The three teenagers were not given custodial sentences for their roles in the rape of two girls. Continue Reading »

Temperatures hit 28.4C in parts of England on Friday, while delays have been reported at the Port of Dover and Birmingham Airport ahead of the bank holiday weekend. Continue Reading »

Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold have not been included in Thomas Tuchel's 26-man England squad for this summer's World Cup. Continue Reading »

The rare species of Ebola involved - known as Bundibugyo - kills around a third of those infected and has no proven vaccine yet. Continue Reading »

Gabbard who has been largely out of public view during recent US operations says she is leaving due to her husband's illness. Continue Reading »

Warsh could guide to a smaller role in day-to-day markets, while also setting clearer rules for how and when it should intervene. Continue Reading »

Gabbard said she is leaving her post to support her husband, who is battling a rare form of bone cancer. Continue Reading »

President Trump droppped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the DOJ creating a $1.8 billion fund to compensate alleged "lawfare" victims. Continue Reading »

A source told CNBC that IMAX has held "preliminary talks" through intermediaries, but no official pitches have been made by the company. Continue Reading »

Consumer sentiment has tumbled to a fresh record low in May as fears of higher prices grow due to the U.S.-Iran war and elevated oil prices. Continue Reading »

Par AFP Par Laurence BOUTREUX © 2026 AFP "Humiliations", "attouchements", "passages à tabac" dans l'obscurité: plusieurs militants pro-palestiniens français de la "Flottille pour Gaza", capturés en Méditerranée par Israël puis expulsés, ont détaillé vendredi, à leur retour en France, les "violences" qu'ils disent avoir subies de la part des forces israéliennes, ce qu'elles contestent. Ce retour intervient deux jours après le tollé international provoqué par une vidéo montrant plusieurs militants étrangers de cette "flottille" se faire humilier en détention. Fichier vidéo Sous les cris "Et vive la lutte du peuple palestinien" lancés par les dizaines de personnes venues les accueillir, huit Français sont arrivés vendredi après-midi de Turquie à l'aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle.Deux des 36 Français ayant participé à cette "Flottille pour Gaza" restent actuellement hospitalisés en Turquie, selon les témoignages récoltés auprès d'eux par l'AFP à Roissy.Rose jaune à la main, coiffé d'un keffieh, Meriem Hadjal, Française de 38 ans, a d'abord relaté ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP "Il a voulu nier la dignité humaine": la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité a été requise vendredi par l'avocate générale contre un homme jugé devant la cour d'assises des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence pour viols aggravés, actes de torture et de barbarie et proxénétisme sur son ex-compagne."La relation sadomasochiste n'en avait que le nom, ces pratiques sont censées être encadrées, or la plaignante ne pouvait jamais dire stop", a déclaré dans son réquisitoire Malinka Eymond à propos de Guillaume B., 51 ans jugé depuis lundi pour avoir infligé de nombreux sévices à Laëtitia R, sa compagne durant sept ans, de 2015 à 2022.S'appuyant sur des centaines de messages et d'enregistrements versés au dossier, l'avocate générale a assuré que la matérialité des faits était reconnue, ces échanges prouvant selon elle des "pratiques dégradantes quotidiennes" imposées "sous la menace d'armes" et "un fantasme du viol" explicitement formulé par Guillaume B. vis-à-vis de la mère de quatre enfants.Vendredi, Laëtitia R., âgée de 42 ans, aujourd'hui handicapée entre 50 et 80%, avait de nouveau dénoncé une "emprise psychologique" mise en place par Guillaume B. et assuré qu'il lui avait imposé des relations tarifées avec plus de 500 hommes. La plupart des ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP Le film "L'Aventure rêvée", présenté vendredi en compétition au festival de Cannes, emmène le spectateur aux frontières à l'est de l'Europe, lieu de trafics et de réminiscences du passé, et aux frontières entre hommes et femmes, selon sa réalisatrice Valeska Grisebach.Veska, archéologue, revient pour des fouilles là où elle a grandi, dans une petite ville de Bulgarie. Elle retrouve Saïd, un ami d'enfance, qu'elle veut aider à retrouver sa voiture volée. Mais elle est à son tour mêlée à sa contrebande et ses compromissions."Lorsque j'ai réalisé mon dernier film, en Bulgarie déjà, j'ai été très touchée par le fait que nous sommes tous reliés par cette expérience de la chute du Mur" et du communisme, retrace la cinéaste allemande de 58 ans, qui souligne que leurs pays ont suivi des trajectoires différentes dans les années suivantes."L'Europe présente tellement de facettes", dit-elle à l'AFP. Fichier vidéo Selon Valeska ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP Nouvelle star en vue: la chienne Yuri a remporté vendredi la Palm Dog, récompensant le meilleur acteur canin du festival de Cannes, pour son rôle dans "La Perra" de la réalisatrice chilienne Dominga Sotomayor."Je ne pouvais pas imaginer une reconnaissance plus spéciale pour +La Perra+", a déclaré la réalisatrice lors d'une petite cérémonie organisée sur une plage de la Croisette.Le film, présenté à la Quinzaine des cinéastes, une section parallèle, raconte l'histoire de Silvia, récolteuse d'algues sur une île sauvage du Chili, qui adopte Yuri, une petite chienne abandonnée. A ses côtés, ressurgissent d'anciens traumatismes bien enfouis.L'héroïne adopte la chienne "presque sur un coup de tête", sans imaginer ce que cela va réveiller en elle, a expliqué Dominga Sotomayor à l'AFPYuri a été interprétée par deux animaux différents, un chiot et une chienne adulte, toutes deux adoptées par des familles au Chili, a raconté la réalisatrice.Parmi les lauréats célèbres de ce prix lancé en 2001 en marge du festival, on compte le pitbull Brandy, partenaire de Brad Pitt dans "Once upon a time... in Hollywood", que Quentin Tarantino en personne était venu honorer en 2019. L'an dernier, la Palm Dog était revenu à ... Continue Reading »

Par AFP © 2026 AFP SpaceX, l'entreprise d'Elon Musk, tentera vendredi un nouveau lancement de sa gigantesque fusée Starship, après le report de la tentative de la veille en raison de problèmes techniques."Compte à rebours pour notre deuxième tentative de lancement", a dit l'entreprise sur X, ajoutant que les conditions météorologiques étaient favorables à 85% lors de la fenêtre d'essai de 90 minutes qui débute à 17h30 heure locale (22h30 GMT).Le décollage de Starship a été reporté jeudi après de nombreuses interruptions et reprises du compte à rebours. Les enjeux sont importants pour SpaceX, au moment où Elon Musk prépare la retentissante entrée en Bourse de son entreprise aérospatiale, annoncée pour mi-juin.SpaceX fera voler Starship pour la 12e fois, sept mois après son dernier lancement. Du haut de ses 124 mètres, le modèle actuel est légèrement plus grand que le précédent et l'entreprise a à coeur de démontrer les améliorations apportées à la fusée lors du vol.Lors de ce vol, l'étage supérieur de la fusée aura pour mission de déployer une charge utile de 20 satellites factices, ainsi que deux satellites Starlink équipés de caméras, qui tenteront d'analyser l'efficacité du bouclier thermique de l'engin. La mission test doit ... Continue Reading »

Donald Trump has postponed signing an executive order introducing government oversight of advanced AI models before release Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Gabbard, who had been leading an investigation into US biolabs in Ukraine, quit after her husband was diagnosed with bone cancer Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Hundreds of newly released top-secret US intelligence files detail Cold War-era UFO sightings tracked by military radar systems worldwide Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Modi’s Nordic tour was aimed at boosting economic ties, but was overshadowed by questions on India’s democracy and a racist cartoon Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

Washington is using a familiar script: Sanctions, then threats. Next comes force – under a trumped-up false pretext Read Full Article at RT.com Continue Reading »

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По словам Темирлана Абуталимова, Евгений Груздев был примером для своих бойцов и доказал им, что долг офицера в том, чтобы никогда не сдаваться и защищать подчиненных даже ценой жизни Continue Reading »

Пятая встреча завершилась победой казанской команды со счетом 83:66 Continue Reading »

Встреча завершилась победой ярославской команды в овертайме со счетом 3:2 Continue Reading »

Наиболее активным студентам вручили грамоты от руководства КБГУ Continue Reading »

TRUMP: NOT GOING TO SON'S WEDDING... (Top headline, 1st story, link) Related stories:Jr. ALREADY quietly married... Drudge Report Feed needs your support!   Become a Patron Continue Reading »

Jr. ALREADY quietly married... (Top headline, 2nd story, link) Related stories:TRUMP: NOT GOING TO SON'S WEDDING... Continue Reading »

TULSI OUT (Main headline, 1st story, link) Continue Reading »

Oil Mystery at Heart of America's Pressure Campaign on Iran... (First column, 1st story, link) Related stories:Damning Pentagon Leak Reveals Huge Blow to USA Defenses... Drudge Report Feed needs your support!   Become a Patron Continue Reading »

Damning Pentagon Leak Reveals Huge Blow to USA Defenses... (First column, 2nd story, link) Related stories:Oil Mystery at Heart of America's Pressure Campaign on Iran... Continue Reading »

DR Congo play their first World Cup 2026 game against Portugal on June 17 in Houston, but must isolate first. Continue Reading »

Observers describe a climate in which the chances of justice in the military tribunals are slim. Continue Reading »

Former Democrat Gabbard, long a critic of US interventionism, cites husband's illness for leaving post. Continue Reading »

Organisers of Global Sumud Flotilla say foreign activists report at least 15 cases of ‌sexual assaults, including rape. Continue Reading »

Video shows an Israeli air strike hitting paramedics responding to an earlier attack in southern Lebanon. Continue Reading »

Saudi broadcaster Al Hadath says Pakistan-mediated ceasefire proposal includes sanctions relief, freedom of navigation and halt to military activity as Hormuz tensions persist Continue Reading »

New immigrants in the Jezreel Valley celebrate their first Shavuot in Israel as century-old agricultural traditions highlight land, community and renewal Continue Reading »

Authorities say Israeli man caught at Ercan Airport with four embryos in transport container; clinic director and doctor also detained Continue Reading »

Talks over possible transit and service charges come despite US warnings, as Iran’s blockade disrupts shipping and Tehran seeks new ways to bypass sanctions Continue Reading »

After backlash over claims of systematic sexual violence against Palestinians in Israeli custody, the paper’s opinion editor says the column met its standards; critics cite anonymous testimony, disputed sources and a disputed quote from ex-PM Olmert Continue Reading »

Pakistan and Qatar have dispatched teams to Tehran under the looming threat of resumed war, after weeks of diplomacy failed to produce an agreement. Continue Reading »

Nearly three months since the fighting began, disagreements remain over the fate of Iran’s uranium stockpile and transit fees for the Strait of Hormuz. Continue Reading »

The discussions suggest that the United States and the Iranian government may not be close to reaching a deal to end a war that has badly damaged the global economy. Continue Reading »

House Republican leaders abruptly scrapped a planned vote on a measure to direct President Trump to end the conflict or win authorization for it, amid party defections and absences. Continue Reading »

President Trump faced a wall of opposition from Senate G.O.P. lawmakers, in part over his plan to create a $1.8 billion fund to reward his allies. Continue Reading »

The Chinese upstart says it has trained high-performing AI models cheaply, without using the most advanced chips. Continue Reading »

DeepSeek, SoFi and more in the latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Continue Reading »

DeepSeek is called “amazing and impressive” despite working with less-advanced chips. Continue Reading »

The LinkedIn co-founder is starting Manas AI with “The Emperor of All Maladies” author Siddhartha Mukherjee. Continue Reading »

Apps can add flexibility and freshness to your routine. Just try not to get injured. Continue Reading »

Israel allowed displaced Gazans to begin crossing a military zone that bisects the enclave after a deadlock over hostage releases was broken. Continue Reading »

Troubles at Vanke raise questions about the continued spread of the property crisis and whether the Chinese state will step in. Continue Reading »

Some of the women were held alone for extended periods and spent eight months in tunnels, an Israeli medical official said. Continue Reading »

The alliance mounted its first coordinated response to a suspected sabotage campaign against critical infrastructure after another cable was severed in the Baltic Sea. Continue Reading »

Residents of Goma reported gunfire and shelling after rebels overran Congolese troops. U.N. officials estimated that more than one million displaced people were now inside the city. Continue Reading »

Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker. Continue Reading »

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The fighting has gotten so ugly that some Republicans are fearful it will dampen turnout in the midterms. Continue Reading »

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is already working to weather the storm. Continue Reading »

He spoke to at least two county party chairs on Thursday as attention to his undisclosed illness grew. Continue Reading »

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New GOP language sought to block the institution from portraying “any biological male as a female.” Continue Reading »

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spent more than an hour sparring with Republican senators behind closed doors. Continue Reading »

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The war in Iran is proof of the vital role Greenland could play in aiding the West, Landry said Friday, due to its ample oil deposits. Continue Reading »

Trump officials are "absolutely, totally freaked" about the political symbolism of breaking Biden's high gas price record. Continue Reading »

The flights were stopped amid concerns that they could expose ICE officials and possibly help bring the disease closer to the U.S. Continue Reading »

Public health experts say neither virus poses an immediate threat to most Americans. But the trust deficit the viruses are exposing could be catastrophic when crisis arrives. Continue Reading »

Bezos has been accused of trying to curry favor with the president through his businesses. Continue Reading »

Preview URL: https://www.allsides.com/rss/news Continue Reading »

On May 11th, the Supreme Court cleared the road for increasingly unrestricted partisan gerrymandering in America. Continue Reading »

Imagine trying to follow sports or entertainment if you couldn't check scores and stats or read reviews without digging through a dozen biased blogs. You'd never do it. Yet that’s exactly how we’re expected to follow the politicians making decisions that alter our daily lives. Continue Reading »

A Tennessee man who was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post he shared after the killing of Charlie Kirk has agreed to a $835,000 settlement with the sheriff who detained him, his lawyers said on Wednesday. Continue Reading »

Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Continue Reading »

A former police officer who was jailed after making social media posts attacking Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk and his organization after Kirk's assassination in September received more than $800,000 in a settlement. Continue Reading »

Some see a crusade against systemic corruption and government waste in public health programs as a mandate. Others think isolated cases of fraud have been highlighted to vilify immigrant communities, justify cuts to the social safety net, and distract from other issues. Continue Reading »

A recent study finds "no evidence" that native-born citizens have taken jobs abandoned by illegal immigrants during President Trump's pursuit of mass deportations. Continue Reading »

According to a new study, construction was impacted more than any other industry studied, with American-born workers losing more jobs than immigrants as a result of the deportations. Continue Reading »

More than one year into the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, there's little to suggest White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has achieved his goal of boosting the U.S.-born workforce by closing borders. Continue Reading »

Associated Press changes categories from Left to Lean Left, but there's more to the story. Continue Reading »

Violence, including terrorism, against Cuba has long been tolerated in Washington; Cuba's response to it has not. That double standard is once again on full display as the Trump administration moves to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro for the shootdown of two planes thirty years ago — even as the US military regularly blows up boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing nearly 200 people with impunity. Continue Reading »

The federal criminal indictment of Cuban patriarch Raúl Castro marks a significant escalation in President Donald Trump's campaign against the communist dictatorship. If the goal is regime change on the island, Americans deserve a White House willing to explain why that needs to happen — and how the U.S. can achieve its goals at an acceptable cost. Continue Reading »

This afternoon at Miami's Freedom Tower, the Justice Department will announce the indictment of Raúl Castro for his role in the murder of four humanitarians over the Straits of Florida on February 24, 1996. The choice of setting is not incidental. The gateway through which the regime's victims arrived in the 1960s is the gateway through which the regime now answers for them. The date is the anniversary of Cuba's independence from Spain in 1902. The defendant is 94. He has earned an American cell for every hour that remains to him. Continue Reading »

Harvard faculty voted in favor of capping A grades at 20% on Wednesday in an effort to combat grade inflation. "Today the Harvard faculty voted to make their grades mean what they say they mean," a statement from members of the Harvard faculty subcommittee told Fox News Digital. "For decades, grade inflation has been a collective-action problem: everyone saw it, but no one faculty member could fix it alone," it continued. "The faculty have now taken a major step to fix it together. We are gratified that the FAS faculty has approved the core elements of our committee's recommendations for simple, effective measures to address the problem of grade inflation—an essential step in the broader effort to recenter academics at Harvard College." Continue Reading »

Harvard faculty voted to cap the number of A grades given to undergraduates at about 20 percent per class, taking assertive action to reverse years of grade inflation at a time of intense scrutiny of higher education. The vote, reported Wednesday, is the most prominent symbol of a reckoning at some elite schools concerned by the increasing number of A's — a widespread issue that some faculty members warn is fundamentally damaging the integrity of education. Continue Reading »

The EU's cheap-gas lifeline is being diverted to Beijing instead. Last September, Russia, China and Mongolia rerouted half a century of energy history eastward. The three countries signed a legally binding memorandum for the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline – a roughly 2,600-km line, at an estimated cost of around $13.6 bn, that will carry 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas every year through Mongolia into northern China's industrial heartland. Continue Reading »

When ESPN launched, in 1979, skeptics questioned the wisdom of a 24-hour sports channel. "Nobody's going to want to watch that many sports," they repeatedly told its founder, Bill Rasmussen. But Rasmussen, who had worked both in sports coverage and as a communications director for a hockey team, knew something about the audience that outsiders didn't: true fans always want more. Continue Reading »

The White House has delayed President Donald Trump's expected signing Thursday of an executive order on artificial intelligence, four people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. The directive was set to lay out the Trump administration's response to rising concerns about cybersecurity threats posed by cutting-edge artificial intelligence models. Continue Reading »

President Donald Trump said he could be Israel's next prime minister. Speaking to reporters ahead of the United States Coast Guard Academy graduation on Wednesday, May 20, the president said he "could run for prime minister" in Israel and that he is extraordinarily popular there. "So maybe after I do this, I'll go to Israel, run for prime minister," Trump said. "I had a poll this morning. I'm 99%, so that's good." Continue Reading »

Tulsi Gabbard Resigns As Director Of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down from her role as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to support her husband, Abraham, as he battles an extremely rare form of bone cancer, according to Fox News. Gabbard informed President Donald Trump of her decision during a meeting in the Oval Office on Friday. Her last day at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will be June 30, 2026. In her formal resignation letter, obtained exclusively by Fox, Gabbard expressed deep gratitude to Trump, writing: "I am deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half. Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer." She added that her husband "faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months," and that she must step away from public service to be by his side. "Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage... His strength and love have sustained me ... Continue Reading »

Crowd Burns Ebola Treatment Center In Congo Amid Dispute Over Body Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on May 21 after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, witnesses and police said. “The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful,” Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area, told The Associated Press. “The young people ended up setting fire to the center. That’s the situation.” An Associated Press journalist saw people break into the center at Rwampara Hospital and set fire to objects inside, and also to what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there. Aid workers fled the treatment center in vehicles. The crowd set fire to two tents fitted with eight beds run by a medical charity called The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), said Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean-Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province. Mukendi said the youths had not understood the ... Continue Reading »

Pakistan's Army Chief Arrives In Tehran As 'Last Ditch Effort' To Avert Renewed War Summary Rubio confirms that there's been no deal and that "we're not there yet" - amid broader late morning pushback against morning optimistic, premature headlines. Saudi sources report Pakistan army chief & a Qatar delegation en route to Tehran, after which Field Marshal Munir arrives - calls trip 'last ditch effort' to avert war. Influential Iranian parliament member threatens 'preemptive' military action if preparations & movements by US forces in region is perceived.  US x Iran permanent peace deal by June 15, 2026? Yes 40% · No 61%View full market & trade on Polymarket Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir has arrived in Tehran: 'Last Ditch Effort' So it looks like the rumors were true, after Pakistan officials first seemed to deny, and also said no comment.  Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, a key mediator between Iran and the US, has arrived in Tehran as the Iranians are said to be reviewing the latest updated Washington proposal for peace. Pakistan FM: "Not Aware of Any Visit" to Iran by Army Chief In a quick market update, Newsquawk says risk-off as reporters push back on optimistic geopolitical reporting ... Continue Reading »

White House And Pentagon Clash Over $80M ReElement Critical Minerals Deal The Pentagon is reconsidering an $80 million conditional loan to rare-earths refiner ReElement Technologies, raising tensions with the White House over efforts to reduce US reliance on China for critical minerals, according to Bloomberg. The loan, announced in November through the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), was part of a broader $1.4 billion critical-minerals initiative alongside Vulcan Elements. But officials reviewing the deal have questioned ReElement’s ability to scale production and meet long-term revenue targets, according to people familiar with the matter. The loan has not been canceled, and no funds have been disbursed. Pentagon officials emphasized from the outset that ReElement still needed to pass financial, legal, and technical due diligence before receiving funding. The dispute highlights a broader divide inside the Trump administration between moving quickly to build domestic rare-earth supply chains and conducting rigorous vetting. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro criticized OSC’s review process as too burdensome for emerging companies, calling ReElement “exactly the kind of asymmetric bet we should be making.” Bloomberg writes that Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended OSC’s oversight, saying the office balances speed with ... Continue Reading »

Rising Interest Rates: Why The Narrative Fails Against The Data Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, Last Friday closed with the 10-year Treasury yield at 4.60%, a one-year high, and the doom commentary about rising interest rates was waiting before the bell even rang. Hyperinflation. Bond market breakdown. Paradigm shift. A 1981 fair-value retest. The Fed is about to “push the brrrr button” or pop “the everything bubble.” If you spent any time on social media over the weekend that followed, you saw a version of every one of those. So I posted a short thread that Friday, making a simple point. Over time, yields track growth and inflation. The chart that drew the strongest pushback roughly showed that relationship, and a wave of responses argued that the framework is broken, debt is about to break the bond market, supply-side inflation has changed everything, and rates have nowhere to go but higher. However, let’s slow down and look at what the data actually says. Some of those critiques are weak. A few are partially right. And one of them deserves a serious answer. I’ll work through them in order. After 30 years of watching market cycles, the pattern ... Continue Reading »

Taiwan Arms Deal Put On Ice Amid China Pressure, But Pentagon Cites Iran War Stockpile Concerns Did the Pentagon just back down amid pressure from China? It appears so. As we reported Thursday, China has been actively holding up a proposed visit by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's under-secretary of defense for policy. The move is a transparent effort to pressure President Trump over a looming $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan. Sources familiar with the talks told the Financial Times that Beijing signaled it "cannot approve a visit until Trump decides how he will proceed with the arms package." Later the same day, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed that the US is indeed pausing the $14BN arms sale in question, though he framed the move as due to the Trump administration's war with Iran. He said this was to make sure there's plenty of missile supply and interceptors to execute the war, especially in the scenario that a full aerial bombing operation is renewed.  via AFP Addressing a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing, Cao sought to assure that the US still has "plenty” of missiles and interceptors, amid growing concerns from officials. "Right now we’re doing a pause in order to ... Continue Reading »

Is Take-Two Sandbagging Guidance Ahead Of Grand Theft Auto VI Launch? Take-Two Interactive slumped in early U.S. cash session after the video-game publisher reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results but issued what some analysts described as a "conservative" outlook for the year, even as it reaffirmed the November 19 launch date for Grand Theft Auto VI. TTWO's earnings, released Thursday evening, initially sent shares higher in the after-market, as traders focused on GTA VI remaining on schedule. However, shares fell once the cash session opened, as the market shifted attention to softer-than-expected guidance on bookings and TTWO's cautious fiscal-year assumptions. Goldman analysts, led by Eric Sheridan, noted that the fourth-quarter report centered on optimism around its video game pipeline, including 29 planned titles through fiscal 2029 and the reaffirmed November 2026 launch date for Grand Theft Auto VI. Sheridan said TTWO is expecting higher marketing expenses ahead of the GTA VI release, with Rockstar expected to begin its marketing campaign this summer. The analyst outlined that traders will remain focused on GTA VI news flow, including potential trailer launches, pre-order data, marketing spend, and early title performance after release. GTA 6 news summary today: - November 19 ... Continue Reading »

US Lawmakers Renew Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Push With ARMA Bill Authored by Brayden Lindrea via CoinTelegraph.com, US lawmakers have renewed efforts to codify a US strategic Bitcoin reserve with a new bipartisan bill on Thursday that seeks to acquire around 1 million Bitcoin over five years.  The American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 would establish a Strategic Bitcoin (BTC) Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile for other federally held cryptocurrencies, which would be held by the US Treasury Department, said the bill’s sponsor, Representative Nick Begich. ARMA, sponsored by 16 members of Congress, builds on the BITCOIN Act, which was introduced in July 2024 and updated in March 2025. Source: Nick Begich In an interview on Sunday, Patrick Witt, of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, referred to ARMA as “Version 2” of the BITCOIN Act and said the White House has spent considerable time examining the legal implications of a Bitcoin reserve. “It's a breakthrough as far as getting everything in place, legally sound, properly safeguarding the assets.” The push for a federal policy comes as the US currently holds 328,372 Bitcoin worth more than $25.5 billion — the most of any nation-state — but has sold portions of those holdings ... Continue Reading »

"Huge Shock": China Launches Crackdown On Cross-Border Stock Selling To Block Capital Outflows China launched an unprecedented campaign against illegal cross-border trading to stem capital outflows, threatening severe penalties against brokers and ordering non-compliant accounts to be liquidated within two years, sparking a brutal selloff in three popular brokerages. As Bloomberg reports, the pushback came after the onshore markets closed Friday when eight regulators issued a joint statement vowing a campaign against these trades, sending US-listed Chinese stocks tumbling. The securities regulator said it planned to penalize brokerages Futu Holdings, Tiger Brokers and Long Bridge Securities for operating on the mainland without a license, and would confiscate all “illegal gains” from their domestic and overseas entities. Hong Kong’s markets regulator also announced measures on accounts for mainland Chinese investors. Futu said regulators proposed about $271 million in fines, while Tiger Brokers owner Up Fintech Holding Ltd. said it was subject to a combined 411 million yuan ($60 million) in fines and confiscated income. “Tiger has noted the relevant notice and will strictly comply with regulatory requirements and actively cooperate with the relevant process,” UP Fintech’s brokerage unit said in a statement, adding that ... Continue Reading »

Great Again: Blue-Haired Liberals Seen Enjoying Beautifully Restored DC Park Fountain Authored by Steve Watson via modernity.news Decline is a choice Just weeks ago, Meridian Hill Park - also known as Malcolm X Park - stood as a graffiti-scarred reminder of neglect, overrun by vagrants, trash, and decay. Today, its iconic 13-basin cascading fountain flows powerfully once more, drawing families, dog walkers, and even those with blue hair who once might have sneered at such efforts. The transformation is undeniable: clean pathways, flowing water, and people reclaiming public space in the heart of Washington, D.C. It's the direct result of President Trump's determination to restore the nation's capital ahead of America's 250th anniversary. As one viral video captured, locals are visibly enjoying the revived park where needles and encampments once dominated. You're listening to the sound of the Nation's Capital coming back to life. ?? Decline is a choice. @POTUS is choosing action, beauty, strength, and pride. pic.twitter.com/CsiVSLdJuJ - US Department of the Interior (@Interior) May 20, 2026 President Trump has been clear about his personal investment in these projects. In a statement shared widely, he detailed the progress: "So far, over 20 have been revitalized, and fixed, ... Continue Reading »

'Mission Impossible' Begins: Watch Live As Kevin Warsh Is Sworn In As 17th Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who’s promised the biggest shakeup in decades at the US central bank, is set to be sworn into office this morning at 1100ET in a White House ceremony as the 17th chair of the Federal Reserve. Warsh takes over at a tense moment for the economy and the central bank. Inflation has reaccelerated, driven by the impact of war in the Middle East on energy supplies. The Fed, meanwhile, has been battered by President Donald Trump for not cutting interest rates quickly enough. That backdrop of persistent inflation and political pressure has stoked concern among investors and analysts that the Fed’s independence is under threat. In his confirmation hearing for the job, Warsh repeatedly pledged to act independently even as he criticized the central bank for what he called mission creep and its response to the pandemic inflation surge. Warsh faces the highest 10Y yield of any Fed Chair being sworn in since Greenspan and a market that is priced dramatically more hawkishly than The Fed's 'dots' expected... For those watching closely, the first sign of ... Continue Reading »

UBS Warns Of "Scary" Oil Price Scenarios Once Inventory Buffers Run Dry Drawing down crude inventories at a record pace, with SPR releases doing the heavy lifting to cushion the Gulf supply shock, only delays the move higher in crude oil prices. Once those buffers are depleted, oil risks being violently repriced higher. That is why the Trump administration's race to secure a peace deal with Iran and reopen the Hormuz chokepoint has taken on new urgency in recent weeks. The longer the critical waterway remains disrupted, the greater the risk that the oil shock will escalate from a market event to a financial crisis, with higher crude prices feeding directly into inflation, consumer stress, and broader recession risk. The message from the SPR crude data this week, the largest ever draw, is very clear: The Trump administration is buying time to get a deal done with Tehran. If Hormuz does not reopen soon, the market will eventually force demand destruction through much higher prices. UBS analyst Arend Kapteyn penned a note Friday morning titled "When The Oil Buffers Run Out." Kapteyn warned, "Oil prices can move much higher once inventories are depleted." He ... Continue Reading »

Viral Video Reveals Extent Of LA's Homeless Hell Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, A shocking video making the rounds shows the reality of life under Los Angeles bridges: a sprawling setup of makeshift homes complete with lighting tapped into the city power grid, tables of items, and a self-contained community living off public resources. The clip, originally from local documentarian @whitewallstuntz, captures a resident proudly displaying his space. "This how people living out here in LA man. My boy got the whole bridge to himself." The footage reveals lighting strung throughout, suggesting direct access to grid electricity, alongside what appears to be a network of living areas. The homeless are now living under the city of Los Angeles There is basically a small city of homeless under this part of LA It's a vast network of makeshift homes and even looks like there are tables setup full of likely drug paraphernalia It has lighting throughout so they've... pic.twitter.com/9lJFttFnp2 - Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) May 20, 2026 The post continues, "These people are living down here for free, getting energy for free, guaranteed they all have EBT cards and free health insurance. It's like a self contained city ... Continue Reading »

As Stocks Hit Record Highs, Americans' Consumer Confidence Collapses To Record Low With the "mini war" still ongoing (albeit with a 'ceasefire' in place), expectations were for UMich consumer sentiment to continue languishing at record lows in final May data released this morning. And it did, with the headline sentiment - along with both Current Conditions and Expectations - all plunging to record lows... Source: Bloomberg Yep... Americans have never been more miserable... Black Friday, meh; 9/11, nothingburger; GFC, fleshwound... “The cost of living continues to be a first-order concern, with 57% of consumers spontaneously mentioning that high prices were eroding their personal finances, up from 50% last month,’’ Joanne Hsu, director of the survey, said in a statement. So far, consumer spending has proved resilient as the job market holds up and a stock-market rally bolsters wealth. “Critically, consumers appear worried that inflation will increase and proliferate beyond fuel prices, even in the long run,” Hsu said. Consumers expect prices to rise an annualized 3.9% over the next five to 10 years, up from 3.5% in April and the highest in seven months. They also saw costs advancing 4.8% over the next year. This month’s increase in ... Continue Reading »

Hope And Reality By Teeuwe Mevissen, Senior Macro Strategist at Rabobank Since the start of the Iran war the market has had a tendency to view the likelihood of a peace agreement with a ‘glass half full’ attitude. Once again, markets have found some comfort in encouraging remarks from both the US and Iran, even though both sides are making it clear that there are still major sticking points on critical issues. US Secretary of State Rubio has suggested that there are “some goods signs” towards finding a resolution. This is despite Iran’s Supreme leader ordering that the country’s enriched uranium must not be sent abroad, which is a key objective of both the US and Israel. Rubio has also stated that any deal that involved Iran imposing tolls on shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be unacceptable. This statement comes on the heels of this week’s news that Iran is looking to set up a new “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” to exert control over a maritime zone in the area and that the country’s authorities are also discussing with Oman how to set up a permanent toll system. Amid ... Continue Reading »

Trump Sending 5,000 Additional Troops To Poland, After Same Number Reduced From Germany President Trump announced in a post on Truth Social late Thursday that he will send 5,000 additional troops to Poland, which has raised a lot of questions and introduced some level of confusion, given this is precisely the same number of troops the Pentagon has announced it plans to pull out of Germany. "Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland," Trump wrote. Weeks ago, the White House began threatening a significant and historic force reduction from Germany, following Berlin officials' repeat criticisms of the US-Israeli war against Iran. This was initially presented in media reports as part of a broader drawdown from Europe, but now it appears US forces are just being shifted around, and with 5,000 to be placed closer to Russia. All of this was first reported and confirmed by Punchbowl News' Briana Reilly, citing the words of House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike ... Continue Reading »

Regulators Circle StanChart After CEO's AI Layoff Comments Spark Uproar It has been a tumultuous week for Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters. Winters appeared out of touch with the growing anxiety surrounding mounting white-collar AI-related job losses. He described the bank's AI adoption push as "not cost-cutting," but rather as "replacing lower-value human capital with financial and investment capital." Such language ignited a firestorm for the CEO and the bank, and by the end of the week, regulatory scrutiny had descended on the firm. Reuters reports that authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore have pressed the bank for clarity on Winters' comments and the scope of upcoming AI-related layoffs. On Tuesday, StanChart began labor restructuring to cut 15% of its corporate roles (about 7,800 jobs) by 2030 as part of a broader efficiency push amid the adoption of AI. Hong Kong authorities asked StanChart whether AI was being used as a pretext to reduce headcount. By midweek, Winters scrambled into damage control following the "lower-value human capital" remarks. Early today, he apologized for his "choice of words" in a LinkedIn post. "For that, I am sorry. I am therefore showing below a verbatim transcript of ... Continue Reading »

US Stock Futures Rise, Set For 8th Consecutive Week Of Gains US equity futures are higher into the long weekend, with the S&P 500 gaining for an 8th consecutive week higher, its longest streak of weekly wins since 2023 with sustained momentum in popular thematics, thanks to a liquidity boost, supportive macro readings, solid earnings and hopes that the US and Iran are moving closer to a peace deal, not to mention unrelenting enthusiasm for artificial intelligence which is fueling a historic gamma squeeze. As of 7:30am ET, S&P futures are 0.2% higher, cutting overnight gains of 0.5% by more than half,  and Nasdaq future gain 0.1% with most Mag 7 banes higher pre market led by GOOG/L (+0.4%) and NVDA (+0.3%). Bond yields are 1-2bp lower led by the belly of the curve; the 10-year yield is down two basis points to 4.55%; the softer-than-expected Japan CPI drove 30Y JGB yield 3.6bp lower (now back below 4%), which supported global bond markets. The USD is higher, while commodities are mixed: WTI crude added $2.10 to $98.50 this morning; precious metals are lower; Brent rebounded 2.6% to above $105 a barrel, but ... Continue Reading »

Hormuz Shock Raises Recession Risk As Retailers Sound Alarm On Consumer Stress Oil market experts at Rapidan Energy Group warn that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger an oil shock severe enough to hit consumers hard and push the economy into a downturn on a scale approaching that of the 2008 Great Recession. That warning was reinforced by a UBS analyst, who cautioned that sharper slowdowns for working-class households could emerge this summer as gasoline pump prices average north of $4.50 per gallon this week and collide with already stretched budgets. Bloomberg cites a Rapidan note stating that its base case assumes Hormuz reopens in July, with Brent crude peaking near $130 a barrel and global oil demand falling by about 2.6 million barrels per day. But if the Hormuz chokepoint remains heavily disrupted into late summer, between August and September, then the market would need demand destruction to offset the supply shock, potentially pushing global oil consumption into an annual decline in 2026, the analysts pointed out. This would mean that if the average pump price of $4.50 per gallon for 87 octane is already high, then demand ... Continue Reading »

Starmer Government Doubles Down On Anti-Free Speech Policies Authored by Jonathan Turley, When hundreds of thousands of Britons joined the recent Unite the Kingdom rally, the government of Keir Starmer wanted them to know that they were being watched for possible arrest. By deploying facial recognition systems and invoking the United Kingdom’s anti-free speech laws, Starmer’s government made it clear that it would not tolerate anything it considered hateful or xenophobic, on the heels of its losses to Reform UK in council elections. Under its Online Safety Act, the government removed posts from social media platforms such as TikTok, including statements about Reform UK’s immigration policies. Among those impacted was Reform UK’s shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf who reportedly had “two videos removed from TikTok—one for a user report under the UK’s Online Safety Act and another for hate speech.” They were later restored. Starmer’s government also reportedly prevented speakers from the rally from entering the county, citing concerns they might “incite” the crowd. The Times reported last year that the government was arresting 30 people a day for speech crimes. In the last two decades, free speech protections in the U.K. have been eviscerated. The criminalization ... Continue Reading »