Trump showcases ballroom construction amid funding fight

 

Washington — President Donald Trump on Tuesday led reporters on a tour overlooking construction of a new White House ballroom on the former East Wing site, presenting renderings and describing security features as he pressed Congress for $1 billion in Secret Service-linked funding; the visit followed Sunday remarks by Eric...

Simi Valley brush fire spreads, prompts evacuations Monday

 

Los Angeles — A fast-growing brush fire ignited Monday morning in Simi Valley, Ventura County, just after 10 a.m., and had spread to more than 180 acres by shortly before noon, according to Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Scott Dettorre; aerial footage showed at least one home on fire and...

Warsh to be sworn in at White House Friday

 

Washington. Kevin Warsh will be sworn in as Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve at the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump announced; the Senate confirmed Warsh to a four-year term in mid-May, and Jerome Powell served as acting chair to bridge the transition while an inquiry into Powell...

US Extends 30-Day Waiver for Russian Oil at Sea

 

Washington — On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a temporary 30-day general license allowing energy-vulnerable nations to access Russian crude oil already loaded on tankers and stranded at sea. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the extension, announced this week, intends to stabilize physical crude markets and reroute supply to...

Jury Finds Musk's Lawsuit Against OpenAI Time‑Barred

 

OAKLAND, Calif. A federal advisory jury on Monday unanimously found that Elon Musk filed his 2024 lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman after the statute of limitations had expired, and U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers accepted the verdict and dismissed the claims following roughly two hours of jury...

Early May Heat Wave Hits Northeast, Breaks Records

 

Philadelphia. A heat wave began Monday in the Philadelphia region, producing upper‑90s temperatures and prompting a Heat Advisory until 8 p.m. Tuesday, meteorologist Payton Domschke said; AccuWeather and local meteorologists warned that highs could reach near triple‑digit heat indices through this midweek, marking the earliest sustained heat event since 2017. Philadelphia-area...

Minnesota Charges ICE Officer in January Minneapolis Shooting

 

MINNEAPOLIS. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Monday that her office charged ICE agent Christian Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime for the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis during Operation Metro Surge, and a nationwide warrant has been issued for...

Alabama primaries reshaped after Supreme Court ruling

 

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Only three of Alabama’s seven U.S. House districts will hold binding primaries on Tuesday after a U.S. Supreme Court decision prompted Republican officials to discard recently adopted congressional maps. State authorities postponed primaries in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th Districts to an August 11 special primary...

Boston star Jaylen Brown urges Stephen A. Smith retirement

 

Boston, United States — Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown intensified his ongoing dispute with ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith during a weekend livestream, calling for Smith’s retirement and describing him as the face of clickbait media. The latest criticism follows weeks of back-and-forth between the player and the television analyst...

United States: Meta cuts 8,000 jobs for AI push

 

United States-based Meta Platforms is preparing this week to cut about 8,000 jobs, roughly 10% of its global workforce, as part of a major restructuring to fund a large expansion in artificial intelligence infrastructure. In addition, management will permanently eliminate about 6,000 open positions that had not yet been filled,...