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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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ICE Barbie Catches Stray as GOP Senator Torches Hegseth
REUTERSOne Republican senator used the fired former Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, as a point of comparison for how poorly Pete Hegseth is doing his job.Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said that Hegseth’s tenure as Defense Secretary makes even the embattled ICE Barbie look good.“Do you think the president has been advised well by Secretary Hegseth on this war?” host Jake Tapper asked the 65-year-old senator.Read more at The Daily Beast.
‘60 Minutes’ Airs Star’s Plea to Protect First Amendment
60 MinutesCBS News’s flagship program broadcast a call to protect the First Amendment in spite of a Trump administration that has repeatedly threatened its integrity.As part of its “The Last Minute” feature on Sunday’s weekly broadcast, the Absence of Malice star Sally Field shared a personal story about what freedom of speech guaranteed by the United States Constitution means to her.“When I was in the seventh grade, I was asked to memorize something that I never forgot,” Field, 79, said. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peacefully to assemble.”Read more at The Daily Beast.
Trump’s Favorite Band Serenades Marco Rubio With Cringe Birthday Song
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / via REUTERSSecretary of State Marco Rubio enjoyed an early birthday treat in India, soundtracked by President Donald Trump’s favorite band.Rubio, who turns 55 on Thursday, attended an early celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday, with musical entertainment from the 1970s disco group the Village People.The secretary of state arrived in India on Saturday ahead of a meeting with members of the Indo-Pacific alliance. Read more at The Daily Beast.
‘General Hospital’ Star Quits Show After Three Years
Christine Bartolucci / Christine Bartolucci/DISNEY via Getty ImagesKate Mansi is departing General Hospital after a three-year run on the soap opera. Mansi, who has portrayed Kristina Corinthos Davis since joining the show in 2023, opted not to renew her contract, telling soap journalist Stephanie Sloane that she was pursuing other projects. “I’ve made the very difficult decision to leave General Hospital,” Mansi, 38, said. “I have a few new projects that require my full attention, and with my husband currently producing a series filming primarily abroad, I needed the flexibility to travel while continuing to develop and work in Los Angeles.” Mansi is married to producer Matt McInnis. She added, “It’s been such a meaningful and unforgettable ride. I’ve loved being a fiery Corinthos-Davis girl in such a phenomenal family.” For her portrayal of Kristina, a role previously played by Lexie Answorth, Mansi received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2025. General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini told Sloan, “We love Kate and support her decision to leave. The door is always open, and we appreciate all that she added to the show these past three years.”Read it at VarietyRead more at The Daily Beast.
CBS Chickens Out of Bid to Censor Stephen Colbert’s Final Trump Troll
screen grabCBS has explained why it issued online takedown notices for Stephen Colbert’s first TV appearance since the company axed The Late Show.The day after his final CBS show, Colbert, 62, showed up on Michigan public-access television as a guest host for an episode of the series Only in Monroe. The show mixed famous guests, including Donald Trump’s musical nemesis, Jack White, with local content about the town.“It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV,” Colbert began, before taking another dig at the parent company of his canceled show. “I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount,” he said.Read more at The Daily Beast.
Far-Right Florida Candidate Melts Down After Wedding Reveal
Octavio Jones / REUTERSA far-right candidate for Florida governor has clapped back at the online reaction to his surprise wedding.James Fishback, a right-wing investor currently running against a Trump-backed candidate in the gubernatorial race, posted on X on Saturday, “Logging off for a bit. Getting married. Brb.” He then posted a photo at the altar with the caption “Mr. and Mrs. Fishback.”Three months ago, the 31-year-old was flaunting a different woman as his girlfriend, the cryptocurrency influencer Francesca Raine, who once called herself “Crypto Barbie.”Read more at The Daily Beast.
Reporter Who Went Viral After Shootout Beside White House Responds
screen grabNBC News reporter Julie Tsirkin has managed to laugh at herself after her confused reaction to a shooting near a White House security checkpoint launched a deluge of mocking memes.In footage posted by NBC 10 in Boston on Saturday night, a confused Tsirkin is shown asking “What is that?” twice, as shots were heard in the background. A cameraman can be heard saying, “sounds like fireworks” as Tsirkin looked in the direction of where the noise was coming from.Her puzzled face and the “what is that?” question was then seized by social media users. The footage went viral as social media users superimposed her reaction onto everything from Stephen Colbert dancing to alien invasions.Read more at The Daily Beast.
Tourists Flock to White House One Day After Shootout Incident
Kylie Cooper / REUTERSTourists have returned to the White House, one day after a man approached a security checkpoint on Saturday evening and began firing at officers. The suspect in the shooting, Nasire Best, a 21-year-old Maryland man, had been barred from returning to the White House after a previous arrest for entering a restricted area, according to The New York Times. He was shot by the Secret Service and died in hospital. Reuters interviewed tourists on Sunday who were still visiting White House, despite the alarming events of the previous evening. “Apart from the shooting, yes, it feels nice, it feels calm, like nothing happened yesterday,” one man told the outlet. “Everything is as normal, as it is expected.” A family who were visiting the U.S. for the first time said, “We wanted to start with seeing the White House because it’s so epic and an amazing place.” A shattered window with a bullet hole was visible at The People’s House: A White House Experience museum. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement on Sunday that his officers saved lives with their “decisive response.” A bystander struck by gunfire during the incident remained in serious but stable condition Sunday.Read more at The Daily Beast.
NHS spends record £241m outsourcing scan analysis to private firms
Radiologists say ‘ballooning’ costs reflect staffing failures, forcing a reliance on lower-quality private scan reportsThe NHS is paying private firms record sums to analyse diagnostic scans because hospitals are too busy and understaffed to do the work themselves, research has revealed.The amount being spent on outsourced the interpretation of CT and MRI scans is “spiralling out of control” and reflects a short-sighted failure to train enough doctors, ministers are being told. Continue reading...
Venezuela inmates occupy prison roof and set fire to mattresses to protest alleged abuses
Inmates at Barinas prison allege they were peacefully protesting when prison staff opened fire, leaving some woundedInmates at Venezuela’s western Barinas prison staged a protest on its roof on Sunday, piling flaming mattresses and calling for the removal of the facility’s director, who they accused of overseeing guards as they shot unarmed prisoners.“We want justice. They are shooting us, the guards and the wardens,” a prisoner said in a video shared by the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a local NGO, on X, in which a man is seen with a bullet wound in his chest. Continue reading...
Ministers urged to act as households in Great Britain face energy bill ‘anxiety’
Under government’s price cap typical gas and electricity bills are forecast to rise by £209 from this summerMinisters face growing calls to cut utility bills as millions of households in Great Britain face energy cost “anxiety,” with gas and electricity costs forecast to rise to almost £1,900 from this summer.The typical dual-fuel bill is expected to climb by nearly 13% under the government’s energy price cap, adding £209 a year to household costs, in a blow to families already hit by rising prices for essentials. Continue reading...
Nacc chief Paul Brereton resigns as head of anti-corruption body
Brereton says ‘ongoing focus on matters relating to me personally’ were ‘drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose’Paul Brereton, Australia’s first national anti-corruption commissioner, will step down from the top job in July, citing criticism of potential conflicts of interest as “drawing attention away” from the body’s core purpose.In a statement on Monday afternoon, Brereton said the “ongoing focus on matters relating to me personally” were “drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose of strengthening integrity”. Continue reading...
A year after nationalisation, is South Western Railway delivering?
Rail minister Peter Hendy says fast rollout shows reforms are working as questions over reliability remainSouth Western Railway’s newest train, wrapped in union jack-inspired Great British Railways livery, may divide opinion on aesthetics, but the interior is certainly an upgrade: air-conditioned carriages, more space and greater passenger capacity.For ministers, the fact that it is the 45th Arterio model brought into service since the SWR network was nationalised is vindication of the GBR approach. Continue reading...
Middle East crisis live: Rubio says US-Iran agreement ‘pretty solid’ as oil price falls amid optimism for deal
Secretary of state says a deal could materialise ‘today’, while Trump says talks with Iran proceeding constructively as he faces criticism from within his own partyIran’s top negotiator in talks with the US, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, has been reelected as the country’s parliamentary speaker, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday.During military conflict Iran’s tactic was “an eye for an eye,” and in diplomatic conflict it is “action for action“, Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian parliament, has said.During the military war, our tactic was an eye for an eye; in the diplomatic war, it is action against action. Do not believe the bluff of the failed president; time is against the Americans.If they want an agreement, they should negotiate; if they want $6 gas, they should stand firm and bluff until the grass grows under their feet. Iran does not bow to force or threats. Continue reading...
HMRC made us wait a year for £150,000 tax rebate
The tax office is quick to demand money owed and threatens fines, but is slow when giving refundsWhen my mother died, there was a four-year delay in achieving probate owing to financial complexities. During this time my father paid inheritance tax (IHT) on the advice of his solicitor, to prevent interest accruing.It turned out that the solicitor’s estimate of the amount was wildly out. Continue reading...
Labor is making a mockery of its promise of transparent government
From blocking freedom of information requests to tabling documents when no one is looking, promises of an upfront approach to power are in rough shapeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFriday afternoon can be a dangerous time to be a journalist.Editors racing to put together weekend editions lob last-minute requests and governments routinely release uncomfortable information late in the day. Continue reading...
There Is No Evidence the Trump Assassination Attempts Were Staged. People Still Believe They Were
Elements of the right and the left are united in the baseless belief that two attempts on Donald Trump's life were staged.
Trump’s Team Wants Him to Accept an Iran Deal He’s Already Rejected
As chaotic negotiations over the end of the Iran war continue, US negotiators think they have the framework for a deal in place. Now they just have to sell the president on it.
A Federal Worker Was Fired for Filming DOGE. Now She’s Running for Congress
Alexis Goldstein, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee, was fired this year for recording DOGE’s incursion into the agency.
The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled
Access Now, the group that organizes RightsCon, says Zambian officials asked it to exclude Taiwanese participants if it wanted the event to proceed as planned.
Hantavirus Conspiracy Theories Are Already Spreading Online
From claims of an Israeli false flag to efforts to sell ivermectin, influencers and grifters are using lessons learned from Covid-19 to push their baseless conspiracy theories.
There’s an Unhinged New Video Game About Trump and the Iran War
The game, developed by the group of anonymous artists known as Secret Handshake, is available online and in person in Washington, DC.
There’s a Long-Shot Proposal to Protect California Workers From AI
California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer is proposing a new jobs guarantee for workers displaced by artificial intelligence.
One of DOGE’s Young Engineers Is Now Running a Defense Tech Startup
In an email viewed by WIRED, Ethan Shaotran describes Blitz Industries as “a defense company backed by big names.”