BEIJING (Reuters) -China tightened its rare earth export controls on Thursday, expanding restrictions on processing technology, unauthorised overseas cooperation and spelling out its intention to limit exports to overseas defence and semiconductor users.
Exports of technology used to mine and process rare earths or make the associated magnets is barred without permission, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. Many of these technologies are already restricted and it was not immediately clear what the new rules will add.
China added several rare earths and related material to its export control list in April, however Thursday’s announcement explicitly said licenses are unlikely to be granted for defence companies as well as certain users in the semiconductor sector.
Over the course of the five days after the controversy broke, major CBS, ABC, and PBS broadcast shows refused to discuss Democrat Jay Jones’ violent text messages in which he fantasized about assassinating a political opponent, a new analysis revealed.
NBC alone dedicated a mere 63 seconds to the Virginia attorney general candidates’ texts, Media Research Center’s study of major NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS segments revealed. The analysis included the shows ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, CBS Saturday Morning, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Today, NBC Sunday Today, ABC’s This Week, NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation, and PBS’s NewsHour. MRC analyzed the programs from Friday, the day the National Review broke the story about Jones’ messages, through Tuesday morning.
National Review revealed messages Jones sent to a former colleague in 2022 in which he said, “Put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” The hypothetical Jones proposed put Gilbert on par with Hitler and Pol Pot.
The announcement came after last-ditch talks by outgoing premier Sebastien Lecornu failed to find a solution to crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron will name a new prime minister within the next 48 hours, his office has said, in the latest effort to chart a path out of the worst political crisis of his presidency.
The announcement on Wednesday followed two days of last-ditch talks with party leaders by outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu in a bid to break the country’s political deadlock, after his cabinet lineup, unveiled on Sunday, was rejected by allies and rivals alike.
The Elysee presidential office said in a statement that Lecornu’s discussions with various parties had concluded that a majority of lawmakers were not in favour of parliament being dissolved for early elections, and that there was “a platform for stability” that could make it possible for a budget to be passed by the year’s end.
“On this basis, the President of the Republic will appoint a Prime Minister within the next 48 hours,” said the statement.
A friend of a British couple who ended their lives at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland has shared her concerns that the husband coerced his wife into ending her life, according to media reports.
Ruth Posner, 96, and husband Michael, 97, neither of whom were terminally ill, told friends and family in an email message of their intention to end their lives at Swiss assisted suicide clinic, Pegasos, saying, “There came a point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve”.
The couple added, “The decision was mutual and without any outside pressure”.
However, a friend of the couple, Julia Pascal, has questioned this statement, sharing her belief that Ruth was coerced by her husband, Michael, into ending her life.
Pascal, who had known the couple since 1990, described Ruth as being “totally under [Michael’s] control”, saying “Ruth was disempowered”.
“He was very dominant. I spoke to them and sent emails, saying ‘please don’t kill yourselves’. I tried to talk Ruth out of it, but I felt it was too far gone, that she was totally under his control”.
Pascal added, “Ruth sent the email, but I believe Michael would have dictated it to her”.
CNN’s Harry Enten Says Majority Of Americans Believe Trump Is Delivering On Promises– dailycaller.com Source Link Excerpt:
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten found on Tuesday that the majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump is delivering on his campaign promises.
A majority of voters, 52%, believe that Trump is fulfilling what he promised throughout his 2024 campaign, prompting him to currently have a 43% approval rating, Enten said while citing his aggregate data. The voters expected Trump to secure the border, bring down inflation and address crime, which have caused his favorability rating to remain steady.
“Donald Trump is who the voters thought he was,” Enten said. “What are we talking about here, well, ‘Is Trump doing what he promised?’ in the 2024 campaign? Yes! 52%, a majority of Americans say that Donald Trump is doing what he promised, compared to 48% who said no. So what essentially is going on here is the voters expected all of this from Donald Trump. The majority did, and that’s why his favorability ratings simply has not really moved all that much compared to where it was a year ago.”
“Trump is basically doing what the American people thought that he was going to do and indeed, if you look at the numbers, Trump has basically the same, steadiest favorable rating this much through a presidency of any president on record and it’s basically where he was a year ago. Good enough to get him reelected,” Enten continued.
Pentagon Revises Controversial Press Rules After Backlash, But Keeps Tough Conditions In Place: Report – Benzinga Source Link Excerpt:
The Pentagon announced on Monday that it has made changes to the new rules for journalists seeking access to the department. Under the new guidelines, journalists will no longer need departmental approval before publishing articles containing non-official information, reported The New York Times.
The revised draft states that journalists are not obligated to submit their work for approval before publication. However, it specifies situations in which journalists might be considered “security risks” and have their credentials revoked.
News outlets seeking Pentagon access will have one week to review and decide whether to sign the new policy. Those who decline may lose their press credentials. Signing indicates acknowledgment of the outlined policies and procedures.
In September, the Pentagon announced new rules requiring reporters covering the War Department to use only officially approved information or risk losing their press credentials.
Feds Investigating Democrats After 250 Blank Ballots Are Found In Amazon Package– trendingpoliticsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
State and federal authorities in Maine are investigating a jaw-dropping case of 250 blank ballots that were delivered to a voter in an Amazon box.
The inexplicable oversight is casting a pall over the office of Shenna Bellows, the Democratic secretary of state who last year attempted to keep President Donald Trump off Maine’s presidential ballot. Authorities were made aware after the ballots were reported missing by the town of Ellsworth, and a resident later called to report that her unanticipated Amazon delivery contained them.
The box appeared to have been opened and retaped when it arrived, the woman told investigators.
“Safe and secure elections are my top priority. As soon as we became aware of allegations of ballots being received outside of the appropriate chain of custody, I immediately initiated an investigation through my Secretary of State’s law enforcement division. Law enforcement is working diligently to determine who is responsible, and they will be held accountable. We will not stop until we have answers,” Bellows said in a statement to ABC News.
“This year, it seems that there may have been attempts to interrupt the distribution of ballots and ballot materials,” Bellows said later at a press conference.
“I have full confidence that law enforcement will determine who is responsible, and any bad actor will be held accountable,” she added.
Babis’ win in Czechia is a huge victory for European conservatives– rmx.news Source Link Excerpt:
After four long years in the political wilderness, Andrej Babiš returns to presumably lead the Czech Republic after his blowout victory. In neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orbán was jubilant, celebrating the victory of his ally, while in Slovakia, Robert Fico also toasted to Babis’ huge win.
Orbán and Fico are grizzled veterans of the political wars within their own countries, and now Babis is being welcomed back into the fold. One cannot help but think back to the famous “Hangover” scene.
Orbán, long in the driver’s seat in Hungary, with a tired Fico smiling warily from the backseat, still recovering from an assassination attempt that nearly killed him last year, and Babis fist-pumping from the passenger seat. At least that is one way to imagine Babis’ comeback victory.
Hungarian media is also doing the victory rounds, with Magyar Nemzet writing that Babis’ “return will further strengthen the influence of patriotic leaders in the European Union.” The paper further wrote that “his result could create another opportunity to increase the influence of the V4 and Patriots in Europe.”
Chicago police ordered to stand down as ICE agents were surrounded by agitators | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com Source Link Excerpt:
“They were saying that they were being surrounded by that large crowd and they were requesting the police and we’re not sending?”
Chicago police officers were ordered to withdraw from the scene of a violent confrontation involving federal agents on Saturday, after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in the city turned chaotic.
According to CWB Chicago, the incident began around 10:30 am when a woman called 911, reporting that an ICE agent had shot her in the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue. Chicago officers initially responded, but federal agents on scene said the woman was armed and part of a caravan attempting to obstruct ICE operations.
The woman, identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as 32-year-old Marimar Martinez, suffered gunshot wounds to her legs, arm, and chest and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital. DHS said Martinez “was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and has a history of doxxing federal agents.” The agency added that she “took defensive fire from CBP agents” and has since been released from the hospital and taken into FBI custody.
It Speaks Volumes Democrats Are Sticking With Jay Jones– www.dailysignal.com Source Link Excerpt:
Less than a month after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Virginia Democrats are carrying water for a candidate who wished death on his political opponent, hoped his opponent’s wife would watch as her children died, and said he would urinate on his opponent’s grave.
Jay Jones, the Democrat nominee for attorney general in the Old Dominion, has not denied the report of these horrifying comments, though he said he regrets them and has apologized to Todd Gilbert, the Republican former speaker of the House of Delegates about whom he made the remarks.
While Virginia Democrats have condemned the remarks, they have not called for Jones to drop out of the race to become the Old Dominion’s top law enforcement officer, leaving it to Republicans to say that such remarks are disqualifying, especially for an attorney general candidate and especially now as political violence has ramped up on the Left.
As National Review’s Audrey Fahlberg first reported, Jones texted the death wish to Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner on Aug. 8, 2022, after Republicans had eulogized Joe Johnson Jr., a moderate Democrat. Gilbert had honored Johnson’s memory, though he had disagreed with Johnson on many issues.
Ecuador’s crisis deepens: Fuel protests, emergency powers, and a nation on edge – News.AZ Source Link Excerpt:
Ecuador is once again standing on a knife’s edge. What began as protests over diesel fuel prices has rapidly evolved into a nationwide political showdown between a determined president, Daniel Noboa, and a mobilized Indigenous movement with a long history of toppling governments. Over the past three days, Quito’s streets have become arenas for rival rallies, rural provinces have erupted in clashes, and emergency powers have been invoked across 10 provinces. The fault lines cutting through Ecuador are no longer just economic—they are political, geographic, and cultural.
The government’s decision to remove a long-standing diesel subsidy was the spark. Officials described it as a “fiscal necessity,” a reform designed to stabilize public finances. For many Ecuadorians, however, especially Indigenous communities, farmers, and transport workers, it was a blunt economic shock. Diesel prices surged from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon, driving up food and transportation costs in a country where subsidies cushion millions from poverty. What might have looked like sound macroeconomic policy from Quito’s ministries landed like an earthquake in rural Ecuador.
Venezuela vows to defend itself after US military destroys another ‘drug-smuggling’ boat – Morning Star | The People’s Daily Source Link Excerpt:
VENEZUELA is ready to defend itself against “warlike aggression” by the United States, the country’s leaders vowed at the weekend after the US military destroyed a fourth alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean….
Mr Trump claimed on social media that the boat had been “loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE” and implied that it was “entering American Territory” while off the coast of Venezuela.
President Nicolas Maduro told the Caracas conference that his country was ready to defend itself.
“Venezuela has the right to peace, to sovereignty, to existence, and no empire in this world can take it away,” he said.
“And if it is necessary to move from an unarmed struggle to an armed struggle, this people will do so … Colonialism no more.”
Neighbouring Colombia’s left-wing President Gustavo Petro accused the US of committing “murder” and urged the victims’ families to “join forces.”
Posting on X, he said: “There are no narco-terrorists on the boats. Drug traffickers live in the US, Europe and Dubai. On that boat are poor Caribbean youth.”
Climate change threatens Europe’s resources, European Union warns – India Today Source Link Excerpt:
The European Environment Agency said biodiversity in Europe is declining due to unsustainable production and consumption, especially in the food system.
Due to over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and invasive alien species, more than 80 per cent of protected habitats are in a poor or bad state, it said,
“The degradation of our natural world jeopardises the European way of life,” the agency said in its report: “Europe’s environment 2025”.
“Europe is critically dependent on natural resources for economic security, to which climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat.”
But governments are grappling with other priorities including industrial competitiveness, and negotiations on EU climate targets have stoked divisions between richer and poorer countries.
Portland Police Let Antifa Militants Go While Arresting Journalists– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
Arresting victims of Antifa and journalists who report on Antifa’s behavior seems to be a pattern for the Portland Police, according to reporting by Fox News’s Bill Melugin.
Independent journalist Nick Sortor says Portland Police arrested him Thursday night on a charge of “disorderly conduct” after Antifa militants surrounded and attacked him for taking unflattering videos of them. Antifa is a leftist domestic terrorist group that amped up its activities in the United States with the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots.
BREAKING: Just spoke on the phone with @nicksortor after he was released from custody. He tells me he’s been charged with disorderly conduct. I asked what happened?
He says he was getting video of protesters getting maced by federal agents, which was embarrassing video for them…
AG Bondi Appeals the Kavanaugh Assassination Sentence but That Is the Tip of the Judicial Iceberg – RedState– redstate.com Source Link Excerpt:
Friday, Federal District Judge Deborah Boardman, a Joe Biden appointee, sentenced the man who attempted to assassinate Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to eight years in prison. During a meandering two-hour soliloquy, Boardman tried to justify a sentence that represented a stunning downward departure of 22 years from the sentence recommended by sentencing guidelines and the prosecutors. My colleague Bonchie has the whole story of those sordid proceedings in Outrage: Biden Judge Gives Kavanaugh Assassin Shocking Sentence, Praises Attacker’s ‘Transgenderism’ – RedState.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the Department of Justice will appeal the ridiculously lenient sentence.
The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual. @TheJusticeDept will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) October 3, 2025
Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick: Epstein Was Blackmailing Powerful People– slaynews.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has asserted that Jeffrey Epstein was part of a blackmail conspiracy.
The comments from Lutnick contradict the findings of FBI Director Kash Patel and other top officials.
During an appearance on the New York Post podcast “Pod Force One,” Lutnick, who was Epstein’s neighbor, recalled a disturbing tour of the pedophiles’ infamous “House of Horror” mansion in NYC.
Lutnick said he quickly realized Epstein was bad news and vowed never to return after the financier showed him a massage room.
• Under the plans, a digital ID will be mandatory for proving the right to work, but people will not be required to carry it with them or present it on demand.
Hegseth Uses Extraordinary Meeting to Fat-Shame Generals – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com Source Link Excerpt:
More than 800 members of the US military’s top brass, including hundreds of generals and admirals, gathered for an extraordinary meeting in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday, where they were greeted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order to return to “the highest male standard” in military fitness tests and training exercises.
In the same breath, Hegseth disparaged women serving in the military, claiming they were physically incapable of meeting the same physical standards.
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men,” Hegseth said as the crowd remained virtually silent throughout the meeting. The former Fox weekend host included references to “woke garbage” and fat-shaming—”It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals”—before all but announcing an end to formal processes that allow military personnel to register complaints of abuse.
“We are overhauling an inspector general process that has been weaponized, putting complainers and poor performers in the driver’s seat,” he said. “We are doing the same with the equal opportunity policies. No more frivolous complaints, no more anonymous complaints.”
A similar silence greeted President Donald Trump as he aired a characteristically discursive speech that at turns featured self-praise for his decision to send the National Guard to Portland, Orgeon, suggesting that such cities be used as “training grounds” for the military, misguided claims that he ended eight world wars, love for his own signature, and comparisons of “nuclear” power to the “n-word.”
Gaza peace plan agreed to by Trump, Netanyahu– www.chicagotribune.com Source Link Excerpt:
CAIRO — After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, the question now is whether Hamas will agree.
Hamas faces a bitter tradeoff — the proposal demands that the group effectively surrender in return for uncertain gains. But if it rejects the deal, the U.S. could give Israel an even freer hand to continue its punishing campaign in the already devastated territory.
Under the proposal, the group would have to disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by its population.
But the proposal has only a vague promise that some day, perhaps, Palestinian statehood might be possible. For the foreseeable future, Gaza and its more than 2 million Palestinians would be put under international control. An international security force would move in, and a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction. The territory would remain surrounded by Israeli troops.
Trump and Netanyahu said they agreed on the plan Monday after talks at the White House.
The proposal includes one provision that Netanyahu and his hard-line government most strongly oppose: It says the Palestinian Authority will eventually govern Gaza. But Netanyahu is likely betting that will never come to pass. Israel also rejects any Palestinian state.
The White House issued the text on Monday of its 20-point proposal. Here is what to know.
The ceasefire
The plan calls for all hostilities to immediately end. Within 72 hours, Hamas would release all hostages it still holds, living or dead. The fighters still hold 48 hostages — 20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive.
In return, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons as well as 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel would also hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.
Troop withdrawal
The plan calls for an Israeli troop withdrawal. But it would only take place after Hamas disarms and as the international security force deploys to fill in areas that Israeli forces leave.
Israel would also maintain a “security perimeter presence” – a vague phrasing that could mean it would keep a buffer zone inside Gaza.
Those terms could bring pushback from Hamas, which has said it will not release all its hostages unless it receives a “clear declaration” the war will end and Israel will leave Gaza completely.
The fate of Hamas and postwar Gaza
Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure — including tunnels — would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza would be allowed to.
The international security force would ensure Hamas’ disarmament and keep order. It would also train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Mediator Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid would be allowed to flow into Gaza in large amounts and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the U.N. and the Red Crescent. It is unclear whether the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial alternative food distribution system backed by Israel and the U.S., would continue to operate.
The plan also specifies that Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza, and that there will be an international effort to rebuild the territory for Palestinians.
In normal cases, that might not need spelling out. But Palestinians have feared mass expulsion after both Trump and the Israeli government spoke of pushing out Gaza’s population — ostensibly in a “voluntary” manner — and rebuilding the strip as a sort of international real estate venture.
The interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs in Gaza. But it would be overseen by the “Board of Peace.” The board would also supervise funding of reconstruction, a role that could give it enormous power over governing Gaza since that is the biggest task facing the territory, almost completely destroyed by Israel’s campaign.
The Palestinian Authority and statehood
During this interim administration, the Palestinian Authority would undergo reforms so it can eventually take over governing Gaza.
The plan has only a slight nod to the issue of statehood. It says that if the Palestinian Authority reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The response so far
Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief shared the 20-point plan Monday evening with Hamas negotiators. The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response.
Hamas has so far rejected disarmament, saying it has a right to resist until Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands ends.
Arab countries appear to back the outline. The governments of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement applauding Trump’s proposal.
Netanyahu could face resistance from within his own ultra-nationalist coalition allies.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is part of Netanyahu’s security Cabinet, published a list of his “red lines” on X on Monday. Top among them, he wrote, any deal must not allow involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza or allow a Palestinian state. Smotrich is one of the more vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition who have previously threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu halts the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu may see a loophole. The proposal makes PA involvement in Gaza conditional on it completing internal reforms, which it pledged to do, saying it welcomed Trump’s plan to end the war.
But in his comments alongside Trump on Monday, Netanyahu expressed his belief it will never successfully do so.
Trump Officially Declares Antifa Terrorists by Executive Order– legalinsurrection.com Source Link Excerpt:
After claiming last week that Antifa was a dangerous threat, President Donald Trump has officially declared Antifa a domestic terrorist organization, signing an executive order that lays out in detail the anarchist group’s violent campaign against law enforcement, political opponents, and even ordinary Americans.
The White House’s rapid response announced the move on social media:
🚨 NEW: President Donald J. Trump just signed an order officially designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Here is the text of the order:
Section 1. Antifa as a Terrorist Threat. Antifa is amilitarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the…
“NEW: President Donald J. Trump just signed an order officially designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Section 1. Antifa as a Terrorist Threat. Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law. … This organized effort designed to achieve policy objectives by coercion and intimidation is domestic terrorism.
Sec. 2. Designation as a Domestic Terrorist Organization. … I hereby designate Antifa as a ‘domestic terrorist organization.’”
“Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law. It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide… Antifa recruits, trains, and radicalizes young Americans to engage in this violence and suppression of political activity… This organized effort designed to achieve policy objectives by coercion and intimidation is domestic terrorism.”
The administration also released a detailed list of Antifa’s recent history of violence:
“In July 2025, members of an Antifa cell ambushed officers at an ICE facility in Texas… In February 2024, a transgender Antifa terrorist detonated an explosive device outside the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall… In 2020, Antifa terrorists designated a substantial portion of the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle as a so-called ‘autonomous zone,’ leading to multiple deaths and injuries… In 2017, an anti-Trump socialist opened fire on Members of Congress playing baseball, wounding Rep. Steve Scalise and four others.”
In what would be another blow to the DNC’s narrative control machine, President Trump has endorsed the plan to reactive the Smith-Mundt act, an act that prevented the U.S. government from creating or paying for propaganda aimed at U.S. citizens. The act was rescinded in Section 1078 of the National Defense Authorization Act in 2013 under President Obama. The act will be called the Charlie Kirk Act.
Smith-Mundt Act To Be Restored, Domestic Propaganda Halted Under ‘Charlie Kirk Act’ › American Greatness– amgreatness.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump has endorsed a proposed reinstatement of the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, that prohibits the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) from targeting Americans with taxpayer-funded propaganda.
The president has signaled his support for a proposal from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) for the “Charlie Kirk Act” which would reinstate the the Cold War-era prohibition that was repealed in 2013 under former president Barack Obama.
Section 1078 of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act lifted a ban on the use of propaganda against the American people dating back to the late 1940s.
Investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger has reported on how the CIA and other intelligence organizations have historically infiltrated the news media via USAGM, placing stories that advanced U.S State Department policies.
‼️LISTEN‼️ Michael @Shellenberger does the Smith Mundt Act in 2 minutes.
Massachusetts Blocks Christian Foster Parents Over Gender Ideology– www.standingforfreedom.com Source Link Excerpt:
Two Massachusetts families are taking the state to federal court, arguing that their foster care licenses were threatened or revoked because they would not commit to affirming a child’s gender identity in ways that contradict their Christian beliefs.
Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the lawsuit against Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Linda Spears and other state officials on behalf of Nick and Audrey Jones and Greg and Marianelly Schrock.
Nick and Audrey Jones, licensed foster parents since 2023, have cared for seven children under the age of six. Their current household includes a 17-month-old girl they’ve cared for since infancy.
According to the filings in Jones v. Mahaniah, state officials recently informed the couple that their license will be revoked solely because of their religious views on gender identity and that their foster daughter could be removed from their care.
Attorneys argue that the state is unlawfully prioritizing ideology over children’s welfare at a time when the foster system faces critical shortages.
Moreover, they cite the statistic that more than 1,400 children are currently waiting for placement in Massachusetts.
ABC10 Shooting: Man accused of firing gunshots at ABC station in Sacramento could face federal charges, FBI says – ABC7 Los Angeles Source Link Excerpt:
The man arrested for allegedly firing gunshots at the ABC station in Sacramento is expected to appear in federal court Monday.
Police say a 64-year-old man was arrested at his Sacramento home early Saturday morning.
He was released after posting bail. However, hours later, he was arrested by the FBI for allegedly violating a federal statute which has to do with interference to radio communications of stations, which are federally licensed.
The suspect’s neighbors were surprised by the arrest.
“He was a nice guy. But then after hearing all this, we were we’re just like, ‘What? What happened?'” said neighbor Emily Alves.
At least three bullets hit the lobby window of the news station Friday afternoon. People were inside the building, but nobody was hurt.
Netanyahu Says ‘No Palestinian State’ After Three Countries Announce Formal Recognition – Haaretz Source Link Excerpt:
As far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the recognition of a Palestinian state by the U.K., Canada and Australia requires ‘immediate application of sovereignty over the West Bank,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move is a ‘huge reward to terrorism’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that no Palestinian state will be established and vowed to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, following a formal recognition of a Palestinian state by the U.K., Canada and Australia on Sunday.
Trump says US would defend NATO’s eastern flank if Russia escalates – RBC-Ukraine Source Link Excerpt:
The US will help defend Poland if Russia keeps escalating, Trump told the media.
Journalists asked Trump whether the US would defend Poland and the Baltic states — Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — if Russian leader Vladimir Putin continues to escalate.
“Yeah, I would. I would,” Trump said.
Commenting on a recent incident in which Russian fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace, Trump reiterated, “We don’t like it.”
DOJ impeachments could continue Democratic retaliation against Ilhan Omar censure push – Politico– news.google.com Source Link
A Texas Democrat is planning to file impeachment articles against President Donald Trump’s top law enforcement officials as a partisan slap flight plays out on the House floor this week.
Dueling censure resolutions are currently awaiting floor votes that could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for comments made after the killing last week of activist Charlie Kirk. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) immediately countered with a measure targeting Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) who is subject to an ethics investigation and a restraining-order proceeding.
Intel surges 24% as Nvidia to invest $5 billion in chipmaker– www.cnbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
Nvidia said it will invest $5 billion in Intel as part of a deal to co-develop data center and PC chips with the troubled chipmaker, which took on the U.S. government as an investor last month.
Nvidia is investing its stake at a price of $23.28 a share, a release from the company said. Intel shares jumped 24% to around $31 a share following news of the deal.
“This historic collaboration tightly couples NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing stack with Intel’s CPUs and the vast x86 ecosystem — a fusion of two world-class platforms. Together, we will expand our ecosystems and lay the foundation for the next era of computing,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in a release.
Nvidia now joins Softbank and the U.S. government in supporting Intel’s turnaround.
Intel shares, which hit their lowest in more than a decade earlier this year, rebounded after finding renewed support from the Trump administration, striking a deal for the U.S. government to invest 10% in the chipmaker in August.
Softbank also made a $2 billion investment with Intel in August.
Sending Government-Mandated Messages to Minors on Social Media Platforms: Colorado’s Unconstitutional Experiment | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org Source Link Excerpt:
“Attention youth: We interrupt your social media experience to bring you this government-compelled, state-sanctioned message to help you ‘understand the impact of social media on the developing brain and the mental and physical health of youth users.’ This messagewill be repeated.’”
That sounds like a far-fetched way to educate minors about alleged and vehemently contested problems with using social media, but something similar might soon become reality in Colorado unless a judge issues an injunction in NetChoice v. Weiser. Compelling private entities to host disputed messages they disagree with––NetChoice calls Colorado’s statements “state-compelled opinions”––raises profound First Amendment problems, but that’s what the statute in Weiser seemingly does.
Via Adobe Stock.
The US Supreme Court has “held time and again that freedom of speech ‘includes both the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from speaking at all.’” It recently added that the government generally “may not compel a person to speak its own preferred messages.” Given this principle against government-compelled expression, the better––and constitutional––method for addressing Colorado’s frets about minors’ social media usage is for the state to run its own educational and advertising campaigns––ones that don’t co-opt platforms to do the hard work for it.
City-killer asteroid 2024 YR4’s chances of hitting Earth increase; NASA releases likely impact zone list–Check if you are in danger? – MSN Source Link Excerpt:
A newly discovered asteroid, 2024 YR4, has raised concerns among astronomers after NASA confirmed its growing probability of colliding with Earth. Originally detected on 27 December 2023 by the El Sauce Observatory in Chile, the space rock has a 3.1% chance of impact on 22 December 2032—the highest probability ever recorded by modern forecasting systems.
The asteroid, measuring between 130 and 300 feet wide, is comparable in size to the Statue of Liberty. Though not large enough to cause global devastation, scientists warn it could destroy a city if it strikes. With a velocity nearing 40,000 miles per hour, an impact could unleash energy equivalent to eight megatons of TNT—500 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are closely tracking 2024 YR4’s trajectory. The ESA currently places the impact probability at 2.8%, slightly lower than NASA’s estimate.
“This is not a crisis at this point in time,” said Richard Moissl, head of ESA’s planetary defence office. “This is not the dinosaur killer. This is not the planet killer. This is at most dangerous for a city.”
The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) first issued a warning memo on 29 January, after the probability of impact surpassed 1%. Since then, astronomers have been refining calculations as more data becomes available. Some experts believe further observations could reduce the risk to zero, as has happened with previous asteroids.
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