Divisions emerge among House Republicans over how much to cut taxes and Medicaid in Trump's bill – AP News
Divisions emerge among House Republicans over how much to cut taxes and Medicaid in Trump's bill – AP News
Divisions emerge among House Republicans over how much to cut taxes and Medicaid in Trump’s bill AP News‘First time we were hearing of them’: The GOP megabill is packed with surprises for some Republicans PoliticoWhat’s in the first draft of the GOP’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ cutting taxes and spending PBSTrump Arrives in Qatar After Meeting Syrian President in Saudi Arabia: Live Updates The New York TimesThe latest roadblock for House Republicans’ “big beautiful bill”: Senate Republicans NPR
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Appeal set for killer who brutally stabbed ex 78 times
Appeal set for killer who brutally stabbed ex 78 times
NSW prosecutors are set to appeal a sentence handed down to Tyrone Thompson, who killed a woman by stabbing her at least 78 times.
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Doom: The Dark Ages Review – Believe In The Shield
Doom: The Dark Ages Review – Believe In The Shield
As a pioneer of the first-person shooter genre, Doom laid the foundation for its contemporaries but has also never rested on its laurels. Doom 3 steered the franchise toward survival horror. The 2016 reboot dared to revisit and refine the old-school formula in an era of Call of Duty-likes. Doom Eternal, for better or worse, implemented parkour-esque platforming. Doom: The Dark Ages offers perhaps the biggest and most impressive shake-up of the series’ tried and true formula. Incorporating visceral, parry-focused melee combat is a thrilling addition to the already stellar run-and-gun action, making this medieval entry an absolute blast from start to finish.
This prequel to the 2016 game sees the Doom Slayer rip apart hordes of demons amid a cool techno-medieval setting; imagine King Arthur as a Borg from Star Trek, and that’s basically the game’s look. While it’s a terrific aesthetic that perfectly complements the heavy metal soundtrack, the backdrop primarily serves as an excuse to add neat middle-age twists to the Slayer’s classic arsenal. The biggest and best change is the Shield Saw, a motorized serrated shield that lets players block and parry incoming attacks. While it’s initially strange to use a shield in a Doom game, it is a brilliantly implemented addition I can’t imagine playing without going forward.
Parrying glowing green attacks adds another fun test of reflexes. It’s easy to execute thanks to a generous parry window (on standard difficulty), rewarding an additional hit as you send projectiles back to their receivers. The exceptionally satisfying auditory feedback, which rivals the ear-pleasing “*****” when Captain America’s shield connects, is the cherry on top. Speaking of Cap, lobbing the Shield Saw like a discus at foes adds another ranged offensive option, great for slicing smaller demons in half (saving ammo in the process) or stunning larger threats by embedding and drilling into their flesh. I loved using the latter function to stop hulking demons in their tracks and riddle them with bullets.
Performing a charging shield bash lets you rush distant targets from afar, serving as a great way to close gaps while keeping you moving across the often expansive arenas. However, the shield can only absorb so many hits before it becomes temporarily unavailable, so the action retains the series’ frantic urgency to keep moving to outmaneuver and outfox enemies. Instead of trivializing the danger, the Shield Saw becomes a fun new strategy to juggle; block or parry what you can, dodge what you can’t, and never stop moving.
Revamped melee combat further emphasizes Doom: The Dark Ages’ more in-your-face action. Players now have three melee options – a brutal punch combo, a slow but mighty hammer attack, and, my favorite, an armor-shattering flail – to pummel the ammunition out of foes, rewarding close-quarter confrontations with full clips. Like guns, though, melee attacks are limited and must be replenished by grabbing pick-ups or blasting demons with guns, creating a nice system where close and ranged offense empower each other. Battling melee-centric adversaries became entertainingly rhythmic slugfests as I deflected incoming attacks while retaliating during brief moments between, capped off by executing the ever-bloody glory kill finishing moves. Doom is all about guns, but The Dark Ages has perhaps the best close-quarters action I’ve experienced in a shooter.
Inventive new weapons bolster the smooth-as-butter gunplay. My favorites include the Pulverizer, which grinds collected skulls to blast wide spreads of high-speed bone fragments to simultaneously wipe out scores of demons. Another cool weapon is the Chainshot, which shoots a retractable ball and chain, perfect for punching through shields and armor. Many of the six primary firearms have an alternate version you can switch between instantly (such as swapping between the faster-paced Shotgun and the slower but punchier Super Shotgun) and sport unlockable upgrades for each configuration, adding more bang to their punch. Whether it’s a perk that rains down lightning upon a successful parry or another that lets you ricochet bullets off the shield while it’s drilling into a target, these enhancements add more depth and reward to the already entertaining action. Best of all, you can eviscerate any enemy using any weapon, ditching Doom Eternal’s more restrictive combat design.
The Doom Slayer’s fresh bag of tricks allowed me to devise incredible new strategies to survive increasingly intense skirmishes where mobs can number in the dozens. Tossing the shield at a distant pest before instantly recalling it to parry an incoming attack at the last moment, then blowing its sender’s face off with a shotgun blast – all while weaving through waves of beams and fireballs – feels incredibly cool. That’s only one example of many fist-pumping moments that regularly occur in Doom: The Dark Ages. With both offense and defense to consider, the action feels more strategically dense than it ever has in a Doom title, and well-designed controls make everything a breeze to pull off once you’re acclimated. If that’s not enough, an impressive range of accessibility options, from adjusting the game speed, parry timing, and even the colors of in-game elements, allow you to customize the adventure so it’s as challenging or inviting as you’d like.
Between standard firefights, the Slayer can hop in the cockpit of a giant mech suit to battle gargantuan demons and atop a dragon-like beast to engage in aerial dogfighting. Both diversions are best described as broadly fine; mech combat primarily focuses on slower but impactful fist fights, while aerial bouts involve an ill-fitting exercise of dodging blasts to charge a beam to take out shielded targets. These segments aren’t very fleshed out and don’t last long enough to drag the experience down, but I was always eager to get my boots back on the ground for more traditional action.
Like the last game, stages hide secrets, such as collectible figures, lore entries, upgrade gems, and treasure stashes to buy additional enhancements. Environmental puzzle-solving is generally simple if you explore thoroughly and often utilize the Shield Saw, such as tossing it to activate distant mechanisms or shield-bashing blocks in positions to climb and reach higher platforms. I can take or leave these diversions, but the rewards are usually worth the effort. The story, which involves stopping a demonic prince from stealing a great power from a mighty princess, doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as Eternal’s tale. However, it’s still a largely stoic and straightforward affair that won’t suddenly establish Doom as a narrative powerhouse. I approached the story much like the Doom Slayer himself; just point me in the direction of what needs killing while everything else barely matters enough to earn my full interest.
Doom: The Dark Ages is modern Doom executed better than ever. It’s a bloody, challenging, and strategic thrill ride that tested my skills, forced me to catch my breath, and always had me asking for more. With the Shield Saw and other great additions, id Software gives fans something they didn’t know they wanted, proving once again that this legendary series can still evolve in ways we haven’t even dreamed of.
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This Vitamin Deficiency May Raise Your Heart Disease Risk by 10%, New Study Says
This Vitamin Deficiency May Raise Your Heart Disease Risk by 10%, New Study Says
Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD
Photographer: Carson Downing; Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman; Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco. EatingWell design.
A new study found a link between vitamin D and heart disease.
Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are both common.
Vitamin D is found in few foods, but it is produced with sunlight skin exposure.
While we often refer to heart disease as one condition, it’s actually a term that comprises many conditions related to the heart and blood vessels. Under the umbrella of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there are specific categories like atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Athersclerotic heart diseases are related to plaques that accumulate in the arteries.
Those plaques narrow the blood vessels—sometimes completely—or narrow them so much that blood clots can’t get through, sealing off the blood vessel. This can result in a heart attack or stroke. The plaques also make the blood vessels less elastic and stiffer, which can raise blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of premature death in the U.S. and worldwide. And while women’s rates of heart disease tend to be lower than men’s earlier in life, women’s risk of heart disease rises to match men’s after menopause.
There is evidence that suggests a connection between vitamin D blood levels and cardiovascular disease, the atherosclerotic variety in particular. Researchers from Germany took a closer look at this relationship and recently published their findings in the journal Clinical Nutrition. Let’s break down what they found.
Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Take Vitamin D Every Day
How Was This Study Conducted?
More than 500,000 participants have health data in the *** Biobank, and these researchers drew data for almost 410,000 of them who met the study criteria. On average, participants were 57 years old when the study began, and about 55% were female. The average follow-up time was 16 years.
Researchers pulled information including medical records and death certificates, vitamin D blood levels at baseline and whether or not the participants took a vitamin D supplement.
The types of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease researchers were examining were:
ischemic heart disease, which happens when clogged blood vessels limit oxygen to the heart
peripheral artery disease, which happens when clogged arteries in the extremities, like the legs, limit blood to your limbs
cerebrovascular disease, which happens when arteries to the brain are clogged, preventing the brain from getting the oxygen it needs
atherosclerotic disease, or a buildup of plaque in arteries that can lead to ischemic heart disease.
Researchers adjusted for lifestyle factors like BMI, smoking status and alcohol intake. The team considered vitamin D deficiency as having vitamin D levels less than 30 nmol/L, and vitamin D insufficiency at a range between 30 and <50 nmol/L. Sufficient vitamin D levels were defined as 50 to <100 nmol/L, and high vitamin D levels were over 100 mmol/L.
More than half the participants were either vitamin D deficient (almost 21%) or insufficient (over 34%). Very few were over the recommended vitamin D blood levels (1.5%). Of the entire study population, 4.3% reported supplementing specifically with vitamin D, and another 21% took a multivitamin that included vitamin D—those multivitamins typically offer much less vitamin D than a pure vitamin D supplement.
What Did This Study Find?
Overall, the researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 10% increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. And after breaking atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease down into specific conditions, vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased risks of ischemic heart disease (10%), cerebrovascular disease (7%), atherosclerotic disease (17%) and peripheral artery disease (13%).
For those who were only vitamin D insufficient—not deficient—insufficiency was associated with a 5% increased risk of total atherosclerotic heart disease and a 4% increased risk of ischemic heart disease.
Those with vitamin D deficiency showed a 35% increased risk of dying from atherosclerotic heart disease compared to an 8% increase in non-fatal ASCVD.
For those who took vitamin D supplements, they experienced a 6% reduced risk of atherosclerotic heart disease and a 10% reduced risk of ischemic heart disease. Supplementing with a multivitamin containing vitamin D was associated with a reduced risk of total atherosclerotic heart disease (7%), ischemic heart disease (8%) and peripheral artery disease (8%).
Like all studies, this one has its limitations. Many of the covariates—lifestyle factors that researchers adjust for—were self-reported, which may lead to bias and misreporting. There was also missing information regarding the dosage, frequency and ingredients of the vitamin D supplements, so researchers can’t be sure how much they were taking.
Plus, the data used was drawn from the start of the study, which doesn’t take into account others who may have started supplementing at a later date or those who stopped. Lastly, the *** Biobank is composed mostly of white men and women, so it is unknown if these results apply to other ethnicities.
Related: 5 Supplements to Avoid If You Have High Blood Pressure, According to Experts
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
Researchers recommend that you get your levels tested before supplementing with vitamin D. If your vitamin D levels are below 60 nmol/L, they suggest that you may benefit from supplementation to help reduce the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease.
There is evidence that about 25% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, and 41% have insufficient levels of vitamin D. This means that a whopping two-thirds of Americans may be at an increased risk of heart disease due to a lack of vitamin D. Thankfully, this can be remedied.
Getting outdoors more often to get sun exposure may be the best way to get your vitamin D, because being in nature offers other benefits, too, including improved mood and blood pressure. But since that’s not always possible, make sure you’re including foods that contain vitamin D, like fortified milk (cow’s or plant-based), whole eggs (the vitamin D is in the yolk), trout, salmon, sardines and mushrooms grown with UV light. And yes, this is pretty much an exhaustive list of foods with vitamin D, which is another reason it’s so easy to have insufficient levels of it.
Regarding heart disease prevention, vitamin D is a tiny piece of the puzzle. Other nutrients, like omega-3s, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals also play a role. Then there’s physical activity, managing stress and getting enough quality sleep.
The good news is that these health habits are connected. For example, when you get enough physical activity, you may also help reduce stress and sleep better. And you’ll likely want nutritious foods to fuel your efforts. So don’t let the list stress you out—just take things one step at a time.
Related: 8 Conditions When You Might Need a Vitamin D Supplement, According to Health Experts
The Bottom Line
This study suggests that due to deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D, many people may benefit from supplementing with vitamin D, which in turn may reduce the risk of heart disease. Regularly getting outdoors and including foods that contain vitamin D is a good way to ensure your levels are sufficient. It can also be helpful to work with a registered dietitian, who can help you incorporate these foods into your diet.
It’s interesting to note that this recommendation is contrary to what the Endocrine Society recommends regarding vitamin D. But if you know you don’t spend enough time outdoors, aren’t eating foods with vitamin D, live in a climate with temperatures that don’t allow enough skin exposure to sunlight, or you have any symptoms of vitamin D deficiency—including depression, weak bones and high blood pressure—you may want to get your levels checked. And ultimately, other than the prick of the needle, it can’t hurt to just have the blood test done so you know your levels.
Read the original article on EATINGWELL
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SNK CEO steps down after heavily-marketed Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ seemingly muted launch
SNK CEO steps down after heavily-marketed Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ seemingly muted launch
SNK has announced that its CEO will be stepping down, following the release of its heavily marketed latest fighting game.
The company announced that Kenji Matsubara, who joined as CEO in August 2021, will “transition to an advisory role, where he will continue to lend his expertise and vision”.
“During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Matsubara has been instrumental in driving the company’s growth and innovation,” a statement reads.
“He transformed SNK by expanding its development division and strengthening its sales and marketing functions, building it into a global publisher capable of competing worldwide.
“As part of this transition, the board will appoint the Chairman of the board to assume the interim role of CEO. The board expresses its deepest gratitude to Mr. Matsubara for his dedication and leadership during a transformative ******* in the company’s history.
“SNK Corporation remains committed to its strategic vision and is excited about the future as it enters this new phase of leadership.”
Although it wasn’t officially cited as the reason Matsubara is stepping down, the news comes weeks after the release of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which was promoted with one of the grandest marketing campaigns in recent memory.
While no official sales figures have been shared for City of the Wolves, there is some evidence it may not have performed as well as hoped.
The fighter sold only 6,302 copies in Japan in its first 11 days, according to Famitsu. On Steam, the game has an all-time peak concurrent player number of 4,674 – which is lower than even its recent beta – and in the last 24 hours hit a peak of 1,157.
By comparison, Street Fighter 6 hit a peak concurrent of more than 32,000 players in its last 24 hours, despite being nearly two years old, and Tekken 8‘s recent 24-hour peak was 6,841 (but has an all-time peak of 49,977 when it was released 16 months ago).
While sales figures of the console versions outside of Japan are not yet known, the game didn’t appear in Sony‘s official Top 20 PS5 charts for April in either North America or Europe.
A number of high-profile boxing events were sponsored by the game.
SNK is owned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who acquired 96% of the acclaimed Japanese developer in 2022. Its latest game has been featured in numerous high-profile marketing stunts, most of which have ties to the Crown Prince’s other ventures.
Iconic footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was added to the game as a playable fighter. Ronaldo currently plays for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, 75% of which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is also controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
EDM DJ Salvatore Ganacci is also in the game as a playable fighter. Ganacci has also been involved in numerous Saudi-backed events, and earlier this year performed at a golf event in Riyadh run by LIV Golf, which is also financed by the Public Investment Fund.
The game was also heavily promoted at the two-night WWE WrestleMania event in April, with the logo featured in the centre of the ring mat and Saturday’s show opening with a performance by Ganacci, dressed in his Fatal Fury outfit.
WWE also has strong ties with Saudi Arabia, having announced a 10-year partnership with its Ministry of Sport in 2018, along with a commitment to hold two large-scale events per year in Riyadh and Jeddah until at least 2027.
Other big-budget promotional stunts for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves included numerous high-profile boxing events, each of which was named Fatal Fury and sponsored by the game and The Ring magazine (which was bought by the head of Riyadh Season in November 2024). This included the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Bennn fight last month and a fight in Times Square earlier this month.
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‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’
‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday sidestepped a question about vaccines and whether he would choose to vaccinate his children today against a number of diseases, saying, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
Kennedy’s comment was in response to Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., during a House Appropriations Committee hearing.
Amid an ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas and other parts of the U.S. that’s killed two children and one adult — all unvaccinated — Kennedy has pushed unproven remedies, including a steroid called budesonide, an antibiotic called clarithromycin and cod liver oil, a supplement high in vitamin A.
None are proven treatments for measles, experts say. High doses of vitamin A can cause nausea, vomiting and liver damage, especially in small children.
Kennedy has, on occasion, offered tepid support of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, but frequently undercuts that message with false claims about harms and a lack of long-term protection.
Kennedy told Pocan he would “probably” vaccinate his children against the measles today, but added, “My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”
Pocan then asked Kennedy if he would vaccinate his kids today against chickenpox and polio.
Kennedy refused to answer, saying, “I don’t want to give advice.”
Kennedy’s children are vaccinated — a decision he has previously said he regrets.
Doctors widely consider all three vaccines to be safe and effective.
In her closing remarks, ranking committee member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., criticized his comments about vaccines, emphasizing that both Kennedy and HHS “makes medical decisions every day” and pointed to the two children in the U.S. who died from measles this year.
“You’re the secretary of HHS. You have tremendous power over health policy,” she said. “Really horrifying that you will not encourage families to vaccinate their children, measles, chickenpox, polio. Vaccines are one of the foundations of public health. Vaccines, yes, save lives, and the fact that the secretary of Health and Human Services refuses to encourage children to be vaccinated is a tragedy.”
Public health experts also pushed back on Kennedy’s response.
While Kennedy has no medical training, “the problem is that the top line of his job description is the nation’s chief health strategist,” Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said during a call with reporters Wednesday. “His job is to give people the best advice that he can.”
“I wonder what it would be like if the transportation secretary refused to answer a question about whether he would fly,” said Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health practice at the University of South Florida said on the same call.
The House hearing kicked off what is expected to be a contentious day for Kennedy following budget cuts and mass layoffs at HHS. Kennedy is expected to testify in the afternoon before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
During Wednesday morning’s hearing, Kennedy defended the U.S. response to the measles outbreak, saying said the agency was doing a better job than other countries.
He pointed to higher measles rates per capita in Mexico, Canada and Western Europe.
“Mexico has roughly the same number with a third of our population,” he said.
There have been more than 1,000 measles cases in the U.S. so far this year. Measles was declared eliminated from the country in 2000. The only year since then with more cases was 2019.
Experts say the numbers are likely an undercount because many cases most likely go unreported.
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At least 21 killed in Puebla
At least 21 killed in Puebla
BBC
At least 21 people have been killed in a road accident in central Mexico, according to a local official.
The three-vehicle ****** happened on the highway between Cuacnopalan and Oaxaca in Puebla on Wednesday morning, said Samuel Aguilar Pala, a local government official.
Mr Pala said 18 people died at the scene and another three died later in hospital.
Several others were injured and are receiving medical attention, he wrote on X.
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Midvale fire: Police investigate suspicious fire at manufacturing business on Beaconsfield Avenue
Midvale fire: Police investigate suspicious fire at manufacturing business on Beaconsfield Avenue
Police are probing a suspicious fire at manufacturing business in Perth’s east.
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#Midvale #fire #Police #investigate #suspicious #fire #manufacturing #business #Beaconsfield #Avenue
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‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’
‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday sidestepped a question about vaccines and whether he would choose to vaccinate his children today against a number of diseases, saying, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
Kennedy’s comment was in response to Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., during a House Appropriations Committee hearing.
Amid an ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas and other parts of the U.S. that’s killed two children and one adult — all unvaccinated — Kennedy has pushed unproven remedies, including a steroid called budesonide, an antibiotic called clarithromycin and cod liver oil, a supplement high in vitamin A.
None are proven treatments for measles, experts say. High doses of vitamin A can cause nausea, vomiting and liver damage, especially in small children.
Kennedy has, on occasion, offered tepid support of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, but frequently undercuts that message with false claims about harms and a lack of long-term protection.
Kennedy told Pocan he would “probably” vaccinate his children against the measles today, but added, “My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”
Pocan then asked Kennedy if he would vaccinate his kids today against chickenpox and polio.
Kennedy refused to answer, saying, “I don’t want to give advice.”
Kennedy’s children are vaccinated — a decision he has previously said he regrets.
Doctors widely consider all three vaccines to be safe and effective.
In her closing remarks, ranking committee member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., criticized his comments about vaccines, emphasizing that both Kennedy and HHS “makes medical decisions every day” and pointed to the two children in the U.S. who died from measles this year.
“You’re the secretary of HHS. You have tremendous power over health policy,” she said. “Really horrifying that you will not encourage families to vaccinate their children, measles, chickenpox, polio. Vaccines are one of the foundations of public health. Vaccines, yes, save lives, and the fact that the secretary of Health and Human Services refuses to encourage children to be vaccinated is a tragedy.”
Public health experts also pushed back on Kennedy’s response.
While Kennedy has no medical training, “the problem is that the top line of his job description is the nation’s chief health strategist,” Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said during a call with reporters Wednesday. “His job is to give people the best advice that he can.”
“I wonder what it would be like if the transportation secretary refused to answer a question about whether he would fly,” said Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health practice at the University of South Florida said on the same call.
The House hearing kicked off what is expected to be a contentious day for Kennedy following budget cuts and mass layoffs at HHS. Kennedy is expected to testify in the afternoon before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
During Wednesday morning’s hearing, Kennedy defended the U.S. response to the measles outbreak, saying said the agency was doing a better job than other countries.
He pointed to higher measles rates per capita in Mexico, Canada and Western Europe.
“Mexico has roughly the same number with a third of our population,” he said.
There have been more than 1,000 measles cases in the U.S. so far this year. Measles was declared eliminated from the country in 2000. The only year since then with more cases was 2019.
Experts say the numbers are likely an undercount because many cases most likely go unreported.
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Pelican News
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Putin to skip Ukraine talks, Russian team includes seasoned negotiators
Putin to skip Ukraine talks, Russian team includes seasoned negotiators
(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the composition late on Wednesday of a delegation of experienced negotiators to conduct direct talks with Ukraine to resolve the ongoing war, though the talks will not include the Kremlin leader himself.
Speculation on whether Putin would attend the direct talks has hung over the meeting since he had proposed it himself last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said he would attend the talks if Putin were present.
An order issued by Putin on the Kremlin website said the delegation included two officials who took part in the last set of talks held between the two sides in the first weeks following Russia’s 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.
Those included presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin.
Also named as part of the delegation was Igor Kostyukov, director of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the GRU, Russia’s Foreign Military Intelligence Agency. Kostyukov was identified in the Kremlin announcement as Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin was also named as part of the delegation.
Negotiators held several rounds of talks in 2022 first in Belarus and then in Turkey, but the negotiations eventually broke down.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Chris Reese and Diane Craft)
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Syrians rejoice after Trump pledge to lift crippling sanctions – The Washington Post
Syrians rejoice after Trump pledge to lift crippling sanctions – The Washington Post
Syrians rejoice after Trump pledge to lift crippling sanctions The Washington PostTrump’s meeting with Syria’s new president could mark a turning point for the ******** AP NewsTrump shocks and delights Syrians by lifting sanctions after 45 years. Now what? NBC NewsTrump asks Syria to join Abraham Accords, normalize ties with Israel in return for sanctions relief Fox NewsTrump meets Syrian president, urges him to establish ties with Israel Reuters
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Beginning of the end? Ukraine’s front-line soldiers eye Russia talks with hope
Beginning of the end? Ukraine’s front-line soldiers eye Russia talks with hope
Yogita Limaye
BBC News
Reporting fromEastern UkraineBBC
Some soldiers like Kozak believe too many people have been killed to hand over land to Russia
Big plumes of smoke are visible on a screen that’s providing a live feed from Ukrainian drones hovering over the outskirts of the eastern city of Pokrovsk, one of the most intense front lines in Ukraine.
A few seconds earlier, Ukrainian artillery strikes Russian positions, places where we’d seen Russian soldiers moving about as they try to advance towards a key road going into Pokrovsk.
At least one Russian soldier is injured, possibly dead after the strike.
It’s chilling to watch the live footage. It drives home the bloody consequences of the war that Russia started, in which hundreds of thousands have so far been killed, a “never-ending bloodbath” as US President Donald Trump calls it.
We are in a rural house converted into a command centre for the 155th mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian army. It’s a few miles from front-line artillery positions.
The scale of the devastation that we see on the screens, homes and buildings completely flattened, is far greater than what we saw six months ago.
It is evidence of the fierce battle that has been fought over the past several months to defend Pokrovsk, a crucial transport hub in the Donetsk region.
This week, there’s cautious optimism, even among sceptical soldiers who have witnessed hopes of a ceasefire being dashed over and over again, as diplomatic efforts from the US, Europe, Turkey and others have pushed Russia and Ukraine to direct talks for the first time in three years.
“I think something should happen since Russia was the first one to push for these talks. I mean since 2022, they have refused to go into any contact,” says an officer who wants to be referred to with his call sign “Kozak”.
“I want to believe this would be the beginning of the end of the war.
“But now I see, we have been successful in destroying their rear positions and their supply lines. Russia does not have the same strength and power it had at the beginning. So I think that something will happen.”
Yurii (R) does not believe Russia will stop if Ukraine gives up territory now
Yurii, 37, used to work in a technology company before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “They (Russia and Ukraine) have to start talking. Us soldiers, we wish this war would end. But it’s important to remember that we cannot stop it because we did not start it,” he says.
He looks up at the screen and spots Russian soldiers moving again. He and his colleagues calculate the co-ordinates of their positions and pass them on to their artillery unit.
Watch: BBC’s Yogita Limaye joins Ukrainian soldiers on the front line
We drive from the command centre to the artillery position, on mud tracks running through a wide expanse of open fields. Clumps of mud fly in the air, our car slips and slides, as we move as fast as possible. The speed is a mitigation against strikes from drones, which have sharply increased fatalities for both Russia and Ukraine since they were deployed in large numbers in 2023.
And war technology keeps evolving. Now there’s a new threat – drones equipped with a real fibre optic cable which unrolls as they fly. “We cannot detect them or neutralise them, so there are probably a lot more drones in the area right now than we know,” says Yurii.
As we drive into the artillery position hidden under trees and bushes, soldiers are already loading the gun. It’s a French made self-propelled artillery gun called the “Caesar”. Scores have been deployed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and France has been trying to ramp up production.
France has been sending dozens of Caesar self-propelled artillery guns to Ukraine since 2022
“I’m very impressed by its accuracy, and we can use a large range of ammunition. The most important thing is that bringing it into combat is very fast. It is much more effective than the old Soviet equipment I’ve used,” says Kozak.
Ukrainian soldiers fire four rounds, each one emitting a deafening sound. From around us, we also hear the sound of incoming shells. The battle rages on.
“As you can hear, there is a wave of assaults from the enemy and we need a lot of ammunition to suppress that. We hope our international partners can give us as much ammunition as possible, because if we have to start choosing priority and non-priority targets then the enemy will be successful,” says Kozak.
We ask the soldiers how they feel about suggestions that Ukraine will have to make concessions, that it might have to give up land to secure peace.
“It’s painful to hear that. Even I want to go home to my family. My daughter is eight and I miss her so much. But we need to be strong. I don’t believe that if we give up some territory, they will stop. In a couple of years, they will return and start over,” says Yurii.
“A person who has not come here, who hasn’t felt the consequences of Russian aggression, those armchair commentators say you can give up land and everything will be over. They will never understand how many brothers and friends we have lost. We shouldn’t give up a single metre of our land,” says Kozak.
The impact of three years of war can be seen everywhere across Ukraine
The cost Ukraine has paid to defend its land is visible everywhere, most acutely in the photos of smiling, young soldiers posted by the side of highways, on memorial walls in central city squares, and on rows and rows of freshly dug graves in the country.
Yana Stepanenko lovingly buys her son’s favourite treats – a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a chocolate roll.
Then she drives out to a cemetery in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, and places them neatly by 22-year-old Vladislav’s grave. She and her daughter, 13-year-old Nicole, wipe the grave with wet tissues. Before long, they break down inconsolably into each other’s arms.
Vladislav was a drone operator with the Ukrainian military. He was killed in combat in a Russian strike on 21 February this year.
For Yana, news of direct talks resuming bring no hope.
“It seems to me that this war is eternal. Of course, I hope they will find a solution. Because people are dying here and there (in Russia). But Putin is greedy. His hunger for our land is insatiable,” says Yana.
Yana, whose son was killed earlier this year, says she cannot live in land taken over by Russia
Parts of the Zaporizhzhia region are currently occupied by Russia, the front line less than 40 miles from the city. But Russia has on more than one occasion demanded control of the full regions of Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson as part of any peace deal.
“No way. I want to live in Ukraine, not Russia. We have seen what they do under occupation, what they did in places like Bucha – their cruelty and torture,” says Yana. “Can you imagine, they’ve not even spared this graveyard,” she adds, pointing to a big crater nearby where a bomb exploded some months ago.
Tears rolling down her eyes, she adds.
“I hope my child did not die for nothing. That there will still be a victory and all of Ukraine will become free.”
Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson, Volodymyr Lozhko, Anastasiia Levchenko, Sanjay Ganguly
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4 Takeaways From Cassie’s Second Day of Testimony
4 Takeaways From Cassie’s Second Day of Testimony
Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, testified on Wednesday that Sean Combs ****** her in 2018, was frequently physically abusive to her and others, and blackmailed her by threatening to release explicit videos that would have damaged her career.
She will be cross-examined by the defense on Thursday.
The prosecution contends that Ms. Ventura and another woman were coerced into drug-dazed marathon sex sessions that Mr. Combs called freak-offs. He has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges and said the ******* encounters were consensual.
Here are four takeaways from her second day of testimony:
Long stretches of testimony were about Mr. Combs’s violent outbursts.
The day began with Ms. Ventura describing the 2016 assault that many have seen in the hotel surveillance video broadcast by CNN. But she spent long stretches of testimony detailing several instances of Mr. Combs’s violence, committed against her and others, that made the footage seem mild in comparison.
Prosecutors entered into evidence several photos that showed bruises on her face and body, which she said were sustained in beatings that occurred “too frequently.”
Remaining dispassionate on the witness stand, Ms. Ventura described hiding under a toilet as Mr. Combs kicked her, leaving her in such bad shape that one of his male employees cried after seeing her. When Mr. Combs threw her into a bed frame, she testified, she suffered a gash over her eye that required sutures. Another beating left her bloodied and vomiting, she testified.
Mr. Combs could also be violent to her friends and his romantic rivals, Ms. Ventura testified. She identified a friend known as Bana who, she said, Mr. Combs dangled over her apartment balcony: “I saw him bring her back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her onto the patio furniture.”
Ms. Ventura also testified about Mr. Combs’s reaction when he learned — by looking through her phone during a freak-off — that she had begun dating the rapper Kid Cudi. Mr. Combs, furious, told her that he was going to hurt both of them, and that the rapper’s car would be “blown up.”
Freak-off videos were used as blackmail, Ms. Ventura said.
********* explicit video recordings of the freak-offs that Ms. Ventura said she was forced to participate in were wielded by Mr. Combs to threaten her with blackmail, she testified on Wednesday.
After she dated someone else, Mr. Combs told her, “I’m going to put out two embarrassing videos of you,” Ms. Ventura recalled. She added that she thought he “just wanted to hurt me.”
Another time, after Ms. Ventura tried to avoid sitting next to Mr. Combs on a plane, he pulled up freak-off videos on his laptop that she thought had been deleted, according to her testimony. She says Combs told her that he was going to “embarrass me and release them.”
“I just felt trapped,” she testified.
Ms. Ventura also said she worried that Mr. Combs would put her career in jeopardy by releasing the intimate videos. “I just feared for my career, I feared for my family,” she said. “It’s just embarrassing. And it’s horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone.”
Ms. Ventura received a $20 million settlement from Mr. Combs.
Ms. Ventura acknowledged in her testimony that she had been paid $20 million to settle a civil suit she brought against Mr. Combs in 2023. Prosecutors appeared to draw forth that testimony in an effort to inoculate her from expected efforts to impeach her credibility during cross-examination on Thursday.
The defense has suggested that Ms. Ventura used her accounts of violence by Mr. Combs to extract a payday from him, first by saying she was writing a memoir and then by filing her bombshell lawsuit that asserted he had been abusive. Mr. Combs settled the suit only a day later, but the financial payment was not defined until Wednesday.
Prosecutors also had Ms. Ventura discuss her drug use when she was not with Mr. Combs and the fact that she had hit him at times in their relationship. She said that, despite her best efforts on one occasion, when she punched him while drunk, she never thought she had actually caused an injury.
Testimony touched on the sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.
Ms. Ventura has provided graphic testimony about consistent and repeated instances of physical violence and drug-fueled marathon sex sessions that left her ashamed, depleted and injured, all directed by Mr. Combs. She has said recordings of the freak-offs were “blackmail materials” that he threatened to release to humiliate her.
But the music mogul is not charged with assault, ***** or blackmail. The core charges address sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, which some of Ms. Ventura’s testimony addressed on Wednesday.
One prosecutor, Emily A. Johnson, asked Ms. Ventura where the freak-offs took place and which male escorts were present. She showed Ms. Ventura photos of 13 escorts, with names including Ash, Tommy, Greg and a man known as “Islander.” Ms. Ventura also listed some of the cities where she and Mr. Combs had freak-offs with the men: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Las Vegas, Ibiza.
The direction of the testimony suggested that, under the guidance of Mr. Combs, the escorts and Ms. Ventura had been made to travel for the purpose of ******* encounters in different locations.
Ms. Johnson also asked Ms. Ventura about members of Mr. Combs’s team and employees who knew about and facilitated these activities.
Ms. Ventura testified about a security guard who hosted her at his home after the 2016 hotel hallway assault and, at another point brought her to a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon to repair a gash on her eyebrow after Mr. Combs threw her into a corner of a bed; and an ******* who, with Mr. Combs, was present when she blacked out on the drug GHB in a motel shower in the Hamptons.
Ms. Ventura said that several of Mr. Combs’s employees witnessed him abusing her over the years. She said at least one assistant told her he quit because of the way Mr. Combs had treated her.
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‘Worst day of my life’: Mother’s fight to appeal daughter’s ‘low’ ******* sentence
‘Worst day of my life’: Mother’s fight to appeal daughter’s ‘low’ ******* sentence
The mother of murdered woman Mackenzie Anderson has urged for her daughter’s ********* to be kept behind bars for longer after claiming his sentence was too “low”.
Tyrone Thompson, 25, pleaded guilty to stabbing his former partner Ms Anderson, 21, 78 times in her NSW unit on March 25, 2022.
Her toddler son witnessed the attack.
At the time of the *******, Thompson breached his apprehended violence order (AVO) to find Ms Anderson and had been released on parole for 16 days for previous domestic violence offences against the Newcastle woman.
Camera IconMackenzie Anderson was murdered by her former partner in 2022. Instagram Credit: Supplied
Thompson was sentenced to 22 years and six months in jail for the *******, but with time already served behind bars and a non-parole ******* of 15 years and six months, he could be released before he turns 40.
Ms Anderson’s mother, Tabitha Acret, called for an appeal against the sentence, urging prosecutors to keep him behind bars for longer.
“I think that the worst day of my life was the day that I found out my daughter died, and the second worst day of my life was actually that sentencing day,” she told Today.
She recalled feeling “shocked and overwhelmed” by the judge’s sentence and said she “never expected something so low”.
“My daughter’s son was nearly two years old when this happened. He unfortunately witnessed it and was there, and he won’t even be 18 by the time this non-parole ******* is (over),” Ms Acret said.
Camera IconThe 21-year-old was stabbed nearly 80 times by her former partner, who breached his AVO. Instagram Credit: News Corp Australia
She has now been told the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling SC will appeal the sentence.
Ms Acret said she hoped the appeal would produce a “better outcome with the sentence”.
A NSW ODPP spokesman told NewsWire the “ODPP directed that it would appeal the sentence imposed on Tyrone Thompson”.
“The ODPP anticipates filing the appeal this morning,” they said.
Camera IconThe Newcastle woman’s mother’s plea for an appeal has been answered. Instagram Credit: News Corp Australia
Ms Acret has advocated for more to be done to protect women and girls from domestic violence, demanding heftier sentences to be laid on the offenders.
“I’m hopeful that this is starting a conversation across Australia about domestic violence, about sentencing … because sentencing is one piece of the puzzle, and it’s a small piece of the puzzle,” she said.
“(I think) we need to have some sort of mandatory sentencing that comes with breaches of AVOs to certain levels.”
Domestic violence: Where to get help
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Crypto Options and Market Evolution With GSR CIO
Crypto Options and Market Evolution With GSR CIO
GSR Chief Investment Officer Jon Loflin joins CoinDesk live at Consensus 2025 with insights into the current trends in crypto options. Plus, differences between options markets in digital assets and traditional finance. This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes.
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#Crypto #Options #Market #Evolution #GSR #CIO
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CoreWeave Stock: What to Expect From Earnings – Barron's
CoreWeave Stock: What to Expect From Earnings – Barron's
CoreWeave Stock: What to Expect From Earnings Barron’sNvidia-backed CoreWeave stock jumps on Q1 revenue beat as CEO cites ‘robust’ AI demand Yahoo FinanceCoreWeave beats on revenue, reports more than 400% growth in first earnings after IPO CNBCCoreWeave Q1 Revenue Beats. Stock Reverses Down Amid 2025 Capital Spending, Revenue Outlook. Investor’s Business DailyCoreWeave Reports Strong First Quarter 2025 Results PR Newswire
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Israel issues major evacuation order for Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City
Israel issues major evacuation order for Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City
Israel has issued one of the most sweeping evacuation orders for civilians in Gaza yet seen in this war.
Large swathes of Gaza City, a conurbation already partially destroyed by bombing, have been declared unsafe, the residents taking shelter there told to leave for their own safety ahead of “intense strikes” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Among the buildings highlighted by Israel are the Islamic University, Al-Shifa Hospital and three former schools.
While Israel alleges that the buildings are being used by ****** as “command and control centres”, local authorities and aid agencies say there are thousands of civilians sheltering there.
Evacuating these areas would require time, they say, and there could be huge numbers of casualties.
It’s an ominous sign of Israel’s threat to significantly expand its military campaign in Gaza.
The former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has been one of very few senior Israelis so far to speak out against expanding the military campaign in Gaza.
In an interview with the BBC, Olmert said: “Most Israelis are against what is happening, large numbers of the [army’s] commanders are against expanding the military operation and want to end the war right now.”
Olmert is a frequent and increasingly vocal critic of Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his views reflect growing concern about the impact of the 20-month-long war on the country’s morale, economy and international standing.
Olmert was also outspoken on the humanitarian impact of the war on the residents of Gaza.
“It’s totally intolerable, unacceptable and unforgivable, it needs to be stopped right away,” said the former top official, who has been accused by pro-government outlets of “lobbying for Palestinians”.
He added: “We have to provide all of the humanitarian needs of the population. We can’t allow morally the beginning of famine in Gaza. That has to stop.”
Such opinions are rarely reflected in the Israeli media or in public opinion polls but they’ve been urgently repeated in passionate speeches in recent days by UN organisations, aid agencies and by some of Israel’s allies abroad – French President Emmanuel Macron called Israel’s actions in Gaza “shameful”. Netanyahu accused him of “standing with ******”.
There’s growing evidence of profound suffering across Gaza after a 10-week blockade, during which Israel has prevented the entry of any food, medicines or fuel into the ************ enclave.
A UN-backed assessment has said that Gaza’s population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at “critical risk” of famine and faces “extreme levels of food insecurity”. The World Health Organisation says without enough nutritious food, clean water and access to health care, an entire generation will be permanently affected.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer insisted to the BBC that “Israel is certainly not starving Gaza”.
“I don’t dispute that there is hunger in Gaza, but we believe that it is hunger caused by ******. There is food in Gaza, that’s our information. There is no famine,” he said.
Israel also resumed its aerial bombardment of Gaza on 18 March and its attacks have killed 2,799 since then, according to the territory’s ******-run health ministry, including 80 people on Wednesday.
There are faint hopes that an updated US-sponsored ceasefire proposal could still be accepted by Israel and ******. It reportedly would see the release of some remaining hostages in exchange for an unspecified ******* of calm.
However Netanyahu has said Israel will expand its military offensive in Gaza and that nothing will stop the war. ****** meanwhile has refused to release the remaining hostages unless Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire and withdraws from Gaza.
On Wednesday evening 67 former hostages signed a letter urging Netanyahu to reach a “comprehensive deal” for the return of all captives still being held by ******.
“The majority of Israeli society wants the hostages home – even at the cost of halting military operations,” the letter said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the letter was written to build on the “historic momentum” after ***** Alexander’s release. ****** said it freed the 21-year-old as a goodwill gesture to Donald Trump, who is visiting the region.
The ex-hostages’ letter appealed to Trump not to “let this historic momentum stop”.
A poll for Israel’s Channel 12 at the end of April suggested that 68% of respondents supported signing a hostage deal with ****** even if it meant ending the war, while just 22% supported continued fighting in Gaza.
So far Netanyahu remains unmoved.
“Despite American determination, there is no change in the PM’s position – we will not allow an end to the war,” an official in Mr Netanyahu’s entourage said, according to diplomatic sources.
Israel launched a military campaign to destroy ****** in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 52,928 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the health ministry says.
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Oscar winner out to emulate Senna’s four-in-a-row
Oscar winner out to emulate Senna’s four-in-a-row
Oscar Piastri’s extraordinary 2025 surge from McLaren support act to Formula One’s leading man could take him into rarefied air this weekend at the storied Imola circuit in Italy.
After three successive victories in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami, the next aim for the soaring Victorian is to make it four-in-a-row at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, a run that only 15 of the sport’s greatest drivers, world champions all, have ever achieved or surpassed.
And of that illustrious list, only one – the late, great Ayrton Senna – ever achieved the feat for the McLaren team that the 24-year-old Aussie is currently spearheading.
Senna, the 31st anniversary of whose death at Imola will doubtless be marked there as emotionally as ever this weekend, achieved four straight for McLaren on two occasions, the last in 1991 when he opened the season with wins at the US GP, his home Brazilian GP, then at Imola in the San Marino GP and, finally, at Monaco.
Senna went on to comfortably win the title that year, just as he triumphed in 1988 when he he won the British, *******, Hungarian, and Belgian GPs in succession.
No driver has achieved a quartet of wins on the bounce since world champion Max Verstappen’s nine-straight, which straddled the end of the 2023 season and early last year.
And four in a row has only ever been achieved by one *********** driver – the great Jack Brabham, who achieved the feat in 1966 but who’d actually gone one better than that when winning his second world title in 1960, taking victory in five successive races.
THE DRIVERS WHO’VE WON FOUR OR MORE F1 GRANDS PRIX IN A ROW:
* Max Verstappen – 10 in a row (2023) – (Also runs of 9 and 5)
* Sebastian Vettel – 9 (2013) – (also two runs of 4)
* Alberto Ascari – 7 (1952-53)
* Michael Schumacher – 7 (2004) – (also runs of 6, 5 and two 4s)
* Nico Rosberg – 7 (2015-16)
* Jack Brabham – 5 (1960) – (Also run of 4)
* Lewis Hamilton – 5 (2014 and in 2020) – (Also five runs of 4)
* Jim Clark – 5 (1965) – (Also one run of 4)
* Nigel Mansell – 5 (1992)
* Jochen Rindt – 4 (1970)
* Ayrton Senna – 4 (1988 and 1991)
* Alain Prost – 4 (1993)
* Damon Hill – 4 (1995-96)
* Fernando Alonso – 4 (2006)
* Jenson Button – 4 (2009)
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Former Guardsman arrested for alleged mass shooting plot at Army site
Former Guardsman arrested for alleged mass shooting plot at Army site
DETROIT — A 19-year-old man was arrested after spending months planning an attack against a U.S. Army site in suburban Detroit on behalf of the Islamic State group, authorities said Wednesday.
Ammar Said was planning to have another person commit a mass shooting at the Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command in Warren, but he didn’t know that two supposed allies were undercover FBI employees keeping track of every step, the government said.
Investigators recorded audio and video images of their meetings with Said, including handwritten diagrams of the site, which is known as TACOM and the Detroit Arsenal.
Said, a recent member of the Michigan Army National Guard, was arrested Tuesday shortly after launching a drone for a final look before an attack, the FBI said in a court filing.
“Helping ISIS or any other terrorist organization prepare or carry out acts of violence is not only a reprehensible crime — it is a threat to our entire nation and way of life,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
The FBI said Said planned to send one of the undercover agents into TACOM with Molotov cocktails and assault-style weapons.
The other undercover operative told Said that he would “be on the first plane to Syria” after an attack.
“That makes two of us,” Said responded, according to the FBI.
Said, a Detroit-area resident, appeared in court Wednesday on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. He agreed to remain in custody without bond.
Senad Ramovic, a lawyer who represented Said during the brief appearance, declined to comment.
TACOM employs thousands of people and manages the Army’s ground equipment supply chain. It says it is the only active duty Army installation in Michigan.
Said was under investigation about a year ago when he told an undercover FBI employee about a “longstanding desire to engage in violent ******,” or war, either overseas or in the U.S., the FBI said.
Authorities last July performed a secret search of his phone, which he had turned over to National Guard personnel before boarding a military aircraft. The FBI said it found references to ****** and images of Islamic State flags.
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Amazon lays off about 100 employees in devices and services unit
Amazon lays off about 100 employees in devices and services unit
An Amazon device is displayed at an Amazon Devices launch event in New York City, U.S., Feb. 26, 2025.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Amazon is laying off roughly 100 employees in its devices and services division, the company confirmed on Wednesday.
The devices and services unit includes a wide range of businesses, such as the Alexa voice assistant, Echo hardware, Ring video doorbells and Zoox robotaxis.
“As part of our ongoing work to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently, and to better align with our product roadmap, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles,” Amazon spokesperson Kristy Schmidt said in a statement. “We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we’re committed to supporting affected employees through their transitions.”
The company declined to say which units within the organization were impacted by the cuts, which were earlier reported by Reuters. Amazon said it continues to hire within the devices and services division.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been on a mission to trim costs across the company, laying off 27,000 employees since the beginning of 2022. Job reductions have continued this year, though at a smaller scale than in preceding years. The devices and services organization experienced layoffs in 2022 and 2023.
Last year, as part of its return-to-office push, Amazon moved to simplify its corporate structure by having fewer managers in order to “remove layers and flatten organizations.” Jassy set a goal to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by the end of the first quarter of this year.
Other major technology companies have also continued to trim their workforces. Microsoft on Tuesday said it would lay off roughly 6,000 employees, as it looks to reduce layers of management.
WATCH: Amazon Prime Video’s Mike Hopkins on streaming wars
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Thanedar opts against forcing impeachment vote amid backlash – Politico
Thanedar opts against forcing impeachment vote amid backlash – Politico
Thanedar opts against forcing impeachment vote amid backlash PoliticoTop House Dems say they’ll join GOP to quash Trump impeachment effort Fox NewsHouse Democrat launches impeachment proceedings against Trump The IndependentLone Democrat’s Trump impeachment push blindsides party CNNScoop: Trump impeachment criticized as “idiotic” in House Democratic meeting Axios
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes pausing immigrant health care coverage expansion
California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes pausing immigrant health care coverage expansion
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a pause to the enrollment of more low-income immigrants without legal status for state-funded health care benefits in 2026 as the state faces economic uncertainty.
Newsom outlined his nearly $332 billion state spending plan on Wednesday, revealing that California is facing a $12 billion budget deficit.
“California is under assault,” Newsom said. “We have a president that’s been reckless in terms of assaulting those growth engines.”
The Democratic governor noted that the freeze does not mean California is backing away from its support for immigrants.
“No state has done more than the state of California, no state will continue to do more than the state of California by a long shot. And that’s a point of pride,” Newsom said.
The decision, the details for which were revealed before Wednesday’s budget revision presentation, is driven by a higher-than-expected price tag on the program and economic uncertainty from federal tariff policies, Newsom said. It also comes as Newsom faces his final years in the governor’s office, with speculation continuing to mount about his future political prospects.
California’s push to offer free health care benefits to all low-income adults, regardless of their immigration status, was announced in late 2023. Newsom touted the planned expansion as “a transformative step towards strengthening the health care system for all Californians.”
However, the cost has exceeded the state’s initial $6.4 billion estimate by more than $2 billion.
Still, as late as March of this year, Newsom suggested to reporters he was not considering rolling back health benefits for low-income people living in the country illegally — even with California grappling with a $6.2 billion Medicaid shortfall. He also repeatedly defended the expansion, saying it saves the state money in the long run. The program is state-funded and does not use federal dollars.
Under Newsom’s plan, low-income adults without legal status will no longer be eligible to apply for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, starting in 2026. Those who are already enrolled won’t be kicked off their plans because of the enrollment freeze, and the changes won’t impact children. Newsom’s office didn’t say how long the freeze would last.
Starting in 2027, adults with “unsatisfactory immigration status” on Medi-Cal, including those without legal status and those who have legal status but aren’t eligible for federally funded Medicaid, will also have to pay a $100 monthly premium. The governor’s office said that is in line with the average cost paid by those who are on subsidized heath plans through California’s own marketplace. There’s no premium for most people currently on Medi-Cal.
“We believe that people should have some skin in the game as it relates to contributions,” Newsom said.
In total, Newsom’s office estimated the changes will save the state $5.4 billion by 2028-2029.
The Medi-Cal expansion, combined with other factors such as rising pharmacy costs and larger enrollment by older people, has forced California to borrow and authorize new funding to plug the multibillion-dollar hole earlier this year. California provides free health care to more than a third of its 39 million people.
The proposals come ahead of Newsom’s scheduled presentation on the updated budget. Recovery from the Los Angeles wildfires, changing federal tariff policies, and the expensive health care expansion are putting a strain on California’s massive state budget. Lawmakers are expecting a multibillion-dollar shortfall this year, and more deficits are projected for several years ahead.
Newsom blamed President Donald Trump’s tariff policies for the shortfalls, estimating that the polices have cost the state $16 billion in tax revenues. California is also bracing for major budget hits if Republicans in Congress follow through with a plan to slash billions of dollars in Medicaid and penalize states for providing health care to immigrants without legal status.
Newsom now opens budget negotiations with lawmakers and it’s unclear how Democrats who control the Legislature will react to his plan to freeze new Medi-Cal enrollment for some immigrants. A final budget proposal must be signed by June. California’s budget is by far the largest among states.
“This is going to be a very challenging budget,” Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who chairs the budget committee, said before Newsom’s proposals were announced. “We’re going to have to make some tough decisions.”
The budget proposals presented this week will build on some of the impacts of federal policies, but many unknowns remain.
The governor already said he’s planning to scale back on baseline spending this year. Analysts and economists also warn that California will face ******* deficits in the tens of billions of dollars in the coming years due to economic sluggishness and stock market volatility brought on by the tariff war.
The budget Newsom first proposed in January included little new spending. But it allows the state to fully implement the country’s first universal transitional kindergarten program and increase the state’s film and TV tax credit to $750 million annually to bring back Hollywood jobs that have gone to New York and Georgia. He recently called on Trump to pass a $7.5 billion film tax credit at the federal level.
Last year, Newsom and the Legislature agreed to dip into the state’s rainy day fund, slash spending — including a nearly 10% cut for nearly all state departments — and temporarily raise taxes on some businesses to close an estimated $46.8 billion budget deficit.
More from CBS News
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