink FEMA’s role. The move echoes actions taken earlier this summer, when the Trump administration suspended roughly 140 employees from the Environmental Protection Agency days after they signed a public letter raising concerns about the treatment of federal workers and the Trump administration’s regulations on climate and public health.

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    Texas Republicans approve new congressional maps as partisan redistricting race escalates The Texas Senate on Saturday approved new congressional maps drawn to help Republicans win as many as five more House seats in next year’s midterm elections. The vote was the final legislative hurdle for the redistricting plan sought by President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott — one that ignited an intensifying, nationwide redistricting arms race. In a statement praising the redistricting bill, Abbott said he’ll “swiftly” sign the measure into law. He’s expected to sign it early next week. “The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” Abbott said. “I promised we would get this done, and delivered on that promise. I thank Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for leading the passage in the Senate of a bill that ensures our maps reflect Texans’ voting preferences.” California Democrats approved their own new congressional maps on Thursday as part of a Gov. Gavin Newsom-led bid to offset the GOP’s gains in Texas by handing Democrats five more favorable House districts. Newsom’s plan faces another major hurdle. As California voters transferred the power to draw congressional maps from lawmakers to an independent commission in 2010, implementing the Democrats’ new maps will require a statewide election on November 4. Voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment to override the commission’s district lines. The race to redraw congressional districts — typically a once-in-a-decade process following the US Census — is likely to expand in the coming weeks. The White House is looking to Ohio, where a unique state law requires the legislature to approve new maps this year, as well as Missouri, Florida, Indiana and South Carolina, where Republicans are in full control of state governments, as opportunities to add more favorable districts. Democratic governors in Illinois, Maryland and New York have also floated redrawing their maps to add more Democratic-leaning districts. “Game on,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X Wednesday after the Texas House passed its new maps. Mid-decade redistricting is unusual, and state lawmakers aren’t being coy about why they are doing so now. Texas state Rep. Todd Hunter, the Republican who sponsored the new congressional map in the House, said during a floor debate Wednesday that he did so “to give Republicans an opportunity where they haven’t in the past.” California state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat, said during a floor debate Thursday that Republicans “started this madness.” “Republicans are trying to cheat to win congressional midterm elections under their unpopular president, and Democrats are fighting back. This is about trying to level the national playing field so we can have something close to fair elections for Congress in 2026,” Blakespear said. Texas maps clear final legislative hurdle The Texas Senate approval of the redistricting plan on Saturday is the final step for the new maps to be sent to Abbott’s desk to be signed into law. The new maps “should elect more Republicans to the US Congress, but I’m here to tell you, there are no guarantees,” said the bill’s Senate sponsor, Republican Phil King. The drama around the push largely seemed to enter its final chapter on Monday, when Democratic House members who had fled the state for 15 days to deny the House the special two-thirds quorum returned to Austin. To prevent Democrats from leaving the state again that same day, House Speaker Dustin Burrows locked the chamber doors and required the boycotting Democrats to sign permission slips agreeing to be escorted by a Department of Public Safety officer who would return them when the House reconvened Wednesday. State Rep. Nicole Collier refused and stayed on the House floor for two nights; more Democrats ripped up their permission slips and joined her for the second night. Those Democrats vowed Wednesday night, minutes after the House’s 88-52 party-line vote, to wage a legal battle against the new congressional maps. “This fight is far from over,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, the House Democratic leader. “Our best shot is in the courts.” Some drama ensued in the state Senate, when final passage of the GOP redistricting legislation was threatened by a potential filibuster from Democratic State Sen. Carol Alvarado, known for her 15-hour filibuster of a restrictive voting law in 2021. But Senate Republicans blocked her effort, citing a fundraising email sent by her campaign earlier on Friday and accusing her of violating chamber rules. Even before being signed into law, the new maps are already reshaping the midterm landscape. Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who currently represents the 37th District, has said he will not seek reelection if the new maps are upheld in court. His retirement would avoid a potentially contentious primary against another Democratic congressman, Rep. Greg Casar, whose district would be redrawn to favor Republicans under the new maps. Meanwhile, House Republicans are carrying out their threats to punish the Democrats who fled the state. They have notified some House Democrats they will have to pay fines and costs of more than $9,000 each. One letter posted by state Rep. Venton Jones assessed a total of $9,354.25 due — including $7,000 in fines, following a rule imposing $500 daily fines for quorum-breakers imposed after a Democratic walkout in 2021, and $2,354.25 in costs. The costs were split between the lawmakers and totaled $124,943.40. The letter was sent by state House Administration Committee Chair Rep. Charlie Geren. The Democrats are able to request a due process hearing to explain, “why the full amount of fines and costs authorized by the rule should not be imposed” or submit a written request to the committee by August 25. California voters have final say Unlike the Texas redistricting bill, which required no constitutional amendment, the California effort moved in three parts. One bill is the constitutional amendment; another funds the November 4 election; and another includes the maps themselves. All three passed both chambers of the legislature on Thursday on largely party-line votes. The California redistricting plan will only take effect if voters approve the amendment of the state’s constitution in that November election to temporarily replace the state’s independent redistricting commission’s House maps with new Democratic maps for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. California Republicans have long acknowledged that their best chance of blocking the redistricting effort is by defeating it at the ballot box. A coalition of gerrymandering opponents and Republican leaders has already started to form to defeat the initiative, known as Proposition 50. State and national Democrats are also preparing to defend the initiative. Newsom argued that California’s effort is “in stark contrast to what you’re seeing in Texas,” because voters must sign off before the new districts can take effect. “I signed the first bill ever signed by a governor of any state in US history that will place in front of the voters maps for their determination. It’s the most democratic redistricting effort that has been advanced,” he said in a livestream with supporters Thursday. The plan from California Democrats initially included a trigger to only take effect if another state engaged in mid-decade redistricting, but that provision was removed on Thursday, one day after the Texas House passed the GOP-drawn congressional maps. “Because Texas Republicans have voted,” the trigger language “is no longer necessary,” Nick Miller, communications director for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, said in a statement.

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    Democratic Texas lawmaker passes 24-hour mark on state House floor after refusing GOP demand for law enforcement escort Democratic Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier has now spent over 24 hours on the Texas House floor in protest after refusing a Republican demand to be placed under the watch of the state Department of Public Safety. When Texas House Democrats returned to the Capitol in Austin on Monday, after having fled the state earlier this month in order to prevent a vote on a controversial Republican redistricting plan, House Speaker Dustin Burrows put constraints on their movements. Burrows announced that the Democrats could only leave the House floor if they received written permission and agreed to be under law enforcement escort until the chamber reconvenes on Wednesday morning. The Democrats who skipped out on previous attempts to meet quorum for a special session to approve the redrawn congressional maps will have an around-the-clock DPS escort to ensure their presence when the House convenes Wednesday, a legislative aide told CNN. Democrats had fled to blue states — including Illinois, New York and Massachusetts — as they faced civil arrest warrants pushed by GOP officials in Texas to force them back into the House chamber. The majority of the Democrats complied with the law enforcement escort, showing reporters what they called “permission slips” they received to leave the House floor and pointing to the officers escorting them around the Capitol. But Collier refused to enter into that agreement and has been confined to the House floor since returning. She can only leave the floor to return to her office under the watch of a law enforcement officer, an aide said, and cannot leave the state Capitol unless she agrees to outside supervision. State Reps. Gene Wu and Vince Perez, who signed the “permission slips” to leave with a police escort yesterday, stayed on the House floor with Collier through the night, the aide said. Rep. Perez left early this morning but Wu remained in the chamber with Collier. Wu posted a photo on X Monday evening detailing some of their snacks for the long stretch ahead - dried peaches, freeze dried grapes, popcorn and ramen. “My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights,” said Collier. “I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts. My community is majority-minority, and they expect me to stand up for their representation. When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents — I won’t just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination.” State Rep. Nicole Collier talks on the phone from the floor of the House, where she has chosen to remain until Wednesday, after Democratic lawmakers who had left the state to prevent Republicans from redrawing Texas’s 38 congressional districts returned to the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on August 18, 2025. Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke celebrated Collier’s protest on Monday, writing on social media, “A true hero, refusing to submit, fighting these fascists by herself if she has to. We are with you Nicole!” Burrows said in a statement, “Rep. Collier’s choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules.” The Texas House Speaker said that he is “choosing to spend my time focused on” important legislation. The Texas House established a quorum Monday afternoon, for the first time since most members of the Democratic minority fled the state 15 days earlier to prevent it from having the two-thirds quorum necessary to advance new congressional maps aimed at creating five more Republican-leaning seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Early in their boycott, Burrows had signed civil arrest warrants for those Democrats. But DPS officers could not carry out those warrants because the Democrats were out of state. At President Donald Trump’s urging, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Republicans who control the state House and Senate launched the effort to redraw the state’s congressional districts mid-decade — a break from most states’ typical practice of redistricting once a decade, after the completion of the US Census. It’s part of the party’s effort to hold onto its narrow House majority in next year’s midterm elections — one that also includes lobbying GOP officials in Indiana and Missouri to change their maps to turn Democratic-held seats into favorable ground for Republicans, and could see the party add more GOP-leaning seats in Ohio, which is required by state law to redistrict. The Texas effort has set off a nationwide gerrymandering arms race. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed retribution, proposing a measure that would trigger new maps that could help Democrats pick up five more seats in the state — but only if Texas moves forward with its redistricting plan.

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    Democratic Texas lawmaker passes 24-hour mark on state House floor after refusing GOP demand for law enforcement escort Democratic Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier has now spent over 24 hours on the Texas House floor in protest after refusing a Republican demand to be placed under the watch of the state Department of Public Safety. When Texas House Democrats returned to the Capitol in Austin on Monday, after having fled the state earlier this month in order to prevent a vote on a controversial Republican redistricting plan, House Speaker Dustin Burrows put constraints on their movements. Burrows announced that the Democrats could only leave the House floor if they received written permission and agreed to be under law enforcement escort until the chamber reconvenes on Wednesday morning. The Democrats who skipped out on previous attempts to meet quorum for a special session to approve the redrawn congressional maps will have an around-the-clock DPS escort to ensure their presence when the House convenes Wednesday, a legislative aide told CNN. Democrats had fled to blue states — including Illinois, New York and Massachusetts — as they faced civil arrest warrants pushed by GOP officials in Texas to force them back into the House chamber. The majority of the Democrats complied with the law enforcement escort, showing reporters what they called “permission slips” they received to leave the House floor and pointing to the officers escorting them around the Capitol. But Collier refused to enter into that agreement and has been confined to the House floor since returning. She can only leave the floor to return to her office under the watch of a law enforcement officer, an aide said, and cannot leave the state Capitol unless she agrees to outside supervision. State Reps. Gene Wu and Vince Perez, who signed the “permission slips” to leave with a police escort yesterday, stayed on the House floor with Collier through the night, the aide said. Rep. Perez left early this morning but Wu remained in the chamber with Collier. Wu posted a photo on X Monday evening detailing some of their snacks for the long stretch ahead - dried peaches, freeze dried grapes, popcorn and ramen. “My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights,” said Collier. “I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts. My community is majority-minority, and they expect me to stand up for their representation. When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents — I won’t just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination.” State Rep. Nicole Collier talks on the phone from the floor of the House, where she has chosen to remain until Wednesday, after Democratic lawmakers who had left the state to prevent Republicans from redrawing Texas’s 38 congressional districts returned to the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on August 18, 2025. Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke celebrated Collier’s protest on Monday, writing on social media, “A true hero, refusing to submit, fighting these fascists by herself if she has to. We are with you Nicole!” Burrows said in a statement, “Rep. Collier’s choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules.” The Texas House Speaker said that he is “choosing to spend my time focused on” important legislation. The Texas House established a quorum Monday afternoon, for the first time since most members of the Democratic minority fled the state 15 days earlier to prevent it from having the two-thirds quorum necessary to advance new congressional maps aimed at creating five more Republican-leaning seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Early in their boycott, Burrows had signed civil arrest warrants for those Democrats. But DPS officers could not carry out those warrants because the Democrats were out of state. At President Donald Trump’s urging, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Republicans who control the state House and Senate launched the effort to redraw the state’s congressional districts mid-decade — a break from most states’ typical practice of redistricting once a decade, after the completion of the US Census. It’s part of the party’s effort to hold onto its narrow House majority in next year’s midterm elections — one that also includes lobbying GOP officials in Indiana and Missouri to change their maps to turn Democratic-held seats into favorable ground for Republicans, and could see the party add more GOP-leaning seats in Ohio, which is required by state law to redistrict. The Texas effort has set off a nationwide gerrymandering arms race. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed retribution, proposing a measure that would trigger new maps that could help Democrats pick up five more seats in the state — but only if Texas moves forward with its redistricting plan.

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    What we covered here • “No deal until there’s a deal”: US President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin made “great progress” but did not emerge from today’s summit with a deal on the war in Ukraine. • Onus on Ukraine: In an interview on Fox tonight, Trump put the onus on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a ceasefire, saying there would soon be a meeting set up between Zelensky and Putin. “They both want me there,” Trump said.

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    Illinois speaker’s office says it's not responsible for ensuring Texas House members return to their state Texas Rep. Gene Wu says he has filed a response to Gov. Abbott's "unconstitutional, illegal" court petition Texas AG Ken Paxton sues to remove 13 Democratic state representatives from office Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is filing a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court to remove Democratic lawmakers who have broken quorum to try to stall Republicans’ redistricting push. “I have asked the Texas Supreme Court to declare what has been clear from the beginning: that the runaway members have officially vacated their offices in the Texas House,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the suit. Paxton said his lawsuit was targeting “13 Democrat members who made incriminating public statements regarding their refusal to return, essentially confirming in their own words the very grounds for this legal action.” “When members of the Legislature disregard arrest warrants, refuse to perform their duties, and announce that they intend to prevent the Legislature from exercising its constitutional responsibilities, they have, through words and conduct, demonstrated an intent to relinquish and abandon their offices,” the petition to the State Supreme Court reads. Democratic state lawmakers who have left Texas to try to stall Republicans’ redistricting effort are facing an escalating pressure campaign from Republicans. That includes the deployment of law enforcement to find and return absent members, fines, potential bribery charges, and more – including another effort by Paxton to investigate Democratic fundraising on behalf of the members. Texas Democrats, however, have rebuffed the GOP warnings. “The Attorney General just filed a lawsuit to vacate my seat and remove me from office,” State Rep. John Bucy wrote on social media, responding to Paxton’s suit. “I’m not backing down.” And Rep. Ron Romero Jr., earlier Friday, argued that Paxton’s effort to target his colleagues was aimed at boosting the attorney general’s 2026 campaign for US Senate. “I think that is a politician that is running for senator,” Romero said, calling Paxton an “embarrassment” and saying that he was “doing that as a campaign ploy.”

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    El Salvador plans to launch the world’s first Bitcoin bank.

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    Russian Lawmaker Responds to Trump Moving Nuclear Subs Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky responded to President Donald Trump's decision to move two U.S. nuclear submarines to "appropriate regions" near Russia by saying that Moscow can count on far more submarines than Washington. "There are significantly more of our [nuclear] submarines in the world's oceans, [and they] have the strongest, most powerful weapons," Vodolatsky, who is also first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, told Russia's government-controlled news agency TASS. "This is why, let [Trump's] two boats float, they have been at gunpoint for a long time," he added. Why It Matters Vodolatsky's provocative comments follow the U.S. president's announcement on Friday of the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines near Russia. The announcement itself can be seen as the latest escalation in the increasingly sour relationship between Moscow and Washington, which has been worsening in recent weeks as Russia's President Vladimir Putin has appeared deaf to Trump's repeated request to end the war in Ukraine. Despite Trump's declared admiration for Putin and his willingness to accept an end to the war in Ukraine that would undoubtedly favor Moscow over Kyiv, the relationship between the two leaders have become frayed in recent weeks, and tensions are now running high between the two countries. With the both holding a significant nuclear arsenal, the threats exchanged between them carry a particularly heavy weight. What To Know On Thursday, Trump said that if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by next Friday, August 8, he will impose a package of economic sanctions on the country. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Moscow's military leader, responded to the announcement on social media on Friday, saying that Trump's threat was "a step towards war." This triggered Trump's announcement about the nuclear submarines. On Friday, the U.S. president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: "I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that." It is not clear whether the U.S. submarines moved in the unidentified "appropriate regions" near Russia are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday: "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances." Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on the same day: "Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10. He should remember two things: 1. Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Vodolatsky told TASS: "There can be no answer from us, because we understand perfectly well who Donald Trump is. These last months have shown that he is changing his mind 24 hours a day." Russia and China Carry Out Anti-Submarine Drills On Sunday, the Russian and Chinese navies were reported to have been carrying out artillery and anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan. These joint exercises, however, cannot be considered directly related to the escalating comments between Trump and Russian lawmakers, as they were scheduled beforehand. The drills included a large Russian anti-submarine ship and two Chinese destroyers, according to the Interfax news agency. What Happens Next While there have been comments by both Medvedev and Vodolatsky, Putin has not responded to Trump's ultimatum or his decision to move the nuclear submarines. On Friday, however, the Russian president said: "As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule." It is hard to tell whether Trump's nuclear submarine announcement will further escalate tensions with Russia, but some experts said it is unlikely to make a difference, as the U.S. already had submarines deployed, including near Russia.

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    The UK says it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to end the "appalling situation in Gaza" and agree to a ceasefire. Follow live updates.

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    Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire after days of deadly clashes

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    Federal appeals court issues another blow to Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship . A federal appeals court on Wednesday issued another major blow to President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, ruling that it’s unconstitutional and upholding a nationwide block against the controversial policy. The 2-1 ruling from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals is significant because the Supreme Court late last month ordered lower courts to take a second look at a set of nationwide injunctions issued earlier this year that halted Trump’s implementation of his Day One order to ensure they weren’t broader than necessary. The San Francisco-based appeals court decided that one such injunction issued by a federal judge in Seattle in a case brought by a group of Democratic-led states did not represent a judicial overreach that needed to be reined in. “The district court below concluded that a universal preliminary injunction is necessary to provide the states with complete relief. We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the states complete relief,” appeals court Judge Ronald Gould wrote for the majority. “The states would suffer the same irreparable harms under a geographically-limited injunction as they would without an injunction,” Gould, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, added, explaining that a narrower injunction would require the states that challenged the law to overhaul their eligibility verification systems for various social services programs. Wednesday’s decision also represents the first time an appeals court has fully concluded that Trump’s order is unconstitutional. The Trump administration has the option of asking the full 9th Circuit to review the case, but it could also appeal the matter straight to the Supreme Court. “The district court correctly concluded that the Executive Order’s proposed interpretation, denying citizenship to many persons born in the United States, is unconstitutional. We fully agree,” Gould wrote in the ruling, which was joined by appeals court judge Michael Hawkins, also a Clinton appointee. He went on to say that Trump’s order contradicts the Citizenship Clause of the Constitution, an 1898 Supreme Court case known as United States v. Wong Kim Ark and decades of Executive Branch practice. Trump’s order is already blocked on a nationwide basis after a federal judge in New Hampshire barred enforcement of it against any babies who would be impacted by the policy in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. Such lawsuits are one of the ways the Supreme Court said plaintiffs can still try to broadly block Trump’s order. Appeals court Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, partially dissented from the court’s ruling on Wednesday. He said he didn’t think the states who challenged Trump’s order had the legal right — known as “standing” — to bring the lawsuit in the first place. As a result, he said, he thought it was “premature to address the merits of the citizenship question or the scope of the injunction.” US District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee in Seattle, was the first federal judge to block Trump’s order. When he first issued an emergency order preventing enforcement of it in late January, he said it was “blatantly unconstitutional.”

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    US to withdraw from UN scientific and cultural agency UNESCO again, White House says President Donald Trump is pulling the United States out of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, a White House official told CNN. The move comes as the US president continues to pull the country out of international institutions and makes ending Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs a key focus of his administration. “President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO — which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,” White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce added the US’ continued participation in UNESCO is not in its “national interest.” The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026. UNESCO “promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide,” its website states. The UN organization is widely recognized for its designation of World Heritage Sites, including the Grand Canyon National Park in the US. The United States was a founding member of UNESCO in 1945 but withdrew in 1984, citing concerns over financial mismanagement and a perceived bias against US interests. Nearly two decades later, in 2003, the US rejoined the organization during President George W. Bush’s administration, with Bush stating that UNESCO had implemented important reforms. The US again withdrew from UNESCO during the first Trump administration but rejoined under Biden. After he took office for the second time, President Donald Trump ordered a review of US participation, including “an analysis of any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.” Bruce alleged that “UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.” “UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization,” she said. Audrey Azoulay, director general of UNESCO said she deeply regretted the US decision but said the organization was expecting it. “This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America — communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, Creative City status, and University Chairs,” she said in a statement. “However regrettable, this announcement was anticipated, and UNESCO has prepared for it,” she added. “These claims also contradict the reality of UNESCO’s efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism.” The US decision was hailed by Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar, who called it “a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel’s right for fair treatment in the UN system.” “Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies,” he wrote in a post on X Tuesday. “Israel thanks the US for its moral support and leadership, especially in the multilateral arena which is plagued with anti-Israel discrimination.” French President Emmanuel Macron, however, took a swipe at the move. “Unwavering support for UNESCO, a universal guardian of science, the Ocean, education, culture, and world heritage,” he wrote on X. “The withdrawal of the United States will not weaken our commitment alongside those who lead this fight.”

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    CBS is ending ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ next year. In a shocking move, CBS is ending “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” next year, and apparently exiting the late-night television business altogether. The network, citing financial pressures, said the cancellation will take effect in May 2026, the normal end of the broadcast TV season. The decision is particularly surprising because “The Late Show” is typically the highest-rated show in late-night. And the timing is bound to raise questions because it comes just two weeks after the parent company of CBS, Paramount, settled a lawsuit lodged by President Trump against CBS News. The settlement – and Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance Media – spurred speculation about Colbert’s future at CBS. Colbert, after all, is one of the staunchest critics of Trump on television. Colbert alluded to the online worrying about his fate when he returned from vacation on Monday night. He condemned the Paramount settlement on air, likening it to a “big fat bribe,” and he joked that his new mustache would protect him from the corporation: “Okay, okay, but how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert… if they can’t find him?” CBS, however, said in a statement that “this is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” The corporate financial pressures are real; Paramount laid off another 3.5 percent of its workforce just last month. Due to plunging ad revenue, “The Late Show” is no longer profitable, according to a source close to the network. Still, the Colbert news was head-spinning in the TV world, as evidenced by the heartbroken reactions from fans on the show’s Instagram page. One of the most-favorited comments said “this is crazy.” Colbert shared the news at his show taping on Thursday evening. He gave no indication that it was his decision; to the contrary, he said he found out about the network’s decision “last night.” “Next year will be our last season,” Colbert said as audible ‘boos’ were heard in the studio audience. “The network will be ending our show in May,” he said. “It’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS,” he added, going on to say, “This is all just going away.” Some observers immediately raised concerns about Paramount’s motivation, including Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who happened to be Colbert’s guest on Thursday. “Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled,” Schiff wrote on X. “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.” “I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners,” Colbert said. “I’m so grateful to the Tiffany network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course, I’m grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night in here, out there, all around the world.” End of an era “The Late Show” franchise has been a cornerstone of the CBS lineup for more than thirty years. Founding host David Letterman built the show into a beloved brand in the 1990s with his Top Ten lists and “Stupid Human Tricks.” He handed off to Colbert in 2015, who further energized the time slot with sharp-edged political humor. Colbert had a long history with the company now known as Paramount: He had a celebrated stint on “The Daily Show,” on the company’s Comedy Central cable channel, as a writer and correspondent, and then launched a satirical spinoff titled “The Colbert Report.” Trump’s election in 2016 changed the trajectory of Colbert’s version of “The Late Show.” Colbert broke out from the late-night pack as his harsh criticism of Trump galvanized viewers, giving CBS its biggest late-night ratings victory in two decades. Colbert has remained a vocal and animated critic during Trump’s second term, even as his parent company tried to strike a settlement deal to end Trump’s lawsuit over CBS News, which legal experts said was meritless all along. The end of Colbert’s show will surely raise concerns about his friend and producing colleague Jon Stewart, who hosts a weekly edition of “The Daily Show.” CNN has reached out to representatives for Stewart and Letterman for comment. In his on-air announcement Thursday, Colbert referenced the fact that the show is ending altogether instead of remaining a powerful broadcast platform for comics. “I wish somebody else was getting it,” he said. The network previously ended James Corden’s “Late Late Show” in 2023. At the time, executives said that 12:35 a.m. show had become unprofitable for CBS. Colbert helped produce a much less expensive replacement show, “After Midnight.” That show ended earlier this year, but CBS said it wrapped because the host, Taylor Tomlinson, did not want to helm another season, not because of financial considerations. Bill Carter, the author of two best-selling books about the late-night wars, said Thursday night that “the financial side of that business has definitely been under pressure.” “But if CBS believes it can escape without some serious questions about capitulating to Trump, they are seriously deluded,” Carter said.

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    US inflation rebounded in June to highest level in four months Alicia Wallace Inflation in the US was expected to heat up in June amid higher gas prices and businesses passing along tariff-related costs to consumers. Prices in certain tariff-exposed categories, such as home furnishings and toys, have been increasing in recent months. US inflation heated back up in June, rising to its highest level in four months, as price increases — including those from tariffs — packed a bigger punch. Consumer prices rose 0.3% last month, pushing the annual inflation rate higher to 2.7%, the highest since February, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tuesday’s data came right in line with what economists were expecting, as gas prices rose for the first time in five months and other prices increased in key services and goods categories. Excluding gas and food, which tend to be quite volatile, core CPI rose 0.2% from May and 2.9% for the 12 months ended in June, marking an acceleration from 0.1% and 2.8%, respectively, the month before. Stocks moved higher after the report, and at the opening bell the Dow ticked up slightly, while the S&P 500 gained 0.4% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8%. In recent months, President Donald Trump has enacted a sweeping trade policy of tacking steep tariffs on most goods that come in to America. The sheer breadth of the tariffs as well as the fits-and-starts approach to their implementation has roiled markets and caused heightened uncertainty among businesses and consumers as to how much prices would move higher. However, inflation has remained relatively tame in recent months due to a variety of factors, including ongoing disinflation trends in housing and other key services, falling gas and travel prices (in part due to weakened demand from uncertainty), and businesses loading up on pre-tariff inventories. Economists cautioned that the tariff-related price hikes wouldn’t come quickly nor in one fell swoop and would likely start to hit consumers more as the year went on. They also anticipated tariff impacts would become even more apparent in the June CPI data. This story is developing and will be updated.

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    Tropical Storm Chantal will be the first system of hurricane season to impact the US Tropical Storm Chantal meanders off the Southeast coast on Saturday morning. Tropical Storm Chantal formed off the Southeast coast early Saturday morning, becoming the third named system of the Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center. While the storm is the first of the season to impact the United States, it isn’t a major threat to land, but could drench parts of the Southeast and create risky beach conditions through the weekend. The center of the storm was about 100 miles away from Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday afternoon and will continue to slowly creep toward the coast into early Sunday morning. The storm will strengthen some through Saturday night, but is expected to make landfall in South Carolina as a tropical storm potentially during the earliest hours of Sunday morning. Landfall will likely occur somewhere between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A tropical storm warning was in place Saturday for portions of the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts. The latest forecasts suggest the storm will kick off several rounds of thunderstorms that could drop more than 2 to 4 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas, with isolated amounts of up to 6 inches by Monday. The system is expected to bring 1 to 2 feet of storm surge in areas of onshore winds. Additionally, rough surf and rip currents will continue to plague much of the Carolina coastline through the holiday weekend. Outside of the Southeast, most of the country will see ideal conditions for July 4th weekend, particularly in the Northeast and West, where calm, mostly clear skies are expected. The Southeast is likely to dry out by Tuesday. Texas and the Upper Midwest could continue to see strong to severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail through the weekend. Torrential rainfall triggered deadly flooding in Texas early Friday morning as rivers rushed beyond their banks and flooded nearby campgrounds and homes.

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    Thailand’s prime minister suspended over leaked phone call with former strongman Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra walks through Government House after a cabinet meeting in Bangkok on July 1, 2025. Thailand’s embattled prime minister was suspended from duty Tuesday and could face dismissal pending an ethics probe over a leaked phone call she had with Cambodia’s powerful former leader. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 38, has only held the premiership for 10 months after replacing her predecessor, who was removed from office. Her suspension brings fresh uncertainty to the Southeast Asian kingdom, which has been roiled by years of political turbulence and leadership shake-ups. Thailand’s Constitutional Court accepted a petition brought by a group of 36 senators who accused Paetongtarn of violating the constitution for breaching ethical standards in the leaked call, which was confirmed as authentic by both sides. The court voted to suspend Paetongtarn from her prime ministerial duties until it reaches a verdict in the ethics case. Paetongtarn will remain in the Cabinet as culture minister following a reshuffle. Paetongtarn has faced increasing calls to resign, with anti-government protesters taking to the streets of the capital Bangkok on Saturday, after the leaked call with Cambodia’s Hun Sen over an escalating border dispute sparked widespread anger in the country. The scandal prompted the Bhumjaithai party, a major partner of the prime minister’s government, to withdraw from the coalition last week, dealing a major blow to her Pheu Thai party’s ability to hold power. Paetongtarn is also contending with plummeting approvals ratings and faces a no-confidence vote in parliament. Related article How a leaked phone call between a former strongman and a young leader could topple a government In the leaked call, which took place on June 15, Paetongtarn could be heard calling former Cambodian strongman Hun Sen “uncle” and appeared to criticize her own army’s actions after border clashes led to the death of a Cambodian soldier last month. The Thai prime minister could be heard telling Hun Sen that she was under domestic pressure and urged him not to listen to the “opposite side,” in which she referred to an outspoken Thai army commander in Thailand’s northeast. She also added that if Hun Sen “wants anything, he can just tell me, and I will take care of it.” Her comments in the leaked audio struck a nerve in Thailand, and opponents accused her of compromising the country’s national interests. Following the ruling, Paetongtarn said she accepts the court’s decision and that her intention “was truly to act for the good of the country.” “I want to make it clear that my intentions were more than 100% sincere — I acted for the country, to protect our sovereignty, to safeguard the lives of our soldiers, and to preserve peace in our nation,” she said in a press conference Tuesday. “I also want to apologize to all my fellow Thais who may feel uneasy or upset about this matter,” she added. Thailand and Cambodia have had a complicated relationship of both cooperation and rivalry in recent decades. The two countries share a 508-mile (817-kilometer) land border – largely mapped by the French while they occupied Cambodia – that has periodically seen military clashes and been the source of political tensions. In the wake of the scandal, Paetongtarn tried to downplay her remarks to Hun Sen, saying at a press conference she was trying to diffuse tensions between the two neighbors and the “private” call “shouldn’t have been made public.” The prime minister said she was using a “negotiation tactic” and her comments were “not a statement of allegiance.” Paetongtarn became prime minister last year after the Constitutional Court ruled that her predecessor Srettha Thavisin had breached ethics rules and voted to dismiss him as prime minister. The same court also dissolved the country’s popular progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the 2023 election, and banned its leaders from politics for 10 years.

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    Bryan Kohberger agrees to plea deal to avoid death penalty in Idaho student killings FILE - Bryan Kohberger, accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho Bryan Kohberger, the 30-year-old accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in their apartment in 2022, has agreed to a plea deal to avoid the death penalty in his quadruple murder case. The plea deal consisted of pleading guilty to four counts of murder in exchange for the government not pursuing the death penalty, a person familiar with the deal confirmed to CNN. Shannon Gray, attorney for family of victim Kaylee Goncalves, also confirmed the deal to CNN. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Kohberger was slated to go on trial in August, and prosecutors indicated they would pursue the death penalty. “The issue is they are trying to cram the plea for July 2, only giving the families a day to get to Boise,” Gray said Goncalvez’ family described the announcement as “very unexpected” in a post on Facebook. They said they were “furious at the State of Idaho.” “They have failed us. Please give us some time,” reads the post. The deal brings a possible end to the years-long legal proceedings against Kohberger, which have seen his trial date delayed multiple times due to disputes about evidence and witnesses, as well as a change of venue from Latah County to the state capital of Boise. “We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” read the letter, signed by Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson, according to the Idaho Statesman, which said it viewed the letter. “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family. This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals.” Kohberger, previously a PhD student of criminology at the University of Washington, was charged with killing the four students in January 2023. Authorities say Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen, 21 were fatally stabbed in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022 in Moscow, Idaho. An assistant at the Kootenai County Public Defender’s office told CNN “no comment” about the news of the plea deal. Last week, a judge rejected a bid from Kohberger’s defense to delay the trial and dismissed the defense’s request to propose an “alternate perpetrator” theory. The judge had also barred Kohberger’s defense from entering an official alibi – since no one could vouch for where he was during the time of the killings.

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    America’s incredible stock market rebound is complete as S&P 500, Nasdaq hit record highs The S&P 500 and Nasdaq on Friday closed at all-time highs. The US stock market on Friday hit an all-time high, its first since mid-February. It marked the culmination of a remarkable recovery on Wall Street since the S&P 500 was flirting with bear market territory in early April. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, to close at a record 6,173.07. It marked the first new record high since February 19. Markets almost didn’t hit that record on Friday — they turned south in the late afternoon after President Donald Trump said the United States is ending trade talks with Canada because of a new digital services tax America’s northern neighbor imposed on companies. Trump said a new tariff on Canada would be announced within a week. That soured sentiment on Wall Street — but not enough to keep stocks lower. Stocks resumed their march higher one hour before the closing bell and rallied to finish the week. The Nasdaq Composite also hit a record high Friday, gaining 0.5%. It marked the first all-time high since December 16. The Nasdaq has become synonymous with Big Tech, and the AI boom has fueled a tech rally in recent months. The smaller Nasdaq 100, made up of top tech stocks, set a record earlier this week. The Dow rose 432 points, or 1%. It had been up as much as 580 points earlier in the day. The blue-chip index, dragged down by UnitedHealth, which has tumbled 39% this year, plus Apple, Merck and Nike, still has about 1,200 points, or 2.7%, left to gain before it hits its all-time high. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq each posted their biggest weekly gain in six weeks. The S&P 500 has been on a wild round trip: The index shed $9.8 trillion in market value from its previous record on February 19 to its low point on April 8, before recovering all of those losses across the past two and a half months. A wild ride On April 8, when stocks were on the verge of plunging into a bear market, few Wall Street experts were predicting that the market would come close to a record high just 80 days later. Related article Trump is ending trade talks with Canada It’s been an incredible journey over the past several months. Trump alarmed traders with historic tariffs that economists said could reignite inflation and plunge the economy into a recession. The Trump administration then doubled down on those tariffs, culminating in the president’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement. That sent tariffs for dozens of nations surging — some as high as 50%. US tariffs on China eventually eclipsed 145% for some products, effectively creating a blockade on America’s second-biggest trading partner. On April 9, heeding warnings from the stock, currency and especially the Treasury markets, the administration paused its “reciprocal” tariffs for 90 days, sending markets surging. Last month, the Trump administration reached frameworks for trade deals with the United Kingdom and China, giving investors a sense that the most punishing trade policies were in the past, and more trade deals could be forthcoming. “The sell-offs should never have happened,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth Management. “There was no need for that. It was a completely manufactured crisis.” Markets got another boost Friday after China signaled it would reopen its rare earth market to the United States. The news came just hours after White House officials said the two sides had reached a deal — a major breakthrough following weeks of negotiations. Despite a 10% universal tariff that remains in place, in addition to 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum, and 25% tariffs on autos and auto parts, markets have largely looked past trade in recent weeks, focusing instead on other reasons for optimism or concern. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday said he believes trade negotiations with other countries could be “wrapped up” by Labor Day, providing a more relaxed framework for inking deals than the original July 9 deadline. Bessent said in an interview on Fox Business that the United States has 18 “important trading partners” that it is seeking to make deals with. “If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18 … then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day,” he said, without specifying the countries. A boom in AI, fueled by surging sales for Nvidia’s chips and a Republican-led effort to deregulate the industry, has been one of the primary catalysts that have fueled stocks and helped investors move beyond the trade war. Hopes for a rate cut from the Federal Reserve, backed by reasonably strong economic numbers and low inflation, have also helped stocks in recent months. Markets had temporarily grown jittery after the House passed Trump’s sweeping tax cut and domestic policy agenda last month. But demand for Treasury bonds has remained surprisingly strong, giving investors confidence that foreign countries and investors will continue to support America’s debt, allowing the country to borrow unimpeded. “Investors get the joke now,” said Hogan. “We’re going to hear something, whether it’s on Air Force One or on Truth Social, that we’re going to have to take with a massive grain of salt.” Challenges ahead Stocks face several challenges in the coming weeks and months. If Congress reaches a stalemate in the domestic policy bill, which includes a provision to raise the debt ceiling, America could once again come close to defaulting on its debt because it is unable to borrow enough money to pay back its creditors. And if few (or no) more trade deals are forthcoming, tariffs could rise again as soon as July 9 as the 90-day reciprocal tariff pause expires. The prospect of war breaking out in the Middle East remains a concern after a fragile truce between Israel and Iran was reached this week. And existing tariffs threaten to raise prices in the coming months, which could hurt economic growth. Stocks face less existential threats, as well. Valuations are surging well above earnings expectations. The S&P 500’s price-to-earnings ratio has surged past 23, a relatively high number that means stocks have become quite expensive compared to their profit expectations. Markets were celebrating at the close today. But it’s not clear how long the party will last

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    After a stunning NYC primary, national Democrats try to embrace Zohran Mamdani’s energy, if not always his ideas Edward-Isaac Dovere Zohran Mamdani gestures as he speaks during a watch party for his primary election in New York on June 25. New York CNN — New Yorkers aren’t the only ones trying to wrap their heads around Zohran Mamdani. Democratic Party operatives and elected officials around the country are both flabbergasted and inspired by the 33-year-old democratic socialist’s stunning success in Tuesday’s mayoral primary. In text chains and private conversations, they are scouring election precinct data from parts of Queens and the Bronx some had never heard of before and trying to understand how Mamdani might affect races all over the country. Mamdani, a three-term state assemblyman, is poised to win pending a ranked-choice tally after his top rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded the race Tuesday. Many Democrats on Wednesday publicly embraced the enthusiasm Mamdani generated with younger voters by focusing on the affordability crisis gripping New York and many other places across the country. They also tried to avoid associating too closely with Mamdani proposals like freezing rent or opening government-run grocery stores that they think could get easily caricatured. “Running a city myself, I’m not sure all those ideas are actionable and practical in the way they sound on a TikTok video, but that aside, he met people, he listened to people,” said Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, weeks after she romped in her own primary against her own city Democratic Party chair. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York City natives who lead their parties’ caucuses in each chamber of Congress, quickly issued statements saying they had spoken to Mamdani and praising the campaign he ran. They stopped short of endorsing him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak at a press conference at the US Capitol on June 11 in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped a House seat in the New York suburbs last year, lit Mamdani up as “the absolute wrong choice for New York” and derided his campaign as “built on unachievable promises and higher taxes.” Rep. Tom Suozzi, from a neighboring district on Long Island, said he still had “serious concerns” about Mamdani. President Donald Trump, a Queens native, posted Wednesday that Mamdani was a “100% Communist Lunatic,” echoing Republicans who say they’ll try to elevate him as a Democratic symbol. Rep. George Latimer, a freshman from the New York suburbs who beat a Mamdani-aligned Democrat in his own primary last year, said he worries about Democrats in tough districts being associated with the mayoral candidate and his platform. “It’s going to be tough for front-liners because they’re in districts that have a lot of Republicans in it that would look at a Democrat and want to hear the narrative, ‘Oh, this guy’s radical,’” he said. In her swing corner of the nation’s biggest swing state, Cognetti thinks New York City politics only registers so much. She can already see Republicans salivating, though. “I’m sure the ads are already being cut by the Republicans,” she told CNN, “but to me the lesson for the Democratic establishment is we need to stop thinking that the ads from 2006 are going to work in 2026.” The rush by some to write Mamdani off or distance from him is a way to more losses, Cognetti argued. “If 2024 wasn’t a wake-up call,” she said, “this needs to be.” One possible lesson: Focus on affordability Mamdani engaged thousands of new voters, expanding the electorate and encroaching into many neighborhoods and demographics where progressives had long struggled, with his ideas to help residents stay in one of the country’s most expensive metro areas. To pay for his ideas, he’s pushing for tax increases on the wealthy, something New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said is a non-starter. “For folks who are not happy about the cost of living in this city, you can point to a lot of people with traditional experience,” said Kal Penn, the actor and activist who worked briefly in the Obama White House and is a Mamdani family friend, standing at Mamdani’s election night party on Tuesday. Actor Kal Penn and Zohran Mamdani stand side by side while addressing the crowd at a rally at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn New York on May 4. “No disrespect to them — a lot of them are my friends, and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done together,” he added. “But that question of where to take the party and why certain things aren’t working, I think what you’re seeing is the solution to that, which is really bold ideas that are scalable, talking to people with respect, including as many people as possible in that movement, knocking on as many doors.” Democrats will need to win seats in much tougher terrain than New York City to flip the House or cut into their deficit in the Senate in next year’s midterms, or to make the 2028 presidential election go better than last year, when Donald Trump won every swing state. That’s the wrong way to look at what happened, argued Tommy McDonald, a Democratic ad maker who’s worked on multiple winning economic populist campaigns. “In primaries and general elections, voters have rewarded people that are focused on concerns of class and issues that make their lives better,” McDonald said. “That’s a pretty consistent gain whether you’re talking about people who are deciding whether to sit on their couch or vote, who are deciding between primary fields of a lot of candidates, or the narrow sliver of the electorate that’s deciding whether to vote for Democrats or Republicans.” Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has embraced a more aggressive, populist stance himself since Trump’s second win, said this is what he has heard Democrats asking for, whether at home in Connecticut or as he’s been traveling to places like North Carolina and Missouri for town halls. “I know that this feels like a shock to a lot of folks but it doesn’t seem like rocket science. He’s focused on reordering economic power, he’s dynamic, and he’s a new voice. Check, check, check,” Murphy said of Mamdani. Voters “want you to have a couple of new ideas. They don’t mind that some of that could sound a little dangerous. It’s almost like a calling card at this point to have some ideas that are out of the 20-yard line.” The furor and speculation doesn’t appear to have reached everyone in Democratic politics. Asked for comment about the primary, one House member granted anonymity to speak candidly responded: “Who is Zohran?” Echoes of AOC But the last time a New York election evoked so much shock nationally was in 2018, when a near-unknown democratic socialist beat New York Rep. Joe Crowley in a primary. Now one of the best-known progressives in the country, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed and campaigned with Mamdani in the primary. This June 2018 photo shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrating with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowly in New York City. John Liu, a state senator from Queens and former city comptroller who endorsed Mamdani in the final stretch, pointed out that he himself is not a socialist but that he is excited to see the likely Democratic nominee try for all his big ideas. “What is socialism exactly? The reality is that there are leaders like Zohran who think that government can and must do more. And I think at the end in its basic essence, that’s probably what socialism is, even though it’s still a nasty word for a lot of people. It’s just about having government understand people and do more for people,” Liu said. “Government’s certainly doing a lot of things for people who don’t really need the help. You know, the, the multi-billionaires have gotten a huge break in this country and in this city.” Even New York Democrats who were not with Mamdani — including those whose feelings about Cuomo ranged from skepticism to disgust — urge those same counterparts around the country to take a breath. “It shows that there’s a lot of foment in the party, a lot of dissatisfaction with the way the party and the country and the city are,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan-based congressman long seen as a liberal lion of the city who endorsed one of Mamdani’s other opponents and is already being talked about by several prominent New York progressives as the next target for a primary challenge. He has since endorsed Mamdani. “We don’t know how far the party is going to go. This is one election for one person,” Nadler said. One New York-based Democratic consultant also urged party leaders not to rush their reads on Mamdani’s win. The consultant noted that the winner of the primary four years ago was also held up as a model for the Democratic Party’s future, embraced by then-President Joe Biden and called “a rock I can build a church on” by then-House Democrats’ campaign chair Sean Patrick Maloney. Now, Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent. His likely Democratic opponent in the fall will be Mamdani. And Biden and Maloney are both out of office.

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    After a stunning NYC primary, national Democrats try to embrace Zohran Mamdani’s energy, if not always his ideas Edward-Isaac Dovere Zohran Mamdani gestures as he speaks during a watch party for his primary election in New York on June 25. New York CNN — New Yorkers aren’t the only ones trying to wrap their heads around Zohran Mamdani. Democratic Party operatives and elected officials around the country are both flabbergasted and inspired by the 33-year-old democratic socialist’s stunning success in Tuesday’s mayoral primary. In text chains and private conversations, they are scouring election precinct data from parts of Queens and the Bronx some had never heard of before and trying to understand how Mamdani might affect races all over the country. Mamdani, a three-term state assemblyman, is poised to win pending a ranked-choice tally after his top rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded the race Tuesday. Many Democrats on Wednesday publicly embraced the enthusiasm Mamdani generated with younger voters by focusing on the affordability crisis gripping New York and many other places across the country. They also tried to avoid associating too closely with Mamdani proposals like freezing rent or opening government-run grocery stores that they think could get easily caricatured. “Running a city myself, I’m not sure all those ideas are actionable and practical in the way they sound on a TikTok video, but that aside, he met people, he listened to people,” said Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, weeks after she romped in her own primary against her own city Democratic Party chair. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York City natives who lead their parties’ caucuses in each chamber of Congress, quickly issued statements saying they had spoken to Mamdani and praising the campaign he ran. They stopped short of endorsing him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak at a press conference at the US Capitol on June 11 in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped a House seat in the New York suburbs last year, lit Mamdani up as “the absolute wrong choice for New York” and derided his campaign as “built on unachievable promises and higher taxes.” Rep. Tom Suozzi, from a neighboring district on Long Island, said he still had “serious concerns” about Mamdani. President Donald Trump, a Queens native, posted Wednesday that Mamdani was a “100% Communist Lunatic,” echoing Republicans who say they’ll try to elevate him as a Democratic symbol. Rep. George Latimer, a freshman from the New York suburbs who beat a Mamdani-aligned Democrat in his own primary last year, said he worries about Democrats in tough districts being associated with the mayoral candidate and his platform. “It’s going to be tough for front-liners because they’re in districts that have a lot of Republicans in it that would look at a Democrat and want to hear the narrative, ‘Oh, this guy’s radical,’” he said. In her swing corner of the nation’s biggest swing state, Cognetti thinks New York City politics only registers so much. She can already see Republicans salivating, though. “I’m sure the ads are already being cut by the Republicans,” she told CNN, “but to me the lesson for the Democratic establishment is we need to stop thinking that the ads from 2006 are going to work in 2026.” The rush by some to write Mamdani off or distance from him is a way to more losses, Cognetti argued. “If 2024 wasn’t a wake-up call,” she said, “this needs to be.” One possible lesson: Focus on affordability Mamdani engaged thousands of new voters, expanding the electorate and encroaching into many neighborhoods and demographics where progressives had long struggled, with his ideas to help residents stay in one of the country’s most expensive metro areas. To pay for his ideas, he’s pushing for tax increases on the wealthy, something New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said is a non-starter. “For folks who are not happy about the cost of living in this city, you can point to a lot of people with traditional experience,” said Kal Penn, the actor and activist who worked briefly in the Obama White House and is a Mamdani family friend, standing at Mamdani’s election night party on Tuesday. Actor Kal Penn and Zohran Mamdani stand side by side while addressing the crowd at a rally at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn New York on May 4. “No disrespect to them — a lot of them are my friends, and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done together,” he added. “But that question of where to take the party and why certain things aren’t working, I think what you’re seeing is the solution to that, which is really bold ideas that are scalable, talking to people with respect, including as many people as possible in that movement, knocking on as many doors.” Democrats will need to win seats in much tougher terrain than New York City to flip the House or cut into their deficit in the Senate in next year’s midterms, or to make the 2028 presidential election go better than last year, when Donald Trump won every swing state. That’s the wrong way to look at what happened, argued Tommy McDonald, a Democratic ad maker who’s worked on multiple winning economic populist campaigns. “In primaries and general elections, voters have rewarded people that are focused on concerns of class and issues that make their lives better,” McDonald said. “That’s a pretty consistent gain whether you’re talking about people who are deciding whether to sit on their couch or vote, who are deciding between primary fields of a lot of candidates, or the narrow sliver of the electorate that’s deciding whether to vote for Democrats or Republicans.” Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has embraced a more aggressive, populist stance himself since Trump’s second win, said this is what he has heard Democrats asking for, whether at home in Connecticut or as he’s been traveling to places like North Carolina and Missouri for town halls. “I know that this feels like a shock to a lot of folks but it doesn’t seem like rocket science. He’s focused on reordering economic power, he’s dynamic, and he’s a new voice. Check, check, check,” Murphy said of Mamdani. Voters “want you to have a couple of new ideas. They don’t mind that some of that could sound a little dangerous. It’s almost like a calling card at this point to have some ideas that are out of the 20-yard line.” The furor and speculation doesn’t appear to have reached everyone in Democratic politics. Asked for comment about the primary, one House member granted anonymity to speak candidly responded: “Who is Zohran?” Echoes of AOC But the last time a New York election evoked so much shock nationally was in 2018, when a near-unknown democratic socialist beat New York Rep. Joe Crowley in a primary. Now one of the best-known progressives in the country, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed and campaigned with Mamdani in the primary. This June 2018 photo shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrating with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowly in New York City. John Liu, a state senator from Queens and former city comptroller who endorsed Mamdani in the final stretch, pointed out that he himself is not a socialist but that he is excited to see the likely Democratic nominee try for all his big ideas. “What is socialism exactly? The reality is that there are leaders like Zohran who think that government can and must do more. And I think at the end in its basic essence, that’s probably what socialism is, even though it’s still a nasty word for a lot of people. It’s just about having government understand people and do more for people,” Liu said. “Government’s certainly doing a lot of things for people who don’t really need the help. You know, the, the multi-billionaires have gotten a huge break in this country and in this city.” Even New York Democrats who were not with Mamdani — including those whose feelings about Cuomo ranged from skepticism to disgust — urge those same counterparts around the country to take a breath. “It shows that there’s a lot of foment in the party, a lot of dissatisfaction with the way the party and the country and the city are,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan-based congressman long seen as a liberal lion of the city who endorsed one of Mamdani’s other opponents and is already being talked about by several prominent New York progressives as the next target for a primary challenge. He has since endorsed Mamdani. “We don’t know how far the party is going to go. This is one election for one person,” Nadler said. One New York-based Democratic consultant also urged party leaders not to rush their reads on Mamdani’s win. The consultant noted that the winner of the primary four years ago was also held up as a model for the Democratic Party’s future, embraced by then-President Joe Biden and called “a rock I can build a church on” by then-House Democrats’ campaign chair Sean Patrick Maloney. Now, Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent. His likely Democratic opponent in the fall will be Mamdani. And Biden and Maloney are both out of office.

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    After a stunning NYC primary, national Democrats try to embrace Zohran Mamdani’s energy, if not always his ideas Edward-Isaac Dovere Zohran Mamdani gestures as he speaks during a watch party for his primary election in New York on June 25. New York CNN — New Yorkers aren’t the only ones trying to wrap their heads around Zohran Mamdani. Democratic Party operatives and elected officials around the country are both flabbergasted and inspired by the 33-year-old democratic socialist’s stunning success in Tuesday’s mayoral primary. In text chains and private conversations, they are scouring election precinct data from parts of Queens and the Bronx some had never heard of before and trying to understand how Mamdani might affect races all over the country. Mamdani, a three-term state assemblyman, is poised to win pending a ranked-choice tally after his top rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded the race Tuesday. Many Democrats on Wednesday publicly embraced the enthusiasm Mamdani generated with younger voters by focusing on the affordability crisis gripping New York and many other places across the country. They also tried to avoid associating too closely with Mamdani proposals like freezing rent or opening government-run grocery stores that they think could get easily caricatured. “Running a city myself, I’m not sure all those ideas are actionable and practical in the way they sound on a TikTok video, but that aside, he met people, he listened to people,” said Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, weeks after she romped in her own primary against her own city Democratic Party chair. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York City natives who lead their parties’ caucuses in each chamber of Congress, quickly issued statements saying they had spoken to Mamdani and praising the campaign he ran. They stopped short of endorsing him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak at a press conference at the US Capitol on June 11 in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped a House seat in the New York suburbs last year, lit Mamdani up as “the absolute wrong choice for New York” and derided his campaign as “built on unachievable promises and higher taxes.” Rep. Tom Suozzi, from a neighboring district on Long Island, said he still had “serious concerns” about Mamdani. President Donald Trump, a Queens native, posted Wednesday that Mamdani was a “100% Communist Lunatic,” echoing Republicans who say they’ll try to elevate him as a Democratic symbol. Rep. George Latimer, a freshman from the New York suburbs who beat a Mamdani-aligned Democrat in his own primary last year, said he worries about Democrats in tough districts being associated with the mayoral candidate and his platform. “It’s going to be tough for front-liners because they’re in districts that have a lot of Republicans in it that would look at a Democrat and want to hear the narrative, ‘Oh, this guy’s radical,’” he said. In her swing corner of the nation’s biggest swing state, Cognetti thinks New York City politics only registers so much. She can already see Republicans salivating, though. “I’m sure the ads are already being cut by the Republicans,” she told CNN, “but to me the lesson for the Democratic establishment is we need to stop thinking that the ads from 2006 are going to work in 2026.” The rush by some to write Mamdani off or distance from him is a way to more losses, Cognetti argued. “If 2024 wasn’t a wake-up call,” she said, “this needs to be.” One possible lesson: Focus on affordability Mamdani engaged thousands of new voters, expanding the electorate and encroaching into many neighborhoods and demographics where progressives had long struggled, with his ideas to help residents stay in one of the country’s most expensive metro areas. To pay for his ideas, he’s pushing for tax increases on the wealthy, something New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said is a non-starter. “For folks who are not happy about the cost of living in this city, you can point to a lot of people with traditional experience,” said Kal Penn, the actor and activist who worked briefly in the Obama White House and is a Mamdani family friend, standing at Mamdani’s election night party on Tuesday. Actor Kal Penn and Zohran Mamdani stand side by side while addressing the crowd at a rally at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn New York on May 4. “No disrespect to them — a lot of them are my friends, and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done together,” he added. “But that question of where to take the party and why certain things aren’t working, I think what you’re seeing is the solution to that, which is really bold ideas that are scalable, talking to people with respect, including as many people as possible in that movement, knocking on as many doors.” Democrats will need to win seats in much tougher terrain than New York City to flip the House or cut into their deficit in the Senate in next year’s midterms, or to make the 2028 presidential election go better than last year, when Donald Trump won every swing state. That’s the wrong way to look at what happened, argued Tommy McDonald, a Democratic ad maker who’s worked on multiple winning economic populist campaigns. “In primaries and general elections, voters have rewarded people that are focused on concerns of class and issues that make their lives better,” McDonald said. “That’s a pretty consistent gain whether you’re talking about people who are deciding whether to sit on their couch or vote, who are deciding between primary fields of a lot of candidates, or the narrow sliver of the electorate that’s deciding whether to vote for Democrats or Republicans.” Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has embraced a more aggressive, populist stance himself since Trump’s second win, said this is what he has heard Democrats asking for, whether at home in Connecticut or as he’s been traveling to places like North Carolina and Missouri for town halls. “I know that this feels like a shock to a lot of folks but it doesn’t seem like rocket science. He’s focused on reordering economic power, he’s dynamic, and he’s a new voice. Check, check, check,” Murphy said of Mamdani. Voters “want you to have a couple of new ideas. They don’t mind that some of that could sound a little dangerous. It’s almost like a calling card at this point to have some ideas that are out of the 20-yard line.” The furor and speculation doesn’t appear to have reached everyone in Democratic politics. Asked for comment about the primary, one House member granted anonymity to speak candidly responded: “Who is Zohran?” Echoes of AOC But the last time a New York election evoked so much shock nationally was in 2018, when a near-unknown democratic socialist beat New York Rep. Joe Crowley in a primary. Now one of the best-known progressives in the country, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed and campaigned with Mamdani in the primary. This June 2018 photo shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrating with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowly in New York City. John Liu, a state senator from Queens and former city comptroller who endorsed Mamdani in the final stretch, pointed out that he himself is not a socialist but that he is excited to see the likely Democratic nominee try for all his big ideas. “What is socialism exactly? The reality is that there are leaders like Zohran who think that government can and must do more. And I think at the end in its basic essence, that’s probably what socialism is, even though it’s still a nasty word for a lot of people. It’s just about having government understand people and do more for people,” Liu said. “Government’s certainly doing a lot of things for people who don’t really need the help. You know, the, the multi-billionaires have gotten a huge break in this country and in this city.” Even New York Democrats who were not with Mamdani — including those whose feelings about Cuomo ranged from skepticism to disgust — urge those same counterparts around the country to take a breath. “It shows that there’s a lot of foment in the party, a lot of dissatisfaction with the way the party and the country and the city are,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan-based congressman long seen as a liberal lion of the city who endorsed one of Mamdani’s other opponents and is already being talked about by several prominent New York progressives as the next target for a primary challenge. He has since endorsed Mamdani. “We don’t know how far the party is going to go. This is one election for one person,” Nadler said. One New York-based Democratic consultant also urged party leaders not to rush their reads on Mamdani’s win. The consultant noted that the winner of the primary four years ago was also held up as a model for the Democratic Party’s future, embraced by then-President Joe Biden and called “a rock I can build a church on” by then-House Democrats’ campaign chair Sean Patrick Maloney. Now, Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent. His likely Democratic opponent in the fall will be Mamdani. And Biden and Maloney are both out of office.

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    After a stunning NYC primary, national Democrats try to embrace Zohran Mamdani’s energy, if not always his ideas Edward-Isaac Dovere Zohran Mamdani gestures as he speaks during a watch party for his primary election in New York on June 25. New York CNN — New Yorkers aren’t the only ones trying to wrap their heads around Zohran Mamdani. Democratic Party operatives and elected officials around the country are both flabbergasted and inspired by the 33-year-old democratic socialist’s stunning success in Tuesday’s mayoral primary. In text chains and private conversations, they are scouring election precinct data from parts of Queens and the Bronx some had never heard of before and trying to understand how Mamdani might affect races all over the country. Mamdani, a three-term state assemblyman, is poised to win pending a ranked-choice tally after his top rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded the race Tuesday. Many Democrats on Wednesday publicly embraced the enthusiasm Mamdani generated with younger voters by focusing on the affordability crisis gripping New York and many other places across the country. They also tried to avoid associating too closely with Mamdani proposals like freezing rent or opening government-run grocery stores that they think could get easily caricatured. “Running a city myself, I’m not sure all those ideas are actionable and practical in the way they sound on a TikTok video, but that aside, he met people, he listened to people,” said Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday morning, weeks after she romped in her own primary against her own city Democratic Party chair. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York City natives who lead their parties’ caucuses in each chamber of Congress, quickly issued statements saying they had spoken to Mamdani and praising the campaign he ran. They stopped short of endorsing him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak at a press conference at the US Capitol on June 11 in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped a House seat in the New York suburbs last year, lit Mamdani up as “the absolute wrong choice for New York” and derided his campaign as “built on unachievable promises and higher taxes.” Rep. Tom Suozzi, from a neighboring district on Long Island, said he still had “serious concerns” about Mamdani. President Donald Trump, a Queens native, posted Wednesday that Mamdani was a “100% Communist Lunatic,” echoing Republicans who say they’ll try to elevate him as a Democratic symbol. Rep. George Latimer, a freshman from the New York suburbs who beat a Mamdani-aligned Democrat in his own primary last year, said he worries about Democrats in tough districts being associated with the mayoral candidate and his platform. “It’s going to be tough for front-liners because they’re in districts that have a lot of Republicans in it that would look at a Democrat and want to hear the narrative, ‘Oh, this guy’s radical,’” he said. In her swing corner of the nation’s biggest swing state, Cognetti thinks New York City politics only registers so much. She can already see Republicans salivating, though. “I’m sure the ads are already being cut by the Republicans,” she told CNN, “but to me the lesson for the Democratic establishment is we need to stop thinking that the ads from 2006 are going to work in 2026.” The rush by some to write Mamdani off or distance from him is a way to more losses, Cognetti argued. “If 2024 wasn’t a wake-up call,” she said, “this needs to be.” One possible lesson: Focus on affordability Mamdani engaged thousands of new voters, expanding the electorate and encroaching into many neighborhoods and demographics where progressives had long struggled, with his ideas to help residents stay in one of the country’s most expensive metro areas. To pay for his ideas, he’s pushing for tax increases on the wealthy, something New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said is a non-starter. “For folks who are not happy about the cost of living in this city, you can point to a lot of people with traditional experience,” said Kal Penn, the actor and activist who worked briefly in the Obama White House and is a Mamdani family friend, standing at Mamdani’s election night party on Tuesday. Actor Kal Penn and Zohran Mamdani stand side by side while addressing the crowd at a rally at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn New York on May 4. “No disrespect to them — a lot of them are my friends, and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done together,” he added. “But that question of where to take the party and why certain things aren’t working, I think what you’re seeing is the solution to that, which is really bold ideas that are scalable, talking to people with respect, including as many people as possible in that movement, knocking on as many doors.” Democrats will need to win seats in much tougher terrain than New York City to flip the House or cut into their deficit in the Senate in next year’s midterms, or to make the 2028 presidential election go better than last year, when Donald Trump won every swing state. That’s the wrong way to look at what happened, argued Tommy McDonald, a Democratic ad maker who’s worked on multiple winning economic populist campaigns. “In primaries and general elections, voters have rewarded people that are focused on concerns of class and issues that make their lives better,” McDonald said. “That’s a pretty consistent gain whether you’re talking about people who are deciding whether to sit on their couch or vote, who are deciding between primary fields of a lot of candidates, or the narrow sliver of the electorate that’s deciding whether to vote for Democrats or Republicans.” Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has embraced a more aggressive, populist stance himself since Trump’s second win, said this is what he has heard Democrats asking for, whether at home in Connecticut or as he’s been traveling to places like North Carolina and Missouri for town halls. “I know that this feels like a shock to a lot of folks but it doesn’t seem like rocket science. He’s focused on reordering economic power, he’s dynamic, and he’s a new voice. Check, check, check,” Murphy said of Mamdani. Voters “want you to have a couple of new ideas. They don’t mind that some of that could sound a little dangerous. It’s almost like a calling card at this point to have some ideas that are out of the 20-yard line.” The furor and speculation doesn’t appear to have reached everyone in Democratic politics. Asked for comment about the primary, one House member granted anonymity to speak candidly responded: “Who is Zohran?” Echoes of AOC But the last time a New York election evoked so much shock nationally was in 2018, when a near-unknown democratic socialist beat New York Rep. Joe Crowley in a primary. Now one of the best-known progressives in the country, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed and campaigned with Mamdani in the primary. This June 2018 photo shows Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrating with supporters at a victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowly in New York City. John Liu, a state senator from Queens and former city comptroller who endorsed Mamdani in the final stretch, pointed out that he himself is not a socialist but that he is excited to see the likely Democratic nominee try for all his big ideas. “What is socialism exactly? The reality is that there are leaders like Zohran who think that government can and must do more. And I think at the end in its basic essence, that’s probably what socialism is, even though it’s still a nasty word for a lot of people. It’s just about having government understand people and do more for people,” Liu said. “Government’s certainly doing a lot of things for people who don’t really need the help. You know, the, the multi-billionaires have gotten a huge break in this country and in this city.” Even New York Democrats who were not with Mamdani — including those whose feelings about Cuomo ranged from skepticism to disgust — urge those same counterparts around the country to take a breath. “It shows that there’s a lot of foment in the party, a lot of dissatisfaction with the way the party and the country and the city are,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan-based congressman long seen as a liberal lion of the city who endorsed one of Mamdani’s other opponents and is already being talked about by several prominent New York progressives as the next target for a primary challenge. He has since endorsed Mamdani. “We don’t know how far the party is going to go. This is one election for one person,” Nadler said. One New York-based Democratic consultant also urged party leaders not to rush their reads on Mamdani’s win. The consultant noted that the winner of the primary four years ago was also held up as a model for the Democratic Party’s future, embraced by then-President Joe Biden and called “a rock I can build a church on” by then-House Democrats’ campaign chair Sean Patrick Maloney. Now, Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent. His likely Democratic opponent in the fall will be Mamdani. And Biden and Maloney are both out of office.

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    Iran's nuclear ambitions were "obliterated" in US strikes, Hegseth says Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon today. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, today, after the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to destroy the country's nuclear program. How world leaders are reacting to the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities Concerned by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, world leaders have reacted after the United States struck Iran’s nuclear facilities. UK: Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Iran “to show restraint and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis” in a post on X, insisting that the UK did not participate in the US strikes. Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier urged Iran to return to the negotiating table after the US’ strikes, calling Iran’s nuclear program “a grave threat to international security.” France: Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France had noted the US strikes overnight “with concern,” adding that it had not participated. “France has repeatedly expressed its very firm opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. France is convinced that a lasting resolution to this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he continued. “It remains ready to contribute to this in collaboration with its partners.” Germany: Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said the German cabinet met on Sunday after American bombs were dropped on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “The Federal Chancellor and the ministers of the Security Cabinet will consult closely with their partners in the EU and the USA on further steps during the course of the day. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his call on Iran to enter into immediate negotiations with the USA and Israel and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he said. Russia: Russia’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the US strikes, calling it an “irresponsible decision” that “flagrantly violates international law,” despite Moscow having repeatedly violated international law in its ongoing, unprovoked war in Ukraine. “We call for an end to aggression and for increased efforts to create conditions for returning the situation to a political and diplomatic track,” the ministry said, warning that the US strikes mean “a dangerous round of escalation has begun,” which risks “further undermining” security in the region China: A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said: “China strongly condemns the US attack on Iran and the nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. This move by the US seriously violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and exacerbates tensions in the Middle East.” “China calls on the parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiations. China is willing to work with the international community to pool efforts, uphold justice, and make efforts to restore peace and stability in the Middle East” it added. Turkey: Turkey’s foreign ministry said it has “consistently warned about the risk of the conflict, sparked by Israeli aggression, spreading throughout the region and destabilizing the security environment” in a statement Sunday, saying the US strike “has elevated that risk to its highest level.” “Tukey is deeply concerned about the potential consequences of the US attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The current developments could escalate the regional conflict into a global one. We do not want to see this catastrophic scenario materialize. We call on all relevant parties to act responsibly, to cease the attacks immediately, and to refrain from actions that could lead to further loss of life and destruction. The only way to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program is through negotiations,” the statement read. The European Union: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said “stability must be the priority” and “respect for international law is critical.” She said: “Now is the moment for Iran to engage in a credible diplomatic solution. The negotiating table is the only place to end this crisis.” European Council President Antonio Costa said he was “deeply alarmed by the news arriving from the Middle East.” He said: “Diplomacy remains the only way to bring peace and security to the Middle East region. Too many civilians will once again be the victims of a further escalation. The EU will continue engaging with the parties and our partners to find a peaceful solution at the negotiating table,” he added. Canada: Prime Minister Mark Carney said the “situation in the Middle East remains highly volatile” and stressed that “stability in the region is a priority.” He called on parties to return to the negotiating table to reach a diplomatic solution to the crisis which “should lead to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” Japan: Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said “a de-escalation as soon as possible is more important than anything” but that “at the same time, Iran’s nuclear weapons development must be stopped.” He told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday that “we are closely monitoring the situation there with grave concern.” Pakistan: A foreign ministry spokesperson said Pakistan condemns the US attacks, saying it is “gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region,” but stated Iran “has the legitimate right to defend itself.” It said: “The unprecedented escalation of tension and violence, owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond. We emphasize the imperative need to respect civilian lives and properties and immediately bring the conflict to end.”

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    Pirro endorsed threat to criminally investigate January 6 prosecutors in office she now runs CNN — Jeanine Pirro, the acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, has a far lengthier public history of controversial comments than her predecessor, Ed Martin, whose nomination failed last month in part over his own past criticism of January 6 prosecutors, Capitol Police officers and federal judges. Pirro has echoed many of those same sentiments, even endorsing possible criminal investigations of prosecutors in the very office she now runs. For more than a decade, Pirro was a cable news mainstay on Fox News, hosting her own show, “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” and, until her recent appointment, as a regular on the afternoon panel show “The Five.” She’s now the top prosecutor in DC and in charge of the largest US attorney’s office in the country, which led the government’s investigation of Capitol rioters. Pirro’s TV appearances have been closely covered in the media, even earning her a recurring sketch character on “Saturday Night Live.” But her weekly radio show on WABC has received far less scrutiny — despite containing some of her most extreme and conspiratorial rhetoric. A CNN KFile review of just a portion of Pirro’s radio shows from 2021 through 2025 found that she has repeatedly endorsed criminal investigations into Trump’s perceived political enemies, including federal prosecutors, local officials and judges involved in his various legal cases. Should Trump nominate her permanently for the role, Pirro will have to provide the Senate with a detailed disclosure of every media appearance she’s made, which would include hundreds of hours of public comments on TV and the radio over the years. That disclosure process is what ultimately helped sink Martin’s nomination, which was withdrawn last month after he failed to disclose hundreds of his own media appearances, including those that undercut his disavowal of an alleged Nazi sympathizer he had repeatedly praised and interviewed. In one January 2025 episode of her WABC radio show, Pirro agreed with a guest who said Justice Department prosecutors handling January 6, 2021, cases should be criminally charged. “I absolutely agree with that,” Pirro responded. In another November 2024 episode, she expressed openness to targeting not just prosecutors but also the judge who oversaw Trump’s New York criminal trial. Pirro now holds the power to pursue internal investigations or influence charging decisions in the nation’s capital — at least for the next four months. Her term will end after 120 days if she is not formally nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate by that time, according to federal law. In addition to her attacks on federal law enforcement and the judiciary, Pirro has spent years promoting false and inflammatory claims. She downplayed the January 6 violence as a political “narrative,” calling for a Capitol Police officer and DOJ officials to be investigated. Pirro also boosted unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen and was one of several hosts named in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News. The lawsuit was later settled by Fox News for more than $787 million. Fox News host New Jeanine Pirro during the November 14, 2020, broadcast of "Justice w/ Judge Jeanine." This is one of the broadcasts at the center of Dominion Voting System's defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which denies wrongdoing. Along with her comments on the 2020 election and January 6, Pirro has also regularly expressed a dystopian view of American society, making a variety of baseless claims, including that young children in public schools are given books teaching how to perform oral sex, that New York state allows doctors to kill newborn babies, and that undocumented immigrants can freely vote using fake names in multiple states. In response to questions from CNN, the Trump administration sent along comments from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the White House. Bondi said she was “thrilled” that Pirro, whom she called a “dear friend” and “fearless advocate for the rule of law,” was part of the team at the Department of Justice. The White House also expressed support for Pirro and indicated it intends to nominate her for the position full time. Deputy press secretary Harrison Fields called Pirro “highly respected” and said CNN’s reporting was “character assassination” — though he did not provide any evidence disputing the factual accuracy of the article. Fields added that such attacks “undermine the safety of D.C. residents and tourists who would benefit from her nomination.” Charging prosecutors The Department of Justice’s prosecution of the January 6 attack on the Capitol was the largest criminal investigation in American history. It resulted in nearly 1,300 convictions and involved thousands of federal agents and prosecutors led by the US attorney’s office in DC. Pirro’s acting predecessor, Martin, was critical of this investigation. He fired dozens of those prosecutors earlier this year and launched a probe into their prosecutions. After his nomination collapsed, Martin was appointed to DOJ’s “weaponization” task force investigating politicization and serving as a top pardon attorney. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 28. Prior to taking the job running the DC US attorney’s office, Pirro repeatedly and publicly called for criminal investigations — not into rioters — but into the former prosecutors overseeing their cases at DOJ. In a November 2024 episode of her weekly Sunday radio show, Pirro interviewed Mike Davis, a former Senate judiciary clerk and right-wing lawyer who has publicly pushed to indict Justice Department lawyers. Davis said he believed there should be charges against all the prosecutors who went after Trump when discussing the New York case against Trump and the January 6 cases. “I think the Justice Department, starting on January 20, should open a criminal probe on conspiracy against rights. 18 USC, Section 241 for all these Democrat prosecutors and other operatives who have waged this unprecedented republic-ending lawfare and election interference,” he said. “This can never happen again and we must have consequences for this.” Pirro replied, “I agree with you, Mike.” Hear Davis on Pirro’s radio show in November 2024 Source: The Judge Jeanine Pirro Tunnel to Towers Foundation Show on WABC radio In another episode featuring Davis from January 2025, Davis said New York state Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over Trump’s criminal trial in New York, “must face severe legal, political and financial consequences” because he did not recuse himself from the case over an alleged conflict of interest involving his daughter, who is a Democratic consultant. Later in the show, he added: “There has to be accountability for this. There has to be internal probes at the Justice Department through the inspector general, the Office of Professional Responsibility and a criminal probe through the US attorney’s office. Heads need to roll.” “I absolutely agree with that,” Pirro responded. Hear Davis on Pirro’s radio show in January 2025 Source: The Judge Jeanine Pirro Tunnel to Towers Foundation Show on WABC radio Pirro also asked why they were not identifying for a possible prosecution the Capitol Police officer who shot and killed a January 6 rioter. She called for a special prosecutor to “go after” the Clintons. And she suggested that former FBI Director James Comey “needs to be the target of an active criminal investigation” and “someone who is looked at.” Pirro said in 2025 she was open to prosecuting the judge who presided over Trump’s New York trial and spread a conspiracy theory that the judge’s daughter — who has worked as a political consultant for some Democratic campaigns — benefited financially by clients fundraising off the case. Pirro said it was “conceivably” something the Trump administration could charge. Inflammatory rhetoric untethered to reality Among her more shocking and demonstrably false claims, Pirro said New York law allows doctors to kill fully delivered, breathing babies — a conspiracy theory repeatedly debunked by multiple state investigations — to sell their body parts to Planned Parenthood. “The law in New York now allows you to have a full-term baby — the baby can be born alive. And what that means in New York is actually breathe — it is born alive. The baby is then put in a comfort zone,” Pirro said in a speech in 2019 to a private university in Florida. “And the baby, while in that so-called comfort zone, is allowed to rest while the mother decides whether the baby should live or die.” Hear Pirro's false comments in 2019 on Reproductive Health Act Source: Facebook “And like the emperor in the Roman Colosseum, the thumbs-up or the thumbs-down, the baby is then killed,” she added, sharing a conspiracy that has been thoroughly debunked. There is no evidence that doctors in New York (or any state in the US) are killing newborn babies. That conspiracy theory is just one of many amplified by Pirro. In a 2015 speech in Louisiana, Pirro delivered a series of inflammatory remarks aimed at Muslims, undocumented immigrants and then-President Barack Obama. Pirro later promoted a claim that the United States during the Obama administration supported a Muslim-backed United Nations resolution saying “people should not be able to criticize religions of other people.” “That is coming from the Muslim religion. The Muslim religion — they’ll chop your head off. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know,” she added. In the same speech, Pirro claimed baselessly undocumented immigrants could vote “four times” in different states by using fake names. “Let’s assume that you’re an illegal and you live in my neck of the woods. If you live in New York, you can go to Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey. You can vote four times. You can give them a new name every time,” she said. Hear Pirro's false comments in 2015 on undocumented immigrant voter fraud Source: YouTube There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, despite Trump and his supporters’ repeated claims. And when discussing Obama, she agreed with an audience member who said that the only reason he had not been impeached was because he was Black. “He’s not going to be impeached because he is who he is,” Pirro said. “You got it. Now, it’s not right because the color of someone’s skin does not matter.”

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  • china-announces-plans-to-sell-seized-crypto-via-hong-kong-exchanges-china-has-announced-plans-to-sell-seized-digital-assets-through-licensed-exchanges-in-hong-kong-the-initiative-is-in-collaboration

    China announces plans to sell seized crypto via Hong Kong exchanges China has announced plans to sell seized digital assets through licensed exchanges in Hong Kong. The initiative is in collaboration with the China Beijing Equity Exchange (CBEX) to manage digital assets seized in criminal cases. In line with this, CBEX will engage third-party agencies to help sell the assets on regulated exchanges. According to reports, the digital assets seized from criminal proceeds will be converted into yuan and deposited into designated accounts. This is the first time a mainland Chinese agency will be carrying out a process to dispose of seized digital assets. This development is possible because Hong Kong is recognized as a digital asset hub, with mainland China still choosing to enforce its ban on crypto trading and related activities. China’s crypto disposal process shows the scale of seized assets The recent framework represents the first time a formal process is being followed to ensure the handling of a large amount of confiscated digital assets that have been accumulated since China announced its crypto ban. According to authorities, the value of the digital assets awaiting disposal by the Chinese authorities exceeded several billion dollars by the end of 2022, with the amount jumping to 430.7 billion yuan ($60 billion) in 2023. The figure is a twelvefold increase from the previous year. The trend aligns with that of the global cryptocurrency seizures, with several countries now holding a huge chunk of digital assets from seizures and fraud investigations. According to reports, the United States presently holds about 200,000 Bitcoins worth $21 billion in seized assets, while the United Kingdom holds more than 61,000 Bitcoins in seized assets. China reportedly holds about 194,000 Bitcoins and 833,000 Ethereum, putting the country among the top holders in the world. The Chinese government continues to rank as one of the highest holders globally despite its ban on the asset. Some days ago, news filtered onto the internet noting that China has banned private individuals from owning digital assets. While the news has not been confirmed by official channels, the country still has a ban on assets dating back to 2013, when the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) prohibited banks in the country from engaging in Bitcoin-related businesses. Hong Kong deepens its status as a cryptocurrency hub The amount of seized assets has presented a challenge to the authorities, with the development also seen as an opportunity for them. While there are concerns about the market balance should they dump that size of seized assets on the market, there have been calls for them to quickly turn the seized illicit gains into legitimate state resources that will benefit the citizens. Meanwhile, Beijing’s decision to liquidate the assets through Hong Kong exchanges reveals a dual approach to digital asset regulation from territories inside China. It also establishes Hong Kong’s status as a cryptocurrency hub. Over the last few years, the area has been positioning itself as a global hub for digital assets as China continues to maintain its strict crypto ban. The country has been cracking down on exchanges, ICOs, and mining since at least 2017. Furthermore, there have been sightings of Chinese officials at crypto events in Hong Kong, allowing the city to develop as a testing ground for digital asset policies that the mainland isn’t ready to adopt or implement. This arrangement ensures Beijing controls the financial systems in the mainland while exploring the potential of cryptocurrencies through its regulatory sandbox in Hong Kong. The partnership between both parties also opens a formal channel between China’s strict control and the global crypto economy, setting a precedent for other areas with restrictive crypto policies.

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  • texas-woman-sues-state-lottery-after-not-receiving-controversial-83-5m-jackpot-a-customer-grabs-printed-tickets-from-a-texas-lottery-sales-terminal-at-fuel-city-in-dallas-wednesday-feb-26-2025-a

    Texas woman sues state lottery after not receiving controversial $83.5M jackpot A customer grabs printed tickets from a Texas Lottery sales terminal at Fuel City in Dallas, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. A woman in Texas is suing the state’s Lottery Commission for not paying out an $83.5 million award, more than three months after the numbers on her ticket matched the winning numbers in a drawing, according to court documents obtained by CNN. “Every Texan knows what that should mean when it comes to the lottery – if you win, you should get paid,” the suit says. “It shouldn’t take a lawsuit to get paid when you win the lottery. But that’s exactly what has happened here.” The woman bought her ticket through a lottery courier service, firms which allow customers to purchase tickets virtually, using a mobile app or other online interface. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in the suit, purchased a ticket for the “Lotto Texas” lottery game through an app called Jackpocket on February 17, and her numbers matched those of the numbers pulled at 10:12 p.m. CT the same day, according to the lawsuit. A week after Doe won her ticket, then-Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Ryan Mindell announced a move to ban courier services like the one Doe used, under Texas law. The ban became effective on May 19, according to a lottery commission spokesperson. Mindell resigned in April. “We all know the Commission is not allowed to change the rules after the drawing. But the Commission has apparently tried to do so and relied—at least in part—on this ex post facto announcement to continue to refuse to pay Plaintiff her lottery winnings simply because she utilized a lottery ticket courier service to buy the winning ticket,” the lawsuit says. A spokesperson told CNN in an email Saturday the commission “does not comment on pending litigation.” The lawsuit also alleges Doe’s unpaid winnings could be used to pay other Texas Lottery winners, or may be reallocated and redirected to “other Commission liabilities or purposes,” potentially reducing the amount owed to her. Attorneys for the woman have also filed for a temporary restraining order and requested for a temporary injunction to stop Acting Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Lottery Commission Sergio Rey from doling out funds, which the lawsuit alleges Doe still has not received. “If Mr. Rey is not restrained and enjoined from disbursing or diminishing the Plaintiff’s jackpot prize winnings, Plaintiff will suffer damages that will be incapable of being measured by any certain pecuniary standard before notice is given and a hearing is held on Plaintiff’s Application for Temporary Injunction,” a court document said. CNN has reached out to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, Jackpocket, and Rey for comment. What is a lottery courier service? A lottery courier service acts as a third-party vendor that buys lottery tickets on behalf of customers, coordinates the purchase of physical tickets through brick and mortar stores the services often own, and notifies buyers if they win. Courier services are typically operated online or through an app, offering a convenient way to play games. Some couriers even offer national lottery games like Mega Millions and Powerball. Lottery couriers, which had been operating in Texas since 2019, became a focus in April 2023 after a single entity bought 25 million lottery tickets in less than 72 hours using a courier service, CNN affiliate WFAA reported. The entity purchased “nearly every possible number combination,” the release from the governor’s office said at the time. The investor doubled its money because the jackpot was so high, and the winner took home $57.8 million before taxes, WFAA said. Courier services are operating in 19 states, according to a report published in 2024 by the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Only three states – New York, New Jersey and Arkansas – regulate the courier service industry, according to a 2024 Texas House report. Without such regulations in Texas, couriers are not required to obtain a license or permission from the Texas Lottery to operate, the report found. Purchasing via a lottery courier has two advantages for the customer, said Victor Matheson, professor of economics at College of the Holy Cross. “It allows the buyer to conveniently buy tickets without having to go to a regular lottery retailer and it also potentially allows out-of-state buyers to purchase tickets in any lottery across the country,” Matheson said in February. The service can have drawbacks like a fee, legality issues and lack of a limit to how many tickets are purchased, Matheson added. Other legal concerns include the regulation of sales across state lines when each state controls its own lottery games, sales to underage players, ticket buying syndicates and other issues.

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    Stocks, dollar stumble after Trump reignites his trade war Stocks dropped on Friday after President Donald Trump threatened to reignite his trade war. The S&P 500 posted its worst week in seven weeks. Markets thought they had a serious debt problem. Now they have a trade war problem to worry about again. Stocks and the dollar fell Friday after President Donald Trump brought the trade war back to the forefront with threats of massive tariffs against one of America’s most valuable companies and one of its most important trading partners. Trump posted on Truth social Friday morning that he would impose a 25% tariff on Apple if it refused to make iPhones in the United States. Minutes later, Trump said he would recommend a 50% tariff on goods imported from the European Union. The Dow closed lower by 256 points, or 0.61%. The broader S&P 500 fell 0.67%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 1%. All three indexes finished the week in the red. The Dow and Nasdaq each posted their worst week in five weeks. The S&P 500 notched its worst week since the first week of April. Dow futures had tumbled as much as 600 points Friday morning after Trump posted his tariff threat. Stocks opened sharply lower before paring losses throughout the day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Bloomberg TV interview that he expects “several large deals” will be announced in the coming weeks. Bessent also said he expects US and Chinese officials to meet in person again to continue trade negotiations following a temporary pause on higher tariff rates. While stocks recouped some losses, the major indexes remained in the red as Trump said at the White House in the afternoon he was “not looking for a deal” with the EU. Related article Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a deal’ with the EU after threatening a 50% tariff Trump’s stark tariff threats paired with Bessent’s optimistic trade remarks sent Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, on a rollercoaster. The VIX was up 8% in the afternoon after surging as much as 23% in the morning. The US dollar index, which measures the dollar’s strength against six major foreign currencies, slid 0.8%. The dollar index posted its biggest single-day drop in one month and notched its worst week in six weeks. Gold, a safe haven during uncertainty, surged 2%. “Markets once again face the fear of high tariffs on a major trading partner,” said Rob Haworth, senior investment strategy director at US Bank Asset Management. “We believe that this morning’s social media posts about a 50% tariff on the EU are primarily a negotiating tactic,” analysts at Barclays said in a Friday note. “But today’s developments, including the posts about iPhones, do highlight that the US has not turned the page on tariffs and that more trade policy volatility lies ahead.” Tariffs back in focus Wall Street in recent weeks had begun to shift focus away from tariffs and toward Trump’s tax bill — its own headache for markets — after the United States and China in May opened trade negotiations and agreed to substantially lower tariffs, easing investors’ nerves about the trade war. But Trump’s new threat of tariffs on the EU was a sharp reminder that policy uncertainty remains. David Doyle, head of economics at Macquarie, said in a recent note that it is not “all-clear” on the trade war front, and tariffs remain a “substantial headwind” to the US economy. “Today’s early market action does not approve of a threat directed at another corporate, and the idea of a 50% EU tariff rate,” analysts at Citi said in a Friday note. “This is sure giving us déjà vu.” The S&P 500 sank in early April after Trump announced massive “reciprocal” tariffs, and rebounded sharply after the president a week later announced a 90-day pause on most of them. Investors have been on edge about potential developments during the 90-day pause, which is set to end in July. “This calls into question whether investors can trust that any pauses announced by the Administration are actually solid, which only further muddies the landscape,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategist at Baird. “Expect volatility to persist.” Scott Ladner, chief investment officer at Horizon Investments, said the market reaction to Trump’s threat of 50% tariffs on the EU will likely be more “measured” than past tariff announcements because “the playbook now involves a high likelihood of Trump caving at some point.” “But the uncertain timing and not-zero chance that he doesn’t cave will keep equities on edge for the next couple of weeks, at least,” Ladner said. The United States so far during the 90-day pause has only announced a trade deal with the United Kingdom. Apple (AAPL) on Friday dropped 3% after Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on the company’s products unless it moves manufacturing to the United States. The tech giant has tumbled 22% this year as it has been caught in the crossfire of Trump’s trade war. Apple’s market value dipped back below the $3 trillion mark on Friday as its stock stumbled. And it’s not just Big Tech taking a hit. Retirement plans like 401(k)s are often invested in funds that track the S&P 500, and large companies like Apple make up a notable portion of the index’s value. As Trump’s trade war roils blue-chip stocks like Apple, it can impact people’s retirement savings. “You just can’t continue to keep an economy and companies operating in a cloud of extraordinarily high uncertainty forever without some economic consequences eventually,” Ladner said. “That’s going to be the tug of war the next several months.” Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on May 23. The tariff jolt on Friday comes after markets this week have already been floundering under pressure from the bond market. Investors this week balked at Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax bill, and weak demand for US government bonds sent yields surging. Related article Why the bond market is so worried about the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ “Markets are looking for a little more fiscal discipline, they’re concerned,” Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller told Fox Business on Thursday. “There does seem to be, you know, a risk-off on American assets across the board, not just government debt, but everything,” Waller said. “And whether that continues in the future or not, I don’t know.” The yield on the 10-year Treasury note on Friday edged lower to 4.51% as investors scooped up bonds amid renewed trade uncertainty. In Europe, markets tumbled after Trump’s threat of a higher tariff for the region that could go into effect June 1. The benchmark STOXX 600 index fell 0.93%. Germany’s DAX fell 1.54% and France’s CAC index slid 1.65%. The S&P 500 posted its fourth day of losses in a row as the recent rebound in US markets has stalled. The benchmark index is down slightly on the year

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  • regeneron-to-buy-bankrupt-dna-testing-firm-23andme-for-256-million-this-illustration-picture-shows-a-saliva-collection-kit-for-dna-testing-displayed-in-washington-dc-on-december-19-2018-between-2

    Regeneron to buy bankrupt DNA testing firm 23andMe for $256 million This illustration picture shows a saliva collection kit for DNA testing displayed in Washington DC on December 19, 2018. - Between 2015 and 2018, sales of DNA test kits boomed in the United States and allowed websites to build a critical mass of DNA profiles. The four DNA websites that offer match services -- Ancestry, 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, My Heritage -- today have so many users that it is rare for someone not to find at least one distant relative. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) Drugmaker Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will buy genetic testing firm 23andMe for $256 million through a bankruptcy auction, the companies said Monday. Regeneron said it will comply with 23andMe’s privacy policies and applicable laws with respect to the use of customer data and that it is ready to detail its intended use of the data to a court-appointed overseer. The bankruptcy proceedings, filed in March, had drawn scrutiny from lawmakers who warned that millions of customers’ genetic data could be sold to unscrupulous buyers. 23andMe last month agreed to allow a court-appointed overseer for the company’s handling of customers’ genetic information and its security policies during the bankruptcy. Related article 23andMe’s DNA data is going up for sale. Here’s why companies might want it The company has collected genetic data from 15 million customers who ordered its DNA testing kits online and provided saliva samples. The company had been struggling with weak demand for its ancestry testing kits and a data breach in 2023 that exposed millions of customers’ genetic data. As part of the agreement, Regeneron will acquire all units of 23andMe, except telehealth service Lemonaid Health, which the genetic testing firm plans to wind down. After the transaction completes, 23andMe will continue to operate as a wholly owned direct or indirect unit of Regeneron, the companies said. The companies expect to close the deal in the third quarter.

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  • trumps-crypto-conflicts-keep-piling-up-hes-not-even-trying-to-hide-them-trump-and-his-sons-crypto-endeavors-are-expanding-creating-more-and-more-avenues-for-potential-corruption

    Trump’s crypto conflicts keep piling up. He’s not even trying to hide them Trump and his sons' crypto endeavors are expanding, creating more and more avenues for potential corruption. The Trump family’s crypto empire is expanding rapidly, and it’s making earlier ethics debates over his hotel and casino business interests look downright quaint. There are only so many rooms a foreign diplomat can book to curry favor with the president, and that might total into thousands of dollars, at most. And even President Donald Trump might have a limit on how many luxury Qatari jets he’d accept as gifts. But in the opaque world of cryptocurrencies, where transactions are often anonymous and unbound by national borders, there is virtually no cap on the amount of money a person or government could funnel to the president, his family and the growing list of entities they control. That list of entities already includes two “meme coins” — digital assets with no utility that serious crypto advocates tend to roll their eyes at — and an exchange called World Liberty Financial, which issues its own token. And soon, anyone with a brokerage account will be able to buy shares on the open market of American Bitcoin, a crypto mining firm backed by the president’s sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. ‘Sum of all fears’ News of American Bitcoin’s plans to go public emerged Monday night, around the same time that another crypto side hustle was wrapping up: Bidding ended Monday in an auction for a private dinner with Trump, billed as an “unforgettable gala,” for the top holders of the $TRUMP meme coin. The top 25 were promised face time with Trump and a “VIP tour” of one of his private clubs. The dinner auction may be the most flagrant pay-to-play effort Trump has engaged in as president so far. “He is essentially selling access to the presidency of the United States,” said Jordan Libowitz, vice president for communications at the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW. Libowitz described the auction as “the sum of all fears” scenario — the exact thing that the United States’ founders were worried about when they included the (unfortunately branded) emoluments clause in the Constitution. (Tl;dr: People working for the federal government can’t receive gifts from foreign governments without Congress’ approval.) Presidents giving access to campaign donors is nothing new — in the ’90s, the Bill Clinton administration lavished dozens of Democratic contributors with stays in the Lincoln Bedroom, in a scandal known as the Fat Cat Hotel. But crypto offers a level of anonymity and scale that the White House has never seen. Over the past month, crypto investors plowed an estimated $148 million into Trump’s meme coin, according to Reuters, which cited data from crypto research firm Chainalysis. The vast majority of the coin’s supply — 80% — is held by two Trump Organization affiliates, which make money through transaction fees. Chainalysis estimates that those entities raked in at least $1.3 million in fees in the weeks after Trump announced the private dinner auction. The dinner auction is just part of the crypto controversy. Earlier this month, the New York Times’ David Yaffe-Bellany reported that World Liberty Financial had secured a deal to take $2 billion in deposits from a venture fund backed by the government of Abu Dhabi — a revelation that helped torpedo crypto industry-supported legislation in the Senate last week. Even crypto advocates on the right aren’t loving the optics of a president directly enriching himself and his family through an industry that he is not only actively working to deregulate but also bolster through the establishment of a “strategic” bitcoin reserve. Related article A crypto mogul who invested millions into Trump coins is getting a reprieve on civil fraud charges Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Republican of Wyoming, one of the sponsors of the stalled legislation, told the Times in an interview that Trump’s profit-seeking “does give me pause because it complicates our work here.” The White House, for its part, has repeatedly pushed back on any questions about the president’s business interests. On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed a question about whether the president would conduct personal business meetings on his trip to the Middle East. “It’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit,” Leavitt said. “This White House holds ourselves to the highest of ethical standards.” (Ethicists and legal experts disagree, as my CNN colleagues note in their investigation of Trump family’s expansive financial interests in the Middle East.) Trump’s crypto entanglements are particularly worrying, according to Libowitz, for two reasons. For starters, crypto is still niche, and a 2024 Pew study found just 17% of US adults have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency. (And if they know about the industry, they likely know it through names like Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of crypto exchange FTX, who is serving a 25-year sentence for fraud.) “There’s almost a level of security by obscurity,” Libowitz said. Second: The scale of the potential corruption is boundless. “There’s a limit to how many $800 hotel rooms you can book… And you’re limited in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars,” he said. “But someone can just make a $20 million crypto purchase, and that’s a scale we’ve never seen before.”

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