MicroWave

https://lemmy.world/u/MicroWave

I’m a bit of a news junkie.

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Last Notes

2026-03-28 11:21:48 UTC

Data from Vanguard shows Americans are pulling money out of their retirement accounts early at record rates to help make ends meet.
Last year, 6% of Vanguard's clients took a hardship withdrawal, which allows them to access funds in tax-advantaged retirement accounts, such as a 401(k), before they reach retirement age. That was up from 4.8% in 2024, the asset management giant said.
Taking a hardship withdrawal is not ideal for a few reasons, one of them being that investors are subject to a withdrawal penalty of 10% for taking money out of their account before 59½. On top of that, they are then taxed on any gains. However, perhaps most importantly, they rob themselves of future growth potential on that money, especially if they are still far from retirement age.

2026-03-23 22:19:13 UTC

***New online accounts on Polymarket platform betting a total of $70,000 suggest ‘some degree of inside info’***
Several accounts on the online platform Polymarket laid bets on a US-Iran ceasefire over the weekend that appeared to show signs of insider knowledge, according to experts.
Eight accounts, all newly created around 21 March, bet a total of nearly $70,000 (£52,000) on there being a ceasefire. They stand to make nearly $820,000 if such a deal is reached before 31 March.
An account that made the same bet was created shortly before the US struck Iran on 28 February. It also placed a winning bet on those strikes, which raised similar questions around insider trading, and so far has bet on nothing else.
The new accounts all appear to have been created late last week, around the time when the US president, Donald Trump, appeared to first double down on war with Iran, then suggest in an after-markets Truth Social post that he was considering “winding down” military operations.

2026-03-15 19:36:27 UTC

Donald Trump made clear that his personal grudge with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky hasn’t abated during a phone interview with NBC News.
Speaking with Meet the Press anchor Kristen Welker on Saturday, the president knocked Zelensky for offering assistance to the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries, the latter of which the Ukrainian president said on Friday were seeking his aid in sharing drone detection technology.
The “last person we need help from is Zelensky,” Trump told Welker.

2026-03-12 23:09:27 UTC

***The Pennsylvania senator dismissed the demand for further investigation as “moot.”***
Senator John Fetterman appeared not to understand why Democrats want to investigate the deadly strike that killed dozens of Iranian children.
During an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Wednesday night, Fetterman was asked to explain why he hadn’t signed onto a letter from Senate Democrats that questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the February 28 strike on Shajarah Tayyebeh, a girls’ primary school miles from Tehran. The strike killed 175 people, many of them young girls.
“Well, because we all agree that it’s a tragedy having the school hit, and we all agree now for an investigation,” Fetterman said. “What I don’t agree with the rest of my colleagues in the House is that it’s a war of choice, or it’s dumb, or all the things my colleagues have described, you know, this operation. I think it’s a good thing, and I support that.”
Fetterman was referring to a line in the letter describing Donald Trump’s military campaign as “a war of choice without Congressional authorization.” The letter did not describe the war as “dumb.”

2026-03-10 23:33:28 UTC

A couple of 20-year-old developers make $500,000 a month promising to help men to stop watching porn, but exposed their private porn watching habits.

2026-03-07 23:12:52 UTC

Caitlin Kalinowski, head of robotics and consumer hardware at OpenAI, announced her resignation on Saturday, citing concerns about the company's agreement with the Department ‌of Defense.
In a social media post on X, Kalinowski wrote that OpenAI did not take enough time before agreeing to deploy its AI models on the Pentagon's classified cloud networks.
"AI has an important role in national security," Kalinowski posted. "But surveillance of ⁠Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got.”

2026-03-03 23:44:38 UTC

***Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., tore into the homeland security secretary at a hearing, saying he will hold up Trump's nominees until he gets answers from her department.***
During a tense public hearing Tuesday, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign over her handling of the deadly Minneapolis immigration operation.
And he blasted her for killing her dog, which she had described in her memoir as "untrainable," as well as a goat. Tillis, of North Carolina, argued that killing the animals reflected bad judgment and compared it to DHS’ fatal shootings of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.
Then he senator threatened to block many of Donald Trump’s nominees until he gets answers to questions he has posed to the administration about Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Charlotte.

2026-02-23 03:26:28 UTC

***The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that U.S. employers added 181,000 jobs last year, far fewer than the 1.46 million jobs that were added in 2024.***
The U.S. economy experienced almost zero job growth in 2025, according to revised federal data. On a more encouraging note: Hiring has picked up in 2026.
Preliminary data had indicated that the U.S. economy added 584,000 jobs last year. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised that number after it received additional state data and found that the labor market had added 181,000 jobs in all of 2025.
This is far fewer than the 1.46 million jobs that were added in 2024.

2026-02-20 01:30:10 UTC

A federal judge has accused the Trump administration of terrorizing immigrants and recklessly violating the law in its efforts to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.
Citing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, the judge said that the White House had also “extended its violence on its own citizens.”
“The threats posed by the executive branch cannot be viewed in isolation,” U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, California said in a scathing decision issued late Wednesday.

2026-02-12 03:21:13 UTC

The suspect in a Canada school shooting was an 18-year-old who had a history of police visits to her home to check on her mental health, authorities said Wednesday, a day after the attack that killed eight people in a remote part of British Columbia.
Police said Jesse Van Rootselaar was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound following the assault on a school in the small mountain community of Tumbler Ridge.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said Van Rootselaar first killed her mother and stepbrother at the family home before attacking the nearby school. She had a history of mental health contacts with police, he said.

2026-02-08 21:18:57 UTC

A leading U.S. health official on Sunday urged people to get inoculated against the measles at a time of outbreaks across several states and as the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status.
“Take the vaccine, please,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator whose boss has raised suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines. “We have a solution for our problem.”
Oz, a heart surgeon, defended some recently revised federal vaccine recommendations as well as past comments from President Donald Trump and the nation’s health chief, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the efficacy of vaccines. From Oz, there was a clear message on the measles.

2026-02-07 12:29:17 UTC

***Most workers who aren’t saving for retirement through their employers aren’t saving at all, the study found***
New data suggests the average American worker has under $1,000 saved for retirement.
A report from the National Institute on Retirement Security found that the median savings for all employed adults between the ages of 21 and 64 were approximately $955. The study includes workers with 401(k) and other retirement savings plans, as well as the approximately 56 million workers who do not have access to employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Workers with retirement savings plans have a median balance of approximately $40,000 saved, according to the report. That figure is nowhere near the $1.5 million that Americans say they need to feel comfortable fully retiring.

2026-02-06 14:16:01 UTC

***The popular squishy toy exploded after Caleb Chabolla put it in the microwave, Loyola Medicine said.***
A 9-year-old boy in Illinois was hospitalized with severe burns after a TikTok trend inspired him to put his NeeDoh — a popular sensory toy — in the microwave.
Caleb Chabolla heard about the trend of heating the squishy toy from a friend at school and decided to try it on Jan. 20, Loyola Medicine said in a statement. His mother, Whitney Grubb, heard a “blood-curdling scream” as the gelatinous filling exploded on Caleb’s face and hands, it said.
Grubb took her son, whose eye had swollen shut, to the local emergency room, the statement said. He was transferred to Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center in the Chicago suburb of Maywood for further treatment and spent the night there.

2026-02-06 02:20:00 UTC

***Destruction of world's largest humanitarian programme was done without formal authority or official oversight, former USAID employees claim***
Elon Musk, leader of the Trump administration's now-disbanded Department of Government Efficiency, must sit for depositions along with senior State Department officials over their role in dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Pointing to findings that Musk had made the decision to break up USAID – one of the world's largest humanitarian programs – despite lacking formal authority or official approval – District Judge Theodore Chuang wrote that there was "no alternative" than for Musk and other officials to provide testimony regarding their decision-making process.
The ruling represents a win for a group of anonymous former USAID employees who are suing Musk, DOGE and State Department officials over the closure.

2026-02-05 02:19:14 UTC

Americans are exceptionally anxious about their political system, according to new international polling from Gallup, a situation that sets the country apart from other rich and powerful nations.
About one-third of Americans rated politics and government as the top issue facing their nation, behind only Taiwan — which faces the prospect of an invasion from China — and on par with Slovenia, Spain and South Korea.
The United States also stands out for the anxiety its younger residents have over economic issues, with younger Americans more likely than young adults in many of the other 107 surveyed countries to say affordability and other pocketbook issues are worrying them

2026-01-14 01:16:13 UTC

***The details from the leak have been uploaded to ICE List, a website that claims to have the identities of ICE agents, collaborators, and leadership personnel***
Details of thousands of alleged ICE agents and Border Patrol employees have been leaked online following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis.
The identities of around 4,500 federal agents were shared with the ICE List website by a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower, according to a report.
The dataset includes information on around 2,000 agents and 150 supervisors, according to Dominick Skinner, who launched ICE List. Early analysis from the volunteer-led organization suggests that around 80 per cent of those identified are still employed by the DHS.

2026-01-01 23:17:05 UTC

Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Thursday that he takes a higher dose of aspirin than his doctors have recommended, blaming that for the visible hand bruises that have generated renewed questions about his health.
The interview appeared to be one of the most extensive conservations Trump has had with journalists on his health, as scrutiny has intensified this year over his age, fitness for office and whether he’s being sufficiently transparent with his medical information.
Trump has long had bruising on his right hand, which CNN has reported predated his return to the White House. But it drew more attention after he began trying to cover it with heavy makeup and bandages and shield it from cameras with his other hand. Observers have also raised concerns about swelling in his legs and his appearing to doze during public events.

2025-12-30 04:36:46 UTC

***Exclusive poll: Americans are also increasingly blaming the White House for their financial woes***
Twice as many Americans believe their financial security is getting worse than better, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian, and they are increasingly blaming the White House.
The poll, conducted by Harris, will be a further blow to Donald Trump’s efforts to fight off criticism of his handling of the economy and contains some worrying findings for Trump.
Nearly half (45%) of Americans said their financial security is getting worse compared to 20% who said it’s getting better.
57% of Americans said the US economy is undergoing a recession, up 11% from a similar poll that was conducted in February.

2025-12-27 22:04:57 UTC

This year’s job market has been bleak, to say the least. Layoffs hit the highest level in 14 years; job openings are barely budging; and quits figures are plummeting. It’s no wonder people feel stuck and discouraged—especially as many candidates have been on the job hunt for a year.
But some mid-career professionals are working with the cards they’ve been dealt by going back to school. Many are turning to data analytics, cybersecurity, AI-focused courses, health care, MBA programs, or trade certifications for an “immediate impact on their careers,” Metaintro CEO Lacey Kaelani told Fortune.
But while grad school can certainly offer the opportunity to level-up your career once you’ve completed a program, it comes with financial and personal sacrifices, like time. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, one year of grad school, on average, costs about $43,000 in tuition. That’s nearly 70% of the average salary in the U.S.

2025-12-25 12:42:13 UTC

Well-known MAGA influencers who once championed the release of the files associated with the government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein remained unusually quiet about the latest release of documents that included multiple mentions of Donald Trump.

2025-12-22 17:36:38 UTC

Stephen Miller has erupted at “blatant jury nullification” after a Los Angeles tow truck driver was acquitted of stealing an ICE vehicle in the latest embarrassment for Donald Trump’s Justice Department.
Bobby Nuñez, 33, was charged with theft of government property after towing away a locked ICE SUV—with its keys and firearm secured inside—during a chaotic immigration arrest in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 15.
Video from the scene showed federal agents chasing the truck as it pulled away, before arresting Nuñez and leading him away in handcuffs.

2025-12-21 23:10:36 UTC

Jesse Watters claims Donald Trump told him he is constructing the new White House ballroom as a “monument” to himself — and that he’s doing it “because no one else will.”
The Fox News host recounted the alleged conversation while speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, a multiday conservative conference and festival in Phoenix, on Saturday, Dec. 20. A video of the moment has since been posted on X.

2025-12-17 22:58:37 UTC

A retired Tennessee law enforcement officer was held in jail for more than a month this fall after police arrested him over a Facebook post of a meme related to the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Prosecutors eventually dropped the criminal charge brought against Larry Bushart, but his stint behind bars came to exemplify the country’s tense political and legal climate following the tragedy, when conservatives sought to stymie public discourse about the late controversial figure that it saw as objectionable.
Now, Bushart is suing over his incarceration.

2025-12-14 13:22:35 UTC

Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy party voted Sunday to dissolve after more than 30 years of activism, marking the end of an era of the Chinese semiautonomous city ‘s once-diverse political landscape.
Democratic Party chairperson Lo Kin-hei said the political environment was “one important point” among the factors they considered, and about 97% of members’ ballots were in support of its liquidation. He said it is the best way forward for its members.
Party veterans had earlier told The Associated Press that some members were warned of consequences if the party didn’t shut down.

2025-12-14 13:01:45 UTC

***California jury finds company knew its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers***
A California jury on Friday awarded $40m to two women who said Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was to blame for their ovarian cancer.
The jury in Los Angeles superior court awarded $18m to Monica Kent and $22m to Deborah Schultz and her husband after finding that Johnson & Johnson knew for years its talc-based products were dangerous but failed to warn consumers.
Kent was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014, according to court records. Schultz was diagnosed in 2018. Both women are California residents who say they used J&J’s baby powder after bathing for 40 years. Their treatments for ovarian cancer have involved major surgeries and dozens of rounds of chemotherapy, they testified at the trial.

2025-12-05 01:46:06 UTC

In the aftermath of much well-heeled panic about a potential mass exodus of New York millionaires and billionaires following the election of Zohran Mamdani, the contrary is already happening, and Manhattan luxury apartment buyers are voting with their wallets.
Signed contracts for Manhattan homes costing $4 million or more rose to 176 in November, a 25% increase from October’s 141 deals, according to fresh data from brokerage Douglas Elliman and appraiser Miller Samuel. New signed contracts of more than $4 million increased at more than twice the rate of the overall market, the report noted.

2025-11-30 22:51:51 UTC

A new poll found more Americans are unhappy with Donald Trump's stances on the economy and cost of living, with almost twice as many saying the president has helped raise prices rather than lowering them.
In a Yahoo/YouGov poll conducted Nov. 21-24, 49% of respondents said Trump's actions since taking office for his second term in January have raised prices instead of cutting them. That's a nearly two-to-one ratio to the 24% who said he's done more to lower costs.
The survey also found more Americans (38%) blame Trump for inflation than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden (31%), despite the now-president campaigning on the economy during his successful 2024 presidential bid.

2025-11-30 22:34:34 UTC

***The governor told NBC News that the president's mental state should be serious cause for concern.***
Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) accused Donald Trump of behaving erratically after a Thanksgiving rant where he raged at the Democrat and called him a slur.
During a Sunday morning appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” the 2024 vice presidential candidate suggested the president was “fading physically,” and his “mental capacity” should also be serious cause for concern.
In a late Thursday evening rant, the Trump called Walz “seriously retarded” while falsely accusing him of allowing “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia” to invade his state.

2025-11-29 21:56:20 UTC

Donald Trump's hateful, falsehood-filled rant on Thursday blaming immigrants for crime, "social dysfunction" and economic hardship is refuted by a wide range of immigration statistics, which show clearly that immigrants dramatically [bolster the US economy](https://www.migrationpolicy.org/content/explainer-immigrants-and-us-economy) and commit crimes at far [lower rates](https://www.ucdavis.edu/curiosity/blog/do-immigrants-get-incarcerated-more) than people born in the US.

2025-11-27 20:01:09 UTC

Vladimir Putin said a U.S. delegation is expected to arrive in Moscow in the first half of next week to discuss the latest American proposal to end the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday, Putin said no draft peace agreement had been agreed to in recent talks between the U.S. and Ukraine, only a list of issues to be discussed.
Putin also said it was "pointless" to sign any documents with Ukraine's current leadership, alleging that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lacked legitimacy to do so.

2025-11-22 13:19:27 UTC

2025-11-22 11:33:45 UTC

***US army secretary briefs ambassadors at ‘nightmare meeting’ in Kyiv on Friday after talks with Ukrainian leader***
US officials have told Nato allies they expect to push president Volodymyr Zelenskyy into agreeing to a peace deal in the coming days, under the threat that if Kyiv does not sign, it will face a much worse deal in future.
The US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, briefed ambassadors from Nato nations at a meeting in Kyiv late on Friday, after talks with Zelenskyy and taking a phone call from the White House. “No deal is perfect, but it must be done sooner rather than later,” he told them, according to one person who was present.
The mood in the room was sombre, with several European ambassadors questioning the content of the deal and the way in which the US had conducted the negotiations with Russia without keeping allies informed.

2025-11-19 13:00:41 UTC

Prison staff who leaked information about Ghislaine Maxwell’s preferential treatment have been fired, a lawyer for the convicted sex trafficker said.
Maxwell, a longtime associate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was moved to a minimum security prison known as Camp Bryan after meeting with the Justice Department earlier this year. The DOJ interview followed backlash against the Trump administration for its handling of government files related to Epstein.

2025-11-18 21:15:35 UTC

_**Bill will force release of documents related to late pedophile after Trump and allies backed down from opposition**_
The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill with nearly unanimous support that will force the release of investigative files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after Donald Trump and his Republican allies backed down from their opposition amid a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
The Epstein case returned dramatically to the public eye in July, when the justice department and FBI released a memo saying they had nothing further to disclose about the investigation. That flew in the face of statements made by Trump and his top officials that indicated they would release more information about Epstein’s offenses and ties to global elites once they took office.
Shortly after, four dissident Republicans in the House and all Democrats banded together to force a vote on a bill to release the investigative files, over Johnson’s objections.

2025-11-18 02:50:23 UTC

“Whatever Donald Trump is doing in office, in the minds of Latinos it is not working. They have turned against him in massive, massive numbers,” said CNN data chief Harry Enten on Monday.
Enten pointed out that Trump was nearly tied with 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris with Latinos on immigration, where the former vice president enjoyed a 2 percentage-point advantage over Trump in October 2024.
Now, Trump has a -38 net approval rating with Latinos on immigration.

2025-11-17 11:25:48 UTC

The Trump administration has released the names of 607 people detained by immigration agents, and whose arrests might have violated a court order, and only 16 – or 2.6% – of them have been identified by the federal government as a "high public safety risk" because of their alleged criminal histories, according to court documents.
Eric Balliet, a retired special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, worked for the department until last year after 25 years on the job, said the data regarding the ICE arrests erodes trust in the federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area, in particular the Trump administration's repeated claims that they are targeting the "worst of the worst."

2025-11-15 23:23:46 UTC

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she will introduce a bill to end H-1B visas, which allow companies to bring skilled foreign workers, days after Donald Trump backed the program.

2025-11-11 13:54:08 UTC

Taking acetaminophen during pregnancy is not clearly linked to autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, a new review finds.
The topic has been in the headlines since September when Donald Trump [warned](https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-admin-links-tylenol-pregnancy-increased-risk-autism/story?id=125802080) that acetaminophen use in pregnancy was "associated with a very increased risk of autism" and the president advised pregnant women, "Don't take Tylenol."
At the time, federal officials cited an [August 2025 meta-analysis](https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0) from researchers at Mt. Sinai, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and UMass Lowell that found prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may be associated with an increase in rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD, in children.

2025-11-07 13:51:23 UTC

Russia has capacity for a limited attack against NATO territory at any time but a decision to act would depend on the Western allies' posture, a top German military official warned.
"If you look at Russia's current capabilities and combat power, Russia could kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow," Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank told Reuters in an interview.
"Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big - Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that."

2025-11-05 02:30:01 UTC

Zohran Mamdani has won the race for New York City mayor, according to Decision Desk HQ, ushering in a new era of progressive politics in the city and reigniting the debate over the Democratic Party’s future.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, is poised to become the first millennial and first Muslim to lead New York City, after a campaign that pulled off one of the most stunning political upsets in recent memory. He defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who mounted a long-shot independent bid after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in his bid to succeed Mayor Eric Adams.
Mamdani focused heavily on affordability, pledging to freeze rent, establish city-owned grocery stores and make buses free for riders. He quickly became a progressive icon as well as a polarizing figure within the party over his positions, so much so that it divided prominent New York Democratic leadership over whether to endorse him.

2025-11-03 02:33:55 UTC

Donald Trump said on Sunday that, for now, he is not considering a deal that would allow Ukraine to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles for use against Russia.
Trump has been cool to a plan for the United States to sell Tomahawks to NATO nations that would transfer them to Ukraine, saying he does not want to escalate the war.
His latest comments to reporters aboard Air Force One indicate that he remains reluctant.

2025-11-02 12:54:15 UTC

***As many as 1,500 “ideological immigrants,” including 127 Americans, have applied for temporary residence in Russia in the last year.***
Two years ago, Derek and DeAnna Huffman were desperate to leave Humble, a suburb of Houston. Their three daughters, they believed, were being brainwashed by public school and mainstream media to support LGBTQ rights. American culture in general no longer offered white people the same opportunities as other races, they said.
The couple yearned to live in a place that shared their "Christian values" and where they "weren't going to be discriminated against" as white, politically-conservative Christians.
So in March, the Huffmans became the first family to move to a community planned for fellow English-speakers some 30 miles west of Moscow, a project they had been following online run by long-term American expat and former Kremlin-sponsored RT host Tim Kirby. The family is among a small but growing number of Americans who have moved to Russia because the United States, in their opinion, has become too “woke."

2025-11-01 22:19:31 UTC

A Michigan defense lawyer is disputing FBI allegations that his 20-year-old client and four other young suspects were planning to carry out a terror attack on Halloween weekend.
Authorities with the FBI and in Michigan have offered few details about the case, however as he announced the arrests on Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel said more information would be released. Spokespersons for the state and national FBI and the U.S. Attorney in Detroit did not immediately respond to messages Saturday.

2025-10-31 03:57:40 UTC

Thursday marks the 30th day of the federal government shutdown and the American public has grown more concerned about the shutdown throughout the month and more disapprove of how Donald Trump is handling the federal government, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
More Americans blame Trump and the Republicans in Congress than the Democrats for the shutdown, the poll finds.

2025-09-28 18:28:05 UTC

***The court is expected to weigh in next session on same-sex marriage, which it legalized in 2015***
Settled legal precedent in the US is not “gospel” and in some instances may have been “something somebody dreamt up and others went along with”, the US supreme court justice Clarence Thomas has said.
Thomas – part of the conservative supermajority that has taken hold of the supreme court over Donald Trump’s two presidencies – delivered those comments Thursday at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in Washington DC, ABC News and other outlets reported. His remarks preceded the nine-month term that the supreme court is scheduled to begin on 6 October.
“I don’t think that … any of these cases that have been decided are the gospel,” Thomas said during the rare public appearance, invoking a term which in a religious context is often used to refer to the word of God. “And I do give perspective to the precedent. But … the precedent should be respectful of our legal tradition, and our country and our laws, and be based on something – not just something somebody dreamt up and others went along with.”

2025-09-25 10:35:02 UTC

***Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night, six days after his remarks about the accused killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.***
Several investors in Walt Disney DIS.N on Wednesday asked the media giant to share documents about its decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel‘s show last week for inspection.
Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night, six days after his remarks about the accused killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk provoked social media outrage and pressure from the Trump administration.
In a letter to the company, lawyers for the American Federation of Teachers, U.S. labor federation AFL-CIO, and Reporters Without Borders requested Disney to turn over records related to Kimmel‘s suspension.
The demand seeks to probe potential wrongdoing, mismanagement and fiduciary breaches by the Disney board and its leadership, according to the letter.

2025-09-03 23:34:10 UTC

The majority of the sweeping tariffs Donald Trump imposed during his second term face one final litmus test that will determine whether he can continue to levy them – and also whether businesses are eligible for massive refunds.
That potentially dramatic turn in the tariff saga comes after a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Trump unlawfully leaned on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose across-the-board duties on countries.
Trump had used those powers to push import tax rates as high as 50% on India and Brazil – and as high as 145% on China earlier this year.

2025-08-14 11:23:36 UTC

**_Alternative for Germany has joined France's National Rally and Reform U.K. in becoming the most popular party in its country, according to polls._**
For the first time in modern history, far-right and populist parties are simultaneously topping the polls in Europe’s three main economies of Germany, France and Britain.
A poll Tuesday showed Alternative for Germany — which is under surveillance by the country’s intelligence services over suspected extremism — is now the most favored by voters. The survey by broadcaster RTL put the AfD at 26%, ahead of the ruling Christian Democrats at 24%.
This is a high watermark for the European far right, a once fringe movement whose virulently anti-immigration, anti-Islam and culture-war politics were shunned by the mainstream just a decade ago. Today, these parties have developed deep ties with President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who openly cite nationalists such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as inspirations on policy and tactics.

2025-07-30 12:19:28 UTC

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has privately discussed the idea of running for political office next year in Tennessee, according to two people who have spoken directly with him about it.
If Hegseth were to follow through on the discussions, it would amount to a major leadership shake-up at the department that oversees the American military and millions of federal employees. The Defense Department bars civilian employees from running for political office, meaning Hegseth would have to resign to do so.

2025-07-27 09:22:50 UTC

Representative April McClain Delaney warned that Donald Trump's cuts to programs like Medicaid, as well as NPR and PBS, are going to hit rural America like a "tsunami" in an interview with Newsweek.
Delaney's Maryland congressional district contains some of the areas that could be hit hardest by Trump's policies. It spans from the state's rural western panhandle, which she says could bear the brunt of new rescission cuts, to the Washington, D.C., suburbs, home to federal workers who have lost their jobs amid the mass firings of federal workers.
"When you look at all of these funding freezes on our government employees on our national parks, but also Medicaid, SNAP, and then start looking at some of the other rescissions that it's just a tsunami that's about to hit rural America," Delaney said.

2025-06-18 10:56:02 UTC

The Defense Department has mobilized 700 troops to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
These troops will “not participate in law enforcement activities” but will “provide logistical support, and conduct administrative and clerical functions,” according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. The troops were deployed last week, Parnell said.
The three states have seen several large-scale ICE raids since Trump took office in January and implemented his hardline anti-immigration agenda, promising to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history.”

2025-06-17 02:31:16 UTC

In response to immigration raids by masked federal officers in Los Angeles and across the nation, two California lawmakers on Monday proposed a new state law to ban members of law enforcement from concealing their faces while on the job.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor for local, state and federal law enforcement officers to cover their faces with some exceptions, and also encourage them to wear a form of identification on their uniform.
“We’re really at risk of having, effectively, secret police in this country,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), co-author of the bill.

2025-06-14 20:48:32 UTC

**_The Minnesota governor said that the path to tyranny "is littered with people telling you you’re overreacting"_**
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was testifying before Congress about his state's handling of immigration when he learned Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference Thursday.
The irony, he told the attendees of the Center for American Progress’ “Listening to Lead” event Friday, was in lawmakers grilling him and his colleagues, Govs. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y. and JB Pritzker, D-Ill., over the “incredible crime of treating people like human beings” as FBI agents tackled a sitting senator to the ground and handcuffed him in Los Angeles.
“I am not prone to hyperbole. I am prone to, like, popping off a little bit. I know that,” Walz said, prefacing his argument that Americans are living in a “dangerous” time. “I believed all along we were marching towards authoritarianism, and people were telling me in December, ‘You know, you're overreacting.’ And I said, “The road to authoritarianism is littered with people telling you you're overreacting.”

2025-06-13 01:31:56 UTC

**_Flight AI171 was bound for London when it crashed into residential area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff_**
More than 260 people have been killed after a London-bound Air India flight crashed in a residential area of Ahmedabad, with a British man being the sole survivor.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner heading for Gatwick was carrying 242 people when it crashed minutes after taking off at 1.38pm local time from Ahmedabad, the main city in the north-western state of Gujarat.
Footage showed the aircraft climbing away from the runway then sinking back down towards the ground, before disappearing behind trees and bursting into flames. The plane crashed into a hostel housing medical students, doctors and their families in the Meghani Nagar residential area and at least 24 people on the ground died.

2025-06-08 23:34:48 UTC

California Governor Gavin Newsom has formally requested Trump administration officials to rescind the order to deploy the National Guard and return control of the force to California, calling the initial order unlawful and "intentionally designed to inflame the situation."
"I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command," Newsom wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California."

2025-06-02 03:20:23 UTC

Tesla sales in Québec plunged 85% in the first quarter, mirroring sharp declines seen in Europe.
Canada has frozen $43 million in Tesla EV rebates due to Trump's tariffs and fraud concerns.
Musk's DOGE work sparked backlash, boycotts, and dealership vandalism across the US and Europe.

2025-05-11 15:08:47 UTC

In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar.
It is to be available for use by Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.
The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.

2025-05-03 21:29:35 UTC

The [Oklahoma](https://www.the-independent.com/topic/oklahoma) Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, announced a new education policy for the state on Thursday, which includes the [allegation that there were “discrepancies” in the 2020 election, ](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/republicans-white-house-doge-cuts-b2743793.html "Republicans are telling the White House that DOGE cuts will not be permanent")which Donald Trump baselessly claims was stolen from him.
[The new academic standards for social studies for the coming school ](https://www.the-independent.com/news/lee-greenwood-oklahoma-oklahoma-city-donald-trump-kevin-stitt-b2711247.html "Oklahoma schools chief seeks donations to put Bibles in classrooms")year state that students should “identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellweather county’ trends.”
This comes after the Oklahoma Senate declined to take action on a resolution that would reject the election denial language in the social studies standards, [*The Oklahoman*noted earlier this week.](https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2025/04/29/ryan-walters-oklahoma-social-studies-standards-will-go-into-effect-senate/83351128007/)

2025-05-01 21:52:08 UTC

***A photograph of Trump administration official Mike Waltz's phone shows him using an unofficial version of Signal designed to archive messages during a cabinet meeting.***
Mike Waltz, who was until Thursday U.S. National Security Advisor, has inadvertently revealed he is using an obscure and unofficial version of Signal that is designed to archive messages, raising questions about what classification of information officials are discussing on the app and how that data is being secured, 404 Media has found.
On Thursday Reuters published a photograph of Waltz checking his mobile phone during a cabinet meeting held by Donald Trump.
The screen appears to show messages from various top level government officials, including JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marco Rubio.

2025-04-30 03:28:00 UTC

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a close ally of Trump, finds herself at odds with his administration after it denied her state's request for federal disaster aid following a series of deadly storms last month.
Trump has floated the idea of eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency and pushing states to potentially fend for themselves in the wake of natural disasters. He’s already denied disaster aid requests from Washington and North Carolina — states led by Democratic governors — and he suggested withholding aid from Democrat-led California unless it institutes a restrictive voter law.
But the denial of disaster aid to Arkansas, a state he won with 64% of the vote in last year’s presidential election, appears to offer fresh evidence that he intends to follow through on his efforts to gut FEMA — even if it potentially harms some of his fiercest supporters.

2025-04-26 21:21:29 UTC

A new poll shows that about 4 in 10 Americans say Trump has been a “terrible” leader in his second term.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also found that about 2 in 10 think he has done an average job in his presidency and 3 in 10 says he’s been a great or good president.
44% say Trump’s focused on the wrong priorities in the AP-NORC poll, 21% said an even mix and 10% don’t know

2025-04-19 20:14:59 UTC

**_Organizers call for 11 million people to march and rally in this weekend’s effort to ‘protect democracy’_**
Protesters poured into the streets of cities and towns across the United States again on Saturday, in the second wave of protests this month, as organizers seek to turn discontent with Donald Trump’s presidency into a mass movement that will eventually translate into action at the ballot box.
By early afternoon, large protests were under way in [Washington](https://bsky.app/profile/vincedmonroy.bsky.social/post/3ln6tszatys2n), [New York](https://bsky.app/profile/luckytran.com/post/3ln6sjjp2z22b) and [Chicago](https://bsky.app/profile/mifarmer.bsky.social/post/3ln6qau2hzk2i), with images of crowds cascading across social networks showing additional demonstrations in [Rhode Island](https://bsky.app/profile/hjonesmedia.bsky.social/post/3ln6qjwqca22y), [Maryland](https://bsky.app/profile/phillipanderson.bsky.social/post/3ln6n5rimns2j), [Wisconsin](https://bsky.app/profile/jennyquackles2.bsky.social/post/3ln6psnkpn22h), [Tennessee](https://bsky.app/profile/philinvestigates.com/post/3ln6rhlj35k2v), [South Carolina](https://bsky.app/profile/littlexiososa.bsky.social/post/3ln6pwjklcs2g), [Ohio](https://bsky.app/profile/indigospin.bsky.social/post/3ln6kmuoblc2y), [Kentucky](https://bsky.app/profile/bkevinmaples.bsky.social/post/3ln6qw3ocos2n), [California](https://bsky.app/profile/paleofuture.bsky.social/post/3ln6oq3hfak23) and [Pennsylvania](https://bsky.app/profile/cbaeck.bsky.social/post/3ln6qfr2cps2z), among others. Americans abroad also signaled their opposition to the Trump agenda in [Dublin, Ireland](https://bsky.app/profile/aafireland.bsky.social/post/3ln66hfmtes2d), and other cities.
More than 400 rallies were planned, most loosely organized by the group [50501](https://www.fiftyfifty.one/), which stands for 50 protests in 50 states, one movement.

2025-04-18 13:32:01 UTC

Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg's plan to spend $20 million to primary older Democratic incumbents in Congress has sparked intense anger from some lawmakers.

2025-04-17 19:11:29 UTC

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell broke down in court this week, telling a judge he has no money left to pay the sanctions imposed against him in a defamation case brought by voting technology company Smartmatic.
“I’m in ruins,” Lindell said tearfully during a virtual hearing before U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols on Wednesday, according to a report from ABC News. “I borrowed everything I can. Nobody will lend me any money anymore.”
Lindell was ordered to pay $56,369 in sanctions to Smartmatic, which sued him for defamation in 2022 over his baseless claims that the company helped rig the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump.

2025-04-15 12:18:50 UTC

**_Trump has suggested that "homegrown" criminals who have been convicted of certain crimes should be deported, but the idea raises significant legal questions._**
If an immigrant who the government claims is a gang member can be deported to El Salvador without any due process rights, then why not a U.S. citizen?
That was the nightmarish scenario immigration advocates and constitutional law experts were considering on Monday after Donald Trump again pushed a provocative plan to deport U.S. citizens who have been convicted of unspecified crimes.
Trump discussed the issue in the White House with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has agreed to deposit people deported from the U.S. into a notorious prison.

2025-04-14 11:14:05 UTC

***Ray Dalio’s comments come after rocky week across stock markets after policies including 145% tariff raise on China***
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio said that he is worried the US will experience “something worse than a recession” as a result of Donald Trump’s trade policies.
Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the 75-year-old hedge fund manager said: “I think that right now we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession. And I’m worried about something worse than a recession if this isn’t handled well.”
He went on to add: “A recession is two negative quarters of GDP and whether it goes slightly there. We always have those things. We have something that’s much more profound. We have a breaking down of the monetary order. We are going to change the monetary order because we cannot spend the amounts of money.”

2025-04-13 01:27:27 UTC

***"Return the dignity of work to young men who need to be at work instead of playing video games all day."***
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Republican efforts to attach work requirements to Medicaid, suggesting that young American men are wasting their lives "playing video games all day" instead of working.
Johnson's remarks came as House Republicans pushed forward a budget framework that would help finance President Donald Trump's tax cuts, with plans to slash federal spending by trillions. GOP leaders are eyeing $880 billion in reductions to Medicaid, a move critics warn could gut health coverage for millions of low-income Americans.

2025-04-13 01:22:15 UTC

**_US Vermont senator’s tour with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes has been drawing record-breaking crowds since February_**
The Vermont senator [Bernie Sanders](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/bernie-sanders) drew a record-breaking crowd at his rally in Los Angeles on Saturday, which included musical acts from Joan Baez and Neil Young, who encouraged the crowd to “take America back”.
Sanders’s Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go from Here tour has been drawing massive crowds. Aided by the progressive New York representative [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez), the team set the record in Tempe, Arizona, for biggest-ever political rally in that state three weeks ago. In Denver, Colorado, more than 34,000 people showed up – a career-high crowd for the 83-year-old Sanders. Saturday in Los Angeles saw another record: at least 36,000 people packed a downtown park.

2025-04-10 19:05:06 UTC

**Summary**
Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed Donald Trump’s repeated claim that millions of dead people are receiving Social Security, calling it “a total, absolute lie” during a CNN town hall.
Trump has joked about elderly recipients being over 160 years old, despite his own Social Security commissioner confirming such records don't reflect actual payments.
The SSA says over 99% of benefits go to eligible recipients.
Critics, including Sanders, argue Trump and allies like JD Vance and Elon Musk are using baseless fraud claims to justify future cuts to Social Security.

2025-04-09 11:02:19 UTC

**Summary**
Thai police arrested US academic Paul Chambers on charges of insulting the monarchy and violating computer crime laws, linked to remarks made during an online seminar.
Chambers, a political science professor at Naresuan University, was summoned after a complaint by the Thai Army.
He denied the charges and was denied bail, with no trial date set. Thailand enforces strict lèse-majesté laws under Article 112, carrying up to 15 years in prison.

2025-03-25 20:46:41 UTC

**Summary**
Anthony Muro, a Marine veteran and former VA hospital worker, regrets voting for Trump after being fired amid sweeping government cuts led by Elon Musk.
Muro was one of 25,000 probationary (new) federal employees terminated, including 1,700 VA workers. Despite court orders deeming the firings unlawful, he remains on administrative leave.
Muro criticizes Trump’s efficiency drive as harmful to veterans, saying cuts damage morale and care quality.
Many VA staff and veterans fear reduced services and long-term impacts on healthcare. Muro hopes to continue helping veterans despite his uncertain future.

2025-03-19 20:58:39 UTC

**Summary**
The Trump administration defied a judge’s order to stop migrant expulsions to El Salvador, then told the judge to be more “respectful.”
Judge James Boasberg demanded details on the flights, suspecting the government ignored his orders. The administration refused, claiming judicial overreach and possible state secrets.
Migrants, allegedly gang members, were sent to a brutal Salvadoran prison under an old wartime law. Trump officials mocked the judge, and Chief Justice Roberts issued a rare rebuke.
The administration has appealed, with another hearing set for Friday.

2025-03-18 22:02:25 UTC

**Summary**
A suspect vandalized and set fire to Teslas at a Las Vegas Collision Center early Tuesday in what police call a "targeted attack."
The assailant, dressed in black, shot at five vehicles, torched two, and left an undetonated Molotov cocktail. They also spray-painted "Resist" on the building.
Authorities have not confirmed a political motive but noted Elon Musk’s ties to Trump. The FBI is investigating, warning that such acts are federal crimes.
Tesla has faced backlash amid Musk’s government role and far-right politics.

2025-03-16 20:22:00 UTC

**Summary**
A massive Ukrainian drone strike targeted Russian oil refineries and infrastructure, including Moscow’s largest refinery, which supplies 50% of the city’s fuel.
The attack also hit the Druzhba pipeline control station, halting Russian oil exports to Hungary. With over 337 drones striking multiple regions, the operation exploited gaps in Russia’s air defenses.
Hungary, heavily reliant on Russian energy, called the pipeline attack a threat to its sovereignty.
Analysts suggest continued strikes could pressure Russia’s economy and energy dominance, potentially influencing ceasefire negotiations.

2025-03-13 20:13:04 UTC

**Summary**
Donald Trump's approval rating among Hispanic Americans has dropped to 34%, tying its lowest point of his second term, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.
This marks an 11-point drop from last week’s 45% approval. His overall approval stands at 47%, while a CNN poll found 56% of Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy.
The decline comes amid concerns over tariffs and a possible recession.

2025-03-13 13:21:49 UTC

**Summary**
Former vice presidential nominee Tim Walz criticized Trump for economic chaos while taking personal responsibility for the situation during an MSNBC interview.
"We wouldn't be in this mess if we'd have won the election — and we didn't," Walz told Chris Hayes. He called Trump the "worst possible business executive" and praised the *Wall Street Journal*'s editorial criticizing Trump's tariff war.
Walz emphasized Democrats must offer something better, not just criticize Trump. Recently, he acknowledged a leadership void in the Democratic Party and admitted spending too much time combatting Trump's false claims about immigrants.

2025-03-09 19:53:21 UTC

**Summary**
Donald Trump declined to rule out a U.S. recession in 2025, citing a "period of transition" due to his trade policies.
When asked if tariffs would fuel inflation, he acknowledged the possibility but pointed to lower interest rates.
Despite stock market volatility, he insisted “you have to do what’s right.” The Atlanta Federal Reserve warned of economic contraction, raising recession fears.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick dismissed concerns, predicting strong growth. Trump's stance contrasts with his past claims that trade wars are "good and easy to win."

2025-03-05 07:41:29 UTC

**Summary**
Mass firings at the IRS under the Trump administration threaten ongoing audits of wealthy individuals and corporations, potentially leading to millions in lost tax revenue.
The cuts primarily impacted employees in the Large Business & International Division, many of whom had extensive tax expertise.
With fewer agents and specialists, complex cases may be prematurely closed, undermining enforcement against high-end tax evasion.
Critics warn this weakens IRS oversight and emboldens tax avoidance among the ultrawealthy.

2025-03-05 02:20:58 UTC

**Summary**
The IRS is considering drastic workforce reduction plans that could cut up to half of its 90,000 employees through layoffs, attrition, and buyouts.
The Trump administration, working through Elon Musk's DOGE, has already laid off 7,000 probationary (newly hired) employees and plans further reductions.
Former IRS commissioners warn that such cuts would make the agency dysfunctional: “Reducing the IRS’s resources will make our government less effective and efficient in collecting taxes Congress has imposed.”
The agency may also lend workers to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration deportation.

2025-02-27 10:52:25 UTC

**Summary**
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities confirmed Thursday.
Foul play is not suspected, but an investigation is ongoing.
Hackman, a revered actor known for *The French Connection* and *Unforgiven*, retired from Hollywood two decades ago and spent his later years writing novels.
He lived in New Mexico since the 1980s, remaining largely out of the public eye. His death comes just days before this year’s Academy Awards.

2025-02-26 23:30:02 UTC

**Summary**
The U.S. and Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement on February 25, 2025, establishing a Reconstruction Investment Fund to finance Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts.
The deal acknowledges that the U.S. has provided significant financial and material support to Ukraine since “Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.”
It outlines joint management and investment in Ukrainian natural resources, with Ukraine contributing 50% of future revenue from minerals, oil, and gas.
A more detailed Fund Agreement will follow, requiring ratification by Ukraine’s parliament. U.S. officials stress negotiations are ongoing.

2025-02-24 01:30:08 UTC

**Summary**
Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department, and Pentagon, are refusing to comply with Elon Musk’s demand that federal employees report their weekly accomplishments to him or risk termination.
The directive, backed by Trump, has sparked chaos, legal concerns, and union threats of lawsuits. Some agencies issued conflicting guidance, while lawmakers from both parties questioned the move’s legality.
Musk falsely claims widespread fraud in government payrolls and has provided no evidence.
Unions demand the request’s withdrawal and an apology.

2025-02-23 22:30:40 UTC

**Summary**
Democratic Senator Jack Reed accused Trump of “surrendering to the Russians” as his administration pushes for U.S.-Russia talks over Ukraine.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff suggested Ukraine’s NATO ambitions provoked the war and declined to blame Russia.
Zelenskyy, under pressure, said he would step down for peace if Ukraine gained NATO membership.
The Trump administration denies favoring Russia and claims its strategy brings peace closer without criticizing Putin’s invasion.

2025-02-23 03:17:47 UTC

**Summary**
Hunter Schafer shared that her newly issued passport incorrectly lists her gender as male, a result of Trump’s executive order requiring federal documents to use sex assigned at birth.
Despite selecting female and having her gender marker changed years ago, the new policy was applied to her application.
Schafer said she wanted to raise awareness rather than cause alarm, emphasizing that trans people will continue to exist regardless of government policies.
“A letter and a passport can't change that,” she said.

2025-02-22 01:31:42 UTC

**Summary**
The city of Buriticupu in Brazil’s Amazon declared a state of emergency after huge sinkholes threatened hundreds of homes.
In Maranhão state, rapidly expanding sinkholes have already destroyed several buildings and risk displacing about 1,200 people from a population of 55,000.
Known locally as “voçoroca,” these erosions have worsened over 30 years due to deforestation, poorly planned construction, and heavy rains eroding vulnerable sandy soils.
Authorities admit their limited capacity to address the erosion and relocation.

2025-02-21 17:26:18 UTC

**Summary**
IRS worker Robert McCabe, a Trump voter, expressed shock after being among 7,000 laid off by DOGE, an initiative under the Trump administration led by Elon Musk.
McCabe stated DOGE is acting like a “wrecking ball and destroying people’s lives for no reason.”
The layoffs, targeting probationary employees with less than a year of service, affect hundreds at the IRS and are part of a broader effort to shrink the federal workforce.
The cuts raise concerns about impacts on tax collection during a critical season.

2025-02-21 16:18:19 UTC

**Summary**
Former Kazakh intelligence chief Alnur Mussayev alleges that the KGB recruited Donald Trump in 1987 under the codename “Krasnov.”
In a Facebook post, Mussayev claimed that the KGB targeted Western businessmen and that Trump’s file is now privately controlled by a Putin associate.
Though unverified, the claims fuel speculation about Trump’s ties to Russia, which he has denied.
Concerns about Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin persist, with former officials like Anthony Scaramucci suggesting an unexplained “hold” on him but offering no further details.

2025-02-21 13:40:50 UTC

**Summary**
Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is set to appear in a New York courtroom Friday for a hearing on evidence exchange and a potential trial date.
He faces state murder charges with a terrorism enhancement, carrying a life sentence without parole.
Mangione also faces federal charges, including one with a potential death penalty, and separate charges in Pennsylvania. His defense claims political bias in the case.
In a statement, Mangione thanked supporters for their letters from across the country and the world.

2025-02-21 01:08:09 UTC

**Summary**
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people collect Social Security to justify cutting “waste” and “fraud.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed this, calling Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid “wrong” while supporting Musk’s plan to slash $1 trillion in spending.
Despite Trump’s public assurances, House Republicans’ budget proposals include deep cuts to these programs while prioritizing massive tax breaks for the wealthy.
Experts note improper Social Security payments are minimal, contradicting Musk’s claims.

2025-02-20 22:06:42 UTC

**Summary**
A new AP-NORC poll shows that Americans’ confidence in air travel has declined after several fatal plane crashes in 2025.
Only 64% now believe flying is safe, down from 71% last year, while the number of those who feel it is unsafe rose by 12%.
Confidence in pilots, air traffic controllers, and the federal government has also dropped. Recent crashes, including a deadly collision over Washington, D.C., have fueled public concern.
Meanwhile, Trump has begun firing hundreds of FAA employees, raising further safety worries.

2025-02-20 21:51:40 UTC

**Summary**
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced plans for constitutional reforms to protect Mexico’s sovereignty after the U.S. designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The designation has raised concerns in Mexico about potential U.S. military intervention.
Sheinbaum vowed to prevent foreign interference in legal matters and proposed enshrining restrictions on foreign agents.
Additionally, she seeks harsher penalties for foreign gun traffickers. With a congressional majority, her Morena party is positioned to pass the reforms despite tensions with the U.S.

2025-02-20 19:23:01 UTC

**Summary**
Two teenage girls, ages 15 and 16, were arrested in Texas for allegedly plotting a "mass casualty attack" at Memorial High School near Houston.
Authorities say the girls planned to use pipe bombs and guns, sharing details on social media. The FBI's Threat Mitigation Team helped local police respond, leading to their swift arrest.
One girl, a Willis High School student, faces unrelated charges, while the other, from Spring Branch, is held in a nearby county.
The school has since increased security measures.

2025-02-20 18:22:22 UTC

**Summary**
NASA has lowered the estimated risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 striking Earth in December 2032 to 1.5%, down from 3.1% a day earlier. The European Space Agency's (ESA) estimate stands at 1.38%.
The asteroid, 40-90 meters wide, could cause significant city-level destruction but not a global catastrophe.
The projected impact corridor spans the Pacific, South America, Africa, and South Asia.
NASA also estimates a 0.8% chance of the asteroid hitting the Moon.

2025-02-20 17:27:54 UTC

**Summary**
A new Leger poll reveals that 27% of Canadians now consider the U.S. an "enemy" country, while 30% still see it as an ally.
The survey follows escalating tensions, including President Trump’s tariff threats and his suggestion that Canada should become a U.S. state.
Trump remains widely unpopular in Canada, with 74% viewing him unfavorably. Political affiliation influences perceptions, with Conservatives more likely to see the U.S. as an ally.
Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Québécois supporters view the U.S. more negatively.

2025-02-20 16:57:25 UTC

**Summary**
Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s joint interview with Sean Hannity reinforced concerns about Musk’s influence in Trump’s administration.
During the White House discussion, Musk dominated the conversation. Hannity cut Trump off to follow up on Musk’s remarks, mirroring a similar dynamic at a recent press conference where Musk spoke significantly more than Trump.
Musk defended his actions to dismantle parts of the federal bureaucracy, arguing it was necessary to restore democracy.
His prominent role raises questions about his power in the administration, especially given his substantial financial contributions to Trump’s campaign.

2025-02-20 12:36:33 UTC

**Summary**
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that Britain is “failing” and called for a UK version of Trump’s “MAGA” movement to push change.
Truss, who was prime minister for only 49 days and lost her seat in last year’s election, has become a marginal figure in British politics but found support at CPAC, which now embraces Trump-style populism.
The conference featured right-wing figures from Hungary, Brazil, and the U.S., including Steve Bannon, who promoted deep state conspiracy theories.
CPAC leaders condemned globalist organizations like the UN and EU, vowing support for Trump’s return.

2025-02-20 04:04:36 UTC

**Summary**
A U.S. appeals court has blocked Donald Trump's executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizen parents.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s emergency stay request, upholding a lower court's nationwide injunction.
The ruling, made by a three-judge panel, argued that citizenship rights under the 14th Amendment are beyond presidential authority to alter.
The Justice Department is appealing similar rulings in other states, and the case may ultimately reach the Supreme Court. Arguments in the 9th Circuit case are set for June.

2025-02-20 03:28:27 UTC

**Summary**
DOGE initially claimed an $8 billion ICE contract reduction, but the actual figure was 1,000 times less at $8 million.
Despite correcting the ICE figure, DOGE did not adjust its overall $55 billion savings estimate, which lacks clear justification.
The ICE error wasn’t the only issue. CBS News found DOGE had triple-counted a $654.99 million savings on a single contract, overstating savings by as much as $1.96 billion.
Critics argue the errors remain unaddressed because “the propaganda of the numbers is important to them.”

2025-02-20 03:05:31 UTC

**Summary**
Senate Democrats who initially backed some of Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees now regret their votes, citing broken promises and controversial policies.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) apologized for supporting Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins after the administration terminated over 1,000 VA employees, including those at the Veterans Crisis Line.
Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.) regretted confirming Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem due to aggressive immigration policies.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) expressed disappointment with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for actions undermining USAID.

2025-02-19 22:39:50 UTC

**Summary**
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has ordered lie detector tests for DHS staff to identify leaks that allegedly foiled immigration raids, including a failed Colorado operation targeting Venezuelan gang members.
The directive, leaked to *Bloomberg*, requires polygraph questions about unauthorized communications with media and nonprofits. Despite polygraphs' unreliability, DHS insists they are necessary for national security.
The crackdown follows frustration from Trump’s border czar Tom Homan over compromised raids and aligns with broader MAGA-era efforts to control government communication.