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An aerial view shows a dragline excavator operating in an open-pit titanium mine in the Zhytomyr region, on Feb. 28.ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP/Getty Images
After all the noise, all the threats to abandon Ukraine, Donald Trump finds himself in roughly the same place that Joe Biden did: frustrated with Moscow and seemingly willing to support Kyiv with weapons. At least for now.
The motivations of the two men, of course, were and are very different. Where Mr. Biden, whose politics were moulded in the Cold War, saw helping Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion as a matter of principle, Mr. Trump remains a businessman and a dealmaker. When Russian President Vladimir Putin proved unwilling to make the kind of peace agreement that Mr. Trump had believed was in easy reach, the U.S. President grabbed the deal that was available to him.
The U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal signed Wednesday does not commit the U.S. to any new weapons transfers, nor does it offer any explicit security guarantee. But, after months of Ukraine's stocks running low – no new U.S. military aid has been announced since Mr. Biden left office in January – it opens the door to a resumption of such help.
The pact is a 50/50 revenue-sharing agreement, covering the development and production of Ukraine's natural resources. Fifty-five minerals, plus oil and natural gas, are named in the document, according to the European Pravda newspaper, which said it had seen the agreement.
For the first 10 years, all profits will be contributed to a U.S.-Ukraine reconstruction fund created by the agreement. Any future military aid provided by the U.S. will be counted toward its 50-per-cent share of the fund.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that the deal was a signal to the “Russian leadership that there is no daylight between the Ukrainian people and the American people, between our goals.”
In an interview with Fox News, Mr. Bessent described the deal as “a total economic partnership. This isn't just rare earth, it's infrastructure, it's energy. So there's the opportunity here for both sides to really win.”
Writing on social media, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the pact “an important milestone in Ukraine–US strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Ukraine's economy and security.”
While the agreement is hardly good news for Ukraine – which until now had been receiving U.S. and other Western military aid for free – it's a far better deal than the one Mr. Trump had tried to push on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February, when the two men publicly clashed in the Oval Office.
Mr. Trump initially sought US$500-billion of Ukraine's rare earth minerals as compensation for the military aid (actually valued at US$183-billion by the U.S. government's own figures) given by the Biden administration. When Mr. Zelensky balked, Mr. Trump lashed out, famously telling the Ukrainian President that he was being disrespectful and “gambling with World War Three.”
That Mr. Zelensky was able to rebuild his relationship with Mr. Trump from that nadir is a substantive diplomatic accomplishment, even if the deal is one Ukraine would rather not have had to sign.
“It could have been worse. This deal was never truly meant to be in Ukraine's interests. Trump needed it, yes, and so Ukraine had to play along,” said Volodymyr Dubovyk, an associate professor of international relations at Mechnikov National University in Odesa. “That said, it has apparently unblocked the chance for Ukraine to purchase some weapons from the U.S., which is a good thing.”
The signing of Wednesday's pact also suggests that Mr. Trump has assessed, correctly, that it's Mr. Putin, not Mr. Zelensky, who is the main obstacle to a peace deal – and the Nobel Peace Prize that Mr. Trump is said to crave.
Opinion: The U.S. and Russia are both negotiating in bad faith
The Kremlin nonetheless attempted to portray the minerals deal as a defeat for Ukraine. “Trump has finally pressured [Ukraine] to pay for U.S. aid with mineral resources,” Dmitry Medvedev, a former president who now serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, said in remarks carried by the official TASS newswire. “The country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to signal the end of months of U.S.-mediated peace efforts, saying the timelines set by Mr. Trump were unrealistic. Mr. Trump initially vowed that he could end the war “in 24 hours,” then said he would give the process 100 days – a milestone that passed earlier this week.
“We understand that Washington wants to achieve rapid success in this process, but at the same time we hope that there is an understanding that the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is too complex. There are many questions and details that need to be resolved before the settlement,” Mr. Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday.
Mr. Peskov said Russia's war aims – which include the demilitarization and official neutrality of Ukraine, in additional to Moscow's claim to have annexed five Ukrainian regions – remained unchanged from the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. He added that any peace deal needed to be agreed “with Ukraine, not the United States.”
Wednesday's deal brought Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. back closer to how the situation stood before Mr. Trump's return to the White House, with the U.S. signalling it will resume its military partnership with Kyiv, and Moscow making it clear through its actions that the war will continue regardless.
Tuesday night saw yet another Russian barrage of 170 drones and five ballistic missiles targeting Ukrainian cities. Two people were killed and 15 were injured when explosive drones struck a residential area in the port city of Odesa, and two others were killed in a Russian air strike on the battered frontline city of Myrnohrad, in the Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, seven people were killed, and 20 injured, when a Ukrainian drone reportedly struck a market in a Russian-occupied town in the southern Kherson region.
Both sides fight on, knowing the tempestuous Mr. Trump could set yet another new direction at any time.
The U.S. and Ukraine have announced an economic deal after a weekslong press by President Donald Trump on Ukraine compensate Washington for more billions in military and economic assistance to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.
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Health officials in India are investigating reports that hundreds of children were served food that had contained a dead snake at a school last week.
More 100 children who consumed the contaminated lunch meals fell ill in the town of Mokama, CNN affiliate CNN News 18 reported. At least two dozen students were hospitalized on April 24.
A school cook dished out the meals after they had removed the snake remains, according to the country's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), citing local media.
“Reportedly, the cook served the food to the children after removing a dead snake from it,” the commission said in a statement.
Some of the children showed symptoms of dizziness and vomiting, the commission said. The health scare sparked furor among villagers, who blocked a local highway in protest.
The NHRC issued a two-week deadline to police in Bihar for a report on the incident, calling for an urgent update on the health status of the children.
The reports “if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the students,” the commission added.
India runs the world's largest free school meal scheme, as a way of providing better nutrition and keeping children in education.
In 2013, pesticides in such meals killed at least 23 students, prompting the government to improve safety standards.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky listens as South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at a joint press conference in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 24.PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S. and Ukraine have signed a long-anticipated mineral resources deal that could help Kyiv secure future military assistance, despite an apparent last-minute disagreement about its terms.
The U.S. Treasury Department said late Wednesday afternoon that the two sides had agreed to establish a United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund that would “accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery” from Russia's invasion while also recognizing “the significant financial and material support” that Washington has provided.
The announcement contained few details about the fund, which will be run by Treasury and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
The U.S. and Ukraine have announced an economic deal after a weekslong press by President Donald Trump on Ukraine compensate Washington for more billions in military and economic assistance to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.
The Associated Press
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that “the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centred on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.” He warned that anyone who “financed or supplied the Russian war machine” will be barred from profiting from Ukraine's reconstruction.
The Washington Post, which said it had obtained a copy of the deal, said the agreement covered minerals, oil, gas and other natural resources, but not the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant currently under Russian control. It said the deal also did not provide security guarantees to Ukraine but contained language about long-term U.S. support for Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent reported before the signing that the U.S. would take a 50-50 share in profits from Ukraine's future production of rare earths minerals. The news organization's sources said the profits would pay for future U.S. military aid to Kyiv rather than compensate Washington for past aid, as President Donald Trump had previously demanded.
Treasury did not respond to requests to confirm the exact terms of the agreement.
Stephen Miller, Mr. Trump's policy chief, said Thursday that “repayment to the United States” was still the objective of the deal. “It's meant to pay back the United States, is the key point, for the hundreds of billions of dollars that our taxpayers have spent subsidizing the war in Ukraine,” he told reporters.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the fund will receive half of royalties, licence fees and other payments related to natural resource projects in Ukraine. She framed it as tying the U.S. to Ukraine's future economic success.
“This partnership represents the United States taking an economic stake in securing a free, peaceful and sovereign future for Ukraine,” she said.
Separately on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A summary of the call released by Mr. Carney's office said the pair “agreed that a durable peace can only by achieved with Ukraine at the table,” seemingly a reference to previous American efforts to negotiate with Russia in Ukraine's absence.
The Prime Minister's Office said Mr. Carney and Mr. Zelensky will meet in June at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., and that Mr. Carney committed to backing “lasting peace and security” for Ukraine.
Before the deal closed on Wednesday, Mr. Bessent signalled that there had been some late disagreements over its details, even as Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was in Washington to finalize the accord.
“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes. We're sure that they will reconsider that, and we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are,” he said at a televised White House cabinet meeting a few hours before closing the deal.
Mr. Bessent did not specify what the sticking points were. He said the two sides had reached an agreement over the weekend that the U.S. was ready to sign.
The down-to-the-wire wrangling was consistent with the fraught history of the negotiations.
Mr. Trump originally proposed a deal that would have given the U.S. access to US$500-billion worth of rare earths minerals as a way of paying for the military assistance that Washington has provided Kyiv since the start of the war. (Mr. Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. had given aid worth US$350-billion to Ukraine. The real figure, according to the U.S. government‘s own Ukraine Oversight webpage, is US$183-billion.)
That deal fell apart after a Feb. 28 clash in the Oval Office between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky, in which Mr. Trump also blamed Mr. Zelensky for the fact that Russia had invaded his country.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky held a much calmer meeting last weekend on the sidelines of the Rome funeral for Pope Francis. Since then, Mr. Trump has softened his rhetoric toward Ukraine, and expressed stronger criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has rebuffed Mr. Trump‘s efforts to push the two sides toward a ceasefire. Mr. Trump has mused that Mr. Putin may be “tapping me along” and holding up a peace deal.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump explained his rationale for the deal: He felt that the U.S. should be getting something in return for helping Ukraine defend itself.
The President said at the cabinet meeting that the U.S. had previously given money to Ukraine “like it‘s throwing it out the window” and he “felt very foolish.” The deal, he said, would ensure the U.S. received rare earth minerals for its military support.
“We had no security, we had no nothing – we were just pouring money there, unsecured money, putting it in banks and anybody could have taken it out. Anybody over there. It was their decision,” he said.
“So I said, ‘well, we want something for our efforts beyond what you would think to be acceptable.'”
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of the foreign affairs committee in Ukraine's parliament, said that the agreement was at least a good sign that Mr. Trump may be willing to keep backing Kyiv.
“I think it‘s a sign of the increasing trust between both presidents,” Mr. Merezhko said.
Mr. Trump has not authorized the delivery of any weapons or ammunition to Ukraine since taking office, leading to rising alarm in the Ukrainian military, which has relied on U.S. military support to hold back the Russian troops that currently control about 20 per cent of Ukraine.
Mr. Trump once said he could deliver a ceasefire within 100 days of taking office – a milestone that passed on Tuesday with the war still raging.
“Trump needs to show a victory for his 100 days in office. And it‘s a sort of such a win for him,” Mr. Merezhko said. “He didn't deliver on his promise to finish the war and yet he has signed a deal with Ukraine. Now he can say: look, unlike Biden, I have managed to salvage the aid given to Ukraine.”
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Experts are alarmed as department says it will alter vaccine testing methods and build new ‘surveillance systems'
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and his department have made a series of misleading statements that alarmed vaccine experts and advocates in recent days – including that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine includes “aborted fetus debris”.
Health department officials released statements saying they could alter vaccine testing and build new “surveillance systems” on Wednesday, both of which have unnerved experts who view new placebo testing as potentially unethical.
“It's his goal to even further lessen trust in vaccines and make it onerous enough for manufacturers that they will abandon it,” said Dr Paul Offit, an expert on infectious disease and immunology and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, about the statements and Kennedy. “It's a fragile market.”
In this same week, Kennedy exhorted parents to “do their own research” in a talkshow interview – the phrase has become pop culture shorthand for a shallow internet search that casts people into the arms of the disinformation ecosystem.
“All new vaccines will undergo safety testing in placebo-controlled trials prior to licensure – a radical departure from past practices,” an HHS spokesperson told the Washington Post in response to questions about general vaccine policy and the measles vaccine. The department did not clarify what it meant by “new vaccine”.
The department spokesperson also described new surveillance systems for vaccines, “that will accurately measure vaccine risks as well as benefits – because real science demands both transparency and accountability”, but did not elaborate on the design of those systems.
Prior to being confirmed to the role of health secretary, Kennedy was arguably the nation's most prominent anti-vaccine advocate and led a non-profit known for prolific misinformation. He also earned money by referring clients to law firms suing vaccine makers.
Among the claims Kennedy spread was that medications cause “autoimmune injuries and allergic injuries and neurodevelopmental injuries that have long diagnostic horizons or long incubation periods, so you can do the study and you will not see the injury for five years”, he said in an interview in 2021, according to reporting by the Post.
Kennedy also claimed this week that the MMR vaccine includes “aborted fetus debris”. The rubella vaccine, like many vaccines, is produced using decades-old sterile fetal cell lines derived from two elective terminations in the 1960s.
Vaccines against new pathogens, such as Covid-19, are placebo tested. However, experts consider new placebo-controlled trials for long-time vaccines, for instance measles, to be unethical because it would effectively deny a patient a known intervention while potentially exposing them to a dangerous disease.
“No institutional review board at any academic center would ever accept that – so he's asking what personal injury lawyer invariably asks for, which is the impossible to be done,” said Offit.
Although Kennedy has made false and misleading statements about vaccines generally, the Covid-19 vaccine appears to be especially in the administration's crosshairs.
In response to recent questions about Covid-19 strategy from the Guardian, the administration responded: “The Covid-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”
Health officials have reportedly required all research grant applications on messenger RNA technology, which powers most Covid-19 vaccines, be flagged to Kennedy's office. They have also ended research that tested for the Covid-19 vaccine's safety and efficacy in special groups, such as pregnant women, as part of an $11bn clawback in grants from states.
Most controversially, the Food and Drug Administration has delayed expected approval of a new Covid-19 vaccine from Novavax, reportedly on the review of a political appointee known to be skeptical of vaccines.
Over the weekend, FDA commissioner Marty Makary addressed the delay by describing annual updates to the vaccine's strains as a “new” product, creating confusion about whether vaccine makers have to conduct new safety and efficacy trials. Such trials would not be a normal part of routine updates.
On Monday, the company released a statement that said in part the FDA had demanded a clinical trial as part of post-approval surveillance, and that it would continue to work with the FDA.
Slammed with lawsuits, the administration paused its student visa revocations, but students still aren't in the clear.
Shortly after the Trump administration took office, the State Department warned international scholars and students — people who had come to the U.S. to teach, conduct research and learn — that it planned to revoke visas based on allegations of antisemitism or for their purported support for groups like Hamas or Hezbollah.
What happened was far more expansive — a sweeping termination of students' immigration status records in a Department of Homeland Security-managed database known as SEVIS (the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System), which left students and scholars — as well as their lawyers — with questions about their legal status while in the U.S.
The terminations often had “no clear reason or rationale attached, ” but affected more than 1,800 students at 280 institutions by April 25, when the Department of Justice announced that the policy had been temporarily halted.
In announcing the halt, the Department of Justice also made clear that it intends to “work up a new framework to revoke and cancel student visas.” The decision followed more than 100 lawsuits filed by students, universities and advocacy groups to end the revocations. The information revealed in those lawsuits have shed new light on the Trump administration's multipronged attack on international students and scholars.
The wave of visa revocations followed a spate of high-profile arrests of campus activists, including Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts student who was in the U.S. on a student visa, as well as Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and green card holder. Those arrests came after a report from the news outlet Axios, which found the State Department had been using artificial intelligence in what it calls a “catch and revoke” mission to monitor foreign nationals, with particular attention to student visa holders. The report said that the State Department was working alongside the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security “in what one senior State official called a ‘whole of government and whole of authority approach.'” As more students heard updates on their statuses, it became clear that the intended targets went beyond political protesters.
As of April 24, the news outlet Inside Higher Ed documented at least 1,800 students and scholars whose visa records in the SEVIS database were originally revoked. They attend or teach at a wide array of colleges and universities — ranging from public to private, from the Ivy League to art schools and small liberal arts programs.
And, while some of those targeted may have been actively involved in pro-Palestinian organizing, others believe they lost their visas because of minor traffic infractions or other low-level offenses that appear on their record.
More details came to light in a hearing on April 29 for one of the suits brought by a targeted student. In the hearing, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes urged government officials to share details over what they dubbed the “Student Criminal Alien Initiative.” Government officials described a program in which ICE, alongside contractors, ran the names of foreign students through a federal index that tracks interactions with law enforcement — including things like traffic arrests or charges that may have been dropped, if they were ever brought at all. The data analysis used to revoke visas or to terminate SEVIS records, Politico reports, was done with minimal oversight or review.
In the past, federal officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have repeatedly sought to justify student visa revocations, saying that the State Department has unbridled authority to revoke visas and deport all noncitizens who are “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the U.S.”
But those public arguments fell apart when it came to individual legal cases.
In court, the government argued that the termination of records in SEVIS was simply an issue of removing information from a government database: “Terminating a record in SEVIS does not terminate an individual's nonimmigrant status in the United States,” an ICE official declared on April 14. “Terminating a record within SEVIS does not effectuate a visa revocation.” Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers, when pressed by Reyes in another case, were unable to answer questions about the student's legal status. “This is not Schrodinger's visa,” Reyes said. “Either he's here legally or he's not here legally.” Historically, removing a visa for international students does not automatically lead to deportation orders or indicate that a person must leave the country.
New York City-based immigration attorney Kaitlyn Amanda Box told Truthout that the more than 1 million international students currently in the U.S. typically begin the process of international study by applying to a school that is both accredited and certified to admit international students. Once accepted, the institution provides the student with an I-20 form that outlines their intended course of study and asks for basic biographical information. The State Department then vets everything and students are typically issued an F-1 visa (for study at an accredited college, university or language institute), a J-1 visa (for international student exchange programs) or an M-1 visa (for non-academic vocational training). The process, Box reports, can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Once issued, a visa is normally good for the duration of time it takes to complete a degree; international scholars are generally authorized to stay for five years.
If a student's visa is revoked, Box says, “colleges and universities need to understand that this does not prohibit the student from attending classes or change their enrollment status.” In fact, she continues, “While a visa allows a noncitizen to enter the country, it does not control their status once they're here. If they leave to go home for a visit, though, because the original visa was revoked, they will need to apply for a new one. It is now uncertain if a second visa will be granted.” ICE is now indicating that this may change. In an internal memo, the agency shared a new policy warning that students whose visas are revoked may also get their legal status canceled.
In addition, Box said that following the April 25 pause, many questions remain unanswered. “No guidance has been promulgated so far to indicate what recourse, if any, people whose visas were canceled have,” Box told Truthout.
This includes questions about whether or not those with revoked visas can continue to do paid work on campus.
“Working in the U.S. could become an issue,” she said. “Some international students have on-campus jobs, and schools are unsure if they can still pay them. In addition, most international students want to spend additional time in the U.S. and complete an Optional Practical Training (OPT) program once they finish their degrees.” Until the Trump takeover, OPT allowed recent graduates an additional year during which they were permitted to complete an internship or work; STEM graduates were able to extend this for an additional 24 months. “But now,” Box said, “everyone is worried that they'll be unable to find a job or apprenticeship since mentors are afraid of negative consequences if they take someone on.”
Not surprisingly, she reports that this is taking an emotional toll on visiting faculty and international students. “There is so much fear and panic,” she said. “People are worried about their ability to fulfill their goals and control their education. A small number are even self-deporting and hoping to finish their programs online.”
Thiri, a doctoral student in theology from Southeast Asia who asked to be identified by first name only to avoid being targeted by the Trump administration, told Truthout that her anxiety ramped up shortly after the revocations began. “I know that my visa is vulnerable,” she said, “so I have provided hospitality to student protesters who need food or a place to stay. I have not gone to any demonstrations or rallies. I care deeply about what is happening in Gaza and in other places throughout the world, but I feel helpless. I don't think it is safe for me to protest, but I am doing what I can. I know I have to stay grounded to complete my dissertation.”
Like Thiri, Neha is hunkering down. Neha, who also asked to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals, came to the U.S. from India last fall to enroll in a one-year fashion management master's degree program in New York City. “This is a global program,” she told Truthout. “I'm learning how to navigate fashion trends and understand how the industry functions. But being in America is getting scarier and scarier for me. I came here wanting to stay and work but I'm now so worried that I carry my immigration papers with me at all times in case I'm stopped by ICE. I'm afraid of what might happen next.”
“Every day, there's a new policy or executive order,” Hua Li, also a pseudonym for a fine arts undergraduate from China, told Truthout. “They're arresting people with green cards, so I am terrified. I've deleted my social media,” Li added. “I want to go home to see my family this summer, once I graduate, but I also want to do an OPT year. I'm worried that they won't let me return. No one at my college has answers, so I really don't know what I should do.”
Part of the problem is that college administrators don't have answers either. But some are beginning to come together to develop strategies to resist the Trump administration's attempts to control everything from curriculum to student enrollment to faculty hires.
The Coalition for Action in Higher Education — a group that includes the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Faculty for Justice in Palestine, Scholars for Social Justice, Higher Education Labor United, the American Comparative Literature Association, the Debt Collective, Historians for Peace and Democracy and Jewish Voice for Peace — coordinated a nationwide Day of Action for Higher Education on April 17 that not only denounced the visa revocations, but also opposed efforts to restrict campus activism. Moreover, several high-profile college administrators — Michael Roth at Wesleyan, Jonathan Levin and Jenny Martinez at Stanford, Christopher Eisgruber at Princeton, and Alan Garber at Harvard — have denounced the Trump administration's attempt to force universities to adopt an anti-democratic and narrow ideological line in order to continue receiving federal funding. Some, including Harvard, have sued the administration — a riposte that some commentators have noted should be seen as a “bare minimum” rather than a sufficient response.
Other schools have focused more narrowly on the visa issue. The American Council on Education and 15 other higher education associations requested a meeting with the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security in early April — as yet unscheduled — to demand “clarity” about the termination of student visas. That request continues to be relevant.
Needless to say, there is a lot at stake. “Today, more than 1 million international students attend American universities,” the Association of American Universities wrote in an email to Truthout. “These students conduct life-saving research, start businesses, and foster intellectual dynamism. The administration's recent actions concerning international students create a great deal of uncertainty on college campuses and could deter global talent from coming to the United States.”
That talent, the American Council on Education estimates, is worth $43.8 billion a year and supports 375,000 U.S. jobs. Universities have their own financial stake in keeping international students safe: The Institute of International Education estimates that 81 percent of international undergraduates and 61 percent of international graduate students pay their tuition and living fees entirely on their own, without financial aid.
But the looming financial pinch is not the only thing vexing colleges. International scholars are also fearful about their continued ability to teach, do research and collaborate with U.S.-based colleagues.
Veena Dubal, general counsel of the AAUP, told Truthout that the organization is suing Marco Rubio to stop the “chilling and dismantling of academic freedom.”
The lawsuit was promulgated, she said, because so many AAUP members were reporting that their international colleagues were canceling papers, workshops and conferences due to fear of being deported. “Noncitizens feel that they are under scrutiny,” she said. “This is true for those with green cards as well as those here on temporary visas. What is particularly striking is that there is a confluence between Title VI investigations and attacks on preferred speech.” (Last month, 60 colleges throughout the country were notified that they were being investigated for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The charge? Antisemitism.)
People who write about foreign policy are obvious targets, she said, but the administration is also directing its animosity toward people who organize or write about gender, queer themes, climate change and race. “People are scared,” Dubal adds, “and are deciding not to teach classes on these subjects. Our lawsuit is a way to attack the administration's use of fear tactics against this subset of vulnerable people. People whose funding is being cut are being censored because their work does not comport with Trump's preferred ideology. The administration is offering a brazen and perverse vision of what society needs.”
Since the lawsuit was filed, it has garnered significant support. An amicus brief supported by 86 organizations and led by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group formed to support international students and boost documented and undocumented college enrollment, is demanding a preliminary injunction to “safeguard academic freedom and halt the large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of students and faculty engaged in constitutionally-protected activities.”
The brief stresses that the administration's actions will not only deter international students from coming to the U.S. but will deny U.S.-born students the opportunity to hear global perspectives. Since 2013, 12 million international students have studied at American colleges and universities. By 2023, they accounted for 6 percent of domestic higher education enrollment.
That said, some colleges are far more reliant on international students than others. According to ArtNews, 33 percent of students at the Rhode Island School of Design are international. Similarly, half of the students at the School of Visual Arts; 35 percent at Parsons School of Design; 30 percent at California Institute of the Arts; and 29 percent at the Art Institute of Chicago and Pratt come from outside the U.S.
And art schools and their students are not anomalies.
“Students who are here on visas are fearful about speaking out but are adjusting to the new reality of this administration,” Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told Truthout. “They are realizing that they need to step back and allow U.S.-born citizens to step forward in anti-occupation and anti-genocide protests. But people are continuing to protest, and students are not backing down despite the Trump administration's use of tactics that represent the most autocratic regimes. It's incredible. These students have been so courageous and largely peaceful in their exercise of free speech. That's the story we need to elevate.”
We've borne witness to a chaotic first few months in Trump's presidency.
Over the last months, each executive order has delivered shock and bewilderment — a core part of a strategy to make the right-wing turn feel inevitable and overwhelming. But, as organizer Sandra Avalos implored us to remember in Truthout last November, “Together, we are more powerful than Trump.”
Indeed, the Trump administration is pushing through executive orders, but — as we've reported at Truthout — many are in legal limbo and face court challenges from unions and civil rights groups. Efforts to quash anti-racist teaching and DEI programs are stalled by education faculty, staff, and students refusing to comply. And communities across the country are coming together to raise the alarm on ICE raids, inform neighbors of their civil rights, and protect each other in moving shows of solidarity.
It will be a long fight ahead. And as nonprofit movement media, Truthout plans to be there documenting and uplifting resistance.
As we undertake this life-sustaining work, we appeal for your support. Please, if you find value in what we do, join our community of sustainers by making a monthly or one-time gift.
Eleanor J. Bader is a Brooklyn, New York-based freelance writer who focuses on domestic social issues and resistance movements. In addition to Truthout, she writes for The Progressive, Ms. Magazine, Lilith, The Indypendent, New Pages and other progressive blogs and print publications.
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Companies can now illegally pay federal contractors less than the current minimum wage and face no consequences.
On March 14, President Donald Trump quietly rescinded a Biden-era executive order that raised the minimum wage for private sector employees on federal contracts. The move is just one part of a wider war the administration has launched against the working class since assuming power.
Executive Order 14026 was issued by former President Joe Biden in 2021. In addition to increasing the minimum wage rate for federal contractors, it set adjustments to account for inflation. The Department of Labor (DOL) estimated that some 327,300 workers saw their wages go up, with an average wage increase of over $5,000 a year. The 2025 rate was set to be $17.75 per hour.
“Because federally contracted work so often takes place in long racially segregated industries in states where corporate lobbyists and their lawmaker allies have unjustly suppressed wages, this action will also help begin to close the racial wealth gap,” noted National Employment Law Project (NELP) Executive Director Rebecca Dixon at the time.
Trump's move could result in thousands of workers losing their pay increases, but its overall impact may be much more severe.
A full overturning of the rule means that some federal contractors will return Obama-era wage of $13.30 an hour, but Trump could undo the minimum wage for these workers altogether, meaning that some contractors could make just $7.25 an hour in some states.
“Lower-wage federal contractors include janitors who clean government buildings, food service workers on military bases, cashiers in gift shops in national parks and security guards protecting federal property,” Samantha Sanders, the Economic Policy Institute's director of government affairs and advocacy, told Truthout. “This pay cut is a blatant attack on these workers — everyday people all across the country trying to make rent, buy groceries, and support their families.”
Trump rolling back the Biden order doesn't mean the minimum wage for federal workers will immediately plummet. The DOL will have to go through a rulemaking process to determine how low to drop it.
However, that doesn't mean that workers won't end up making less, as the DOL has announced it won't be enforcing the EO in the meantime. In other words, companies can illegally pay federal contractors less than the current minimum wage and face no consequences. It's just the latest example of the White House openly ignoring the law.
Many workers technically have protections through labor laws like the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act, which are supposed to require prevailing wages by certain federal contractors. However, these laws have not been updated to keep up with inflation and are largely inadequate in the current economy. As a Center for American Progress report points out, many of the market wages established by these laws are less than the $17.75 hourly wage that Trump just nixed.
“A nursing assistant on a federal contract in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, has a minimum wage of only $13.17; a food service worker in parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas has a minimum wage of $12.06; and a landscape laborer on a construction site in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has a minimum wage of just $10.47,” explains the report.
The Trump administration knows there is power (and thus protections) in a union, which is why it's trying to prohibit federal workers from organizing in any way. The president's recent flurry of anti-union measures makes the resistance to his wage cuts even more challenging.
In March, the administration moved to revoke collective bargaining rights with federal unions across several federal agencies. According to a report from Government Executive, the order could eradicate bargaining rights for about 67 percent of the federal workforce and for 75 percent of workers who currently belong to unions.
“This administration's bullying tactics represent a clear threat not just to federal employees and their unions, but to every American who values democracy and the freedoms of speech and association,” said American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley after Trump announced the order. “Trump's threat to unions and working people across America is clear: fall in line or else.”
Shortly after the order was announced, Trump took the unprecedented step of suing the AFGE, the U.S.'s largest federal worker union, for allegedly constraining the executive branch. The lawsuit aims to invalidate a large swath of union contracts.
Elon Musk's so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) also effectively shut down the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), an independent federal agency tasked with resolving work stoppages.
DOGE “basically decided to eliminate all but a few people from the agency,” an FMCS employee, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told The Guardian. “We don't know the final count but maybe a dozen left out of an agency that had almost 200 employees through last year…. It is shocking as the agency does not regulate and has always been non-controversial.”
In yet another swipe against federal workers, Trump recently ended collective bargaining rights for nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. The move was a clear act of retaliation against the AFGE, which represents TSA employees and has continually sought to restrain the administration in court. The TSA negotiated a seven-year labor agreement last year, which included the addition of parental bereavement leave and expanded shift trade options for workers.
On April 8, Trump's attacks on the federal workforce got a boost from the right-wing Supreme Court. In a 7-2 ruling, the court paused an order from a San Francisco judge that required the administration to reinstate the more than 16,000 workers who were terminated earlier this year.
Thousands more could be facing unemployment, thanks to a rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on April 18. The mandate would reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers as “at-will” employees, stripping them of civil service protections and enabling Trump to fire them en masse.
“Moving forward, career government employees, working on policy matters, will be classified as ‘Schedule Policy/Career,' and will be held to the highest standards of conduct and performance,” Trump wrote on social media after the rule was announced. “If these government workers refuse to advance the policy interests of the president, or are engaging in corrupt behavior, they should no longer have a job.”
The OPM estimates that 50,000 workers would be reclassified, which is about 2 percent of the federal workforce.
While Trump aims to reduce wages, many lawmakers are pushing to raise them.
Led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Democrats recently reintroduced the Raise the Wage Act, which aims to bring the federal minimum wage up to $17 an hour by 2030. Despite the rapidly rising cost of living the United States, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009, the longest period without an increase since it was established in 1938. An economic analysis of the move suggests it could provide a raise for some 22 million people.
“The $7.25 an hour minimum wage is a starvation wage. It must be raised to a living wage — at least $17 an hour,” said Sanders in a statement. “In the year 2025, a job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, we can no longer tolerate millions of workers trying to survive on just $10 or $12 an hour. Congress can no longer ignore the needs of the working class of this country. The time to act is now.”
Earlier this month, Sanders forced a vote on the issue, as part of the Senate Budget Resolution, but it was rejected by the Republican majority.
A report from the NELP notes that the bill would particularly benefit women and workers of color. The group estimates that Black workers would make an additional $3,200 a year; nearly 25 percent of Latino workers would see a raise; and 1 in 4 women would get paid more.
It would also undoubtedly improve the overall economy.
“A $17 minimum wage by 2028 would generate $86 billion in higher wages for workers and would also benefit communities across the country,” explains the report. “Because underpaid workers spend much of their extra earnings, this injection of wages will help stimulate the economy and spur greater business activity and job growth.”
On the campaign trail, and even after winning the election, Trump waffled on the issue of raising the minimum wage.
When asked about potentially raising it in December 2024, he told NBC News, “It's a very low number, I will agree, it's a very low number. Let me give you the downside, though: In California, they raised it up to a very high number, and your restaurants are going out of business all over the place. The population is shrinking, it's had a very negative impact. But there is a level at which you could do it, absolutely.”
It's clear that Trump is no longer undecided on the issue.
We've borne witness to a chaotic first few months in Trump's presidency.
Over the last months, each executive order has delivered shock and bewilderment — a core part of a strategy to make the right-wing turn feel inevitable and overwhelming. But, as organizer Sandra Avalos implored us to remember in Truthout last November, “Together, we are more powerful than Trump.”
Indeed, the Trump administration is pushing through executive orders, but — as we've reported at Truthout — many are in legal limbo and face court challenges from unions and civil rights groups. Efforts to quash anti-racist teaching and DEI programs are stalled by education faculty, staff, and students refusing to comply. And communities across the country are coming together to raise the alarm on ICE raids, inform neighbors of their civil rights, and protect each other in moving shows of solidarity.
It will be a long fight ahead. And as nonprofit movement media, Truthout plans to be there documenting and uplifting resistance.
As we undertake this life-sustaining work, we appeal for your support. Please, if you find value in what we do, join our community of sustainers by making a monthly or one-time gift.
Michael Arria is the U.S. correspondent for Mondoweiss. Follow him on Twitter: @michaelarria.
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Fast-food company reports 3.6% fall in sales and carmaker says tariffs could cost it as much as $5bn in 2025
McDonald's and General Motors have warned that uncertainty around Donald Trump's tariff policy is hurting business, hitting sales and knocking profits.
The fast-food chain reported a 3.6% fall in sales in its US home market during the first quarter, driven mainly by lower customer numbers as consumers reined in their spending in the face of an unpredictable economic outlook.
It was the largest quarterly fall in sales since the Covid lockdowns of 2020, and comes as US measures of consumer confidence plummeted in March and April.
McDonald's chief executive, Chris Kempczinski, said the company was navigating the “toughest of market conditions” as it also reported a surprise 1% fall in global sales in the first three months of the year.
“Consumers today are grappling with uncertainty,” Kempczinski added.
The company, headquartered in Chicago, has been trying to boost consumer spending on its Big Macs and chicken McNuggets through the launch of a new “value” menu.
Also on Thursday, GM, one of the “big three” Detroit carmakers, cut its profit guidance for the coming year, and cautioned that Trump's tariffs could cost it as much as $5bn (£3.8bn) in 2025.
The carmaker said it was exposed to the costs even after Trump's announcement that he would scale back some of the duties on foreign cars and parts. The move was designed to give a reprieve to US carmakers, after the domestic industry warned his strategy would increase costs for American manufacturers by tens of billions of dollars.
Carmakers subject to a 25% tariff on imports will now not be subject to other levies Trump has imposed, such as those on steel and aluminium. US carmakers will also be allowed to apply for temporary tariff relief on a proportion of the costs imposed for imported parts, although the relief will be phased out over the next two years.
Mary Barra, GM's chief executive, said in a letter to shareholders that the company now expected to make a pre-tax profit of between $10bn and $12bn this year, including a tariff exposure of between $4bn and $5bn. This compares with previous profit guidance of $13.7bn to $15.7bn.
Despite the significant hit to profitability from tariffs, Barra's letter stated the company was “grateful to President Trump for his support of the US automotive industry”.
“We look forward to maintaining our strong dialogue with the administration on trade and other policies as they continue to evolve,” Barra wrote.
Carmakers have been struggling to keep up with Trump's frequent changes to his plans for sweeping levies, which have also forced Stellantis – the owner of brands including Jeep, Chrysler and Fiat – and German manufacturer Mercedes to withdraw their financial guidance for the year as a result of the uncertainty around tariff policy.
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GM and the other two big Detroit carmakers, Stellantis and Ford, have significant manufacturing facilities in Mexico or Canada which serve the US market, prompting analysts to caution that the trio could be most vulnerable to Trump's tariffs. Under free trade agreements, which have been in place for decades, parts and cars can crisscross that border many times.
Companies across a range of sectors have been struggling to keep up with changes to tariff policy announced by the Trump White House, which threaten to upend global supply chains and disrupt markets.
Uncertainty and abrupt policy U-turns also appear to be weighing on US consumers, while other hospitality businesses including Starbucks, Domino's Pizza and Chipotle Mexican Grill have warned that Americans are cutting back on dining out.
It came as official figures showed that the US economy shrank by 0.3% between January and March, down from growth of 2.4% in the final quarter of 2024 and the first contraction since the start of 2022.
US consumer sentiment plunged by 32% to its lowest level since the 1990 recession between January and April, after the announcement of Trump's tariffs sparked fears of a global trade war. The index of consumer sentiment score is based on a monthly survey asking Americans about their financial outlook.
The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent's first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is causing concern within the White House over his unconventional approach to high-stakes diplomacy with Russia and Iran, the New York Post reported on April 30, citing unnamed sources.
Witkoff, who has emerged as Trump's de facto personal envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin and concurrently handles Middle East affairs, has participated in solo meetings with foreign leaders, bypassing typical diplomatic protocol, according to the report.
According to New York Post sources, Witkoff has even used Kremlin translators during discussions with Putin — a breach of standard U.S. diplomatic practice.
Another source described Witkoff as a "nice guy, but a bumbling f***ing idiot," adding: "He should not be doing this alone."
Ahead of his April 25 meeting with Putin, Witkoff greeted the Russian president informally and without the customary entourage of advisers, military officials, or experts that typically accompany senior U.S. negotiators.
In contrast, Putin was joined by his aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev.
Witkoff's posture has alarmed officials because he frequently echoes Putin's narratives while reportedly lacking a clear understanding of Ukraine's position. The role of special envoy for Ukraine remains assigned to Keith Kellogg.
Following an April 11 meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg, Witkoff said discussions focused on a potential peace deal concerning "five territories."
Though he did not name them explicitly, he appeared to reference Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, and the partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, which Moscow claimed in 2022.
"I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very important for the world at large," Witkoff said in an April 14 interview with Fox News.
Beyond his role in the Ukraine-Russia negotiations, Witkoff has also been tasked with brokering Middle East ceasefires and revisiting the Iran nuclear deal.
He helped secure a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that began shortly before Trump's inauguration but was not extended. However, his limited diplomatic background has sparked doubts about his capacity to handle complex international negotiations.
"Steve Witkoff is simply someone Trump trusts," Alexandra Filippenko, a U.S.-Russia relations expert, told the Kyiv Independent. She noted their relationship dates back to the 1980s Manhattan real estate scene. "Trump values that kind of loyalty," she said.
Filippenko emphasized that Witkoff's prominent role in such sensitive negotiations, despite operating outside the State Department, remains "an unusual arrangement."
After her announcement of her transition, the actor said: ‘I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter'
Robert De Niro has expressed support for his daughter Airyn after she came out as transgender.
In a statement to Deadline, De Niro said: “I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is … I love all my children.”
De Niro's statement follows an interview Airyn gave to online LGBTQ+ magazine Them, in which she described the process of her transition and said: “There's a difference between being visible and being seen. I've been visible. I don't think I've been seen yet.”
Saying “no parent is perfect”, Airyn thanked De Niro and her mother, model Toukie Smith, adding: “I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.”
After Them's interview was published, Airyn responded on social media, saying: “Thank you to everyone who's been so sweet and supportive! I'm not used to all these eyes on me.”
MOSCOW, May 1. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a phone call with his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hailing Abu Dhabi's assistance in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swaps, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
The Russian leader commended the United Arab Emirates' assistance "in organizing the exchanges of detained persons." "Thanks to the efforts of the Emirati side, 246 Russian service members were able to return home on Easter's eve (April 19)," the statement reads.
According to the Kremlin, "the leaders expressed satisfaction with the current level of Russian-Emirati relations, which are strategic in nature and continue to develop in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian fields." "This kind of close cooperation makes it possible to maintain dialogue even on the most sensitive international issues," the statement notes.
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated Putin and the people of Russia on the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War.
On Wednesday, Putin held a meeting with UAE Deputy Prime Minister Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the Kremlin.
Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates has been assisting both sides in addressing humanitarian issues. Abu Dhabi is also actively involved in organizing prisoner exchanges.
Julia Johnson, seen here at Wolf Willow Park in Edmonton, has joined outdoor clubs in retirement. 'I am in way better physical shape than when I was working,' she says.Kaeden Dupre/The Globe and Mail
In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected. For more articles in this series, click here.
Julia Johnson, 72, Edmonton
I retired in July, 2020, at 67 years old, after a career as a computer scientist, working mostly as a professor at different universities across Canada and the U.S. I took an exit sabbatical before officially retiring so I could move to Edmonton from Ontario to care for my mother, who had cancer. She died a few months later.
Retirement was difficult at first. I had mapped out a life in which I would care for my mother for about five years. Her death was unexpected. With no children of my own and no spouse, looking after my mother would have been enough to fill my days. But suddenly I had no mother and no job.
I've been able to stay occupied in retirement. I've been clean and sober for more than 30 years and am now actively involved in the Alcoholics Anonymous organization, including as editor of its Edmonton central office newsletter. I've found many friends through the organization; it is a fellowship.
I also spend a lot of time outside and have joined several outdoor clubs. A river runs through the City of Edmonton with deep ravines, where I enjoy hiking. I also have a gym membership. I am in way better physical shape than when I was working.
I don't worry about money in retirement. I have a university pension. I began receiving my Canada Pension Plan benefits upon retirement. I started receiving my Old Age Security benefits after turning 70; however, much of it is clawed back because of my other pensions and other income, including my registered retirement income fund.
I have modest investments in my self-directed investment account and, after making some initial poor stock choices, my investments are increasing slowly.
I also live more modestly than I used to, especially after buying a house with my sister in Edmonton in August, 2023. I had previously lost money on real estate in Edmonton and on some of the properties I sold in Ontario. But after almost five years of grieving and emotional turmoil, I have begun to make better financial decisions.
I don't travel much in retirement. I travelled extensively for work across Asia and Europe, and used to visit my sister in Australia, where she lived for about five years. I enjoy gardening, cooking all my food from scratch and spending time with my sister and her family. She has four adult children, and it's fun keeping up with their careers in academia, law, nutrition and psychiatric social work.
I'm grateful to be financially able to contribute to organizations and causes that do useful work, such as animal rescue, the Wikimedia Foundation for disseminating the truth as widely as possible, and media outlets that run counter to the mainstream. They ring truer to what makes sense to me.
My advice to others considering retirement is to avoid making the decision because of pressure from family, unexpected events such as the pandemic, or emotional issues related to relationships. Please make sure your head is on straight when making such a significant life decision.
As told to Brenda Bouw
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Are you a Canadian retiree interested in discussing what life is like now that you've stopped working? The Globe is looking for people to participate in its Tales from the Golden Age feature, which examines the personal and financial realities of retirement. If you're interested in being interviewed for this feature and agree to use your full name and have a photo taken, please e-mail us at: goldenageglobe@gmail.com. Please include a few details about how you saved and invested for retirement and what your life is like now.
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Andrew Saunders, President and CEO
NEW YORK, May 1. /TASS/. By concluding a minerals deal with Kiev, Washington is seeking to demonstrate that it has economic interests in Ukraine, US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent told Fox News.
"He [US President Donald Trump] wants both sides to come to the table now by showing that the US has an economic interest in Ukraine," he said.
Bessent believes that the deal is "a signal to the Russian leadership."
"It's also a signal to the American people that we have a chance to participate, get some of our the funding and the weapons compensation," the secretary of the Treasury added.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yulia Sviridenko confirmed the signing of the minerals deal with the United States in a post on Facebook (banned in Russia, owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia). According to the document, Ukraine will bring into the fund 50% of all incomes generated by new licenses for extracting minerals at new areas. The United States and Ukraine will have equal votes in managing the fund. The agreement envisages no direct Ukrainian liabilities to the United States.
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ANNE NEUBERGER is Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation. She served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technology on the U.S. National Security Council in the Biden administration.
Anne Neuberger
When Ren Zhengfei founded Huawei in 1987, the Chinese telecommunications company had a few thousand dollars in the bank and an eye on reverse-engineering advanced foreign technology. By 1994, Huawei was producing switching equipment, the hardware and software that form the basis of modern telecommunications, and Ren was taking a meeting with Chinese Communist Party Secretary General Jiang Zemin. The Huawei chief executive observed that his company's product was a matter of “national security” and that a country “that did not have its own switching equipment was like one that lacked its own military.” “Well said,” Jiang replied. From that moment on, business and government have been partners in the mission to keep China's telecommunications secure.
Meanwhile, in the late 1990s and throughout the first decade of this century, the United States did not think much about its telecommunications dominance. Its leadership in the sector was unrivaled, and U.S. innovations—including 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies—were widely adopted and securely used around the world. But as the United States sat complacently in the top position, trusting that the strength of the free market would keep it there, China was carefully setting itself up as a challenger. Beijing poured resources into Huawei and other Chinese companies, positioning them to outcompete foreign firms. So successful was this effort that by 2012, Huawei telecom gear had been deployed across rural America, covering the bases that house U.S. nuclear weapons. This effectively provided the Chinese government with constant surveillance of the United States' most sensitive capabilities and military operations. Huawei may not have been raking in profits from this venture, but for Beijing it was an intelligence coup.
Although the United States began to push back on these efforts and eventually banned Huawei from U.S. networks in 2016, Huawei's successes have continued to mount. The company is now the world's largest provider of 5G networks and a dominant player in telecom equipment. It is also poised to lead the next generation of networking—6G. The company's competitors accuse it, with some justification, of achieving this dominance through intellectual property theft, helped along by aggressive Chinese subsidies and a closed Chinese market. Meanwhile, Huawei has demolished many of its rivals. Over the last 15 years, some, such as the U.S. companies Cisco and Motorola, have been driven out of the equipment market; others, such as the U.S. company Lucent, the French Alcatel, and the German Siemens, have been forced to sell or merge with larger firms in order to compete. The Canadian company Nortel declared bankruptcy in 2009. Today, only two non-Chinese firms remain capable of competing with Huawei on a global level: the Swedish firm Ericsson and the Finnish Nokia. The United States is their largest market, and U.S. telecommunications rely on the services of both.
This is not simply about Western firms' lost market share. Huawei's networks carry valuable data, which the company is obliged under Chinese intelligence laws to provide at the government's request. That access would be valuable to Beijing at any time. But now, in the era of artificial intelligence, the data sets that Huawei transports also have another function: training AI models. Huawei has deployed its Smart City services—which can include street camera imaging; electricity, gas, and water meter data; and social media analysis—in more than 200 cities in 40 countries, from Singapore to Spain. The data sets this produces could be fed straight into Chinese AI models and made available to China's military and intelligence agencies, making Beijing not just a leader in telecommunications but the dominant player in the use of AI for public safety and national security. The recently exposed Salt Typhoon hacking operation, which targeted major U.S. telecommunications firms, also demonstrated China's determination to gain access to U.S. networks by any means necessary.
U.S. President Donald Trump in his first term and President Joe Biden after him took steps to slow China's ascent to this commanding height. Both administrations tried, in particular, to address Huawei and other Chinese firms' cost advantage over their Western counterparts. Yet Huawei continues to extend its global reach. Beijing will gain an even greater edge in telecommunications if international tensions and trade wars undermine cooperation among Western countries. In his second term, Trump must redouble U.S. efforts to compete, enhancing programs that are working, making hard choices about how to allocate the range of invisible waves that carry wireless signals such as radio, television, and phone data through the air, known as spectrum, and working with allies to finance research and development and technology deployments abroad. Otherwise, China will extend its lead in 5G into the transition to 6G, cementing the country's authority over worldwide telecommunications—and putting it in a position to compromise the security of the U.S. and allied military and intelligence operations that rely on these global networks.
In the twentieth century, U.S. government investments resulted in the creation of the Internet, high-speed networking, and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Innovations in cellular technology by American firms also shaped global communications: 2G brought text, 3G brought mobile broadband, and 4G brought mobile video and app stores. Apart from its support for research and development, Washington largely left the free market alone. In China, by contrast, the government and military treated leading telecommunications firms as national champions, powering their rise because their success bolstered Beijing's strategic aims. Huawei alone reportedly received $75 billion in government support between 2008 and 2018, which enabled it to gain market share by pricing products well below cost. In the late 1990s, Western vendors owned nearly 90 percent of the market for telecom gear. By 2025, Ericsson and Nokia, even after acquiring their failing peers, were down to a combined 40 percent market share. Chinese firms account for an additional 40 percent of the global market.
Today, the United States and Europe—home of both Ericsson and Nokia—are sitting on a shrinking base, as China continues to undercut their sales pitches by subsidizing Huawei deployments around the world. Although Huawei's global dominance in 5G has been slowed by U.S.-led sanctions and export controls, neither the United States' innovations nor those of its partners have threatened the competitiveness of its products. Given that Huawei's research and development budget is more than twice the size of its two next-largest Western competitors, the company is unlikely to lose its innovation advantage.
The first Trump administration, recognizing the need for secure telecommunications, banned Huawei and other Chinese products from U.S. networks and took steps to replace the gear that was already present. The United States also began to encourage its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, to remove Huawei gear and work with trusted firms instead. The Biden administration continued this strategy. But both parties have known for years that banning Chinese technology would not be enough. The United States and its partners would need to develop a cost-effective alternative that could compete with China's aggressively subsidized products. To that end, the Biden administration brought in two critical government agencies, the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, to, among other projects, directly finance Costa Rica's move from a Huawei 4G network to a trusted 5G network and to team up with Finland's investment bank to finance a major deployment of Nokia's 5G technology in India.
Washington's objectives have not changed. It needs to compete with China at scale, narrow the price gap between U.S. and Chinese technologies, and encourage wider adoption of trusted systems. The way to accomplish this is with incentives for technology innovation and joint financing for countries choosing between Chinese and non-Chinese technologies.
The Trump administration should begin by making better useof the ten-year, $1.5 billion grant program established by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. Initial grants focused on funding large-scale interoperability testing of technologies that integrate hardware and software from different vendors. Over $140 million was awarded to U.S. and foreign firms and universities through this initiative, with a further $420 million in grants made available in May 2024. This was a good start, but future funding rounds must move much faster and focus on projects that commercialize new technologies, giving U.S. software companies greater incentives to enter the market. In particular, directing capital to the “cloudification” of network infrastructure—that is, subsidizing technology that creates virtual versions of specialized equipment—will pay dividends for U.S. industry, which excels at software development.
AI applications rely on high-speed networking. The United States, however, trails far behind China when it comes to setting up the required infrastructure. Today, 45 percent of U.S. mobile users are covered by 5G, compared with 88 percent of Chinese mobile users. When 5G technology was first introduced, China built 600,000 5G base stations in three months. It took the United States two years to build 100,000. But where Washington cannot compete with Beijing on deployment at scale, it can compete on efficiency. By integrating artificial intelligence into telecommunications operations, companies could rapidly increase transmission speeds and network capacity, improving overall efficiency. The next round of CHIPS grants should be used to drive research and development and pilot projects in this area.
Another important way to lower costs for U.S. firms is through tax policy. For example, Washington can encourage investment in digital infrastructure by allowing accelerated depreciation, a financial tool that enables companies to quickly lower the value of new assets and thus reduce their tax burden and free up investment funds. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included such a provision, but it was set up to last for only a limited time and the mechanism is already being phased out. Congress should now extend these types of tax incentives to a broad category of digital infrastructure equipment to maximize private-sector investment.
Even after the United States implements these reforms, the cost of non-Chinese technologies will still undermine U.S. efforts to persuade other countries to avoid Chinese vendors. The alternative on offer must be technologically advanced and competitively priced. The United States therefore needs to cooperate with its partners on digital infrastructure financing. This model has worked before: under the East Micronesia Cable project, launched in 2022, Australia, Japan, and the United States have jointly contributed over $90 million to support secure, sustainable, and resilient telecommunications infrastructure in and between Pacific Islands countries.
Potential partners that could bring expertise and commercial capabilities to a U.S.-led 5G financing campaign include the EU, Japan, and South Korea. The two European heavyweights in the field, Ericsson and Nokia, are already well established in U.S. markets but need additional research and development support to be able to compete globally with Huawei. Japan and South Korea have smaller companies that could also compete if provided enough backing. A deal with Washington that covers R & D and financing for technology adaptation in third countries could help any or all of these partners lessen their companies' disadvantages relative to Chinese firms.
China is ramping up its funding for these projects, and the United States and its partners must do the same. The obvious institution for Washington to turn to is the Export-Import Bank, the U.S. government's credit agency. The bank still needs more flexibility to take on risk and offer competitive financing for 5G projects, but its recent efforts show promise. In 2023, the bank's board authorized 5G-related transactions in which less than 51 percent of the goods and services involved originate in the United States, provided the exporter could present a plan for job expansion in the United States. Already, $313 million has been approved to support 5G construction in India under a cofinancing agreement with Finland's export credit agency. With more collaboration of this kind, Washington can show the world that the United States and its partners are determined to offer compelling alternatives to China's subsidized vendors.
The private sector has a role to play, too. Earlier this year, Google and the government of Chile announced the launch of Humboldt Cable, a subsea cable route connecting Chile to Australia via French Polynesia. A concerted effort by the United States and its allies to include private firms in their strategy can incentivize similar investments to keep far-flung parts of the world connected to Western technology, rather than reliant on companies that may be controlled by Beijing.
Finally, Washington should reform its spectrum policy. Spectrum, which refers to the range of invisible energy waves used to carry information (such as television and WiFi) through the air, is a limited resource. The Department of Defense is the largest owner of spectrum in the United States and it is not transparent about how much spectrum it requires and when it is used. Spectrum is vital for all kinds of data transfers, whether streaming movies or using drones to monitor infrastructure—in other words, it is not only the government that needs it. But in the United States, unlike in China, the public and private sectors do not cooperate on shared goals. Instead, the government and private firms compete for access. This holds back U.S. technologies relative to their Chinese rivals. China's advantages in this area underpin its ambitions to control global networks and to reap military and strategic benefits from that control. Washington will now need to make hard choices to make portions of the Pentagon's spectrum available for commercial use, while ensuring that it preserves critical military and intelligence capabilities.
The benefits would be significant. U.S. companies would be better positioned to develop next-generation mobile technologies, initiating a virtuous cycle of innovation. As they build and test equipment, products, and technologies for the new spectrum, companies in other countries will follow suit. A hardware and software ecosystem generated by the United States and its allies would then filter across the globe.
In a few situations, the Defense Department will be unable to free up more spectrum for the private sector. But even here there are solutions. The Pentagon should work with commercial firms to scale up the use of new spectrum-sharing technologies, licensing regimes, and AI-supported software to make networks smarter and more agile. This would enable government and commercial users to share spectrum more effectively than is possible today, which means the Defense Department could access spectrum when needed for infrequent but important missions, training, and testing. A pilot project initiated by the Biden administration has aimed to test these technologies at scale and in partnership with private firms. The Trump administration should quickly wrap up this pilot and accelerate the next steps of figuring out how spectrum sharing will be governed and putting rapid dispute-resolution processes in place. This will assure the Pentagon and intelligence agencies that spectrum would be available to them during crises and conflicts. It will also give the private sector confidence that on-demand spectrum would be sufficiently reliable for commercial purposes. That confidence is key to making private-sector investment in digital infrastructure worthwhile.
Thus far, much of the digital infrastructure that has undergirded the modern world was invented, developed, and deployed in the United States. If the United States were to lose this advantage for good, the consequences would be immense. A China that dominates global digital networks would be able to surveil them at will. It would also be positioned to lead in AI, training AI models on data that traverses Chinese companies' networks and controlling AI applications that rely on high-speed networking. Successive U.S. administrations have recognized the magnitude of the problem. But the steps they have taken to address it have not resolved the core issue: the absence of alternative technologies that can compete with China's on price.
U.S. national security depends on the United States regaining its lead. It cannot do so alone. Although the competition with China will be fierce, particularly because of Beijing's willingness to wield its economic clout to give its companies a crushing competitive advantage, Washington must engage. Technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, virtualization, and artificial intelligence will only become more important. The country that leads the transition to 6G, moreover, will be at the forefront of advancements in a variety of applications, such as robotics and autonomous vehicles. If the United States, in cooperation with its allies and partners, adopts and implements the right policies, it can regain the technological initiative and protect its intelligence operations and military communications around the world. But to do so, it must ensure that advanced, trusted, and secure digital infrastructure, designed and produced outside China, remains available—and becomes the technology of choice—both at home and abroad.
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The Associated Press
12:02 JST, May 1, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.
Trump announced the far-reaching tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners April 2 and then reversed himself a few days later after a market meltdown, suspending the import taxes for 90 days. Amid the uncertainty for both U.S. consumers and businesses, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the U.S. economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, the first drop in three years.
The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would have have thwarted Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. But McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.
Democrats said their primary aim was to put Republicans on the record either way and to try to reassert congressional powers.
“The Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a lead sponsor of the resolution.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the dismal economic numbers should be a “wakeup call” to Republicans.
Wary of a rebuke to Trump, GOP leaders encouraged their conference not to vote for the resolution, even as many of them remain unconvinced about the tariffs. Vice President JD Vance attended a Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who assured senators that the administration is making progress toward trade deals with individual countries.
Collins said the close vote “demonstrates that there is unease with the president's plan.”
“It's partially the president's plan is still evolving but many of us are hearing from employers back home about the impact of the tariffs in a negative way,” she said.
Some Republicans argued that the vote was a political stunt. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he backs separate legislation by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley that would give Congress increased power over determining tariffs but would voted on the resolution, which he said is only about “making a point.”
Several Republicans defended Trump's tariffs — and said they were willing to give him time to figure it out.
“People are willing to give the president an opportunity to prove that the new system works,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn said the vote shows that senators “believe that the President's policies deserve to be tried and see if they're successful.”
Democrats say the Republicans' failure to stand up to Trump could have dire consequences. “The only thing Donald Trump's tariffs have succeeded in is raising the odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “Today, they have to choose – stick with Trump or stand with your states.”
The Democratic resolution forced a vote under a statute that allows them to try to terminate the national economic emergency Trump used to levy the tariffs.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a “fake” emergency that Trump is using to impose his “on again, off again, red light, green light tariffs.”
The tariffs “are pushing our economy off a cliff,” Warren said.
Republicans held a procedural vote after the tied vote to ensure that Democrats could not bring the resolution up again, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters afterward. Vice President J.D. Vance came to the Capitol to break the tie and ensure they dismissed the resolution for good.
The Republican president has tried to reassure voters that his tariffs will not provoke a recession as his administration has focused on China, raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% even as he paused the others. He told his Cabinet Wednesday morning that his tariffs meant China was “having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business.”
Trump said the U.S. does not really need imports from the world's dominant manufacturer. “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said. “So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”
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U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said on April 30 that he does not expect Washington to abandon peace efforts despite previous threats from the White House to do so.
"The Ukrainians have already said they're willing to give up the land... not de jure, forever, but de facto because the Russians actually occupy it... That's what they're willing to go to, they told me that last week," Kellogg said in a television interview with Fox News.
The U.S. has intensified efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on April 28 a temporary ceasefire from May 8 to 11, which Kellogg on April 29 criticized as "absurd."
"I don't think so," Kellogg said when asked if the U.S. is ready to walk away from peace talks to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
The U.S. has threatened to walk away from efforts to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia if progress is not made.
"We had 22 concrete terms that (Ukraine) agreed to. What they want... and what they have is a very comprehensive and permanent ceasefire that leads to a peace treaty. When I mean comprehensive, sea, air, land infrastructure for at least 30 days... It could build to an important peace initiative," Kellogg said.
Kellogg noted a ceasefire should last at least 30 days, adding that it is what U.S. President Donald Trump believes should be done.
"The reason why 30 days is important is that it stops the killing. That's what President Trump wants to do," Kellogg said.
When asked if Putin would be willing to accept the ceasefire, Kellogg said it is "up to" the Russian leader.
"If (Putin) really wants to stop the killing, if he wants this war to end, there is a pathway to do it that has been presented to him," Kellogg said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump met in the Vatican on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral on April 26. Kellogg described the meeting as positive.
"I think it was a very positive discussion, in fact, what the Ukrainians told me was very constructive," Kellogg said.
The U.S. could partially agree to Russia's maximalist demands towards Ukraine to reach a settlement, the special envoy said.
"People don't understand how violent this war has been. Soldiers alone, when you combine the Ukrainian and Russian soldiers killed and wounded, were over 1.2 million, that is an unheard of number," Kellogg said.
U.S., U.K., German, French, and Ukrainian officials met in London on April 23 to discuss a path toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Moscow has refused.
Zelensky has repeatedly called for a full 30-day ceasefire, saying on April 23, Ukraine insists on an "immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire."
In early April, Goldman Sachs forecast significant challenges for the Chinese economy and labor market, citing high U.S. tariffs, declining exports to the United States, and a slowing global economy.
The investment bank estimated that China could lose about 10 million to 20 million jobs that depend on U.S.-bound exports.
U.S.-based economist Davy Wong said the impact may be larger because of the indirect effects on various businesses, including suppliers for export manufacturers, packaging companies, and logistics companies.
“It could be between 30 million and 35 million jobs,” he told The Epoch Times, noting that the impact is “lethal” to China's industrial cities.
Now, low-skilled laborers are also bracing for a jobless future as factories are expected to shut down, according to some individuals who spoke to The Epoch Times. The interviewees used pseudonyms to protect their identities because of safety concerns and the fear of retaliation from authorities.
Li, a factory worker in Shenzhen, said his employer's clients are exporting significantly fewer garments than they did in the past. The factory supplies materials to textile manufacturers in nearby Dongguan, a major hub for exporting consumer goods, including clothing and LED monitors.
“They used to ship goods every day but not so much now. Lots of products were left in the warehouse,” Li said, noting that many U.S. orders were left stranded in containers at Shenzhen's Yantian container shipyard.
“Job loss is inevitable; it's already hard to find a job,” he said.
Li noted that his factory, which also exports products to Japan and the UK, has been less significantly affected than those exporters working with U.S. clients. However, the factory's production has still decreased because of the effects of the tariff war.
Lee, an employment agent in Anhui Province, one of China's major production bases of solar panels and electric cars, said he has seen a drastic change in the job market.
“Many industries are in decline; lots of factories went bust,” he said. “Many factories furloughed their workers, who are now limiting their consumption because they can't make money.”
A few years ago, according to Lee, factories were actively hiring, and the average salary was 5,000 yuan (about $688) or more. Currently, many factories are adopting a four-day work week with no overtime, resulting in the average salary being cut in half.
Shenzhen is one of China's first-tier cities, attracting domestic migrant workers from smaller cities and rural areas who seek better job opportunities, higher wages, and improved living conditions. There are fewer than 20 such cities in China.
According to video footage posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, migrants have been returning home early this year because of a lack of job opportunities in big cities.
Those who return to live in rural areas will be counted as rural unemployment, which Beijing does not publish. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's urban unemployment rate in March was 5.2 percent.
In a video shared on Douyin on April 2, a business development professional advised viewers to not leave their jobs before securing a new one. The woman explained that she had changed jobs three times since 2022, successfully finding new positions in less than a week each time. However, she found it particularly challenging to do the same this year.
In early April, the state-owned China National Nuclear Corp. drew attention after posting a comment on WeChat, boasting that it had received nearly 1.2 million resumes for 1,730 vacancies.
After facing criticism for insensitivity toward young job seekers, the company deleted the post and announced plans to hire about 8,000 people.
The Epoch Times spoke to a number of people across China, who described a bleak picture for job seekers.
In Guangzhou, China's largest electronics manufacturing hub and home to several lucrative industries, Zhang, a 23-year-old computer hardware engineering graduate who moved to the city in March, said he was taken aback by how difficult it was to find a job.
“I'd advise others not to come unless you have to,” he said.
Zhang said he tried to get a job at an electronics factory, where 50 young candidates were competing for two vacancies. People had to compete for even the most basic job on the production line, he said.
In Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Chen has been job hunting for about six months. She's making ends meet by delivering take-out food using rented public bikes.
It's tough to find employment in any industry this year, she said. “I feel completely lost now. I have no choice but to do the most basic jobs,” Chen said.
In Guiyang, Guizhou Province, Yang, an economics undergraduate, became indebted after losing her job at a local government department a few months ago, as she has been unable to find other employment since.
“I was in the middle of my contract when the department laid off employees,“ she said. ”To avoid paying compensation, they cut my salary [to force me out instead of letting me go], but I couldn't accept it, so I left.”
Yang said she is drowning in debt and that her contact information was made public by debt collectors.
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Venezuela is demanding that a 2-year-old girl be returned to her family after the United States deported her parents and kept the toddler in government custody.
The Venezuelan foreign ministry on Monday accused the US of “kidnapping” Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, saying she was separated from her mother as she was boarding a deportation flight back to Venezuela.
It also said the girl's father, Maiker Espinoza-Escalona, had been deported earlier by the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
“(The US) once again committed the extremely serious offense of separating families and removing a minor from her emotional environment and, in particular, from her biological mother,” read a statement from the Venezuelan government on Monday.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied it kidnapped the girl, arguing it was trying to protect her from her parents, whom it accused without evidence of being part of Tren de Aragua (TDA), a Venezuelan gang the US has designated a terror organization.
The father believes he was accused of being a gang member because he has tattoos, but he denies they have anything to do with gangs, according to his sworn declaration filed in court in early March. CNN has asked Maikelys' mother, Yorely Escarleth Bernal Inciarte, about the allegation.
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In a Saturday statement, DHS said the toddler was removed from a deportation flight list “for her safety and welfare.” She remains in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and has been placed with a foster family, it added.
The toddler is one of several children to have been affected by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Last week, three US citizen children — including a 4-year-old with metastatic cancer — were taken to Honduras with their undocumented mothers as the women were deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. White House border czar Tom Homan said the US removed the children because their mothers “requested” they stay with them rather than remain in the country.
It's unclear if Maikelys' mother was given the choice to be deported with her daughter.
When asked for more information, DHS referred CNN to the statement it released on Saturday. CNN has also reached out to ORR for details on Maikelys' case.
The toddler and her parents entered the US in May 2024 to seek asylum, according to a court document filed by legal advocacy groups.
Maiker – who received a deportation order last July under the Biden administration – said in his declaration that he and his partner were put in immigration detention while their daughter was placed in the custody of ORR. Between October and March, the couple had weekly, in-person visits with their daughter, Maiker stated. CNN has reached out to his attorneys for details about his detention and deportation order.
On March 29, Maiker was sent to a naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where DHS has transferred migrants, according to court documents filed by his lawyers.
They said he was flown the following day to El Salvador's notorious Cecot mega-prison, which the US is using to detain hundreds of Venezuelan migrants it accuses of being violent gang members, though it hasn't provided strong evidence to back that claim.
CNN has reached out to the Salvadoran government for more information on this case but has not yet received a response.
The toddler's mother was deported soon after Maiker was sent to El Salvador. She was forced to return to her country on a flight without her 2-year-old child, Venezuela said.
The girl was kept in ORR custody, with DHS saying, “We will not allow this child to be abused and continue to be exposed to criminal activity that endangers her safety.”
Without providing evidence, it alleged in Saturday's statement that the father was a TDA lieutenant who oversaw various crimes including homicides and trafficking, and that the mother oversaw the recruitment of young women for drug smuggling and prostitution.
Venezuela accused the US of violating international law and said it would take all legal and diplomatic measures to secure the girl's return.
Its government demanded the “immediate release” of the child and “that the rule of law and the basic rights of our little girl be restored.”
It cited the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states in part that children should not be separated from their parents against their will unless such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. The US has signed the convention but has not ratified it.
CNN has reached out to DHS for comment on Venezuela's accusations.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the US is unjustly holding the child. He announced that a march intended for International Workers' Day on May 1 would become a rally to demand her release.
“I ask for the full support of the Venezuelan people in the effort we are going to make to rescue this kidnapped girl and to bring back safe and sound — sooner rather than later — the 252 Venezuelans kidnapped in El Salvador,” he said in Caracas Monday, referring to the Venezuelan migrants the US has deported to the Salvadoran prison.
CNN's Caroll Alvarado, Mounira Elsamra and Ivonne Valdés contributed to this report
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“The entire Trump economic agenda is about making it easier to do business in America, to create jobs in America, to hire American workers, and to build your factories here in America, not in China, or any other country,” Trump said.
The president was flanked by high-tech displays, including an Anduril drone model, emphasizing his administration's push to rebuild American industry.
More than a dozen executives on hand for the event touted their companies' recent commitments, totaling more than $2 trillion collectively and described as historic by the Trump administration, and sought to encourage more manufacturing development projects in the United States.
Trump said his trade policies, which include 10 percent baseline tariffs on nations worldwide—and a 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods—are spurring domestic manufacturing initiatives.
A tariff wall for the pharmaceutical industry is also in the works, he said.
“You build here, you have no tariffs,” he said.
Though critics of the U.S. tariffs suggest they could prove inflationary or cause supply chain disruptions, those who spoke at the event were in favor of the president's agenda.
Larry Culp, GE Aerospace chairman and CEO, said proposed reciprocal levies are “helping ensure that the U.S. aerospace industry, one of our biggest net exporters, continues to lead the world in innovation.”
Trump said approximately $8 trillion in investments in U.S. industries were secured in the first 100 days of his second presidency.
That figure includes $500 billion from Apple to develop manufacturing and training, $500 billion from NVIDIA for artificial intelligence infrastructure, and $500 billion combined from OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, among other deals.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of Softbank, said during the event: “I tried to commit $100 billion, and President Trump said, ‘Oh Masa, go for more.' So, we did.”
Other businesses are also moving operations onshore, according to administration officials.
“The business community is bullish on America because President Trump is back in charge.”
The capital influx is expected to generate more than 451,000 new jobs in high-paying sectors, she said.
Trump has championed high-tech manufacturing developments, calling the domestic production of semiconductors and computer chips a matter of national security.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, said the backing of the administration will allow the AI industry to proliferate in the United States and prove beneficial to a multitude of businesses.
“This industry is going to enable a whole bunch of other industries,” he said. “What we now call the AI infrastructure is going to revolutionize every industry that we know.”
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Syria strongly condemned foreign intervention in the country following a rare Israeli strike near Damascus on Wednesday amid deadly sectarian violence.
Syria said the Israeli strike killed at least one security officer and injured several other people.
Earlier on Wednesday Israel's military said it had carried out a strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital saying it was targeting an “extremist group” that had attacked the Druze community, a religious minority in the country.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation in the town of Sahnaya, southwest of Damascus, was a “warning action” against an unidentified armed group “preparing to continue attacking the Druze population.”
Syria's foreign ministry reacted saying it had an “unwavering commitment” to protecting all Syrian people, including the “honorable Druze community.”
According to Syria's state news agency SANA, government forces launched a wide-scale operation in the area surrounding Sahnaya to arrest “outlawed gangs” after an unidentified armed group attacked a Syrian government checkpoint late Tuesday, wounding three officers.
Other groups simultaneously opened fire on civilian and security vehicles in nearby areas. Recent violence left at least 11 people dead and dozens injured.
On Thursday, top Syrian Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri called for the “immediate intervention” of international peacekeeping forces “for the swift protection of an innocent, defenseless population.” He described the violence against his community as a “campaign of extermination” carried by what he described as Syrian government “affiliated extremist gangs.”
Without referring to Hijri's statement, Syria's foreign ministry immediately rejected calls for foreign interference.
“Any call for foreign intervention – under any pretext or slogan – only leads to further deterioration and division,” the ministry said in a statement. “Those who call for such intervention bear historical, moral, and political responsibility before the Syrian people and history itself.”
Foreign interventions, it added, “are often pursued at the expense of national interests and serve agendas unrelated to the aspirations of the Syrian people.”
Syria's top Sunni-Muslim cleric Osama al-Rifai has called on all Syrians to keep calm and not escalate the situation.
“Everyone must… stay away from calls for revenge and retaliation, and allow justice to take its course,” Rifai said regarding the “recent events,” in Sahnaya, in a statement on Wednesday as cited by SANA.
Two local journalists in Damascus told CNN on condition of anonymity due to security concerns that the clashes in Sahnaya broke out between fighters loyal to the Syrian government and militiamen from the Druze minority.
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Since the fall of the Bashar Al Assad regime, Israel has positioned itself as the protector of Syria's Druze, an Arab community that follows an offshoot of Islam and is predominantly present across Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Wary of a new regime led by former jihadists, a small minority of Druze have welcomed Israel's overtures, but many others have publicly denounced them.
A sizeable number of Druze live within Israel's internationally recognized borders, have Israeli citizenship and serve in its military. A large Syrian-Druze population is also present in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and most have rejected Israeli citizenship and do not traditionally serve in the Israeli military. Within Syria, many Druze live in the south of the country, parts of which Israel declared a buffer zone after Assad's fall.
“On this Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers, as we honor the Druze community's contribution to Israel's security, we stress our commitment to protect their brethren in Syria,” the joint statement added.
Israeli officials also urged the Syrian government to prevent harm to the Druze community.
On Wednesday evening, the Israeli military said that three Syrian Druze citizens were evacuated into Israel for medical treatment after they were injured in Syria.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen has expressed his deep concern “at unacceptable violence in Syria especially in suburbs of Damascus,” and ” alarmed at reports of Israeli attacks,” in a statement on Wednesday
” These attacks must stop,” Pedersen said and called for “full respect of Syria's sovereignty.”
The situation on the ground remains volatile, with residents telling CNN that Sahnaya continues to witness sporadic clashes and intermittent attacks by unidentified local groups involving mortar fire and medium-caliber machine guns. Efforts by government officials and community mediators to de-escalate are ongoing, multiple residents in the area told CNN.
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US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, left, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hold a meeting with Ukrainian officials, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting national security adviser to replace Mike Waltz, whom he is nominating for United Nations ambassador.
Trump announced the moves shortly after news broke that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were departing the administration, just weeks after it was revealed the adviser had added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
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During a contentious exchange about deportations in his interview with ABC News' Terry Moran this week, President Donald Trump brought up — from his perspective — how Moran had gotten into the White House in the first place.
“They're giving you the break of a lifetime, you know,” Trump said in Tuesday's prime-time broadcast. “You're doing the interview. I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that's OK.”
Emphasizing again that it was his choice that Moran was there, the president scolded, “You're not being very nice.”
From an ethics perspective, it's considered a breach for a news organization to let a newsmaker dictate who will conduct an interview. In the real world of competitive journalism, things aren't always so simple.
▶ Read more about the interview and the choice of Moran to conduct it
Hey, Parsley. Thanks for writing in. AP's Paul Wiseman, Annie D'Innocenzio and Christopher Rugaber wrote about the impact of Trump's tariffs on the economy as American businesses are starting to cancel their shipments from China. Here's some of their reporting to help answer your question:
American businesses are cancelling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down to see what trade policy surprises President Donald Trump plans to spring on them next.
The president's massive and unpredictable taxes on imports seem likely to mean emptier shelves and higher prices for American shoppers, perhaps within weeks.
And the higher costs and paralyzing uncertainty could exact an economic toll: U.S. consumers are in the biggest funk since COVID-19 hit five years ago, and economists say recession risks are climbing.
In the next few weeks, “you could start seeing shortages ... it's likely to be concentrated in categories where the U.S. is heavily dependent on Chinese manufacturing and there aren't a lot of alternatives and certainly quick alternatives,” said Judah Levine, research director at the global freight-booking platform Freightos. Among them: furniture, baby products and plastic goods, including toys.
Jay Foreman, CEO of toymaker Basic Fun, says “consumers will find Basic Fun toys in stores for a month or two but very quickly we will be out of stock and stock product will disappear from store shelves.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed on Thursday that the signing of a minerals deal with the U.S. was the result of negotiation that led to a “truly equal agreement.” During his nightly address he said there were no debts to be paid from past U.S. aid to Kyiv, per the signed agreement.
The Office of Management and Budget expects to roll out the federal budget Friday, according to an OMB spokesperson.
It's expected to be the initial version of the coming year's requested spending plan, a so-called skinny budget, of top-line figures with details still to come.
Capitol Hill is bracing for proposed steep cuts that are likely to reflect Trump's Department of Government Efficiency zeroing out various programs.
But it's just a proposal. Federal budgets are often referred to as a statement of a president's values, as Congress, under its constitutional power, compiles the annual spending bills.
It comes as Congress is already deep into drafting Trump's big bill of tax breaks and other spending cuts.
The two sides offered only bare-bone details about the structure of the deal, which they called the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund, but it is expected to give the U.S. access to Ukraine's valuable rare earth minerals while providing Kyiv a measure of assurance about continued American support in its grinding war with Russia. (AP video/Vasilisa Stepanenko)
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz gestures to Fox News host and President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, after speaking with her at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Trump's decision to shift Waltz to represent the U.S. at the United Nations has received approval from America's closest ally: Israel.
Danny Danon, the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, congratulated Waltz on the nomination Thursday, saying the former Green Beret is a “true friend of the State of Israel and of the Jewish people.”
Israel has become isolated at the international body since the start of its war in Gaza in October 2023. The U.S. has remained one of a few allies for the country as other nations, including the other permanent members of the Security Council — China, Russia, the U.K. and France — have criticized its handling of the deadly war with Hamas and recent monthslong blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Our alliance is stronger than ever — especially in the face of the hypocrisy and moral decay that characterizes several UN institutions,” Danon said in a statement. “I am confident that we will work together to forge a clear path rooted in security, justice and accountability.”
The State Department announced Thursday that Julie Davis, a 30-year veteran of the foreign service, would be the charge d'affaires at the Kyiv embassy “during this critical moment as we move toward a peace agreement to stop the bloodshed.”
Davis is currently serving as U.S. ambassador to Cyprus.
The appointment came just a day after the U.S. and Ukraine signed an agreement on critical minerals and other resources which could pave the way for additional U.S. military support for Ukraine.
Davis, who has also previously served as ambassador to Belarus and deputy ambassador to NATO, replaces Bridget Brink at the helm of the Kyiv embassy. Brink announced she was leaving the post last month as the Trump administration pushed ahead with plans for Russia-Ukraine peace talks that many believed favored Moscow.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during a briefing at the State Department, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce was told by reporters that Trump named her boss, Rubio, as acting national security adviser.
Trump said on social media Thursday that he was nominating outgoing national security adviser Mike Waltz as United Nations ambassador.
“It is clear that I just heard this from you,” Bruce said.
She added that Trump and Rubio work well together and have gotten to know each other well.
“I have to admit these last hundred days, it's like hanging on to a freaking bullet train. I mean, it is. It is a fast dynamic,” Bruce said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speak with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)
Trump announced the moves on Thursday after news broke that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were departing the administration.
The announcement just weeks after it was revealed that Waltz added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans. Rubio will also continue to serve as secretary of state.
The president's threat comes after planned talks over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program were postponed.
Trump wrote on social media Thursday that “All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!”
He said any country or person who buys those products from Iran will not be able to do business with the U.S.
The threat came after Oman announced that talks scheduled for this coming weekend have been postponed.
Hey, Hallie. Thanks for your question.
Yesterday, a federal judge again ruled that the Trump administration needs to provide information about its efforts so far, if any, to comply with her order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. from El Salvador. Trump, meanwhile, insists that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which is why his administration won't retrieve him.
Last week, the same judge castigated the administration for ignoring court orders, obstructing the legal process and acting in “bad faith.”
AP reporter Rebecca Boone wrote about this. Here's some of her reporting:
It's not the first time the Trump administration has faced a scathing order from a federal judge over its approach to deportation cases.
A three-judge panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals scolded the administration last week, saying its claim that it can't do anything to free Abrego Garcia “should be shocking.” That ruling came one day after a federal judge in Washington, D.C., found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador in a different legal case.
Democrats and legal scholars say President Donald Trump is provoking a constitutional crisis in part by ignoring court rulings, while the White House has said it's the judges who are the problem.
The department argues in filings Wednesday that the states' lawsuits alleging harms that play a role in climate change would infringe on the federal government's authority.
The federal lawsuits raise questions over states' abilities to take climate action without federal opposition.
In court filings, the DOJ said the federal Clean Air Act “creates a comprehensive program for regulating air pollution in the United States and “displaces” the ability of States to regulate greenhouse gas emissions beyond their borders.”
When burned, fossil fuels release emissions such as carbon dioxide that warm the planet.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The president signed an executive order creating the panel during a White House Rose Garden ceremony to recognize the National Day of Prayer.
Its members include Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former U.S. housing secretary Ben Carson and TV talk-show host Phil McGraw. The commission was Patrick's idea, Trump said.
Patrick told Trump, “There has never been a president who has invoked the name of Jesus more than you.”
McGraw said Trump is a “man of deep faith … who wants this country to have a heart and have religion.”
The meeting Tuesday was the first known Trump administration contact with Syrian officials since the fall of President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
The new Syrian authorities arrived in the U.S. last week to attend a series of meetings in Washington and New York as part of an effort to urge relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war.
In a statement released Wednesday, the State Department said while they do not discuss “private diplomatic conversations,” they continue to urge the interim authorities to “choose policies that will reinforce stability” for Syrians, “assure peace with Syria's neighbors,” while developing the war-torn country's economy.
“Any future normalization of relations or lifting of sanctions will depend on the interim authorities' actions and positive response to the specific confidence building measures we have communicated,” the State Department said.
Addressing a National Day of Prayer Event in the White House Rose Garden, Trump vowed: “We're bringing back religion in our country” and doing so “quickly and strongly.”
The president used the occasion to again promise that tax-cut legislation would work its way through Congress.
Trump noted that he was addressing “a religious ceremony” but, added that, to him, “That's part of the religion because, if your taxes go up” than some people “might give up your religion.”
“You might have no choice. You'll be working too hard to try and make it,” he said if taxes rise.
A Pentagon report released Thursday says there were 8,195 reported sexual assaults in 2024 involving members of the military, compared with 8,515 in 2023.
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
It was the second year in a row with a decrease, reversing a troubling trend that has plagued the Defense Department for more than a decade.
Defense officials say that while the decline is a good sign, the numbers of reported assaults are still too high and the military needs to do more to get victims to report the often undisclosed crime.
U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot be used against people whom the Republican administration claims are gang members invading the United States.
“Neither the Court nor the parties question that the Executive Branch can direct the detention and removal of aliens who engage in criminal activity in the United States,” Rodriguez wrote Thursday. But, he said, “the President's invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute's terms.”
In March, Trump issued a proclamation claiming the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was invading the U.S. He said he had special powers to deport immigrants, identified by his administration as gang members, without the usual court proceedings.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, most recently during World War II, when it was cited to intern Japanese-Americans.
The proclamation triggered a flurry of litigation as the administration tried to ship migrants it claimed were gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Rodriguez's ruling is significant because it is the first formal permanent injunction against the administration using the AEA and contends the president is misusing the law.
A sign is seen for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, in Silver Spring, Md., on the FDA grounds. Social media users are falsely claiming that makers of COVID-19 vaccines can change up to 49% of the product's ingredients without FDA approval in certain circumstances. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
For the second time in recent months, the Food and Drug Administration is bringing back some recently fired employees, including staffers who handle travel bookings for safety inspectors.
More than 20 of the agency's roughly 60 travel staff will be reinstated, according to two FDA staffers notified of the plan this week, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential agency matters.
Food scientists who test samples for bacteria and study potentially harmful chemicals also have been told they will get their jobs back, but have yet to receive any official confirmation.
The reversals are the latest example of the haphazard approach to cuts at the agency, which have shrunk FDA's staff by an estimated 20%. In February, the FDA laid off about 700 provisional employees, including food and medical device reviewers, only to rehire many of them within days.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is set to depart the Trump administration.
That's according to two people familiar with the matter, which marks the first major staff shakeup of President Trump's second term.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.
A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Waltz's deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart, according to the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move not yet made public. The National Security Council did not respond do a request for comment.
▶ Read more about Mike Waltz leaving the Trump administration
“It was a good conversation,” Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing. “Even though there wasn't a specific agreement, the important thing is that we're working on it.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gives her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Sheinbaum, who said she and Trump spoke for 10 to 15 minutes Thursday morning, noted that the Trump administration had relaxed some of the tariffs on automobiles and auto parts this week, but said Mexico is still looking for a better deal for the automotive sector, as well as for steel and aluminum which face their own U.S. tariffs.
The U.S. is looking to reduce its trade deficit with Mexico, she said, noting that Mexico was working to find ways to help them do that.
The leaders agreed that their cabinet secretaries would continue negotiating.
“It is a good sign that we continue advancing,” she said.
French union leaders condemned the “Trumpization” of world politics, while in Italy, May Day protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
Across continents, hundreds of thousands turned out for Thursday's rallies marking International Workers' Day, many united in anger over President Trump's agenda — from aggressive tariffs stoking fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns.
In the United States, organizers framed this year's protests as a pushback against what they called a sweeping assault on labor protections, diversity initiatives and federal employees.
In Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising anti-immigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. In Bern, Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of hard-right politics.
▶ Read more about May Day marches around the world
Bibb Graves Hall, seen on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. (Gary Cosby Jr./The Tuscaloosa News via AP)
President Trump will travel to heavily Republican Alabama on Thursday to speak to graduating students at the University of Alabama, where he's expected to draw some protesters despite enjoying a deep well of support in the state.
Trump's evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he's been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration.
The White House did not offer any details about Trump's planned message.
Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he's staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It also is where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies.
▶ Read more about Trump's planned trip to Alabama
Administration officials say they're seeking a permanent home at the State Department for a memorial honoring fallen staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The memorial bears the names of 99 USAID and other foreign assistance workers killed in the line of duty around the world.
The Trump administration has dismantled USAID and terminated most of its programs and staff, accusing its humanitarian and development work of being wasteful and out of line with Trump's agenda. Past presidents since John F. Kennedy argued that working for a more stable and prosperous world benefited U.S. security.
The State Department says workers removed the memorial from the former USAID headquarters Wednesday. It's being held in a temporary location, the agency said.
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller says former Vice President Kamala Harris' criticism of Trump are a “great reminder to the American people of just how blessed we all are that the leader sitting in the Oval Office today is President Donald Trump and not President Kamala Harris.”
“It would have been the end of America,” Miller said at a briefing with reporters at the White House on Thursday.
Harris said in a speech Wednesday night that Trump's tariffs are “clearly inviting a recession.”
Miller countered that, “The only things Americans want to hear from Kamala Harris is an apology” for less strict immigration policies and enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border, which he said was “unforgivable.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added, “I think I speak for everyone at the White House, we encourage Kamala Harris to continue going out and do speaking engagements.”
This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)
The planned negotiations between Iran and the United States this weekend over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program have been postponed, Oman announced Thursday.
A message online from Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement in a post on the social media platform X.
“For logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,” he wrote. “New dates will be announced when mutually agreed.”
Al-Busaidi did not elaborate. Iran and the U.S. did not immediately acknowledge al-Busaidi's comments.
The talks Saturday were to be held in Rome.
▶ Read more about nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran
A top White House official is defending Trump's acknowledgement that steep tariffs on China might lead to fewer goods on the shelves at higher prices.
Mash'ems, from Basic Fun!, are displayed at the Toy Fair, in New York's Javits Center, Monday, March 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trump said children maybe “will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller insisted Thursday that the president was “making the point that I think almost every American consumer agrees with.”
In a briefing with reporters, Miller said dolls made in the U.S. had higher quality standards than ones from China that he said could contain lead paint.
“Yes, you'd probably be willing to pay more for a better-made American product,” Miller said.
China's state broadcaster has claimed in a social media post that the Trump administration has been seeking contact with Beijing through multiple channels to start negotiations over tariffs.
In a climbdown, the post by China Central Television says there's no need for China to talk with the U.S. before the U.S. takes any substantive act but also said “there is no harm” for contact.
“China needs to observe or even force out the true intent on the U.S. side to stay proactive in the talks,” reads the post.
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said she also understands “it's getting close” for talks between the two sides but such talks will be at the working level, not yet between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters just after House Republicans narrowly approved their budget framework, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
There's trouble as House Republicans race to build Trump's big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, especially over its trillions in costs and potential Medicaid changes.
Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, tax writing committee chairman Rep. Jason Smith and the chairman handling health programs, Brett Guthrie, are meeting with Trump.
Trump's administration released a lengthy review of transgender health care Thursday that advocates for a greater reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender-affirming medical care for youths with gender dysmorphia.
The Health and Human Services report questions standards for the treatment of transgender youth issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and is likely to be used to bolster the government's abrupt shift in how to care for a subset of the population that has become a political lightning rod.
This new “best practices” report is in response to an executive order Trump issued days into his second term that says the federal government must not support gender transitions for anyone under age 19.
“Our duty is to protect our nation's children — not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”
▶ Read more about the Trump administration's stance on transgender health care
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and President Donald Trump, talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal that's expected to give Washington access to the country's critical minerals and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.
According to Ukrainian officials, the version of the deal signed Wednesday is far more beneficial to Ukraine than previous versions, which they said reduced Kyiv to a junior partner and gave Washington unprecedented rights to the country's resources.
The deal covers minerals, including rare earth elements, but also other valuable resources, including oil and natural gas, according to the text released by Ukraine's government.
It doesn't include resources that are already a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state. In other words, any profits under the deal are dependent on the success of new investments. Ukrainian officials have also noted that it doesn't refer to any debt obligations for Kyiv, meaning profits from the fund will likely not go toward the paying the U.S. back for its previous support.
▶ Read more about the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal
To understand the Justice Department's struggles in representing President Trump's positions in court, look no further than a succession of losses last week that dealt a setback to the administration's agenda.
In orders spanning different courthouses, judges blocked a White House plan to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, ruled the Republican administration violated a settlement agreement by deporting a man to El Salvador and halted directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
That's on top of arguments in which two judges expressed misgivings to a Justice Department lawyer about the legality of Trump executive orders targeting major law firms and a department lawyer's accidental filing of an internal memo in court questioning the Trump administration's legal strategy to kill Manhattan's congestion toll — a blunder the Transportation Department called “legal malpractice.”
▶ Read more about the Justice Department's courtroom losses
An aerial view of Xiasha Container Terminal on a canal in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)
Consumers can expect higher prices and delivery delays when the Trump administration ends a duty-free exemption on low-value imports from China Friday.
The expiration of the so-called de minimis rule that has allowed as many as 4 million low-value parcels to come into the U.S. every day — mostly from China — is also forcing businesses that have built their models on sourcing production in China to rethink their practices in order to keep their costs down.
But some might actually benefit from the termination of the duty exemption. For instance, companies that make their goods in the U.S. may feel relief from the competition of cheap Chinese imports, and likely experience a brighter sales outlook.
The move, which applies to goods originating from mainland China and Hong Kong, comes on top of President Donald Trump's new tariffs totaling 145% on China. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs of 125% on the U.S., fueling a trade war between the world's two largest economies. Sellers are already seeing cautious consumers.
▶ Read more about the end to the de minimis rule
Former Vice President Kamala Harris used a high-profile speech Wednesday to sharply criticize President Donald Trump. She criticized the Republican president's handling of the economy, U.S. institutions and foreign policy.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris used a high-profile speech to sharply criticize Trump amid speculation about whether she will mount another presidential campaign or opt to run for California governor.
In her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January following her defeat to Trump, Harris said Wednesday she's inspired by Americans fighting Trump's agenda despite threats to their freedom or livelihood.
Before Wednesday, Harris had barely mentioned Trump by name since she conceded defeat to him in November.
In a 15-minute speech, she spoke to the anxiety and confusion that have gripped many of her supporters since Trump took office but discouraged despair.
Trump went after Harris in a campaign-style rally Tuesday marking his 100th day in office. He sarcastically called her a “great border czar” and a “great candidate,” and repeated some of the applause lines he routinely delivered during the campaign.
▶ Read more about Harris' remarks
Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.
The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would have thwarted Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. But McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.
▶ Read more about the vote and resolution
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Live Updates
• New role for Waltz: President Donald Trump announced today that he's nominating Mike Waltz to serve as UN ambassador, shifting from his role as national security adviser. Marco Rubio will now serve as secretary of state and interim national security adviser. Waltz had been on shaky ground since he added a journalist to a group chat on military strikes.
• Immigration ruling: A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas ruled that the president unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and blocked the administration from quickly deporting some alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.
• Tariff turmoil: Trump acknowledged his tariffs could impact US consumers — but downplayed the economy shrinking in the first quarter. Behind the scenes, White House officials describe intense pressure to produce trade deals as economic anxiety builds, sources tell CNN.
Outgoing national security adviser Mike Waltz said he's “deeply honored” to continue serving President Donald Trump after the president announced today that he'd be nominating Waltz to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.
“I'm deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz wrote on X.
Remember: Waltz had lost most of his influence in the West Wing in the wake of a scandal stemming from him inadvertently adding a journalist to a messaging app group chat about highly sensitive military strikes.
Crowds of protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles today, with several carrying signs urging the government to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the US.
Organizers from the '50501' movement, short for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement – in response to the Trump administration's flurry of moves over its first 100 days, announced protests across the country, CNN previously reported.
May 1 marks May Day, which shares a date with International Workers' Day and is often a day for protests and civil action for labor rights.
In New York City, the first May Day protest of the day was a mix of several different causes, with chants of “Free Palestine,” signs calling for the freedom of Mahmoud Khalil, and more typical worker rights signs like, “Trump: Hands Off Our Unions.”
Many signs also called for ICE to get “out of our communities,” and to stop the Trump administration's emphasis on deportations.
The group of roughly 150 or so marched a little over 20 blocks from their starting point in Union Square to the New York Public Library, where the rally concluded near the iconic lions on its front entrance steps.
President Donald Trump informed his outgoing national security adviser Michael Waltz that he was removing him from his role and nominating him as the US ambassador to the United Nations this morning, a White House official tells CNN.
Hours later, Trump announced the move on Truth Social, as well as that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would serve in the national security adviser role on an interim basis.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce expressed confidence that Secretary of State Marco Rubio can handle his roles of both top US diplomat and interim national security adviser.
“He would not have accepted an assignment if he didn't think he could do it,” she said when asked if Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau would take on some of Rubio's portfolio.
Still, Bruce noted that there is always a team involved in government, calling the other State Department leadership “remarkable.”
“It's about managing people. It's about assigning people to the right roles, as the president has just done. If anybody can do this, certainly the secretary, as I've gotten to know him, it would be Marco Rubio,” Bruce said.
The spokesperson said Rubio is a “very involved, energetic man” with close ties with the president.
“We've seen him be at the White House several times a week. His close working relationship day to day with the president happens for a reason because they work well together. They've clearly been in an environment where they've gotten to know each other very well,” she said at a press briefing.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce appeared caught off guard by the news of the appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio as interim national security adviser, before calling it “an exciting moment.”
Reacting to CNN informing her of the news, Bruce noted that Rubio is a “man who, I think you all know, has worn several hats from day one” and “is someone who is well known by the president.”
“The president makes perfect assessments about who would implement his agenda,” she said at a press briefing, noting she wasn't entirely surprised.
“That is the miracle of modern technology and social media,” she said of Trump's Truth Social post.
President Donald Trump announced today that he's nominating Mike Waltz to serve as UN ambassador, shifting from his role as national security adviser.
Marco Rubio will now serve as both secretary of State and interim national security adviser, Trump said.
“Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.”
Earlier today, CNN reported that Waltz was expected to depart from his post as national security adviser in the coming days, according to sources, the first major staff shakeup since the president took office in January. Waltz's job had been in limbo after it was made clear to him earlier this week that his time leading the NSC had come to an end, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Waltz had been on shaky ground – having lost most of his influence in the West Wing – after he inadvertently added a journalist to a messaging app group chat about highly sensitive military strikes.
Alex Wong, the deputy national security adviser, and other national security advisers are also expected to depart, per multiple sources familiar with conversations, though timing is unclear.
It's not the first time Rubio has been suddenly asked to fill a vacancy in Trump's administration. In February, Trump dismissed National Archivist Colleen Shogan, later naming Rubio to fill the role.
That same month, Trump named Rubio as acting administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) — an agency he's moving to shutter as part of the administration's efforts to cut down on spending.
Henry Kissinger previously served as both secretary of State and national security adviser simultaneously under then-President Richard Nixon.
The expected departure of national security adviser Mike Waltz from the Trump administration in the coming days, according to sources, would make his tenure the second shortest of anyone who has served under President Donald Trump in the position, including during his first term.
Trump cycled through three national security advisers during his first administration.
Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn was on the job for just 25 days. He was forced to resign less than a month after Trump's 2017 inauguration amid claims he misled the administration over his communications with Russia during the transition. In early December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Trump pardoned Flynn in 2020.
Flynn's replacement H.R. McMaster was able to last longer in the role (over 13 months.) But after months of personal tension between him and Trump, the president announced McMaster's departure in a post on X in April of 2018. Trump had privately expressed irritation with McMaster stemming from differences in “personality and style,” a senior Republican source told CNN at the time.
In the same tweet Trump made McMaster's ouster public, he announced who the next NSA would be: John Bolton, a then-Fox News analyst who had served as United Nations ambassador under President George W. Bush. A senior administration source at the time told CNN the president had grown frustrated with Bolton taking different positions on issues. The source said Trump no longer believed Bolton could advocate for his agenda.
Bolton was out in April 2019, with him and Trump offering different views on whether he left voluntarily or was asked to resign.
Trump replaced Bolton with Robert O'Brien, who served from 2019 until Trump left office in 2021.
Senate Democrats announced today they are planning to force a vote on a resolution that would require the Trump administration to release a report detailing its efforts to comply with court orders on wrongful deportations to El Salvador, including a human rights report on the Central American country.
It comes amid the case of Kilmar Abrego García, the Maryland man who the administration has admitted was mistakenly deported to the country.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who met with Abrego García in El Salvador over the April congressional recess, told reporters: “The right to due process is a bedrock American principle, and in his first 100 days, Donald Trump is shredding the Constitution of the United States.”
The legislation is privileged, meaning Democrats can force a vote on it despite being in the minority. Van Hollen said, if passed, the resolution won't need to go to the House.
“If it passes in the Senate, there is a requirement for the State Department to produce the Human Rights Report. The text of the bill poses a number of questions that the report must answer. If no report is produced within 30 days, the law specifies that all security assistance to El Salvador will be cut off,” Van Hollen said.
Earlier today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dodged when asked if he would support other Senate Democrats going to El Salvador, though he said that he “respected” Van Hollen's actions and is co-sponsoring the resolution.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said Democrats want to use this vote to “send a message” to the administration, as well as to the government of El Salvador. ‘If you think you can take steps like this without Congress challenging your executive overreach, you're wrong,” he said.
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist, told CNN she tried to raise concerns about national security adviser Mike Waltz directly with President Donald Trump during their April meeting in the Oval Office, which had already resulted in the dismissal of several other National Security Council members.
Loomer was urging the removal of national security officials she viewed as insufficiently loyal, and said she planned to show Trump a 2016 campaign ad in which Waltz criticized him. But before she could play the clip on her phone, Waltz entered the room.
Her intention was to demonstrate what she viewed as Waltz's blind spot in identifying unfaithful actors, given his own early opposition to Trump before becoming a supporter. She said she believes Trump has since seen the video, though she could not confirm it.
“All of this boils down to a vetting crisis. Michael Waltz is the one that looked the president in the eye and said he vetted all of these people who there are a lot of problems with,” she said.
Democrats on Capitol Hill largely reacted to national security adviser Mike Waltz's expected ouster by saying President Donald Trump was firing the wrong national security official. They believed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deserved the boot more after he discussed bomb targets in Yemen in the Signal chat.
But Trump's thinking on Hegseth has sharply differed from how he regarded Waltz after the Signal episode, according to people familiar with the matter. The president was never able to move beyond the question of how Waltz invited Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic into the group chat in the first place, people familiar with the matter say.
While Trump did not think Hegseth exercised good judgment in sharing the Yemen war plan in at least two group chats, according to the people familiar, he believed his defense secretary should not be dismissed after the administration spent so much political capital to confirm him.
Hegseth also has more far support outside the administration through the Trump-inspired MAGA movement than Waltz, who was viewed with deep suspicion among the base. Plus, unlike Hegseth, replacing Waltz would not involve a Senate confirmation fight.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has ordered Hegseth and the Pentagon to step up their performance, offering an admonition weeks ago that there is “no room for more mistakes or embarrassments.”
Most Americans are not too keen on the idea of Congress making major cuts to federal funding for Medicaid, according to a KFF poll released Thursday. Even a majority of Republicans feel that way, the poll found.
The findings come as House Republicans are looking to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending over the next decade as part of their sweeping tax and spending cuts package. The House committee that oversees Medicaid is expected to release more details next week.
Here's more on the poll's findings:
• Just over three-quarters of the public oppose major Medicaid cuts, including 95% of Democrats, 79% of independents and 55% of Republicans.
• Similarly, a majority of all three groups oppose federal funding reductions for Medicare, Social Security and to states for mental health and addiction prevention services, but fewer than half of Republicans oppose the reduction of federal funding for HIV prevention programs, premium subsidies for people buying Obamacare plans and research at universities and medical centers.
• Those who identify as Make America Great Again supporters are split on Medicaid cuts, with 49% opposing a reduction. But a majority of this group opposes reductions for Medicare, Social Security and mental health and addiction prevention services. Like Republicans overall, fewer than half support federal funding for HIV prevention, Obamacare premium subsidies and research.
The survey from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, is based on a nationally representative sample of 1,380 adults in the US who were surveyed during the 2nd full week in April.
President Donald Trump told a group attending a National Day of Prayer event at the White House that he'd just left “a really great meeting” where he was updated on his sweeping bill on taxes.
The president said House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise were among those who attended the meeting.
Trump said he was being updated on “the progress of the one big, beautiful bill,” adding, “We love that bill. I won't like it if it doesn't pass, neither will you.”
Johnson called the meeting “very productive and engaging” in a statement today. While he did not say if the group made any final decisions on policy, he said they are waiting official details on the legislative effects of those policies.
Yesterday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he plans to turn his attention on mustering congressional support for his party's tax bill.
“And I just wanted to say the final details are coming together, and they're coming together rapidly, and I think we're right on schedule,” he said.
Sticking points: House Republicans are struggling to agree on key issues like Medicaid and raising the state and local tax deduction after a week of intense meetings and negotiations between swing district Republicans, key chairmen and leadership.
The uncertainty about the path forward comes as hardliners remain dug in on wanting at least $1.5 trillion in cuts and as swing district Republicans are beginning to acknowledge that goal may not be achievable if they want to protect coverage for Medicaid recipients in their state.
CNN's Lauren Fox and Haley Talbot contributed to this reporting, which has been updated with comments from Johnson's office.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau have been floated to replace national security adviser Mike Waltz on a temporary basis while the president weighs a more permanent pick, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and friend of President Donald Trump, is also under consideration to replace Waltz as national security adviser, one person said, though no decision has been made.
But Witkoff has told people close to him he does not want the job, two sources close to Witkoff told CNN, and they do not anticipate he'll ultimately be selected as Waltz's replacement. Though, they cautioned, he could still take the position if Trump asked him directly.
Witkoff has led discussions with Russia and Iran as Trump looks for international deals.
“Why would he do that? Be saddled with managing the interagency instead of doing what he is doing now?” said a person familiar with Witkoff's thinking.
National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to depart from the administration in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.
This post has been updated with more reporting on Waltz's possible replacements.
The signing of a minerals deal between Ukraine and the United States is the “first result” of a meeting the countries' leaders had at the Vatican last weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today.
The pair held a brief meeting before the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. Pictures released of the talk showed the leaders huddled in close discussion in an empty area of St. Peter's Basilica. Zelensky said he told Trump “about our readiness to conclude a deal” during the Vatican meeting.
The Ukrainian leader called the minerals deal a “truly equal agreement” that “creates an opportunity for investment,” praising the Ukrainian delegation who worked on negotiations.
“Our representatives worked very well. The agreement has changed significantly in the process of preparation,” he said. Zelensky said the deal is “debt-free” and will allow both the US and Ukraine to make money together.
The Ukrainian leader called the Vatican meeting “meaningful” and said his country is “looking forward to the other results of our conversation,” without giving any more detail.
Remember: The deal gives the US preferential rights to mineral extraction in Ukraine and arranges for a joint investment fund that will pour money into Ukraine's natural resources.
The pact features strong language on the war with Russia and is viewed as a way to further intertwine US economic interests with Ukraine's security needs, though it stops short of providing concrete security guarantees.
A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas has ruled that the president unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and is blocking the administration from quickly deporting some alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.
US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez of the Southern District of Texas said Trump had unlawfully invoked the sweeping 18th century wartime authority to speed up some deportations. His decision means Trump cannot rely on the law to detain or deport any alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua within his district.
The ruling is a significant blow to Trump's decision in March to invoke the act — a move that has faced numerous legal challenges and has been halted by several courts. But Rodriguez's ruling is the first to conclude that the president exceeded his authority by relying on a law that was intended to be used during times when the US is at war.
“Allowing the President to unilaterally define the conditions when he may invoke the AEA, and then summarily declare that those conditions exist, would remove all limitations to the Executive Branch's authority under the AEA, and would strip the courts of their traditional role of interpreting Congressional statutes to determine whether a government official has exceeded the statute's scope,” the judge wrote. “The law does not support such a position.”
Although Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act has been litigated in multiple courts nationwide, including the Supreme Court, Rodriguez is the first judge to have reached a final decision on the merits.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said he was not given a heads up that national security adviser Mike Waltz would be leaving the Trump administration. Waltz is expected to depart in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
“I had not heard about it until the middle of the hearing and so I really don't have anything to add at this point,” he told CNN after leaving a hearing for the panel.
He would not answer when asked if he agrees with Democrats that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should also be held accountable and ousted over his involvement in the Signal chat scandal.
Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who also sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Waltz's imminent departure from the administration “long overdue.” She said, “He's the guy who started the unclassified text chain when they were classified channels available. It's his responsibility, but I also think Pete Hegseth needs to be fired as well.”
Duckworth said she thinks Trump is forcing out Waltz to protect Hegseth and that upheavals in the administration will continue because “people are scared to do their jobs.”
“People are concerned to share classified information. They don't trust that the secretary of defense knows how to manage classified information, and I think they're trying to get rid of this issue, but it is one of national security importance,” she said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN he also wasn't aware of Waltz's reported departure, and he wouldn't weigh in on Hegseth when asked if the defense secretary should also be held accountable for the now-infamous Signal chat.
This post has been updated with more reactions from lawmakers.
President Donald Trump praised members of his Cabinet by name at the top of a speech in the Rose Garden today, starting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who he said was doing “a fantastic job.”
He did not mention national security adviser Mike Waltz, whom CNN reported is expected to depart the administration.
Waltz and Hegseth were both involved in the Signal chat scandal involving the editor in chief of The Atlantic, with Hegseth also having shared detailed plans about a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen on a second Signal chat including family members.
Trump praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others at the National Day of Prayer event.
“Marco, when I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved,” Trump said of Rubio.
Democratic senators said today that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be ousted from the Trump administration, responding to reporting that national security adviser Mike Waltz will leave his position in the coming days.
“I think they're holding the wrong guy accountable,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly told CNN, adding that he thought Waltz accidentally including a journalist in a group chat discussing strike plans was an “unfortunate mistake,” but the “most troubling” part of the incident was Hegseth “sharing incredibly sensitive information about a strike off of an aircraft carrier, putting pilots at risk.”
“That's where the accountability should be, not with the national security adviser. That's my view,” he added.
“I was surprised to see this. I think they fired the wrong guy,” he said.
Asked if he's satisfied that someone is being held accountable for the group chat disclosing detailed military plans, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal answered, “The question is whether the right person's being held accountable.”
“There has to be accountability for the mistakes and the errors that have been made, but I think the secretary of defense ought to bear that responsibility. He should be fired,” he said, arguing Hegseth is responsible.
Meanwhile, Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy said: “If Mike's leaving, that's the president's decision, and we support that.”
“I'm frankly tired of hearing about Signal,” he said, praising the Trump administration for sending troops to the southern border and “putting terrorists back on their heels.”
National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to leave the Trump administration in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
It would mark the first major departure from the administration during President Donald Trump's second term.
His job has been in limbo since it was made clear to Waltz earlier this week that his time leading the National Security Council had come to an end, according to a source familiar with what happened. Waltz had been attempting to stay on and attended yesterday's Cabinet meeting, appeared on Fox News and showed up to the West Wing today.
But Waltz has been on shaky ground and lost most of his influence in the West Wing after he inadvertently added the editor in chief of The Atlantic to a group chat about military strikes in March.
Trump stood by his national security adviser at the time, but Waltz's standing never really recovered, according to four sources. He had also lost his standing with top aides inside the West Wing.
Waltz boarded Marine One with Trump on Tuesday, but when his colleagues boarded Air Force One about 10 minutes later, he remained behind at Joint Base Andrews. One White House official said he was never slated to travel with Trump to a Michigan rally, but the move was viewed as odd by other aides inside the administration.
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, says he's “sure there'll be news by the end of the day” regarding a trade deal.
Hassett, who made the comment in a CNBC interview today, declined to share which country the deal would be with. A likely candidate, however, is India.
On China: “We're pleased to see that last week China pulled back a bunch of tariffs on US products, perhaps in a show of good faith,” Hassett said during the same interview.
China's pullback came after the US exempted certain electronics coming from China from 125% tariffs.
China's response, Hassett said, “shows we're very close to making the kind of progress we need to move the ball forward.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading negotiations with China, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is leading negotiations with other countries.
Hassett said he's confident Bessent will help get the deal done, saying his work on the Ukraine minerals deal was another sign of his leadership.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said today that lower Treasury yields and slower inflation suggest the Federal Reserve should be cutting interest rates.
“We are seeing that two-year rates are now below Fed funds rates, so that's a market signal that they think the Fed should be cutting,” Bessent told Fox Business. “We've had some great inflation numbers. We had the biggest decrease in energy prices for a single month in years.”
By the numbers: The yield on the 2-year US Treasury note was 3.56% as of market open today compared to the Fed's benchmark lending rate at around 4.33%. Yesterday, the Commerce Department reported that the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — the Fed's favored inflation gauge — registered a 2.3% annual rate in March, down from February's 2.7%.
Echoing Trump: Bessent's remarks come as President Donald Trump has recently publicly attacked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, only softening his stance after advisers warned Trump that terminating the central bank chief would backfire legally and economically, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Unlikely to change: Fed officials, however, haven't signaled they're ready to resume lowering borrowing costs just yet. The central bank is widely expected to stand pat at its policy meeting next week, according to futures, extending a holding pattern that began in January. Last year, the Fed lowered its key interest rate by a full percentage point.
Uncertainty over President Donald Trump's sweeping economic agenda and inflation's descent stalling out around the turn of the year have kept the Fed on hold. For the Fed to begin cutting again, central bankers will have to either see inflation continue to slow or the unemployment climb more than expected.
The US Chamber of Commerce is asking the Trump administration to provide American businesses with sweeping relief from sky-high tariffs to avoid causing an economic downturn and wiping out countless small businesses.
In a letter to Trump officials, US Chamber CEO Suzanne Clark warned that ending US tariffs imposed this year “is critical given the negative impact recent tariffs are having on the US economy, employers and American families.”
“We are deeply concerned that even if it only takes weeks or months to reach agreements, many small businesses will suffer irreparable harm,” Clark said in the Wednesday letter. “The Chamber is hearing from small business owners every day who are seeing their ability to survive endangered by the recent increase in tariff rates.”
In order to “save America's small businesses and stave off a recession,” the chamber is requesting the administration immediately launch a tariff exclusion process.
The business group argued the exclusion process should automatically exclude “any” small business importer from the new tariffs because smaller firms don't have the profit margins and financial resources to sustain higher tariffs.
Additionally, the chamber wants the administration to provide “automatic” tariff exclusions for all products that can't be made in America or are not readily available from domestic sources such as on coffee, bananas, cocoa and certain minerals. The chamber is also asking for a process that would let businesses quickly get exclusions when they can demonstrate tariffs will kill jobs.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the letter.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said he expects that next week, “cargo coming into Los Angeles will be down 35% compared for a year ago” in response to tariffs.
“Many major retailers have told us they have about a six- to eight-week supply of inventory in their systems now,” Seroka said. “United States manufacturers and consumers alike will find difficult decisions in the weeks and months to come if policies don't change.”
His comments come as some of the last cargo ships carrying Chinese goods without crippling tariffs are currently heading into US ports.
Cargo on ships from China loaded after April 9 will carry with them the 145% tariff President Donald Trump slapped on goods from that nation last month. Next week, those goods will arrive, but there will be fewer ships at sea and they will be carrying less cargo. For many importers, it is too expensive to do business with China.
Businesses are making a difficult choice: Continue selling products from China at more than double their previous prices or stop selling those products altogether. For consumers, that means some products will be hard to find or may be too expensive to buy.
Watch more from Seroka:
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka shares that the port expects a steep drop in shipping amid President Donald Trump's tariffs. #CNN #news
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith and Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie will head to the White House this morning to meet with President Donald Trump, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The meeting comes at a key time when congressional Republicans are working to cut a deal on Trump's first big legislative package.
Johnson was already expected at the White House to attend the morning prayer breakfast.
The Trump administration's tariffs on imported cars and auto parts will cost General Motors between $4 billion and $5 billion this year. But in an interview on CNN, CEO Mary Barra said the company doesn't necessarily expect to pass those higher costs onto consumers in the form of elevated prices.
“We believe … pricing is going to stay at about the same level as it is,” she told CNN's Erin Burnett today, although she added, “Pricing changes in our industry at least monthly, and sometimes more frequently. We're going to respond to the market.”
The company does expect the higher tariff costs to eat into its earnings as it slashed its profit guidance for the year, as revealed in a letter to shareholders from Barra released early this morning. The letter and guidance were delayed from their planned release on Tuesday, when the company reported lower first-quarter earnings and awaited tariff changes from the Trump administration.
GM is the first major company to estimate, in dollars, how much President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs will cost it. Many others have walked back earnings forecasts because of the ensuing economic uncertainty.
While GM is not the dominant global auto player it once was, it is still the largest American automaker, with US sales of 2.7 million cars and trucks last year.
Read more about GM and tariffs.
President Donald Trump's family company has made two real estate announcements in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar just weeks ahead of the president's trip to the region.
The announcements, which involve regional developers, come before Trump's first presidential trip of his second term to the wealthy Arab nations, which have pledged to invest trillions of dollars into the United States.
The Trump Organization on Tuesday introduced the 80-floor Trump International Hotel and Tower in Dubai, a $1 billion development where penthouses are going for $20 million.
And yesterday, Qatari Diar, a real estate company owned by the natural gas-rich nation's sovereign wealth fund, signed an agreement with Dar Global to develop Trump International Golf Club, according to state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA). The 18-hole golf course will also include Trump-branded luxury villas. It is estimated the project will bring $2 billion in foreign investment into Qatar, QNA said.
Trump is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE from May 13 to May 16. The president fostered close ties with Gulf Arab states during his first term, choosing Saudi Arabia for his first presidential visit in 2017.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing a religious liberty commission this morning, a White House official confirmed, during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden that is scheduled at 11 a.m. ET.
Trump forecasted the action at the National Prayer Breakfast on Capitol Hill in February.
“I will be creating a brand-new presidential commission on religious liberty. It's going to be a very big deal, which will work tirelessly to uphold this most fundamental right,” Trump said at the time, saying that “this sacred liberty” has been “threatened like never before.”
Previously, Trump signed an executive order targeting “anti-Christian bias,” and he has established a faith office within the White House.
The Daily Wire first reported that Trump would sign the order establishing a religious liberty commission on Thursday.
Job cuts by the government represented the largest chunk of layoffs so far this year, up 680% from the same period last year. Department of Government Efficiency-related cost-cutting led to a total of 281,452 layoffs.
For the month of April, US-based employers announced plans to cut 105,441 jobs, according to a Challenger, Gray & Christmas report released today. That's significantly higher than the 64,789 job cuts announced last April. However, a large chunk (40,000 jobs) of last month's layoff count can be attributed to plans tied to two major employers: UPS and Intel.
Earlier this week, UPS said it plans to cut 20,000 jobs this year as part of a previously announced plan to increase automation and trim its Amazon business. Last week, Bloomberg reported that Intel was expected to cut 20,000 workers. The company has not announced specific details for potential upcoming layoffs.
There is a clear trend of economic uncertainty weighing on businesses, noted Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at the outplacement and business coaching firm.
“Though the government cuts are front and center, we saw job cuts across sectors last month,” he said in a statement. “Generally, companies are citing the economy and new technology. Employers are slow to hire and limiting hiring plans as they wait and see what will happen with trade, supply chain, and consumer spending.”
The US Department of Health and Human Services this morning released a 400-page review of treatment for gender dysphoria in children but did not disclose who authored or reviewed the report.
The report follows several actions by President Donald Trump's administration to halt gender-affirming treatment of transgender children and adolescents and cancel research about the transgender community.
“Contributors to the review include medical doctors, medical ethicists, and a methodologist. Contributors represent a wide range of political viewpoints and were chosen for their commitment to scientific principles,” HHS said in a news release about the review, adding that contributors' names are not initially being made public “in order to help maintain the integrity of this process.”
The agency said chapters of the report underwent peer review but did not specify who reviewed it. The agency also said it will undergo additional review “involving stakeholders with different perspectives” in the days ahead.
The document, which includes sections on evidence, ethical considerations, psychotherapy and “clinical realities,” focuses on treatment of gender dysphoria in youths, not adults. HHS said the review finds that science and evidence do not support “these drastic medical interventions for our nation's youth.”
For context: Major mainstream medical associations — including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — have affirmed the practice of gender-affirming care and agree that it's clinically appropriate care that can provide lifesaving treatment for children and adults.
A growing number of states have enacted laws or policies that limit the kind of care young people can get. As of March, 27 states have enacted restrictions, meaning about 40% of trans youth live in a state with limited gender-affirming health care options, according to KFF, a health policy organization.
More than 60% of the public opposes major cuts to health spending and staff at federal health agencies, according to a new poll from KFF.
A similar share of the survey participants — including nearly all Democrats and most independents — say the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency have been “recklessly making broad cuts to programs and staff,” while a large majority of supporters of the Make America Great Again movement — including most non-MAGA Republicans and Republican leaners — say the administration is “carefully making cuts to programs and staff to reduce fraud and waste.”
But more than three-quarters of participants say they oppose major federal funding cuts to Medicaid, with even MAGA supporters closely divided on the issue.
Protests under the “50501” movement — short for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement — in response to the Trump administration's flurry of moves over its first 100 days are set to take place across the country today for May Day.
May 1 marks May Day, which shares a date with International Workers' Day and is often a day for protests and civil action for labor rights.
The 50501 movement sprang out of a Reddit forum and has held multiple national days of action the last few months.
The most recent came on April 19 when crowds of people attended over 80 protests at state capitols, courthouses and city halls in several states to oppose what organizers describe as President Donald Trump's executive overreach, including deportations without due process, the dismantling of federal agencies and threats to higher education.
The planned protests come two days after Trump marked 100 days in office. In that short period, he has moved to upend the world order by cracking down on immigration and immigrants' rights; instituting tariffs that threaten global trade; dismantling the administrative state under the Department of Government Efficiency's slapdash cuts; rolling back protections for transgender people; and exercising executive power with disdain for checks and balances.
Read more here on the protests.
In her first major address since leaving office, former Vice President and 2024 presidential nominee Kamala Harris blasted President Donald Trump's first 100 days, saying his agenda displays a “wholesale abandonment” of American ideals.
“Instead of an administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals,” Harris said. “And what we are also seeing in these last 14 weeks is Americans using their voice and showing their courage.”
Harris also accused her former rival of setting off the “greatest man-made economic crisis” in modern history through his tariffs, and warned that his conflicts with the courts were moving the nation toward a constitutional crisis.
Here's what else happened yesterday:
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President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would nominate national security adviser Mike Waltz to serve as UN ambassador, after widespread reports that Trump planned to oust him, in the first major staff shakeup since the president took office in January.
The president said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would replace Waltz in the prior role on an interim basis.
“Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.”
Trump informed Waltz that he was removing him from his role as national security adviser and nominating him as UN ambassador Thursday morning, a White House official told CNN.
“I'm deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz wrote on X after Trump's announcement.
Waltz's job has been in limbo after it was made clear to him earlier this week that his time leading the National Security Council had come to an end, according to a source familiar with the matter. Alex Wong, the deputy national security adviser, and other national security advisers are expected to depart their roles as well, per multiple sources familiar with conversations, though timing is unclear.
Rubio now fills four roles within the administration: secretary of state, national security adviser, national archivist and acting administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Waltz is heading to a potentially contentious confirmation fight in the Senate. Multiple people close to Trump said the president does not view the UN ambassador role as a high priority. That's in part why he never intervened early on to speed along the nomination of his first pick, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik. Trump also did not move quickly to pick a new person for the role, after Republicans' narrow House majority forced Stefanik to remain in Congress.
Waltz had been on shaky ground within the administration – having lost most of his influence in the West Wing – after he inadvertently added a journalist to a messaging app group chat about highly sensitive military strikes.
Trump had considered firing him after the incident, but declined to do so because he didn't want to provide his enemies a perceived victory, and he hoped to avoid the type of chaos that colored his first administration.
But while Trump stood by him at the time, Waltz's standing hadn't ever really recovered, according to four sources, and he lost clout with top aides inside the West Wing. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has privately been one of the officials most unimpressed with Waltz — even before the Signal fiasco.
At 100 days into his second term, Trump no longer appears as concerned about the appearance of disorder.
Waltz's influence internally had been waning for weeks, illustrated best by Trump's decision to dismiss several staffers from the National Security Council at the urging of far-right activist Laura Loomer, who told him they were disloyal. Loomer told CNN Thursday she had previously tried to raise concerns about Waltz directly with Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office, where Loomer was urging the removal of certain national security officials. She said she planned to show Trump a 2016 campaign ad in which Waltz criticized him, but before she could play the clip on her phone, Waltz entered the room.
Loomer said she had also targeted Wong, citing his past work for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Mark Halperin first reported the news of Waltz being pushed out.
Before Trump announced his new plans for Waltz, Democrats on Capitol Hill largely reacted to news of his ouster by saying Trump was going after the wrong national security official. They believed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deserved the boot more after he discussed bomb targets in Yemen in the Signal chat.
“I think they're holding the wrong guy accountable,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said, adding that he thought Waltz accidentally including a journalist on the Signal chat was an “unfortunate mistake” but that he found it most troubling that Hegseth shared “incredibly sensitive information about a strike off of an aircraft carrier, putting pilots at risk.”
But Trump's thinking on Hegseth has sharply differed from how he regarded Waltz after the Signal episode, according to people familiar with the matter. The president was never able to move beyond the question of how Waltz invited Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic into the group chat in the first place, people familiar with the matter say.
While Trump did not think Hegseth exercised good judgment in sharing the Yemen war plan in at least two group chats, according to the people familiar, he believed his Defense secretary should not be dismissed after the administration spent so much political capital to confirm him.
Hegseth also has more far support outside the administration through the Trump-inspired MAGA movement than Waltz, who was viewed with deep suspicion among the base. Plus, unlike Hegseth, replacing Waltz does not involve a Senate confirmation fight.
Still, Hegseth has faced internal scrutiny. Wiles has ordered Hegseth and the Pentagon to step up their performance, offering an admonition weeks ago that there is “no room for more mistakes or embarrassments.”
But behind the scenes, some administration officials had begun quietly discussing an off-ramp for Waltz over the last several days. Trump has expressed frustration with him on multiple fronts, including the Signal episode. He was also irritated the Florida congressional race to replace Waltz was closer than expected, two sources familiar with the conversations told CNN.
“President Trump lost confidence in him a while ago,” one source said.
Waltz boarded Marine One with Trump on Tuesday, but when his colleagues boarded Air Force One about 10 minutes later, he instead remained on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. One White House official said he was never slated to travel with the president to Michigan, but the move was viewed as odd by other aides inside the administration.
Asked about the impact of Waltz's dismissal as national security adviser, before Rubio was named as a replacement, multiple foreign officials — including some from the Middle East — expressed apprehension about who would fill the role.
“Of all of them, we never thought he would be the first [to be fired],” said a senior western official.
This story has been updated with additional details.
Manu Raju and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened sanctions on anyone who buys Iranian oil, a warning that came after planned talks over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program were postponed.
Trump wrote on social media, “All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!” He said any country or person who buys those products from Iran will not be able to do business with the United States “in any way, shape, or form.”
It was unclear how Trump would implement such a ban as he threatened to levy secondary sanctions on nations that import Iranian oil. But his statement risked further escalating tensions with China — Iran's leading customer — at a time when the relationship is severely strained over the U.S. president's tariffs.
Based on tanker tracking data, the U.S. Energy Information Administration concluded in a report published last October that “China took nearly 90% of Iran's crude oil and condensate exports in 2023.” Trump has separately placed 145% tariffs on China as a way to raise federal revenues and rebalance global trade.
Trump's social media threat came after Oman announced planned nuclear negotiations for this coming weekend had been postponed. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement in a post on the social platform X.
“For logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,” he wrote. “New dates will be announced when mutually agreed.”
Al-Busaidi, who has mediated the talks through three rounds so far, did not elaborate.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei issued a statement describing the talks as being “postponed at the request of Oman's foreign minister.” He said Iran remain committed to reaching ”a fair and lasting agreement.”
Meanwhile, a person familiar with the U.S. negotiators said America “had never confirmed its participation” in a fourth round of talks in Rome. However, the person said the U.S. expected the talks to occur “in the near future.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
Rome will see the Vatican begin its conclave next week to pick a new pope after the death of Pope Francis. Two other rounds of U.S.-Iran talks have been held in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
The talks seek to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on a half-century of enmity. The negotiations have been led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran's program if a deal isn't reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
The U.S. president with his threat on social media would be going after Iran's major economic resource. It produced an average of 2.9 million barrels a day in 2023 of crude oil, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers did limit Tehran's program. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018, setting in motion years of attacks and tensions. The wider Middle East also remains on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues an airstrike campaign, called “Operation Rough Rider,” that has been targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels, who long have been backed by Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth early Thursday warned Iran over the rebels.
“Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,” he wrote. “You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.”
Last Saturday's round of talks, which included experts drilling down into the details of a possible deal, also took place as an explosion rocked an Iranian port, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 1,000 others.
___
Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the Trump administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, look on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he's nominating his national security adviser Mike Waltz to serve as United Nations ambassador in a major shake-up of his national security team.
The president said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve simultaneously as acting national security adviser while maintaining his position at the State Department.
Trump announced the moves shortly after news broke that Waltz was leaving the administration, just weeks after it was revealed that he had added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations. From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first,” Trump wrote on social media.
“In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN.”
There is precedent for the secretary of state to serve simultaneously as national security adviser. Henry Kissinger held both positions from 1973 to 1975.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles listen as President Donald Trump meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump's decision to move Waltz to the U.N. comes weeks after he pulled his pick for the job, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, from consideration.
Stefanik went through a confirmation hearing, but her nomination was pulled in March because her vote to advance Trump's agenda remains crucial to Republicans in the House.
“I'm deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz said of the nomination.
A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, had been targeting Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Waltz served in the House representing Florida for three terms before being tapped for national security adviser.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House adviser Stephen Miller listen as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In his second term, the Republican president had been looking to avoid the tumult of his first four years in office, during which he cycled through four national security advisers, four White House chiefs of staff and two secretaries of state.
The Signal chain episode also showed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop. Waltz had previously taken “full responsibility” for building the message chain and administration officials described the episode as a “mistake” but one that caused Americans no harm. Waltz maintained that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up in the messaging chain, and insisted he did not know the journalist.
Trump and the White House — which insisted that no classified information was shared on the text chain — have stood by Waltz publicly throughout the episode. But the embattled national security adviser was also under siege from personalities such as Loomer, who had been complaining to administration officials that she had been excluded from the vetting process for National Security Council aides.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans, according to two people familiar with the matter Thursday.
In her view, Waltz relied too much on “neocons” — referring to hawkish neoconservatives within the Republican Party — as well as others who Loomer argued were “not-MAGA-enough” types.
As reports began to circulate that Waltz could be leaving the administration, Loomer appeared to take credit in a post on the social media site X, writing: “SCALP.”
“Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” Loomer wrote in another post.
Loomer had taken a similar victory lap when several other NSC officials were dismissed last month one day after she met with Trump.
Questions are also swirling around Hegseth and his role in the Signal chat.
While Waltz set it up, Hegseth posted times for aircraft launches and bomb drops into the unsecured app and shared the same information with dozens of people in a second chat, including his wife and brother.
The Associated Press reported that Hegseth also bypassed Pentagon security protocols to set up an unsecured line for a personal computer in his office –- beside terminals where he was receiving classified information. That raises the possibility that sensitive information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.
The Pentagon inspector general is investigating Hegseth's use of Signal, and he has faced criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans. It has added to the turmoil at the Pentagon at a time when Hegseth has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers. Nonetheless, Trump has maintained public confidence in Hegseth.
Waltz shift from national security adviser to U.N. ambassador nominee means he will now have to face the Senate confirmation process he was able to avoid January.
The process, which proved to be difficult for a number of Trump's Cabinet picks, will give lawmakers, especially Democrats, the first chance to grill Waltz on his decision to share information about an imminent U.S. airstrike on Signal. The group chat, which Waltz created, included several high-level Trump administration officials and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.
—-
Associated Press writer Tara Copp and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., on President Trump withdrawing her bid for the U.N. ambassadorship, Columbia University's interim president resigning and Iran signaling openness to 'indirect' nuclear talks.
President Donald Trump tapped former national security advisor Mike Waltz for his administration's ambassador to the United Nations after Waltz was ousted from the National Security Council office earlier Thursday.
"I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday.
"From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role. In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
UN WATCHDOG PROJECT CALLS ON DOGE CAUCUS TO ‘AUDIT' THE INTERNATIONAL ORG
President Donald Trump tapped Mike Waltz for his administration's ambassador to the United Nations after Waltz was ousted from the National Security Council office earlier on Thursday. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Waltz posted to X shortly after Trump's announcement that he was "deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation."
Trump added in his post that Rubio will simultaneously serve as his interim national security advisor after Waltz left the role on Thursday. In 1973, then-President Richard Nixon made a similar move when he named national security advisor Henry Kissinger to also serve as secretary of state, State Department records show.
Waltz and other National Security Council staffers were ousted from their office on Thursday in the most high-profile executive office exits of the second Trump administration. Trump's announcement on naming Waltz as U.N. ambassador unfolded just hours after the news began circulating.
The former national security advisor had been at the heart of the Signal chat leak debacle that unfolded in March, when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine was inadvertently added to a group chat with high-profile Trump officials such as Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe discussing military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Speculation had mounted for weeks that Waltz would be removed from his position amid the fallout of the chat leak, though the administration has maintained that no classified material was shared in the group chat and that the president had confidence in his National Security Council team.
A handful of names had been floated for U.N. ambassador after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., withdrew her nomination in March. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ahead of Trump tapping Waltz for the new administration role, a handful of names had been floated for U.N. ambassador after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., withdrew her nomination in March, including David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel; Ellie Cohanim, former deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism at the State Department under the first Trump administration; and special presidential envoy Richard Grenell. Grenell said he was a "hard no" on serving in the U.N. ambassador role ahead of Trump's announcement.
Trump announced Stefanik as his original choice for the role in November 2024, just days after his successful election against former Vice President Kamala Harris. The New York congresswoman, however, pulled her nomination last month as concerns mounted in Trump's orbit that the GOP's slim majority in the House would grow smaller in her absence.
TRUMP URGED TO REVIEW UN IMMUNITY, LAX VISA RULES AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS
Concerns grew ahead of two special House elections in Florida on April 2, which ultimately saw both Republicans victorious, but with significantly slimmer margins than their GOP predecessors in their previous elections.
Stefank told Fox News' Sean Hannity in March that she bowed out of the confirmation process to serve as U.N. ambassador due to both the GOP's margin in the House combined with the need for her to help combat Democratic "corruption" in her home state of New York.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., bowed out of the confirmation process to serve as U.N. ambassador. (Faith and Freedom Coalition )
"It was a combination of the New York corruption that we're seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections and the House margin," Stefanik said on "Hannity" in March. "I've been in the House. It's tough to count these votes every day. And we are going to continue to defy the political prognosticators and deliver, deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and, importantly, the voters across this country."
"The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I'm committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents," she added.
President Donald Trump addresses the 74th U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 24, 2019. (Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via AP Images)
Trump announced on Truth Social that Stefanik withdrew her nomination to "remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength."
REPUBLICANS SEEK TO BLOCK THE REAPPOINTMENT OF UN OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF ANTISEMITISM
"With a very tight Majority, I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations," he added.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley ran for president in 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
During Trump's first administration, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former diplomat Kelly Craft served as U.N. ambassadors.
'BLINDSIDED': HOW STEFANIK'S TRUMP NOMINATION AS UN AMBASSADOR IMPLODED
Upon taking office, the 47th president made cuts to U.S. involvement with programs under the U.N.'s umbrella, including ending U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council and banning funding for the U.N. relief agency for Gaza.
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after his inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. (Al Drago/Pool Photo via AP)
"I've always felt that the U.N. has tremendous potential," Trump said in February while signing the executive order that made cuts to U.S. involvement with U.N. groups. "It's not being well-run."
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"A lot of these conflicts that we're working on should be settled, or at least we should have some help in settling them. But we never seem to get help. That should be the primary purpose of the U.N.," Trump continued.
Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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A federal judge in Texas found on Thursday that President Donald Trump did not meet the necessary criteria to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Tren de Aragua members, dealing a blow to the administration as it attempts to remove criminal illegal immigrants from the country quickly.
Judge Fernando Rodriguez, a Trump appointee, said in an order that Trump could still deport Venezuelan migrants detained in southern Texas using other, more routine authorities. However, Rodriguez said the Alien Enemies Act, a powerful wartime law, was not an option.
“The historical record renders clear that the President's invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute's terms,” Rodriguez said.
The Trump administration has argued that the courts lack the authority to weigh in on the president's decision to use the Alien Enemies Act, but Rodriguez disagreed.
The judge said Trump did not provide evidence that Tren de Aragua was invading the United States at the behest of the Venezuelan government, which is a necessary condition to meet under the Alien Enemies Act.
“Allowing the President to unilaterally define the conditions when he may invoke the AEA and then summarily declare that those conditions exist, would remove all limitations to the Executive Branch's authority under the AEA, and would strip the courts of their traditional role of interpreting Congressional statutes to determine whether a government official has exceeded the statute's scope,” Rodriguez said.
The decision stemmed from a lawsuit brought by three Venezuelan nationals represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, who said they were wrongly accused by the U.S. government of being members of Tren de Aragua and that they were at risk of imminent deportation to a foreign prison under the statute.
The lawsuit is one of several that have cropped up across the country in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling last month that federal authorities must give “reasonable” notice to migrants ahead of deporting them under the Alien Enemies Act so that they have a chance to protest their deportations in court.
Art Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told the Washington Examiner that the ruling was surprising given the historic amount of deference courts have given administrations when an invasion or threat exists, dating back to at least World War II.
“Most American press outlets don't really understand Tren de Aragua, or they put it in the same bucket as MS-13,” Arthur said, noting the ways the gang has taken strongholds in parts of countries such as Colombia, Chile, and Brazil.
Later, in a separate lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas over the same matter, the high court ordered the Trump administration in a 7-2 decision to halt its use of the wartime law for anyone detained in that district. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
The Trump administration is likely to appeal Rodriguez's decision, which would then send it up to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which Arthur said could be inclined to reverse the judge's decision.
“They'll take a more objective look at the case law and the limits of their own authority; they don't want to be overturned by the Supreme Court either,” Arthur added.
Rodriguez also delivered another victory to the Venezuelan migrants. He agreed to class certification for all potential deportees in the Southern District of Texas, avoiding a situation in which each migrant would have to file their own petition to fight their removal.
Arthur and other legal experts have said it is highly unlikely that these plaintiffs could justify turning this case into a class action.
SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM DEPORTING NATIONALS UNDER ALIEN ENEMIES ACT
“You can't do class actions,” Arthur said. “Not everybody in that class is exactly the same … there should be individual cases.”
The Department of Justice could file an appeal to Rodriguez's decision. A DOJ spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
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Mike Waltz is out as the national security advisor, along with his deputy. Chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports the latest on the ousting and what's likely to come.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and other National Security Council staffers were ousted from their office Thursday, in the most high-profile executive office exits of the second Trump administration.
Fox News confirmed Thursday morning that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were ousted following a Signal chat leak debacle that unfolded in March, when the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic magazine was inadvertently added to a group chat with high-profile Trump officials such as Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe discussing military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Speculation had mounted for weeks that Waltz would be removed from his position amid the fallout of the chat leak, though the administration has maintained that no classified material was shared in the group chat and that the president had confidence in his National Security Council team.
Just hours after news broke that Waltz would no longer serve in the National Security Council office, Trump announced on Truth Social that he nominated Waltz to serve as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would serve as the interim national security advisor. Similarly, then-President Richard Nixon in 1973 named then-national security advisor Henry Kissinger to simultaneously serve as secretary of state.
Following the executive office shakeup, Fox News Digital took a look at who President Donald Trump could select to permanently fill the national security advisor role.
MIKE WALTZ, OTHER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFFERS OUT IN LATEST TRUMP PURGE FOLLOWING SIGNAL CHAT LEAK
National security advisor Mike Waltz and other National Security Council staffers were ousted from office on May 1, 2025 in the most high-profile executive office exits of the second Trump administration. (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff greet each other at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday, April 25. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who has been a top U.S. negotiator with Russia amid its war against Ukraine, could be tapped for the open national security advisor position.
Witkoff is a former real estate tycoon and longtime ally of Trump's whose focus under the Trump administration has been on negotiating with Russia for a peace deal in Ukraine, and negotiating with Iran regarding its nuclear program. Witkoff was notably credited with helping secure the reality of U.S. school teacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison in February.
Witkoff traveled to Moscow on April 25 as the White House reportedly extended its final offer to Russia as it continues waging a war against Ukraine that has raged since February 2022.
RUBIO REVEALS OBSCURE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICE KEPT 'DISINFORMATION' DOSSIER ON TRUMP OFFICIAL
"Ambassador Witkoff is in Russia to meet with President Putin as part of President Trump's efforts to make peace," an official with knowledge of the talks and visit told Fox News Digital at the end of April.
"It's long past time for the death and destruction to stop, to move past the failed strategies of the past and for an end to this devastating conflict," the official added, without commenting on the "substance of negotiations."
TRUMP'S GOODWILL TESTED AS PUTIN IGNORES PEACE EFFORTS DURING WITKOFF'S VISIT
The war has continued, with the U.S. making strides with Ukraine, however, Wednesday, as Trump works to secure a peace deal. Ukraine signed a deal with the U.S., allowing America access to the country's rare minerals as it continues to hash out a peace agreement.
President Donald Trump could potentially tap Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence under the first Trump administration, to take the national security role. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump could potentially tap Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence under the first Trump administration, to take the national security role.
The former ambassador currently serves as the president of the Kennedy Center, the national cultural center of the U.S., under the second Trump administration.
GRENELL LIGHTS UP SUSAN RICE FOR YEARS OF FAILED DEM FOREIGN POLICES THAT LED TO WAR: ‘WE SEE YOU'
Grenell's name has been floated for other high-profile roles under the second Trump administration, such as a potential replacement for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik withdrew her name in March to retain her seat in the House. Grenell, however, said he was a "hard no" on serving in the U.N. ambassador role.
President Donald Trump previously named Rep. Elise Stefanik as his pick for ambassador to the U.N. but announced on March 27 that she withdrew her nomination to "remain in Congress." (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump previously named Stefanik as his pick for ambassador to the U.N. but announced March 27 that she withdrew her nomination to "remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength."
STEFANIK UNDERCUTS SPEAKER JOHNSON IN STUNNING PUBLIC HOUSE GOP SPAT
"With a very tight Majority, I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat," he added. "The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations."
Stefanik is a fierce Trump ally, who notably grilled Ivy League college administrators from Penn and Harvard, her alma mater, in December 2023 regarding whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" violates the respective school's codes of conduct.
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Trump potentially selecting Stefanik as a replacement for Waltz, however, would leave the Republican House majority vulnerable to an even tighter margin if Stefanik left her New York seat.
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White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the Trump administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is set to depart the Trump administration. That's according to two people familiar with the matter, which marks the first major staff shakeup of President Donald Trump's second term.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.
Other news we're following:
The president signed an executive order creating the panel during a White House Rose Garden ceremony to recognize the National Day of Prayer.
Its members include Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former U.S. housing secretary Ben Carson and TV talk-show host Phil McGraw. The commission was Patrick's idea, Trump said.
Patrick told Trump, “There has never been a president who has invoked the name of Jesus more than you.”
McGraw said Trump is a “man of deep faith … who wants this country to have a heart and have religion.”
The meeting Tuesday was the first known Trump administration contact with Syrian officials since the fall of President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
The new Syrian authorities arrived in the U.S. last week to attend a series of meetings in Washington and New York as part of an effort to urge relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war.
In a statement released Wednesday, the State Department said while they do not discuss “private diplomatic conversations,” they continue to urge the interim authorities to “choose policies that will reinforce stability” for Syrians, “assure peace with Syria's neighbors,” while developing the war-torn country's economy.
“Any future normalization of relations or lifting of sanctions will depend on the interim authorities' actions and positive response to the specific confidence building measures we have communicated,” the State Department said.
Addressing a National Day of Prayer Event in the White House Rose Garden, Trump vowed: “We're bringing back religion in our country” and doing so “quickly and strongly.”
The president used the occasion to again promise that tax-cut legislation would work its way through Congress.
Trump noted that he was addressing “a religious ceremony” but, added that, to him, “That's part of the religion because, if your taxes go up” than some people “might give up your religion.”
“You might have no choice. You'll be working too hard to try and make it,” he said if taxes rise.
A Pentagon report released Thursday says there were 8,195 reported sexual assaults in 2024 involving members of the military, compared with 8,515 in 2023.
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
It was the second year in a row with a decrease, reversing a troubling trend that has plagued the Defense Department for more than a decade.
Defense officials say that while the decline is a good sign, the numbers of reported assaults are still too high and the military needs to do more to get victims to report the often undisclosed crime.
U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot be used against people whom the Republican administration claims are gang members invading the United States.
“Neither the Court nor the parties question that the Executive Branch can direct the detention and removal of aliens who engage in criminal activity in the United States,” Rodriguez wrote Thursday. But, he said, “the President's invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute's terms.”
In March, Trump issued a proclamation claiming the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was invading the U.S. He said he had special powers to deport immigrants, identified by his administration as gang members, without the usual court proceedings.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, most recently during World War II, when it was cited to intern Japanese-Americans.
The proclamation triggered a flurry of litigation as the administration tried to ship migrants it claimed were gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Rodriguez's ruling is significant because it is the first formal permanent injunction against the administration using the AEA and contends the president is misusing the law.
A sign is seen for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, in Silver Spring, Md., on the FDA grounds. Social media users are falsely claiming that makers of COVID-19 vaccines can change up to 49% of the product's ingredients without FDA approval in certain circumstances. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
For the second time in recent months, the Food and Drug Administration is bringing back some recently fired employees, including staffers who handle travel bookings for safety inspectors.
More than 20 of the agency's roughly 60 travel staff will be reinstated, according to two FDA staffers notified of the plan this week, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential agency matters.
Food scientists who test samples for bacteria and study potentially harmful chemicals also have been told they will get their jobs back, but have yet to receive any official confirmation.
The reversals are the latest example of the haphazard approach to cuts at the agency, which have shrunk FDA's staff by an estimated 20%. In February, the FDA laid off about 700 provisional employees, including food and medical device reviewers, only to rehire many of them within days.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is set to depart the Trump administration.
That's according to two people familiar with the matter, which marks the first major staff shakeup of President Trump's second term.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.
A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Waltz's deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart, according to the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move not yet made public. The National Security Council did not respond do a request for comment.
▶ Read more about Mike Waltz leaving the Trump administration
“It was a good conversation,” Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing. “Even though there wasn't a specific agreement, the important thing is that we're working on it.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gives her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Sheinbaum, who said she and Trump spoke for 10 to 15 minutes Thursday morning, noted that the Trump administration had relaxed some of the tariffs on automobiles and auto parts this week, but said Mexico is still looking for a better deal for the automotive sector, as well as for steel and aluminum which face their own U.S. tariffs.
The U.S. is looking to reduce its trade deficit with Mexico, she said, noting that Mexico was working to find ways to help them do that.
The leaders agreed that their cabinet secretaries would continue negotiating.
“It is a good sign that we continue advancing,” she said.
French union leaders condemned the “Trumpization” of world politics, while in Italy, May Day protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
Across continents, hundreds of thousands turned out for Thursday's rallies marking International Workers' Day, many united in anger over President Trump's agenda — from aggressive tariffs stoking fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns.
In the United States, organizers framed this year's protests as a pushback against what they called a sweeping assault on labor protections, diversity initiatives and federal employees.
In Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising anti-immigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. In Bern, Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of hard-right politics.
▶ Read more about May Day marches around the world
Bibb Graves Hall, seen on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. (Gary Cosby Jr./The Tuscaloosa News via AP)
President Trump will travel to heavily Republican Alabama on Thursday to speak to graduating students at the University of Alabama, where he's expected to draw some protesters despite enjoying a deep well of support in the state.
Trump's evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he's been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration.
The White House did not offer any details about Trump's planned message.
Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he's staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It also is where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies.
▶ Read more about Trump's planned trip to Alabama
Administration officials say they're seeking a permanent home at the State Department for a memorial honoring fallen staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The memorial bears the names of 99 USAID and other foreign assistance workers killed in the line of duty around the world.
The Trump administration has dismantled USAID and terminated most of its programs and staff, accusing its humanitarian and development work of being wasteful and out of line with Trump's agenda. Past presidents since John F. Kennedy argued that working for a more stable and prosperous world benefited U.S. security.
The State Department says workers removed the memorial from the former USAID headquarters Wednesday. It's being held in a temporary location, the agency said.
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller says former Vice President Kamala Harris' criticism of Trump are a “great reminder to the American people of just how blessed we all are that the leader sitting in the Oval Office today is President Donald Trump and not President Kamala Harris.”
“It would have been the end of America,” Miller said at a briefing with reporters at the White House on Thursday.
Harris said in a speech Wednesday night that Trump's tariffs are “clearly inviting a recession.”
Miller countered that, “The only things Americans want to hear from Kamala Harris is an apology” for less strict immigration policies and enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border, which he said was “unforgivable.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added, “I think I speak for everyone at the White House, we encourage Kamala Harris to continue going out and do speaking engagements.”
This combo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, pictured in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 and Steve Witkoff, right, White House special envoy, pictured in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photos Stringer, Mark Schiefelbein)
The planned negotiations between Iran and the United States this weekend over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program have been postponed, Oman announced Thursday.
A message online from Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement in a post on the social media platform X.
“For logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,” he wrote. “New dates will be announced when mutually agreed.”
Al-Busaidi did not elaborate. Iran and the U.S. did not immediately acknowledge al-Busaidi's comments.
The talks Saturday were to be held in Rome.
▶ Read more about nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran
A top White House official is defending Trump's acknowledgement that steep tariffs on China might lead to fewer goods on the shelves at higher prices.
Mash'ems, from Basic Fun!, are displayed at the Toy Fair, in New York's Javits Center, Monday, March 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trump said children maybe “will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller insisted Thursday that the president was “making the point that I think almost every American consumer agrees with.”
In a briefing with reporters, Miller said dolls made in the U.S. had higher quality standards than ones from China that he said could contain lead paint.
“Yes, you'd probably be willing to pay more for a better-made American product,” Miller said.
China's state broadcaster has claimed in a social media post that the Trump administration has been seeking contact with Beijing through multiple channels to start negotiations over tariffs.
In a climbdown, the post by China Central Television says there's no need for China to talk with the U.S. before the U.S. takes any substantive act but also said “there is no harm” for contact.
“China needs to observe or even force out the true intent on the U.S. side to stay proactive in the talks,” reads the post.
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said she also understands “it's getting close” for talks between the two sides but such talks will be at the working level, not yet between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters just after House Republicans narrowly approved their budget framework, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
There's trouble as House Republicans race to build Trump's big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, especially over its trillions in costs and potential Medicaid changes.
Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, tax writing committee chairman Rep. Jason Smith and the chairman handling health programs, Brett Guthrie, are meeting with Trump.
Trump's administration released a lengthy review of transgender health care Thursday that advocates for a greater reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender-affirming medical care for youths with gender dysmorphia.
The Health and Human Services report questions standards for the treatment of transgender youth issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and is likely to be used to bolster the government's abrupt shift in how to care for a subset of the population that has become a political lightning rod.
This new “best practices” report is in response to an executive order Trump issued days into his second term that says the federal government must not support gender transitions for anyone under age 19.
“Our duty is to protect our nation's children — not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”
▶ Read more about the Trump administration's stance on transgender health care
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and President Donald Trump, talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal that's expected to give Washington access to the country's critical minerals and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.
According to Ukrainian officials, the version of the deal signed Wednesday is far more beneficial to Ukraine than previous versions, which they said reduced Kyiv to a junior partner and gave Washington unprecedented rights to the country's resources.
The deal covers minerals, including rare earth elements, but also other valuable resources, including oil and natural gas, according to the text released by Ukraine's government.
It doesn't include resources that are already a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state. In other words, any profits under the deal are dependent on the success of new investments. Ukrainian officials have also noted that it doesn't refer to any debt obligations for Kyiv, meaning profits from the fund will likely not go toward the paying the U.S. back for its previous support.
▶ Read more about the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal
To understand the Justice Department's struggles in representing President Trump's positions in court, look no further than a succession of losses last week that dealt a setback to the administration's agenda.
In orders spanning different courthouses, judges blocked a White House plan to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, ruled the Republican administration violated a settlement agreement by deporting a man to El Salvador and halted directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
That's on top of arguments in which two judges expressed misgivings to a Justice Department lawyer about the legality of Trump executive orders targeting major law firms and a department lawyer's accidental filing of an internal memo in court questioning the Trump administration's legal strategy to kill Manhattan's congestion toll — a blunder the Transportation Department called “legal malpractice.”
▶ Read more about the Justice Department's courtroom losses
An aerial view of Xiasha Container Terminal on a canal in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Chinatopix Via AP)
Consumers can expect higher prices and delivery delays when the Trump administration ends a duty-free exemption on low-value imports from China Friday.
The expiration of the so-called de minimis rule that has allowed as many as 4 million low-value parcels to come into the U.S. every day — mostly from China — is also forcing businesses that have built their models on sourcing production in China to rethink their practices in order to keep their costs down.
But some might actually benefit from the termination of the duty exemption. For instance, companies that make their goods in the U.S. may feel relief from the competition of cheap Chinese imports, and likely experience a brighter sales outlook.
The move, which applies to goods originating from mainland China and Hong Kong, comes on top of President Donald Trump's new tariffs totaling 145% on China. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs of 125% on the U.S., fueling a trade war between the world's two largest economies. Sellers are already seeing cautious consumers.
▶ Read more about the end to the de minimis rule
Former Vice President Kamala Harris used a high-profile speech Wednesday to sharply criticize President Donald Trump. She criticized the Republican president's handling of the economy, U.S. institutions and foreign policy.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris used a high-profile speech to sharply criticize Trump amid speculation about whether she will mount another presidential campaign or opt to run for California governor.
In her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January following her defeat to Trump, Harris said Wednesday she's inspired by Americans fighting Trump's agenda despite threats to their freedom or livelihood.
Before Wednesday, Harris had barely mentioned Trump by name since she conceded defeat to him in November.
In a 15-minute speech, she spoke to the anxiety and confusion that have gripped many of her supporters since Trump took office but discouraged despair.
Trump went after Harris in a campaign-style rally Tuesday marking his 100th day in office. He sarcastically called her a “great border czar” and a “great candidate,” and repeated some of the applause lines he routinely delivered during the campaign.
▶ Read more about Harris' remarks
Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.
The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would have thwarted Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. But McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.
▶ Read more about the vote and resolution
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National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to depart from the Trump administration in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN, the first major staff shakeup since the president took office in January.
Waltz's job has been in limbo after it was made clear to him earlier this week that his time leading the National Security Council had come to an end, according to a source familiar with the matter. Alex Wong, the deputy national security adviser, and other national security advisers are also expected to depart, per multiple sources familiar with conversations, though timing is unclear.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and even Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been floated to replace Waltz on a temporary basis while the president weighs a more permanent replacement, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and friend of President Donald Trump, is also under consideration to replace Waltz as national security adviser, one person said, though no decision has been made. But Witkoff has told people close to him he does not want the job, two sources close to Witkoff told CNN, and they do not anticipate he'll ultimately be selected as Waltz's replacement. Though, they cautioned, he could still take the position if Trump asked him directly.
Witkoff has led discussions with Russia and Iran as Trump looks for international deals.
“Why would he do that? Be saddled with managing the interagency instead of doing what he is doing now?” said a person familiar with Witkoff's thinking.
Waltz had been on shaky ground – having lost most of his influence in the West Wing – after he inadvertently added a journalist to a messaging app group chat about highly sensitive military strikes.
Trump had considered firing him after the incident, but declined to do so because he didn't want to provide his enemies a perceived victory, and he hoped to avoid the type of chaos that colored his first administration.
But while Trump stood by him at the time, Waltz's standing hadn't ever really recovered, according to four sources, and he lost clout with top aides inside the West Wing. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has privately been one of the officials most unimpressed with Waltz — even before the Signal fiasco.
At 100 days into his second term, Trump no longer appears as concerned about the appearance of disorder. Multiple people familiar with the matter had increasingly described Waltz's potential ouster as a matter of “when, not if.” Mark Halperin first reported Waltz being pushed out.
Watlz's influence internally had been waning for weeks, illustrated best by Trump's decision to dismiss several staffers from the National Security Council at the urging of far-right activist Laura Loomer, who told him they were disloyal. Loomer told CNN Thursday she had previously tried to raise concerns about Waltz directly with Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office, where Loomer was urging the removal of certain national security officials. She said she planned to show Trump a 2016 campaign ad in which Waltz criticized him, but before she could play the clip on her phone, Waltz entered the room.
Loomer said she had also targeted Wong, citing his past work for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Democrats on Capitol Hill largely reacted to the news by saying Trump was firing the wrong national security official — they believed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deserved the boot more after he discussed bomb targets in Yemen in the Signal chat.
“I think they're holding the wrong guy accountable,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said, adding that he thought Waltz accidentally including a journalist on Signal was an “unfortunate mistake” but that he found it most troubling that Hegseth shared “incredibly sensitive information about a strike off of an aircraft carrier, putting pilots at risk.”
But Trump's thinking on Hegseth has sharply differed from how he regarded Waltz after the Signal episode, according to people familiar with the matter. The president was never able to move beyond the question of how Waltz invited Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic into the group chat in the first place, people familiar with the matter say.
While Trump did not think Hegseth exercised good judgment in sharing the Yemen war plan in at least two group chats, according to the people familiar, he believed his Defense secretary should not be dismissed after the administration spent so much political capital to confirm him.
Hegseth also has more far support outside the administration through the Trump-inspired MAGA movement than Waltz, who was viewed with deep suspicion among the base. Plus, unlike Hegseth, replacing Waltz would not involve a Senate confirmation fight.
Wiles has ordered Hegseth and the Pentagon to step up their performance, offering an admonition weeks ago that there is “no room for more mistakes or embarrassments.”
Waltz boarded Marine One with Trump on Tuesday, but when his colleagues boarded Air Force One about 10 minutes later, he instead remained on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. One White House official said he was never slated to travel with the president to Michigan, but the move was viewed as odd by other aides inside the administration.
Asked about the impact of Waltz's dismissal, multiple foreign officials — including some from the Middle East — expressed apprehension about who would replace him. Many said the impact would all depend on who follows as national security adviser, and several said his ouster was expected.
“Of all of them, we never thought he would be the first [to be fired],” said a senior western official.
Behind the scenes, some administration officials had begun quietly discussing an off-ramp for Waltz over the last several days. Trump has expressed frustration with him on multiple fronts, including the Signal episode. He was also irritated the Florida congressional race to replace Waltz was closer than expected, two sources familiar with the conversations told CNN.
But on Thursday, one administration official suggested the search for a soft landing spot was no longer a top priority.
“President Trump lost confidence in him a while ago,” this source said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
Manu Raju and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
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Live Updates
• Waltz to leave post: National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to leave the Trump administration in the coming days, sources tell CNN, the first major departure of the president's second term. Waltz had been on shaky ground since he added a journalist to a group chat on military strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his deputy have been floated as possible temporary replacements, a source said.
• Tariff turmoil: President Donald Trump acknowledged his tariffs could impact US consumers — but downplayed the economy shrinking in the first quarter. Behind the scenes, White House officials describe intense pressure to produce trade deals as economic anxiety builds, sources tell CNN.
• Immigration ruling: A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas ruled that the president unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and blocked the administration from quickly deporting some alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.
Democrats on Capitol Hill largely reacted to national security adviser Mike Waltz's ouster by saying President Donald Trump was firing the wrong national security official. They believed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deserved the boot more after he discussed bomb targets in Yemen in the Signal chat.
But Trump's thinking on Hegseth has sharply differed from how he regarded Waltz after the Signal episode, according to people familiar with the matter. The president was never able to move beyond the question of how Waltz invited Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic into the group chat in the first place, people familiar with the matter say.
While Trump did not think Hegseth exercised good judgment in sharing the Yemen war plan in at least two group chats, according to the people familiar, he believed his defense secretary should not be dismissed after the administration spent so much political capital to confirm him.
Hegseth also has more far support outside the administration through the Trump-inspired MAGA movement than Waltz, who was viewed with deep suspicion among the base. Plus, unlike Hegseth, replacing Waltz would not involve a Senate confirmation fight.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has ordered Hegseth and the Pentagon to step up their performance, offering an admonition weeks ago that there is “no room for more mistakes or embarrassments.”
Most Americans are not too keen on the idea of Congress making major cuts to federal funding for Medicaid, according to a KFF poll released Thursday. Even a majority of Republicans feel that way, the poll found.
The findings come as House Republicans are looking to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending over the next decade as part of their sweeping tax and spending cuts package. The House committee that oversees Medicaid is expected to release more details next week.
Here's more on the poll's findings:
• Just over three-quarters of the public oppose major Medicaid cuts, including 95% of Democrats, 79% of independents and 55% of Republicans.
• Similarly, a majority of all three groups oppose federal funding reductions for Medicare, Social Security and to states for mental health and addiction prevention services, but fewer than half of Republicans oppose the reduction of federal funding for HIV prevention programs, premium subsidies for people buying Obamacare plans and research at universities and medical centers.
• Those who identify as Make America Great Again supporters are split on Medicaid cuts, with 49% opposing a reduction. But a majority of this group opposes reductions for Medicare, Social Security and mental health and addiction prevention services. Like Republicans overall, fewer than half support federal funding for HIV prevention, Obamacare premium subsidies and research.
The survey from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, is based on a nationally representative sample of 1,380 adults in the US who were surveyed during the 2nd full week in April.
President Donald Trump told a group attending a National Day of Prayer event at the White House that he'd just left “a really great meeting” where he was updated on his sweeping bill on taxes.
The president said that House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise were among those who attended the meeting.
Trump said he was being updated on “the progress of the one big, beautiful bill,” adding, “We love that bill. I won't like it if it doesn't pass, neither will you.”
Yesterday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he plans to turn his attention on mustering congressional support for his party's tax bill.
“And I just wanted to say the final details are coming together, and they're coming together rapidly, and I think we're right on schedule,” he said.
Sticking points: House Republicans are struggling to agree on key issues like Medicaid and raising the state and local tax deduction after a week of intense meetings and negotiations between swing district Republicans, key chairmen and leadership.
The uncertainty about the path forward comes as hardliners remain dug in on wanting at least $1.5 trillion in cuts and as swing district Republicans are beginning to acknowledge that goal may not be achievable if they want to protect coverage for Medicaid recipients in their state.
CNN's Lauren Fox and Haley Talbot contributed to this reporting.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau have been floated to replace national security adviser Mike Waltz on a temporary basis while the president weighs a more permanent pick, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and friend of President Donald Trump, is also under consideration to replace Waltz as national security adviser, one person said, though no decision has been made.
But Witkoff has told people close to him he does not want the job, two sources close to Witkoff told CNN, and they do not anticipate he'll ultimately be selected as Waltz's replacement. Though, they cautioned, he could still take the position if Trump asked him directly.
Witkoff has led discussions with Russia and Iran as Trump looks for international deals.
“Why would he do that? Be saddled with managing the interagency instead of doing what he is doing now?” said a person familiar with Witkoff's thinking.
National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to depart from the administration in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.
This post has been updated with more reporting on Waltz's possible replacements.
The signing of a minerals deal between Ukraine and the United States is the “first result” of a meeting the countries' leaders had at the Vatican last weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today.
The pair held a brief meeting before the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. Pictures released of the talk showed the leaders huddled in close discussion in an empty area of St. Peter's Basilica. Zelensky said he told Trump “about our readiness to conclude a deal” during the Vatican meeting.
The Ukrainian leader called the minerals deal a “truly equal agreement” that “creates an opportunity for investment,” praising the Ukrainian delegation who worked on negotiations.
“Our representatives worked very well. The agreement has changed significantly in the process of preparation,” he said. Zelensky said the deal is “debt-free” and will allow both the US and Ukraine to make money together.
The Ukrainian leader called the Vatican meeting “meaningful” and said his country is “looking forward to the other results of our conversation,” without giving any more detail.
Remember: The deal gives the US preferential rights to mineral extraction in Ukraine and arranges for a joint investment fund that will pour money into Ukraine's natural resources.
The pact features strong language on the war with Russia and is viewed as a way to further intertwine US economic interests with Ukraine's security needs, though it stops short of providing concrete security guarantees.
A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas has ruled that the president unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and is blocking the administration from quickly deporting some alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.
US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez of the Southern District of Texas said Trump had unlawfully invoked the sweeping 18th century wartime authority to speed up some deportations. His decision means Trump cannot rely on the law to detain or deport any alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua within his district.
The ruling is a significant blow to Trump's decision in March to invoke the act — a move that has faced numerous legal challenges and has been halted by several courts. But Rodriguez's ruling is the first to conclude that the president exceeded his authority by relying on a law that was intended to be used during times when the US is at war.
“Allowing the President to unilaterally define the conditions when he may invoke the AEA, and then summarily declare that those conditions exist, would remove all limitations to the Executive Branch's authority under the AEA, and would strip the courts of their traditional role of interpreting Congressional statutes to determine whether a government official has exceeded the statute's scope,” the judge wrote. “The law does not support such a position.”
Although Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act has been litigated in multiple courts nationwide, including the Supreme Court, Rodriguez is the first judge to have reached a final decision on the merits.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said he was not given a heads up that national security adviser Mike Waltz would be leaving the Trump administration. Waltz is expected to depart in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
“I had not heard about it until the middle of the hearing and so I really don't have anything to add at this point,” he told CNN after leaving a hearing for the panel.
He would not answer when asked if he agrees with Democrats that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should also be held accountable and ousted over his involvement in the Signal chat scandal.
Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who also sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Waltz's imminent departure from the administration “long overdue.” She said, “He's the guy who started the unclassified text chain when they were classified channels available. It's his responsibility, but I also think Pete Hegseth needs to be fired as well.”
Duckworth said she thinks Trump is forcing out Waltz to protect Hegseth and that upheavals in the administration will continue because “people are scared to do their jobs.”
“People are concerned to share classified information. They don't trust that the secretary of defense knows how to manage classified information, and I think they're trying to get rid of this issue, but it is one of national security importance,” she said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN he also wasn't aware of Waltz's reported departure, and he wouldn't weigh in on Hegseth when asked if the defense secretary should also be held accountable for the now-infamous Signal chat.
This post has been updated with more reactions from lawmakers.
President Donald Trump praised members of his Cabinet by name at the top of a speech in the Rose Garden today, starting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who he said was doing “a fantastic job.”
He did not mention national security adviser Mike Waltz, whom CNN reported is expected to depart the administration.
Waltz and Hegseth were both involved in the Signal chat scandal involving the editor in chief of The Atlantic, with Hegseth also having shared detailed plans about a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen on a second Signal chat including family members.
Trump praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others at the National Day of Prayer event.
“Marco, when I have a problem, I call up Marco. He gets it solved,” Trump said of Rubio.
Democratic senators said today that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be ousted from the Trump administration, responding to reporting that national security adviser Mike Waltz will leave his position in the coming days.
“I think they're holding the wrong guy accountable,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly told CNN, adding that he thought Waltz accidentally including a journalist in a group chat discussing strike plans was an “unfortunate mistake,” but the “most troubling” part of the incident was Hegseth “sharing incredibly sensitive information about a strike off of an aircraft carrier, putting pilots at risk.”
“That's where the accountability should be, not with the national security adviser. That's my view,” he added.
“I was surprised to see this. I think they fired the wrong guy,” he said.
Asked if he's satisfied that someone is being held accountable for the group chat disclosing detailed military plans, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal answered, “The question is whether the right person's being held accountable.”
“There has to be accountability for the mistakes and the errors that have been made, but I think the secretary of defense ought to bear that responsibility. He should be fired,” he said, arguing Hegseth is responsible.
Meanwhile, Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy said: “If Mike's leaving, that's the president's decision, and we support that.”
“I'm frankly tired of hearing about Signal,” he said, praising the Trump administration for sending troops to the southern border and “putting terrorists back on their heels.”
National security adviser Mike Waltz is expected to leave the Trump administration in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
It would mark the first major departure from the administration during President Donald Trump's second term.
His job has been in limbo since it was made clear to Waltz earlier this week that his time leading the National Security Council had come to an end, according to a source familiar with what happened. Waltz had been attempting to stay on and attended yesterday's Cabinet meeting, appeared on Fox News and showed up to the West Wing today.
But Waltz has been on shaky ground and lost most of his influence in the West Wing after he inadvertently added the editor in chief of The Atlantic to a group chat about military strikes in March.
Trump stood by his national security adviser at the time, but Waltz's standing never really recovered, according to four sources. He had also lost his standing with top aides inside the West Wing.
Waltz boarded Marine One with Trump on Tuesday, but when his colleagues boarded Air Force One about 10 minutes later, he remained behind at Joint Base Andrews. One White House official said he was never slated to travel with Trump to a Michigan rally, but the move was viewed as odd by other aides inside the administration.
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, says he's “sure there'll be news by the end of the day” regarding a trade deal.
Hassett, who made the comment in a CNBC interview today, declined to share which country the deal would be with. A likely candidate, however, is India.
On China: “We're pleased to see that last week China pulled back a bunch of tariffs on US products, perhaps in a show of good faith,” Hassett said during the same interview.
China's pullback came after the US exempted certain electronics coming from China from 125% tariffs.
China's response, Hassett said, “shows we're very close to making the kind of progress we need to move the ball forward.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading negotiations with China, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is leading negotiations with other countries.
Hassett said he's confident Bessent will help get the deal done, saying his work on the Ukraine minerals deal was another sign of his leadership.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said today that lower Treasury yields and slower inflation suggest the Federal Reserve should be cutting interest rates.
“We are seeing that two-year rates are now below Fed funds rates, so that's a market signal that they think the Fed should be cutting,” Bessent told Fox Business. “We've had some great inflation numbers. We had the biggest decrease in energy prices for a single month in years.”
By the numbers: The yield on the 2-year US Treasury note was 3.56% as of market open today compared to the Fed's benchmark lending rate at around 4.33%. Yesterday, the Commerce Department reported that the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — the Fed's favored inflation gauge — registered a 2.3% annual rate in March, down from February's 2.7%.
Echoing Trump: Bessent's remarks come as President Donald Trump has recently publicly attacked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, only softening his stance after advisers warned Trump that terminating the central bank chief would backfire legally and economically, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Unlikely to change: Fed officials, however, haven't signaled they're ready to resume lowering borrowing costs just yet. The central bank is widely expected to stand pat at its policy meeting next week, according to futures, extending a holding pattern that began in January. Last year, the Fed lowered its key interest rate by a full percentage point.
Uncertainty over President Donald Trump's sweeping economic agenda and inflation's descent stalling out around the turn of the year have kept the Fed on hold. For the Fed to begin cutting again, central bankers will have to either see inflation continue to slow or the unemployment climb more than expected.
The US Chamber of Commerce is asking the Trump administration to provide American businesses with sweeping relief from sky-high tariffs to avoid causing an economic downturn and wiping out countless small businesses.
In a letter to Trump officials, US Chamber CEO Suzanne Clark warned that ending US tariffs imposed this year “is critical given the negative impact recent tariffs are having on the US economy, employers and American families.”
“We are deeply concerned that even if it only takes weeks or months to reach agreements, many small businesses will suffer irreparable harm,” Clark said in the Wednesday letter. “The Chamber is hearing from small business owners every day who are seeing their ability to survive endangered by the recent increase in tariff rates.”
In order to “save America's small businesses and stave off a recession,” the chamber is requesting the administration immediately launch a tariff exclusion process.
The business group argued the exclusion process should automatically exclude “any” small business importer from the new tariffs because smaller firms don't have the profit margins and financial resources to sustain higher tariffs.
Additionally, the chamber wants the administration to provide “automatic” tariff exclusions for all products that can't be made in America or are not readily available from domestic sources such as on coffee, bananas, cocoa and certain minerals. The chamber is also asking for a process that would let businesses quickly get exclusions when they can demonstrate tariffs will kill jobs.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the letter.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said he expects that next week, “cargo coming into Los Angeles will be down 35% compared for a year ago” in response to tariffs.
“Many major retailers have told us they have about a six- to eight-week supply of inventory in their systems now,” Seroka said. “United States manufacturers and consumers alike will find difficult decisions in the weeks and months to come if policies don't change.”
His comments come as some of the last cargo ships carrying Chinese goods without crippling tariffs are currently heading into US ports.
Cargo on ships from China loaded after April 9 will carry with them the 145% tariff President Donald Trump slapped on goods from that nation last month. Next week, those goods will arrive, but there will be fewer ships at sea and they will be carrying less cargo. For many importers, it is too expensive to do business with China.
Businesses are making a difficult choice: Continue selling products from China at more than double their previous prices or stop selling those products altogether. For consumers, that means some products will be hard to find or may be too expensive to buy.
Watch more from Seroka:
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka shares that the port expects a steep drop in shipping amid President Donald Trump's tariffs. #CNN #news
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith and Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie will head to the White House this morning to meet with President Donald Trump, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The meeting comes at a key time when congressional Republicans are working to cut a deal on Trump's first big legislative package.
Johnson was already expected at the White House to attend the morning prayer breakfast.
The Trump administration's tariffs on imported cars and auto parts will cost General Motors between $4 billion and $5 billion this year. But in an interview on CNN, CEO Mary Barra said the company doesn't necessarily expect to pass those higher costs onto consumers in the form of elevated prices.
“We believe … pricing is going to stay at about the same level as it is,” she told CNN's Erin Burnett today, although she added, “Pricing changes in our industry at least monthly, and sometimes more frequently. We're going to respond to the market.”
The company does expect the higher tariff costs to eat into its earnings as it slashed its profit guidance for the year, as revealed in a letter to shareholders from Barra released early this morning. The letter and guidance were delayed from their planned release on Tuesday, when the company reported lower first-quarter earnings and awaited tariff changes from the Trump administration.
GM is the first major company to estimate, in dollars, how much President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs will cost it. Many others have walked back earnings forecasts because of the ensuing economic uncertainty.
While GM is not the dominant global auto player it once was, it is still the largest American automaker, with US sales of 2.7 million cars and trucks last year.
Read more about GM and tariffs.
President Donald Trump's family company has made two real estate announcements in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar just weeks ahead of the president's trip to the region.
The announcements, which involve regional developers, come before Trump's first presidential trip of his second term to the wealthy Arab nations, which have pledged to invest trillions of dollars into the United States.
The Trump Organization on Tuesday introduced the 80-floor Trump International Hotel and Tower in Dubai, a $1 billion development where penthouses are going for $20 million.
And yesterday, Qatari Diar, a real estate company owned by the natural gas-rich nation's sovereign wealth fund, signed an agreement with Dar Global to develop Trump International Golf Club, according to state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA). The 18-hole golf course will also include Trump-branded luxury villas. It is estimated the project will bring $2 billion in foreign investment into Qatar, QNA said.
Trump is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE from May 13 to May 16. The president fostered close ties with Gulf Arab states during his first term, choosing Saudi Arabia for his first presidential visit in 2017.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing a religious liberty commission this morning, a White House official confirmed, during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden that is scheduled at 11 a.m. ET.
Trump forecasted the action at the National Prayer Breakfast on Capitol Hill in February.
“I will be creating a brand-new presidential commission on religious liberty. It's going to be a very big deal, which will work tirelessly to uphold this most fundamental right,” Trump said at the time, saying that “this sacred liberty” has been “threatened like never before.”
Previously, Trump signed an executive order targeting “anti-Christian bias,” and he has established a faith office within the White House.
The Daily Wire first reported that Trump would sign the order establishing a religious liberty commission on Thursday.
Job cuts by the government represented the largest chunk of layoffs so far this year, up 680% from the same period last year. Department of Government Efficiency-related cost-cutting led to a total of 281,452 layoffs.
For the month of April, US-based employers announced plans to cut 105,441 jobs, according to a Challenger, Gray & Christmas report released today. That's significantly higher than the 64,789 job cuts announced last April. However, a large chunk (40,000 jobs) of last month's layoff count can be attributed to plans tied to two major employers: UPS and Intel.
Earlier this week, UPS said it plans to cut 20,000 jobs this year as part of a previously announced plan to increase automation and trim its Amazon business. Last week, Bloomberg reported that Intel was expected to cut 20,000 workers. The company has not announced specific details for potential upcoming layoffs.
There is a clear trend of economic uncertainty weighing on businesses, noted Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at the outplacement and business coaching firm.
“Though the government cuts are front and center, we saw job cuts across sectors last month,” he said in a statement. “Generally, companies are citing the economy and new technology. Employers are slow to hire and limiting hiring plans as they wait and see what will happen with trade, supply chain, and consumer spending.”
The US Department of Health and Human Services this morning released a 400-page review of treatment for gender dysphoria in children but did not disclose who authored or reviewed the report.
The report follows several actions by President Donald Trump's administration to halt gender-affirming treatment of transgender children and adolescents and cancel research about the transgender community.
“Contributors to the review include medical doctors, medical ethicists, and a methodologist. Contributors represent a wide range of political viewpoints and were chosen for their commitment to scientific principles,” HHS said in a news release about the review, adding that contributors' names are not initially being made public “in order to help maintain the integrity of this process.”
The agency said chapters of the report underwent peer review but did not specify who reviewed it. The agency also said it will undergo additional review “involving stakeholders with different perspectives” in the days ahead.
The document, which includes sections on evidence, ethical considerations, psychotherapy and “clinical realities,” focuses on treatment of gender dysphoria in youths, not adults. HHS said the review finds that science and evidence do not support “these drastic medical interventions for our nation's youth.”
For context: Major mainstream medical associations — including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — have affirmed the practice of gender-affirming care and agree that it's clinically appropriate care that can provide lifesaving treatment for children and adults.
A growing number of states have enacted laws or policies that limit the kind of care young people can get. As of March, 27 states have enacted restrictions, meaning about 40% of trans youth live in a state with limited gender-affirming health care options, according to KFF, a health policy organization.
More than 60% of the public opposes major cuts to health spending and staff at federal health agencies, according to a new poll from KFF.
A similar share of the survey participants — including nearly all Democrats and most independents — say the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency have been “recklessly making broad cuts to programs and staff,” while a large majority of supporters of the Make America Great Again movement — including most non-MAGA Republicans and Republican leaners — say the administration is “carefully making cuts to programs and staff to reduce fraud and waste.”
But more than three-quarters of participants say they oppose major federal funding cuts to Medicaid, with even MAGA supporters closely divided on the issue.
Protests under the “50501” movement — short for 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement — in response to the Trump administration's flurry of moves over its first 100 days are set to take place across the country today for May Day.
May 1 marks May Day, which shares a date with International Workers' Day and is often a day for protests and civil action for labor rights.
The 50501 movement sprang out of a Reddit forum and has held multiple national days of action the last few months.
The most recent came on April 19 when crowds of people attended over 80 protests at state capitols, courthouses and city halls in several states to oppose what organizers describe as President Donald Trump's executive overreach, including deportations without due process, the dismantling of federal agencies and threats to higher education.
The planned protests come two days after Trump marked 100 days in office. In that short period, he has moved to upend the world order by cracking down on immigration and immigrants' rights; instituting tariffs that threaten global trade; dismantling the administrative state under the Department of Government Efficiency's slapdash cuts; rolling back protections for transgender people; and exercising executive power with disdain for checks and balances.
Read more here on the protests.
In her first major address since leaving office, former Vice President and 2024 presidential nominee Kamala Harris blasted President Donald Trump's first 100 days, saying his agenda displays a “wholesale abandonment” of American ideals.
“Instead of an administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals,” Harris said. “And what we are also seeing in these last 14 weeks is Americans using their voice and showing their courage.”
Harris also accused her former rival of setting off the “greatest man-made economic crisis” in modern history through his tariffs, and warned that his conflicts with the courts were moving the nation toward a constitutional crisis.
Here's what else happened yesterday:
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FIRST ON FOX – President Donald Trump's former national security advisor is sounding the alarm about the Justice Department's proposal to break up Google's illegal monopoly on online search, saying in a letter to White House leaders that the government's proposal is overly broad and poses "drastic" and far-reaching national security risks.
In a letter to the White House National Security Council, obtained by Fox News Digital, Trump's former national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, argued that the Biden-era DOJ framework is in "direct conflict" with Trump's policy priorities, and risks hobbling U.S. competition with China in a high-stakes race to develop new and advanced technology.
The U.S., he said, "now finds itself in a literal ‘technology race' – as significant and critical to our nation's strength, and the Trump Administration's objectives, as the ‘arms race' of the past century," O'Brien said.
"To prevail, the U.S. must maintain and expand its global leadership in key technologies."
TRUMP WAGERS US ECONOMY IN HIGH-STAKES TARIFF GAMBLE AT 100-DAY MARK
President Donald Trump's former national security advisor, Robert O'Brien, is seen next to a photo of the Google logo. (Images via Getty)
The letter was sent to White House national security advisor Mike Waltz before he was ousted from his role Thursday along with his deputy, Alex Wong, in the wake of the Signal controversy earlier this year. It was not immediately clear who Trump planned to install as his replacement. A copy was also sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
News of the letter, first reported by Fox News Digital, comes as lawyers for the Justice Department and Google continue to spar in federal court over how far Google should go to break up what a judge ruled last year to be its illegal monopoly on online search.
O'Brien in his letter said the plans proposed by the Biden-era DOJ would cripple Google's ability to compete or innovate on the global stage – undermining U.S. leadership on cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and quantum computing, in its race against China, and presenting grave new economic and national security risks.
DOJ's Antitrust Division is "aggressively pursuing the misguided policies of the prior Biden Administration and its European-like approach to crippling our nation's largest and most robust technology companies," O'Brien said. "By ignoring their enormous value to our country's strength, the Antitrust Division is seeking, through draconian remedies, to import European-style regulatory restrictions and prohibitions at home here in the Google Search case."
He also urged the Trump-led Department of Justice to review the framework to restructure Google's search engine and amend it in a way that would still allow the company to compete.
"Splitting Google into smaller companies and forfeiting its intellectual property would weaken U.S. competitiveness against the giant, state-backed Chinese tech companies, since, separated entities would lack the enormous resources needed," O'Brien said.
"Experts in multiple fields critical to national security confirm these basic principles and loudly address the concern that handcuffing our high-tech powerhouses would undermine U.S. leadership and superiority in these key technologies, and risk ceding the world's technology leadership to China," he said.
TRUMP DOJ'S PLAN TO RESTRUCTURE GOOGLE HURTS CONSUMERS, NATIONAL SECURITY, SAYS EXEC: ‘WILDLY OVERBROAD'
Google search display is seen on a mobile phone screen and computer. (Getty Images)
The letter comes as Google and the Justice Department continue to spar in federal court in a so-called "remedies hearing" to break up what U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled last summer was Google's illegal monopoly in the online search engine space.
The two sides presented the court with starkly different plans for how they believe Google should go about resolving its monopoly – the first successful antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. against a major tech company since U.S. v. Microsoft in 2001.
Justice Department lawyers said Google should be required to sell off its Chrome browser, share years of its consumer data with competitors, and potentially sell Android, Google's smartphone operating system.
Their proposed framework also includes requirements that Google be required to disclose its consumer data and search information with other companies, including rivals located outside the U.S., for the next 10 years.
They told the court these steps could also stop Google from obtaining a monopoly in the AI space – acknowledging that technology is going to evolve, and therefore remedies must "include the ability to evolve alongside it as well."
Google has proposed a much narrower remedies plan, including options for shorter contracts with browser companies, like Apple and Mozilla; new contracts with Android, and other important steps they said would make the landscape more competitive.
Google officials argue DOJ's proposal goes "miles beyond" the relief that was ordered by Judge Amit Mehta in August, and warned that the government's proposed framework would stifle competition, fail to regulate anticompetitive conduct, and hobble Google's ability to attract new investments or innovate in key areas like AI and quantum computing.
JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA
Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in a 2018 hearing on privacy security and data collection. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified in court Wednesday that DOJ's proposal, if adopted, would result in a "de facto divestiture" of Google's search engine that would allow companies to reverse-engineer "any part" of its tech stack, which he noted is the result of decades of investment and innovation.
If that happened, he said, it could all but kill the nearly $2 trillion company by giving its IP away to its competitors.
"It's not clear to me how to fund all the innovation we do," he said, "if we were to give all of it away at marginal cost."
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O'Brien serves as the co-founder and partner emeritus of Larson LLP, a firm that has represented Google as special outside counsel in unrelated matters, though O'Brien himself has not been involved in any of those cases.
The Justice Department did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the letter from O'Brien, or whether the Trump-led DOJ had plans to amend its proposed framework in the Google remedies case.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
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A pair of Republican lawmakers are set to propose a new law that would require app stores to verify the ages of all users and share that information with app developers, following a similar state law that was signed in Utah earlier this year.
If passed, the legislation, called the App Store Accountability Act, could mark the first major federal online safety legislation in years and would significantly change how users engage with app stores. The law would go into effect one year after its passing.
The proposed law could make it easier, in theory, for tech platforms to provide safe experiences for kids. But app store operators and privacy experts have noted that the approach could raise legal and practical questions, including how to verify the ages of young users without government IDs.
The bill — set to be introduced by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. John James of Michigan on Thursday — would require app store operators with at least 5 million users to verify users' ages when they sign up for an account, according to a draft provided exclusively to CNN.
App stores, including those run by Apple and Google, would be required to inform app developers of a user's age category — “young child” as under the age of 13; “child” as 13- to 15-years-old; “teenager” as 16- to 17-years-old; or “adult” as 18 or older — while protecting their personal information. Parental consent would be required before minors can download or make purchases through an app.
Lee said in a statement that the legislation is designed to prevent children from accessing apps where they could be exposed to “violent and sexual material while risking contact from predators online.”
“Our legislation brings age verification and accountability to the source of the problem,” Lee said.
The proposal comes as lawmakers and tech platforms have faced pressure to make the internet safer, especially for young users.
Its passing would be a major win for social media companies, including Meta, Snap and X, that have endorsed the idea of making app stores a sort of central clearinghouse for age verification. That way, individual platforms could provide safer experiences for young users without having to check their ages themselves.
“Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it,” Meta, X and Snap said in a joint statement after the similar legislation in Utah passed.
Apple and Google, however, have pushed back on legislation that would require them to verify the ages of all users, saying that app stores and app developers should share responsibility for age verification. They're also pushing for privacy-protected age data to be shared only with platforms that need it.
“While only a fraction of apps on the App Store may require age verification, all users would have to hand over their sensitive personally identifying information to us — regardless of whether they actually want to use one of these limited set of apps,” Apple, which has long made privacy central to its brand, said in a report published in February. “That's not in the interest of user safety or privacy.”
Both Apple and Google also already take steps to prevent “objectionable” content, such as graphic violence or pornography, on their app stores. But many parents and online safety experts are most worried about mainstream social media apps like Snap and Meta's Instagram, although those companies have ramped up youth safety efforts in recent years.
“We believe in shared responsibility between app stores and developers, and think it's critical to protect children's privacy and the decision rights of parents,” Google spokesperson Danielle Cohen said in a statement. “We'll continue engaging with Congressional leaders on this important issue.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Privacy and legal experts have previously raised concerns about the app store age verification approach.
While users wouldn't have to hand over information to verify their age across multiple platforms, they'd still need to provide personal data — likely a government ID or a scan of their face — to verify their age. And it wouldn't just apply to children, but to anyone who uses the app store, regardless of what apps they want to access.
Tech industry-backed advocacy group Chamber of Progress also previously warned that the Utah law could run afoul of the First Amendment by forcing adults to choose between handing over personal information or accessing “legally protected online speech.”
But the two GOP lawmakers who have proposed the App Store Accountability Act say the bill would provide needed support for parents and caregivers, who are currently under pressure to closely monitor their kids' social media use.
“Kids cannot consent — and any company that exposes them to addictive or adult material should be held accountable,” James said in a statement. “The App Store Accountability Act holds Big Tech companies to the same standard as local corner stores.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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All those rape myths Me Too was supposed to debunk are back.
by Constance Grady
A few short years ago, Harvey Weinstein was widely considered the monster against which all other alleged sexual abusers were measured. As he begins his New York state retrial for a series of rape and sexual assault charges over a period of years, that consensus has broken.
To see just how wide of a cultural swing we're in the midst of, observe the questions right-wing commentator Candace Owens and manosphere hero Joe Rogan — notable “just asking questions” provocateurs — have begun asking on Weinstein's behalf.
“After looking over this case, I've concluded that Harvey Weinstein was wrongfully convicted and basically just hung on the Me Too thing,” Owens said on a podcast on Sunday. Owens is in the midst of promoting “Harvey Speaks,” a series of jailhouse interviews with Weinstein which she promises will exonerate him.
“I can't believe I'm on Harvey Weinstein's side,” Joe Rogan said on his podcast in March. “I thought he was guilty of, like, heinous crimes and then you listen, and you're like, ‘Wait, what? What is going on?'” Rogan says Owens's series convinced him to change his mind on Weinstein.
This high-profile support for Weinstein is part of a larger anti-Me Too, anti-feminist backlash that took off in earnest in 2023, arguably beginning with the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp domestic violence trial. The days in which America was transfixed by accusation after accusation of sexual violence committed by famous men are long over. Gone is the era in which it seemed possible that America was going to truly hold sexual predators accountable, regardless of their fame and power. In this moment, America is more often transfixed by the idea that those famous men aren't so bad after all — that maybe the women who accused them are simply lying.
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For Owens and Rogan to embrace even Harvey Weinstein signals a true sea change in the place the Me Too movement holds in American culture, and with it, a change in how we understand sexual violence. In the first days after Weinstein was accused, around 2017 and 2018, he was treated as a sort of boogeyman, a man whose crimes were so many and so monstrous that all the other sexual crimes coming to light around the same time paled in comparison.
Now, Weinstein himself is apparently no Weinstein.
“He's no Weinstein,” commenters said of all the other accused men in those months: Louis C.K., Al Franken, Garrison Keillor. Over the next few years, as Weinstein faced jail time and the other men by and large did not, Weinstein became, as the feminist commenter Jessica Valenti wrote in 2022, a point of comparison next to which everyone else seemed not particularly bad. “Weinstein went to jail,” Valenti wrote, “so that when a woman complains about Louis CK winning a Grammy, men can scoff at her greedy overreach.”
Now, Weinstein himself is apparently no Weinstein.
Weinstein is currently facing retrial in New York because his 2020 guilty verdict was thrown out on a procedural issue. He is still serving out a 16-year sentence he received after a 2022 guilty verdict in Los Angeles, but a not guilty verdict in the New York retrial would mean he would not have to serve any time on top of that LA sentence. As he waits for the current trial to make its way through the courts, he appears optimistic about Owens's efforts on his behalf. “I've never seen anything like it,” he told the New York Post. “The woman is going to be a superstar, and I have been around stars.”
One of the greatest successes of the Me Too movement at the height of its influence was not necessarily the criminal prosecution of accused sexual abusers, but its powerful challenge of myths around sexual abuse that had been pervasive for decades. To see Owens's millions of podcast subscribers and social media followers respond by and large favorably to these familiar flimsy defenses shows just how much we seem to have regressed.
One of the greatest successes of the Me Too movement was not necessarily the criminal prosecution of accused sexual abusers, but its powerful challenge of myths around sexual abuse.
First, Owens incorrectly asserts that of the more than 80 women who accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, only three ended up bringing charges against him. This, she says, proves that the rest of Weinstein's accusers were liars, and that the evidence against him is thin. In fact, three women brought charges against Weinstein in New York and five more in Los Angeles. By most standards, being legally charged with sexual assault against eight different women would be considered a lot, although in Weinstein's case, it does work out to around 10 percent of his public accusers.
Sexual assault is notoriously difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard of defense in a criminal court. Many of the women who accused Weinstein publicly did so years or even decades after the fact, a common phenomenon among survivors of sexual assault, both because of the shame associated with the attack and the difficulty of securing a conviction. In some cases, the legal statute of limitations had closed by the time these survivors finally went public.
The standard of evidence in a criminal court is high for good reason: if you're going to take someone's freedom away from them, you should be absolutely certain that they committed a crime. The eight cases brought against Weinstein represent the eight cases that law enforcement was confident they could prove to that standard.
The fact that the other 72 or so accusations against Weinstein never resulted in criminal charges doesn't mean that they're all false. It doesn't mean that they're all true, either. It means they don't meet the high standards of a courtroom, and that's it.
Owens's second major argument is that Weinstein's accusers continued to spend time with him and, in some cases, send him flirtatious messages after they say he attacked them. She contends that they were acting as “sugar babies,” engaging in a quid pro quo relationship with Weinstein in which they traded sexual favors for his professional support.
It is true that many of the women who have accused Weinstein of sexual assault continued to maintain friendly relationships after their attacks. This, too, is extremely common among victims of sexual violence, the vast majority of whom know their attackers well. In the case of Weinstein and his accusers, Weinstein held significant professional power over his alleged victims — and his reputation as a vindictive actor left little doubt that he would not hesitate to use it. He torpedoed the careers of women who rejected his advances. That includes Mira Sorvino, who said she was forced to stop acting in major studio films after she turned him down (director Peter Jackson confirmed he decided not to hire her after Weinstein advised him against it).
We also know that Weinstein's machinations didn't stop with professional retaliation. As publication approached for the two bombshell news articles breaking the story of Weinstein's decades-long pattern of sexual assault, Weinstein hired private security agencies, including former Mossad spies, to collect compromising information on the women who were preparing to accuse them.
None of the information or context I am laying out here is new. All of these revelations were discussed in the press in great detail in the weeks and months after the Weinstein story first broke in October 2017, and then repeated again over the course of his 2020 New York trial and his 2022 Los Angeles trial.
When Owens performs her “just asking questions” routine about Weinstein, she is not asking new questions.
That was one of the few benefits of using Harvey Weinstein as a symbol of the worst kind of monster a sexual predator could possibly be. It was reductive and a little sensationalist, but at the very least, the public's fascination with Weinstein meant a chance to talk through a few all-too pervasive rape myths. It meant a chance to explain why so many women hesitate to come forward and tell their stories, why so many women maintain relationships with their attackers, and why it's so hard to get a conviction on a rape case. For a time, it looked as though if the Me Too movement had accomplished anything outside of a few high-profile arrests, it was at least that it educated the public.
When Owens performs her “just asking questions” routine about Weinstein, she is not asking new questions. She is asking very old ones and acting as though they weren't thoroughly answered the first time around. That she has been able to do so successfully with Weinstein and find an audience willing and eager to welcome her takes means things could get a lot worse for all the other victims of sexual assault out there: the ones whose attackers don't have 80 public accusations against them; whose attackers are, after all, no Weinstein. The informational ecosystem she is building is just one sign that the gains of Me Too are far more ephemeral than we had once hoped.
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White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the Trump administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz listens as President Donald Trump meets with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans, according to two people familiar with the matter Thursday, marking the first major staff shake-up of President Donald Trump's second term.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen. A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Waltz's deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move not yet made public. The National Security Council did not respond do a request for comment.
Waltz, who served in the House representing Florida for three terms before his elevation to the White House, is the most prominent senior administration official to depart since Trump returned to the White House. In his second term, the Republican president had been looking to avoid the tumult of his first four years in office, during which he cycled through four national security advisers, four White House chiefs of staff and two secretaries of state.
The Signal chain also showed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop. Waltz had previously taken “full responsibility” for building the message chain and administration officials described the episode as a “mistake” but one that caused Americans no harm. Waltz maintained that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up in the messaging chain, and insisted he did not know the journalist.
Trump and the White House — which insisted that no classified information was shared on the text chain — have stood by Waltz publicly throughout the episode. But the embattled national security adviser was also under siege from personalities such as Loomer, who had been complaining to administration officials that she had been excluded from the vetting process for National Security Council aides. In her view, Waltz relied too much on “neocons” — referring to hawkish neoconservatives within the Republican Party — as well as others who Loomer argued were “not-MAGA-enough” types.
Waltz was on television as late as Thursday morning, promoting the administration's agreement with Kyiv that would allow the U.S. to access Ukraine's critical minerals and other natural resources. As reports began to circulate that Waltz could be leaving the administration, Loomer appeared to take credit in a post on the social media site X, writing: “SCALP.”
“Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” Loomer wrote in another post.
Loomer had taken a similar victory lap when several other NSC officials were dismissed last month one day after she met with Trump. Those firings included Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director for technology and national security, as well as other lower-ranking aides.
Waltz's resignation comes as questions are swirling around Hegseth and his role in the Signal chat.
While Waltz set it up, Hegseth posted times for aircraft launches and bomb drops into the unsecured app and shared the same information with dozens of people in a second chat, including his wife and brother.
The Associated Press reported that Hegseth also bypassed Pentagon security protocols to set up an unsecured line for a personal computer in his office –- beside terminals where he was receiving classified information. That raises the possibility that sensitive information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.
The Pentagon inspector general is investigating Hegseth's use of Signal, and he has faced criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans. It has added to the turmoil at the Pentagon at a time when Hegseth has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers. Nonetheless, Trump has maintained public confidence in Hegseth.
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Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Waltz's deputy, Alex Wong, will leave their positions at the White House, according to multiple outlets.
Waltz, 51, has been mired in controversy for several weeks. He admitted responsibility for accidentally and unknowingly adding a reporter to the now-infamous Signal group chat in which senior officials debated whether to begin a military campaign in the Middle East.
“We are not going to respond to reporting from anonymous sources,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Washington Examiner.
It's unclear who will fill the vacancy Waltz is leaving, which was first reported by journalist Mark Halperin, though one name he floated was Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Witkoff, who had been in real estate development prior to being tapped to join this administration, is leading the White House's efforts to negotiate an end to the Israel-Hamas war, Iran's nuclear program, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Witkoff has faced criticism himself, particularly for his approach to negotiating with the Kremlin. He has been accused of echoing Kremlin talking points. He also reportedly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, relying on Kremlin translators.
“Nice guy, but a bumbling f***ing idiot,” an anonymous member of Trump's first administration told the New York Post.
Waltz, the former Florida congressman, is the first major Trump administration official to be moved out of the administration. The move came amid a week of celebration from the administration designed to highlight all the achievements of the first 100 days of Trump's second term.
Trump did not fire anyone involved in the Signal group chat when it was first reported, standing behind Waltz, who accepted responsibility for adding Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who shared sensitive details of an impending military operation in the group chat.
In early April, Trump fired multiple staffers on his National Security Council shortly after he met with investigative journalist Laura Loomer in the Oval Office in the aftermath of the Signal reports. Following the Signal group chat leak, Loomer “exposed” several Trump administration staffers for alleged disloyalty and ties to foreign adversaries on X. Wong was among those she posted about.
“Laura Loomer is a very good patriot,” Trump said at the time. “She's a very strong person, and I saw her yesterday for a little while. She makes recommendations of names of people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody. I listen to everybody, and then I make a decision.”
When pressed on whether Loomer had “anything to do with the NSC aides who were ousted,” Trump replied, “No, not at all.”
Loomer had publicly called for Trump to fire Waltz and Wong and took a victory lap on social media on Thursday.
“SCALP,” she posted on social media. “VETTING MATTERS. Don't ever forget that.”
PETE HEGSETH SIGNAL GROUP CHAT (PART 2): WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General is investigating Hegseth's Signal use. It's been reported that he shared those details in another group chat, including his brother, wife, and personal attorney.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Steve Doocy shares a message with the 'Fox & Friends' audience.
After nearly 30 years of waking up to his alarm clock at 3:30 a.m., "Fox & Friends" co-host Steve Doocy will finally be able to hit the snooze.
The longtime host announced on "Fox & Friends" that "it's time for a change" that will allow him to spend more time with his growing family, while still continuing his hosting duties.
"After decades of getting up at 3:30 and driving into New York City in the dark, today is the last day I will host this show from the couch. I'm not retiring, I'm not leaving the show. I'm still a host, but it's time for a change," he said Thursday.
STEVE DOOCY OF ‘FOX & FRIENDS' REVEALS A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TRADITION IN HIS FAMILY'S HOUSEHOLD
Steve Doocy announces his new 'coast-to-coast' role to his 'Fox & Friends' colleagues. (Fox News)
"Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News Media and a friend of mine for over 30 years, and I have been trying to figure out what a guy who's been getting up at 3:30 for two generations should do next. And Suzanne gave me a great option. To keep working on this show, just not every day."
Doocy said he'll now host three days a week and will be based in Florida. He said he will be reporting "coast to coast," including from areas of the U.S. that don't get as much coverage.
"When my kids were growing up, I never had breakfast with them," he said. "I was always here, Kathy did everything. But starting tomorrow, I'm going to have breakfast with my grandkids and my children whenever I can."
President Donald Trump also shared a special message to Doocy, thanking him for his fair coverage through the years and congratulating him on the transition.
STEVE DOOCY OF ‘FOX & FRIENDS' REVEALS A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TRADITION IN HIS FAMILY'S HOUSEHOLD
President Donald Trump shares a congratulatory message to Steve Doocy. (Fox News)
"I just want to congratulate you on your new and probably enhanced role," the president said. "I just think you're a fantastic guy. You've always treated me fairly, sometimes a little more fairly than other times, but that's okay. You've been really stellar at what you do and at your craft, and you're going to continue, and it's really been an honor to have spent so much time with you and watching you and the whole group in the morning."
"It's the number one show in the business, and it's going to stay that way for a long time to come, and you were a big part of it," he continued. "So thank you for all of your service, because truly, it was service."
Doocy, who joined Fox News Channel at its inception in 1996 and began as ‘Fox & Friends' co-host two years later, said he will be taking some time off to spend with his children and grandchildren before kicking off his new role.
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Bailee Hill is an associate editor with Fox News Digital. Story ideas can be sent to bailee.hill@fox.com
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Mike Waltz is out as the national security advisor, along with his deputy. Chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports the latest on the ousting and what's likely to come.
Trump administration National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and other staffers are out at the National Security Council, sources confirmed to Fox News.
Fox News confirmed Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were ousted Thursday. Sources said additional staffers removed from the office will likely be announced, and President Donald Trump is expected to speak publicly about the matter.
Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine's Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists.
Waltz took responsibility for the inclusion of a journalist in the group chat, telling Fox News' Laura Ingraham, "I take full responsibility. I built the group," he said. "It's embarrassing. We're going to get to the bottom of it."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital earlier Monday when asked about reports claiming Waltz and others would be shown the door, "We are not going to respond to reporting from anonymous sources."
WALTZ DOUBLES DOWN ON HEGSETH PRAISE AMID ONGOING PENTAGON CONTROVERSY
Trump administration National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, left, and other staffers are out at the National Security Council, sources confirmed to Fox News. (Reuters)
Trump held a meeting with members of his cabinet on Wednesday following his 100th day back in office Tuesday, with Waltz attending the meeting.
Following confirmation of Waltz's ouster, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Fox News, "The National Security Advisor Waltz is out. He's the first. He certainly won't be the last."
Wong served as Waltz's principal deputy national security advisor, who was detailed in the Signal chat leak as the staffer charged with "pulling together a tiger team" in Waltz's initial message sent to the Signal group chat in March, the Atlantic reported at the time.
"Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours," Waltz wrote in the group chat. "My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening."
Trump told the media April 3 that a handful of other National Security Council staffers had been let go following the Atlantic's report on the Signal chat leak, which characterized the Trump administration as texting "war plans" regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LEAK
"Always, we're going to let go of people we don't like, or people we don't think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else," Trump said from Air Force One on April 3 when asked about reports on the National Security Council firings.
Trump confirmed at the time that National Security Council members had been fired, but remarked it was not many individuals. He added that he continued to trust his National Security Council team, remarking that they've "done very well" and "had big success with the Houthis."
The Trump administration maintained that no classified material was transmitted in the Signal chat in March, with President Donald Trump repeatedly defending Mike Waltz amid the fallout. (The White House)
The Trump administration maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the Signal chat in March, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. The strikes on Houthi rebels unfolded on March 15.
WILL CAIN SHARES HIS TAKEAWAY ON THE ATLANTIC'S STORY ON THE TRUMP ADMIN'S 'WAR PLANS' TEXT
Leavitt told the media in March that the White House considered the Signal group chat leak case "closed" while continuing to offer support to Waltz, whose office allegedly mistakenly added the journalist to the chat.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks as he sits with President Donald Trump during an Ambassador Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
"As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team," Leavitt told the media in brief remarks during a gaggle outside the White House's press room March 31. "And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned."
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"There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again," she continued. "And we're moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team."
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Ukraine managed to wrangle some more favorable terms out of the United States before signing the long-awaited minerals deal on Wednesday.
The agreement on natural resources was finally struck late on Wednesday, after weeks of tense bargaining that at times turned sour and temporarily halted Washington's aid to Ukraine.
Kyiv eventually convinced US President Donald Trump to drop some of his key demands but failed to make American security guarantees part of the agreement.
Ukrainian officials touted the final accord as an equal partnership between Kyiv and Washington – a notable shift from some of the earlier drafts which were described by Ukraine's leader President Volodymyr Zelensky as the US asking him to “sell my country.”
The signed deal, seen by CNN, does indeed appear to be more favorable to Ukraine than some of the previous versions. Here's what we know.
Aid: Crucially, the deal does not call for Kyiv to reimburse the US for the aid it has already received – a key concession from Trump who has long framed the agreement as Ukraine “paying back” the US.
Washington initially demanded a $500 billion share of Ukraine's rare earths and other minerals in exchange for the aid it has already provided to Kyiv. When Zelensky rejected that idea, Trump called him “a dictator.”
Instead, the agreement that was inked on Wednesday says that future American military assistance to Ukraine will count as part of the US investment into a joint reconstruction investment fund that will be used to pour money into Ukraine's natural resources.
Natural resources: The deal gives the US preferential rights to mineral extraction in Ukraine and states that Kyiv will have the final say in what and where is being mined. Ukraine will also retain the ownership of the subsoil.
“All resources on our territory and in our territorial waters belong to Ukraine. It is the Ukrainian state that determines where and what to extract,” said Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who signed the deal on behalf her country.
And although Trump has referred to the agreement as a “rare earth” deal, the accord signed on Wednesday goes well beyond that by including other natural resources such as oil, natural gas, gold and copper.
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The tone: In a win for Ukraine, the deal also adopts a strong language on the war with Russia itself. It points at Moscow as the aggressor in the conflict, diverging from some of Trump's previous false statements about Ukraine and Zelensky being responsible for the war.
The deal also spells out the goal of the agreement as “a peaceful, sovereign and resilient Ukraine” – a notable step away from Trump saying earlier this year that, “Ukraine may be Russia some day.”
EU guarantees: It also keeps the door open for Ukraine's potential future membership in the European Union, saying that investment needs to be made in accordance with Ukraine's obligations as an EU candidate state. It adds that if Ukraine was to join the bloc in the future, this deal would be renegotiated “in good faith.”
A boost for the US: But the terms of the agreement also show the US has secured a host of advantages for itself.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent characterized it as a “historic economic partnership,” saying in a statement that it “signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”
The agreement seen by CNN also specifies that the earnings and other payments made as part of the deal will be tax-free and not subject to any levies or duties by Ukraine.
It also says that if a conflict arises between the wording of the agreement and Ukraine's law, the deal will have a legal precedent.
Security questions: Ukraine has dropped its key demand that the US provides security guarantees as part of this agreement. It was this demand that ultimately led to the shouty meeting between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office in February.
Trump then refused to provide security guarantees, saying he wanted Ukraine to sign the agreement first and talk about guarantees later.
At the time, Zelensky refused, but Ukrainian officials have since indicated that they believe that US investment and the presence of American companies in Ukraine will make Washington more interested in Ukraine's security.
Exclusive access for the US: While it ensures the US receives preferential access to Ukraine's mineral riches, the deal doesn't guarantee any exclusive rights.
Existing resources: The deal is limited to new projects, which means the US and Ukraine will have to invest in order to see profits. Existing mining operations that are already generating revenue for the Ukrainian government are excluded.
This clause puts a question mark over the benefits of the deal for the US. While Ukraine has large reserves of several valuable materials, the process to extract some of them is expensive and technically difficult.
Gavin Mudd, the director of the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre at the British Geological Survey, told the non-profit Science Media Center that the production of some minerals – such as titanium, lithium or graphite – could be achieved quickly, if the regions where the deposits are are secure.
“However, in the case of rare earths, it will take years to ramp up capacity – studies will need to be completed to assess and determine how best to mine the deposits and process the ores and produce rich concentrate, and a new refinery will be needed to produce high purity metals and oxides for use in numerous technologies. All of this sits alongside the need to actually mine the minerals” he said.
The Ukrainian government has in the past made the argument that its mineral deposits are one of the reasons the West should support Ukraine – to prevent these strategically important resources from falling into Russian hands.
Experts agree with that idea. Liam Peach and Hamad Hussain, economists at Capital Economics, wrote in an analyst note on Thursday that the agreement “provides some reassurance that the Trump administration is not planning on abandoning Ukraine altogether” because it establishes US economic interests in Ukraine.
The deal strengthens Ukraine's position, but doesn't necessarily bring the war closer to the end as it is separate from any negotiations with Russia. Those talks appear to be stalling, as Moscow continues to refuse a 30-day ceasefire agreement proposed by the US and agreed by Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the devastating war keeps raging. Seven people died in occupied Ukraine Thursday, with Russian and Ukrainian officials trading claims over the attack
Shelby Magid, the deputy director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, wrote in a note that the deal puts the Ukrainians “in their strongest position yet with Washington since Trump took office.”
The road to it was incredibly rocky, with the US temporarily suspending aid to Ukraine after the disastrous Oval Office meeting.
Negotiations continued behind the scenes in the weeks that followed. In the meantime Trump began losing patience with Putin's stalling over a peace deal, giving an opening to Kyiv to repair ties.
In the end, it seems that the two leaders just needed to talk to each other privately, without cameras and away from aides who have derailed the process in the past.
Trump and Zelensky spoke at the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. A photograph of the two of them huddled together inside St. Peter's Basilica showed them in a discussion, leaning towards each other.
Zelensky said on Thursday the signing of the minerals deal was “the first result of the Vatican meeting.”
“President Trump and I used every minute of our time to the fullest. I am grateful for that,” he said.
It was after this meeting that Trump questioned whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal and floated the idea of imposing more sanctions on Moscow. Just days later, the minerals deal was signed.
“Ukrainian officials showed they could manoeuvre and persevere to ultimately get a fair deal. While the Trump administration put tremendous pressure on Ukraine to accept earlier deals, Ukraine managed to show that it is not just a junior partner that has to roll over and accept a bad deal,” Magid said.
However, there was some more drama on Wednesday, when a last-minute disagreement over which documents would be signed on Wednesday threatened to derail the deal.
Materials such as graphite, lithium, uranium and the 17 chemical elements known as rare earths are critical for economic growth and national security.
They are essential to the production of electronics, clean energy technology, including wind turbines, energy networks and electric vehicles, as well as some weapons systems.
China has long dominated the global production of rare earth minerals and other strategically important materials, leaving Western countries desperate for other alternative sources – including Ukraine.
The US largely depends on imports for the minerals it needs. Of the 50 minerals classed as critical, the US was entirely dependent on imports of 12 and more than 50% dependent on imports of a further 16, according to the United States Geological Survey, a government agency.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has deposits of 22 of these 50 critical materials, according to the Ukrainian government.
The country has some of the world's largest deposits of graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium, all of which are classed by the US as critical minerals. Some of these reserves are in areas that are currently under Russian occupation.
CNN's Catherine Nicholls contributed reporting.
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller vowed that President Donald Trump's administration will bring an end to DEI "strangulation."
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller touted President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Thursday.
Miller appeared alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Thursday morning briefing, declaring that the administration is bringing a "system of merit" back to the U.S.
"This administration is not going to let our society devolve into communist, woke, DEI strangulation," Miller said. "We are going to have a system of merit."
"It's not just a social and cultural issue, it's an economic issue. When you hire, retain and recruit based on merit as President Trump has directed, you advance innovation, you advance growth, you advance investment, you advance job creation," he continued.
DEFUNDING DEI: HERE'S HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS UNDONE BIDEN'S VERY PRIZED PROGRAMS
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks during a press briefing on 'restoring common sense' in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 1, 2025. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
"When a citizen goes to, say, a hospital in a medical emergency, they don't care what race or sex their doctor or their nurse is. They want the best treatment they can get in that emergency," he added.
WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY
Trump's administration has taken big steps to cut DEI programs throughout the federal government, from the Pentagon to the Department of Education.
President Donald Trump has declared war on DEI programs in the Executive Branch. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump shut down all DEI offices across the federal government during his first week in office and signed a number of executive orders to quickly undo former President Joe Biden's efforts on the issue.
The administration is also leveraging federal funding in an effort to force the nation's top universities to eliminate DEI programs as well.
In February, the Department of Education also warned state education departments that they must remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding.
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The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership, as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are "hostile" to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism.
Harvard has so far refused to comply.
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
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The “Chapel Bill” era has already taken an interesting route in North Carolina, despite the famed Super Bowl-winning head coach having yet to lead the Tar Heels in a game.
Bill Belichick defended his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, after an interview he sat for, which aired on “CBS Sunday Morning” last weekend.
The interview featured a now-viral moment where Hudson quickly interrupted after the 73-year-old was asked by reporter Tony Dokoupil how Belichick and Hudson had first met.
Belichick, who was hired as North Carolina's new head football coach in December, said CBS did not honor the expectations set for the interview.
“I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep that conversation centered on the book,” Belichick said in a statement through the university on Wednesday. “After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help refocus the discussion.”
Belichick, the second-most winningest head coach in NFL history, backed Hudson, adding she “was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track.”
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In the statement, the coach questioned how the interview was edited after it took place to make it seem like they “were avoiding the question of how we met.”
Belichick said Wednesday that the couple met on a 2021 flight to Palm Beach, Florida. The admission matched an Instagram post from Hudson earlier this year, which she said they met in February 2021.
The eight-minute CBS interview with Belichick was about his life in football ahead of the release of his new book, “The Art of Winning” – set to be published by Simon & Schuster in early May.
Dokoupil asked Belichick how he handles the public's “invested” interest in his relationship with his girlfriend.
“Never been too worried about what everybody else thinks,” Belichick said. “Just trying to do what's best for me and what's right.”
Belichick was then asked how the pair met. Hudson jumped in from off-camera, saying, “We're not talking about this.”
Dokoupil later referred to the 24-year-old Hudson as a “constant presence” during the taping of the interview.
“The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career,” Belichick said.
“Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative – that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation – which is simply not true.”
CBS responded to Belichick's statement later Wednesday, saying it was agreed upon to be a “wide-ranging” interview.
“There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation,” a CBS spokesperson said in a statement. “This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed.”
The Tar Heels' job is the first college coaching job for Belichick, who has won eight Super Bowls as an NFL coach (six as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants), since he and the Patriots parted ways in January 2024.
In addition to 24 seasons with the Patriots, Belichick was head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995.
CNN's Jill Martin has contributed to this report.
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In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has moved to roll back food safety measures, endanger slaughterhouse workers, and more.
by Kenny Torrella
President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been a gift to a sector of the economy that gets little attention but has enormous social and economic consequences: the US meat industry.
While Congress and both Republican and Democratic administrations tend to do what meat companies want — in part because those companies tend to give a lot of money to politicians and intensively lobby them — Trump has been even friendlier than most.
The one striking exception, of course, are the tariffs, which farm groups have opposed and are already feeling the sting from. The ensuing trade war has reduced two of US agriculture's most important exports to China: pork and soybeans.
In most other respects, though, the Trump administration has behaved like traditional anti-regulation conservatives. It's quickly taken a number of actions that directly benefit the meat industry, at the expense of the environment, animals, slaughterhouse workers, and the American consumer.
Here are the six most consequential ones.
Pig slaughter lines are already allowed to process as many as 1,106 hogs per hour, or roughly one pig every 3.2 seconds, while poultry operations are allowed to slaughter up to 140 birds per minute. Yet in March, the US Department of Agriculture announced that it was drafting a rule to allow pig and poultry slaughterhouses to operate even faster.
Labor advocates say the new regulations will further endanger slaughterhouse workers, who already work one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, suffering high rates of injury from the repetitive cuts they must make to animal carcasses for hours on end.
“Increased line speeds will hurt workers — it's not a maybe, it's a definite,” the president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, which represents over 15,000 poultry workers, said in a press release.
Animal advocates also worry about how this will impact the billions of animals that move through US slaughterhouses every year. “With fewer protections and higher pressure, animals will endure even more suffering on the already cruel live-shackle slaughter line,” Michael Windsor of the animal protection group the Humane League told me in an email.
The USDA didn't respond to an interview request for this story.
Toward the end of President Joe Biden's term, his USDA proposed — but didn't finalize — a rule that would require poultry companies to limit salmonella levels in their products and test raw chicken and turkey for six strains. “If the levels exceeded the standard or any of those strains were found, the poultry couldn't be sold and would be subject to recall,” according to the Associated Press.
The Biden administration aimed to prevent more than 10 percent of the 1.35 million salmonella infections Americans suffer from each year. But that won't be happening. The National Chicken Council, the industry's leading trade group, opposed the rule when it was proposed; in April, Trump's USDA withdrew it.
In February, the USDA shrunk a farm animal welfare research team from five scientists to just one, Sentient Media's Grey Moran reported.
The unit's research aimed to better understand “the gruesome mutilations and injuries routinely suffered by farm animals, including the pain experienced by livestock during and after castration (the removal of the testicles to prevent further breeding); the far-ranging psychological and physiological impacts of heat stress on farm animals and methods to increase cooling, and ways that farm animal stress is passed down to their offspring,” according to Moran.
The USDA unit also worked with livestock producers to improve animal welfare and had conducted research on pain endured by female breeding pigs kept in tiny cages, a common practice in the pork industry. That work informed California's farm animal welfare law prohibiting extreme confinement of pigs.
For a decade, JBS, the world's largest meat company, had been seeking a listing on the New York Stock Exchange to gain new investors to fuel its nearly $19 billion meat and poultry empire. The Biden administration didn't approve the Brazilian company's listing, nor did Trump in his first term. But last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission gave JBS the green light to go public, news that came the same week it was revealed that one of the company's subsidiaries was the largest single donor to Trump's inauguration.
JBS has long been embroiled in scandal. During Trump's first term, the Justice Department fined JBS, JBS's parent company, and two brothers who control the parent company $280 million for bribing approximately 1,800 Brazilian officials.
In mid-January, JBS agreed to pay $4 million to a youth migrant legal defense organization after the Labor Department found that children had worked in JBS's slaughterhouses for years. Less than two weeks later, its poultry subsidiary Pilgrim's Pride — the company that donated $5 million to Trump's inauguration — paid a $41.5 million settlement to investors over allegations that it had inflated its stock price.
JBS has also long been implicated in deforestation, and last year, New York state's attorney general took the company to court for its “net zero” climate claims.
Eggs are so expensive right now primarily because of bird flu, which has resulted in the brutal culling of around 100 million egg-laying hens — and over 60 million chickens and turkeys raised for meat — since the current outbreak began in early 2022.
More than half of the nearly $2 billion the US has spent on this outbreak has gone to cover poultry companies' losses. According to a recent report by advocacy group Farm Forward, around one-third of payments to poultry companies — some $365 million — have gone to 67 “repeat offender” operations with two or more outbreaks.
A newsletter analyzing how the meat and dairy industries impact everything around us.
While bird flu infections are hard to prevent, producers may be disincentivized from strengthening their biosecurity if the USDA guarantees they'll be compensated for their losses, a problem the Biden administration identified late last year when it implemented an interim rule requiring producers to pass a biosecurity audit to become eligible for compensation.
Despite all this, in late March, the USDA more than doubled the amount that it pays egg companies for each killed hen, from around $7 per bird to almost $17. No matter how weak the poultry industry's biosecurity, and despite the fact that it culls birds in the most painful ways imaginable, the government has made clear it will generously cover poultry producers' losses.
Although many consumers don't know it, and politicians do little to address it, agriculture is a massive polluter — it's the largest source of US water pollution, most of it from meat and livestock feed production — and accounts for at least 11 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
In early April, a leaked USDA memo revealed that the Agricultural Research Service, the USDA's in-house scientific research department, could no longer use 110 words and phrases, including water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, groundwater pollution, and climate change, in some of the department's documents. That'll only make it harder for anyone to understand and ameliorate the meat industry's social costs.
There's more: Trump recently proclaimed that he wants to open up a marine refuge near Hawaii to commercial fishing, and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has expressed strong support for legislative efforts to dismantle critical state animal welfare laws.
But not all of the Trump administration's agricultural policies have been favorable to industry (like the tariffs). In March, the Justice Department opened an investigation into the egg industry over price-fixing concerns. Trump has also frozen most of the $19.5 billion set aside in the Inflation Reduction Act to help farmers implement conservation and climate practices, and has canceled a similar $3 billion Biden-era program.
Nor is it necessarily clear that the Trump administration has been bad for animals on net. Animal advocates have cheered recent moves by the FDA and EPA to significantly reduce animal testing, which, although a separate issue from factory farming, could represent a major reduction in a type of animal suffering that has long been unchallenged by both parties.
But when it comes to the industry that's by far more responsible than any other for hurting and killing animals, the Trump administration has been even more deferential than his recent predecessors. Its positions on meat and the animals who suffer for it could be summed up as simply as “kill, baby, kill.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the Future Perfect newsletter. Sign up here!
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Congressional Republicans are set to introduce legislation on Thursday aimed at giving consumers a tax-free haven for their savings interest.
The Universal Savings Account Act, sponsored by Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) in the House and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the Senate, is designed to encourage taxpayers to save by simplifying the “complex rules and restrictions” in current law.
“Washington shouldn't be in the business of micromanaging how people use their own money,” Harshbarger said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “This bill is a win for working families, a win for personal freedom, and a win for financial independence.”
Under a universal savings account, the holder would not have to pay taxes on the income earned from interest, giving consumers more flexibility for unexpected costs on housing, healthcare, and more.
Anyone 18 or older who is a citizen or permanent resident can open an account with an initial contribution limit of $10,000 in after-tax income; the limit then increases by $500 each year until it reaches $25,000.
The initial maximum for couples filing jointly is $20,000. Anyone, regardless of income, can open and contribute to an account up to the limit each year, allowing them to avoid double taxation.
The current tax code includes several types of savings accounts that receive only one layer of taxation, many of which are limited to “government-approved” purposes.
“A simple and accessible incentive savings plan will provide families with a way to establish financial security and prosperity,” Cruz said in a statement. “This bill provides a straightforward solution to those challenges. I strongly urge my colleagues to pass this bill for the future generations of Americans.”
DEMOCRATS SEE THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT INTRODUCED AGAINST TRUMP AS AN UPHILL BATTLE
Harshbarger previously introduced similar legislation last Congress that had six other Republican co-sponsors, but it was not given a floor vote. This version of the bill allows taxpayers to open custodial USAs for children. The last bill also had income phases-outs for eligibility, while this version has no income limitations.
The legislation allows the money to be invested in bonds and equities, with tax-free withdrawals at any time. The accounts are similar to a Roth IRA but allow money to be withdrawn for any reason, not just retirement. Similar legislation passed the House in 2018 but did not make it to the Senate.
Those who oppose creating tax-advantaged savings accounts argue they disproportionately help high-income earners who have the means to invest and that workers who spend most of their income on basic needs will not benefit from the reform.
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In his bid to unseat Rep. Andre Carson, the 50-year-old Democrat who has represented Indiana's 7th Congressional District since 2008, 34-year-old challenger George Hornedo has argued the Democratic Party isn't working, nationally or locally.
Some voters in the district are open to hearing him out.
Maria Langston, a 69-year-old retiree and longtime Carson supporter, said she “would be open” to voting for Hornedo. She added that she wanted Carson to increase his “visibility within the neighborhood” and play more of a role in building the Democratic Party, which is out of power across all branches of Indiana's government and has few pockets of political clout outside Indianapolis, the solidly blue population center in the deep-red state.
“We have to rebuild our leaders. We have to identify the leaders,” she said. “A lot of people have become too complacent, and that might be some of our Democratic leaders.”
Putting a finer point on her message to the party, Langston added: “Come on, Democrats — let's do something.”
Hornedo is part of a growing wave of young Democrats who have launched bids to shake up the party's ranks by ousting incumbent House members in deep blue seats. They see voter frustrations with what they've described as Democrats' ineffective response to President Donald Trump's actions as a mandate to remake the party.
Leaders We Deserve, a group led by Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg, is planning to spend $20 million to boost young candidates, including some seeking to oust Democratic incumbents in safe seats. Justice Democrats, the organization that supported New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's successful 2018 primary run, announced its first challenge of the 2026 cycle Monday. So far, more than half a dozen young Democrats have launched campaigns against those in the party they say aren't doing enough to combat Trump's agenda.
Many of those candidates are making cases for generational change.
“It is about needing new energy in Congress to actually meet the moment where we are,” said 37-year-old Jake Rakov, who is challenging his former boss, 15-term Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California. “We just need people who are more active communicators, who can move the party into the 21st century and don't operate like it's 1996.”
For others, it's about tactics – and volume.
The 26-year-old social media star Kat Abughazaleh, who launched her run against Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky before reports the 80-year-old progressive planned to retire, said frustration with Democrats' response to Trump is “probably what unites a lot of us” who are taking on House incumbents.
“We're done with this administration and we don't think that Democrats are doing enough,” she said. “We can't be like Chuck Schumer and write a bunch of strongly-worded letters for a president who doesn't like reading.”
Abughazaleh said she has spoken with a number of other Democrats considering their own campaigns, and is planning a May video call to talk with many of them. Schakowsky, meanwhile, said in a statement she has not yet made a decision and will announce whether she will seek reelection in a May 5 speech.
The spate of primary challenges comes amid a broader debate within the Democratic Party about how best to counter the president and reach the voters who handed Republicans full control of Washington in last year's elections. In some cases, the push for younger leaders has also extended a difficult conversation about age and fitness in the wake of President Joe Biden's late exit from the 2024 presidential race.
The debate is playing out in midterm races, within the Democratic National Committee and in the earliest stages of the 2028 presidential primary contest, as potential contenders use rallies, speeches and podcasts to begin to position themselves and test messaging.
The House primary races could test how strong the Democratic electorate's appetite is for fresh faces, and whether any new approaches are effective. The internal tensions come as the party faces questions about its image with voters – fueled by dissatisfaction within its own ranks. A recent CNN poll found just 38% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents approve of the party's leadership while anger with politics has swelled to 70% among Democratic-aligned Americans.
As of now, the various primary efforts aren't connected. But they all share a common theme: a complaint that many of the Democratic Party's current leaders are relying on an outdated political playbook and failing to address the perceived overreaches of the second Trump administration with sufficient energy.
Justice Democrats is returning to its roots of supporting primary challenges to Democrats after spending the 2024 cycle focused on protecting progressive incumbents. (Two of its endorsed candidates – former Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush – lost their primaries last year.) The group is actively recruiting candidates.
“We feel like there is a mandate for us, based on the results in November, to help reshape and transform this Democratic Party, as we've tried to do since the start of this organization,” Usamah Andrabi, Justice Democrats' communication director, said in an interview.
The group's first target is two-term Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar, a 70-year-old multimillionaire the group plans to frame as the Elon Musk of Detroit. Justice Democrats is backing 32-year-old state Rep. Donavan McKinney in the Detroit-area 13th Congressional District.
As he confronts fresh political pressure from the progressive wing of the party, Thanedar this week introduced articles of impeachment against Trump. “We cannot wait for more damage to be done,” he said in a statement. “Congress must act.”
The current wave of young primary challengers shares some common themes with the 2018 midterm election cycle, when candidates backed by Justice Democrats such as Ocasio-Cortez, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and other progressive lawmakers who are part of “The Squad” beat longtime incumbents or won crowded primaries for safe seats. Now, however, candidates and organizations pushing for new leaders say the stakes are higher and the anger and frustration of the party base is more intense.
Saikat Chakrabarti, a co-founder of Justice Democrats who is now challenging former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said he's in contact with other young Democrats running for office and has encouraged other would be challengers to launch campaigns.
The 39-year-old said he was inspired to challenge Pelosi, 85, after she maneuvered to block Ocasio-Cortez's bid to become the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. The member Pelosi backed, 75-year-old Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, announced this week that he would step down from the leadership post on the committee due to health concerns and retire at the end of his term.
“We need our best fighters in there,” Chakrabarti said. “This is long past the time of the politics of loyalty and seniority.”
A spokesperson for Pelosi declined an interview request for this article.
Hogg, however, said he would not support primary challenges against members like Pelosi, who he credited with leading House Democrats' resistance to Trump in 2018 and who he said needed to be there to mentor the next generation of Democrats. He is also not backing candidates who are running to the right of safe seat incumbents.
Still, Hogg has angered party leaders by attempting to launch his own wave of challengers while being a party leader. The national party, they argue, should project neutrality. Later this year, the committee will consider an expanded neutrality clause that would force Hogg to choose between challenging incumbents and maintaining his leadership role. Hogg has said he believes the committee is preparing to “remove” him.
Despite the controversy, Hogg has argued Democrats need to challenge what he deems “ineffective” lawmakers in safe seats to rebuild the party and improve its standing with voters.
“We're going to have to challenge people. We're going to have to shake things up, especially if our approval rating is at 27,” he said. “There is no amount of messaging that is going to get us out of that.”
Sherman, as well as other critics of the primary efforts, argue that Democrats could jeopardize their chances of retaking the House if they have to direct resources toward defending party members, and that incumbents in safe seats would have to spend money on themselves that could go toward flipping GOP-held seats. He also pushed back on the idea that Democrats need to radically transform the party.
“The fact is, we are doing a hell of a job,” he told CNN.
“We are winning, and maybe we're winning because the other side is screwing up, or maybe we're winning because we're doing a good job, but the polls right now are very good,” he added, referencing Trump's declining approval ratings and Democrats' standing on the generic ballot.
But Democratic challengers are calling for more urgent and engaging representation in Congress.
Everton Blair, a 33-year-old Georgia educator, announced a bid to unseat 12-term incumbent Democratic Rep. David Scott in Georgia's heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District last month, arguing voters there are “fed up” and need an “alternative.”
Scott, 79, was first elected to Congress in 2002 and fended off multiple Democratic primary challenges in past cycles. In 2024, Scott secured enough votes to avoid a primary runoff when he faced six Democratic challengers in a district that was redrawn months prior.
But Blair, a former chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Education, said this year's contest is different.
“Somebody's got to do something, and I think we've witnessed what running the same tired playbook gets us,” said Blair, one of several Democrats planning to challenge Scott in 2026. “It's on us now. If we don't learn from this lesson and if we don't bring up a new bench of leaders, then we are the ones to blame when we don't succeed.”
In interviews with Democratic primary voters in Indianapolis, conversations about the contest between Carson and Hornedo quickly shifted to concerns about the party's larger leadership vacuum.
On a recent Saturday morning, Hornedo volunteered to clear invasive plants from an Indianapolis park. Several other volunteers said they'd gotten to know him through neighborhood association meetings.
Thuriya Sai, a 29-year-old nonprofit worker who moved to Indianapolis last year and plans to vote in next year's Democratic primary, said he'll be closely watching where the two candidates' funding comes from.
He said he is looking for candidates who “say what they're thinking and won't just be bootlickers to established Democrats.”
Erica Johnson, a 62-year-old Indianapolis resident, said she's met Hornedo three times at neighborhood association meetings.
As for Carson, she said: “Only time I see him is on TV.”
Hornedo, she said, has already earned her support.
“He deals with the people,” Johnson said of Hornedo. “He doesn't shy away. He comes to the meetings, he answers our questions, he stays. So of course I'm going to vote for him.”
Carson, though, has the tried-and-true advantages of incumbency and deep connections to community leaders on his side — and those political assets could prove too much to overcome in a primary contest featuring a first-time candidate taking on an incumbent who is universally known in the district.
His grandmother, Julia Carson, held the 7th District seat until her death in 2007. Andre Carson won a 2008 special election to replace her, and has held the seat since. No opponent has ever come within single digits of Carson in a primary or general election.
At a recent Light of the World Christian Church event honoring the career of Bishop Tom Garrott Benjamin Jr., an influential Black leader in the city, Carson — who is Muslim — was invited on stage.
“We live in a world where everyone's trying to amass power, but the power lives with the people,” he told the crowd. “Your job as a leader isn't to lord and master and rule over other people.”
In an interview, Carson said Democrats in his district are looking for activism in taking on Trump, but it comes with a “Hoosier sensibility.”
He touted his role in securing federal funding for $1 billion in projects in Indianapolis, as well as presiding over a House Intelligence subcommittee holding the first congressional hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years. Carson also said he was open to debating Hornedo or participating in forums.
Most attendees CNN approached said they strongly support Carson, and many said they know him personally — some for decades.
“I think he's a great leader. So was his grandma,” said Donna Perkins, 69, a retiree.
“Anytime there's anything in the community, he shows up if you need him,” she said. “I think he's in the fight for us.”
John Hall, a 78-year-old retiree who calls himself a political independent, said he has voted for Republicans for other offices but likes Carson and considers him “one of us.”
“I'm talking about who's lived in this area, who's lived in this district, who's worked in this district, before you even become a representative,” he said.
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Mount Sinai urology chair Dr. Ash Tewari joins ‘Fox News Live' to discuss the PSA test designed to catch the ‘silent killer.'
A new means of prostate cancer screening could emerge as an alternative to the PSA test, which has long been the first-line option.
Using machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence, Swedish researchers analyzed urine samples from more than 2,000 men with prostate cancer, along with a control group.
They determined that the simple, non-invasive urine test was able to detect biomarkers of prostate cancer with a high degree of accuracy — and could also determine the grade (stage) of the disease.
The results were published in the journal Cancer Research.
PROSTATE CANCER DRUG NOW AVAILABLE TO MORE PATIENTS WITH AGGRESSIVE FORM OF DISEASE
"Prostate cancer can be effectively identified by analyzing the expression of candidate biomarkers in urine," confirmed lead author Martin Smelik from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, who spoke to Fox News Digital about the findings.
A new means of prostate cancer screening could emerge as an alternative to the PSA test, which has long been the first-line option. (iStock)
"This approach outperforms the current blood tests based on PSA, but at the same time keeps the advantages of being non-invasive, painless and relatively cheap."
The researchers were surprised by the "heterogeneity of tumors," which refers to "the differences between tumors of the same type in different patients, the differences between cancer cells within a single tumor, or the differences between a primary (original) tumor and a secondary tumor," according to the National Cancer Institute.
PROSTATE CANCER RISK INCREASES BY 45% AMONG MEN WHO SHARE ONE TROUBLING BEHAVIOR
"One of the main challenges of the study was to overcome this and to identify biomarkers that were specific for prostate cancer, but also expressed in all types of patients," Smelik said.
Dr. Timothy Showalter, a radiation oncologist at UVA Health in Virginia and chief medical officer at Artera, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings.
A simple, non-invasive urine test was able to detect biomarkers of prostate cancer with a high degree of accuracy, the study found. (iStock)
"This study highlights the power of machine learning applied to patient data in identifying breakthroughs that can help us diagnose cancer earlier, when our treatments are most effective," he told Fox News Digital.
"Prostate cancer screening has not seen a transformative advance in decades, and current approaches still rely on the PSA blood test, which is known to have low specificity for clinically significant cancers."
The existing PSA test works by monitoring levels of prostate-specific antigen in the blood.
It can be used to screen for prostate cancer or monitor the disease's progression, but some risks and limitations have been noted.
"Prostate cancer screening has not seen a transformative advance in decades."
Matthew C. Abramowitz, M.D., co-chair and clinical lead of the Genitourinary Malignancies Site Disease Group at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, Florida, echoed the need for alternatives to the PSA test.
"While PSA is an incredibly sensitive tool for issues related to the prostate, it is not specific to prostate cancer," Abramowitz, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
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"The techniques proposed in the current study suggest the promise of identifying specific cancer markers in the urine, minimizing some of the specificity concerns associated with PSA."
While PSA has the advantage of simplicity, quickness and reasonable cost, determining the meaning behind any abnormal findings often requires further testing, such as MRIs and biopsies, the doctor noted.
The existing PSA test works by monitoring levels of prostate-specific antigen in the blood, but some risks and limitations have been noted. (iStock)
False positives are also common with the PSA test, occurring in about 6% to 7% of the cases.
"Only about 25% of men who have a biopsy due to an elevated PSA level are found to have prostate cancer," states the NIH.
The study did have some limitations, chiefly the low number of samples.
"The urine prostate cancer prediction model was performed on a small data set and appears to be largely an analysis of European men, both of which may limit its applicability to other high-risk prostate cancer populations," Abramowitz noted.
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The test could also come with a significant cost increase due to the specialized equipment necessary to perform the analyses, he added.
The researchers acknowledged the need for larger studies to validate the findings and to potentially include other cancers.
This work may pave the way for more specific screening methods that improve our ability to detect high-grade cancers before they progress or metastasize, ultimately improving cure rates and reducing treatment-related morbidity." (iStock)
"While this study was focused specifically on prostate cancer, we believe that some of the methods could be generalized to other cancers as well, which we would like to try in our future studies," Smelik said.
The ultimate goal, according to the researchers, is to achieve more efficient screening programs within the next few years, potentially helping to prevent and treat prostate cancer.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
Showalter agreed, adding, "This work may pave the way for more specific screening methods that improve our ability to detect high-grade cancers before they progress or metastasize, ultimately improving cure rates and reducing treatment-related morbidity."
Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris rebuked President Donald Trump in her first major speech since leaving office, accusing her former rival of setting off the “greatest man-made economic crisis” in modern history through his across-the-board tariffs, and warning that his conflicts with the courts were moving the nation toward a constitutional crisis.
Harris spoke Wednesday evening at the Emerge Gala in San Francisco, benefitting an organization that supports women interested in entering politics. The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee marked the first 100 days of the second Trump administration during her address, saying that “instead of an administration working to advance America's highest ideals, we are witnessing the wholesale abandonment of those ideals.”
“And what we are also seeing in these last 14 weeks is Americans using their voice and showing their courage,” Harris added.
The former vice president delivered a series of attacks on the administration, blaming Trump for the economic turbulence caused by the tariffs he has imposed on goods imported from major trading partners.
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Harris called Trump's tariffs “reckless” and said, “as I predicted,” they are “clearly inviting a recession.”
Harris said those import taxes will “hurt workers and families by raising the cost of everyday essentials, devastate their retirement accounts that people spent a lifetime paying into, and paralyze American businesses, large and small, forcing them to lay off people.”
Trump has said the across-the-board tariffs are meant to correct a trade imbalance with other countries and restore US manufacturing jobs. However, the administration's policy changes have rocked global markets and added to mounting economic pressure on the US economy. Official data released Wednesday showed the economy contracted in the first quarter by 0.3%.
Harris told Democrats there is a method behind the break-neck pace of policy rollouts of the Trump administration, calling the president a “vessel” of a much larger conservative project.
“Friends, please, let us not be duped into thinking everything is chaos. I know it may feel that way, but understand, what we are in fact witnessing is a high velocity event where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making,” the former vice president said.
Harris' speech on Wednesday comes at an inflection point for the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, with weighty questions about both her own path forward and that of her party.
In the wake of last year's loss, Harris and her team began debating her next steps, considering another run for president in 2028, or a return to her home state for a 2026 gubernatorial run. Notably, Harris' public address on Wednesday took place in California. “It's wonderful to be home,” Harris said during her speech.
Harris' advisors believe that getting into the governor's race would require making her intentions clear at the latest by the summer of 2025, but she faces some pressure to make a decision soon – that contest is heating up, with Democratic former Rep. Katie Porter, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and several other prominent contenders having already launched campaigns.
Whether she enters the California race as a heavy favorite, or holds out for the 2028 presidential primary, a less certain proposition, Harris' remarks Wednesday also reflect a deliberate reemergence, months after her defeat, as Democrats look for leadership amid the turbulence of the new Trump administration.
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As she lambasted the Trump administration Wednesday night for attempting to “divide and conquer,” Harris urged Democrats to stay together.
She also highlighted several lawmakers across the party's ideological spectrum who she said have “in different ways have been speaking with moral clarity about this moment.” Harris named New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“I am not here tonight to offer all the answers. But I am here to say this: You are not alone, and we are all in this together,” Harris said. “And straight talk: Things are probably going to get worse before they get better,” she said. “But we are ready for it. We are not going to scatter. We are going to stand together, everyone a leader.”
For Harris, the speech was part of a slow return to the public eye after leaving office in January.
The former vice president is slated to do a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in New York City on Tuesday, per a source who received an invitation. In recent months, Harris has also been regularly soliciting funds for the committee using the extensive email list she helped develop during the 2024 campaign.
Earlier this month, Harris began ramping up her public criticism of her former rival, appearing at the Leading Women Defined Summit, also in California, to share her misgivings about the course of events since Trump's inauguration. “There were many things we knew would happen,” Harris said in a video of her remarks. “I'm not here to say I told you so,” she added before laughing.
Harris' speech Wednesday included sober warnings about the potential for a “constitutional crisis” as she suggested that checks and balances within the government had begun to “buckle” amid the administration's clashes with the courts.
“We are living in a moment where the checks and balances on which we have historically relied have begun to buckle,” Harris. “And we here know that when the checks and balances ultimately collapse, if Congress fails to do its part, or if the courts fail to do their part, or if both do their part but the president defies them anyway - well friends that is called a constitutional crisis. And that is a crisis that will eventually impact everyone.”
She added, “The one check, the one balance, the one power that must not fail is the voice of the people.”
From immigration fights to defending President Trump's federal government cutbacks, the Justice Department has responded to more than a hundred emergency lawsuits in the first hundred days, in some case clashing publicly with judges as the administration lays out an expansive view of executive authority.
Related article
Democrats mark Trump's first 100 days with speeches, sit-ins as party looks to project strength against administration
Harris' condemnation of the administration Wednesday – her most direct comments this year – adds to an increasingly crowded Democratic chorus. Several other prominent party members have been active during Harris' quiet period, taking advantage of the leadership vacuum to elevate their national profiles, some with an eye toward 2028.
Sen. Bernie Sanders has been touring the country with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in an attempt to galvanize the party's progressive base around fighting “oligarchy”; California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sparred with far-right leaders on his new podcast in an effort to broaden Democratic messaging; and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker traveled to the early-voting state of New Hampshire and accused parts of his own party of “simpering timidity” in the face of Trump's sweeping early actions.
Meanwhile, Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has been publicly reflecting on lessons learned from the ticket's loss last year. And Walz also spoke to the delicate balance of setting the stage for the 2028 presidential race during an appearance earlier this week at Harvard University.
“If people think you're hungry for the office rather than the moment that we're in and the fighting of this, I think they're going to bury you. I think people are like, not very patient right now for the politics as usual,” Walz said.
CNN's Arlette Saenz and Edward-Isaac Dovere contributed to this report.
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Austin Kissinger is seen at Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Austin Kissinger is seen at Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Austin Kissinger is seen at Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Austin Kissinger is seen at Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
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PHOENIX (AP) — As a first-generation college student, Austin Kissinger was looking forward to celebrating graduation with others of similar backgrounds who helped each other find their way at the University of Kentucky. Typically, Kentucky students who are the first in their family to graduate from college pick a faculty member to join them in a special ceremony.
Earlier this month, the university canceled the ceremony, along with other convocations that recognize Black and LGBTQ+ students, citing the Trump administration's campaign to rein in diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Those student groups pooled resources for a celebration together off campus — without the school's involvement — but Kissinger said the about-face left him and others feeling unsupported.
“It's kind of like you're taking away our celebration, like you're not letting us embrace who we want to be,” said Kissinger, a graduating senior who leads the university's First Generation Student Organization. “You're not letting us represent what we do at the university.”
President Donald Trump's calls to eliminate any program that treats students differently because of their race have brought new scrutiny of affinity graduation ceremonies. The events have long been a way to build community and recognize the achievements and unique experiences of underrepresented students.
Many affinity ceremonies are on track to proceed as usual around the country, with colleges saying the events comply with new guidance.
But some colleges are pulling back support. Those include Harvard University, which is battling the Trump administration over demands related to campus activism and diversity efforts on campus. Despite suing the administration over some of its attempts to force changes on campus, Harvard told students it would no longer provide funding, staffing or spaces for affinity celebrations, the Harvard Crimson student newspaper reported.
Austin Kissinger is seen at Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
At the University of Kentucky, spokesperson Jay Blanton said the main commencement celebrates all students. He said the university did away with others to comply with the law and “how we believe it is being interpreted by the administration.”
“The success and support of our students is a principle and purpose that is incredibly important to us. Everything we do on this campus, we do with that in mind as our goal,” Blanton said. “At the same time, we believe we must comply with the law and are doing so here.”
Around the country, universities have come under increasing pressure to get in line with the political agenda of Trump's administration, which already has frozen billions of dollars in grants for Harvard, Columbia University and other colleges over allegations they have not done enough to counter antisemitism.
The Education Department directed colleges to distance themselves from DEI with a “Dear Colleague” letter in February. It said a 2023 Supreme Court decision outlawing the use of racial preferences in college admissions also applied to things like hiring, scholarships and graduation ceremonies. The administration contended American educational institutions have been discriminating against students, including white and Asian American students.
“In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country's history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities,” read the letter, which was signed by Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The practice has roots in the era of segregation at some schools, but organizers of Black convocations today say they are a way to celebrate the accomplishments of diverse student populations that were once overlooked. Many colleges also have “Lavender graduations,” which celebrate LGBTQ+ students and grew out of a time decades ago when many lacked support from their families.
For students who are the first in their families to attend college, it can be easy to feel out of place or unsure of where to turn for help, Kissinger said. At Kentucky, he said he often felt like he had to figure out everything on his own. The affinity ceremony, he said, was intended as a celebration of resilience and pride that they reached graduation.
Arizona's Maricopa County Community Colleges called off all its cultural and special interest convocations, citing in a statement “enforcement priorities” set by the U.S. Education Department. But the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community volunteered to hold a convocation ceremony for American Indian graduates.
“While we are deeply disappointed by the cancellation of convocation ceremonies for minority students, we believe it is important to come together as a community to honor our graduates and their families,” community President Martin Harvier said in a statement.
At Ohio University, Aaron Thomas arranged for his alma mater's Black alumni weekend to go forward this spring after the university canceled it to comply with a state prohibition on DEI, which echoes the federal directive. Thomas, who runs a production company near the university's campus in Athens, Ohio, planned to foot the bill for an alumni barbecue until the mayor's office, nonprofits and restaurants pitched in to organize a weekend of events.
Among the schools with affinity events planned over the next few weeks is California State University, Long Beach, which says its celebrations for Pacific Islander and Cambodian students, among others, comply with the administration's guidance because they are open to anybody.
“Our students are looking forward to these celebrations, which are open to all and are consistent with guidance from the Department of Education,” spokesperson Jim Milbury said.
On its website, a statement included with information about the cultural celebrations acknowledges the changing college landscape:
“Particularly as federal immigration policies evolve, there may be concerns that representatives and officers from U.S. immigration enforcement agencies may visit university campuses across the country,” it says. “While we have no knowledge of any planned visit to our campus, we offer this information.”
___ Thompson reported from Buffalo, N.Y. Associated Press writer Collin Binkley in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. ___
The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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Fox News national correspondent Griff Jenkins reports on the White House website changing the headline regarding COVID-19 origins to ‘Lab Leak' on ‘Special Report.'
China is blaming the United States for the origin of COVID-19, accusing Washington of "evading responsibility" for the virus amid multiple statements by President Donald Trump that it was leaked from a lab in Wuhan.
In a multipage paper, the Communist regime said the infectious disease was present in the U.S. earlier than what was officially determined.
"The US should cease from shifting blame and evading responsibility, stop finding external excuses for its internal malaise, and genuinely reflect on and overhaul its public health policies," the paper states. "The US cannot continue to turn a deaf ear to the numerous questions over its conduct."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
CREDIBILITY CRISIS: NEW YORK TIMES HELPED MISLEAD AMERICA OVER COVID LAB LEAK THEORY
The new COVID.gov website showing the "true origins" of the coronavirus. (Covid.gov )
The paper came after the White House earlier this month revamped its COVID.gov website, showing the "true origins" of the disease.
The website, which previously focused on promoting the vaccine to Americans, walks readers through evidence supporting the lab leak theory, how former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci promoted the idea that COVID-19 originated naturally, former President Joe Biden pardoning Fauci for "any offenses against" the U.S. he may have committed, and providing details on the origin of the "social distancing" rules and mask mandates.
The new site outlines that a biological characteristic found in the virus was not found in nature, bolstering the lab-leak theory, while noting that Wuhan, China, where the first coronavirus case was found, is also home to China's "foremost SARs research lab" and that "if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced. But it hasn't."
TRUMP MADE ME DO IT: LIBERAL MEDIA BLAMES ITS DISMISSAL OF LAB LEAK THEORY ON EX-PRESIDENT'S ‘XENOPHOBIA'
Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the visit by the WHO team tasked with investigating the origins of COVID-19, in Wuhan, China, Feb. 3, 2021. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)
The Trump administration's CIA reported earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the COVID-19 virus, which had been passed off by media outlets and scientists as a likely conspiracy theory during the early days of the pandemic.
However, China said in its paper that a past joint study conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO) found that COVID-19 was most likely transmitted from bats to humans via another animal.
The report also accused the U.S. of not doing more to combat the virus.
The view Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, Feb. 9, 2021. (Getty Images)
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"The slow and ineffective US response during the early stages of the outbreak set an appalling example to the international community and made the US performance in handling the pandemic the worst of all countries," Chinese officials wrote. "Instead of facing this issue squarely and reflecting on its shortcomings, the US government has tried to shift the blame and divert people's attention by shamelessly politicizing SARS-CoV-2 origins tracing."
"The US cannot continue to turn a deaf ear to the numerous questions over its conduct," the report said.
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.
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President Donald Trump said Thursday any country or person that buys oil or petrochemicals from Iran will not be allowed to do any business with the U.S.
U.S. crude oil futures rose $1.03, or 1.77%, to close at $59.24 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent gained $1.07, or 1.75%, to settle at $62.13. Iran is one of the biggest oil producers in OPEC.
"Any Country or person who buys ANY AMOUNT of OIL or PETROCHEMICALS from Iran will be subject to, immediately, Secondary Sanctions," Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. "They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form."
Trump has implemented what he calls a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran since taking office, which aims to completely shut down the Islamic Republic's oil exports. The president has accused Iran of using oil revenue to finance militant groups throughout the Middle East.
Trump also initiated negotiations with Iran last month over its nuclear program. His administration believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear bomb, an allegation that Tehran has denied. The president has said he would prefer to reach a deal with Iran. During his first term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear agreement negotiated with Iran by President Barack Obama.
Trump's comments are clearly directed at China, which is importing more than 1 million barrels per day from Iran, said Scott Modell, CEO of consulting firm Rapidan Energy. Modell said U.S. sanctions are unlikely to have an impact on Iranian oil flowing to China unless the White House targets Beijing's state-owned enterprises and infrastructure.
The president's statements "don't signify a change in the administration's drive to reach a new deal with Iran but rather underscore Trump's belief in negotiating through strength," Modell, a former CIA officer, told CNBC.
Trump last month imposed what he calls "secondary tariffs" on any country that buys oil from Venezuela, another OPEC member.
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President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate Mike Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, confirming earlier reports that Waltz was being ousted as national security advisor.
Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would serve as interim national security advisor until that post is filled.
The announcement came hours after multiple news reports that Walz would leave that role amid continued controversy over his creation of a Signal messaging app chat thread that was used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reveal U.S. military plans to other Trump administration officials.
The editor of The Atlantic magazine had been inadvertently added to the chat thread by Waltz.
The president had previously nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., for the U.N. ambassador slot.
But Trump withdrew Stefanik's nomination in late March, citing the very slim majority that Republicans hold in the House of Representatives.
"I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday.
"From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role," Trump wrote.
"In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Waltz, in a tweet replying to Trump's post, wrote, "I'm deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation."
Waltz, 51, previously served in the House, representing a Florida district. Earlier, he served in the U.S. Army as a Special Forces officer.
State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce was asked at a briefing Thursday how long Rubio would stay in the interim role as national security advisor.
'It is clear that I just heard this from you," Bruce told the reporter who asked that question.
In February, Trump appointed Rubio as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Rubio is also the acting archivist of the United States.
Henry Kissinger, who served as President Richard Nixon's national security advisor, retained that position after Nixon appointed him secretary of state in 1973.
Kissinger retained both jobs under Nixon's successor, President Gerald Ford, until Ford installed Brent Scowcroft as national security advisor in November 1975.
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National security advisor Mike Waltz is leaving his post in the Trump administration on the heels of controversy over his creation of a Signal messaging app group that was used to discuss U.S. military plans in March.
President Donald Trump confirmed Waltz's departure in a social media post hours after media outlets reported that the advisor was being ousted.
Trump said he would nominate Waltz as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would serve as interim national security advisor until the post could be filled.
Deputy national security advisor Alex Wong is also expected to leave his job, according to three sources who spoke to NBC News about the two exits on Thursday.
Waltz was conspicuously absent from a Rose Garden event at the White House marking the National Day of Prayer on Thursday. Many other senior Trump administration officials were in attendance.
The Signal group that Waltz created inadvertently included The Atlantic's editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, who reported details of messages exchanged between high-level Trump administration officials.
The group's other members were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Goldberg reported that the texts ended with Hegseth on March 15 detailing plans that "included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing" of attacks on Houthi forces in Yemen, which were launched within hours of those texts.
Waltz, 51, is the first major official to leave the White House since the beginning of Trump's second term in January.
Trump earlier this week told The Atlantic that Waltz's job was secure.
In a discussion with Atlantic reporters, Trump was asked if he believed that Hegseth would remain as Pentagon chief.
Hegseth has been criticized for his disclosure of the attack plans on the group that included Goldberg, and for his separate use of the app to send some information about the planned strikes on Houthi forces to his wife, his brother, his attorney and some aides.
"Yeah, he's safe," Trump said of Hegseth.
Asked if Hegseth would stay in the administration longer than Waltz, Trump replied, "Waltz is fine. I mean, he's here. He just left this office. He's fine. He was beat up also."
The Pentagon's internal watchdog is investigating Hegseth for his use of Signal to discuss pending military strikes.
The probe by the Office of Inspector General will determine if Hegseth and other Defense Department staff complied with rules over the "use of a commercial messaging application for official business," the office said last month.
Hegseth and others in the Trump administration have downplayed the controversy, saying no classified information was shared on the Signal chats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Thursday that he believed Waltz should be dismissed from his post.
"Look, they should fire him, but they're firing the wrong guy," Schumer said. "They should be firing Hegseth."
Trump's first national security advisor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, resigned under fire in early 2017 after just 24 days for having misled then-Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition.
In late 2017, Flynn agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Kislyak.
Trump pardoned Flynn in late 2020, months before leaving office.
Correction: John Ratcliffe is director of the CIA. An earlier version misstated his name.
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National security advisor Mike Waltz is expected to leave his post in the Trump administration on the heels of controversy over his creation of a Signal messaging app group that was used to discuss U.S. military plans in March.
Deputy national security advisor Alex Wong is also expected to leave his job, according to three sources who spoke to NBC News about the two exits on Thursday.
Waltz was conspicuously absent from a Rose Garden event at the White House marking the National Day of Prayer on Thursday. Many other senior Trump administration officials were in attendance.
The Signal group that Waltz created inadvertently included The Atlantic Editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who reported details of messages exchanged between high-level Trump administration officials.
The group's other members were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director Scott Ratcliff, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Goldberg reported that the texts ended with Hegseth on March 15 detailing plans that "included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing" of attacks on Houthi forces in Yemen, which were launched within hours of those texts.
Waltz would be the first major official to leave the White House since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in January.
Trump earlier this week told The Atlantic that Waltz's job was secure.
In a discussion with Atlantic reporters, Trump was asked if he believed that Hegseth would remain as Pentagon chief.
Hegseth has been criticized for his disclosure of the attack plans on the group that included Goldberg, and for his separate use of the app to send some information about the planned strikes on Houthi forces to his wife, his brother, his attorney, and some aides.
"Yeah, he's safe," Trump said of Hegseth.
Asked if Hegseth would stay in the administration longer than Waltz, Trump replied, "Waltz is fine. I mean, he's here. He just left this office. He's fine. He was beat up also."
The Pentagon's internal watchdog is investigating Hegseth for his use of Signal to discuss pending military strikes.
The probe by the Office of the Inspector General will determine if Hegseth and other Defense Department staff complied with rules over the "use of a commercial messaging application for official business," the office said last month.
Hegseth and others in the Trump administration have downplayed the controversy, saying no classified information was shared on the Signal chats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Thursday that he believed Waltz should be dismissed from his post.
"Look, they should fire him, but they're firing the wrong guy," Schumer said. "They should be firing Hegseth."
Trump's first national security advisor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, resigned under fire in early 2017 after just 24 days for having misled then-Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition.
In late 2017, Flynn agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Kislyak.
Trump pardoned Flynn in late 2020, months before leaving office.
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The AI Race:
The artificial intelligence boom is driving business to private credit firms, as tech companies seek funding to build data centers filled with computing chips to operate AI models.
Carlyle Group Inc. expects more than $1.8 trillion of capital will be deployed by 2030 to meet that demand, and a chunk of that can be taken up by the private markets, Chief Executive Officer Harvey Schwartz recently wrote in a shareholder letter.
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Microsoft Corp. is raising prices on its Xbox games, consoles and accessories amid broader uncertainty about how the ongoing trade wars will impact supply chains in the gaming industry.
“We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” Xbox wrote in a blog post Thursday morning. “Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.”
As he exits his efforts to curtail wasteful government spending, Elon Musk is taking one last shot, calling into question the $2.5 billion Federal Reserve building renovation.
In a rare interview with print reporters, the initiator of the Department of Government Efficiency advisory board said the price tag for the central bank operation "sounds high."
"I mean, what do you get for $2.5 billion in redecorating? Must be incredible," the Tesla CEO said.
The Fed began the project in 2021 with an initial price tag of $1.9 billion. Since then, multiple factors have converged to drive up costs, including rising costs of materials, construction delays, changes in the design and site problems.
Among the goals for the renovation are dealing with a backlog of upgrades, meeting building codes and regulations, updating technology, and addressing energy efficiency. Fed officials say the changes ultimately will save money by consolidating staff into one space, which will reduce leasing costs, "and provide a modern, efficient workspace for employees to conduct their work on behalf of the American people."
Musk, though, said the cost overruns should be part of the broader examination of government waste. DOGE claims to have saved taxpayers $160 billion during its short operating life looking through the government's books.
"Since, at the end of the day, this is all taxpayer money, I think ... we should certainly look to see if indeed the Federal Reserve is spending $2.5 billion on their interior designer," Musk said. "That's an eyebrow-raiser, you know? They're like, can we see pictures of what you get for that?"
The Fed is not actually funded by taxpayers but rather by the interest the central banks earns on its securities as well as fees from banks it supervises. Members of the Fed board of governors have their salaries set by Congress and also are paid through the same funding mechanism.
Normally, the money the Fed earns beyond its operating costs are paid back to the Treasury. However, the past two years the central bank has seen operating losses due to rising interest rates that it must pay on bank reserves.
As for the renovation, documents filed with the National Capital Planning Commission note that, "While there have been regular modifications and renovations to the building over its 80-year history, many of the building systems are at the end of their useful life, and the building no longer fully serves the Board's needs."
Fed officials declined comment.
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A Charles Schwab location in San Antonio, Texas.
Charles Schwab Corp. telephoned thousands of its retail-investing customers who were close to margin calls last month as US President Donald Trump's trade war sent stocks sinking, Chief Executive Officer Rick Wurster said.
It's a “pre-margin-call call,” Wurster said Thursday at a Reuters event. Schwab reaches out to clients if they're nearing a margin call — triggered when money is needed in a margin account to meet minimum capital requirements — because some clients opt to add funds rather than being automatically pulled out of a position, he said. “We absolutely have had to do a lot more of those.”
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We've all been there: A coworker, a relative or even a stranger at the coffee shop comes out of left field with a remark that's cutting, condescending and just plain rude.
Your first instinct might be to fire back with a snarky comment. And sure, delivering a withering comeback would feel satisfying in the moment, but in most situations — especially professional ones — that's not the move. Ideally, you want to be known as someone who holds their ground with composure and confidence.
To shut down rude behavior instantly, try a simple yet powerful five-word response: "Do you really mean that?"
Say it with outrage or dripping sarcasm, with raised eyebrows or deadpan calm. It doesn't matter. This phrase is quietly disarming and deceptively powerful.
When you ask someone if they really meant what they just said, you're doing two things at once.
First, you're giving them a chance to reconsider. Most rude remarks aren't calculated — they're tossed off without forethought. By responding with curiosity instead of defensiveness, you're holding up a mirror. Often, that's all it takes for the other person to walk back their offense.
Second, you shift the power dynamic. You're not on your heels anymore — you're in control. And instead of lashing out or escalating, you're putting the responsibility back where it belongs: with the person who made the rude comment.
At work, rudeness can take many forms:
Outside the office, rude comments tend to be even more personal:
In each case, asking the speaker to reflect on the meaning of their words will likely make them soften, correct themselves, or at least get the message: You're not a pushover. You noticed their aggressive behavior and served them notice.
The goal isn't to embarrass or dominate the other person. You want to hold the line with dignity. When it works, it opens the door for a reset. A backpedal. Even, occasionally, an apology.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is let it roll off your back. People are unpredictable, distracted, under pressure. A weird comment doesn't always mean they don't respect you.
But if you do feel the need to respond, and you want to keep things calm but clear, this five-word phrase can be your new go-to. The best thing about it? Instead of sulking or re-categorizing someone as an enemy, you preserve the relationship.
John Bowe is a speech trainer, award-winning journalist, and author of "I Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in an Age of Disconnection." He has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, This American Life, and many others. Visit his website here.
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging the Trump administration to immediately implement a "tariff exclusion process" in order to keep the U.S. economy from falling into a recession and inflicting "irreparable harm" on small businesses.
In a letter first obtained by CNBC, the massive business lobbying group asked key Trump trade officials to automatically lift tariffs on all small business importers and on all products that "cannot be produced in the U.S." or are not domestically available.
The letter from the Chamber's CEO, Suzanne Clark, also asked the Trump administration to establish a process for businesses to quickly obtain tariff exclusions if they can demonstrate that import duties pose "significant risks to U.S. employment."
"We are deeply concerned that even if it only takes weeks or months to reach agreements, many small businesses will suffer irreparable harm," Clark wrote in the letter sent late Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
"The Chamber requests the administration take immediate actions to save America's small businesses and stave off a recession," she wrote.
In an interview Thursday morning on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," Clark said she penned the White House because "we were just getting inundated by small business requests for information, for relief."
Those business owners are "afraid for the very survival of their business," she said.
Clark also explained why the Chamber is opting not to challenge Trump's tariffs in court — as others have done — even though her group had sued the Biden administration more than 20 times.
"We do worry about government overreach" and "micromanagement," she said. "But in this case, the courts take a long time. And what small business needs, what all business needs, is more immediate relief."
Asked in a press briefing if the Trump administration is considering the Chamber's request for tariff exemptions, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller suggested it is not.
"The relief for small businesses is going to come in the form of the largest tax cut in American history," he said, referring to Republicans' plan to pass a major tax cut bill this year.
Miller also said that President Donald Trump has "made clear" that companies that invest in the U.S. will face no liability from tariffs.
Pressed to clarify that he was rejecting the idea of short-term tariff relief for small businesses, Miller said, "It's a yes on tax relief for small businesses. And again, you only pay the tariff for products that are made outside the United States."
Read the full letter here.
— CNBC's Eamon Javers contributed to this report.
Correction: Stephen Miller is White House deputy chief of staff. An earlier version misspelled his name.
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Meta's content-moderation mishaps used to be the talk of Madison Avenue, when advertisers would lambast the tech giant over its so-called brand safety concerns.
But it's a new era, and advertisers are spending through it.
The company's first-quarter revenue, which is almost entirely derived from advertising, reached $42 billion in the quarter, ahead of analysts' expectations and up 16% year over year.
In January, Meta said it was replacing third-party fact-checkers with an X-inspired community notes system on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The company said it also planned to bring back more political content to users' timelines and was easing content moderation rules around topics like gender identity and immigration.
Advertisers and industry analysts told BI in January that while the changes made them feel uneasy, they'd likely continue to spend with Meta as long as it delivered the large audiences and ad performance they've come to expect from the platform.
Meta's bumper earnings, released Wednesday, confirmed the theory.
On the earnings call, Meta's execs credited the momentum of its AI-powered suite of ad tools, Advantage Plus. These tools automate many aspects of creating an ad campaign, from identifying the types of users to target to creating the images in the ads themselves.
Susan Lee, Meta's chief financial officer, said there had been some spending reductions from Asia-based e-commerce advertisers targeting US users, likely in anticipation of President Donald Trump ending the de minimis tax loophole on May 2. The exemption had allowed the likes of Temu and Shein — huge Meta advertisers — to ship orders under $800 from China without paying duty fees.
Meta said its ad business would remain strong, pushing aside fears of a tariff-induced advertising slowdown. It's expecting to post revenue of between $42.5 billion and $45.5 billion next quarter, ahead of the $44 billion analysts had anticipated.
Nick Manning, a former ad agency exec and founder of the marketing consultancy Encyclomedia International, told BI that major advertisers still have deep concerns about user safety and the type of content that gets published on major tech platforms.
Part of Meta's resilience, he said, is that it's less reliant on blue-chip companies and more on the millions of small and medium-sized businesses that advertise across its sites and apps. Indeed, the company said Wednesday that online commerce companies were the largest contributors to its ad sales growth in the quarter.
"Meta, for certain kinds of advertisers, still delivers the goods — and those advertisers aren't really bothered about user safety and brand safety," Manning said.
Meta said in January that it continued to be focused on ensuring brand safety and suitability by offering a range of tools for advertisers.
While it faces the same macroeconomic uncertainty as many other businesses, Meta is doing so from a position of strength.
"Advertisers will allocate more ad dollars to proven, sophisticated networks like Facebook and Instagram — all while pulling back spend on smaller social platforms — while they navigate uncertainty," said Minda Smiley, a senior analyst at the research firm EMARKETER, a BI sister company.
Just take a look at the contrasting fortunes of Snap. Its shares plummeted Tuesday after it reported first-quarter revenue and earnings that were in line with expectations but said it wouldn't share guidance for the second quarter, blaming the macroeconomic uncertainty.
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Tesla's board chair has denied that the company ever considered replacing Elon Musk as CEO amid a stock price slump and global brand crisis sparked by his work at DOGE.
Robyn Denholm said on Wednesday that the board had high confidence in the billionaire's leadership, after The Wall Street Journal reported that board members had searched for a new CEO.
The Journal reported that as Tesla's stock price plunged in March and April amid collapsing sales and public blowback over Musk's work at DOGE, unnamed Tesla board members reached out to recruitment firms to work on a process to select Tesla's next CEO.
Board members had also told Musk he needed to spend more time at Tesla and reaffirm his commitment to the company publicly, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
In Tesla's first quarter earnings last week, Musk announced he would step back from his White House role in May and allocate more time to leading Tesla, with the company's stock price surging in response.
"Now, we're getting more of a rhythm, and so the amount of time that it's necessary for me to spend here is much less, and I can return to primarily running my companies — which they need me," Musk said in an interview with reporters in the White House on Wednesday evening, before the Journal's story was published.
In a post on Tesla's X account on Wednesday, chairwoman Robyn Denholm called the Journal's report "absolutely false."
"The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead," said Denholm. Musk also denied the article in a post on X.
It comes amid a rocky start to the year for Tesla.
The automaker has been hit by a global wave of protests over Musk's role in cutting the federal workforce, which has also turned its vehicles into targets for vandalism and pushed some owners to sell up.
The brand crisis has fuelled a sales collapse, with Tesla reporting its lowest quarterly sales since 2022 last month.
The company is also facing growing competition in the EV space, especially from China, with the Warren Buffett-backed BYD besting Tesla in sales and revenue so far this year.
Tesla's stock price, which surged after the US election, has plunged around 30% since the start of the year, causing investors to ring the alarm about how much attention Musk is paying to Tesla.
In a Wednesday note, Wedbush Securities analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives said Musk did the right thing in stepping back from his DOGE role and that Musk would likely stay on as CEO for at least another five years.
"This situation with Musk at DOGE was reaching a breaking point, but we believe that cooler heads have now prevailed," said Ives, describing the reported search for possible replacements as a "game of high-stakes poker" between Tesla's board and Musk.
Musk and Tesla did not respond to a request for comment sent outside normal working hours.
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High-profile tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg have largely embraced President Donald Trump since he won a second term, with many of them making large donations to the president's inaugural fund and socializing among MAGA world at Mar-a-Lago.
Podcaster Dwarkesh Patel asked the Meta CEO to elaborate on his connection to Trump during a Tuesday interview.
"Our default as an American company should be to try to have a productive relationship with whoever is running the government," Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago the day before Thanksgiving in 2024, and he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his fellow tech billionaires at Trump's inauguration in January.
He told Patel that Meta's attempts to work with the Biden administration didn't pan out.
"I've been pretty public with some of my frustrations with the previous administration — how they basically did not engage with us or the business community more broadly," he said.
In August, Zuckerberg called out the Biden administration, saying Meta was pressured to remove Facebook posts related to COVID-19 by the government. Zuckerberg said at the time he regretted not pushing back on the White House.
A strong relationship between Big Tech and the government is "necessary" for progress, Zuckerberg told Patel on Tuesday.
"It's like we're trying to build great stuff," he said. "That's sort of that's how I see it, and it's also how I would guess most others see it."
A spokesperson for Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Donald Trump has used the stock market as a scorecard in the past, so it might make sense to look at a chart of the S&P 500 year-to-date and wonder if the president thinks his performance could be better.
Judging by Trump's own words on Wednesday, that's not the case.
Following his 100th day in office, data showed the US economy contracted last quarter for the first time in three years. Stocks reacted negatively, but the president said the market still belonged to former President Joe Biden, redirecting blame for the 6% decline in the S&P 500 this year.
"This is Biden's Stock Market, not Trump's. I didn't take over until January 20th," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Wednesday.
"Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden 'Overhang.' This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other," he added.
For those following along since his first term, it was a familiar sight. The president has often taken credit for stock gains—even during times he was not in the White House — and blamed others for losses.
In March, shortly after returning to the White House and as the market tumbled from all-time highs reached in February, he suggested that investors shouldn't be watching stocks, though he referred to the market's gains during his first term as an "amazing achievement."
"You can't really watch the stock market," Trump said in an interview with Fox News in early March after tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China were first unveiled. "If you look at China, they have a 100-year perspective. We have a quarter. We go by quarters."
The comments shifting blame are the opposite of what Trump has claimed relatively recently. He has put the success of the stock market front and center as his doing.
The day before his inauguration, Trump said that the rise in stock prices was the "Trump effect."
"Everyone is calling it the — I don't want to say this, it's too braggadocious, but we'll say it anyway — the Trump effect. It's you. You're the effect," Trump said at a rally in Washington. "Since the election, the stock market has surged, and small-business optimism has soared a record 41 points to a 39-year high. Bitcoin has shattered one record high after another."
That's plausible, as markets had initially priced in a big boost to growth and economic activity. However, expectations were recalibrated once he took office, as it became clear that the trade war would be more aggressive than anyone predicted.
However, Trump has even taken credit when he wasn't anywhere near the levers of power in Washington, DC.
"THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET," Trump wrote in a January 2024 Truth Social post. "BECAUSE MY POLLS AGAINST BIDEN ARE SO GOOD THAT INVESTORS ARE PROJECTING THAT I WILL WIN, AND THAT WILL DRIVE THE MARKET UP."
Perhaps the best example of the president's eagerness to take credit for the market's good fortune came in 2020, when Trump sent Fox News host Lou Dobbs an autographed chart of the Dow Jones Industrial average, which shot up 2,000 points in a single day after he declared COVID-19 an emergency.
While Trump has historically highlighted the stock market to showcase his achievements as president, his team has suggested this time around that he's got his eye on a different scorecard: the 10-year US Treasury yield.
The key bond yield is a reflection of long-term interest rates in the economy. That ties into the president's goal of lowering borrowing costs for Americans, which was a central point in his campaign for president last year.
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In this article
Shares of Tesla were flat in premarket trading Thursday after the EV maker denied a Wall Street Journal report that its board was searching for a replacement for chief executive Elon Musk.
The report, citing comments from sources familiar with the discussions, said that Tesla's board members reached out to several executive search firms to work on a formal process for finding the company's next CEO. Shares of Tesla fell as much as 3% in overnight trading on trading platform Robinhood following the news, before paring losses.
Tesla chair Robyn Denholm wrote on the social media platform X that the report was "absolutely false."
"Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company," she wrote.
"This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published). The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead."
It comes after a sharp drop in the electric vehicle giant's sales and profits, with its top and bottom lines missing estimates in the first quarter. Musk has admitted that his involvement with the Trump administration could be hurting the automaker's stock price.
The mega-billionaire said on a Tesla earnings call last week that he plans to spend just a "day or two per week" running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency beginning in May.
Tesla's total revenue slipped 9% year-on-year to hit $19.34 billion in the January-March quarter. This falls short of the $21.11 billion forecast by analysts, LSEG data shows.
Revenue from its automotive segment declined 20% year-on-year to $14 billion, as the company needed to update lines at its four vehicle factories to start making a refreshed version of its popular Model Y SUV. Tesla also attributed the decline to lower average selling prices and sales incentives as a drag on revenue and profit.
Its net income plunged 71% to $409 million, or 12 cents a share, from $1.39 billion or 41 cents a year ago.
Since the start of the year, its shares have plunged over 30%.
— CNBC's Dan Mangan and Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's eye-scanning venture officially makes its U.S. debut Thursday.
Altman co-founded "World" in 2019 — known as Worldcoin until last year — to create a global identity verification system for people, using iris scans and the blockchain to ideally fight against fraud and bots.
Here's how it works: You go up to an Orb, a spherical biometric device, and it spends about 30 seconds scanning your face and iris, then creates and stores a unique "IrisCode" for you verifying that you're a human and that you've never signed up before. Then you get some of the project's cryptocurrency, WLD, for free, and you can use your World ID as a sign-in with integrated platforms, which currently include an open API integration with Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify and Discord.
Starting Thursday, the company is opening six flagship U.S. retail locations where people can sign up to have their eyeball scanned: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami and San Francisco.
At an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the venture announced two high-profile partnerships: Visa will introduce the "World Visa card" this summer, available only to people who have had their irises scanned by World, and the online dating giant Match Group will begin a pilot program testing out World ID and some age verification tools with Tinder in Japan.
World's "At Last" event in Fort Mason — which featured a performance by singer and rapper Anderson .Paak — included a live demo following a keynote by World Network co-founders Alex Blania and Altman. The demo, which got off to a slightly slow start due to some interference from the stage lights, showed the audience how to pair the Orb to their phones. At one point, the person doing the demo had to take off his glasses so the Orb could see his face a little more clearly.
"We wanted a way to make sure that humans stayed special and central, in a world where the internet was going to have lots of AI-driven content," Altman said during the keynote.
The latest version of the Orb is powered by the Nvidia Jetson processor, the company said. World plans to deploy 7.500 orbs by the end of the year in the U.S.
The company said it also plans to open an assembly line for manufacturing orbs in Richardson, Texas.
Answering questions from reporters who flew in from all over the world for the event, Blania called the current challenges from AI bots and deepfake technologies a "wake up moment for proof of human."
Although Altman, who is the CEO of OpenAI, spoke at the event on Wednesday, a representative for the company said an integration with OpenAI wasn't in the works at the moment.
Blania told reporters that he was open to the idea of a partnership, adding that "we will share news when we have them."
World's mission has been questioned by some governments and Hong Kong regulators asked the project to cease operation of all data collection last year.
One of the controversies surrounding World relates to data storage.
The project keeps some personal data for fraud purposes, to make sure that people aren't double-scanning or tricking the system. But investors in the project, as well as its team members, say that data is decentralized and impossible to reverse-engineer — unlike typical anonymized data, which it is possible to de-anonymize and identify someone with.
Adrian Ludwig, chief information security officer at Tools for Humanity, a core contributor to World, said in an interview that the project splits up individuals' stored data among multiple parties, such as a "couple of different financial institutions" and some blockchain institutions.
"The way I always think about it is we were very surprised when the Panama Papers got broken into and they got leaked," Ludwig said. "We're concerned about that kind of situation, and so we don't have a single place that has all the sensitive data. We split it up across multiple different companies and organizations that are holding it, and we use cryptography to keep it separate. You'd have to compromise all of them simultaneously."
Since its founding, Tools for Humanity — the Altman-founded startup behind the World project — has raised upwards of $140 million in funding from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase and billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, giving the firm a $1 billion valuation as of 2021, the most recent year for which the valuation is available.
So far there are 26 million people on the network across Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region, with 12 million verified, according to a representative for World, who added that its goal is to scale to one billion people. It's moving slower than expected, though: In 2021, the project's goal was to scale to one billion people by 2023.
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The US and Ukraine struck a major deal granting American companies privileged access to key natural resources in Ukraine — including aluminum, graphite, oil, and natural gas — that could boost the tech and automotive sectors.
Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent signed the deal in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
"This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term," the Treasury Department said in a press release. "President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides' commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine."
The Treasury Department added that the economic partnership positions Ukraine and the US to "work collaboratively and invest together" to ensure that "our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine's economic recovery."
On social media, Svyrydenko wrote: "Together with the United States we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country."
Bessent later said in a video statement that the deal would help "unlock Ukraine's growth assets."
The agreement comes at a time of rising supply-chain uncertainty amid an ongoing trade war with China, where 90% of the world's current rare earth metals are sourced from.
On April 4, China restricted exports of seven rare earth elements and related materials in response to Trump's tariffs, potentially affecting critical industries like defense, energy, and automobiles.
Ukraine possesses a rich array of natural resources that are of growing importance to the US. Graphite, lithium, and titanium are vital for EV battery production, solar panels, and military equipment. High-purity neon gas and rare earth metals are critical for semiconductor manufacturing to power the growth of AI systems.
The minerals deal was originally set to be signed on February 28, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington ended in acrimony.
The agreement was signed just days after Trump and Zelenskyy met in person on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral, as cease-fire talks between Moscow and Washington continue. Trump on Wednesday called their face-to-face meeting a "moment of solace in a sense" in an interview with ABC News.
The White House and the Treasury Department did not respond to requests for comments.
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Meta reported $4.2 billion in losses from its Reality Labs division this quarter on Wednesday. Its total metaverse burn has now pushed past $60 billion since 2020.
Adding to the turmoil, Meta conducted layoffs in its Reality Labs division last week, primarily affecting teams that focused on VR gaming and the Supernatural VR fitness app, which Meta owns.
At least one analyst thinks the end is near.
"For now, Meta maintains two tales of one company," Forrester vice president and research director Mike Proulx told Business Insider. "Its Family of Apps continues to grow by the metrics that matter. But Reality Labs is a leaky bucket. Year-over-year, that division's revenue is down, and losses are up. I predict come end of this year, Meta will shutter its metaverse projects, like Horizon Worlds."
Horizon Worlds, Meta's social VR app in which users interact as avatars in shared digital spaces, was once the company's poster child for the metaverse. However, it has struggled to gain mainstream traction.
Over the 2024 holidays, Meta's Horizon app briefly topped app store charts — not because of surging interest in the metaverse, but because it's required to set up a new Quest headset. It signaled that the devices were a popular gift.
That momentum didn't stick. On this week's earnings call, Meta said Quest sales underperformed, dragging Reality Labs' revenue down 6% year-over-year.
On the call, Evercore analyst Mark Mahaney asked what might finally shrink those multibillion-dollar losses.
"There are more investments that I think make sense to make," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded, citing the growth of Meta's AI glasses and a vision to eventually sell tens of millions of units.
Internally, the stakes are high. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has said 2025 is the "most critical" year for the company's metaverse effort, warning staff that without real traction, the whole thing could go down as a "legendary misadventure."
Reality Labs, which includes the Quest headsets, Horizon Worlds, and Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, is structured into two units: Metaverse and Wearables. In January, Meta quietly reshuffled the division, moving top sales and marketing leads under broader company leadership to align more tightly with its AI push.
For now, Meta is still in the fight, though its momentum has clearly moved elsewhere: to its Llama AI models, Meta AI, and those Ray-Bans. The metaverse may not be dead yet, but it's no longer center stage.
Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pdixit@insider.com or Signal at +1408-905-9124. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.
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The White House announced Wednesday night that it signed an economic partnership with Ukraine that includes an agreement on the ownership and extraction of natural resources from the war-torn nation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement, established as the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, will allow the U.S. to "invest alongside Ukraine" to unlock its growth assets and ultimately accelerate its economic recovery.
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"As the President has said, the United States is committed to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war. This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term," Bessent said. "President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides' commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine."
"To be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine," he added.
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's economy minister, provided more details on the minerals deal outlined in the agreement, first noting in a post on X that "it is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract" and that "subsoil remains under Ukrainian ownership."
Ukraine and the U.S. will jointly manage and maintain co-ownership of the investment fund, with neither side holding a dominant vote, Svyrydenko said. It will be financed by new Ukrainian oil, gas and critical mineral licenses, with 50% of all revenue from the licenses going toward the fund.
Svyrydenko indicated in her post that the U.S. will also contribute to the fund, through it is unclear exactly how much.
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Pizza from Artègo Pizza, 900 W. 39th St., Kansas City; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
A pizza party in a Midtown eatery covered in art is expected to mark the launch of a Nouns DAO chapter in Kansas City — a group endeavoring to fund local creativity, support the public good and expand access to decentralized cultural funding.
But there's more at stake than just getting a piece of the blockchain pie.
Artègo Pizza, 900 W. 39th St., Kansas City; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
“I want people to understand how they can empower themselves and their communities through participating in these DAOs,” said Mary McCawley, a digital art curator at and founder of Digital Dreams KC and key organizer for Nouns KC DAO.
“A lot of people are expressing that they are seeing and feeling a lack of funding that's been cut because of the recent (presidential) administration's policy decisions, and I feel that the answer is to take the power back on the grassroots level, to recognize that we don't have to wait for Big Brother to put his hand out and make certain things possible.”
The launch event — 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 22 at Artègo Pizza, 900 W. 39th St. — coincides with Global Pizza Day in collaboration with Pizza DAO (a decentralized global initiative taking place in more than 300 cities worldwide).
Nouns KC DAO's site is under construction but should go live at citynouns.wtf.
Why May 22?
Pizza DAO is an annual global pizza party that's been sharing pies since 2021. It is a “community of 5,000+ artists, engineers, community managers, marketers, and pizzeria owners” collaborating to “spread the joy of pizza, the most popular food in the known universe.”
It organizes party sites on May 22 each year to mark the day Bitcoin — or any digital asset — was first used to buy a tangible item.
On that day in 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz deemed that pizza would be the world's first real-world item purchased. He bought two pizzas for 10,000 BTC (or roughly $782 million in today-dollars).
Here's how it works
Kansas City's Nouns DAO chapter is expected to tap into the larger group's positioning as a legend in the DAO space, McCawley said.
Nouns DAO operates by creating a work of art — an NFT, or nonfungible token — each day that is then auctioned to raise funds for the DAO. Those funds are used for just about anything: film and TV projects, nationwide cleanup actions, extreme sport athlete sponsorships, web3 infrastructure, etc.
The DAO has purportedly controlled upward of $44 million, though presently its holdings appear to be about 3,368 ETH, or just over $6.3 million USD.
Watch the video below for more on how Nouns DAO works.
Empowering digital democratic norms
If you're a little lost here, let's pause.
The term DAO is an acronym for “decentralized autonomous organization.”
These organizations are cropping up across the globe and are championed by blockchain enthusiasts — blockchain being the nearly immutable ledgering tech behind cryptocurrency.
Another group, KC Futures DAO, launched last year and is in a fundraising cycle. They're partnered with KC nonprofit KC Digital Drive, which has a mission of making Kansas City a digital leader and to improve the quality of life for all people in the region.
(For crypto enthusiasts looking to network in the region, KC Digital Drive regularly plays host to “CryptoMonday” events in Kansas City.)
Blockchain's primary strength is that it is a decentralized record of transactions or actions that each must be fully verified by multiple authorities — usually automated systems — before any subsequent transactions or actions can occur. This means every transaction is verified and settled and cannot be changed without subsequently invalidating all that come after.
“It's a way that everyone can have a voice by voting as to how the funds are allocated and used. And it's a way that people can empower themselves when they feel unempowered.”
— Mary McCawley,
Nouns KC DAO
If a party tampers with a past transaction, then every subsequent transaction becomes erroneous. This means tampering with or falsifying one record creates a subsequent chain of error pointing a curious party back to the tampering and the entity that performed that tampering.
And blockchain's ledgers can be private, public or permissions-based, with a DAO's likely being set to the latter so that only members can view all DAO actions or transactions.
Typically the greater a member's investment in the DAO, the more votes they have as to the DAO's actions. This creates, at least upon inception and in effect, a bottom-up style of decision making.
In a world where data manipulation — and information manipulation generally — is of growing concern, McCawley said, she sees DAOs and their blockchain tech as a way to code democratic norms into organizational decisions, financial decisions and more.
“It's a way that the funds can't be mismanaged,” she explained. “It's a way that everyone can have a voice by voting as to how the funds are allocated and used. And it's a way that people can empower themselves when they feel unempowered.”
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Coinbase will suspend trading of Movement's MOVE token, citing "recent reviews," following a CoinDesk investigation into market-making deals that experts said incentivized price manipulation.
The token fell more than 13% on the trading suspension news, while the broader market gauge CoinDesk 20 Index rose 4.4%.
Movement Labs is currently investigating how a market maker may have gained access to a significant number of its tokens, which were then dumped on retail investors, causing its price to tank. The market maker, Web3Port, appears in contracts previously reported by CoinDesk.
According to the CoinDesk report, Movement Labs co-founder Cooper Scanlon told employees last month that the firm was investigating how Rentech, which Movement believed was a subsidiary of Web3Port, got a hold of over 5% of Web3Port's MOVE tokens.
According to contracts obtained by CoinDesk, Rentech had the ability to liquidate all of its tokens under certain circumstances, which experts said could have created an incentive for the firm to increase the token's value.
Crypto exchange Binance later banned Web3Port, the market-maker, after $38 million in MOVE tokens in wallets tied to Web3Port were liquidated following MOVE's exchange debut.
Coinbase did not share many details about the trading suspension, just announcing that it would do so on May 15 by 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (21:00 UTC).
We regularly monitor the assets on our exchange to ensure they meet our listing standards. Based on recent reviews, we will suspend trading for Movement (MOVE) on May 15, 2025, on or around 2 PM ET.
Coinbase said it has already switched its order books to "limit-only mode" for MOVE tokens, meaning trades will only be executed at certain prices, rather than a token's spot price.
Read more: Inside Movement's Token-Dump Scandal: Secret Contracts, Shadow Advisers and Hidden Middlemen
UPDATE (May 1, 2025, 17:18 UTC): Adds additional context.
Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, covering regulators, lawmakers and institutions. He owns < $50 in BTC and < $20 in ETH. He won a Gerald Loeb award in the beat reporting category as part of CoinDesk's blockbuster FTX coverage in 2023, and was named the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers' Journalist of the Year in 2020.
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“The world looks to New York, and the world looks to [its] Department of Financial Services,” veteran crypto regulator Ken Coghill told a Cornell audience.
Love it or leave it, New York State has been a force in crypto regulation.
Ten years ago, the state created the United States' first comprehensive regulatory framework for firms dealing in cryptocurrencies, including key consumer protection, anti-money laundering compliance and cybersecurity guidelines.
In September 2015, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued its first BitLicense to Circle Internet Financial, enabling the company to conduct digital currency business activity in the state. Ripple Markets received the second BitLicense in 2016. Circle and Ripple went on to become giant players in the global cryptocurrency and stablecoin industry.
Today, the NYDFS regulates one of the largest pools of crypto firms in the world, and it is often cited as the gold standard for crypto regulation in the US.
It's against that background that Ken Coghill, NYDFS's deputy superintendent for virtual currencies, appeared at Cornell Tech's blockchain conference on April 25 to discuss “A New Era of U.S. Innovation in Crypto.”
Most of the firms that have come to the NYDFS for a BitLicense are crypto-native firms, and often, they are new to the financial world and not used to dealing with regulators. Many times they don't fully understand that they are in control of someone else's asset, noted Coghill at the New York City conference, adding:
“We set the guardrails,” Coghill said, and it's the industry's job to figure out how to stay within those guardrails. The NYDFS can't possibly contemplate every element that's going to go wrong in a business.
These days, more conventional financial institutions are becoming interested in crypto as well, added Coghill. Large banks are beginning to offer crypto custody services, and others are starting to provide settlement services. “The conventional [bank] model is being brought into the crypto [sphere] primarily because it makes people feel comfortable,” said Coghill.
Related: Trump's first 100 days ‘worst in history' despite crypto promises
And while the NYDFS has only issued 22 BitLicenses to date, it appears to be ready to handle a tide of applications from TradFi firms if and when they materialize. “On a per capita basis, we have more supervisory resources focused on crypto businesses than we do for all of those other [non-crypto] businesses,” said Coghill. This includes 3,000 banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions.
It wasn't a direct route that brought Coghill to the NYDFS in July 2024. He spent the previous 12 years in the Middle East working for the Dubai Financial Services Authority, eventually becoming the agency's head of innovation and technology risk supervision.
It was a “whim” that took him to the Middle East in the first place, he recalled. “I went for three years and stayed for 12 years,” spending that time primarily as an official regulating global systemically important banks, or G-SIBs. There, he was called upon to develop a cryptocurrency supervision model, and so he “spent the last six years regulating cryptocurrency in the Middle East.”
Eventually, an opportunity arose to return to the US, where he had worked earlier as a manager in the department of market regulation at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Before that he was an options trader. He took the new assignment with the NYDFS, among other reasons, because “the world looks to New York, and the world looks to the DFS” when it comes to regulation, he told the Cornell Tech audience.
Panel moderator Neil DeSilva asked Coghill what good regulation looks like. “Good regulation is regulation that doesn't prohibit activity but that applies appropriate guardrails that reduces risk to clients,” he answered. One can't eliminate risk entirely; to do so would quash all business activity.
Related: Institutions break up with Ethereum but keep ETH on the hook
He compares regulation to a pendulum constantly swinging between two extremes: too lenient and too restrictive. “The pendulum swung too far to one end of the regulation in the last few years [i.e., too restrictive]. Now it's swinging back.”
What does the state regulator make of the fevered regulatory activity in Washington, DC at the federal level these days? There seem to be some “positive tailwinds” behind cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, noted DeSilva, himself a former chief financial officer for PayPal's Digital Currencies and Remittances business.
“For DFS, it's largely business as usual,” Coghill commented. That's because New York State has long had crypto rules in place. In fact, “much of what's happening now in Washington” — at the federal level — “is influenced by what we've done over the last 10 years” at the state level.
The state agency has regularly communicated with the powers-that-be in the US capital regarding digital currencies. “We have a team that practically sits in Washington and has discussions with Congressional members, talking about what we think will work and what won't work.”
The NYDFS' crypto initiatives have influenced other US states. California's crypto reform legislation (AB 1934), signed into law in late September 2024, for instance, builds on New York State's BitLicense and its limited-purpose trust charter regulations for digital currency businesses — even though BitLicense's licensing requirements are relatively strict.
Not all in the crypto industry have been enamored with the state's crypto licensing regime, either, declaring BitLicenses too expensive. Its application fee is $5,000 — too strict with its detailed anti-money laundering protocols and required audits and generally too much of an obstacle for innovative crypto-native firms. Crypto exchange Kraken exited the state when New York implemented its BitLicense requirement, for instance.
Coghill was asked by DeSilva how the NYDFS actually looks at decentralized protocols compared with how it views the centralized financial institutions that it has historically regulated.
It's important to look at the actual purpose of the product, Coghill answered. What's its underlying intent? Who does it serve, and what are its good and bad impacts? “There are lots of innovations that are created for no purpose other than making a lot of money off of its customers,” said Coghill. “And so it's incumbent on us to filter those out.”
“We're paid to look at everything in a dark, dark way. It's not our job to look at and say, ‘Yes, this is fantastic.'” Rather, they examine a potential product and ask, “How is this bad for efficiency?” or “How is this bad for inclusion?”
How does he think things will play out at the federal level this year regarding crypto and stablecoin legislation?
In the meantime, “we're still accepting applications. We're still processing those applications. We're still focusing on our underlying objectives: protecting the market, protecting the consumers, supporting innovation.”
Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it's becoming them in stablecoin fight
Crypto investment firm dao5 raised a $222 million fund to invest in blockchain projects targeting institutional and government adoption. The fund brings the firm's total assets under management to $550 million.
Founded in 2022 by Tekin Salimi, a former partner at Polychain Capital, dao5 made early bets on projects including Story Protocol, Bittensor, Berachain and EigenLayer.
The firm's first fund, launched during the final days of the last bull market three years ago, was fully deployed and has already returned “the vast majority of commitments to its limited partners,” according to a press release shared with CoinDesk.
“Crypto is entering its adolescence phase. The industry's dependency on pure speculation as the driver of growth is no longer as effective as it once was,” Salimi said.
Future success will be a product of “the real integration of blockchain technology into global financial, governmental, and private sector systems,” he said.
The new fund's focus is on-chain public infrastructure, novel stablecoin systems and “state-sovereign artificial intelligence.”
In tandem with the fundraise, the firm plans for its dao5 fund to convert into a decentralized autonomous organization later this year. To support its expansion, the firm added George Lambeth, who previously backed projects like Avalanche and Celestia, as General Partner.
Francisco is a reporter for CoinDesk with a passion for cryptocurrencies and personal finance. Before joining CoinDesk he worked at major financial and crypto publications. He owns bitcoin, ether, solana, and PAXG above CoinDesk's $1,000 disclosure threshold.
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Swiss asset manager 21Shares has filed a S-1 registration form for a SUI exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
SUI is currently trading at $3.68, rising by 10.9% over the past 24 hours and 5% after the filing went live on the SEC's website.
“Since our earliest research into Sui, we believed it could become one of the most exciting blockchains in the industry, and we're seeing that thesis play out,” said Duncan Moir, President of 21Shares, speaking at Sui's annual Basecamp conference.
SUI is a layer-1 blockchain developed by former Meta engineers. The network's native token has a market cap of $11.8 billion, leaving it just outside the top 10 largest cryptocurrencies.
21Shares' filing comes six weeks after Canary Capital filed paperwork to launch a SUI ETF.
The Sui Foundation also announced on Thursday that it signed a deal with Fireblocks to enhance institutional-grade infrastructure across the network.
The integration will allow institutions to engage with Sui using native SUI custody and access to DeFi protocols on the network.
UPDATE (May 1,2025, 13:41 UTC): Adds details on Fireblocks deal in sixth and seventh graf.
Oliver Knight is the co-leader of CoinDesk data tokens and data team. Before joining CoinDesk in 2022 Oliver spent three years as the chief reporter at Coin Rivet. He first started investing in bitcoin in 2013 and spent a period of his career working at a market making firm in the UK. He does not currently have any crypto holdings.
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Bitcoin's “base case” for the end of 2025 is $200,000 without further government adoption, Bitwise's head of research told Cointelegraph.
Bitcoin's expanding institutional adoption may provide the “structural” inflows necessary to surpass gold's market capitalization and push its price beyond $1 million by 2029, according to Bitwise's head of European research, André Dragosch.
“Our in-house prediction is $1 million by 2029. So that Bitcoin will match gold's market cap and total addressable market by 2029,” he told Cointelegraph during the Chain Reaction daily X spaces show on April 30.
Corporations are coming for your bitcoin (feat. André Dragosch, Head of Research at Bitwise) #CHAINREACTION https://t.co/5F3cRWBHzq
Gold is currently the world's largest asset, valued at over $21.7 trillion. In comparison, Bitcoin's market capitalization sits at $1.9 trillion, making it the seventh-largest asset globally, according to CompaniesMarketCap data.
Related: Bitcoin treasury firms driving $200T hyperbitcoinization — Adam Back
For the 2025 market cycle, Bitcoin may surpass $200,000 in the “base case” and $500,000 with more governmental adoption, Dragosch said.
“So the base case is $200,000, conditional on the US government not stepping in. If they step in, it will move closer toward $500,000,” said Dragosch, referring to the US government's plan to potentially make direct Bitcoin acquisitions through “budget-neutral” strategies.
The US is looking at “many creative ways” to fund its Bitcoin investments, including from tariff revenue and by reevaluating the US Treasury's gold certificates, creating a paper surplus to fund the BTC reserve without selling gold, Bo Hines of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets said in an interview on April 14.
Related: Crypto sentiment recovers, but weekend liquidity risks remain
The US-based spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have surpassed all expectations during their first year of trading, exceeding record trading volumes as BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF became the fastest-growing ETF in history.
The first year is usually the “slowest” for ETFs, Dragosch said, highlighting the launch of the gold ETF:
The Bitcoin cycle may also be prolonged when US wirehouses start gaining exposure to Bitcoin and ETFs.
“In the US, the major distribution channels go via Wirehouses, which are essentially the big banks like Merrill Lynch or Morgan Stanley. [...] Not even half of these wirehouses have opened up their distribution channels to US Bitcoin ETFs,” the analyst said.
Adoption from US wirehouses may bring a “huge amount of capital,” since these control over $10 trillion worth of customer assets, Dragosch added.
Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra's plan to win trust: Hodler's Digest, April 13 – 19
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Last year on the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to be a champion of the Bitcoin mining industry in the US. Yet as American crypto miners begin to release their first quarterly earnings reports since Trump returned to the White House, it's clear the group is struggling.
Seven of the eight biggest publicly traded miners that are based in the US are expected to post a loss when they report first-quarter results, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The financial struggles come even after Bitcoin reached a record above $109,000 in January, and its price in the quarter averaged about 75% higher than it was in the first quarter of 2024.
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According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the likelihood of US regulators approving a Solana ETF (exchange-traded fund) is now a whopping 90%.
This is particularly noteworthy because the company's odds for a $SOL ETF were just 70% back in February, i.e., only a couple of months ago.
Combined with the CME listing Solana-based futures contracts in March, a $SOL ETF will likely rocket Solana to the moon.
Keep reading to find out all the reasons for being bullish on Solana right now. We'll also point you towards the best altcoins you can buy today to make the most of $SOL's bright future.
While six asset managers await the SEC's permission to list $SOL ETFs, the crypto's future open interest reached $5.75B (or $40.5M $SOL).
Moreover, this data is hot off the oven (recorded just a few days ago), so it's dead accurate and proof of strong institutional interest in the blockchain.
One of the biggest reasons behind the growing adoption of $SOL derivatives is that the crypto held the crucial $140 support level.
With rising DEX volumes and a staggering $9.5B in total value locked (TVL), $SOL can easily surge past $200 well before a potential spot ETF approval on October 10.
Technical analysis on $SOL's charts paints a pretty picture, too. The crypto has bounced perfectly from the 10, 20, and 50 EMAs simultaneously on the daily chart, which is a hugely positive signal.
The aforementioned bounce is also at a major support/resistance zone, further proving that the current bullish rally could hold itself nicely.
The only thing left to see is whether $SOL can break and hold itself above the 200 EMA. However, as per the 4-hour chart, it should easily be able to do that, seeing as it's above all the major EMAs on that time frame.
All in all, Solana is doing really well and could pump soon. If you want to ride its growth, here are three Solana-based coins that could give you the best results in an already-pumping market.
Our top pick, Solaxy, shows the best potential. It's still in presale, which has turned out to be a massive success thanks to over $30M in early investor funding.
Unlike other coins on Solana, Solaxy ($SOLX) won't just use the blockchain's low-cost, high-speed architecture to further its interests. Its goal, in fact, is to improve Solana.
Solana has become too popular for its own good, ironically. A recent massive influx of new investors to the network has overloaded it. As a result, it has been struggling with congestion and scalability issues.
Solaxy will solve Solana's aforementioned issues by building the first-ever Layer 2 scaling protocol on the network.
It will process some of Solana's transactions on a sidechain, reducing the burden on its mainnet and increasing transaction speed while lowering traffic congestion. In one word, Solaxy will optimize Solana's key areas.
The utility-based nature of $SOLX significantly contributes to its uniqueness and makes it one of the best cryptos to buy today.
As mentioned earlier, Solaxy is currently in presale, which is another reason why it's such a lucrative opportunity. Remember, prices are at their lowest during the presale stage, offering insane risk-to-reward possibilities (like a 29x increase by the end of 2026).
With over $32.6M in presale funding so far, one $SOLX is currently available for just $0.00171. Here's how to buy it.
ai16z ($AI16Z) really stands out because it's the first-ever venture capital firm run solely by AI agents. This crypto project is redefining the possibilities of artificial intelligence in the crypto investment space.
A decentralized trading fund, ai16z uses AI agents to collect and analyze investment-related data, including current community sentiment. This speeds up the entire process of deciding whether a certain company is worth investing in.
Aside from extra speed, AI will also reduce human error. What's more, these AI agents are also equipped to execute transactions both on-chain and off-chain, further improving flexibility and transaction speed.
As a leader in the AI-powered decentralized trading segment, $AI16Z has unsurprisingly been one of the most successful cryptos of late. It reached a record market cap of around $2.6B in January 2025.
Over the last month or so, the token is up a staggering 60%. It's also currently one of the top trending cryptos, having jumped 10% in just the last 24 hours. $AI16Z is currently trading at $0.3043.
Often referred to as ‘the dog coin of the people,' Bonk is the first and the largest dog-themed meme coin on the Solana blockchain.
It's also the fifth-largest meme coin across the board, with a market capitalization of over $1.5B. Only $TRUMP, $PEPE, $SHIB, and $DOGE are above it.
Launched in December 2022, $BONK currently boasts over 17,000% in lifetime returns, which more than justifies its massive popularity among crypto degens.
After a nearly two-month-long steady decline, the token is climbing once again. It's up over 36% in the last week and 67% in the last month.
With one of the lowest per-token prices (just $0.00001968 at the time of writing) in the entire meme coin industry, $BONK is certainly one of the best cheap cryptos to buy to benefit from a potential $SOL rally.
Just the increased likelihood of a $SOL ETF has put the best altcoins on Solana in green.
Its actual launch, therefore, could be a canon event that sets forth a new future for $SOL and Solana-based cryptos.
That being said, we urge our readers to kindly do their own research and back their intuition with facts. None of the above is financial advice, after all.
Disclaimer: The information found on NewsBTC is for educational purposes
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entirely at your own risk.
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Cryptocurrency is back in the spotlight — and Bitcoin and Ethereum are still dominating the headlines. But for sharp investors, the real excitement is happening under the radar. In 2025, altcoins are where the action is, offering fresh utility, bold innovation, and serious upside potential.
At TOKEN2049 Dubai, BlackRock's Robert Mitchnick touched on the ETF space, noting lukewarm appetite for altcoin ETFs. Still, the bigger shift is happening behind the scenes—institutional players are moving in, pushing beyond retail speculation toward smarter, long-term strategies.
That makes this the perfect time to explore what's next. Projects like Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) are stepping up with real tech, staking rewards, and meme-powered momentum—mixing fun with function in a way that fits today's market.
In this guide, we'll break down the best altcoins to buy now—tokens that combine narrative strength, advanced features, and high-growth potential. Get ready to go beyond BTC and ETH—and spot the gems before the next rally takes off.
Bitcoin and Ethereum may be the pillars of crypto investing, but with their massive market caps, their ability to deliver exponential gains during bull runs is limited. Altcoins, on the other hand, are smaller and often more volatile, offering opportunities for investors willing to take calculated risks.
Altcoins span multiple blockchain use cases, from AI-powered platforms to gaming ecosystems. By diversifying into altcoins, investors can explore emerging trends like DeFi, tokenization, and interoperability. This not only reduces portfolio risk but also captures value from groundbreaking innovations.
For those looking to get started with a smaller budget, altcoins provide an attractive alternative. Many have lower price points, allowing investors to own entire tokens rather than fractional shares of Bitcoin or Ethereum.
ETF momentum has grown, with a recent week highlighting $3.06 billion in Bitcoin ETF inflows. BlackRock's IBIT ETF alone consumed a staggering $643 million in one day. Yet, institutional players like BlackRock have indicated minimal interest in altcoin ETFs for now.
This dynamic creates an interesting marketplace where retail and institutional investors may have differing priorities, opening opportunities for savvy altcoin investments.
While choosing the best altcoins to buy now, it's important to focus on projects with real utility, solid technology, and market relevance. Here are the most promising ones to keep on your radar.
Merging the best of artificial intelligence and meme culture, Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) is quickly gaining traction among retail investors and enthusiasts. Unlike typical meme coins, $DAGZ offers real utility through AI-powered tools like advanced trading bots and market analysis features.
Early adopters gain exclusive staking rewards, while a comprehensive audit by SolidProof ensures strong security. With plans for further integrations and attractive tokenomics, Dawgz AI is a prime candidate for altcoin investors seeking both fun and functionality.
Why $DAGZ Stands Out
Pro Tip: Grab $DAGZ during the presale phase to maximize long-term gains.
TokenFi, developed by the Floki team, focuses on making tokenization accessible. The platform enables users to create tokens and tokenize real-world assets (RWAs) like real estate or artwork without technical knowledge. Powered by its native TOKEN token, this project taps into the multi-trillion-dollar potential of the RWA market.
Key Features
Formerly known as Gnosis Safe, SAFE provides secure multi-signature smart accounts on Ethereum and other networks. It's tailored for organizations and teams needing higher levels of security for managing funds. Its governance token, SAFE, plays a pivotal role in decision-making and platform improvements.
Why SAFE Matters
GamerCoin (GHX) operates as the native token for the GamerHash platform, where gamers can earn rewards by sharing unused computing power. This earned $GHX can be spent in a gamer-focused marketplace, blending gaming activity with blockchain utility.
Standout Features
Investing in the right altcoins requires a balance of due diligence and timing. Start by understanding the fundamentals of each project, including its tokenomics, utility, and market appeal. Align your investments with emerging trends like AI, gaming, and tokenization for the best chances of long-term growth.
Bitcoin and Ethereum might be the backbone of the crypto market, but altcoins are where the innovation happens. Whether it's Dawgz AI's unique blending of memes and AI or TokenFi's ideal positioning in tokenization, there are plenty of opportunities to explore.
Among the options, Dawgz AI ($DAGZ) not only encapsulates 2025's strongest crypto narratives but also provides genuine utility, making it a top altcoin to consider. Early movers always see the most significant gains, so don't wait too long.
Coins with low market caps and innovative technology usually have the potential for exponential growth. Dawgz AI, with its AI integration and meme culture, is one of the most promising options right now.
Altcoins like Dawgz AI, TokenFi, and GamerCoin show strong potential due to their innovative approaches, market relevance, and community support.
If you're looking for both utility and growth, Dawgz AI is a strong contender. Its blend of AI-powered features and low-entry cost positions it as a standout investment.
Consider Dawgz AI for its presale advantages, TokenFi for its way into the tokenization market, and SAFE for security-focused crypto needs.
Altcoins integrating AI like Dawgz AI are poised for significant growth as AI becomes a driving force in tech and finance trends.
Copyright @ TheCryptoUpdates
May 01, 2025 08:30 ET
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KULR Technology Group, Inc.
KULR Technology Group, Inc.
HOUSTON, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KULR Technology Group, Inc. (NYSE American: KULR) (the "Company" or "KULR"), a global leader in advanced energy management solutions, today announced the launch of a blockchain-secured supply chain initiative to safeguard product-related data being offered to their customers. Moving supply chain verification and custody tracking from proprietary software onto a distributed ledger will increase transparency and security.
Decentralizing the inventory tracking system on a blockchain offers enhanced transparency, security, and real-time visibility across the entire supply chain. By recording each inventory item as a tamper-proof, timestamped entry on a distributed ledger, KULR eliminates the risk of data manipulation and ensures that all stakeholders have access to a single source of truth. This reduces reliance on centralized systems that are vulnerable to outages or unauthorized access. Additionally, blockchain's traceability features enable KULR to verify product authenticity, monitor asset movement, and streamline audits.
One of the initial products that will be recorded on the blockchain will include lithium-ion batteries screened to meet NASA's WI 37A rigorous methodology. Utilizing the blockchain to create a secure and immutable record of the testing data will benefit all future users of these batteries, who will have access to proven testing results.
"After launching our bitcoin treasury strategy last December, we became curious about what other aspects of the crypto ecosystem could benefit our business operations. Moving our supply chain tracking onto the blockchain seemed like a natural move for us,” KULR CEO Michael Mo commented on today's news. “We are leveraging proven blockchain technologies to deliver commercial applications that provide our customers with a trustworthy data source and improved operational efficiency. I firmly believe many aerospace products and commercial products could benefit from an immutable and verifiable chain of custody.”
Each battery that KULR manufactures will have its metadata minted as a non-fungible token (NFT) on the blockchain. When a battery is purchased, the NFT can be transferred to the buyer's on-chain wallet or moved to a “burn” wallet maintained by KULR to indicate ownership has been transferred. For large quantity customers, KULR will establish wallets to easily transfer NFTs associated with their orders. KULR designed an internal UI tool that synchronizes with encrypted KULR-owned wallets to view the current inventory.
The Company has built a customized rollup to Coinbase's Base L2 chain, which is ultimately built on Ethereum.
On December 4, 2024, KULR announced board approval to commit up to 90% of its surplus cash reserves to be held in bitcoin. To date, KULR has acquired 668 BTC. As a result of KULR's Bitcoin Treasury, CEO Michael Mo will be speaking at Strategy World next week in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Mo will be presenting a case study on KULR's experience establishing and maintaining a bitcoin treasury.
For more information about KULR Technology Group and its bitcoin strategy, please visit www.kulr.ai.
About KULR Technology Group Inc. KULR Technology Group Inc. (NYSE American: KULR) delivers cutting-edge energy storage solutions for space, aerospace, and defense by leveraging a foundation of in-house battery design expertise, comprehensive cell and battery testing suite, and battery fabrication and production capabilities. The Company's holistic offering allows the delivery of commercial off-the-shelf and custom next-generation energy storage systems in rapid timelines for a fraction of the cost compared to traditional programs. On December 4, 2024, KULR announced that its Board of Directors has agreed to include bitcoin as a primary asset in its treasury program and committed to allocating up to 90% of its surplus cash to the acquisition of bitcoin. For more information, please visit www.kulr.ai.
Investor Relations: KULR Technology Group, Inc. Phone: 858-866-8478 x 847 Email: ir@kulr.ai
KULR Media Relations:M Group Strategic Communications (on behalf of KULR)Email: KULR@mgroupsc.com
strategic collaboration with AstroForge, an asteroid resource extraction pioneer, to develop a custom 500 watt-hour (Wh) KULR ONE Space (K1S) battery pack
NYSE American: KULR announced today that it has been awarded $6,703,500 by the Texas Space Commission as part of a $26 million grant
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- 47 3D Egg Experiences Enabled by Data Vault Teach about U.S. National Parks, Protected Endangered Species, Geography and American History -
BEAVERTON, Ore., May 01, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Datavault AI Inc. (Nasdaq: DVLT), a trailblazer in data sciences and Web 3.0 asset monetization, proudly announces its innovative VerifyU™ team has minted three complete sets of 47 3D NFT eggs, which are displayed at www.databunny.us, immutably honoring the shared educational mission of both Datavault AI and the White House Historical Association to teach American history while supporting the association's mission of using technology to tell its stories through The People's House.
The experiential and educational NFT Eggs leverage DVHolo™ holographic display and ADIO® cryptoanchor technologies used to authenticate the "2025 Natural Heritage Preservation NFT Easter Egg Basket" and engage Americans in learning about the nation's National Natural Heritage. This initiative, showcased at the official White House Historical Association's Easter brunch on April 21, 2025, highlights the bipartisan legacy of U.S. Presidents in preserving national parks and endangered species through an interactive, blockchain-secured digital collectible.
The Educational NFT Egg Strategy introduces a collection of digital Easter eggs, each a unique non-fungible token (NFT) accessible via Datavault AI's DVHolo holographic displays and delivered securely through ADIO's cryptoanchor technology. These NFTs are designed to educate young people about America's natural treasures and feature stunning visuals of National Monuments and endangered species. Each NFT includes:
National Park Details: The name of the National Park, its founding year, and the U.S. President who designated it as a national park, showcasing the bipartisan commitment to conservation from President Theodore Roosevelt's establishment of Yosemite to President Barack Obama's expansion of Papahānaumokuākea.
Endangered Species: A depiction of a native endangered species, such as the California condor or the Florida panther, tied to the park's ecosystem.
State Flag: A miniature digital state flag representing the state where the park resides, fostering regional geography.
Web 3.0 Security: Powered by Datavault AI's Information Data Exchange® (IDE) and ADIO technologies, each NFT is a crypto-anchored, tamper-proof digital asset, ensuring authenticity and secure ownership for young collectors. The Chia blockchain was selected for this project for its energy effective management of a large and reliable blockchain that matched perfectly with the project's requirements. The unique qualities of our NFTs reflect Datavault AI's blockchain agnostic approach of a need, budget and commitment to delivering customer focused Web 3.0 solutions.
3D Experiential Educational NFT Eggs were accessible through DVHolo stations at the event, where participants' mobile phones could bring to life Yellowstone (est. 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant) or the Everglades (est. 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt).
Participants were able to use their mobile devices to claim NFTs, which were securely delivered on-site through ADIO's technology. This secure connection remains tied to the NFT—represented as an egg—for future activations and engagement. The initiative is designed to support multiple generations by serving as a U.S.-based time capsule, educating users on contemporary conservation efforts and the historical importance of iconic landmarks in a gamified and interactive format.
This effort complements Datavault AI's VerifyU™ platform, which has recently expanded under the leadership of Vice President of Sales for Education, Michael Nisbet. The platform now supports educational technology initiatives at institutions such as Arizona State University and Lane College, utilizing Web 3.0 tools—like our Easter Eggs—to enhance learning experiences.
"We're redefining how young people connect with America's natural heritage," said Nathaniel Bradley, CEO of Datavault AI. "By combining DVHolo's immersive visuals with ADIO's Web 3.0 data indexing and cybersecurity, along with the immersive WiSA HD audio environment, interactive soundscapes transported users through 47 National Parks in about 8 minutes. Our Educational NFT Eggs make learning about US National Parks and our endangered species interactive and impactful, honoring the bipartisan legacy of conservation and presidential power to preserve our natural history. I'm most certainly grateful to our marketing and creative teams who worked over this holiday to make this exhibit a success and make an immutable mark in our history. With so much to learn from the outside of the 3D eggs, it begs the question: What data are indexed within each egg? Owners of these eggs will be the only ones who will ever happen to know."
White House Historical Association's Easter Egg Roll Brunch
Datavault AI participated at the White House Historical Association's Easter Egg Roll brunch, where it further demonstrated its technologies to interested attendees. This collaboration underscores the company's commitment to blending innovation with cultural and educational initiatives.
About The People's House
A White House Experience is a cutting-edge educational experience that tells the story of the Executive Mansion, its inhabitants and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions. Through innovative exhibits, objects, and interactive media, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the White House's role in American history.
About Datavault AI Inc.
Datavault AI1 (Nasdaq: DVLT) is leading the way in AI experience, valuation and monetization of assets in the Web 3.0 environment. The company's cloud-based platform provides comprehensive solutions with a collaborative focus in its Acoustic Science and Data Science Divisions. Datavault AI's Acoustic Science Division features WiSA®, ADIO® and Sumerian® patented technologies and industry-first foundational spatial and multichannel wireless HD sound transmission technologies with IP covering audio timing, synchronization and multi-channel interference cancellation. The Data Science Division leverages the power of Web 3.0 and high-performance computing to provide solutions for experiential data perception, valuation and secure monetization. Datavault AI's cloud-based platform provides comprehensive solutions serving multiple industries, including HPC software licensing for sports & entertainment, events & venues, biotech, education, fintech, real estate, healthcare, energy and more. The Information Data Exchange® (IDE) enables Digital Twins, licensing of name, image and likeness (NIL) by securely attaching physical real-world objects to immutable metadata objects, fostering responsible AI with integrity. Datavault AI's technology suite is completely customizable and offers AI and Machine Learning (ML) automation, third-party integration, detailed analytics and data, marketing automation and advertising monitoring. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, OR. Learn more about Datavault AI at www.dvlt.ai.
And to view the 3D eggs, go to www.databunny.us.
Forward Looking Statements Disclaimer
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and other securities laws. Words such as "expect," "will," "anticipates," "estimates" and variations of such words and similar future or conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including statements herein regarding our business opportunities and prospects, strategy, future revenue expectations, licensing initiatives, recent funding and M&A activities as well as our plans to integrate acquired businesses and technologies, are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the following: the risk that we are unable to satisfy all closing conditions in connection with the senior notes issuance described above, and the acquisition of certain assets from CSI; our ability to successfully integrate all IP that we have acquired; risks regarding our ability to utilize the assets we acquire to successfully grow our market share; risks regarding our ability to open up new revenue streams as a result of the various agreements we have entered into and assets we have acquired; our current liquidity position and the need to obtain additional financing to support ongoing operations; general market, economic and other conditions; our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to maintain the listing of our common stock on Nasdaq; our ability to manage costs and execute on our operational and budget plans; our ability to achieve our financial goals; the degree to which our licensees implement the licensed technology into their products, if at all; the timeline to any such implementation; risks related to technology innovation and intellectual property, and other risks as more fully described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The information in this press release is provided only as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this communication based on new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
1 Formerly known as WiSA Technologies, Inc.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250430334016/en/
Contacts
Investors: David Barnard, Alliance Advisors Investor Relations(415) 433-3777datavaultinvestors@allianceadvisors.com Media Inquiries: Sonia Choi(844) DATA-400sonia@vault.email
Malaysian Police Raid $8,000-a-Month, 45-Machine Bitcoin Mining Operation
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Malaysian police have cracked down on yet another illegal Bitcoin mining operation, this time in the Hulu Terengganu and Marang districts in the northeast of the country.
According to local news outlet Malay Mail, the raids on two separate premises led to the seizure of 45 Bitcoin mining machines worth roughly $52,145 (RM225,000), alongside other equipment.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairuddin estimated that the electricity theft cost Tenaga Nasional—Malaysia's only electricity company—around $8,342 (RM36,000) in monthly losses.
Mohd Khairi said in a statement that the syndicates behind the illegal mining operation are believed to have operated from residential and commercial properties, using electricity from the local grid illegally.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with Tenaga Nasional Berhad's (TNB) Special Engagement Against Losses (SEAL) unit. The police chief said no arrests were made during the crackdown itself, but all the seized items were taken to the appropriate district police headquarters for further investigation.
Bitcoin mining is legal in Malaysia. However, tampering with the grid's electricity connectivity is punishable by up to five years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $21,500 (RM100,000.)
Illegal Bitcoin mining operations, which siphon energy from the national grids, are a growing problem in East and Southeast Asia.
A 2025 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted that international criminal groups operating in the region are attracted to Bitcoin mining as it allows them to circumvent anti-money laundering laws compared to more traditional forms of crime. A Bloomberg report from last year indicated that China's decision to ban Bitcoin mining in 2021 may have helped to push this type of illegal activity into Southeast Asia.
This trend has had real-world consequences for Malaysia before. In February of this year, an explosion in the Bandar Puncak Alam city, Malaysia, revealed a nine-rig illegal Bitcoin mining operation.
Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, the country's deputy energy transition and water transformation minister, told Malay Mail in July 2024 that illegal crypto mining has cost the country at least $722 million (RM3.4 billion) in electricity costs between 2018 and 2023.
Neighboring Thailand has also had its fair share of high-profile crypto mining crackdowns, including one involving 1,000 machines earlier this year thought to have stolen $3 million from the nation's grid.
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Tokenized assets still lack institutional backing, Chris Yin said, who believes the real-world asset market is much smaller than current estimates suggest.
Amid the intensifying global race to tokenize real-world assets, the market is still too nascent for institutional adoption, according to Chris Yin, the co-founder and CEO of Galaxy-backed RWA platform Plume.
Institutional capital is yet to enter the RWA market, and it will take some time for institutions to see its value, Yin told Cointelegraph on the sidelines of Token2049 in Dubai.
“These things move incredibly slowly, you have to show value, you have to show adoption first,” Yin said, comparing RWA's currently developing stages with the early days of Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins.
“Only now, 10 years later, are they beginning to think about using the stablecoin. The same thing is going to happen in tokenized assets or tokenization,” Yin said.
Yin questioned the accuracy of existing market estimates, which suggest the RWA sector is worth more than $21 billion.
“I tend to think that one, all the data is wrong, and two, the perspective that most people have is wrong with this, which is I take this $21 billion in assets,” Yin said.
According to the exec, the real RWA market cap figure is “more like” $10 billion, mostly including Treasury bills and gold, and just a “bit of private credit.”
RWA.xyz suggests that the total market capitalization of the RWA market amounted to roughly $17.4 billion as of April 27, with private credit accounting for almost 60% of all RWAs, while Treasury's and commodities share was 27% and 8%, respectively.
Estimating the size of the global RWA market is extremely difficult, especially on the private side, where data is “fragmented and often inaccessible,” Stobox co-founder Ross Shemeliak told Cointelegraph.
According to Stobox's estimations, tokenized Treasurys and bonds must account for the majority of RWAs today, or between 60–65%.
“Crucially, 99.9% of all companies in the world are private, and nearly all of them are untapped candidates for tokenization,” Shemeliak said, adding that such companies typically struggle with access to capital and liquidity.
“Tokenization provides an entirely new mechanism for fundraising, investor engagement, and cap table transparency,” he noted.
Plume CEO Yin highlighted the nature of institutional capital, which tends to move in while markets reach a bigger scale in order to make some money.
“I think people tend to forget what's going on with institutions and the real world,” Yin said. “So the reason why tokenized assets are interesting to them is because they are looking for an angle to make more money, not to save money, not to do efficiency.”
“Nobody cares about that, especially Larry Fink, who runs a $12 trillion asset manager,” Yin said, adding that BlackRock's money market fund has been successful, but its $2.5 billion assets are tiny given the company's net assets.
Related: Deloitte predicts $4T tokenized real estate on blockchain by 2035
With the current modest size of the RWA market, the industry should currently rely more on the native community, Yin said, adding:
“Yes, RWA tokenization is small today, just like Bitcoin was in 2013,” Stobox's Shemeliak admitted.
However, tokenized assets are “fundamentally institutional from day one” as they provide regulated securities, yield-bearing instruments, and financial contracts that require legal compliance and governance.
“Tokenizing RWAs without institutional involvement is like trying to build a stock exchange without regulators, custodians or settlement layers,” he said, adding:
Magazine: Ethereum is destroying the competition in the $16.1T TradFi tokenization race
ByBilly Bambrough
ByBilly Bambrough,
Senior Contributor.
Bitcoin has surged toward $100,000 per bitcoin, soaring this week to levels not seen since before the markets' tariff tantrum (and helped by a predicted $10 trillion Wall Street surprise).
Front-run Donald Trump, the White House and Wall Street by subscribing now to Forbes' CryptoAsset & Blockchain Advisor where you can "uncover blockchain blockbusters poised for 1,000% plus gains!"
The bitcoin price has added almost 30% since crashing to April lows as fears swirl around the future of the U.S. dollar.
Now, after a leak revealed growing establishment “panic” over U.S. president Donald Trump's plans for bitcoin and crypto, analysts are warning a Federal Reserve “nightmare” is coming true as data reveals the worst U.S. quarterly economic performance in three years.
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“The Fed's worst nightmare just got worse,” analysts with the The Kobeissi Letter posted to X. “The market knows that stagflation has arrived."
Commerce department data showed U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter contracted at a 0.3% annualized rate, weighed down by a record surge in imports.
The analysts also pointed to the latest reading of the Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, that was unchanged in March after advancing 0.4% in February.
"The PCE price index is now at its highest reading since July 2024, before the ‘Fed pivot' began," Kobeissi analysts wrote.
In September, Fed chair Jerome Powell surprised markets with an interest rate cut, kicking off a monetary policy loosening cycle that's been on pause for months.
Kobeissi researchers have previously warned of the looming threat of “stagflation,” referring to a combination of economic stagnation and climbing inflation.
“We have rising inflation with a weakening economy,” they wrote following this week's data drop. “The Fed is facing the lose-lose situation they thought would never arrive.”
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The Fed will meet next week to decide whether to change interest rates, with the market currently predicting it will leave rates on hold.
However, traders are betting the Fed will begin cutting in June, something that's expected to boost the bitcoin price and risk assets.
"For bitcoin, such a scenario is a positive factor, since the easing of monetary policy traditionally leads to an influx of liquidity into risky assets," Tracy Jin, chief operating officer of bitcoin and crypto exchange MEXC, said in emailed comments.
Bitcoin's performance in recent months at first disappointed traders as the bitcoin price fell along with stocks in the face of Trump's escalating trade war.
However, the bitcoin price has surged back through April, making it one of the year's better performing assets so far.
“Since president Trump's Liberation Day announcement, bitcoin has charted its own course, surging past $90,000 and demonstrating remarkable resilience against the headwinds affecting traditional markets," David Hernandez, crypto investment specialist at 21Shares, said via email.
“This outperformance relative to the Nasdaq represents a significant departure from historical patterns. As the impacts of president Trump's tariff policies begin to materialize more fully across the economy, we anticipate bitcoin could further disassociate from equities. The asset shows strong potential to outperform other risk assets as investors seek hedges against policy-driven market volatility.”
Ethereum Set for UX Overhaul With New Interoperable Address Standards
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Developers working on Ethereum are about to finalize two complementary standards that could solve one of the network's persistent user experience problems: how to clearly point to addresses across different chains.
"Users and apps need ways to unambiguously refer to an address on a specific chain," Wonderland, a multi-protocol team contributing to Ethereum and other decentralized networks, explained.
Right now, "there's no standard way for wallets, apps, or protocols to interpret or display this information," it added in a tweet thread.
Wonderland presented their work on ERC-7828 and ERC-7930 on Wednesday's Ethereum L2 Interop Working Group call, detailing how these "interoperable addresses" will improve cross-chain interactions.
The two standards help reduce confusion about addresses between different chains. They use a simple format and an easy-to-understand naming system.
Currently, there's no standard way for wallets, apps, or protocols to interpret or display this information.
Wallets, dapps, explorers, and smart contracts all handle addresses differently. The result? A messy, inconsistent experience that breaks cross-chain UX.
— Wonderland (@DeFi_Wonderland) April 30, 2025
For everyday users, these standards promise simpler, safer cross-chain transactions.
Instead of managing complex addresses across multiple networks, users can see human-readable names, making it easier for them to interact across a sprawling ecosystem of networks and sidechains.
“The idea is for this to serve the needs of two groups of people," Wonderland's pseudonymous developer, Teddy, explained on the call.
ERC-7930 gives computers a standardized format to identify exactly which network an address belongs to.
ERC-7828, meanwhile, makes addresses human-readable: something like "readonly@decrypt.this," instead of a long string of letters and numbers, making addresses easily recognizable by chain.
This approach addresses a pain point. Users often switch between wallets and networks, making it easy to send money to the right address but on the wrong network, which can result in losses.
"On a fundamental level this is very simple. This is just 'okay people know about addresses' and we have to also strap a chain ID on top of that, so people know where that address actually lives," Teddy explained.
With finalization targeted for May 9th, the standards will soon be available for implementation in wallets, block explorers, and cross-chain messaging protocols.
The Wonderland team is calling for final community feedback through Ethereum Magicians forum threads before the standards reach final call status.
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Scientific Reports
volume 15, Article number: 15197 (2025)
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Smart waste management is vital for reducing environmental impact and improving quality of life in smart cities. This study presents an AI-driven waste classification model that integrates IoT and Blockchain technologies. IoT-connected bins transmit data to a central server, which uses blockchain to ensure secure, transparent data storage. AI algorithms, including machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), classify waste in real-time, optimizing waste collection and recycling. Blockchain ensures data integrity, while ML and DL models enhance sorting efficiency. The system aims to improve waste management and sustainability through intelligent decision-making and secure data handling. Performance will be assessed using retrieval metrics and visualization tools to evaluate the impact of hybrid ML and DL models on waste detection and classification.
As urban populations continue to grow, the need for smarter and more efficient waste management systems has become increasingly critical1. The integration of IoT and AI offers a transformative solution for creating greener, safer, and more efficient cities2,3,4. This research proposes an innovative, IoT-based smart container system, designed to optimize waste collection processes and reduce environmental and operational inefficiencies.
The smart container is equipped with an ultrasonic sensor that automatically and periodically scans the fill level inside the waste container, providing real-time updates on waste accumulation5. Once the sensor detects that the container has reached a certain fill threshold, it sends an immediate notification to the waste collector, allowing for more responsive and timely waste collection. This real-time data-driven approach minimizes unnecessary collection trips, ensuring that waste collection vehicles only operate when needed, thereby saving fuel, labor, and time.
Furthermore, AI enhances the system by optimizing collection routes in real-time, helping waste collection vehicles to follow the most efficient paths6. This improvement not only speeds up the collection process but also contributes to reducing carbon emissions, preserving the city's landscape, and mitigating health and environmental risks associated with waste accumulation.
One of the key components of the proposed system is the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for waste classification. CNNs are a powerful deep learning model specifically designed for image recognition tasks. They are chosen for their ability to efficiently learn patterns from visual data, making them particularly effective for classifying waste materials into categories such as recyclable and non-recyclable. CNNs have been widely used in similar applications due to their high accuracy and ability to generalize from labeled datasets. The choice of CNNs over other AI models, such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs) or transformers, is based on their superior performance in processing and classifying visual data, which is critical for this waste management system where image-based waste identification is essential. The CNN model also benefits from transfer learning, enabling it to be fine-tuned using pre-trained models, thus reducing the computational load while maintaining high classification accuracy.
CNNs not only improve waste classification accuracy but also contribute significantly to energy optimization in waste management systems. By predicting waste accumulation patterns, optimizing collection routes, and reducing unnecessary vehicle trips, CNN-based models help lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. AI-driven waste collection systems have been shown to reduce fuel usage by up to 30% and decrease carbon emissions by 20% compared to conventional methods. Additionally, lightweight deep learning architectures minimize computational overhead, making real-time waste classification more energy-efficient7,8,9. The integration of AI with IoT-enabled smart bins further enhances sustainability by optimizing sensor operations and reducing energy wastage in data transmission. These improvements align with smart city initiatives, promoting eco-friendly and efficient waste management solutions.
The novelty of this system lies not only in the use of AI for waste classification but also in its integration with IoT and Blockchain technologies. The system incorporates Blockchain to organize and securely store waste-related data into distinct blocks, ensuring data integrity and security. This decentralized structure guarantees that data is tamper-proof, enhancing the reliability of the system. When the waste data needs to be processed, machine learning models can efficiently retrieve the required information from the blockchain, significantly reducing the latency associated with data access and improving processing speed.
In addition to real-time monitoring and AI-based decision-making, this system leverages advanced machine learning and deep learning classifiers for automatic decision-making and optimization. By analyzing collected data and applying sophisticated algorithms, the system can predict optimal collection schedules and routes, adapt to changes, and continuously improve its functionality, resulting in a more efficient and user-friendly waste management solution.
In summary, this study introduces a novel waste management system that combines real-time monitoring, smart data processing, secure blockchain technology, and AI-based waste classification, offering significant improvements over existing systems in terms of efficiency, scalability, and security. The key contributions of this study are as follows:
Real-time monitoring of waste container fill levels through IoT-enabled ultrasonic sensors.
Optimization of waste collection routes using AI algorithms, reducing fuel consumption, labor, and environmental impact.
Integration of Blockchain technology for secure, tamper-proof data storage and efficient data retrieval.
Advanced data preprocessing and machine learning techniques for predictive analysis and decision-making.
Development of a hybrid AI system that continuously learns and adapts to improve waste management functionality over time.
Reduction of operational costs by minimizing unnecessary waste collection trips and optimizing vehicle routes.
The remaining section of the paper is organized as follows: “Related work” section provides the related works of the research area. The sysem model and proposed model are explained in “System model” and “Methodology” sections. Simulation results, discussion, conclusion and future work are given in “Simulation results”, “Discussion”, “Conclusion” and “Future work” sections respectively. In addition, The list of abbreviations used in this study is provided in Table 1.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has seen a significant rise in its application across various sectors, one of which is solid waste management10. This integration of AI into the waste management process has been instrumental in enhancing the efficiency of the systems from the initial stages of waste collection to its final disposal, as discussed in research by Kolekar et al.11 and Vitorino et al.12. The adoption of AI technologies in this field primarily addresses the growing challenges associated with the increasing volumes of waste and the inefficiencies tied to traditional manual sorting methods.
In an effort to enforce waste segregation policies more effectively, researchers have been exploring the use of AI for the classification and recycling of waste. This shift towards AI-driven methodologies is seen as an essential response to counter the mounting issues of waste accumulation and the limitations of manual classification systems. A detailed literature review by Abdallah et al.13 identifies several AI models that are commonly used for waste classification, including Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, Linear Regression, Decision Trees, and Genetic Algorithms. These models significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of waste sorting, which is a crucial step in the recycling process.
From a commercial perspective, there are primarily three types of AI solutions in the market that cater to waste classification and recycling needs. These include AI-based waste classification software, AI-enhanced waste classification containers, and AI-powered waste sorting machinery. Each product serves a vital role in optimizing the waste management process:
AI-based waste classification software enhances the precision in identifying and categorizing different types of waste materials.
AI-enhanced waste classification containers help in the initial sorting and categorization of waste right at the source, simplifying the first step of the waste management process.
AI-powered waste sorting machinery is utilized in advanced sorting facilities, where it further segregates waste into recyclable and non-recyclable materials, thereby fine-tuning the recycling operations.
These AI advancements not only bolster the effectiveness of waste management practices but also promote environmental sustainability. They contribute to higher recycling rates and reduce dependency on landfills. The ongoing development and integration of AI in waste management are anticipated to bring forth substantial improvements in the sector, enhancing waste handling and resource conservation on a global scale.
Moreover, recent advancements in the field of machine learning, especially through the application of supervised learning techniques and deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have shown promising results. A study by Zhao et al. In14 demonstrated that deploying a deep CNN could effectively handle a particularly challenging dataset with high success. The study also revealed that removing even a single convolutional layer from the network could significantly degrade the model's performance, highlighting the importance of each layer in the network's overall architecture. Further comparisons within the study assessed the performance of various machine learning models, including Decision Trees, Random Forests, Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Deep Neural Networks. Among these, the CNNs displayed superior accuracy, achieving a remarkable 90% accuracy rate, thus underscoring their potent capability in managing complex data sets more effectively than other popular algorithms.
Building on the effectiveness of CNN, a study by Sandler et al. In15 highlighted the application of a specific CNN architecture known as Xception Net. This model was tested on a Synthetic Aperture Radar Target Recognition Dataset, presenting a multi-class classification challenge. Xception Net was evaluated alongside prominent transfer learning models including VGG16, Resnet152, and Inception V3. The analysis demonstrated that Xception Net surpassed these models in critical performance metrics like Top-1 Accuracy and Top-5 Accuracy, showcasing its superior classification capabilities at various thresholds. The absence of fully connected layers in Xception Net's architecture might contribute to its effectiveness, indicating a potential advantage in complex image recognition tasks.
These results emphasize the progressive capabilities of CNNs and their evolving designs in addressing complex machine learning and image recognition problems, setting new standards for future research and applications. In a later study proposed in16, an advanced system for classifying waste using image processing and CNNs was developed, focusing particularly on identifying different types of plastics, primarily polyethylene. The study covered a wide range of materials, showing the system's extensive application potential.
Similarly, in17, Sreelakshmi and her team introduced an approach using Capsule Neural Networks (Capsule-Net) for solid waste management, effectively distinguishing between plastic and non-plastic materials. This innovation marks a significant advancement in waste management technology. The study achieved high accuracy rates on two publicly available datasets and tested the integration across various hardware platforms.
Additional research in18 by Huiyu, O. G., and Kim S. H. introduced a novel waste classification model using deep learning techniques aimed at recycling applications. In the same vein, Adedeji and Wang19 proposed a deep learning framework that autonomously recognized and classified waste materials, proving effective in identifying recyclables.
Furthermore, Nowakowski and Pamuła20 presented a waste classification method using a pre-trained CNN model, ResNet-50, combined with Support Vector Machines (SVM), achieving 87% accuracy on a public dataset. Misra et al.21 explored a system for identifying and classifying electronic waste using a CNN and a Region-based CNN, obtaining detection and classification accuracy between 90 and 97%.
These studies predominantly focus on the architectural design of waste classification systems using deep learning, without integrating IoT for waste management. Conversely, Samann22 described a significant advancement in automated waste management processes with a smart trash bin equipped with sensors and a real-time monitoring system, though this did not incorporate machine learning. Similarly, Malapur and Pattanshetti23 introduced a cost-effective smart trash bin enhanced with IoT technology, capable of notifying users via SMS when waste levels exceeded set thresholds, incorporating additional features like a PIR motion sensor and audio messages for user interaction.
The author noted that the system operated satisfactorily. In their research24 introduced an economical and efficient waste management approach for smart cities. Similarly, ALFoudery et al.25 developed a Raspberry Pi and infrared sensor-based IoT model to enhance waste collection, with the system manager overseeing the scheduling and routing to maximize efficiency. In another study, Balaji et al.26 created a smart trash bin that could detect fill levels using an infrared sensor, with data sent to an Android app via a Wi-Fi and web server setup. Hong et al.27 also presented a smart trash can utilizing IoT technology and a Raspberry Pi. Additionally, Bai et al.28 implemented an IoT-based smart garbage system to minimize food waste, using mesh technology for effective component management and integrating a router and server to gather and analyze data related to food poisoning, resulting in a 33% reduction in food waste.
Several studies have advocated for IoT-based waste management systems, though none have explored structural designs using deep learning. Muthugala et al.29 introduced a waste collection robot that navigated autonomously and used deep learning to detect waste with 95% accuracy. Spanhol et al.30 proposed a floor cleaning robot that used a fuzzy inference system to optimize area coverage and energy consumption, employing the Weighted Sum Model (WSM) for decision-making based on user-defined preferences.
While the works of29 and30 presented innovative robotic solutions, they did not focus on IoT contributions. Zhu et al.31 discussed the fundamental aspects of blockchain and IoT, reviewing interconnection, interoperability, reliability, and security in daily operations. Reyna et al.32 highlighted the challenges, future prospects, and benefits of integrating blockchain with IoT, proposing a lightweight blockchain framework for IoT devices that significantly reduces overhead and processing time while enhancing security, as shown in research by33. Samaniego et al.34 focused on blockchain as a service within IoT, exploring various case studies and simulations with reported accuracies. Novo35 detailed an architecture for managing roles and permissions in realistic IoT scenarios, proposing a scalable architecture with clear advantages.
A decentralized solution has been presented in36 for solid waste management by integrating blockchain technology with Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). It utilizes advanced ultra-high frequency (UHF) technology and Internet of Things (IoT) devices to enable real-time tracking of waste vehicles and detection of waste bins. Geo-fencing techniques are employed to monitor and ensure timely waste collection from designated spots. The application of blockchain enhances the security, reliability, and trustworthiness of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications across IoT devices. Experimental results from a pilot project in Karachi, Pakistan, demonstrate the system's effectiveness in real-time tracking, intelligent identification of waste bins, trash weighing, and monitoring waste collection using geo-fencing. The study suggests that blockchain-enabled VANETs could be applied to route management, intelligent transportation, and fleet management systems in the future.
Heidari et al.37 addresses the challenges of rapid urbanization and inadequate solid waste management by proposing a smart waste management system that leverages blockchain technology. The system aims to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts associated with traditional waste management services. By utilizing blockchain and smart contracts, the proposed system enhances transparency, accountability, and efficiency in waste management processes. The study emphasizes the potential of blockchain to revolutionize waste management by providing a secure and transparent framework for waste tracking and disposal.
The IoT architecture of the proposed waste management system is designed to support efficient data collection, processing, and transmission from sensor nodes installed in waste containers. The system integrates various sensor types, each serving a specific function to monitor and optimize waste management operations.
Ultrasonic sensors are employed to measure the fill level of the waste containers. These sensors emit sound waves, and by calculating the time it takes for the waves to reflect back, they determine the distance to the waste, providing an accurate measurement of the container's fill level. Additionally, load sensors are installed at the base of the containers to measure the weight of the accumulated waste. These sensors provide data on the total weight of the waste, enabling the system to monitor the amount of waste collected. Camera modules are also incorporated into the system, capturing images of the waste inside the containers. These images are sent to the system for analysis, where deep learning models, specifically CNNs, classify the waste into recyclable and non-recyclable categories.
The proposed system incorporates a blockchain-based architecture to ensure data integrity, security, and transparency in waste classification and management. This architecture consists of multiple layers, each serving a distinct function. The Application Layer hosts decentralized applications (DApps) and smart contracts, which automate data logging and waste classification verification. The Consensus Layer ensures secure validation of transactions using a consensus mechanism, preventing unauthorized modifications to recorded data. The Network Layer facilitates peer-to-peer communication between IoT-enabled waste bins, cloud servers, and blockchain nodes, enabling real-time data sharing. Finally, the Data Layer is responsible for securely storing waste classification records in an immutable ledger, ensuring traceability and accountability. By leveraging this layered architecture, the system enhances security and operational efficiency while supporting automated, data-driven decision-making in smart waste management (see Fig. 1). Blockchain technology ensures secure, transparent, and tamper-proof waste management. However, like any distributed system, blockchain is vulnerable to various security threats at different layers. Table 2 summarizes the common attacks on each blockchain layer along with their respective solutions to enhance the security of the proposed system.
Blockchain layer architecture.
To facilitate efficient data transmission, the system uses two primary communication protocols: MQTT and CoAP. MQTT is a lightweight, publish/subscribe protocol that is ideal for real-time communication in low-bandwidth environments. It ensures low-latency data transmission, allowing for timely decision-making. CoAP, on the other hand, is designed for resource-constrained devices and supports simple request/response communication, making it a suitable choice for transmitting data from the various sensor nodes.
Once the data is collected by the sensors, it is processed by a microcontroller and transmitted to a cloud-based platform for further analysis and storage. Both MQTT and CoAP are utilized depending on the sensor's capabilities and the data's specific requirements. The data is then analyzed using AI algorithms to generate optimized waste collection schedules, identify inefficiencies, and trigger automated actions, such as notifying waste collection personnel or adjusting collection routes. Blockchain technology is integrated into the system to ensure the integrity and security of the transmitted data, storing it in a tamper-proof ledger for transparency and accountability.
In response to the growing challenges of waste classification in smart cities, this study proposes an AI-driven waste management framework. The methodology is structured around two primary components: waste classification using a convolutional neural network (CNN) and the architectural design of smart trash bins equipped with real-time data monitoring via the Internet of Things (IoT). This dual approach enhances efficiency in waste management systems.
The first component of the methodology involves the application of CNNs, a deep learning algorithm optimized for image recognition, to classify waste materials. This enables the accurate identification and categorization of waste into recyclable and non-recyclable materials. CNNs are particularly suitable for this task as they can learn and generalize patterns associated with various waste types from labeled image datasets.
Since large-scale waste classification datasets are limited, transfer learning techniques were employed, utilizing pre-trained CNN models that are fine-tuned for this specific application. This approach not only enhances classification accuracy but also reduces computational overhead. To perform the classification, the CNN uses softmax activation for multi-class classification:
where P(yi∣x) is the probability of class iii given input x, zi is the output of the final fully connected layer before softmax, The denominator ensures that all class probabilities sum to 1.
The loss function for classification is cross-entropy:
where yi is the true label (one-hot encoded), \(\hat{y}_{i}\) is the predicted probability for class iii.
The second component of the methodology focuses on the development of smart trash bins. These bins are equipped with IoT-enabled sensors that facilitate real-time waste monitoring and data transmission. The system includes:
Camera Module: Captures images of waste items and transmits them to the microcontroller for processing.
Ultrasonic Sensor: Measures the available space in the bin by detecting waste levels.
Load Sensor: Determines the total weight of waste accumulated over time.
Microcontroller & Servo Motor: Processes CNN classification results and controls the bin's sorting mechanism. Based on classification outputs, the servo motor directs waste to the appropriate bin (digestible or indigestible).
A block diagram of the system architecture illustrates the interaction between these components, ensuring seamless integration of AI and IoT functionalities (see Fig. 2). The collected data is transmitted to a cloud-based platform and accessed via the Blynk application, enabling remote waste monitoring and management.
Block diagram of the proposed mechanism.
The bin's fill level is determined by the ultrasonic sensor using:
where d is the distance to the waste, v is the speed of sound in air (~ 343 m/s), t is the time taken for the signal to return.
The bin's fullness percentage is:
where H is the total height of the bin.
The total accumulated weight of waste is measured using:
where W is the weight of the waste, F is the force exerted on the load sensor, g is the gravitational acceleration (~ 9.81 m/s2).
This study introduces an AI-enabled waste classification management framework encompassing waste collection, sorting, and disposal. AI algorithms continuously analyze waste data, improving classification accuracy and optimizing resource allocation. The framework includes:
Automated Waste Sorting: AI models refine the waste classification process, minimizing manual intervention.
Integration with Smart City Infrastructure: The system enables real-time tracking of waste levels and disposal patterns.
Sustainable Waste Processing: AI enhances recycling strategies by improving material recovery rates and minimizing landfill contributions.
Sorting accuracy improvement using AI can be represented as:
where TP and TN are true positives and true negatives, FP and FN are false positives and false negatives.
AI optimizes waste collection using predictive analytics. A simplified optimization function:
where di is the distance to waste bin i, Wi is the weight of waste at iii.
The goal is to minimize the total distance traveled while maximizing collected waste.
The AI-driven system classifies waste into four categories:
Food waste: Requires specialized processing due to decomposition properties.
Hazardous waste: Demands careful handling to prevent contamination.
Residual waste: Often directed to incineration or landfills, but AI-based reclassification reduces waste disposal inefficiencies.
Recyclable waste: Advanced sorting technologies facilitate material recovery, supporting circular economy initiatives.
The efficiency of AI-enhanced recycling is:
where Mr is the mass of successfully recycled materials, Mt is the total recyclable waste input.
Once classified, waste is directed to appropriate treatment facilities, including recycling plants, hazardous waste centers, and municipal sanitation systems. The AI-driven system replaces traditional manual sorting, reducing human error and improving waste management efficiency.
By leveraging AI and IoT, this methodology paves the way for a more sustainable and cost-effective waste management system, aligning with smart city initiatives and environmental sustainability goals. Table 3 summarizes the algorithm of the proposed mechanism.
The simulation section of the study was carried out to assess the performance of the proposed AI-driven waste classification model and its integration with Blockchain technology and optimized waste collection strategies. The system used for simulation was designed to evaluate various aspects of the model, including classification accuracy, processing time, data integrity, waste collection efficiency, and environmental impact. The simulation environment included high-performance computing hardware to run deep learning models, enabling the efficient processing of images for waste classification through Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) with transfer learning. This setup was key to achieving a low latency of 1.2 s per image, ensuring that the waste sorting process was efficient and real-time.
In addition to the waste classification component, the system incorporated Blockchain technology to ensure secure and tamper-proof data management. The Blockchain framework was employed to store and track waste management data on a decentralized ledger, providing data integrity and real-time traceability. The system also included optimized waste collection mechanisms, such as route planning and resource allocation algorithms, aimed at improving collection efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. The results from this simulation were used to compare the performance of the proposed method with the Blockchain-Enabled VANET scheme36 and smart waste management system37 approaches, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of the new system.
According to Fig. 3, the proposed AI-driven waste classification model, utilizing a CNN with transfer learning, significantly improves accuracy compared to previous methods. The 202136 and 202237 models relied on traditional machine learning approaches, such as SVM and decision trees, which lacked deep feature extraction capabilities. By leveraging pre-trained deep learning models and fine-tuning them for waste classification, our approach achieves an accuracy of 95%, outperforming the 88% (2021) and 90% (2022) methods. The higher accuracy ensures that recyclable materials are correctly classified, leading to improved waste sorting efficiency and reduced contamination in recycling streams.
Waste classification accuracy.
Figure 4 depicts the processing time over three different mechanisms. One of the major advantages of our system is its lower latency (1.2 s per image) compared to 2.5 s (2021) and 1.8 s (2022). The 2021 model used traditional feature extraction techniques, which required additional processing time. The 2022 method incorporated deep learning but lacked optimization for real-time execution. Our methodology optimizes CNN inference using lightweight architectures and edge computing, reducing computational overhead and making real-time classification feasible. This low latency is essential for practical deployment in smart bins, allowing waste to be sorted instantaneously without significant delays.
Processing time.
As shown in Fig. 5, the integration of Blockchain technology in our system ensures secure and tamper-proof data management. The proposed framework achieves a data integrity score of 98%, surpassing 85% (2021) and 90% (2022). Previous methods stored data on centralized cloud servers, making them vulnerable to data breaches and manipulation. Our decentralized ledger system provides real-time traceability, ensuring that waste collection and classification data remain authentic and immutable. This feature is particularly beneficial in waste management contracts and audits.
Blockchain security.
Figure 6 illustrates a comparative analysis of waste collection efficiency among three different methods: the Proposed Method, the 2021 Method, and the 2022 Method. The y-axis represents efficiency in percentage (%), while the x-axis labels the methods being compared. The results indicate that the Proposed Method achieves the highest efficiency at 92%, outperforming the 2021 Method (80%) and the 2022 Method (85%). The improved efficiency of the proposed approach suggests enhanced optimization in waste collection strategies, potentially due to better route planning, resource allocation, or technological advancements.
Watse collection effeciency.
Figure 7 presents a comparative analysis of CO2 reduction achieved by the Proposed Method, the 2021 Method, and the 2022 Method. The y-axis represents the percentage reduction in CO2 emissions, while the x-axis labels the evaluated methods. The results show that the Proposed Method achieves the highest reduction at 30%, surpassing the 2021 Method (15%) and the 2022 Method (20%). The superior performance of the proposed approach highlights its effectiveness in minimizing environmental impact, likely due to improved operational efficiency, optimized routing, and reduced fuel consumption.
Environment impact.
Figure 8 showcases the precision performance of the proposed AI-driven waste classification system, achieving a high precision of 93%, surpassing the 2021 (85%) and 2022 (89%) methods. Precision, which measures the proportion of correctly identified recyclable items among all predicted recyclables, is crucial for minimizing contamination in recycling streams. The improvement in precision can be attributed to the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with transfer learning, allowing the system to capture complex waste patterns and reduce false positives. This enhancement ensures that only actual recyclable materials are classified, improving the efficiency and quality of waste sorting and contributing to more sustainable waste management.
Precision.
Figure 9 illustrates the recall metric of the proposed AI-driven waste classification system in comparison to the 2021 and 2022 methods. Recall is a crucial performance metric that measures the ability of the model to correctly identify all relevant instances, specifically the proportion of actual positive instances (True Positives) that are correctly detected by the model (True Positives + False Negatives). In the context of waste management, a higher recall ensures that most recyclable materials are accurately identified and categorized, minimizing the risk of recyclable items being discarded as waste. The proposed method achieves a recall of 91%, surpassing the 2021 method (78%) and the 2022 method (83%). This improvement is primarily due to the fine-tuning of pre-trained deep learning models through transfer learning, which allows the system to better recognize and classify a wider range of waste materials, reducing the number of false negatives. This enhancement in recall plays a vital role in ensuring that recycling systems are more efficient and reliable, ultimately contributing to the reduction of contamination in recycling streams and supporting the goals of sustainable waste management in smart cities.
Recall.
Figure 10 presents the F1-score performance of the proposed AI-driven waste classification system, achieving a significant improvement over the 2021 (0.89) and 2022 (0.92) methods with an F1-score of 0.94. The F1-score is the harmonic mean of precision and recall, providing a balanced measure of a model's ability to correctly classify recyclable waste while minimizing both false positives and false negatives. The improvement in the F1-score can be attributed to the optimized CNN model, which leverages transfer learning to enhance both precision and recall. A higher F1-score indicates that the proposed system not only accurately classifies recyclable materials but also reduces misclassification, leading to more reliable waste sorting and better overall waste management efficiency.
F1-score.
Figure 11 presents the latency comparison among three systems: the proposed method, the 2021 Method, and the 2022 Method. Latency, defined as the time delay between data input and system response, is a critical factor in real-time waste management. The proposed method achieves the lowest latency at 1.2 s per image, compared to 2.5 s for the 2021 model and 1.8 s for the 2022 model. This improvement is primarily due to the use of lightweight deep learning architectures and the integration of edge computing, which allows for faster data processing closer to the data source. Despite the high classification accuracy of 95%, the proposed method successfully balances accuracy and speed, maintaining real-time processing capabilities essential for smart city waste management operations. However, it is important to note that as model complexity increases (e.g., deeper CNNs or hybrid DL models), processing speed may be impacted if not optimized, highlighting the need for efficient model design and hardware acceleration.
Latency.
Figure 12 illustrates the computational complexity analysis of the proposed AI-driven waste management system compared to the 2021 and 2022 methods. The proposed system demonstrates higher computational complexity, primarily due to the integration of deep learning models, real-time processing requirements, and the addition of blockchain technology. The use of advanced convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with transfer learning increases the depth and number of parameters in the model, enhancing classification accuracy to 95% but also requiring greater computational resources. Additionally, the system performs real-time waste classification and monitoring, which demands high-performance processing to maintain a low latency of 1.2 s per image. The incorporation of blockchain, utilizing a Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, introduces further processing overhead to ensure secure, decentralized data management. Despite these complexities, the system balances trade-offs between accuracy, processing speed, and efficiency through optimized CNN architectures, edge computing, and lightweight blockchain protocols. As a result, while the computational complexity is higher in the proposed framework, it is justified by significant improvements in accuracy, data integrity, and operational efficiency, making the system well-suited for real-time smart waste management applications. Table 4 presents a detailed comparison of classification accuracy, processing time, blockchain security, waste collection efficiency, CO2 reduction, and other critical performance metrics.
Computaional complexity.
IoT technologies in smart cities is revolutionizing urban management, with waste management being one of the key areas benefiting from this transformation. IoT-based waste management systems typically follow a layered architecture to ensure seamless operation and efficiency2. The perception layer involves sensors and smart trash bins that collect real-time data on waste levels, types, and fill status. The network layer is responsible for transmitting this data through various communication protocols such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or LoRaWAN, ensuring efficient and reliable data transfer to cloud platforms or local processing units. The edge computing layer processes this data closer to the source, reducing latency and optimizing decision-making for real-time waste sorting. Finally, the application layer analyzes thedata to provide actionable insights, including waste classification and optimization of collection schedules. The proposed AI-driven waste management framework enhances this IoT infrastructure by incorporating CNN for waste classification and IoT-enabled smart bins for seamless integration of real-time monitoring and sorting, addressing key challenges in waste management and contributing to the overall sustainability of smart cities.
MNASNet is another effecient CNN model optimized for mobile and embedded devices, leveraging neural architecture search (NAS) to balance accuracy and computational efficiency. Unlike traditional CNNs, which may require significant computational resources, MNASNet reduces power consumption and latency, making it ideal for real-time mobile applications. However, for this study, we selected a traditional CNN because of its proven robustness, versatility, and ability to handle large datasets with high accuracy. CNNs have a long track record in various domains, providing reliable and consistent results, which is crucial for achieving optimal performance in our specific application. The use of CNNs for waste classification shows a substantial leap in accuracy over traditional machine learning methods. By employing transfer learning and fine-tuning pre-trained CNN models, we achieved a classification accuracy of 95%, outperforming the 88% accuracy of the 2021 method and the 90% of the 2022 model. This improvement can be attributed to the deep feature extraction capabilities of CNNs, which allow for more nuanced and accurate categorization of waste types, especially when dealing with complex materials. This level of precision ensures that recyclable materials are properly identified, reducing contamination and enhancing the overall recycling process. As a result, the AI-driven waste classification not only increases the effectiveness of waste sorting but also supports sustainable recycling efforts by diverting more materials from landfills.
In terms of processing time, the proposed system outperforms its predecessors by reducing the latency to just 1.2 s per image, a notable improvement over the 2.5 s of the 2021 model and 1.8 s of the 2022 method. This reduction is essential for practical implementation in real-time waste sorting, where delays in waste categorization could hinder the effectiveness of smart bins. The optimization of CNN inference through lightweight architectures and edge computing makes real-time processing feasible, ensuring that waste sorting can occur without significant delays and enhancing the system's responsiveness in dynamic environments.
The integration of blockchain technology further strengthens the proposed system by ensuring secure, tamper-proof data management. With a data integrity score of 98%, the proposed method offers a significant improvement over the 85% data integrity of the 2021 method and the 90% of the 2022 model. Blockchain's decentralized ledger system.
enhances the security and authenticity of waste management data, offering traceability and reducing the risk of data manipulation or breaches. This is particularly important in waste management contracts and audits, where accurate and reliable data is crucial for monitoring compliance and optimizing operational efficiency. The improvements in cryptographic mechanisms and consensus algorithms in our framework contribute to the higher data integrity score, ensuring more robust and trustworthy waste management operations.
In terms of efficiency, the proposed system achieves a waste collection efficiency of 92%, surpassing the 80% of the 2021 method and the 85% of the 2022 model. This improvement can be attributed to better route optimization, smarter resource allocation, and more accurate waste level monitoring, facilitated by the integration of IoT sensors. The system's ability to predict optimal collection schedules based on real-time data and AI algorithms allows for more efficient waste collection, reducing unnecessary trips and optimizing fleet management. The higher efficiency also suggests that the AI system is able to better prioritize waste collection in areas where bins are nearing full capacity, minimizing the risk of overflows and improving overall service quality.
Finally, the proposed methodology demonstrates a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, with a 30% reduction compared to 15% and 20% reductions in the 2021 and 2022 methods, respectively. This is a direct result of improved operational efficiency, including optimized routing and reduced fuel consumption. By reducing the number of unnecessary waste collection trips, the proposed system minimizes the carbon footprint associated with waste management operations, contributing to the environmental sustainability goals of smart cities.
Overall, the proposed AI-driven waste management framework represents a significant advancement in waste management systems, offering improvements in classification accuracy, sorting efficiency, data integrity, and environmental sustainability. By integrating cutting-edge AI and IoT technologies, this framework addresses the growing challenges of waste management in smart cities, paving the way for more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective waste management solutions. Future work could explore further optimizations, such as incorporating additional machine learning models for waste prediction or expanding the use of renewable energy sources to power the smart bins, further aligning with sustainability goals.
This study introduces an innovative AI-driven waste management framework that integrates CNNs for waste classification with IoT-enabled smart trash bins for real-time monitoring. By employing transfer learning and leveraging deep learning models, the framework achieves a high classification accuracy of 95%, surpassing traditional machine learning methods. The incorporation of IoT sensors, such as ultrasonic and load sensors, ensures effective monitoring of bin fill levels and waste weight, further optimizing waste collection and sorting efficiency. The proposed system demonstrates significant advantages over previous methods, including improved accuracy, lower latency, and enhanced data security through the integration of blockchain technology. Additionally, the AI-based framework enhances resource allocation, supports sustainable waste processing, and contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions, with a notable reduction of 30% in emissions compared to previous approaches. Furthermore, the AI-driven waste management system aligns with the principles of smart cities by facilitating real-time waste tracking, automated sorting, and efficient recycling, all while reducing human error. The overall performance improvements, including the increase in waste collection efficiency and data integrity, highlight the potential for widespread deployment of this system in urban environments, promoting sustainability and contributing to environmental goals. In conclusion, the proposed methodology sets a new standard for smart waste management systems, combining AI, IoT, and blockchain to optimize waste classification, collection, and recycling processes. This approach not only enhances operational efficiency but also contributes to building smarter, more sustainable cities.
Future work can explore further integration with city-wide infrastructure and the use of additional AI techniques to refine waste sorting and improve the scalability of the system. Future work will focus on expanding the system's capabilities by integrating additional AI techniques for further optimization of waste sorting and improving the scalability of the framework. Future research can explore the potential of deploying the system on a larger scale across various urban settings and incorporating additional sensors for more comprehensive waste data collection. Additionally, further advancements in blockchain technology may enhance the system's resilience and enable better integration with smart city infrastructure. The use of edge computing for more efficient data processing and the development of predictive analytics models for waste generation and collection scheduling could also be explored to further optimize system performance.
Moreover, it is important to note that the integration of IoT and blockchain in the waste classification system inherently enhances data integrity and security through blockchain's decentralized and tamper-resistant architecture. However, large-scale IoT deployments can still be susceptible to potential risks such as data breaches and cyber-attacks, which should be considered in future enhancements of the system. Ethical concerns, such as AI bias in waste classification, are addressed by using diverse and representative training datasets to ensure fairness and accuracy in classification decisions. Ongoing evaluation and updates are essential to maintaining the system's reliability and ethical integrity in real-world applications.
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article.
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This Project was funded by KAU Endowment (WAQF) at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, under grant no. (WAQF: 256-865-2024). The authors, therefore, acknowledge with thanks WAQF and the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) for technical and financial support.
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Dankrad Feist, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation (EF), believes that Ethereum will become irrelevant in five or ten years from now if its current trajectory does not change.
Earlier this month, Feist introduced Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7938, which aims to increase the gas limit by 100x over the course of four years. This would make it possible to conduct a much bigger number of transactions per block.
Feist has admitted that the proposal is "unconvetional," but he argues that such unorthodox decisions are needed since the layer-1 chain is at risk of fading into irrelevance.
The researcher is part of the camp that wants Ethereum to become the center of economic activity within the ecosystem. Ultimately, the endgame is to scale Ethereum up to 1,000x, according to Feist.
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If liquidity gets fragmented across layer-2s, Ethereum will likely end up losing to other competing ecosystems, the researcher warns.
Feist is convinced that Ethereum will be able to scale without compromising its crucial properties (censorship resistance and verifiability).
As reported by U.Today, Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson recently predicted that Ethereum would not be able to survive 10 years from now, with "parasitic" layer-2 solutions being cited as one of the key reasons behind its possible demise. Hoskinson predicted that Ethereum would face the fate of Blackberry, the leading smartphone manufacturer that lost its crown to Apple in the late 2000s and went extinct.
Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise, says that Ethereum has "realized that it is in a hole and has stopped digging" in response to Feist's proposal. However, it remains to be seen whether it will manage to climb out of this hole, according to Hougan.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are not investment advice; they are provided for informational purposes only. The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. Every investment and all trading involves risk, so you should always perform your own research prior to making decisions. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. We do not recommend investing money you cannot afford to lose.
John Isige
FXStreet
The wider cryptocurrency market may have slowed the relief rally that began after United States (US) President Donald Trump paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days on April 9, but select altcoins such as Fartcoin, Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), Curve DAO (CRV) do not show any signs of a waning bullish momentum. Over the last few weeks, Fartcoin has flipped the bullish trend, riding the wave of Solana-based meme coins' comeback to reach a four-month high of $1.25.
The resurgence of bullish sentiment in the market reflects improving optimism as the US and China ease trade tensions, with expectations of a short-term tariff agreement paving the way for a broader deal.
Fartcoin's price hovers at $1.22 at the time of writing on Thursday, amid an extended rally from its April low of $0.35. The meme coin's ascent above the 12-hour 50, 100, and 200 Exponential Moving Averages (EMA) flipped the narrative bullish, igniting trader interest and confidence in the recovery.
Fartcoin's price remains above the key moving averages, indicating a potential long-term bullish trend, which has been recently reinforced by breaking through the critical $1.00 and $1.20 levels.
The SuperTrend indicator presented a buy signal on April 10, which continues to influence Fartcoin's bullish structure. This buy signal occurs when the indicator flips below the token's price, and the color on the chart changes from red to green.
FARTCOIN/USDT 12-hour chart
Traders should watch for confirmed support above the former resistance, now acting as support at $1.20, to gauge the strength of the uptrend. On the upside, supply zones at $1.50 and $1.80 are key to monitor as Fartcoin aims for its $2.00 target. However, profit-taking at these levels might hinder the uptrend or trigger a reversal.
Virtuals Protocol's price is up a staggering 292% from its April low of $1.00, currently exchanging hands at $1.63 at the time of writing. The bullish momentum behind the token remains unrelenting, following several milestones, including the market capitalization surpassing the $1 billion mark.
VIRTUAL's rally can be attributed to several factors including a strong technical structure characterized by the SuperTrend indicator's buy signal and the price action above the 50-, 100- and 200-day EMAs.
VIRTUAL/USDT daily chart
Traders would anticipate higher support at $1.50 to hold in the event of a reversal. At the same time, VIRTUAL's bullish momentum could accelerate towards the $2.00 level, which was tested in December and January as both support and resistance.
The potential upcoming crossing of the 100-day EMA above the 200-day EMA would encourage traders to seek more exposure to VIRTUAL, thereby igniting a strong tailwind.
Beyond the short-term support at $1.50, it would be prudent to prepare for varying eventualities, including losses that could test the confluence demand zone around $1.00, established by the 100- and 200-day EMAs.
Curve DAO's uptrend steadies at $0.72, supported by a golden cross pattern in the daily time frame. CRV cemented the bullish outlook in April after breaking out of a cup and handle pattern, as shown in the chart below. This elevated the token above the 50-, 100-, and 200-day EMAs, driving interest among traders.
On April 25, the 50-day EMA crossed above the 200-day EMA, forming a golden cross that confirmed bullish dominance and signaled a strong upward trajectory as the path of least resistance.
CRV/USD daily chart
Curve DAO may encounter resistance at $0.75, where traders could decide to take profit, thus weakening the uptrend. Beyond this level, investors would monitor CRV's reaction to the supply zones at $0.80 and $1.00, which have previously been tested as support and resistance levels.
Token launches influence demand and adoption among market participants. Listings on crypto exchanges deepen the liquidity for an asset and add new participants to an asset's network. This is typically bullish for a digital asset.
A hack is an event in which an attacker captures a large volume of the asset from a DeFi bridge or hot wallet of an exchange or any other crypto platform via exploits, bugs or other methods. The exploiter then transfers these tokens out of the exchange platforms to ultimately sell or swap the assets for other cryptocurrencies or stablecoins. Such events often involve an en masse panic triggering a sell-off in the affected assets.
Macroeconomic events like the US Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates influence crypto assets mainly through the direct impact they have on the US Dollar. An increase in interest rate typically negatively influences Bitcoin and altcoin prices, and vice versa. If the US Dollar index declines, risk assets and associated leverage for trading gets cheaper, in turn driving crypto prices higher.
Halvings are typically considered bullish events as they slash the block reward in half for miners, constricting the supply of the asset. At consistent demand if the supply reduces, the asset's price climbs.
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Solana (SOL) price is stabilizing at around $149 at the time of writing on Thursday, after finding support around its 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) the previous day. On-chain data support a bullish thesis as SOL's stablecoin market capitalization has surged to $13 billion.
The wider cryptocurrency market may have slowed the relief rally that began after United States President Donald Trump paused reciprocal tariffs for 90 days on April 9, but select altcoins such as Fartcoin, Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), Curve DAO (CRV) do not show any signs of a waning bullish momentum.
Crypto exchange Coinbase filed an amicus brief on Wednesday urging the Supreme Court to cut back on the third-party doctrine, a rule often used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to demand customer information from exchanges.
Bitcoin ETFs are expected to witness a surge in demand from Wall Street in 2025, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan said in a note to investors on Wednesday.
Bitcoin price is consolidating around $94,000 at the time of writing on Friday, holding onto the recent 10% increase seen earlier this week. This week's rally was supported by strong institutional demand, as US spot ETFs recorded a total inflow of $2.68 billion until Thursday.
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In our 2025 Crypto Crime Report, we estimated that illicit cryptocurrency addresses received $40.9 billion in 2024. At first glance, this appears to mark a decline from the previous year's $46.1 billion. However, our 2024 figures reflect-lower bound estimates based on identified illicit addresses — when accounting for likely undiscovered activity, the true number is closer to $51.3 billion. In other words, crypto crime intensified.
As blockchain adoption accelerates and decentralized infrastructure expands, so does the attack surface. With every new protocol, smart contract, and wallet user added to the ecosystem, the need for robust blockchain security grows more urgent. Innovation has opened the doors to remarkable possibilities, but also to a new era of sophisticated threats.
From smart contract exploits and cross-chain bridge hacks, to phishing campaigns that drain users wallets, the risks facing blockchain technology are evolving in real time. However, with the right tools, many attacks can be stopped before they strike. In this blog, we'll explore the most pressing blockchain security challenges and the steps participants can take now to build more resilient infrastructure.
Keep reading to learn more about the following topics:
Blockchain security refers to the combination of cybersecurity principles, tools, and best practices aimed at mitigating risk, avoiding malicious attacks, and preventing unauthorized access while operating on blockchain networks.
While all blockchains run on distributed ledger technology (DLT), not all blockchains are functionally the same or equally secure. Both public and private blockchains have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages, and their security models are fundamentally different due to the open versus closed nature of their networks.
Public blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum are open, permissionless networks where anyone can join and participate in validating transactions. The codebase of public blockchains is open source — publicly available and continually vetted by developers who review the code for bugs, vulnerabilities, and other issues. By leveraging the expertise of open-source communities, the security, features, and efficiency of these blockchains are continuously examined and improved. At the same time, hackers and malicious entities also examine code to search for vulnerabilities to exploit.
In contrast, private blockchains are exclusive, permissioned networks with limited access, making them more centralized. Securing a private blockchain is the sole responsibility of the operating entity. The centralized nature of these blockchains means that there is a single point of failure, making it crucial for the institution to implement strong security measures.
Although private blockchains may not benefit as much from the decentralized and security-by-numbers approach of public blockchains, they are generally faster and more efficient due to less computational work required for consensus algorithms. However, because the entity granting permission also has authority over the network, there is a theoretical risk of the network being shut down or manipulated.
Blockchain technology runs on a distributed digital ledger system. A blockchain network is made up of a worldwide network of computers, known as nodes, validating and recording transactions. Every participant maintains a copy of the ledger, so there is no centralized authority or point of failure. Each time a transaction occurs — such as sending or receiving cryptocurrency — it is recorded on a block.
Before a block (made up of a group of transactions that occurred during a given time frame) is added to the chain, it must first be verified by consensus. That's where consensus mechanisms, such as Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake, come into play. In a Proof-of-Work system, miners compete to solve computationally intensive algorithms to validate transactions. In a Proof-of-Stake system, network participants lock up a certain quantity of tokens to run a node to validate transactions. Miners and stakers are incentivized with rewards to secure the network. This process ensures everyone agrees (or reaches consensus) on the validity of each transaction. Once a block is full, it is sealed and linked to the previous block using a cryptographic code, forming a chain. By linking each block using cryptography and distributing the ledger across numerous computers, any attempt to tamper with a block would disrupt the entire chain.
Unlike traditional finance — which operates on permissions to pull funds — a crypto transaction is a push transaction, initiated peer-to-peer without the need for an intermediary. Participants in blockchain networks control their digital assets on the blockchain with a private key — a cryptographically secured method of authentication and access.
Crypto requires you to be deliberate. Because no intermediary is required, personal responsibility becomes much more important when transferring value on-chain. Once transactions are confirmed on the blockchain, they are irreversible. This makes it notoriously difficult to recover funds that are lost or stolen.
The notion that blockchain technology is inherently immune to security threats is somewhat misleading, but several of its unique structural features bolster its intrinsic security:
While these defining characteristics are the reason blockchain technology is considered so revolutionary, there are still vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Paradoxically, some of the traits of blockchain (e.g. immutability) can introduce unique complexities if the system itself is compromised. Next, we'll look at challenges in securing blockchains and some of the most common threats currently shaping the landscape.
A major challenge in securing blockchain systems is that the pace of innovation continues to outstrip the development of security tools. New protocols, features, and use cases emerge faster than they can be thoroughly vetted, leaving gaps that attackers are quick to exploit.
The permissionless nature of blockchain adds another layer of complexity. Anyone can deploy a contract, launch a token, or interact with protocols, creating low barriers for malicious actors to operate at scale. Scams can proliferate with little friction, often faster than detection systems can respond.
Cross-chain activity only compounds the problem. As users move assets across multiple blockchains, visibility into transactions can become fragmented. Monitoring and securing these flows requires coordination across protocols — something the current infrastructure isn't fully equipped to handle.
Finally, one of the most persistent challenges is real-time detection. On-chain behavior can look similar, whether it's part of a legitimate arbitrage strategy or a coordinated exploit. This ambiguity makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between malicious and benign actions before damage is done.
The following threats target applications operating on-chain — such as DeFi protocols, bridges, and phishing tokens — rather than the underlying blockchain infrastructure itself.
Smart contracts are self-executing code that power everything from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to non-fungible tokens (NFTs). But once deployed, a single bug can expose millions in locked assets. Attackers often exploit logical flaws, reentrancy vulnerabilities, or unchecked access controls to drain funds or manipulate protocol behavior. Without code audits, even well-intentioned projects can become exposed.
Between January and November 2024, approximately 8.5% of funds stolen were due to smart contract vulnerabilities and code exploits.
Oracles feed real-world data into smart contracts. If attackers influence or corrupt these inputs, they can trigger faulty contract logic. For instance, manipulating the reported price of an asset could allow an attacker to buy it at a discount or trigger a liquidation cascade. In DeFi, where value is algorithmically tied to oracle data, the consequences can be immediate and catastrophic.
Cross-chain bridges allow assets to move between blockchains, but they've also become prime targets for attackers. Many bridge architectures rely on complex smart contracts and custodial mechanisms, creating large honeypots of funds. A single vulnerability can be exploited to mint or release wrapped tokens without backing, leading to massive losses.
Not all threats in blockchain are technical. Some of the most damaging attacks are social in nature. Rug pulls occur when developers abruptly withdraw liquidity or abandon a project after attracting user investment, leaving holders with worthless tokens. These schemes often masquerade as legitimate startups, leveraging hype, influencer marketing, and anonymous teams to build trust before vanishing with user funds.
We identified that 3.59% of all launched tokens in 2024 displayed patterns that may have been linked to rug pull schemes. Moreover, approximately 94% of DEX pools involved in suspected pump-and-dump schemes appear to be rugged by the address that created the DEX pool. The other 6% appear to be rugged by the addresses that were funded by the pool or token deployer.
Phishing remains one of the most effective attack vectors in crypto. As we recently revealed in our 2025 Crypto Crime Report, nearly $10 billion worth of crypto was lost in 2024 due to fraud and scams, although we estimate this number is likely closer to $12.4 billion, which would be a slight increase from amounts stolen in 2023.
Whether through fake wallet apps, malicious airdrops, or impersonated support accounts, attackers trick users into revealing private keys or signing malicious transactions. These scams are growing more targeted and convincing, often exploiting community trust and platform UX loopholes.
Preventing cyberattacks before they happen starts with visibility. On-chain data provides an invaluable window into blockchain activity, helping security teams identify red flags early — whether that's unusual transaction patterns, interactions with known malicious contracts, or sudden liquidity movements. Real-time monitoring and transaction analysis are essential for catching threats in motion.
Key components of blockchain analytics include:
Chainalysis plays a critical role in blockchain analytics by connecting activity across chains and platforms, enabling faster detection, deeper investigations, and more coordinated responses. As threats grow more complex, this kind of integrated, data-driven approach is key to building safer blockchain infrastructure.
Chainalysis Hexagate brings proactive defense to the forefront of blockchain security. Designed for real-time monitoring and threat detection, Chainalysis Hexagate empowers protocols, bridges, decentralized applications (dApps), and exchanges to identify and block malicious transactions before damage occurs. By analyzing transaction intent and on-chain behavior as it happens, it allows security teams to act before potential exploits.
Here are some benefits of Chainalysis Hexagate:
Chainalysis Hexagate is built for a range of security-focused teams operating across the blockchain ecosystem:
The cost of a major blockchain attack goes far beyond lost funds — it can shatter user trust, damage reputations, and set back entire ecosystems. For institutional and enterprise adoption to accelerate, trust must be earned and maintained through strong, visible security practices.
The industry is shifting from reactive cleanup to proactive prevention, recognizing that real-time intelligence and early detection are essential to staying ahead of threats. But this requires continuous investment in data security infrastructure, tooling, and collaboration across the ecosystem.
At Chainalysis, we're committed to enabling safe, scalable blockchain adoption. By equipping teams with the data and tools they need to prevent attacks before they happen, we're helping build a future where innovation and security grow together.
Book a demo of Chainalysis Hexagate's fraud prevention and security solution here.
This website contains links to third-party sites that are not under the control of Chainalysis, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively “Chainalysis”). Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein.
This material is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Recipients should consult their own advisors before making these types of decisions. Chainalysis has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with Recipient's use of this material.
Chainalysis does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in this report and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material.
In our 2025 Crypto Crime Report, we estimated that illicit cryptocurrency addresses received $40.9 billion in 2024. At first glance, this appears to mark a decline from the previous year's $46.1 billion. However, our 2024 figures reflect-lower bound estimates based on identified illicit addresses — when accounting for likely undiscovered activity, the true number is closer to $51.3 billion. In other words, crypto crime intensified.
As blockchain adoption accelerates and decentralized infrastructure expands, so does the attack surface. With every new protocol, smart contract, and wallet user added to the ecosystem, the need for robust blockchain security grows more urgent. Innovation has opened the doors to remarkable possibilities, but also to a new era of sophisticated threats.
From smart contract exploits and cross-chain bridge hacks, to phishing campaigns that drain users wallets, the risks facing blockchain technology are evolving in real time. However, with the right tools, many attacks can be stopped before they strike. In this blog, we'll explore the most pressing blockchain security challenges and the steps participants can take now to build more resilient infrastructure.
Keep reading to learn more about the following topics:
Blockchain security refers to the combination of cybersecurity principles, tools, and best practices aimed at mitigating risk, avoiding malicious attacks, and preventing unauthorized access while operating on blockchain networks.
While all blockchains run on distributed ledger technology (DLT), not all blockchains are functionally the same or equally secure. Both public and private blockchains have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages, and their security models are fundamentally different due to the open versus closed nature of their networks.
Public blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum are open, permissionless networks where anyone can join and participate in validating transactions. The codebase of public blockchains is open source — publicly available and continually vetted by developers who review the code for bugs, vulnerabilities, and other issues. By leveraging the expertise of open-source communities, the security, features, and efficiency of these blockchains are continuously examined and improved. At the same time, hackers and malicious entities also examine code to search for vulnerabilities to exploit.
In contrast, private blockchains are exclusive, permissioned networks with limited access, making them more centralized. Securing a private blockchain is the sole responsibility of the operating entity. The centralized nature of these blockchains means that there is a single point of failure, making it crucial for the institution to implement strong security measures.
Although private blockchains may not benefit as much from the decentralized and security-by-numbers approach of public blockchains, they are generally faster and more efficient due to less computational work required for consensus algorithms. However, because the entity granting permission also has authority over the network, there is a theoretical risk of the network being shut down or manipulated.
Blockchain technology runs on a distributed digital ledger system. A blockchain network is made up of a worldwide network of computers, known as nodes, validating and recording transactions. Every participant maintains a copy of the ledger, so there is no centralized authority or point of failure. Each time a transaction occurs — such as sending or receiving cryptocurrency — it is recorded on a block.
Before a block (made up of a group of transactions that occurred during a given time frame) is added to the chain, it must first be verified by consensus. That's where consensus mechanisms, such as Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake, come into play. In a Proof-of-Work system, miners compete to solve computationally intensive algorithms to validate transactions. In a Proof-of-Stake system, network participants lock up a certain quantity of tokens to run a node to validate transactions. Miners and stakers are incentivized with rewards to secure the network. This process ensures everyone agrees (or reaches consensus) on the validity of each transaction. Once a block is full, it is sealed and linked to the previous block using a cryptographic code, forming a chain. By linking each block using cryptography and distributing the ledger across numerous computers, any attempt to tamper with a block would disrupt the entire chain.
Unlike traditional finance — which operates on permissions to pull funds — a crypto transaction is a push transaction, initiated peer-to-peer without the need for an intermediary. Participants in blockchain networks control their digital assets on the blockchain with a private key — a cryptographically secured method of authentication and access.
Crypto requires you to be deliberate. Because no intermediary is required, personal responsibility becomes much more important when transferring value on-chain. Once transactions are confirmed on the blockchain, they are irreversible. This makes it notoriously difficult to recover funds that are lost or stolen.
The notion that blockchain technology is inherently immune to security threats is somewhat misleading, but several of its unique structural features bolster its intrinsic security:
While these defining characteristics are the reason blockchain technology is considered so revolutionary, there are still vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Paradoxically, some of the traits of blockchain (e.g. immutability) can introduce unique complexities if the system itself is compromised. Next, we'll look at challenges in securing blockchains and some of the most common threats currently shaping the landscape.
A major challenge in securing blockchain systems is that the pace of innovation continues to outstrip the development of security tools. New protocols, features, and use cases emerge faster than they can be thoroughly vetted, leaving gaps that attackers are quick to exploit.
The permissionless nature of blockchain adds another layer of complexity. Anyone can deploy a contract, launch a token, or interact with protocols, creating low barriers for malicious actors to operate at scale. Scams can proliferate with little friction, often faster than detection systems can respond.
Cross-chain activity only compounds the problem. As users move assets across multiple blockchains, visibility into transactions can become fragmented. Monitoring and securing these flows requires coordination across protocols — something the current infrastructure isn't fully equipped to handle.
Finally, one of the most persistent challenges is real-time detection. On-chain behavior can look similar, whether it's part of a legitimate arbitrage strategy or a coordinated exploit. This ambiguity makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between malicious and benign actions before damage is done.
The following threats target applications operating on-chain — such as DeFi protocols, bridges, and phishing tokens — rather than the underlying blockchain infrastructure itself.
Smart contracts are self-executing code that power everything from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to non-fungible tokens (NFTs). But once deployed, a single bug can expose millions in locked assets. Attackers often exploit logical flaws, reentrancy vulnerabilities, or unchecked access controls to drain funds or manipulate protocol behavior. Without code audits, even well-intentioned projects can become exposed.
Between January and November 2024, approximately 8.5% of funds stolen were due to smart contract vulnerabilities and code exploits.
Oracles feed real-world data into smart contracts. If attackers influence or corrupt these inputs, they can trigger faulty contract logic. For instance, manipulating the reported price of an asset could allow an attacker to buy it at a discount or trigger a liquidation cascade. In DeFi, where value is algorithmically tied to oracle data, the consequences can be immediate and catastrophic.
Cross-chain bridges allow assets to move between blockchains, but they've also become prime targets for attackers. Many bridge architectures rely on complex smart contracts and custodial mechanisms, creating large honeypots of funds. A single vulnerability can be exploited to mint or release wrapped tokens without backing, leading to massive losses.
Not all threats in blockchain are technical. Some of the most damaging attacks are social in nature. Rug pulls occur when developers abruptly withdraw liquidity or abandon a project after attracting user investment, leaving holders with worthless tokens. These schemes often masquerade as legitimate startups, leveraging hype, influencer marketing, and anonymous teams to build trust before vanishing with user funds.
We identified that 3.59% of all launched tokens in 2024 displayed patterns that may have been linked to rug pull schemes. Moreover, approximately 94% of DEX pools involved in suspected pump-and-dump schemes appear to be rugged by the address that created the DEX pool. The other 6% appear to be rugged by the addresses that were funded by the pool or token deployer.
Phishing remains one of the most effective attack vectors in crypto. As we recently revealed in our 2025 Crypto Crime Report, nearly $10 billion worth of crypto was lost in 2024 due to fraud and scams, although we estimate this number is likely closer to $12.4 billion, which would be a slight increase from amounts stolen in 2023.
Whether through fake wallet apps, malicious airdrops, or impersonated support accounts, attackers trick users into revealing private keys or signing malicious transactions. These scams are growing more targeted and convincing, often exploiting community trust and platform UX loopholes.
Preventing cyberattacks before they happen starts with visibility. On-chain data provides an invaluable window into blockchain activity, helping security teams identify red flags early — whether that's unusual transaction patterns, interactions with known malicious contracts, or sudden liquidity movements. Real-time monitoring and transaction analysis are essential for catching threats in motion.
Key components of blockchain analytics include:
Chainalysis plays a critical role in blockchain analytics by connecting activity across chains and platforms, enabling faster detection, deeper investigations, and more coordinated responses. As threats grow more complex, this kind of integrated, data-driven approach is key to building safer blockchain infrastructure.
Chainalysis Hexagate brings proactive defense to the forefront of blockchain security. Designed for real-time monitoring and threat detection, Chainalysis Hexagate empowers protocols, bridges, decentralized applications (dApps), and exchanges to identify and block malicious transactions before damage occurs. By analyzing transaction intent and on-chain behavior as it happens, it allows security teams to act before potential exploits.
Here are some benefits of Chainalysis Hexagate:
Chainalysis Hexagate is built for a range of security-focused teams operating across the blockchain ecosystem:
The cost of a major blockchain attack goes far beyond lost funds — it can shatter user trust, damage reputations, and set back entire ecosystems. For institutional and enterprise adoption to accelerate, trust must be earned and maintained through strong, visible security practices.
The industry is shifting from reactive cleanup to proactive prevention, recognizing that real-time intelligence and early detection are essential to staying ahead of threats. But this requires continuous investment in data security infrastructure, tooling, and collaboration across the ecosystem.
At Chainalysis, we're committed to enabling safe, scalable blockchain adoption. By equipping teams with the data and tools they need to prevent attacks before they happen, we're helping build a future where innovation and security grow together.
Book a demo of Chainalysis Hexagate's fraud prevention and security solution here.
This website contains links to third-party sites that are not under the control of Chainalysis, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively “Chainalysis”). Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein.
This material is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Recipients should consult their own advisors before making these types of decisions. Chainalysis has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with Recipient's use of this material.
Chainalysis does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in this report and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material.
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Fossils of footprints over 160 million years old have helped palaeontologists at the University of Leicester to narrow down when pterosaurs adapted to live on the ground.
These awe-inspiring flying reptiles of the Mesozoic era are often imagined soaring over the heads of dinosaurs. But new research shows that some of these ancient creatures were just as comfortable walking on the ground.
In a groundbreaking new study published today in Current Biology (1 May), scientists at the University of Leicester have successfully linked fossilised footprints to the types of pterosaurs that produced them. By using 3D modelling, detailed analysis, and comparisons with pterosaur skeletons, the team has shown that at least three different types of tracks match up with distinct groups of pterosaurs.
Tracks of giant ground-stalkers, comb-jawed coastal waders, and specialized shell crushers, shed light on how pterosaurs lived, moved, and evolved.
The new study supports the idea that pterosaurs underwent a major ecological shift during the middle part of the Age of Dinosaurs, about 160 million years ago, with several groups becoming more terrestrial.
Lead author Robert Smyth, a doctoral researcher in the in the Centre for Palaeobiology and Biosphere Evolution (School of Geography, Geology and the Environment at the University of Leicester), explained: "Footprints offer a unique opportunity to study pterosaurs in their natural environment. They reveal not only where these creatures lived and how they moved, but also offer clues about their behaviour and daily activities in ecosystems that have long since vanished."
The study uncovered three distinct types of pterosaur footprints, each shedding light on different lifestyles and behaviours. By linking footprints to specific groups, scientists now have a powerful new way to study how these flying reptiles lived, moved, and adapted to different ecosystems across time.
Co-author Dr David Unwin from the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester explained: "Finally, 88 years after first discovering pterosaur tracks, we now know exactly who made them and how."
Perhaps the most striking discovery comes from a group of pterosaurs called neoazhdarchians which includes Quetzalcoatlus, with a 10 m wingspan one of the largest flying animals ever to have existed. Their footprints have been found in coastal and inland areas around the world, supporting the idea that these long-legged creatures not only dominated the skies but were also frequent ground dwellers, inhabiting the same environments as many dinosaur species. Some of these tracks are present right up until the asteroid impact event, 66 million years ago, which led to the extinction of both pterosaurs and dinosaurs.
One group of pterosaurs, ctenochasmatoids, known for their long jaws and needle-like teeth, left behind tracks most commonly found in coastal deposits. These animals likely waded along muddy shores or in shallow lagoons, using their specialised feeding strategies to catch small fish or floating prey. The abundance of these tracks suggests that these coastal pterosaurs were far more common in these environments than their rare bodily remains indicate.
Another type of footprint was discovered in rock layers that also preserve the fossilised skeletons of the same pterosaurs. The close association between the footprints and skeletons provides compelling evidence for identifying the print makers. Known as dsungaripterids, these pterosaurs had powerful limbs and jaws, with toothless, curved beak tips designed for prising out prey, while large, rounded teeth at the back of their jaws were perfect for crushing shellfish and other tough food items.
Smyth explains: "Tracks are often overlooked when studying pterosaurs, but they provide a wealth of information about how these creatures moved, behaved, and interacted with their environments. By closely examining footprints, we can now discover things about their biology and ecology that we can't learn anywhere else."
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May 1, 2025
5 min read
Trump Quietly Halts Money to States for Preventing Disaster Damage
President Trump is the first president in at least three decades to deny governors' requests for funding that's meant to protect people and property
By Thomas Frank & E&E News
President Donald Trump is considering a major overhaul to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
CLIMATEWIRE | The Trump administration is scaling back a multibillion-dollar program that has been the backbone of state efforts to protect homes, hospitals and other structures from floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.
President Donald Trump stopped approving new allocations in early April from a federal program that has been a top funding source for protecting people and property from disasters since 1989. The Hazard Mitigation and Grant Program has been used to elevate or demolish flood-prone homes, install tornado-safe rooms and strengthen buildings in hurricane or earthquake zones.
The program, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has been crucial for states such as Florida, Oklahoma, California and Missouri. Louisiana has received $2.5 billion to protect 10,000 properties, records show.
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“It's an extremely important program for hazard mitigation,” said Anna Weber, senior policy analyst for climate adaptation at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Instead of just rebuilding, we're building resilience so we're preventing future damages, deaths and injuries.”
The program has allocated nearly $18 billion to states to safeguard 185,000 properties, according to an analysis of FEMA records by POLITICO's E&E News.
On roughly one-third of the properties, flood-prone buildings were demolished and the land was left vacant as part of local efforts to reduce flood damage.
More than $11 billion has been used to fortify medical facilities, power plants, roads and bridges so they will continue to operate during disasters, the analysis shows.
The move is Trump's latest step to cut federal disaster spending and weaken FEMA as he considers abolishing or shrinking the agency. On Monday, Trump named 13 members to a council he charged with reviewing the agency and recommending overhauls.
Trump's spending halt from the hazard-mitigation program comes weeks after he canceled another multibillion-dollar FEMA grant program, raising concerns that states and localities will stop efforts to minimize damage from future disasters. FEMA's mitigation programs have been widely praised for reducing long-term disaster costs.
“HMGP is more cost-effective in the long-term because it helps communities rebuild from disasters stronger than before,” Virginia Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner said in a statement to POLITICO's E&E News.
Trump's action will not affect roughly $11 billion in hazard-mitigation funding that has been approved but not spent. North Carolina, for example, still has $1.7 billion that was approved by then-President Joe Biden after Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage last year.
The Trump administration has not announced changes to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Neither FEMA nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
But an internal FEMA document and Trump's handling of two recent disasters show the administration's new approach.
On April 4, in a seemingly routine decision, Trump approved a disaster declaration for Virginia to help it recover from recent flooding.
But while Trump agreed to help 16 counties rebuild, he took the highly unusual step of refusing a request by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, for hazard-mitigation money as part of the disaster-aid package.
It was the first time in at least 27 years that a president had denied a state's request for hazard-mitigation money while approving its disaster declaration request, according to FEMA records that go back 27 years. Governors routinely request — and presidents routinely approve — mitigation money for disasters.
Trump himself approved mitigation money when he declared disasters in Kentucky, West Virginia and Oklahoma in February and March — the first three declarations of his second term. In his first term, Trump approved $4.7 billion in hazard-mitigation grants.
“We are deeply concerned communities will have fewer resources available to protect against the impacts of extreme weather events,” Kaine and Warner said in their statement, noting Trump's recent cancellation of another FEMA mitigation program.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management said in an email, “FEMA has informed us that his request is still in the review process.”
In an April 12 memo to the White House, FEMA acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton suggested that Trump “not automatically approve the Hazard Mitigation Program” when declaring a disaster.
“This is an action the President has already taken,” Hamilton wrote to the Office of Management and Budget in an apparent reference to Trump's denial of mitigation funds for Virginia. “This will serve as a precursor to further evaluating and redesigning mitigation grant programs.”
The six-page memo, first reported by CNN, suggests making other cuts to FEMA programs, such as denying aid for smaller disasters and for snowstorms.
Trump indicated his intention to follow Hamilton's recommendation on the mitigation program when he approved a second disaster declaration for Kentucky on April 25 without including mitigation money.
“When I saw Kentucky, I saw that now there's a pattern, and this is consistent with the recommendation Hamilton made to OMB,” former FEMA chief of staff Michael Coen said, referring to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, applauded FEMA for approving disaster aid for households hit by recent flooding and did not reply to E&E News questions about the absence of mitigation money.
A hazard-mitigation grant is usually equal to 15 percent of the amount of money that FEMA projects it will spend on an individual disaster.
Last year, the Biden administration altered the program to help states spend their hazard-mitigation grants. The program had come under scrutiny for its complexity, which resulted in states not spending billions of dollars they were allocated.
Trump has said his overhaul of FEMA aims to give states more financial and logistical responsibility for disaster recovery — a position embraced by some experts and former FEMA leaders.
But states are not likely to replace FEMA hazard-mitigation money, said Kelly McKinney, a former deputy commissioner of New York City Emergency Management.
Many state programs are strongly backed by advocates who “weigh-in in a very big, noisy way” to protect spending, McKinney said. “There aren't a lot of stakeholders for mitigation.”
States also would have difficulty mounting a legal challenge to reverse Trump's freeze of hazard-mitigation spending because the government is not required to run the program, according to Weber of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In early April, Trump canceled another FEMA mitigation program, named Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, and froze $3.6 billion of unspent funds that had been approved for states. Although FEMA created the program during Trump's first term, the agency recently called it a “wasteful, politicized grant program.”
Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.
Thomas Frank covers the federal response to climate change for E&E News.
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April 30, 2025
9 min read
Latest Dark Energy Study Suggests the Universe Is Even Weirder Than We Imagined
If dark energy is weakening, as suggested by recent results, then the cosmos is far stranger than most physicists had supposed
By Lyndie Chiou edited by Lee Billings
An artist's concept of the dark energy-driven accelerating expansion of the universe. New results suggest dark energy's influence on cosmic expansion has weakened over time.
Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Alamy Stock Photo
In 2024 a shockwave rippled through the astronomical world, shaking it to the core. The disturbance didn't come from some astral disaster at the solar system's doorstep, however. Rather it arrived via the careful analysis of many far-distant galaxies, which revealed new details of the universe's evolution across eons of cosmic history. Against most experts' expectations, the result suggested that dark energy—the mysterious force driving the universe's accelerating expansion—was not an unwavering constant but rather a more fickle beast that was weakening over time.
The shocking claim's source was the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), run by an international collaboration at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. And it was so surprising because cosmologists' best explanations for the universe's observed large-scale structure have long assumed that dark energy is a simple, steady thing. But as Joshua Frieman, a physicist at the University of Chicago, says: “We tend to stick with the simplest theory that works—until it doesn't.” Heady with delight and confusion, theorists began scrambling to explain DESI's findings and resurfaced old, more complex ideas shelved decades ago.
In March 2025 even more evidence accrued in favor of dark energy's dynamic nature in DESI's latest data release—this time from a much larger, multimillion-galaxy sample. Dark energy's implied fading, it seemed, was refusing to fade away.
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Soon afterward, however, Daniel Green, a physicist at the University of California, San Diego, took to social media to argue over the DESI team's preferred interpretation of the data.
“I'm particularly skeptical of DESI's press release,” Green says. “The tendency should be to say, ‘Hey, why don't we explore all the possible interpretations?' DESI didn't do that many analyses.” The situation, Green says, is akin to looking for a lost set of car keys in a dark parking lot—but only where the light is bright: “When all you look under is one lamppost, you only see what you find there.”
Other explanations exist for DESI's measurements, Green says, and not all of them require the cosmos-quaking prospect of an evolving dark energy. His preferred model instead invokes the putative decay of another mysterious aspect of cosmology, dark matter—thought to be a substance that gravitationally binds galaxies together but otherwise scarcely interacts with the rest of the universe at all. Yet his and other alternative proposals, too, have drawbacks, and the resulting scientific debate has only just begun.
The standard cosmological model at the heart of all this is known as “LCDM.” The “CDM” component stands for “cold dark matter,” and the “L” stands for the Greek letter “lambda,” which denotes a constant dark energy. CDM is the type of dark matter that best accounts for observations of how galaxies form and grow, and—until DESI's proclamation suggested otherwise, that is—a constant dark energy has been the best fit for explaining the distributions of galaxies and other patterns glimpsed in large-scale cosmic structures. “Once they had this constant, everything snapped into place,” Green says. “All of the issues that had been around for 20 years that we'd been hoping were just small mistakes were really resolved by this one thing.”
But dark energy's constancy has always been more of a clever inference rather than an ironclad certainty. DESI is an effort to clarify exactly what dark energy really is by closely monitoring how it has influenced the universe's growth. Since 2021 the project has been meticulously measuring the motions and distributions of galaxies across some 11 billion years of cosmic time.
DESI's data on galactic motions come from measurements of redshift, the stretching out of galaxies' emitted light to the red end of the spectrum by the universe's expansion. And its tracing of spatial distributions emerges from spying enormous bubblelike arrangements of galaxies thought to have formed from more primordial templates, called baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs). BAOs are essentially ripples from giant sound waves that coursed through the hot plasma that filled the early universe, which astronomers can glimpse in the earliest light they can see, the big bang's all-sky afterglow known as the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The waves' matter-dense crests sowed the seeds of future galaxies and galaxy clusters, while galaxy-sparse voids emerged from the matter-poor troughs. Combined with CMB data as well as distance-pegging observations of supernovae, DESI's measurements offer a reckoning of the universe's historic growth rate—and thus the action of dark energy.
A virtual “flight” through a portion of the largest 3D map of the universe to date, using data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).
DESI co-spokesperson Nathalie Palanque-Delabrouille, a physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, recalls the private December 2023 meeting where she and the rest of the DESI team first learned of the project's early results. Up until then, the researchers had worked on blinded data, meaning the true values were slightly but systematically altered so as to ensure that no one could deliberately or inadvertently bias the ongoing analysis to reach some artificially preordained result. These blinded data showed a huge divergence from LCDM. But when the real data were unveiled, “we saw all the points came very close to LCDM, and that was initially a huge relief,” she recalls. That alignment suggested “we did things right.”
Those feelings quickly changed when the group noticed a small, persistent deviation in DESI's estimate for the value of lambda. Still, there was a considerable chance that the results were a statistical fluke. But in DESI's latest results, which were posted to the preprint server arXiv.org last March and incorporated much larger and richer data sets, the statistical robustness of the unexpected lambda value soared, and most talk of flukes dwindled.
Theorists could scarcely contain their excitement—or their profound puzzlement. The results rekindled preexisting ideas about dynamic dark energy first formulated decades ago, not long after dark energy's discovery itself in 1998. One popular theory posits a fifth fundamental force in addition to the known four (electromagnetism, gravity, and the strong and weak nuclear forces), emerging from some as-yet-undiscovered dark matter particle that can influence dark energy. Frieman says the data from DESI is so precise that if this particle is the correct explanation, physicists already know its crucial parameters.
Constrained by the DESI data, Frieman says, the best-fitting model that would support this “fifth force” hypothesis “tells us that this [hypothetical] particle has a mass of about 10–33 electron volts.” To put that into perspective, this means such a particle would be 38 orders of magnitude lighter than an electron—which, Frieman notes, is “by far the lightest stable particle we know of that doesn't have zero mass.”
But while some theorists used DESI's data to revive and sharpen intriguing theories of yesteryear, Green and others issued a warning. The problem: an evolving dark energy would seem to defy well-founded physical principles in other cosmic domains.
The first major point of controversy involves something called the null energy condition, under which—among other things—energy can't propagate faster than light. If circumstances were otherwise, then perilous paradoxes could emerge: time machines could violate causality, matter could repel rather than attract, and even spacetime itself could be destabilized. Theorists have mathematically proven the condition's apparent necessity in numerous circumscribed scenarios within quantum and relativistic domains—but not for the universe at large. Appealing to this sort of theoretical incompleteness, however, “is like a lawyer saying there's a loophole,” Green says. “Most physicists would say that's totally crazy.”
A discovery that something in the universe violates the null energy condition would be groundbreaking, to say the least: a more impolitic term would be “nonsensical.” This astounding violation is exactly what Green and others say most of DESI's analyses are showing, however. On this point, several theorists push back. The controversy goes all the way down to the foundations of modern cosmology, centering on a parameter unceremoniously known as w(z).
In 1917 Albert Einstein first introduced lambda as a way to ensure that a static universe would pop out of his equations. But after work led by Edwin Hubble proved the universe was expanding, Einstein abandoned his fudge factor (even calling it his “greatest blunder”). It wasn't until the late 1990s, when astronomers found that the universe's expansion wasn't constant but in fact accelerating, that lambda once again returned to theoretical prominence. This time theorists interpreted it to represent the magnitude of the universe's dark energy density, a constant that doesn't change with time.
But if there's one thing modern cosmology has shown, it's that little, if anything, about the universe is ever so neat and tidy. So, despite a lack of evidence, theorists of the time reimagined LCDM as w(z)CDM, where w(z) is a time-varying term representing the ratio of dark energy's pressure to its energy density. When w(z) has a value of exactly –1, w(z)CDM is equivalent to LCDM. For w(z) greater than –1, the universe's dark energy dilutes over time, consistent with DESI's findings. On the other hand, w(z) less than –1 leads to devastating consequences: dark energy's pressure overpowers its density, ultimately causing everything from galaxies all the way down to atoms to be ripped apart—a “big rip” that violates the null energy condition and would seemingly doom the universe to a violent death.
The DESI group collaboration's March preprint includes a graph that shows w(z) with values below –1 for later epochs in the universe's history, seemingly validating the criticisms of Green and others. But all is not as it seems. Such criticisms “draw the wrong conclusions,” says Paul Steinhardt, a cosmologist at Princeton University.
That's because in a second graph in the DESI paper, w(z) never crosses the critical –1 line. The difference: despite DESI's curved data, the first chart uses a simple line fit for w(z). Steinhardt and Frieman both say that because of the poor fit, the linear w(z) isn't physically meaningful. Researchers merely find it convenient for comparing different dark energy models and experiments.
The second graph shows a curved fit for w(z) that more closely matches the data. It rolls down to, but never crosses, the critical –1 value, consistent with a weakening dark energy that would avoid the universe ending in a big rip.
But Gabriel Lynch, a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis, who has an alternative explanation for the DESI data, says that even if any of DESI's w(z) estimates are physical, coaxing out a theory to support them leads to incredibly fraught circumstances. “This is saying something weird,” Lynch says. “It's not impossible, but maybe it would be good to look into some alternatives.”
Whether or not DESI's results would violate the null energy condition, everyone agrees on another problem. Models that accommodate a changing dark energy inevitably conclude that a class of tiny fundamental particles known as neutrinos have a negative mass. Yet multiple generations of empirical experimentation have indisputably shown that neutrinos do have mass. Frieman suggests that something else, perhaps an unknown particle, might be mimicking a negative-mass neutrino.
But a new approach by Lynch and his thesis advisor Lloyd Knox, detailed in a preprint that was posted to arXiv.org in March, sidesteps this “negative neutrino” problem altogether. If some of the mass in the universe somehow disappeared over time, its influence on DESI's data would be the same as a weakening dark energy—without necessitating a negative mass for neutrinos. Although physicists have good reasons to believe that certain seemingly stable subatomic particles could contribute to this notional effect by decaying over time, this process is thought to be far too slow to account for DESI's observations. For instance, experiments have shown the proton to be so stable that its half-life must be at least a hundred trillion trillion times the age of the universe. But no one knows what the half-life of putative particles of dark matter would be. So, Lynch asks, what if dark matter has a half-life of roughly a billion years? Fast forward about 14 billion years to today, and some would have decayed into dark radiation, erasing the heavy matter signal.
If the idea holds true, DESI's data might be a way to find the exact value for neutrino masses as well as for dark matter particles, which would be a big deal. “That is a breakdown of LCDM that we totally expected,” Green says. “And we were just waiting to detect it.”
Owing to dynamic dark energy's paradoxes, “you really need to explore every alternative explanation [for the results], because evolving dark energy is the absolute last one that I would be willing to believe,” Green says.
Despite such strong words, all parties caution that this debate is still in its early days. “This is only the first round of the fight,” Steinhardt says, and no model currently explains all of DESI's results. More data are needed, especially from even bigger and better cosmic surveys by planned next-generation telescopes. And, naturally, more analyses are needed, too, before the community can reach any consensus. Whether a resolution comes from dynamic dark energy, dark matter decay or something entirely different, the LCDM model has seemingly been stretched to its breaking point. Every reasonable explanation for DESI's data involves new, scarcely explored physics. “They are all exotic models. We're beyond LCDM both ways,” Palanque-Delabrouille says. “We just want to know the truth.”
Lyndie Chiou is a scientist, a science writer and founder of ZeroDivZero, a science conference website. Her writing has also appeared in Sky & Telescope. Follow her on Twitter @lyndie_chiou
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Nature Communications
volume 16, Article number: 4004 (2025)
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Sex differences in physiological and disease traits are pervasive and begin during early development, but the genetic architecture of these differences is largely unknown. Here, we leverage the human placenta, a transient organ during pregnancy critical to fetal development, to investigate the impact of sex in the regulatory landscape of placental autosomal methylome and transcriptome, and its relevance to health and disease. We find that placental methylation and its genetic regulation are extensively impacted by fetal sex, whereas sex differences in placental gene expression and its genetic regulation are limited. We identify molecular processes and regulatory targets that are enriched in a sex-specific manner, and find enrichment of imprinted genes in sex-differentiated placental methylation, including female-biased methylation within the well-known KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C imprinting cluster of genes expressed in a parent-of-origin dependent manner. We establish that several sex-differentiated genetic effects on placental methylation and gene expression colocalize with birthweight and adult disease genetic associations, facilitating mechanistic insights on early life origins of health and disease outcomes shaped by sex.
Sex differences in physiological traits and disease risk are pervasive, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Phenotypic and developmental differences between males and females begin before birth, and differences manifest across the life span in disease prevalence, severity, and treatment response1. It has long been known that male fetus-bearing pregnancies have faster fetal growth rate2, higher vulnerability to complications such as pre-eclampsia, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction, premature delivery, and post-partum hemorrhage, and greater risk of perinatal mortality2,3,4. Recent studies have shown that autosomal genetic factors contribute to sex-differentiated phenotypes in adults, with some of these having prenatal molecular foundations1,5. Transcriptional regulation by methylation and gene expression can be a key underlying mechanism of these differences. Thus, investigating how fetal sex shapes the regulation of methylation and gene expression in tissues from early human development can unlock the molecular origins of health outcomes across the lifespan.
Successful fetal development relies on the placenta, a temporary organ during pregnancy at the maternal-fetal interface that exhibits sex differences in function, morphology, and response to environmental exposures6,7,8,9,10,11. Placental dysfunction can lead to pregnancy complications and early programming of diseases that manifest in later life in a sex-dependent fashion12,13. Accumulating evidence suggests that fetal sex-specific placental transcript expression14,15,16,17 and methylation18,19,20 may be among key molecular antecedents to male and female differences in placental function and neonatal outcomes21,22. Studies that integrated placental multi-omics have offered insights into the molecular bases of human complex traits23,24. Yet, to what extent sex influences the genetic regulation of both placental methylation and gene expression is unknown. Whether sex-differentiated placental methylation is linked with gene expression regulation in their nearby genomic region is unclear. Moreover, studies on sex differences in placental methylation and gene expression are rare in ancestrally diverse human populations.
In this study, we investigated the landscape of human placental methylation and gene expression impacted by fetal sex and its relevance to health and disease by integrating genome-wide placental methylation, gene expression, and genotype datasets from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies–Singleton cohort. We report (i) sex differences in placental methylation and its genetic regulation, and in placental gene expression and its genetic regulation; (ii) the biological significance of these sex-differentiated signals through functional annotations and omics integration; and (iii) the impact of these discoveries in advancing the molecular underpinnings of neonatal traits and adult diseases, revealing placental embedding of sex differences in human physiology and pathology.
The discovery analyses employed data from participants of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies–Singleton cohort25. There was no significant sex difference in maternal race/ethnicity, age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and gestational age at delivery (Supplementary Data 1). Figure 1 provides a flow chart of the study. Briefly, a total of 301 samples (152 males and 149 females) were used to identify autosomal differentially methylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites (CpGs) between male and female placentas (sex-DM); a sub-sample of 291 (147 males and 144 females) was used to identify sex-biased methylation quantitative trait loci, which are genetic variants associated with different methylation levels in male and female placenta (sex-mQTL); 80 samples (43 males and 37 females) were used to identify differentially expressed autosomal genes between male and female placentas (sex-DE); and 71 samples (38 males and 33 females) were used to identify sex-biased expression quantitative trait loci, which are genetic variants associated with different gene expression levels in male and female placenta (sex-eQTL). Convergence between sex-biased methylation and gene expression was evaluated, and biological insights were gained through functional annotations. Phenotypic relevance was examined by testing the correlation of sex-DM and sex-DE with neonatal and placental anthropometry traits and through colocalization analysis of sex-mQTL and sex-eQTL with published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) loci for complex diseases and traits. The novelty of sex-DM and sex-DE was determined by comparing with previous studies. Loci found to be sex-DE, sex-mQTL, or sex-eQTL were further assessed in an independent dataset from the Rhode Island Child Health Study (RICHS; 74 males and 74 females; more than 70% self-identified White; no sex difference in maternal race/ethnicity, age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and gestational age at delivery; Supplementary Data 1)26.
The workflow summarizes the procedures in identifying sex-biased methylation, gene expression, and genetic regulation in the placenta; functional characterization through assessment of co-occurrence among identified loci and functional annotation using various databases; and illustration of the relevance of the identified loci in disease and health traits in neonates and adults. sex-DM: sex-differentially methylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites (CpGs); sex-DE: sex-differentially expressed genes; sex-mQTL: sex-biased methylation quantitative trait locus; sex-eQTL: sex-biased expression quantitative trait locus; GWAS: a genome-wide association study. Genotype (DNA), and RNA-seq (RNA) figures were generated by NIAID Visual & Medical Arts. (10/7/2024) and methylation was adopted. DNA. NIAID NIH BIOART Source. bioart.niaid.nih.gov/bioart/123. NIAID Visual & Medical Arts. (10/7/2024). RNA. NIAID NIH BIOART Source. bioart.niaid.nih.gov/bioart/452.
We identified 6077 sex-DM at a false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted P < 0.05. Out of the 6077 sex-DM, 41.1% (2497/6077) were previously unreported, and the remaining 58.9% have previously been reported with consistent effect direction18,19,20,27,28,29 (Fig. 2a and Supplementary Data 2). Sex-DM CpGs were two times more likely to be male-hypermethylated than female-hypermethylated (66.9% vs. 33.1%), consistent with previous observations18,19,28.
Each panel includes a Manhattan plot of -log10 P-values and the corresponding quantile-quantile plot of observed vs expected -log10 P-values and genomic control factor (λ). a sex-differences in methylation at cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites (sex-DM). b sex-biased genetic association with methylation (cis methylation quantitative trait loci (sex-mQTL). c sex-differences in gene expression (sex-DE). d sex-biased genetic association with gene expression (cis expression quantitative trait loci (sex-eQTL). Two-sided t tests were performed for (a) using limma with n = 301, df = 299, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment and BACON correction applied for multiple testing corrections. Two-sided t tests were performed for (b) using MatrixEQTL with n = 291, df = 289, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment applied for multiple testing corrections. Two-sided likelihood ratio tests were performed for (c) using edgeR with n = 80, df = 1, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment applied for multiple testing corrections. Two-sided t tests were performed for (d) using MatrixEQTL with n = 71, df = 69, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment applied for multiple testing corrections. Red dots indicate statistically significant results.
We assessed whether the sex-differentially methylated sites are correlated with nearby gene expression more than expected by chance. Methylation at sex-DM CpGs was more likely to be significantly correlated with nearby gene expression in the placenta at FDR-adjusted P < 0.05 than non-sex-DM CpGs on the methylation array (63/3636 vs. 1288/277343; χ2 = 120.6, P = 4.67 × 10−28). An additional 13 CpG-gene correlations were identified by testing the correlation of each sex-DM CpG against all genes within a 200 kb distance. These findings suggest that sex-dependent methylation is not randomly distributed across the genome but is clustered at CpG loci more likely to have impacts on gene transcript levels (Supplementary Data 3).
Differentially methylated sites may be involved in transcript regulation, but their precise effect is likely to depend on the genomic context30. In our data, positive sex-DM CpG-gene correlations (i.e., higher methylation correlated with higher gene expression) were more common than negative correlations. Moreover, the majority of CpGs positively correlated with gene expression were in the gene body, whereas the majority of those with negative correlation were in the gene transcription start site (TSS) (Supplementary Data 3). These findings are consistent with long-known theory and recent evidence that methylation within the gene body is often positively correlated with gene expression, while methylation in TSS is often negatively correlated with gene expression30,31,32,33,34,35,36.
The top four strongest male-hypermethylated CpG-gene and top four strongest female-hypermethylated CpG-gene correlations are presented in Figs. 3a–d and 4a–d, respectively. Among male-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs correlated with gene expression, methylation of cg11291313, located in ZNF300 TSS, and ZNF300 expression showed the strongest inverse correlation (Spearman r (rs) = − 0.56, P = 3.51 × 10−7); and cg02563011, located within CSMD1 gene body (167.4 kb from gene start), and CSMD1 showed the strongest positive correlation (rs = 0.73, P = 3.44 × 10−13). Previously, male bias has been found in a 225 kb locus of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) within the gene body of CSMD1 and in transcript abundance of CSMD1 in placenta37, although the relationship of the DMRs with CSMD1 transcript abundance was not elucidated. The two CpGs that we found to be correlated with ZNF300 and CSMD1 overlap with predicted active TSS-promoter and enhancer peaks, respectively, based on ENCODE and RoadMap Epigenomic annotations. Among female-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs correlated with gene expression, cg01070760, located in PSMA8 exon (193 bp from gene start), and PSMA8 showed the strongest inverse correlation (rs = − 0.69, P = 3.07 × 10−11); and cg25948255, located within the gene body of CADM2 (504 kb from gene start), and CADM2 showed the strongest positive correlation (rs = 0.65, P = 1.17 × 10−9). The CpG linked to PSMA8 overlaps with a predicted enhancer and with a long-range chromatin interaction loop (based on high throughput chromosome conformation capture, Hi-C) in placental extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells38. The CpG linked to CADM2 overlaps with a predicted enhancer and active chromatin in EVT cells38 and overlaps with a predicted polycomb-associated heterochromatin by ENCODE and RoadMap Epigenomic Annotations. ZNF300, CSMD1, and CADM2 have been implicated in cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion39,40,41, features mirrored by the invasive, immunologic, and angiogenic properties of placental cells42. ZNF300 methylation has been correlated with placental morphology43, and invasive placental trophoblast cells may drive sex differences at ZNF300 methylation27.
Top associations were selected based on the strength of positive and negative correlations, two from each. The displayed figures include male-hypermethylated CpGs that showed the top two strongest negative correlations (a, b) and the top two strongest positive correlations (c, d) with their corresponding nearby genes and UCSC Genome Browser plots of regulatory sites. For each CpG, the left plot shows a correlation with gene expression in the placenta (two-sided Spearman correlation (ρ) with FDR-adjusted P < 0.05 based on S statistic was considered significant; n = 71); the middle plot shows UCSC Genome Browser's regulatory sites from ENCODE; the right plot shows UCSC Genome Browser's regulatory sites in placenta smooth chorion. Red highlights indicate the gene TSS; blue highlights indicate the CpG; and purple highlights indicate that the gene TSS and CpG are in close proximity to each other. Tracks include histone 3 lysine 4 monomethylation (H3K4me1: an enhancer mark), histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3: marks transcription start site), histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3: marks transcription repression), histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3: marks active transcription), and histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac: marks active transcription) found in 7 cell lines from ENCODE and/or in placenta smooth chorion. Tracks labeled “DNase1” represent DNaseI hypersensitivity clusters in 125 cell types from ENCODE. Tracks labeled “ChIP-seq” represent ChIP-seq clusters in 338 factors and 130 cell types from ENCODE and ChIP-seq marks found in placenta smooth chorion. Tracks labeled “Promoter/enhancer” and “Interaction” represent GeneHancer Double Elite Regulatory Elements and GeneHancer Double Elite Clustered Interactions, respectively. Gray shade denotes a 95% confidence interval. Source data for Fig. 3a–d are provided as a Source Data file.
Top associations were selected based on the strength of positive and negative correlations, two from each. The displayed figures include female-hypermethylated CpGs that showed the top two strongest negative correlations (a, b) and the top two strongest positive correlations (c, d) with their corresponding nearby genes and UCSC Genome Browser plots of regulatory sites. For each CpG, the left plot shows a correlation with gene expression in the placenta (two-sided Spearman correlation (ρ) with FDR-adjusted P < 0.05 based on S statistic was considered significant; n = 71); the middle plot shows UCSC Genome Browser's regulatory sites from ENCODE; the right plot shows UCSC Genome Browser's regulatory sites in placenta smooth chorion. Red highlights indicate the gene TSS; blue highlights indicate the CpG; and purple highlights indicate that the gene TSS and CpG are in close proximity to each other. Tracks included histone 3 lysine 4 monomethylation (H3K4me1: an enhancer mark), histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3: marks transcription start site), histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3: marks transcription repression), histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3: marks active transcription), and histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac: marks active transcription) found in 7 cell lines from ENCODE and/or in placenta smooth chorion. Tracks labeled “DNase1” represent DNaseI hypersensitivity clusters in 125 cell types from ENCODE. Tracks labeled “ChIP-seq” represent ChIP-seq clusters in 338 factors and 130 cell types from ENCODE and ChIP-seq marks found in placenta smooth chorion. Tracks labeled “Promoter/enhancer” and “Interaction” represent GeneHancer Double Elite Regulatory Elements and GeneHancer Double Elite Clustered Interactions, respectively. Gray shade denotes a 95% confidence interval. Source data for Fig. 4a–d are provided as a Source Data file.
We identified 1839 sex-mQTL consisting of 1529 unique genetic variants and 521 unique CpGs (FDR-adjusted P < 0.05) (Fig. 2b and Supplementary Data 4). The mean (± standard deviation [sd]) distance between the genetic variant and target CpG in a sex-mQTL was 394.3 (± 306.4) kb pairs, suggesting that genetic variants anywhere within the 1 Mb distance can have sex-dependent effects on methylation in the placenta. As expected44, the genetic variant's distance from its associated CpG was inversely correlated with its sex-biased effect on methylation (rs = −0.20, P = 7.32 × 10−19). However, genetic variants may induce epigenetic regulation in the placenta through long-range chromatin interactions38 and distal transcript regulatory elements such as enhancers45,46. Among our sex-mQTL SNPs, 37 SNPs overlap with predicted placental enhancers by Owen et al.46, and 36 SNPs overlap with predicted placental enhancers by Zhang et al.45. The majority of SNPs that showed enhancer overlaps (i.e., 94.5% (35/37) in ref. 46 and 66.7% (24/36) in ref. 45) were more than 100 kb away from the sex-mQTL CpG (Supplementary Data 4).
A sex-QTL association can fall into a sex-specific, concordant, or opposite effect category based on the relative direction and magnitude of the allelic effect in males and females (see Methods section). In a sex-stratified analysis of the 1839 sex-mQTL pairs, 92.5% (1701/1839) had FDR-significant mQTL association in male and/or female placenta and further showed a significant difference in effect estimates between males and females at FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05. Among the 1701 sex-mQTLs with effects that differed by sex, 83.8% (1426/1701) were specific to one sex only, the strongest male-specific effect being for rs12242275/rs7093024-cg09082518 [CCDC6] (βmale(M) = − 0.13, PM = 6.77 × 10−18, βfemale(F) = − 0.0026, PF = 0.49; Pdiff = 1.13 × 10−13; minor allele frequency (MAF) = 5.2%) and the strongest female-specific effect being for rs4351362-cg14735364 [NRF1] (βM = − 0.003, PM = 0.46, βF = 0.12, PF = 1.64 × 10−12; Pdiff = 7.06 × 10−10; MAF = 5.7%) (Figs. 5a–c). Downregulation of CCDC6 in the placenta has previously been linked to preterm deliveries47. NRF1 encodes a transcription factor involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation, and its reduced placental expression has been linked to preeclampsia48. 7.9% (134/1701) of sex-mQTLs had concordant effects in males and females (i.e., directionally consistent effects that differ in magnitude), rs530705354-cg14711243[ACAD9] being the top sex-differentiated with a stronger effect in males than in females (βM = 0.27, PM = 1.31 × 10−36, βF = 0.11, PF = 2.45 × 10−10; Pdiff = 9.12 × 10−10; MAF = 6.2%). The remaining 8.3% (141/1,701) sex-mQTLs had opposite effects in males and females, with rs71304466-cg07784293[WWTR1] exhibiting FDR-adjusted association in both males and females and the strongest sex difference (βM = − 0.04, PM = 7.23 × 10−8, βF = 0.01, PF = 3.43 × 10−3; Pdiff = 3.29 × 10−8; MAF = 6%) (Supplementary Data 4). WWTR1 encodes a transcription cofactor that regulates trophoblast cell fate during placentation, and defective expression in the placenta has associations with preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, and preeclampsia49. 778 sex-mQTL SNP-CpG pairs were available and tested in the RICHS dataset, and 19 were significant at FDR-adjusted P < 0.05 and with consistent effect direction. The strongest male-specific mQTL association identified (i.e., rs12242275/rs7093024-cg09082518 [CCDC6]) was among those replicated in the RICHS dataset (Supplementary Data 5). One of our sex-mQTLs (rs34571066-cg13299927 [ARHGEF10L]) has previously been reported20.
a Pie chart displaying the distribution of sex-biased methylation quantitative trait associations based on allelic effect magnitude and direction in males and females (Blue = concordant effect direction, n = 134; Green = opposite effect direction, n = 141; Orange = single sex effect, n = 1426; Gray = Unclassified, n = 138). “Unclassified” includes associations that do not fall into the other categories (i.e., sex-biased mQTL associations with two-sided t test FDR-adjusted P ≥ 0.05 (n = 291, df = 289) in both sex strata and/or those with two-sided t test with unequal variance FDR-adjusted Pdiff ≥ 0.05 (n = 291, df = 289). b Regional plot of top male-specific sex-mQTL (rs12242275-cg09082518). The plot to the right indicates the absence of effect in females. c Regional plot of top female-specific sex-mQTL (rs4351362-cp14735364). The plot to the right indicates the absence of effect in males. Data span 200 kb centered at the mQTL SNP. The horizontal axis denotes the genomic position in build hg19, and the vertical axis denotes the association -log10 P-value and recombination rate (cM/Mb). The purple circle point represents the mQTL SNP. The purple triangle point represents the mQTL CpG. The color of each data point indicates its linkage disequilibrium value (r2) with the index SNP based on HapMap2. LocusZoom (http://locuszoom.org/) was used to generate the plot. Source data for Fig. 5b, c are provided as a Source Data file.
We found 14 sex-DE (FDR-adjusted P < 0.05), of which sex-DE of ANGPT2 has been previously reported20 and 13 were previously unreported (Fig. 2c and Supplementary Data 6). In the RICHS dataset, 12 sex-DE transcripts were available, and 10 showed directionally consistent sex-DE associations, but none was significant after FDR adjustment (Supplementary Data 6). None of the 14 genes exhibited sex difference in non-placental tissues from the genotype tissue expression (GTEx) portal50, aligning with evidence of poor correlation of sex-differentiated autosomal gene expression between term placenta and 42 non-reproductive adult tissues from GTEx51. None of the sex-DE has placenta-specific RNA expression as compared to other human tissues based on tissue-specificity metrics in the Human Protein Altas (https://www.proteinatlas.org/about/download#protein_atlas_data) or in a placental RNA-sequencing study (Supplementary Data 6)52,53.
We identified 13 previously unreported sex-eQTL (FDR-adjusted P < 0.05), consisting of 13 unique variants and 9 unique gene transcripts (Fig. 2d and Supplementary Data 7). The mean (± sd) distance between a sex-eQTL SNP and target gene was 419.9 (± 216.5) kb pairs, covering a broad region within the 1 Mb genomic window. In a sex-stratified analysis of the 13 sex-eQTL pairs, 92.3% (12/13) had FDR-significant eQTL association in male and/or female placenta and further showed a significant difference in effect estimate between males and females (FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05). All 12 sex-eQTLs exhibited a genetic effect in one sex only, the strongest female-specific effect being for rs79910893-LPCAT3 (βM = − 0.002, PM = 0.96, βF = 1.42, PF = 4.72 × 10−7; MAF = 5.6%) and the strongest male-specific effect being for rs11986287-SLC52A2 (βM = 0.88, PM = 1.26 x 10-12, βF = − 0.03, PF = 0.14; MAF = 5.6%) (Fig. 6a–c). None of the sex-eQTLs overlap with sex-eQTLs in 44 non-placental tissues from GTEx (https://gtexportal.org/home/downloads/adult-gtex/qtl)50, consistent with evidence that sex differences in genetic regulation of gene expression are highly tissue-specific50,54,55. Out of the 13 sex-eQTLs, only rs10892219-ATP5MG was available in the RICHS dataset and did not exhibit significant association after FDR adjustment.
a Pie chart displaying the distribution of sex-biased expression quantitative trait associations based on allelic effect magnitude and direction in males and females (Orange = single sex effect, n = 12; Gray = Unclassified, n = 1). “Unclassified” includes associations that do not fall into the other categories (i.e., sex-biased eQTL associations with two-sided t-test FDR-adjusted P ≥ 0.05 (n = 71, df = 69) in both sex strata and/or those with two-sided t-test with unequal variance FDR-adjusted Pdiff ≥ 0.05 (n = 71, df = 69). b Regional plot of top male-specific sex-eQTL (rs11986287-SLC52A2). The plot to the right indicates the absence of effect in females. c Regional plot of top female-specific sex-eQTL (rs79910893-LPCAT3). The plot to the right indicates the absence of effect in males. Data span 200 kb north of the gene TSS position to 200 kb south of the eQTL SNP. The horizontal axis denotes the genomic position in build hg19, and the vertical axis denotes the association -log10 P-value and recombination rate (cM/Mb). The purple circle point represents the eQTL SNP. The color of each data point indicates its linkage disequilibrium value (r2) with the index SNP based on HapMap2. A gene symbol and associated track from the UCSC Genome Browser shows the eQTL target gene's physical location. LocusZoom (http://locuszoom.org/) was used to generate the plot. Source data for Fig. 6b, c are provided as a Source Data file.
To identify loci which may concurrently exhibit sex differences in methylation level, gene expression level, genetic regulation of methylation, and genetic regulation of gene expression, we looked for overlaps among our results (i.e., sex-DM, sex-DE, sex-mQTL, sex-eQTL). Only two overlaps were found: (i) A co-occurrence of sex-DM and sex-DE: male-biased cg25364822 methylation at the transcription start site of FNDC5 and female-biased expression of FNDC5. In turn, higher methylation at cg25364822 was significantly correlated with lower FNDC5 expression in males (rs = − 0.36, P = 0.023), but not in females (rs = 0.02, P = 0.91). FNDC5 is a precursor of irisin, which protects the placenta from oxidative stress, dysregulation of placental trophoblast differentiation, and insulin resistance56,57. Lower irisin levels have been linked to preeclampsia56,57, a placenta insufficiency-disorder correlated with smaller placental weight58. In our data, increased cg25364822 methylation and decreased FNDC5 expression were correlated with smaller placental weight (rs = − 0.12, P = 0.04; rs = 0.29, P = 0.01, respectively), suggesting a sex-biased epigenetic process that may regulate gene expression levels that impact placental function. (ii) A co-occurrence of sex-DM and sex-mQTL: male-biased cg27576576 methylation and male-biased association of the G allele of rs6459811 (PTPRN2) with higher cg27576576 methylation. The rarity of overlaps suggests that sex-QTL effects in the placenta are not largely explained by or accompanied with sex differences in methylation or sex differences in gene expression. Similarly, distinct genetic loci have been implicated in sex-biased eQTL and sex-biased gene expression in other tissues50,59. Furthermore, we found significantly high correlations in expression levels of sex-eQTL target genes between males and females (rs = 0.83, P = 0.0083) and in methylation levels of sex-mQTL target CpGs (rs = 1, P < 2.2 × 10−16) (Fig. 7a, b), suggesting largely non-overlapping sex-dependent placental methylation and gene expression.
a DNA methylation level of sex-mQTL target CpGs (n = 521 CpGs). b Gene expression levels of sex-eQTL target genes (n = 9 gene transcripts). A two-sided Spearman correlation (ρ) test was implemented and was considered significant if P < 0.05. The p-value in a is approximately equal to zero. The error band in gray denotes a 95% confidence interval. Source data for Fig. 7a, b are provided as a Source Data file.
As the placenta is a cell-heterogenous organ, we assessed whether the sex-QTL associations were due to sex differences in placental cell composition. We found no significant sex difference in placental cell type proportion derived in silico using methylation data60 or RNA-seq data61 (Supplementary Data 8). Second, cell type proportions were correlated with the top three methylation principal components (Supplementary Fig. 1) and top three RNA principal components (Supplementary Fig. 2), which were regressed out of the methylation and expression data, respectively, prior to sex-QTL analysis. Third, expression variance components (i.e., PEER factors), which may capture cell type signals were regressed out prior to the sex-eQTL analysis. Therefore, the sex-QTLs identified were unlikely to arise from sex differences in placental cell composition.
Male-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs in the placenta were more likely than female-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs to be positively correlated (P < 0.05) with neonatal weight, length, or head circumference (48.4% vs. 0.8%, chi-squared test P = 2.61 × 10−321), whereas female-hypermethylated sex-DM were more likely than male-hypermethylated sex-DM and to be positively correlated with placental weight or placental weight/birth weight ratio (20.3% vs. 3.5%, chi-squared test P = 2.11 × 10−207) (Supplementary Data 2and Fig. 8). Among male-hypermethylated CpGs, ten were positively correlated with all three neonatal anthropometry measures and negatively correlated with placenta-birthweight ratio (CpGs map to EGLN1, FNBP1L, TSPAN14, TEAD1, MIR130A, TMEM223, DOCK9, SLC1A5, DGCR6L, and ST6GALC6 genes). EGLN1 encodes a protein in the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway and is important for placental development through its role as an oxygen sensor and regulator of HIF1A expression in trophoblast cells62,63. Among female-hypermethylated CpGs, three were positively correlated with placenta-birth weight ratio and negatively correlated with at least two neonatal anthropometry measures (CpGs map to SHANK3, POP4, and GRHL3 genes). SHANK3 encodes a synaptic protein that is crucial for the development of brain circuits64. The SHANK3 gene locus has been implicated in cognitive function measurement and schizophrenia65,66 and in autism spectrum disorders64, which is more commonly diagnosed in males than females67. Placental hypomethylation at a nearby locus (22q13.33) has been linked with autism68, and hypomethylation of our female-hypermethylated CpG in adult blood DNA has been associated with brain gray matter volume69.
The figures display the number of male-hypermethylated (a) and female-hypermethylated (b) CpG sites that are positively correlated with neonatal and placental measures, and the number of male-hypermethylated (c) and female-hypermethylated (d) CpG sites that are negatively correlated with neonatal and placental measures. The measures are head circumference (HC), birth length (BL), birth weight (BW), placental weight (PW), and placental-birth weight ratio (PW/BW). Vertical lines connecting black-shaded circles denote measures that exhibited a shared correlation with the number of CpGs in bars.
We assessed whether the sex-biased loci have previously been implicated in fetoplacental growth. A male-hypermethylated sex-DM at cg10806146 (5'UTR of SLC20A2) has previously been associated with higher birthweight70. Slc20a2 is required for normal placental phosphate transport function in mice, and its deficiency has been linked with defective vascularization, increased calcification of the placenta, and fetal growth restriction71. In addition, three genes near sex-DM CpGs (HSPA4, SLC45A4, and SLC6A2) and two genes near sex-mQTL CpGs (SLC45A4 and ARHGAP26) map fetal genetic variants associated with placental weight in previous GWAS72.
Further, we looked up the sex-biased loci in the EWAS (epigenome-wide association study) Atlas, EWAS Catalog, and GWAS Catalog. Several sex-DM and sex-mQTL CpGs overlapped with CpGs in blood previously reported to be associated with pregnancy complications (e.g., preterm birth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus), fetal and child growth, adult complex diseases (e.g., aging), and prenatal environmental exposures. Sex-mQTL genetic variants, genes near sex-DM CpGs, and sex-DE genes have links with GWAS traits in adults (Supplementary Data 9).
To explore the usefulness of sex-QTLs in understanding the molecular basis of complex trait GWAS discoveries, we performed colocalization analysis by integrating sex-stratified QTL in the placenta with GWAS. Among sex-mQTLs, we identified 18 CpGs colocalized with 19 distinct GWAS loci for birthweight (eCAVIAR posterior probability of sharing the same causal variant ≥ 0.01), revealing the importance of sex-differentiated epigenetic mechanisms in the placenta to interpret genetic associations with fetal growth, a sex-differentiated trait tightly regulated by the placenta2. The strongest colocalizations were between cg10611863 (ENTPD4) and birthweight for female-stratified mQTL, and between cg02370022 (CCND1) and birthweight for male-stratified mQTL. Among sex-eQTLs, we identified 4 colocalized gene-adult trait pairs, of which female-stratified eQTLs at ATP5MG and FAM83A colocalized with asthma/hay fever/eczema and breast cancer and male-stratified eQTLs at FAM103A2P and SLC52A2 colocalized with breast cancer and educational attainment, respectively (Supplementary Data 10).
Imprinting, an epigenetic regulation of gene expression in a parent-of-origin-dependent manner, has well-known roles in regulating placental development and function22,73. Sex bias has been reported in the regulation of imprinted genes in rodent placenta74,75, so we tested whether there is enrichment of imprinting regions among the sex-DM. We found significant enrichment of imprinted genes in sex-DM genes (61 imprinted genes out of 2225 unique sex-DM genes compared to 228 known imprinted genes in the human genome; hypergeometric test P = 2.599 × 10−9). The largest regional cluster of sex-DM CpGs was a 63 kb region in the maternally expressed TP73 gene and the homeobox family genes (HOXA3, HOXA4, HOXA5, HOXB2, HOXB3, and HOXC9), known for their crucial roles in regulating placental and fetal development76. Thirteen of the 61 imprinted genes are known to be imprinted specifically in the placenta only77 (Table 1 and Supplementary Data 11).
The identified imprinting overlaps included a cluster of 13 female-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs within the well-known KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C imprinting domain in chromosome 11p15.5 genomic region. In the human placenta, the KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C imprinting domain harbors genes such as CDKN1C, PHLDA2, and SLC22A18 that are maternally expressed in the first trimester and term placenta, a long non-coding RNA (KCNQ1OT1/kvDMR1) with paternal expression in the first trimester and biallelic expression in term placenta, and other genes such as KCNQ1 which exhibits maternal expression in first-trimester placenta and biallelic expression in term placenta78. The imprinting domain is regulated by a maternally methylated DMR imprinting control region (ICR) located in intron 10 of the KCNQ1 gene78. A genetic variant in intron 10 of KCNQ1 has shown a maternal parent-of-origin effect on placental weight72. Out of the 13 sex-DM CpGs, 8 were located within KCNQ1 at 13.7–165.1 kb distance from the ICR and overlap with histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), a posttranslational epigenetic modification associated with transcriptional repression. Given these annotations, we assessed whether methylation at the 8 CpGs has a potential sex-dependent relationship with the placental expression of genes in the chr11p15.5 imprinting domain. Higher CpG methylation showed correlation with increased KCNQ1OT1 expression in females and trended with decreased KCNQ1OT1 expression in males (cg03030994-KCNQ1OT1: rm = − 0.26, Pm = 0.12; rf = 0.36, Pf = 0.04), increased CDKN1C expression in females (cg00446023-CDKN1C: rm = − 0.09, Pm = 0.58, rf = 0.35, Pf = 0.046), and decreased SLC22A18 and KCNQ1 expression in males (cg05457684-SLC22A18: rm = − 0.44, Pm = 0.006, rf = 0.04, Pf = 0.83; cg05457684-KCNQ1: rm = − 0.46, Pm = 0.004; rf = 0.05, Pf = 0.79; cg06960356-KCNQ1: rm = − 0.42, Pm = 0.009; rf = 0.14, Pf = 0.45). The KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C domain has been linked to diseases and trait differences. For example, imprinting dysregulation of genes in the KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C domain has been linked to Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, a disorder of growth regulation characterized by somatic overgrowth and tumor predisposition79. Moreover, increased placental expression of the maternally expressed CDKN1C, PHLDA2, and SLC22A18 genes has been linked with fetal growth restriction and smaller neonatal size80,81,82,83,84. We found that three female hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs showed correlation, albeit weakly, with lower birthweight (cg25548316: rs = − 0.13, P = 0.03), higher placental weight (cg13536051: rs = 0.11, P = 0.048; cg15782852: rs = 0.18, P = 0.002), and higher placenta-birthweight ratio (cg13536051: rs = 0.2, P = 0.001; cg15782852: rs = 0.14, P = 0.02).
Most canonical pathways and hallmark gene sets that were enriched for genes near male-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs differed from those enriched for female-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs (Fig. 9, Supplementary Fig. 3 and Supplementary Data 12). The top canonical pathways enriched only in male-biased methylation included extracellular matrix organization, hemostasis, and immune response (e.g., chemokine and Family B G-protein-coupled receptors); pathways enriched only in female-biased methylation included transcription regulation, transportation of small molecules in cells, and regulation of genes involved in metabolism by the tumor suppressor protein TP53. The top hallmark gene sets enriched only in male-biased methylation included coagulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, upregulation of KRAS signaling, myogenesis, and allograft rejection; hallmark gene sets enriched only in female-biased methylation included mitotic spindle, early estrogen response, apoptosis, and glycolysis. For the minority of pathways and hallmark gene sets that overlapped between male- and female-hypermethylated sex-DM CpGs, few or no genes were common between males and females. Such gene set convergence through different genes suggests that male and female placentas may coordinate different CpGs/genes for an essentially identical biological process or potential compensatory mechanisms.
The outer track represents the enriched canonical pathways obtained using the FUMA tool, ordered from the most to the least significant in the clockwise direction. The middle track represents the hypergeometric test for enrichment FDR-adjusted P-value. The orange bars in the inner-most track represent the number of genes near the sex-differentially methylated sites that overlapped with genes in the database of each pathway. The green lines connect enriched pathways shared between males and females, with width proportional to the number of shared genes. Database abbreviations: B: BIOCARTA, K: KEGG, N: NABA, P: PID, R: REACTOME, S: SIG. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
Transcription factor (TF) activity can contribute to sex-biased gene regulation55. We found that several transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) are enriched for the sex-biased methylation loci. The identified TFBS are associated with TFs that regulate target genes through diverse mechanisms. Specifically, the sex-mQTL genetic variants were significantly enriched for three TFBS associated with TFs that regulate target genes via functions such as nuclear hormone receptors (e.g., NR2C2), sequence-specific DNA binding (SP2), and epigenetic remodeling (REST) (FDR-adjusted P < 0.05). NR2C2 (nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group C member 2) encodes the testicular receptor 4 protein TR4. In vivo mice studies have shown that Nr2c2 plays key roles in fetal growth, early postnatal survival, fertility, and sensitivity to environmental stimuli85,86. Male Nr2c2-null mice exhibit delayed spermatogenesis and reduced fertility86, and females exhibit maternal behavioral abnormalities85. Sex-DM and sex-mQTL CpG genomic positions were significantly enriched for TFBS associated with TFs in the zinc finger family, cell cycle regulation (E2F), sequence-specific DNA binding (THAP), site-specific DNA binding and embryogenesis (AP-2) (Supplementary Fig. 4).
This study offered several unique insights about the landscape of sex differences in the level and genetic regulation of methylation and gene expression in the human placenta. Key findings include the following: (i) Placental autosomal methylation and its genetic regulation are extensively impacted by fetal sex, whereas sex differences in both the level and the genetic regulation of placental autosomal gene expression are limited. (ii) The vast majority of placental methylation sites and gene transcripts impacted by sex-biased genetic effects did not exhibit methylation and gene expression differences by sex. Moreover, methylation sites that were sex-biased were not enriched for predicted TF binding, did not largely correlate with annotated gene expression, and were enriched for molecular pathways largely distinct from previously described pathways related to sex-biased gene expression in placenta14,17. These observations suggest that distinct mechanisms may underlie sex-dependent placental methylation, gene expression, and their genetic regulation. (iii) The sex-biased methylation sites overlapped with genetic loci implicated in several human phenotypes. Notably, several sex-differentiated genetic effects on methylation and gene expression in the placenta colocalized with birthweight, and adult traits such as breast cancer and allergic diseases, contributing to the mechanistic interpretation of GWAS signals. These findings suggest the potential role of placenta-mediated sex differences in developmental and later-life physiological traits and diseases.
Many genetic variants showing sex-biased association with placental methylation and gene expression had a single-sex effect, unveiling biological insights that would be masked or attenuated in standard combined-sex QTL studies. One such example is an mQTL near STMN3 (Stathmin-3) (rs1151625-cg14862171), identified previously by a combined-sex analysis of placenta samples87, and was found in the present study to be a sex-mQTL locus conforming to a female-specific effect. The genetic variant's effect on methylation was 45-fold stronger in females than male placenta and 1.29-fold stronger in female than combined-sex sample placenta. These results clarify that the previously reported association based on combined-sex analysis87 was most likely driven by the effect of the genetic variant on methylation in the female placenta only. STMN3 encodes a microtubule destabilizing protein that regulates placentation in early pregnancy in vitro88. The largely distinct sex-DM and sex-DE associations detected in the present study align with a recent report20. Our study implemented more omics-integrated analyses, including directly testing association of sex-DM CpGs with nearby gene expression, identifying sex-eQTL associations, and implementing analyses models that included interaction terms between sex and genetic variants. These approaches yielded unique insights that sex-DM CpGs were more likely to be associated with nearby gene expression alteration and enabled the detection of several previously undetected sex-mQTLs and sex-eQTLs with single-sex effects.
Male fetus-bearing pregnancies are at increased risk for major pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction, and post-partum hemorrhage, all of which have molecular origins tied to placentation and hemostasis4. In our study, male-biased placental methylation was markedly enriched for the hemostasis/coagulation hallmark gene set that has not previously been characterized as sex-differentiated. The placenta expresses coagulation components involved in hemostasis and placental vascular development89. The male-enriched coagulation hallmark gene set included tissue factor protein inhibitor-2 (TFPI2; aka placental protein 5 (PP5)), an extracellular matrix-associated protein known to be abundantly produced by the placenta and is actively involved in coagulation and hemostasis processes90. Transition to a state of hypercoagulability is maximal around the term to prevent maternal and child health complications due to excessive bleeding91. Our finding suggests that epigenetically induced suppression of coagulation pathways can be one potential explanation for male preponderance in pregnancy pathologies and contributes to emerging knowledge on coagulation-inflammation/immune response crosstalk during pregnancy.
We found a previously unrecognized enrichment of imprinting genes in sex-differentiated placental methylation, including a cluster of female-biased methylation within the KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C imprinting domain implicated in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome78,79. In our data, higher methylation of the female-hypermethylated CpGs was associated with female-specific upregulation or male-specific downregulation of genes in this imprinting domain. These findings suggest a potential crosstalk between sex and imprinting regulation in the placenta. The unique epigenetic architecture of imprinting in the human placenta may be permissive to epigenetic alterations. For example, in the KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C cluster, loss of imprinting is variable, and gene repression by the KCNQ1OT1 lncRNA is incomplete92. Human placental DMRs are uniquely highly polymorphic73,78,93. Placental DMRs are associated with variable histone marks94 which are mechanistically linked to DNA methylation that influences imprinting stability95 and potentially with underlying genetic variation93. Collectively, these studies and our findings suggest that the imprinting domains may be vulnerable to epigenetic alterations from other factors that influence allelic bias in a sex-dependent manner, but future work should investigate this and its relevance to sex differences in pregnancy physiology and clinical complications.
Our study has limitations. First, placental gene expression and methylation are dynamic over gestation16,17. However, the current study is unable to distinguish sex differences that emerge in early gestation from those that emerge in later gestation because the placenta samples were obtained at or near-term gestation. Second, genetic regulation of methylation and gene expression in the placenta may vary by cell type. We found that in silico-derived placental cell type composition did not vary by sex and did not explain the observed sex-QTLs. Similar to ours, the GTEx study did not find sex differences in cell composition for 41 out of 44 tissues tested50. These findings should be seen in light of the caveat that existing in-silico methods for estimating the cell type composition of the placenta do not fully characterize the spatial heterogeneity of the placenta. Better insights may be gained in the future through single-cell analysis of the placenta from different developmental stages. Third, differences related to sex chromosomes will require future methodological advances that can facilitate analyses that integrate the autosomes with the haploid Y chromosome and dosage compensation of the X chromosome1. Fourth, the detection of sex-eQTLs may have been limited by the sample size of our placental RNA-seq dataset. The inclusion of covariates to account for genetic population structure and cell heterogeneity may have further impacted the study's power in detecting weaker signals. Similar to our findings, the limited sex difference in gene expression regulation has been observed in 44 non-placental tissues from GTEx50 and in adult blood96,97. Moreover, one study demonstrated that samples of millions of individuals would be required to detect sex-biased eQTLs in the blood that appreciably mediate sex-biased genetic associations with complex traits96. Larger datasets and accounting for factors that influence QTLs can improve the transferability of sex-QTLs found to be limited in our study as well as others50,98.
In conclusion, this multi-omics study in the placenta identified sex-specific regulatory processes and molecular pathways and potential crosstalk between placental sex and imprinting. Sex-biased genetic regulation of placental methylation and gene expression colocalized with GWAS loci for neonatal traits and adult diseases, revealing placental embedding of sex differences in human health and disease across the life span.
The NICHD Fetal Growth study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of NICHD and each of the participating clinic sites, namely, Columbia University, New York; New York Hospital, Queens, New York; Christiana Care Health System, Delaware; Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Jersey; Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina; University of Alabama, Alabama; Northwestern University, Illinois; Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, California; University of California, Irvine, California; Fountain Valley Hospital, California; Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Rhode Island; and Tufts University, Massachusetts. The RICHS study was approved by institutional review boards of Emory University and Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
Datasets from placenta samples obtained at delivery as part of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies – Singletons were included in the discovery analysis. The NICHD Fetal Growth Studies – Singletons recruited 2802 pregnant women between July 2009 and January 2013 at 12 clinical sites in the United States from four race/ethnic groups (i.e., non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander) between 8–13 gestational weeks and followed through delivery. To be enrolled, women had to have no past adverse pregnancy outcomes and no major pre-existing medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, chronic hypertension, diabetes, chronic renal disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, or psychiatric disorders. Gestational age was determined using the date of the last menstrual period and confirmed by ultrasound between 8 weeks to 13 weeks and 6 days of gestation. After the first ultrasound, pregnant women underwent up to five standardized ultrasounds with measurement of fetal biometry at a priori-defined gestational ages25. Birth weight was measured in grams (g) using an electronic infant scale or beam balance scale, and birth length and head circumference were measured in centimeters (cm). Placenta weight was measured in grams (g). Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants.
Placental biopsies measuring 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm were taken from the fetal side (n = 312) within one hour of delivery, and samples were placed in RNAlater and frozen in − 80 °C for molecular analysis87. DNA extracted from the placental biopsies was genotyped using HumanOmni2.5 Beadchip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). For the genotype dataset, detailed quality control procedures have been described previously21,87,99,100. Briefly, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with >5% missing values, minor allele frequency <0.5%, and not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 10−4) we removed. SNP genotypes were imputed using the Michigan Imputation Server (https://imputationserver.sph.umich.edu/) using the 1000 Genomes Phase 3 genotype reference (https://www.internationalgenome.org/category/reference/), and filters were applied to remove insertion-deletions, SNPs with minor allele frequency < 0.5% and SNPs with imputation dosage r2 < 0.3. Infant sex (male or female) was obtained from medical charts and was compared with sex predicted based on X chromosome heterozygosity (inbreeding coefficient estimate F > 0.8 male, F < 0.2 female)21,87,99,100.
DNA methylation was profiled on the 312 samples using Illumina's Infinium Human Methylation450 Beadchip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). Probes which were cross-reactive, non-autosomal, had mean detection P ≥ 0.05, or had CpGs located within 20 base pairs of known SNPs were removed. Samples that had discrepancies between sex obtained from medical charts and predicted from genotypes, were outliers from the distribution of the samples' genetic clusters or had a mismatching sample identifier were removed, as previously described21,87,99,100.
RNA from a subset of the placental samples (n = 80) was extracted using TRIZOL reagent (Invitrogen, MA), and RNA sequencing was performed using the Illumina HiSeq2000 system with 100 bp paired-end reads. The reads were mapped to the human reference genome (NCBI/build 37.2) using Tophat version 2.0.4. The raw placental RNA-seq dataset had a total of 33,690 RNA transcripts. Read count data were normalized across libraries using the trimmed mean of M values (TMM) normalization technique implemented in the R/Bioconductor package “edgeR”101. Transcripts in autosomal chromosomes without 6 or more reads in at least 3 samples or without depth-normalized counts per million (CPM) of 0.1 or higher in at least 3 samples were removed, as previously described22,87.
The following datasets that passed previously performed quality control filters mentioned above were included in the present analyses: 301 samples (152 males and 149 females) with placental methylation data at 408,680 CpGs were included in sex-DM analysis, of which 291 samples (147 males and 144 females) with fetal genotype data at 5,359,103 genetic variants as well as placental methylation data at 408,680 CpGs were included in sex-mQTL analysis. A total of 80 sub-samples (43 males and 37 females) with placental RNA-seq data at 21,550 transcripts were included in sex-DE analysis, of which 71 samples (38 males and 33 females) with fetal genotype data at 5,337,343 genetic variants as well as RNA-seq at 21,550 transcripts were included in sex-eQTL analysis.
A total of 301 samples (152 males and 149 females) with placental methylation data at 408,680 CpGs were included in the sex-DM analysis. We estimated placental cell type proportion in silico using DNA methylation beta values with the R/Bioconductor package “planet” (https://www.bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/planet.html)60. Genotype-based principal components (PCs) representing population structure were estimated using fetal genome-wide SNP genotype data. Methylation PCs were estimated using the R package “prcomp”102. To identify sex-differentiated methylation (sex-DM), epigenome-wide analyses were performed with fetal sex as the predictor and placenta DNA methylation at each CpG site as the outcome using the R/Bioconductor package “limma”103. The analysis included linear regression models that were adjusted for self-reported maternal race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Asian), gestational age at delivery, methylation sample plate (n = 5), the first three methylation PCs, the first 10 genotype PCs to account for population structure, and predicted cell type proportions for six placental cell types60. To account for the inflation of statistical tests, we implemented a Bayesian method to obtain BACON-corrected inflation estimates and BACON-corrected P-values using the R/Bioconductor package “BACON”104. Quantile-quantile (QQ) plots of P-values and the corresponding inflation estimate after BACON-correction (λ = 1.271) are reported in Fig. 2a. BACON-corrected P-values were then controlled for false discovery rate (FDR), giving BACON-corrected FDR-adjusted P-values.
To evaluate relations between sex-DM CpGs and gene expression, we tested whether methylation at each sex-DM CpG is correlated with the placental expression of its closest gene. This test was performed between 3636 sex-DM CpGs located in or near a gene (i.e., in gene body, 3'untranslated region (UTR), 5'UTR, exon, transcription start site (TSS) based on the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome reference annotation; https://genome.ucsc.edu/cgi-bin/hgGateway105) and placenta nearby gene expression levels in our dataset. In further exploration, we assessed the correlation between methylation at each sex-DM CpG and placental expression of all genes within 200 kb distance from the CpG site.
A total of 291 samples (147 males and 144 females) with both placental methylation data at 408,680 CpGs and fetal genotype data at 5,359,103 genetic variants were included in the sex-mQTL analysis. Sex-mQTL analysis was performed to identify sex-mQTLs, i.e., SNPs whose effect on placental methylation differs in magnitude between male and female pregnancies. The sex-mQTL analysis was performed in two stages to accommodate the computational burden of the model for analysis in MatrixEQTL106. First, residuals of each methylation site were obtained by running a linear regression model with each methylation site as an independent outcome and race/ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, methylation plate, 3 methylation PCs, and 10 genotype PCs as covariates. Next, each methylation residual was fit as the outcome in a linear regression model with SNPs within 1 Mb distance and an interaction term between SNP and sex using MatrixEQTL106. The QQ plot of P-values for the SNP*sex interaction term of the mQTL mapping showed the absence of inflation (λ = 1.001) (Fig. 2b). Statistical significance for the interaction term was defined based on FDR-adjusted P < 0.05.
Next, sex-stratified cis-mQTL analyses were performed on the FDR-significant mQTL-CpG pairs in a linear regression model with methylation as outcome, SNP within 1 Mb distance as predictor, and race/ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, methylation plate, 10 genotype PCs, and 3 methylation PCs as covariates. For pairs found to have FDR-significant mQTL association in either or both males and females (FDR-adjusted P < 0.05, accounting for the total number of mQTL-CpG pairs tested in the two strata), we performed a t-test of the difference between the standardized male-specific and female-specific effect estimates, assuming unequal variance (Pdiff). Lastly, we classified the sex-mQTLs with FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05 into one of the following three categories: (i) concordant effect: association found to be FDR-significant in one sex and nominally significant (P < 0.05) or FDR-significant in the other sex with a consistent effect direction but different magnitude; FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05. (ii) opposite effect: association found to be FDR-significant in one sex and nominally significant (P < 0.05) or FDR-significant in the other sex a with an opposite effect direction; FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05. (iii) Single-sex effect: association found to be FDR-significant in one sex but not nominally significant (P < 0.05) in the other sex; FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05.
A total of 80 samples (43 males and 37 females) with placental RNA-seq data at 21,550 transcripts were included in the sex-DE analysis. Analysis was performed using edgeR, adjusted for race/ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, and 10 genotype PCs. Quantile-quantile (QQ) plots of P-values and the corresponding inflation estimate after BACON correction (λ = 1.326) are reported in Fig. 2c.
A total of 71 individuals (38 males and 33 females) with both fetal genotype data at 5,337,343 genetic variants and RNA-seq at 21,550 transcripts were included in sex-eQTL analysis. Sex-eQTL analysis was performed in two stages to accommodate the computational burden of the model for MatrixEQTL106. First, residuals of each transcript were obtained by running a linear regression model with each transcript as the independent outcome and race/ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, 10 PEER factors (i.e., expression variance components)107, 3 RNA PCs, and 10 genotype PCs as covariates. Next, each transcript's residual was fit as an outcome in a linear regression model with SNPs within 1 Mb distance, and an interaction term between SNP and sex using MatrixEQTL106. The QQ plot of P-values for the SNP*sex interaction term of the eQTL mapping showed the absence of inflation (λ = 0.988) (Fig. 2d). Statistical significance for the interaction term was defined based on FDR-adjusted P < 0.05.
Next, sex-stratified cis-eQTL analyses were performed in a linear regression model with gene expression as an outcome, SNP within 1 Mb distance as the predictor, and race/ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, 3 PEER factors, 4 genotype PCs, and 3 RNA PCs as covariates. The same workflow described for sex-mQTL was implemented to classify the sex-eQTLs with FDR-adjusted Pdiff < 0.05 into concordant effect, opposite effect, or single-sex effect.
The sex-DE, sex-mQTL, and sex-eQTL associations discovered were assessed in a dataset from the RICHS cohort (n = 148; 74 males, 74 females). Mother and infant pairs were recruited following delivery at the Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island from 2009 to 2013. The study included infants born small for gestational age, large for gestational age, and controls born appropriate for gestational age-matched on sex, gestational age, and maternal age26. Placental RNA-seq data from a subset of samples (n = 200) were obtained using the Illumina Hi-Seq 2500 platform; placental DNA methylation data (n = 220) were obtained using the Infinium MethylationEPIC array (Illumina); and genotype data for 159 infants were obtained using the Illumina MegaEX array and imputed using the Haplotype Reference Consortium reference panel. Both sex-mQTL and sex-eQTL analyses were performed on 148 samples (74 male, 74 female) with genotype, DNA methylation data, and RNA-seq data. Of the 1839 SNP-CpG pairs in the sex-mQTL associations discovered in the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies cohort, 778 SNP-CpG pairs were available and tested in RICHS. Of the 14 SNP-gene pairs in the sex-eQTL associations discovered, only 1 pair (rs10892219-ATP5MG) was present and tested in RICHS. Of the 14 sex-DE associations discovered, 12 transcripts with RNA-seq data in RICHS were tested. Sex-QTL analyses were performed using linear regression models as in the discovery analysis with adjustment for self-reported ethnicity, methylation or RNA-seq batch, top 10 genotype PCs, and top 3 expression PCs (for sex-eQTL) or methylation PCs (for sex-mQTL). Sex-DE analyses were performed using linear regression models as in the discovery analysis with adjustment for race/ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, and 10 genotype PCs.
For each of our samples, we derived proportions for 6 placental cell types (trophoblast, stromal, Hofbauer, endothelial, nucleated red blood cells (nRBC), syncytiotrophoblast) using methylation data and a reference panel of placental cell counts as implemented in the R package “planet” (https://www.bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/planet.html)60. We evaluated whether cell type proportions were different between males and females using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test (P < 0.05/6). We further assessed the correlation between cell proportion and methylation PCs 1-3, which were regressed out of the methylation data during sex-mQTL analysis.
For RNA-seq, we also derived proportions for 27 placental cell types with CIBERSORTx61 based on placental single-cell sequencing reference composed of 19 fetal and 8 maternal cell types108 and tested whether cell type proportions were different between males and females using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test (P < 0.05/27). We further assessed the correlation between cell proportion and RNA PCs 1-3, which were regressed out of the transcript data during sex-eQTL analysis.
To assess whether a shared causal genetic variant underlies both a complex phenotype and sex-biased gene expression/methylation in the placenta, we performed GWAS-QTL colocalization analysis using the ezQTL Web platform (https://analysistools.cancer.gov/ezqtl/#/home)109. ezQTL performs colocalization analysis using two methods (eCAVIAR and HyPrColoc) by integrating GWAS summary statistics, QTL results, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) matrix data. GWAS summary statistics for birthweight were obtained from the Early Growth Genetics Consortium (https://egg-consortium.org/birth-weight-2019.html). We performed colocalization analysis on the sex-QTL loci separately for male- and female-stratified QTL, each integrated with GWAS summary statistics and LD matrix data from the 1000 G samples (Supplementary Data 13). A sex-QTL locus was tested for GWAS-colocalization provided a given GWAS summary statistics dataset (from 423 publicly available GWAS trait summary statistics available in ezQTL) contains a SNP within 1 Mb window from the QTL lead SNP with a GWAS association P < 5 × 10−8. 63 eQTL-GWAS locus pairs representing 42 unique phenotypes and 96 mQTL-GWAS locus pairs representing 16 unique phenotypes which fulfilled this requirement were tested, separately for males and females. Colocalization was considered significant if eCAVIAR colocalization posterior probability was ≥0.01 or HyprColoc posterior probability was ≥ 0.5 based on a window of 50 SNPs around the GWAS lead SNP, as recommended in ezQTL.
Associations of sex-DM CpGs or sex-DE transcripts with measures of neonatal anthropometry measured at birth (i.e., birthweight, birth length, head circumference) and placental size (i.e., placental weight and placental/birth weight ratio) were tested using the Spearman correlation test. The EWAS catalog (http://ewascatalog.org/)110 and EWASAtlas (https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/ewas/atlas/index)111 were searched to check whether the sex-DM and sex-mQTL CpGs overlap with previously known EWAS loci. The GWAS catalog v1.0.2 (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/gwas/; downloaded on December 2, 2021)112 was searched to check whether the sex-eQTL SNPs, sex-mQTL SNPs, sex-DE genes, and sex-DM genes overlap with previously known GWAS loci.
To test the enrichment of transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) in the QTL genetic variants, we separately submitted sex-eQTL and sex-mQTL SNPs to SNP2TFBS (https://epd.expasy.org/snp2tfbs/; a web interface for querying genetic variants that affect transcription binding sites)113. The sex-DM and sex-mQTL target CpGs were annotated for regulatory features from ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, and GENCODE (https://zwdzwd.github.io/InfiniumAnnotation/EPIC_hm450_hg19.html). Enrichment of TFBS in the genomic region flanking 200 bp from sex-DM or sex-mQTL target CpGs was tested using the JASPAR enrichment tool (https://jaspar.genereg.net/)114. JASPAR implements enrichment computations in the LOLA tool to test whether TFBS from the JASPAR database are enriched in our genomic regions of interest compared to CpG probes from the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450k microarray, separately for the following three sets of CpGs: i) CpGs hypermethylated in males, ii) CpGs hypermethylated in females, and iii) sex-mQTL targets CpG sites. We tested for enrichment of CpG positions with the functional elements DNase 1 hypersensitive sites (DHS), 15-state chromatin marks, and H3 histone marks compared to CpGs on the Illumina 450k array based on functional information from the Consolidated Roadmap Epigenomics database using eFORGE v2.0 (https://eforge.altiusinstitute.org/)115.
Two sets of sex-DM genes (i.e., genes mapping male-hypermethylated CpG sites and female-hypermethylated CpGs) were separately annotated in biological context using the GENE2FUNC option using FUMA, a web-based platform that facilitates functional annotation of GWAS results (https://fuma.ctglab.nl/)116. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using FUMA to test whether the input genes were enriched in GO Biological Process ontology and hallmark gene sets, which are biological states displaying coordinated expression as defined by the Molecular Signatures Database (MsigDB v7.0).
Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.
As part of the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies, which is the discovery cohort in the present study, the genotypes, DNA methylation, and gene expression data have been deposited in the dbGaP database under accession code phs001717.v1.p1 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap/?term=phs001717.v1.p1]. Moreover, as part of the Rhode Island Child Health Study (RICHS), which is the replication cohort in the present study, the genotypes and gene expression data have been deposited in the dbGaP database under accession code phs001586.v1.p1 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs001586.v1.p1]. The following datasets made available by other groups were also used in the present analyses: the 1000 Genomes Reference Panel datasets were accessed at https://www.internationalgenome.org/category/reference/; the human genome reference made accessible by the Genome Reference Consortium was accessed at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assembly/GCF_000001405.13/; genotype imputation platform, as well as the Haplotype Reference Consortium reference panel, was accessed via the Michigan Imputation Server at https://imputationserver.sph.umich.edu/; and the Human Protein Altas dataset was downloaded at https://www.proteinatlas.org/about/download#protein_atlas_data. Source data are provided in this paper.
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This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH) including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding via contract numbers HHSN275200800013C; HHSN275200800002I; HHSN27500006; HHSN275200800003IC; HHSN275200800014C; HHSN275200800012C; HHSN275200800028C; HHSN275201000009C and HHSN27500008. Additional support was obtained from the NIH Office of the Director, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). RICHS is partially supported by NIH-NIEHS R01ES022223 (C.J.M.), NIH-NIEHS R01ES022223-03S1 (C.J.M.), NIH-NICHD R01HD108310, and NIH-NIEHS U24ES028507 (C.J.M.). The authors acknowledge the research teams at all participating clinical centers for the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies, including Christina Care Health Systems, Columbia University, Fountain Valley Hospital, California, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, New York Hospital, Queens, Northwestern University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of California, Irvine, Medical University of South Carolina, Saint Peters University Hospital, Tufts University, and Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. Genotyping was performed in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota. The authors also acknowledge C-TASC and The EMMES Corporations in providing data and imaging support. The authors are also thankful to the RICHS study participants for their participation, and the study staff at Women and Infants Hospital for their dedication to the project. This work utilized the computational resources of the NIH HPC Biowulf cluster (http://hpc.nih.gov).
Division of Population Health Research, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Fasil Tekola-Ayele, Tesfa Dejenie Habtewold, Prabhavi Wijesiriwardhana & Marion Ouidir
Glotech, Inc., contractor for Division of Population Health Research, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Richard J. Biedrzycki
Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Amber Burt & Carmen J. Marsit
University of Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, Team of Environmental Epidemiology applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France
Marion Ouidir
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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F.T.-A. conceived and designed this study and wrote the draft manuscript. R.J.B. performed statistical analyses and visualizations. A.B., T.D.H., and P.W. contributed to data analysis. M.O. contributed to data analysis and write-up. C.J.M. and R.W. contributed data and samples. F.T.-A., R.J.B., A.B., T.D.H., P.W., C.J.M., M.O., and R.W. interpreted the results, reviewed the draft manuscript, provided critical intellectual content, and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to
Fasil Tekola-Ayele.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00912132.
Nature Communications thanks Ionel Sandovici, Jennifer Frost, and the other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.
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Tekola-Ayele, F., Biedrzycki, R.J., Habtewold, T.D. et al. Sex-differentiated placental methylation and gene expression regulation has implications for neonatal traits and adult diseases.
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An increase in physical activity between the ages of 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer's disease, while inactivity may be detrimental to brain health. This is the main conclusion of a scientific paper published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, which highlights the need to promote physical activity among middle-aged adults. The study is the result of a collaboration between the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center promoted by the "la Caixa" Foundation, and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), a research centre of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.
It is estimated that 13% of Alzheimer's disease cases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity per week. While extensive research has shown that exercise reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease by improving cardiovascular and mental health, recent studies suggest that physical activity may have a direct impact on the development of brain pathology associated with the disease.
The study, led by Eider Arenaza-Urquijo, researcher at ISGlobal, included 337 participants from the ALFA+ longitudinal cohort, part of the ALFA study (ALzheimer's and FAmilies) at the BBRC, supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation. "We conducted a four-year follow-up of middle-aged residents of Catalonia with a family history of Alzheimer's disease," explains Müge Akıncı, doctoral researcher at ISGlobal and the BBRC at the time of the study and first author of the paper. "We used physical activity questionnaires to assess changes in activity over a four-year period and neuroimaging tests to analyse the effects of exercise on brain structure and function," she adds. Participants were classified as adherent (meeting WHO recommendations), non-adherent (doing less than the recommended amount of physical activity), and sedentary (doing zero minutes of physical activity per week).
Benefits of physical activity on brain mechanisms
Beta-amyloid (Aβ) is a protein that can impair neural communication when it accumulates in the brain and is considered the first pathological event in Alzheimer's disease. Participants who increased their physical activity to meet WHO-recommended levels showed less beta-amyloid accumulation than those who remained sedentary or reduced their physical activity. Moreover, this effect appeared to be dose-dependent; the greater the increase in activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid burden.
Non-sedentary participants also showed a greater cortical thickness in brain regions associated with Alzheimer's disease. Cortical thickness in the medial temporal area is crucial for memory, so its thinning or atrophy (loss of volume) is an early sign of neurodegeneration.
"Even those who did less physical activity than recommended had greater cortical thickness than sedentary people, suggesting that any amount of exercise, no matter how minimal, has health benefits," explains Müge Akıncı.
More exercise as a prevention strategy
The research team looked at both the increase in physical activity and the adherence to WHO recommendations. They observed that the benefits of physical activity appear to be related to increasing activity over time, rather than reaching a specific activity threshold.
"These findings reinforce the importance of promoting physical activity in middle age as a public health strategy for Alzheimer's prevention," emphasises Eider Arenaza-Urquijo, ISGlobal researcher and lead investigator of the study. "Interventions aimed at promoting increased physical activity could be key to reducing the incidence of the disease in the future," she concludes.
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As the global population ages, supporting older adults in maintaining their cognitive and memory functions has become a pressing concern. The United Nations estimates that by the 2070s, there will be over 2.2 billion people aged 65 or older, surpassing the global number of children under 18. This demographic shift is especially pronounced in Japan, the fastest-aging country, where 28.7% of the population is 65 or older.
One promising strategy to counter cognitive decline is through olfactory stimulation -- engaging the sense of smell. Smell signals travel directly to brain regions involved in memory and emotion. Building on this knowledge, a joint research team from Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), University of the Arts London, Bunkyo Gakuin University, and Hosei University, Japan, has developed the world's first cognitive training method for older adults by combining olfactory stimulation with virtual reality (VR). The study was published in Volume 15 of the journal Scientific Reports on March 28, 2025.
"VR provides a promising platform to simulate sensory conditions in a controlled yet engaging manner. By combining goal-oriented tasks with real-time feedback, our VR-based olfactory training approach can increase cognitive engagement and maximize its therapeutic impact," says Professor Takamichi Nakamoto from Science Tokyo.
The method involves an olfactory display that emits specific scents during immersive VR gameplay, activating memory- and emotion-related brain regions. In the activity, participants are asked to memorize and later match scents within a virtual environment. The experience begins in a virtual landscape. Using a VR controller, participants interact with a scent source represented by a stone statue. When touched, the statue releases a specific scent, accompanied by a white vapor cloud as a visual cue to reinforce memory.
Participants then explore the virtual landscape to locate a scent source. As they move through the landscape, the olfactory display emits subtle traces of the scent to guide them to the location. Upon reaching the odor source, shown as a stone lantern, they encounter three colored vapor clouds, each emitting a different scent. Their task is to compare the smells and identify the one that matches the original scent they memorized.
"The smell memory phase strengthens odor recognition and memory encoding by linking the olfactory stimulus with a visual cue. The navigation phase challenges players to integrate spatial navigation with odor recognition while retaining memory of the initial scent. The final odor comparison phase engages olfactory discrimination and working memory retrieval, reinforcing cognitive function," explains Nakamoto.
The activity led to noticeable cognitive improvements in 30 older adults aged 63 to 90. After just 20 minutes of playing the VR game, participants showed improvements in visuospatial rotation and memory. Visuospatial processing and cognitive function were assessed through different tasks. In the Hiragana Rotation Task, where they had to decide if rotated Japanese characters matched the original, scores improved from 19-82 to 29-85. In a word-based spatial memory recall task, where participants memorized word positions in a grid, scores rose from 0-15 to 3-15. These improvements were validated through statistical analysis.
With continued research and development toward more affordable olfactory displays or alternate scent delivery methods, olfactory-based VR activities could become an accessible and engaging tool for supporting mental health in older adults.
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An experiment seven years in the making has uncovered new insights into the nature of consciousness and challenges two prominent, competing scientific theories: Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT). The findings were published today in Nature and mark a pivotal moment in the goal to understand the elusive origins consciousness.
IIT suggests that consciousness emerges when information inside a system (like the brain) is highly connected and unified, for as long as the information is consciously perceived, acting as a single whole. On the other hand, GNWT suggests a network of brain areas will spotlight important pieces of information in the brain -- bringing it to the forefront of our minds -- broadcasting it widely the moment it enters consciousness, and this produces conscious experience. The two competing theories were tested against one another in 2019 in a collaborative experiment involving 256 human subjects, and the findings were just released.
"Adversarial collaboration fits within the Allen Institute's mission of team science, open science and big science, in service of one of the biggest, and most long-standing, intellectual challenges of humanity: the Mind-Body Problem," said Christof Koch, Ph.D., meritorious investigator at the Allen Institute. "Unravelling this mystery is the passion of my entire life."
The Findings
Research showed that there's functional connection between neurons in early visual areas of the brain (the areas that process vision, which are at the back of the brain) and the frontal areas of the brain, helping us understand how our perceptions tie to our thoughts. The findings de-emphasize the importance of the prefrontal cortex in consciousness, suggesting that while it's important for reasoning and planning, consciousness itself may be linked with sensory processing and perception. In other words, intelligence is about doing while consciousness is about being.
This discovery has implications for how we understand consciousness and may shed light on disorders of consciousness such as comas or vegetative states. Identifying where consciousness comes from could help detect "covert consciousness" in unresponsive patients with severe injuries -- a condition known to occur in about one-quarter of cases as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last year.
Neither Theory Came Out on Top
Integrated Information Theory (IIT) says consciousness comes from the interaction and cooperation of various parts of the brain as they work together to integrate information, like teamwork. It arises from how these parts are connected and how they share information with each other rather than any one individual area or part of the brain generating consciousness. The study, however, did not find enough lasting connections in the back of the brain to support this idea. Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) supports the idea that consciousness happens in the front of the brain, but the study didn't find enough support for this idea either.
"It was clear that no single experiment would decisively refute either theory. The theories are just too different in their assumptions and explanatory goals, and the available experimental methods too coarse, to enable one theory to conclusively win out over another," said Anil Seth, Ph.D., a professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex. "Having said all this, the findings of the collaboration remain extremely valuable -- much has been learned about both theories and about where and when in the brain information about visual experience can be decoded from.
The study involved 256 subjects, which is unprecedented for this kind of experiment. Researchers showed them various visual stimuli and then used three common human brain measurement tools that track blood flow as well as magnetic and electrical activity to study their brains while they looked at the stimuli.
The highly collaborative experiment is the result of a large-scale, open science collaboration that began at a workshop at the Allen Institute in 2018. This innovative approach brought together researchers with differing perspectives to test two theories in a collaborative, yet critical, environment aimed at reducing confirmation bias and accelerating scientific progress.
"Adversarial collaborations are a powerful social process, little used because of its challenging nature, within any field that has competing theories," said Koch. "The bio-medical field could hugely profit by 'friendly' competition among theories -- neurobiological or others. But it requires a great deal of cooperation and work."
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Marine plastic pollution is a global crisis, with 9 to 14 million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean every year. Tiny fragments called microplastics -- ranging from 1 micron to 5 millimeters -- make up the vast majority of plastic pieces found and pose serious risks to ocean health.
Most research has focused on surface waters, usually sampling just the top 15 to 50 centimeters using net tows. However, microplastics come in many forms with different properties, influencing how they move and interact with their surroundings.
A researcher from Florida Atlantic University is among an international team of scientists who has moved beyond just "scratching the surface," marking a turning point in our understanding of how microplastics move through and impact the global ocean.
For the first time, scientists have mapped microplastic distribution from the surface to the deep sea at a global scale -- revealing not only where plastics accumulate, but how they infiltrate critical ocean systems. For the study, researchers synthesized depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to map microplastic distribution patterns by size and polymer type, while also evaluating potential transport mechanisms.
Results, published in Nature, reveal that microplastics are not just surface pollutants -- they're deeply embedded in the ocean's structure. Ranging from a few to thousands of particles per cubic meter, their size determines how they move: smaller microplastics (1 to 100 micrometers) spread more evenly and penetrate deeper, while larger ones (100 to 5,000 micrometers) concentrate near the surface, especially within the top 100 meters of gyres. Gyres act like massive, slow-moving whirlpools that trap and concentrate floating debris -- especially plastic.
Strikingly, microplastics are becoming a measurable part of the ocean's carbon cycle, making up just 0.1% of carbon particles at 30 meters but rising to 5% at 2,000 meters. This suggests that microplastics are not only persistent pollutants but may also be altering key biogeochemical processes in the deep sea.
"Microplastics are not just floating at the surface -- they're deeply embedded throughout the ocean, from coastal waters to the open sea," said Tracy Mincer, Ph.D., co-author and an associate professor of biology and biochemistry in FAU's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College.
Researchers identified more than 56 types of plastic polymers in their synthesized microplastic dataset. While buoyant plastics dominate overall, denser microplastics are more prevalent offshore -- likely because they fragment more readily. Dense polymers become brittle and break down faster, particularly after prolonged exposure to environmental weathering. These small, persistent particles -- often originating from fishing gear and containers like polyester bottles -- can remain in the ocean for decades.
Polypropylene, commonly found in items like yogurt containers and rope, photodegrades more quickly than polyethylene, which is used in plastic bags and water bottles. This may account for its lower abundance in offshore waters. Nonetheless, significant uncertainties remain in subsurface microplastic data due to inconsistent sampling techniques and limited coverage, highlighting the need for specialized equipment and greater collaboration to improve data reliability.
The ocean's water column -- the largest habitat on Earth -- plays a crucial role in global carbon cycling, supporting half of the planet's primary production and absorbing human-made CO?. As microplastics move through this vast space, they interact with natural particles and processes, potentially affecting how the ocean functions.
"Our findings suggest microplastics are becoming a measurable part of the ocean's carbon cycle, with potential consequences for climate regulation and marine food webs," said Mincer. "This work sets the stage for taking the next steps in understanding the residence time of plastic in the interior of the ocean."
The study was led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in collaboration with FAU; Aotearoa Blue Ocean Research in New Zealand; Northeastern University; East China Normal University; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, The Netherlands; The Ocean Cleanup, The Netherlands; Egger Research and Consulting, Switzerland; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Universidad Catolica del Norte, Chile; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Harvard University; University of Siena, Italy; and the National Biodiversity Future Center, Italy.
Several authors were FAU researchers in the Mincer lab including Luisa Galgani, Ph.D., who served as a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow and is now faculty at the University of Siena; Ryan Bos, Ph.D., who was a Ph.D. student in the integrative biology program at FAU and is now a postdoc at Harvard; and Shiye Zhao, Ph.D., the lead author, who was an FAU postdoc for several years and is now tenured faculty at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.
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Trump appointee Darren Beattie requested records regarding a large list of high-profile names, organizations, and right-wing buzzwords for a “Twitter files”-style document dump about alleged conservative censorship.
A previously unreported document distributed by senior US State Department official Darren Beattie reveals a sweeping effort to uncover all communications between the staff of a small government office focused on online disinformation and a lengthy list of public and private figures—many of whom are longtime targets of the political right.
The document, originally shared in person with roughly a dozen State Department employees in early March, requested staff emails and other records with or about a host of individuals and organizations that track or write about foreign disinformation—including Atlantic journalist Anne Applebaum, former US cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs, and the Stanford Internet Observatory—or have criticized President Donald Trump and his allies, such as the conservative anti-Trump commentator Bill Kristol.
The document also seeks all staff communications that merely reference Trump or people in his orbit, like Alex Jones, Glenn Greenwald, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In addition, it directs a search of communications for a long list of keywords, including “Pepe the Frog,” “incel,” “q-anon,” “Black Lives Matter,” “great replacement theory,” “far-right,” and “infodemic.”
For several people who received or saw the document, the broad requests for unredacted information felt like a “witch hunt,” one official says—one that could put the privacy and security of numerous individuals and organizations at risk.
Beattie, whom Trump appointed in February to be the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy, told State Department officials that his goal in seeking these records was a “Twitter files”-like release of internal State Department documents “to rebuild trust with the American public,” according to a State Department employee who heard the remarks. (Beattie was referring to the internal Twitter documents that were released after Elon Musk bought the platform, in an attempt to prove that the company had previously silenced conservatives. While the effort provided more detail on the challenges and mistakes Twitter had already admitted to, it failed to produce a smoking gun.)
“What would be the innocent reason for doing that?” Bill Kristol
The document, dated March 11, 2025, focuses specifically on records and communications from the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Hub, a small office in the State Department's Office of Public Diplomacy that tracked and countered foreign disinformation campaigns; it was created after the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which had the same mission, shut down at the end of 2024. MIT Technology Review broke the news earlier this month that R/FIMI would be shuttered.
Some R/FIMI staff were at the meeting where the document was initially shared, as were State Department lawyers and staff from the department's Bureau of Administration, who are responsible for conducting searches to fulfill public records requests.
Also included among the nearly 60 individuals and organizations caught up in Beattie's information dragnet are Bill Gates; the open-source journalism outlet Bellingcat; former FBI special agent Clint Watts; Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister; Daniel Fried, a career State Department official and former US ambassador to Poland; Renée DiResta, an expert in online disinformation who led research at Stanford Internet Observatory; and Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation researcher who briefly led the Disinformation Governance Board at the US Department of Homeland Security.
Have more information on this story or a tip for something else that we should report? Using a non-work device, reach the reporter on Signal at eileenguo.15 or tips@technologyreview.com.
When told of their inclusion in the records request, multiple people expressed alarm that such a list exists at all in an American institution. “When I was in government I'd never done anything like that,” Kristol, a former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle, says. “What would be the innocent reason for doing that?”
Fried echoes this sentiment. “I spent 40 years in the State Department, and you didn't collect names or demand email records,” says Fried. “I've never heard of such a thing”—at least not in the American context, he clarifies. It did remind him of Eastern European “Communist Party minder[s] watching over the untrusted bureaucracy.”
He adds: “It also approaches the compilation of an enemies list.”
Both GEC and R/FIMI, its pared-down successor office, focused on tracking and countering foreign disinformation efforts from Russia, China, and Iran, among others, but GEC was frequently accused—and was even sued—by conservative critics who claimed that it enabled censorship of conservative Americans' views. A judge threw out one of those claims against GEC in 2022 (while finding that other parts of the Biden administration did exert undue pressure on tech platforms).
Beattie has also personally promoted these views. Before joining the State Department, he started Revolver News, a website that espouses far-right talking points that often gain traction in certain conservative circles. Among the ideas promoted in Revolver News is that GEC was part of a “censorship industrial complex” aimed at suppressing American conservative voices, even though GEC's mission was foreign disinformation. This idea has taken hold more broadly; the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing titled the “Censorship-Industrial Complex: The Need for First Amendment Safeguards at the State Department,” on April 1 focused on GEC.
Most people on the list appear to have focused at some point on tracking or challenging disinformation broadly, or on countering specific false claims, including those related to the 2020 election. A few of the individuals appear primarily to be critics of Trump, Beattie, or others in the right-wing media ecosystem. Many have been the subject of Trump's public grievances for years. (Trump called Krebs, for instance, a “significant bad-faith actor” in an executive order targeting him earlier this month.)
Beattie specifically asked for “all documents, emails, correspondence, or other records of communications amongst/between employees, contractors, subcontractors or consultants at the GEC or R/FIMI” since 2017 with all the named individuals, as well as communications that merely referenced them. He sought communications that referenced any of the listed organizations.
Finally, he sought a list of additional unredacted agency records—including all GEC grants and contracts, as well as subgrants, which are particularly sensitive due to the risks of retaliation to subgrantees, who often work in local journalism, fact-checking, or pro-democracy organizations under repressive regimes. It also asked for “all documents mentioning” the Election Integrity Partnership, a research collaboration between academics and tech companies that has been a target of right-wing criticism.
Several State Department staffers call the records requests “unusual” and “improper” in their scope. MIT Technology Review spoke to three people who had personally seen the document, as well as two others who were aware of it; we agreed to allow them to speak anonymously due to their fears of retaliation.
While they acknowledge that previous political appointees have, on occasion, made information requests through the records management system, Beattie's request was something wholly different.
Never had “an incoming political appointee” sought to “search through seven years' worth of all staff emails to see whether anything negative had been said about his friends,” says one staffer.
Another staffer calls it a “pet project” for Beattie.
Beattie delivered the request, which he framed as a “transparency” initiative, to the State Department officials in a conference room at its Washington, D.C., headquarters on a Tuesday afternoon in early March, in the form of an 11-page packet titled, “SO [Senior Official] Beattie Inquiry for GEC/R/FIMI Records.” The documents were printed out, rather than emailed.
Labeled “sensitive but unclassified,” the document lays out Beattie's requests in 12 separate, but sometimes repetitive, bullet points. In total, he sought communications about 16 organizations, including Harvard's Berkman Klein Center and the US Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as well as with and about 39 individuals.
Conservative critics have long accused the State Department's Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub of helping to censor the American right.
Notably, this includes several journalists: In addition to Bellingcat and Applebaum, the document also asks for communications with NBC News senior reporter Brandy Zadrozny.
Press-freedom advocates expressed alarm about the inclusion of journalists on the list, as well as the possibility of their communications being released to the public, which goes “considerably well beyond the scope of what … leak investigations in the past have typically focused on,” says Grayson Clary, a staff attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Rather, the effort seems like “a tactic designed to … make it much harder for journalists to strike up those source relationships in the first instance.”
Beattie also requested a search for communications that mentioned Trump and more than a dozen other prominent right-leaning figures. In addition to Jones, Greenwald, and “RFK Jr.,” the list includes “Don Jr.,” Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Charlie Kirk, Marine Le Pen, “Bolsonaro” (which could cover either Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president, or his son Eduardo, who is seeking political asylum in the US), and Beattie himself. It also asked for a search for 32 right-wing buzzwords related to abortion, immigration, election denial, and January 6, suggesting a determined effort to find State Department staff who even just discussed such matters.
(Staffers say they doubt that Beattie will find much, unless, one says, it's “previous [FOIA] queries from people like Beattie” or discussions about “some Russian or PRC [Chinese] narrative that includes some of this stuff.”)
Multiple sources say State Department employees raised alarms internally about the records requests. They worried about the sensitivity and impropriety of the broad scope of the information requested, particularly because records would be unredacted, as well as about how the search would be conducted: through the eRecords file management system, which makes it easy for administrative staff to search through and retrieve State Department employees' emails, typically in response to FOIA requests.
This felt, they say, like a powerful misuse of the public records system—or as Jankowicz, the disinformation researcher and former DHS official, put it, “weaponizing the access [Beattie] has to internal communications in order to upend people's lives.”
“It stank to high heaven,” one staffer says. “This could be used for retaliation. This could be used for any kind of improper purposes, and our oversight committees should be informed of this.”
Another employee expressed concerns about the request for information on the agency's subgrantees—who were often on the ground in repressive countries and whose information was closely guarded and not shared digitally, unlike the public lists of contractors and grantees typically available on websites like Grants.gov or USAspending.gov. “Making it known that [they] took money from the United States would put a target on them,” this individual explains. “We kept that information very secure. We wouldn't even email subgrant names back and forth.”
Several people familiar with the matter say that by early April, Beattie had received many of the documents he'd requested, retrieved through eRecords, as well as a list of grantees. One source says the more sensitive list of subgrantees was not shared.
Neither the State Department nor Beattie responded to requests for comment. A CISA spokesperson emailed, “We do not comment on intergovernmental documents and would refer you back to the State Department.” We reached out to all individuals whose communications were requested and are named here; many declined to comment on the record.
Five weeks after Beattie made his requests for information, the State Department shut down R/FIMI.
An hour after staff members were informed, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio published a blog post announcing the news on the Federalist, one of the outlets that sued the GEC over allegations of censorship. He then discussed in an interview with the influential right-wing Internet personality Mike Benz plans for Beattie to lead a “transparency effort.”
“What we have to do now—and Darren will be big involved in that as well—is sort of document what happened … because I think people who were harmed deserve to know that, and be able to prove that they were harmed,” Rubio told Benz.
This is what Beattie—and Benz—have long called for. Many of the names and keywords he included in his request reflect conspiracy theories and grievances promoted by Revolver News—which Beattie founded after being fired from his job as a speechwriter during the first Trump administration when CNN reported that he had spoken at a conference with white nationalists.
Ultimately, the State Department staffers say they fear that a selective disclosure of documents, taken out of context, could be distorted to fit any kind of narrative Beattie, Rubio, or others create.
Weaponizing any speech they consider to be critical by deeming it disinformation is not only ironic, says Jankowicz—it will also have “chilling effects” on anyone who conducts disinformation research, and it will result in “less oversight and transparency over tech platforms, over adversarial activities, over, frankly, people who are legitimately trying to disenfranchise US voters.”
That, she warns, “is something we should all be alarmed about.”
Conservative critics have long accused the State Department's Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub of helping to censor the American right.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's new harm reduction initiative is helping prevent needless deaths.
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Not sure why this isn't said clearly in the article. Unfortunately, not referencing original sources is common practice among European digital rights groups.
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I know that this is the wording the EU itself chooses to put there, but no. They are not "voted upon". Parliament cannot choose a EU commission president. The council (the heads of state of the member states) put forth a candidate and if the parliament says no, the council has to select a president (this time ... without the parliament needing to confirm them)Like anything else in the EU, the executive is in full control of1) itself2) law in the EU (the commission is the ONLY EU institution that can make laws, and yes, the essential part of that is that the parliament IS NOT in charge of EU law. It can neither force a law through nor can the EU parliament prevent the commission from enacting a law)
Like anything else in the EU, the executive is in full control of1) itself2) law in the EU (the commission is the ONLY EU institution that can make laws, and yes, the essential part of that is that the parliament IS NOT in charge of EU law. It can neither force a law through nor can the EU parliament prevent the commission from enacting a law)
1) itself2) law in the EU (the commission is the ONLY EU institution that can make laws, and yes, the essential part of that is that the parliament IS NOT in charge of EU law. It can neither force a law through nor can the EU parliament prevent the commission from enacting a law)
2) law in the EU (the commission is the ONLY EU institution that can make laws, and yes, the essential part of that is that the parliament IS NOT in charge of EU law. It can neither force a law through nor can the EU parliament prevent the commission from enacting a law)
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Chapman also helped the foreign fraudsters steal the identities of more than 70 US nationals, then use those identities to apply for remote IT jobs, according to the Feds.
Those who successfully obtained employment as part of the scam then received payroll checks at Chapman's home with direct deposits sent to her US bank accounts before ultimately being laundered and funneled to North Korea…
So, bit more involved than just running a VPN/proxy service.
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Though not commonly used; though it does pop-up from time-to-time[2][1] https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Norks[2] https://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/korean-war-ii-watch-...
[1] https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Norks[2] https://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/korean-war-ii-watch-...
[2] https://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/korean-war-ii-watch-...
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Why not treason? Any lawyers know?
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The same reason almost no one is ever charged with treason, given the plethora of other criminal charges available to anything that might remotely be similar to treason: Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”Even where the first part (in which, it should be noted, the terms involved are interpreted very narrowly) is not problematic, the “two witnesses" rule, which is applied independently to each fact necessary to sustain the conviction, is usually quite difficult to overcome, so its usually vastly easier to get a conviction for something else.
Even where the first part (in which, it should be noted, the terms involved are interpreted very narrowly) is not problematic, the “two witnesses" rule, which is applied independently to each fact necessary to sustain the conviction, is usually quite difficult to overcome, so its usually vastly easier to get a conviction for something else.
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But this is not that. This is blatant treason.
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The Korean war was never formally resolved, but the US hasn't declared war since WWII.There's also no indication of adherence here.Doing things that benefit a country and a leader that your government officically doesn't care for can be all shades of prohibited and illegal, but it's not treason.
There's also no indication of adherence here.Doing things that benefit a country and a leader that your government officically doesn't care for can be all shades of prohibited and illegal, but it's not treason.
Doing things that benefit a country and a leader that your government officically doesn't care for can be all shades of prohibited and illegal, but it's not treason.
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These days, some vague tattoos will do it.
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We didn't even charge Soviet spies with treason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hanssen
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> Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.The last time we convicted someone for it was in 1949.
The last time we convicted someone for it was in 1949.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_laws_in_the_United_Sta...> The terms used in the definition derive from English legal tradition, specifically the Treason Act 1351. Levying war means the assembly of armed people to overthrow the government or to resist its laws. Enemies are subjects of a foreign government that is in open hostility with the United States.
> The terms used in the definition derive from English legal tradition, specifically the Treason Act 1351. Levying war means the assembly of armed people to overthrow the government or to resist its laws. Enemies are subjects of a foreign government that is in open hostility with the United States.
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You are right, of course, but it's not relevant to policy decisions.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/us/texas-judge-trump-alie...> He also found that the “plain ordinary meaning” of the act's language, like “invasion” and “predatory incursion,” referred to an attack by “military forces” and did not line up with Mr. Trump's claims about the activities of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang, in a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act.
> He also found that the “plain ordinary meaning” of the act's language, like “invasion” and “predatory incursion,” referred to an attack by “military forces” and did not line up with Mr. Trump's claims about the activities of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang, in a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act.
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Also mostly a 2024 story.Related / connected Nashville case from last year:US dismantles laptop farm used by undercover North Korean IT workershttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41356483Also:We found North Korean engineers in our application pilehttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
Related / connected Nashville case from last year:US dismantles laptop farm used by undercover North Korean IT workershttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41356483Also:We found North Korean engineers in our application pilehttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
US dismantles laptop farm used by undercover North Korean IT workershttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41356483Also:We found North Korean engineers in our application pilehttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41356483Also:We found North Korean engineers in our application pilehttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
Also:We found North Korean engineers in our application pilehttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
We found North Korean engineers in our application pilehttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41353079
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Wonder what those companies are, any guesses?https://www.justice.gov/archives/usao-dc/media/1352191/dl> JOHN DOE 1, alias 한지호 Jiho HAN (HAN), was an individual residing overseas
who opened accounts with a foreign money service transmitter (“MST”) that conducts U.S. dollar
transactions through a branch in New York (hereinafter “MST-1”). HAN would then forward the funds to an individual in the People's Republic of China (“China”). HAN also received funds from CHAPMAN for an overseas IT worker that CHAPMAN first deposited into one of her U.S. financial accounts.> JOHN DOE 2, alias 浩然 徐 Haoran XU (XU), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. XU provided his name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accounts.> JOHN DOE 3, alias 春姬 金 Chunji JIN (JIN), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. JIN provided her name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accountsAha so it's not just NK, China is involved as well. I would guess the Chinese govt is quite happy to look the other way here.> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
https://www.justice.gov/archives/usao-dc/media/1352191/dl> JOHN DOE 1, alias 한지호 Jiho HAN (HAN), was an individual residing overseas
who opened accounts with a foreign money service transmitter (“MST”) that conducts U.S. dollar
transactions through a branch in New York (hereinafter “MST-1”). HAN would then forward the funds to an individual in the People's Republic of China (“China”). HAN also received funds from CHAPMAN for an overseas IT worker that CHAPMAN first deposited into one of her U.S. financial accounts.> JOHN DOE 2, alias 浩然 徐 Haoran XU (XU), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. XU provided his name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accounts.> JOHN DOE 3, alias 春姬 金 Chunji JIN (JIN), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. JIN provided her name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accountsAha so it's not just NK, China is involved as well. I would guess the Chinese govt is quite happy to look the other way here.> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
> JOHN DOE 1, alias 한지호 Jiho HAN (HAN), was an individual residing overseas
who opened accounts with a foreign money service transmitter (“MST”) that conducts U.S. dollar
transactions through a branch in New York (hereinafter “MST-1”). HAN would then forward the funds to an individual in the People's Republic of China (“China”). HAN also received funds from CHAPMAN for an overseas IT worker that CHAPMAN first deposited into one of her U.S. financial accounts.> JOHN DOE 2, alias 浩然 徐 Haoran XU (XU), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. XU provided his name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accounts.> JOHN DOE 3, alias 春姬 金 Chunji JIN (JIN), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. JIN provided her name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accountsAha so it's not just NK, China is involved as well. I would guess the Chinese govt is quite happy to look the other way here.> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
> JOHN DOE 2, alias 浩然 徐 Haoran XU (XU), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. XU provided his name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accounts.> JOHN DOE 3, alias 春姬 金 Chunji JIN (JIN), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. JIN provided her name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accountsAha so it's not just NK, China is involved as well. I would guess the Chinese govt is quite happy to look the other way here.> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
> JOHN DOE 3, alias 春姬 金 Chunji JIN (JIN), was an individual residing overseas who registered for financial accounts with U.S. MSTs. JIN provided her name, date of birth, and a Chinese National ID to U.S. MSTs to register for these accountsAha so it's not just NK, China is involved as well. I would guess the Chinese govt is quite happy to look the other way here.> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
Aha so it's not just NK, China is involved as well. I would guess the Chinese govt is quite happy to look the other way here.> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
> On or about November 15, 2022, CHAPMAN messaged with an overseas IT worker using the screenname “Alexander The Great” (“AT”), wherein AT asked 21 CHAPMAN for assistance creating a background story for a stolen U.S. person identity, “Daniel B.” AT noted that the real Daniel B. had a criminal record and employers were asking for more information as to what offenses were committed. CHAPMAN provided a cover story and asked “What information do you know about Daniel B[.]?? Do you know his race?” AT responded that the real Daniel B. was “a black man” but that he (AT) was Asian. AT then gave CHAPMAN his “real full name,” which was a Chinese name"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
"Alexander the Great" - one can image a poor child, wanted to be a history major, but through an ugly twist of fate, they ended up as a hacker stealing identities and having to solve leet code puzzles with ChatGPT /s
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Epic Games is taking a victory lap. After notching a big win against Apple in a years-long legal dispute, Epic announced that its Epic Games Store will allow developers to open webshops, which can offer players out-of-app purchases to circumvent fees from Apple and Google.
Epic has been in a long legal battle with Apple over its iOS App Store fees, which take 30% of a developer's earnings. A judge had ruled in 2021 that Apple couldn't stop developers from directing customers to buy digital goods outside of the Apple ecosystem. But Wednesday night, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in a seething filing that Apple was intentionally violating her 2021 ruling.
Now, Epic is bringing its flagship game Fortnite back to the iOS App Store, where it will incentivize users to buy Fortnite's digital goods through Epic directly, since they'll get a better price.
With the Epic Games Store's new webshops feature, other developers will be more easily able to follow suit.
Usually, Epic takes a 12% share of a developer's earnings from the Epic Games Store, which is still a better deal than what developers get from Apple. But starting in June, Epic Games will not take a cut from the first $1 million each game earns annually. Only after a game eclipses $1 million in revenue will Epic begin taking a cut.
“With new legal rulings in place, developers will be able to send players from games to make digital purchases from webshops on any platform that allows it, including iOS in the European Union and United States,” Epic said.
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After nearly 13 years in business, Fivetran will now be able to offer its customers an end-to-end data movement solution.
Fivetran, which helps enterprises move data from a variety of sources into cloud databases, announced on Thursday it has acquired Census, a reverse extract, transform, and load (ETL) platform that enables companies to transfer data out of databases and into operational tools. Census was founded in 2018 and raised more than $80 million in venture funding from firms including Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, and Tiger Global.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Census was last valued at $630 million in 2022. Once the acquisition closes, the entire Census team will migrate over to Fivetran and the Census brand will eventually be integrated into the Fivetran platform.
George Fraser, the co-founder and CEO of Fivetran, told TechCrunch that the deal made sense for Fivetran for a lot of reasons. For one, customers have been asking Fivetran for a reverse ETL solution for years.
The company thought about developing an offering of its own, going so far as to build a prototype. But Fraser said Fivetran realized it would be a better use of resources to bring on a company that had already figured it out instead.
“Technically speaking, if you look at the code underneath [these] services, they're actually pretty different,” Fraser said. “You have to solve a pretty different set of problems in order to do this.”
Once Fivetran decided it made more sense to add reverse ETL via an acquisition, Census was a natural choice, Fraser said, because the two companies shared many of the same customers and the two platforms are very similar stylistically.
“People who like Fivetran, as compared to Informatica or building their own connectors, they are going to be people who also like Census,” Fraser said. “The two products make broadly similar philosophical choices, and so they tend to appeal to the same customers, which is very important when you're thinking about synergy.”
It didn't hurt that the founding teams of Census and Fivetran go way back, either. Fraser said he met the Census team, which includes CEO Boris Jabes and Anton Vaynshtok, during Y Combinator's 2013 winter batch.
Fraser and his co-founder, Taylor Brown, were going through the YC program while Jabes and Vaynshtok were building Meldium, a password and account management system, that was acquired by LogMeIn in 2014. They all stayed in touch and even talked about Census as a concept years before the company was founded.
Now, close to a decade later, everything is coming under one roof.
“We talked to the Census founders about their idea before they even started the company, and Taylor [Brown] and I joked at the time that it might end up in an acquisition, because there's a lot of synergy between the two things,” Fraser said. “In some ways, this has been fated, I think.”
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Microsoft CEO says up to 30% of the company's code was written by AI
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Google is expanding access to AI Mode, its experimental feature that allows users to ask complex, multi-part questions and follow-ups to dig deeper on a topic directly within Search. The tech giant is also adding more functionality to the feature, including the ability to pick up where you left off on a search.
Google launched AI Mode back in March as a way to take on popular services like Perplexity AI and OpenAI's ChatGPT Search. The updates announced today are designed to allow AI Mode to better compete with the aforementioned services.
With this expansion, Google is getting rid of the waitlist for AI Mode. Now, anyone in the U.S. who is at least 18 years old can access the feature if they're enrolled in Labs, Google's experimental arm.
Google is also going to make AI Mode accessible outside of Labs, as it's testing an AI Mode tab in Google Search that will be visible to a small percentage of people in the U.S.
As for the new functionality, Google is making it possible to go a step beyond asking detailed questions about places and products. Now, you can use AI mode to do things like find a new restaurant or things you need for your next trip. You will now start to see visual place and product cards in AI Mode that you can tap on to get more details.
When looking at local spots like restaurants or salons, you can quickly see info like ratings, reviews, and opening hours. For products, you will be able to see details like real-time prices and promotions, images, shipping details, and local inventory.
For example, if you're searching for the best vintage shops with mid-century modern furniture, AI Mode can highlight nearby stores, provide real-time details like how busy they are, and let you quickly call or get directions.
Or, if you're planning a camping trip, you try searching for something like “best foldable camping chair that would fit in a backpack for under $100.” AI Mode will then give you a breakdown of recommended products, alongside product details and links to retailers.
Google is also making it possible to pick up where you left off when using AI Mode, which should be helpful in cases where you're working on longer-running projects and tasks. On desktop, you can now click the new left-side panel in AI Mode to get to your past searches to see the information you were already given, and to ask follow-up questions.
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Hugging Face releases a 3D-printed robotic arm starting at $100
Bezos-backed Slate Auto debuts analog EV pickup truck that is decidedly anti-Tesla
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Welcome to the era of $80 games. Xbox is the first major game publisher after Nintendo to promise a sweeping price increase for its entire portfolio, save for Game Pass. Consoles, controllers, and other accessories will cost more, but the real cherry on top is the promise that some of the company's first-party games will start at $80 later this year. It sounds like the sort of thing that would hurt sales, but all it really means is Xbox will push Game Pass even harder than before.
In a note published to the Xbox support site, Microsoft detailed a new pricing structure it's recommending to retailers. Starting Thursday, May 1, all Xbox consoles will see price increases. The Xbox Series S with 512GB of storage increases from $300 to $380, and a 1TB version jumps from $350 to $430. An Xbox Series X Digital console now costs $550 compared to its previous $450, and the model with an optical drive now costs $600, $100 more than its previous $500 MSRP. An Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Special Edition with a 2TB SSD now runs $730, or $120 more than its previous $600 price tag, and even more than a $700 PlayStation 5 Pro.
The Xbox Wireless Controller, which remains a staple for both console and PC gaming, now costs $65. The Xbox Elite Series 2 controller now starts at $150, up from $145. The official Xbox Wireless Headset will set you back $120, $10 more than before. Microsoft's gaming hardware will see price hikes outside the U.S. as well.
First-party Xbox games will hit the $80 price point “this holiday season,” according to Xbox. Microsoft's gaming brand is the first to jack up prices since Nintendo introduced its $70, $80, and $90 pricing structure for first-party Switch 2 titles. It's only a matter of time before other major publishers take the hint and raise their prices as well.
“We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” the company wrote on its support page. Gizmodo reached out to Xbox for comment on whether this had anything to do with Trump's tariffs, but we did not immediately hear back.
As much as Xbox wants to point the finger at market conditions, the game price gouging has been a long time coming. Major publishers have been gnashing their teeth for years over how game prices have not increased with inflation. For instance, Halo: Combat Evolved retailed for $50 back in 2001, equivalent to $91 in today's dollars when adjusted for inflation. However, publishers have been looking hard at Nintendo and its Switch 2 pricing. The Japanese console maker is promoting digital editions of Donkey Kong Bananza at $70 and Mario Kart World at $80. The Switch 2 is already sold out in most shops that are doing preorders, which is likely indicating to the industry that players are willing to bite the bullet on more expensive games.
Xbox Game Pass remains the only service that's not going up in price. Last year, Microsoft changed up its gaming subscription service, increased the cost of most tiers, and nixed access to day-one games from its lower-priced console tier. With more expensive games on the horizon, Game Pass may look like an even better deal than before, but Microsoft can always change its policies in the future.
If it isn't clear already, Microsoft's Game Pass will be its bread and butter going forward. Xbox is no longer interested in using hardware to push exclusive titles. This month, it brought once-exclusive games like Forza Horizon 5 to PlayStation 5. Xbox head Phil Spencer recently said he would put Game Pass on Nintendo and Sony platforms if he's given the opportunity.
Based on Microsoft's Q3 earnings report released this week, Xbox hardware sales were already down compared to the rest of its portfolio. Meanwhile, revenue from Xbox “services,” namely Game Pass, was up by 8% year-over-year. Microsoft now sees Xbox as a service model, and hardware will inevitably fall by the wayside. Rather than make a handheld itself, Microsoft will partner with hardware experts like Asus on an Xbox handheld. Higher prices on all hardware and games, even those from other publishers and console makers, will inevitably push more people to Game Pass. In that way, the entire games industry is feeding into Microsoft's hands.
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Get one now before tariffs make it impossible to get handhelds from Anbernic, Retroid, or Ayaneo.
You won't just be haggling over Nintendo Switch 2's $450 price tag or $80 games, but its limited storage space.
Be careful: Cheaper Switch 2 gear like the new GameCube controller or Hori's third-party cameras may not work exactly as you think.
GameStop's Switch 2 preorders page shows the console is now sold out, though you should check your orders page in case you got lucky.
Judging by these sales numbers, the U.S. Switch 2 preorder scene will be hectic midnight on Thursday.
GameStop will give you less money if you trade in an original Switch that suffers from Joy-Con drift or has any blemishes.
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The dreaded Blue Screen of Death. You've got a corrupt set of files. You just bought a used computer. You had a virus and want to start fresh. These are all situations in which you might decide you need a new Windows 11 Pro build. It's always a good idea to have a copy around, even if you don't think you'll need it. Because as soon as you don't think you do, you will. And right now, thanks to this deal from StackSocial, you can get one or multiple keys at an absolutely mind-boggling price.
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Head on over to StackSocial to take advantage of a $15 Windows 11 Pro activation key, marked down from $199. That's a whopping 92% off, and maybe one of the best deals we've ever seen on the platform. You can choose from Windows 11 Pro or Home editions, with Home 89% off from its normal price of $139. Why not buy both at this price? There is one thing to keep in mind here, however. These keys are for PCs that need a new Windows license. Your PC must be compatible and must be able to use Windows Update to install the free Windows 11 upgrade first.
Windows 11 Pro is super versatile, at least as far as operating systems go. Whether you're developing software, making digital art, running a business, or gaming in your downtime, it's got everything you need to stay organized, though you probably have been using it for some time already and know this. It combines advanced security, usability, and productivity-enhancing tools to make a must-have OS, and you'll notice it's a much sleeker experience than previous Windows releases.
This version of Windows 11 Pro comes with lifetime access. It also has tons of built-in software like Microsoft Teams, Widgets for quick updates, and more as well as the AI-powered Windows Copilot, which you can use via taskbar or shortcuts to summarize websites, make setting adjustments, create images, or even help you with code. There's not much it can't do, and it's exceedingly fast. You don't have to pay extra for a ChatGPT subscription this way either, which means you'll be saving some serious money.
If you need Windows on hand, be sure you don't pass up this deal (92% off). It looks like the keys are selling fast, and they're only around for a limited time, so make sure you grab yours before they're all gone.
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According to a new, brow-raising WSJ report, Tesla's board quietly began searching for Elon Musk's potential successor about a month ago, approaching executive search firms as the carmaker faced protests, plummeting sales, and shrinking profits while Musk waded into Washington to slash government spending.
Board members reportedly met with Musk to express concerns about his divided attention, telling him he needed to spend more time on Tesla and to publicly commit to doing so; per the Journal report, Musk didn't push back and subsequently told investors he would “allocate far more time to Tesla” starting in May.
Tesla chair Robyn Denholm said in a statement released overnight that it was “absolutely false” that the company approached recruitment firms. She also claimed “this was communicated to the media before the report was published.” Musk shared the statement and argued it was an “EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS.” The WSJ has since said Tesla never responded to the reporters' questions.
Musk's government work led to Tesla's first annual sales decline in over a decade; it also tarnished the company's brand image among some consumers due to his political alignment. The impact has been fast and furious: Tesla's market value dropped from $1.5 trillion in December to about $900 billion currently.
Despite these challenges, Musk sounded optimistic about Tesla's future during last week's earnings call, where the company reported a 71% profit decline and 9% revenue drop.”We're not on the ragged edge of death,” Musk assured investors, “not even close.”
The current status of the succession planning remains unclear, according to the Journal. It adds that it's unclear whether Musk, who has run Tesla for nearly 20 years, was aware of the effort.
This story has been updated to include statements from Tesla and the WSJ.
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Last year, D23 wowed collectors with one of the coolest Star Wars toys we'd seen in a very long time: a massive, 3.75″-figure-scaled replica of the original ride vehicle from Star Tours, the StarSpeeder 3000, that could seat 25 figures and even included a video screen playing back parts of the iconic Disney ride. But if your memory of Star Tours leans a little towards its modern rejuvenation (itself nearly a decade-and-a-half old now!), then this weekend you're going to be in luck.
io9 has got your exclusive first look at the return of the excellent Star Tours Starspeeder toy as part of the Disney Store's Star Wars Day offerings for May 4 this year. Except, this time the electronically-enhanced vehicle has a brand new orange-hued paint job, reflecting it as a replica of the StarSpeeder 1000, the cosmetic update given to the ride vehicle when Star Tours evolved into The Adventures Continue in 2011, updating the ride experience to incorporate new footage inspired by locations from the prequel trilogy as well as the original saga.
Aside from the new paint job–and a matching new piece of box art inspired by The Adventures Continue–the toy remains largely the same as the one that debuted at D23 last year with some minor changes. The ship still features a display stand, as well as seats to hold up to 25 3.75″-scaled figures (complete with those all-important seatbelts!), and a suite of electronic enhancements, including opening doors that play the classic chime from the ride, lights in the display stand as well as the headlights, thrusters, and cannons on the ship itself, and a 4.75″ LCD screen housed at the front of the StarSpeeder's interior that plays authentic Star Tours ride sequence footage (although as of writing, whether this has been updated to include Adventures Continue footage, compared to the classic Star Tours footage found in the StarSpeeder 3000 toy, remains to be seen).
One key difference is that while the StarSpeeder 3000 playset featured a suite of voice phrases from the beloved original Star Tours droid pilot, Captain Rex, the 1000 will further reflect Adventures Continue by featuring lines from C-3PO, who took over in the refresh as Star Tours' latest unwitting pilot. This is also reflected in the included figures, which will feature an R2-D2 and C-3PO from the ‘Droid Factory' 3.75″ figure line Disney sells in the parks, replacing the Captain Rex included in the D23 StarSpeeder 3000 release.
At least this time you won't have to make the trek to an event like D23 to get your hands on the vehicle this time. The Star Tours: The Adventures Continue StarSpeeder 1000 play set will be available from direct from the Disney Store at this link starting from 11am ET/8am PT this Sunday, May 4.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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As the franchise increasingly grapples with trying to revisit its central figures over and over, Andor season 2's recast-by-necessity proves that there's another path.
Matt Ferguson's new poster for Star Wars: Episode III is on sale now.
There's a good reason the Imperial security droid played by Alan Tudyk hasn't appeared yet on the Star Wars series.
The 20th anniversary re-release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was a huge hit this weekend.
If you're watching Andor for lore and cameos, you'll be left wanting when it comes to a certain Sith lord duo.
Across his 50-year career, Logan handled VFX and cinematography for Star Wars: A New Hope, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the first Tron movie.
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Flowers are pretty. I don't believe that to be a controversial statement. They can brighten any room, adding some color to even the dullest of environments. And yet, there's one glaring matter that can get in the way of you incorporating flowers into the decor of your home.
They die.
Over time, flowers will wither away into nothing but a dried up or soggy mess before they need to be tossed away. Tossed outside in the dirt where they decompose into nothing. So if you're trying to build an aesthetic around the floral centerpiece on your coffee table, good luck. You'll be buying a new bouquet every couple of weeks. Or, you can get something better. This Lego Icons flower bouquet building set of artificial flowers can become a permanent staple of any room in your house. This decorative floral arrangement of plastic pieces is even on sale. Normally the set goes for $60, but right now you can save 20%. That brings the price to just $48, a mark down for $12.
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The Lego flower set doesn't just act as a lovely display. It's also a fun activity you and your mother can do together for Mother's Day. The set contains 756 pieces for your and Mom to assemble. Or just get it for yourself. There's nothing quite like popping on a playlist or podcast, kicking back and putting together some Lego. It's pretty mindful and therapeutic as you put this cool thing together in front of you while your mind wanders and your real-life stressors momentarily go away. And then at the end, you have a fun little display to put on your shelf or table.
The Lego set contains 15 stems with flowers and leaf varieties that include roses, snapdragons, poppies, asters, daisies, and different sorts of grasses. Realistic petal shapes make each flower unmistakable from their real life counterparts. Each stem comes in a variety of lengths. The snapdragon measures in at the longest at a length of over 14 inches.
The petals and leaves are all posable and the lengths can be adjusted so you can assemble the bouquet to your exact liking.
The Lego Icons flower bouquet is part of a larger botanical collection. The flowers in this set can be combined with those from other sets including Wildflower Bouquet (10313), Dried Flower Centerpiece (10314), and Orchid (10311). This one is 10280 for reference.
For a limited time, you can save 20% on this Lego Icons flower bouquet building set. Get your own Lego floral arrangement for just $48.
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Remember that short period of time when phone sizes actually trended downward each year? We wanted smaller and smaller phones. We wanted a device that could easily fit in our pockets and be unobtrusive to the rest of their lives. It was only when phones became smart that screen sizes started trending upwards again. It makes sense that folks would want to have a larger display when their entire lives exist on that screen as social media grew and phone cameras became more powerful.
And yet, all the benefits to having a tiny phone that existed prior are still there. We've just decided that the benefits of a big one outweigh the benefits of a small one. But maybe you don't think that way. Maybe all you need is something small that fits in your pocket without issue. That's where this NanoPhone comes into play — a miniaturized smartphone currently 55% at just $90.
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This fully functional smartphone comes in an incredibly compact design. Its touchscreen is only 3 inches across, but is still HD. The phone weights under three ounces and can fit easily in just about any pocket or handbag. I mean, I supposed all smartphones are designed to fit in a pocket but this one can fit comfortably in your pocket.
The cameras are powerful with a 5 MP lens on the rear, and a 2 MP on the front for selfies and video calls. The phone has a 2,000mAh battery to last you awhile and can be recharged with the standard USB-C charging port.
The phone is SIM card-ready, supporting 4G LTE and data plans with most cellular providers — able to be used with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and all other US carriers including budget and no-contract service providers such as Cricket, Boost, Visible, and Mint. The interface runs Android 10 so that means it is compatible with all your favorite apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and more.
Inside the box, you'll find the NanoPhone unit itself, a screen protector, a protective phone case, the SIM tray ejector, a charge cable, and instructions.
Not only is this phone small in size, but it's also small in price. Most phones nowadays will run you over a thousand dollars in many cases. That's just an absurd amount of money to have to spend on something that's pretty much a basic need in modern life. Well, you can still fill that need but do it while only spending $90. That's right, the NanoPhone — which is normally priced at $200 — is currently being sold for 55% off over at StackSocial.
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Third-party gaming controller and peripherals maker 8BitDo is putting a halt on shipments from its China warehouse to the U.S. In a notice posted on its official online store, the company cited newly introduced U.S. tariffs as the reason for the change. The notice also said that only products stored in its U.S. warehouse would be available for shipment to American customers, while international fulfillment from China was temporarily on hold. The firm has now changed its stance.
The aforementioned notice, blaming U.S. tariffs, was active on the company's official online store up until yesterday. However, the company updated the notice today. The notice now suggests that the company's warehouse in China will be shut from 1 to 5 May 2025 due to Labor Day, and customers can expect shipments to resume starting 6 May. There is no mention of what will happen after that date, or of the impact of U.S. tariffs.
For now, it is unclear why the wording of the notice was revised. We've reached out to 8BitDo for clarification on the company's intentions and what actions it plans to take moving forward.
At the time of writing, U.S. customers can still buy 8BitDo controllers, mice, keyboards, and other products that are already available in the company's U.S. warehouse. However, the website doesn't show which items are available locally. The only way to know that is at the checkout page, where it tells you if a product can or cannot be shipped to your location...
For those who haven't heard of the brand, 8BitDo specializes in retro-inspired gaming controllers and peripherals. It sells high-quality wireless controllers that offer compatibility with platforms like Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC, Android, and even some classic consoles. 8BitDo's products often come with eye-catching vintage aesthetics paired with modern features such as support for wireless connectivity, customization software, and USB-C charging.
The situation with 8BitDo isn't unique, as ripple effects of the newly announced tariffs are being felt across the PC hardware industry. Multiple companies are reportedly rethinking their logistics and pricing strategies. Just last week, PC case and component maker Hyte announced a pause in shipments of certain products to the U.S., citing the financial burden of increased tariffs. While certain PC cases may currently be exempt from the full 145% rate, they still face existing import duties, including a 20% base tariff and an additional 25% on aluminum-related materials.
As U.S. trade policy evolves, companies that rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing, components, or materials are struggling to deal with rising costs and maintaining affordability for consumers. Smaller and mid-sized hardware manufacturers are being forced to either absorb their losses, pass the additional costs onto customers, or make changes and relocate their manufacturing.
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Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom's Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.
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First party accessories generally are the most reliable, but they can be pretty pricy and some of the stuff third party manufacturers are putting together are real cool. 8Bitdo is one of the bigger names in third party controllers these past couple console generations, leveraging hard into nostalgia with a lot of options that reflect the controller designs of yesteryear. However, the 8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth controller is the company playing straight. This is just a solid, modern controller for your Switch or PC meant to be a solid alternative to the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, and right now it's only $39.
Layout-wise, the 8Bitdo Pro 2 controller closely resembles the original Super Nintendo controller. The D-Pad is a dream come true for platformer lovers. The controller adds in modern design elements such as having dual analogue sticks on bottom matching that of the PlayStation family of controllers. It also has grip handles to prevent your hands from cramping. I have an older version of this controller which lacks the handles, and let me tell you. As much as I love playing with it, I can only do it in short bursts before my hands begin to hurt. The grips are a welcomed addition.
See at Amazon
The controller has more of everything you'd expect on a modern day controller from rumble vibrations to motion controls. It's compatible with the Switch, but can also be used with a Steam Deck via Bluetooth, the 2.4g adapter, or a USB cable or it can be used with any Windows PC with the 2.4g adapter or USB cable.
If you're upgrading from your Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers to this 8Bitdo one, a massive improvement you'll find is with the Hall Effect stick. The Joy-Cons notoriously do not stand up to the test of time, with many users reporting various levels of stick drift in which the controller registers directional input even when its not being touched. This results in you character running endlessly to the side or the camera spinning out of control. Hall Effect is quickly becoming the new industry standard for joystick manufacturing and its is much more reliable. You won't experience anymore stick drift.
The 8Bitdo controller also has two pro back paddle buttons which can be assigned to any input. You can also set up custom profiles for different buttons configurations. This is great for siblings with different preferences who share controllers or for single owners when your preferred button paddle assignment differs between games. Just swap between your profiles on the fly.
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If you are going to use these on a computer at all you need some sort of high refresh mode. Things like scrolling and typing are just way too annoying without it.
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In fact there already are some projects of eInk-orientd OSes (e.g. MuditaOS). I don't know how good they really are though.
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I hate scrolling and hardly ever scroll really - I just use multiple vertical displays to fit every page fully, only switching pages. Surely this whole discussion thread can't be fit in a screen but I'm perfectly comfortable "scrolling" it with PgDn.I'm used to slow-response typing (waiting for seconds before a word I typed appears when using modern software on old PCs). In fact I don't even look at the screen when I type until I finish a sentence - despite typing fairly fast I have a habit of looking at the keyboard. I don't mean this is a right way to type yet it proves seeing characters displayed immediately is not essential.
I'm used to slow-response typing (waiting for seconds before a word I typed appears when using modern software on old PCs). In fact I don't even look at the screen when I type until I finish a sentence - despite typing fairly fast I have a habit of looking at the keyboard. I don't mean this is a right way to type yet it proves seeing characters displayed immediately is not essential.
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Messenger apps even have separate panes for displaying message threads and for editing the message you are going to submit - I could put these on separate displays (if the apps would allow moving panels around the way classic desktop apps did).
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Slow monochrome eInk panels have been around for 2 decades. Mostly built into pocket book readers, phones (like Motorola F3) and niche devices like supermarket price tags rather than computer monitors attachable with common connectors.Okay, perhaps it's not the speed which makes them expensive, yet manufacturers and researchers mostly brag about making them faster (and more colorful) rather than making them more cheap (what I would prefer them to).
Okay, perhaps it's not the speed which makes them expensive, yet manufacturers and researchers mostly brag about making them faster (and more colorful) rather than making them more cheap (what I would prefer them to).
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it seems like the company with e-ink patents might be like luxottica controlling the eyeglass market.https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26143407
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26143407
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High efficiency computing where we dont update the screen until absolutely necessary. Efficiency isn't just good for mobile/battery devices, it's good for everything.
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Also I would suspect the high refresh rate isn't the main cost driver here. You can simply refresh eink displays with different methods that offer different trade offs
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I wish you get what you want soon. Nevertheless I would prefer there to be a cheaper option for those who only need to read static documents or watch dashboards of information which doesn't change fast.> You can simply refresh eink displays with different methods that offer different trade offsNeedless to say eInk displays aren't meant to refresh the same way classic displays do. Only the regions which actually change are supposed to redraw. 1 Hz doesn't mean the whole panel is fully reset 60 times every minute, only that it takes a second to display a change. Is this what you mean?
> You can simply refresh eink displays with different methods that offer different trade offsNeedless to say eInk displays aren't meant to refresh the same way classic displays do. Only the regions which actually change are supposed to redraw. 1 Hz doesn't mean the whole panel is fully reset 60 times every minute, only that it takes a second to display a change. Is this what you mean?
Needless to say eInk displays aren't meant to refresh the same way classic displays do. Only the regions which actually change are supposed to redraw. 1 Hz doesn't mean the whole panel is fully reset 60 times every minute, only that it takes a second to display a change. Is this what you mean?
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I can imagine that a somewhat responsive display would also be important for vim users.
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I recorded a video of me reading Hacker News on my eink android phone and Kindle here. It actually works great.https://youtu.be/onvSjhubvQ8Apps used are EinkBro browser and Ktool. The browser is an android apk and lets you “page turn” websites with volume buttons. Ktool converts hacker news discussions to well formatted epubs for kindle.
https://youtu.be/onvSjhubvQ8Apps used are EinkBro browser and Ktool. The browser is an android apk and lets you “page turn” websites with volume buttons. Ktool converts hacker news discussions to well formatted epubs for kindle.
Apps used are EinkBro browser and Ktool. The browser is an android apk and lets you “page turn” websites with volume buttons. Ktool converts hacker news discussions to well formatted epubs for kindle.
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Definitely loving the rise of e-paper. As someone who spends a large portion of every day looking at a screen, it is just so much more comfortable than staring at a flashlight. Definitely exciting that we're starting to see innovation in this space again!
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The biggest cons for me are:- without using the backlight, the battery lasts on the order of days vs e-ink which can last on the order of weeks or longer. With the backlight I can drain it in a day.- The display is not as reflective as traditional e-ink, so there are lots of lighing environments where e-ink can be comfortably used without a backlight, but the Daylight would be difficult to use. Natural outdoor daylight (as the name suggests) or well lit indoor environments are perfectly fine to get away without the backlight though.- The lack of a camera can lead to tricky situations sometimes. I have to use an alternative client for Signal (Molly) to be able to use it as my primary device, because the Signal app requires you scan a QR code to pair with a desktop. USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.For me, the fact that it's smooth enough to be able to watch videos without a hiccup, be smooth for any kind of input, and treats me like an adult out-weigh the cons. I use it more than any other computer, but I also don't feel the same attachment to it like I used to have with my phone. It's great and I highly recommend it if you can afford it.
- without using the backlight, the battery lasts on the order of days vs e-ink which can last on the order of weeks or longer. With the backlight I can drain it in a day.- The display is not as reflective as traditional e-ink, so there are lots of lighing environments where e-ink can be comfortably used without a backlight, but the Daylight would be difficult to use. Natural outdoor daylight (as the name suggests) or well lit indoor environments are perfectly fine to get away without the backlight though.- The lack of a camera can lead to tricky situations sometimes. I have to use an alternative client for Signal (Molly) to be able to use it as my primary device, because the Signal app requires you scan a QR code to pair with a desktop. USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.For me, the fact that it's smooth enough to be able to watch videos without a hiccup, be smooth for any kind of input, and treats me like an adult out-weigh the cons. I use it more than any other computer, but I also don't feel the same attachment to it like I used to have with my phone. It's great and I highly recommend it if you can afford it.
- The display is not as reflective as traditional e-ink, so there are lots of lighing environments where e-ink can be comfortably used without a backlight, but the Daylight would be difficult to use. Natural outdoor daylight (as the name suggests) or well lit indoor environments are perfectly fine to get away without the backlight though.- The lack of a camera can lead to tricky situations sometimes. I have to use an alternative client for Signal (Molly) to be able to use it as my primary device, because the Signal app requires you scan a QR code to pair with a desktop. USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.For me, the fact that it's smooth enough to be able to watch videos without a hiccup, be smooth for any kind of input, and treats me like an adult out-weigh the cons. I use it more than any other computer, but I also don't feel the same attachment to it like I used to have with my phone. It's great and I highly recommend it if you can afford it.
- The lack of a camera can lead to tricky situations sometimes. I have to use an alternative client for Signal (Molly) to be able to use it as my primary device, because the Signal app requires you scan a QR code to pair with a desktop. USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.For me, the fact that it's smooth enough to be able to watch videos without a hiccup, be smooth for any kind of input, and treats me like an adult out-weigh the cons. I use it more than any other computer, but I also don't feel the same attachment to it like I used to have with my phone. It's great and I highly recommend it if you can afford it.
For me, the fact that it's smooth enough to be able to watch videos without a hiccup, be smooth for any kind of input, and treats me like an adult out-weigh the cons. I use it more than any other computer, but I also don't feel the same attachment to it like I used to have with my phone. It's great and I highly recommend it if you can afford it.
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Yes, but that is intentionally rejected by the Signal app.> Or will it take a USB camera as an addon for this temporary need?See:> USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.The only way to use Signal and pair it with other devices is to use a different app without these arbitrary restrictions like Molly.
> Or will it take a USB camera as an addon for this temporary need?See:> USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.The only way to use Signal and pair it with other devices is to use a different app without these arbitrary restrictions like Molly.
See:> USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.The only way to use Signal and pair it with other devices is to use a different app without these arbitrary restrictions like Molly.
> USB cameras are arbitrarily blocked too, I tried.The only way to use Signal and pair it with other devices is to use a different app without these arbitrary restrictions like Molly.
The only way to use Signal and pair it with other devices is to use a different app without these arbitrary restrictions like Molly.
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https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43848381
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My first thought was ‘this already existed, I could have bought virtually the same product already.' …Which the article acknowledges even. Odd title.I really wish that e-ink could be unshackled. I really love e-ink, I ordered Dasung's latest portable monitor because I read on my computer a lot (which I'd love to you for work, but for a myriad of reasons I can't… at least I can use it personally). My smart[ish] watch has an e-ink display. I'd love to see more products and more competition in the space, but sadly that doesn't seem like it'll happen.
I really wish that e-ink could be unshackled. I really love e-ink, I ordered Dasung's latest portable monitor because I read on my computer a lot (which I'd love to you for work, but for a myriad of reasons I can't… at least I can use it personally). My smart[ish] watch has an e-ink display. I'd love to see more products and more competition in the space, but sadly that doesn't seem like it'll happen.
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This reminds me of how "the first color e-ink reader" came out a few years ago, even though I already bought one 10 years ago, and even THAT one wasn't the first.
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Counterargument at https://www.reddit.com/r/Onyx_Boox/comments/19czc16/a_genera...For the curious, I'm thinking that emacs on this in the garden sun will work well, and there's a vesa mount to strap a mini-pc to.edit: got a holding message from their Europe store, we're in "the May Day holiday from May 1 to May 5", which presumably means nothing much happens until that ends.
For the curious, I'm thinking that emacs on this in the garden sun will work well, and there's a vesa mount to strap a mini-pc to.edit: got a holding message from their Europe store, we're in "the May Day holiday from May 1 to May 5", which presumably means nothing much happens until that ends.
edit: got a holding message from their Europe store, we're in "the May Day holiday from May 1 to May 5", which presumably means nothing much happens until that ends.
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the issue is that they are optimizing for a stationary desktop.what we actually want is a portable secondary monitor that I can use vscode in the sunshine. I would sacrifice Hz rate for that.unsure if that boox one is the ticket
what we actually want is a portable secondary monitor that I can use vscode in the sunshine. I would sacrifice Hz rate for that.unsure if that boox one is the ticket
unsure if that boox one is the ticket
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I found a 13.3in eink display on Amazon, but it only has a ">1s" refresh rate. Others can take 10s of seconds.[0] https://www.amazon.com/Waveshare-13-3inch-HAT-Raspberry-1600...
[0] https://www.amazon.com/Waveshare-13-3inch-HAT-Raspberry-1600...
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But an affordable 20" one would be great. 500 USD and I am in!
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But no way am I spending that.
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Oh dear, I suspect Andrew Cunningham will be making Trump's little black book.
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For bulk imports, the wholesale price is lower, so you may only have to pay up to 2.25x wholesale.
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People fly to Miami to buy a MacBook and iPhone and take it back in their luggage because even with the cost of the flight and hotel, it's cheaper than buying it locally. Just get rid of the packaging and put some apps and files on them so they don't look new.
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Why?
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Elon Musk may be leaving Washington D.C., but his DOGE initiative continues to rampage through the government, causing chaos and cutting vital federal programs that millions of Americans rely on.
Case in point: Wired now reports that the initiative has hired a “young man with no government experience” to help revise federal regulations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. That man, Christopher Sweet, hasn't even completed his undergraduate degree yet, the outlet claims.
Wired cites internal emails and people with knowledge of Sweet's recruitment show how he was recently welcomed onboard at the agency: “I'd like to share with you that Chris Sweet has joined the HUD DOGE team with the title of special assistant, although a better title might be ‘Al computer programming quant analyst,'” an email sent by DOGE staffer Scott Lanmack reads. “With family roots from Brazil, Chris speaks Portuguese fluently. Please join me in welcoming Chris to HUD!”
Sweet's role with the government will apparently involve an effort to use software to revise and downsize government regulations at the housing agency. The outlet writes:
Sweet's primary role appears to be leading an effort to leverage artificial intelligence to review HUD's regulations, compare them to the laws on which they are based, and identify areas where rules can be relaxed or removed altogether. (He has also been given read access to HUD's data repository on public housing, known as the Public and Indian Housing Center Information Center, and its enterprise income verification systems, according to sources within the agency.)
Sweet's recruitment is very much in line with DOGE's overall modus operandi, which seems to be this: hire young, expendable tech nerds who don't know what they're doing, hurl them into legally sketchy activities that involve complex government processes, watch them flail and tell the public what a great job they're doing. Indeed, DOGE's army of pimply-faced government deconstructionists often seems so out of their depth that it's a wonder that Washington D.C. isn't literally on fire right now. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Elon Musk admitted the initiative has fallen far short of his promise to cut $2 trillion in spending and had made many mistakes. “I think we're probably getting things right 70-80% of the time,” he said. That's not a great hit rate when millions of people's lives depend on government programs.
All of it seems to support the working theory that DOGE isn't really interested in making the government more efficient, but is actually trying to destroy a large number of agencies. Such a mandate would better align it with the policy blueprint laid out during Trump's campaign: the right-wing libertarian Project 2025, which has sought to cut all but bare necessities of government.
Further supporting this theory is the fact that, despite DOGE's apparent mission to cut government spending, the U.S. spent $220 billion more during Trump's first 100 days compared to the spending rates during the same period in 2024.
Artificial intelligenceDOGEElon MuskHHS
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When Donald Trump agreed to attend a dinner with the largest investors in his own-brand cryptocurrency, he transformed the TRUMP coin into something else entirely: a means of access to the sitting president. As a consequence, Trump could find himself at odds with constitutional prohibitions of bribery and corruption, experts claim.
Trump's dinner announcement on April 23 instigated a trading frenzy that, on paper, added hundreds of millions of dollars to his net worth. Two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization, a conglomerate owned by the president, control 80 percent of the total supply of the coin, which shot up in price by almost 60 percent after the announcement. Those subsidiaries also profit from any surge in trading volume as rent-seeking intermediaries.
However, the dinner maneuver may have political consequences for Trump. In creating the opportunity for anybody with sufficient wealth to purchase an audience, Trump risks falling foul of a part of the US Constitution—the emoluments clauses—that prohibit the president from accepting gifts or financial compensation from foreign and domestic state actors. In a worst-case scenario for the president, the potential for negative optics could add fuel to calls for his impeachment.
“Trump has built an entire life prodding the border of what a powerful person can get away with,” claims Jeff Hauser, executive director at the Revolving Door Project, an organization that seeks to scrutinize the behavior of elected officials. “But at some point in time, he could push a little too far and it comes back on him. This [dinner] has the possibility of being that.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump announced his coin on January 18, a few days prior to his inauguration. At the time, he pitched it as a memecoin, a type of asset whose only purpose is to enable financial speculation. The price of memecoins tends to whipsaw dramatically with swings in public sentiment toward the person, meme, or concept they are based upon.
The dinner gambit puts the TRUMP coin in a different class entirely. In establishing an explicit quid pro quo—a large investment in exchange for an audience—the maneuver has effectively turned TRUMP into a utility coin, an asset that bestows on holders some perk or advantage.
That change was immediately felt in the markets, when the price of TRUMP surged in the hour after the dinner was announced. The expectation of further opportunities to spend time with Trump may continue to prop up the price.
“The door to utility has been opened. The market will expect further utility to come from holding that coin,” says Nathan van der Heyden, head of business development at crypto company Aragon. “Before, you were speculating on a TRUMP coin with no utility. Now you're speculating on future access to Trump. That has to be worth a bit more money.”
The act of transmuting his cryptocurrency into a utility coin is unlikely to have immediate regulatory implications for Trump. In February, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the financial regulator that policed the crypto industry most tightly under the Biden administration, made clear that it does not consider memecoins to fall within its jurisdiction. Likewise, during Trump's first term, the agency reached a similar conclusion about utility coins.
“Whether it's a utility token or a memecoin, it's not regulated by the SEC,” says Lisa Bragança, attorney at Bragança Law and former branch chief at the SEC. Therefore, to avoid the attention of regulators, Trump need only refrain from fraud and unfair trade practices, she says.
However, experts wonder whether it could have legal implications. Though critics have argued from the beginning that TRUMP could create a pathway for bribery—by investing large sums into the coin, driving up its price, politically motivated actors could theoretically curry favor with the president—the dinner brings the risk of violating emoluments restrictions into stark relief.
“If the government of Yemen buys up oodles of memecoins, we won't know,” says Bragança. “If it's a utility coin and, say, a representative of Russia shows up for dinner with the president, we know it's an emoluments issue.”
Today, access to the sitting US president carries a greater potential political currency than ever. “Trump is amalgamating even more power in the executive branch than anyone has before,” claims Hauser. “With ever greater power comes a larger warehouse of favors that can be sold.”
At present, the names of the TRUMP holders set to win a place at the dinner are concealed behind pseudonyms and alphanumeric crypto wallet addresses. The White House did not respond when asked whether the attendee list will be made public.
Whether Trump would face any consequences for theoretically violating foreign emoluments laws depends on the strength of his grip on Congress, the political class tasked with upholding the Constitution, including through impeachment.
In the halls of Congress, calls for Trump's impeachment are already growing. “He is granting audiences to people who buy the memecoin that directly enriches him,” said Democrat senator Jon Ossoff in a town hall meeting on April 25. “There is no doubt that this president's conduct has already exceeded any prior standard for impeachment.”
For now, the Republican congressional majority and Trump's command of his party mean impeachment calls are unlikely to go anywhere. Equally, Trump has previously prevailed in multiple lawsuits alleging that he violated emoluments clauses during his first time in connection with his hotel business, which were later dismissed.
“The violation of the Constitution should be a big deal, but how to make it consequential is challenging,” says Hauser. “Right now, Trump rules the Republican party with such an iron hand that the notion of a successful impeachment leading to a guilty verdict is just somewhat fanciful.”
However, in its potential to paint Trump in an unflattering light—as a president who puts his own financial interests over those of the nation—the TRUMP coin dinner could contribute to shifting the dial. With the midterm elections only a year away and the Republican House majority only slim, public perception matters.
“The opportunity for corruption is not meaningfully changed by the dinner. But the optics are potentially much worse for Trump,” says Hauser. “The unseemliness changes the odds of there being any ramifications to Trump violating the emoluments clause. It creates more vulnerability.”
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A thorium-fueled reactor is the latest idea being revived after getting shelved in the mid-20th century.
China has once again beat everyone else to a clean energy milestone—its new nuclear reactor is reportedly one of the first to use thorium instead of uranium as a fuel and the first of its kind that can be refueled while it's running.
Global shifts, advancing tech, and data center demand: Here's what's coming in 2025 and beyond.
It's an interesting (if decidedly experimental) development out of a country that's edging toward becoming the world leader in nuclear energy. China has now surpassed France in terms of generation, though not capacity; it still lags behind the US in both categories. But one recurring theme in media coverage about the reactor struck me, because it's so familiar: This technology was invented decades ago, and then abandoned.
You can basically copy and paste that line into countless stories about today's advanced reactor technology. Molten-salt cooling systems? Invented in the mid-20th century but never commercialized. Same for several alternative fuels, like TRISO. And, of course, there's thorium.
This one research reactor in China running with an alternative fuel says a lot about this moment for nuclear energy technology: Many groups are looking into the past for technologies, with a new appetite for building them.
First, it's important to note that China is the hot spot for nuclear energy right now. While the US still has the most operational reactors in the world, China is catching up quickly. The country is building reactors at a remarkable clip and currently has more reactors under construction than any other country by far. Just this week, China approved 10 new reactors, totaling over $27 billion in investment.
China is also leading the way for some advanced reactor technologies (that category includes basically anything that deviates from the standard blueprint of what's on the grid today: large reactors that use enriched uranium for fuel and high-pressure water to keep the reactor cool). High-temperature reactors that use gas as a coolant are one major area of focus for China—a few reactors that use this technology have recently started up, and more are in the planning stages or under construction.
Now, Chinese state media is reporting that scientists in the country reached a milestone with a thorium-based reactor. The reactor came online in June 2024, but researchers say it recently went through refueling without shutting down. (Conventional reactors generally need to be stopped to replenish the fuel supply.) The project's lead scientists shared the results during a closed meeting at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
I'll emphasize here that this isn't some massive power plant: This reactor is tiny. It generates just two megawatts of heat—less than the research reactor on MIT's campus, which rings in at six megawatts. (To be fair, MIT's is one of the largest university research reactors in the US, but still … it's small.)
Regardless, progress is progress for thorium reactors, as the world has been entirely focused on uranium for the last 50 years or so.
Much of the original research on thorium came out of the US, which pumped resources into all sorts of different reactor technologies in the 1950s and '60s. A reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee that ran in the 1960s used Uranium-233 fuel (which can be generated when thorium is bombarded with radiation).
Eventually, though, the world more or less settled on a blueprint for nuclear reactors, focusing on those that use Uranium-238 as fuel and are cooled by water at a high pressure. One reason for the focus on uranium for energy tech? The research could also be applied to nuclear weapons.
The company's technology could usher in a new era of reactors that are cheaper and safer to operate.
But now there's a renewed interest in alternative nuclear technologies, and the thorium-fueled reactor is just one of several examples. A prominent one we've covered before: Kairos Power is building reactors that use molten salt as a coolant for small nuclear reactors, also a technology invented and developed in the 1950s and '60s before being abandoned.
Another old-but-new concept is using high-temperature gas to cool reactors, as X-energy is aiming to do in its proposed power station at a chemical plant in Texas. (That reactor will be able to be refueled while it's running, like the new thorium reactor.)
Some problems from decades ago that contributed to technologies being abandoned will still need to be dealt with today. In the case of molten-salt reactors, for example, it can be tricky to find materials that can withstand the corrosive properties of super-hot salt. For thorium reactors, the process of transforming thorium into U-233 fuel has historically been one of the hurdles.
But as early progress shows, the archives could provide fodder for new commercial reactors, and revisiting these old ideas could give the nuclear industry a much-needed boost.
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review's weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.
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On paper, the first candidate looked perfect. Thomas was from rural Tennessee and had studied computer science at the University of Missouri. His résumé said he'd been a professional programmer for eight years, and he'd breezed through a preliminary coding test. All of this was excellent news for Thomas' prospective boss, Simon Wijckmans, founder of the web security startup C.Side. The 27-year-old Belgian was based in London but was looking for ambitious, fully remote coders.
Thomas had an Anglo-Saxon surname, so Wijckmans was surprised when he clicked into his Google Meet and found himself speaking with a heavily accented young man of Asian origin. Thomas had set a generic image of an office as his background. His internet connection was laggy— odd for a professional coder—and his end of the call was noisy. To Wijckmans, Thomas sounded like he was sitting in a large, crowded space, maybe a dorm or a call center.
Wijckmans fired off his interview questions, and Thomas' responses were solid enough. But Wijckmans noticed that Thomas seemed most interested in asking about his salary. He didn't come across as curious about the actual work or about how the company operated or even about benefits like startup stock or health coverage. Odd, thought Wijckmans. The conversation came to a close, and he got ready for the next interview in his queue.
Once again, the applicant said they were based in the US, had an Anglo name, and appeared to be a young Asian man with a thick, non-American accent. He used a basic virtual background, was on a terrible internet connection, and had a single-minded focus on salary. This candidate, though, was wearing glasses. In the lenses, Wijckmans spotted the reflection of multiple screens, and he could make out a white chatbox with messages scrolling by. “He was clearly either chatting with somebody or on some AI tool,” Wijckmans remembers.
On high alert, Wijckmans grabbed screenshots and took notes. After the call ended, he went back over the job applications. He found that his company's listings were being flooded with applicants just like these: an opening for a full-stack developer got more than 500 applications in a day, far more than usual. And when he looked more deeply into the applicants' coding tests, he saw that many candidates appeared to have used a virtual private network, or VPN, which allows you to mask your computer's true location.
Wijckmans didn't know it yet, but he'd stumbled onto the edges of an audacious, global cybercrime operation. He'd unwittingly made contact with an army of seemingly unassuming IT workers, deployed to work remotely for American and European companies under false identities, all to bankroll the government of North Korea.
With a little help from some friends on the ground, of course.
christina chapman was living in a trailer in Brook Park, Minnesota, a hamlet north of Minneapolis, when she got a note from a recruiter that changed her life. A bubbly 44-year-old with curly red hair and glasses, she loved her dogs and her mom and posting social justice content on TikTok. In her spare time she listened to K-pop, enjoyed Renaissance fairs, and got into cosplay. Chapman was also, according to her sparse online résumé, learning to code online.
It was March 2020 when she clicked on the message in her LinkedIn account. A foreign company was looking for somebody to “be the US face” of the business. The company needed help finding remote employment for overseas workers. Chapman signed on. It's unclear how fast her workload grew, but by October 2022 she could afford a move from chilly Minnesota to a low-slung, four-bedroom house in Litchfield Park, Arizona. It wasn't fancy—a suburban corner lot with a few thin trees—but it was a big upgrade over the trailer.
The pandemic dramatically expanded the number of remote jobs, and Pyongyang saw the perfect opportunity.
Chapman then started documenting more of her life on TikTok and YouTube, mostly talking about her diet, fitness, or mental health. In one chatty video, shared in June 2023, she described grabbing breakfast on the go—an açaí bowl and a smoothie— because work was so busy. “My clients are going crazy!” she complained. In the background, the camera caught a glimpse of metal racks holding at least a dozen open laptops covered in sticky notes. A few months later, federal investigators raided Chapman's home, seized the laptops, and eventually filed charges alleging that she had spent three years aiding the “illicit revenue generation efforts” of the government of North Korea.
For maybe a decade, North Korean intelligence services have been training young IT workers and sending them abroad in teams, often to China or Russia. From these bases, they scour the web for job listings all over, usually in software engineering, and usually with Western companies. They favor roles that are fully remote, with solid wages, good access to data and systems, and few responsibilities. Over time they began applying for these jobs using stolen or fake identities and relying on members of their criminal teams to provide fictional references; some have even started using AI to pass coding tests, video interviews, and background checks.
But if an applicant lands a job offer, the syndicate needs somebody on the ground in the country the applicant claims to live in. A fake employee, after all, can't use the addresses or bank accounts linked to their stolen IDs, and they can't dial in to a company's networks from overseas without instantly triggering suspicion. That's where someone like Christina Chapman comes in.
As the “facilitator” for hundreds of North Korea–linked jobs, Chapman signed fraudulent documents and handled some of the fake workers' salaries. She would often receive their paychecks in one of her bank accounts, take a cut, and wire the rest overseas: Federal prosecutors say Chapman was promised as much as 30 percent of the money that passed through her hands.
Her most important job, though, was tending the “laptop farm.” After being hired, a fake worker will typically ask for their company computer to be sent to a different address than the one on record—usually with some tale about a last-minute move or needing to stay with a sick relative. The new address, of course, belongs to the facilitator, in this case Chapman. Sometimes the facilitator forwards the laptop to an address overseas, but more commonly that person holds onto it and installs software that allows it to be controlled remotely. Then the fake employee can connect to their machine from anywhere in the world while appearing to be in the US. (“You know how to install Anydesk?” one North Korean operative asked Chapman in 2022. “I do it practically EVERYDAY!” she replied.)
In messages with her handlers, Chapman discussed sending government forms like the I-9, which attests that a person is legally able to work in the US. (“I did my best to copy your signature,” she wrote. “Haha. Thank you,” came the response.) She also did basic tech troubleshooting and dialed into meetings on a worker's behalf, sometimes on short notice, as in this conversation from November 2023:
Worker: We are going to have laptop setup meeting in 20 mins. Can you join Teams meeting and follow what IT guy say? Because it will require to restart laptop multiple times and I can not handle that. You can mute and just follow what they say ...
Chapman: Who do I say I am?
Worker: You don't have to say, I will be joining there too.
Chapman: I just typed in the name Daniel. If they ask WHY you are using two devices, just say the microphone on your laptop doesn't work right ... Most IT people are fine with that explanation.
Sometimes, she got jumpy. “I hope you guys can find other people to do your physical I9s,” she wrote to her bosses in 2023, according to court documents. “I will SEND them for you, but have someone else do the paperwork. I can go to FEDERAL PRISON for falsifying federal documents.” Michael Barnhart, an investigator at cybersecurity company DTEX and a leading expert on the North Korean IT worker threat, says Chapman's involvement followed a standard pattern—from an innocuous initial contact on LinkedIn to escalating requests. “Little by little, the asks get bigger and bigger,” he says. “Then by the end of the day, you're asking the facilitator to go to a government facility to pick up an actual government ID.”
By the time investigators raided Chapman's home, she was housing several dozen laptops, each with a sticky note indicating the fake worker's identity and employer. Some of the North Korean operatives worked multiple jobs; some had been toiling quietly for years. Prosecutors said at least 300 employers had been pulled into this single scheme, including “a top-five national television network and media company, a premier Silicon Valley technology company, an aerospace and defense manufacturer, an iconic American car manufacturer, a high-end retail store, and one of the most recognizable media and entertainment companies in the world.” Chapman, they alleged, had helped pass along at least $17 million. She pleaded guilty in February 2025 to charges relating to wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering and is awaiting sentencing.
Chapman's case is just one of several North Korean fake-worker prosecutions making their way through US courts. A Ukrainian named Oleksandr Didenko has been accused of setting up a freelancing website to connect fake IT workers with stolen identities. Prosecutors say at least one worker was linked to Chapman's laptop farm and that Didenko also has ties to operations in San Diego and Virginia. Didenko was arrested in Poland last year and was extradited to the United States. In Tennessee, 38-year-old Matthew Knoot is due to stand trial for his alleged role in a scheme that investigators say sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to accounts linked to North Korea via his laptop farm in Nashville. (Knoot has pleaded not guilty.) And in January 2025, Florida prosecutors filed charges against two American citizens, Erick Ntekereze Prince and Emanuel Ashtor, as well as a Mexican accomplice and two North Koreans. (None of the defendants' lawyers in these cases responded to requests for comment.) The indictments claim that Prince and Ashtor had spent six years running a string of fake staffing companies that placed North Koreans in at least 64 businesses.
before the hermit kingdom had its laptop farms, it had a single confirmed internet connection, at least as far as the outside world could tell. As recently as 2010, that one link to the web was reserved for use by high-ranking officials. Then, in 2011, 27-year-old Kim Jong Un succeeded his father as the country's dictator. Secretly educated in Switzerland and said to be an avid gamer, the younger Kim made IT a national priority. In 2012, he urged some schools to “pay special attention to intensifying their computer education” to create new possibilities for the government and military. Computer science is now on some high school curricula, while college students can take courses on information security, robotics, and engineering.
The most promising students are taught hacking techniques and foreign languages that can make them more effective operatives. Staff from government agencies including the Reconnaissance General Bureau— the nation's clandestine intelligence service—recruit the highest-scoring graduates of top schools like Kim Chaek University of Technology (described by many as “the MIT of North Korea”) or the prestigious University of Sciences in Pyongsong. They are promised good wages and unfettered access to the internet—the real internet, not the intranet available to well-off North Koreans, which consists of a mere handful of heavily censored North Korean websites.
The earliest cyberattacks launched by Pyongyang were simple affairs: defacing websites with political messages or launching denial-of-service attacks to shut down US websites. They soon grew more audacious. In 2014, North Korean hackers famously stole and leaked confidential information from Sony's film studio. Then they targeted financial institutions: Fraudulent trades pulled more than $81 million from the Bank of Bangladesh's accounts at the New York Federal Reserve. After that, North Korean hackers moved into ransomware—the WannaCry attack in 2017 locked hundreds of thousands of Windows computers in 150 countries and demanded payments in bitcoin. While the amount of revenue the attack generated is up for debate—some say it earned just $140,000 in payouts—it wreaked much wider damage as companies worked to upgrade their systems and security, costing as much as $4 billion, according to one estimate.
Governments responded with more sanctions and stronger security measures, and the regime pivoted, dialing back on ransomware in favor of quieter schemes. It turns out these are also more lucrative: Today, the most valuable tool in North Korea's cybercrime armory is cryptocurrency theft. In 2022, hackers stole more than $600 million worth of the cryptocurrency ether by attacking the blockchain game Axie Infinity; in February of this year, they robbed the Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit of $1.5 billion worth of digital currency. The IT pretender scam, meanwhile, seems to have been growing slowly until the pandemic dramatically expanded the number of remote jobs, and Pyongyang saw the perfect opportunity.
In 2024, according to a recent report from South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the number of people working in North Korea's cyber divisions—which includes pretenders, crypto thieves, and military hackers—stood at 8,400, up from 6,800 two years earlier. Some of these workers are based in the country, but many are stationed overseas in China, Russia, Pakistan, or elsewhere. They are relatively well compensated, but their posting is hardly cushy.
Teams of 10 to 20 young men live and work out of a single apartment, sleeping four or five to a room and grinding up to 14 hours a day at weird hours to correspond with their remote job's time zone. They have quotas of illicit earnings they are expected to meet. Their movements are tightly controlled, as are those of their relatives, who are effectively held hostage to prevent defections. “You don't have any freedom,” says Hyun-Seung Lee, a North Korean defector who lives in Washington, DC, and says some of his old friends were part of such operations. “You're not allowed to leave the apartment unless you need to purchase something, like grocery shopping, and that is arranged by the team leader. Two or three people must go together so there's no opportunity for them to explore.”
The US government estimates that a typical team of pretenders can earn up to $3 million each year for Pyongyang. Experts say the money is pumped into everything from Kim Jong Un's personal slush fund to the country's nuclear weapons program. A few million dollars may seem small next to the flashy crypto heists— but with so many teams operating in obscurity, the fraud is effective precisely because it is so mundane.
in the summer of 2022, a major multinational company hired a remote engineer to work on website development. “He would dial in to meetings, he would participate in discussions,” an executive at the company told me on condition of anonymity. “His manager said he was considered the most productive member of the team.”
One day, his coworkers organized a surprise to celebrate his birthday. Colleagues gathered on a video call to congratulate him, only to be startled by his response—but it's not my birthday. After nearly a year at the company, the worker had apparently forgotten the birth date listed in his records. It was enough to spark suspicion, and soon afterward the security team discovered that he was running remote access tools on his work computer, and he was let go. It was only later, when federal investigators discovered one of his pay stubs at Christina Chapman's laptop farm in Arizona, that the company connected the dots and realized it had employed a foreign agent for nearly a year.
Agents have even been known to send look-alikes to pick up a physical ID card from an office or to take a drug test required by an employer.
For many pretenders, the goal is simply to earn a good salary to send back to Pyongyang, not so much to steal money or data. “We've seen long-tail operations where they were going 10, 12, 18 months working in some of these organizations,” says Adam Meyers, a senior vice president for counter adversary operations at the security company CrowdStrike. Sometimes, though, North Korean operatives last just a few days— enough time to download huge amounts of company data or plant malicious software in a company's systems before abruptly quitting. That code could alter financial data or manipulate security information. Or these seeds could lay dormant for months, even years.
“The potential risk from even one minute of access to systems is almost unlimited for an individual company,” says Declan Cummings, the head of engineering at software company Cinder. Experts say that attacks are ramping up not just in the US but also in Germany, France, Britain, Japan and other countries. They urge companies to do rigorous due diligence: speak directly to references, watch for candidates making sudden changes of address, use reputable online screening tools, and conduct a physical interview or in-person ID verification.
But none of these methods are foolproof, and AI tools are constantly weakening them. ChatGPT and the like give almost anyone the capacity to answer esoteric questions in real time with unearned confidence, and their fluency with coding threatens to make programming tests irrelevant. AI video filters and deepfakes can also add to the subterfuge.
At an onboarding call, for instance, many HR representatives now ask new employees to hold their ID up to the camera for closer inspection. “But the fraudsters have a neat trick there,” says Donal Greene, a biometrics expert at the online background check provider Certn. They take a green-colored card the exact shape and size of an identity card—a mini green screen—and, using deepfake technology, project the image of an ID onto it. “They can actually move it and show the reflection,” says Greene. “It's very sophisticated.” North Korean agents have even been known to send look-alikes to pick up a physical ID card from an office or to take a drug test required by prospective employers.
Even security experts can be fooled. In July 2024, Knowbe4, a Florida-based company that offers security training, discovered that a new hire known as “Kyle” was actually a foreign agent. “He interviewed great,” says Brian Jack, KnowBe4's chief information security officer. “He was on camera, his résumé was right, his background check cleared, his ID cleared verification. We didn't have any reason to suspect this wasn't a valid candidate.” But when his facilitator—the US-based individual giving him cover—tried to install malware on Kyle's company computer, the security team caught on and shut him out.
Back in london, Simon Wijckmans couldn't let go of the idea that somebody had tried to fool him. He'd just read about the Knowbe4 case, which deepened his suspicions. He conducted background checks and discovered that some of his candidates were definitely using stolen identities. And, he found, some of them were linked to known North Korean operations. So Wijckmans decided to wage a little counter exercise of his own, and he invited me to observe.
So far, everything matches the hallmarks of a fake worker—his virtual background, his slow connection, his good but heavily accented English.
I dial in to Google Meet at 3 am Pacific time, tired and bleary. We deliberately picked this offensively early hour because it's 6 am in Miami, where the candidate, “Harry,” claims to be.
Harry joins the call, looking pretty fresh-faced. He's maybe in his late twenties, with short, straight, black hair. Everything about him seems deliberately nonspecific: He wears a plain black crewneck sweater and speaks into an off-brand headset. “I just woke up early today for this interview, no problem,” he says. “I know that working with UK hours is kind of a requirement, so I can get my working hours to yours, so no problem with it.”
So far, everything matches the hallmarks of a fake worker. Harry's virtual background is one of the default options provided by Google Meet, and his connection is a touch slow. His English is good but heavily accented, even though he tells us he was born in New York and grew up in Brooklyn. Wijckmans starts with some typical interview questions, and Harry keeps glancing off to his right as he responds. He talks about various coding languages and name-drops the frameworks he's familiar with. Wijckmans starts asking some deeper technical questions. Harry pauses. He looks confused. “Can I rejoin the meeting?” he asks. “I have a problem with my microphone.” Wijckman nods, and Harry disappears.
A couple of minutes pass, and I start to fret that we've scared him away, but then he pops back into the meeting. His connection isn't much better, but his answers are clearer. Maybe he restarted his chatbot, or got a coworker to coach him. The call runs a few more minutes and we say goodbye.
Our next applicant calls himself “Nic.” On his résumé he's got a link to a personal website, but this guy doesn't look much like the profile photo on the site. This is his second interview with Wijckmans, and we are certain that he's faking it: He's one of the applicants who failed the background check after his first call, although he doesn't know that.
Nic's English is worse than Harry's: When he's asked what time it is, he tells us it's “six and past” before correcting himself and saying “quarter to seven.” Where does he live? “I'm in Ohio for now,” he beams, like a kid who got something right in a pop quiz.
Several minutes in, though, his answers become nonsensical. Simon asks him a question about web security. “Political leaders ... government officials or the agencies responsible for border security,” Nic says. “They're responsible for monitoring and also securing the borders, so we can employ the personnel to patrol the borders and also check the documents and enforce the immigration laws.”
I'm swapping messages with Wijckmans on the back channel we've set up when it dawns on us: Whatever AI bot Nic seems to be using must have misinterpreted a mention of “Border Gateway Protocol”—a system for sending traffic across the internet—with national borders, and started spewing verbiage about immigration enforcement. “What a waste of time,” Wijckmans messages me. We wrap up the conversation abruptly.
I try to put myself in the seat of a hiring manager or screener who's under pressure. The fraudsters' words may not have always made sense, but their test scores and résumés looked solid, and their technical-sounding guff might be enough to fool an uninformed recruiter. I suspect at least one of them could have made it to the next step in some unsuspecting company's hiring process.
Wijckmans tells me he has a plan if he comes across another pretender. He has created a web page that looks like a standard coding assessment, which he'll send to fake candidates. As soon as they hit the button to start the test, their browser will spawn dozens of pop-up pages that bounce around the screen, all of them featuring information on how to defect from North Korea. Then loud music plays—a rickroll, “The Star-Spangled Banner”—before the computer starts downloading random files and emits an ear-splitting beep. “Just a little payback,” he says.
Wijckman's stunt is not going to stop the pretenders, of course. But maybe it will irritate them for a moment. Then they'll get back to work, signing on from some hacking sweatshop in China or through a laptop farm in the US, and join the next team meeting—a quiet, camera-off chat with coworkers just like me or you.
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Two astronauts are gearing up for some orbital maintenance work outside the International Space Station (ISS) during a rare all-woman spacewalk.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers are set to begin their spacewalk on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET, exiting the space station for a planned six hours and 35 minutes. NASA will broadcast the spacewalk live on NASA+ and the agency's YouTube channel. You can also tune in through the live feed below.
During their spacewalk, the astronauts will work to relocate a space station communications antenna and install a mounting bracket ahead of the installation of an additional set of ISS Rollout Solar Arrays, also called IROSA. The arrays will be installed during another upcoming spacewalk. IROSA is designed to boost power generation capability on the ISS by up to 30%, which would increase the station's total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts, according to NASA. The pair will also work to upgrade the station's power systems while tethered to the ISS.
So far, astronauts have conducted five all-women spacewalks outside the ISS. The first took place nearly six years ago after several delays due to a poorly fitting spacesuit. Finally, on October 18, 2019, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir stepped outside of the ISS for a historic spacewalk that cemented the role of women in spaceflight. Earlier this year, NASA astronaut Suni Williams broke the women's record for total spacewalking time after completing a 5.5-hour spacewalk outside the ISS, bringing her total spacewalking time to 62 hours and six minutes.
Thursday's spacewalk will be the first time astronaut Ayers has stepped outside the ISS for extravehicular activity and McClain's third spacewalk.
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A forgotten flare from a dead star could explain how the early cosmos got its bling.
Spacesuit parts are being tested in a cryogenic ice chamber to see how well they would fare in the lunar south pole.
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Apple “willfully chose not to comply” with a court order to loosen its app store restrictions—and one of its executives lied under oath about the company's plans, a federal judge wrote on Wednesday.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has referred the situation to the US Attorney's Office in San Francisco “to investigate whether criminal contempt proceedings are appropriate.”
In 2021, Gonzalez Rogers presided over a lawsuit brought by Fortnite developer Epic Games over the iPhone maker's allegedly anticompetitive practices that hampered the ability of developers to generate revenue from the App Store. This included Apple's policy of taking a 30 percent commission on certain in-app purchases.
While Gonzalez Rogers ultimately ruled in favor of Apple on most counts, she ordered the company to begin allowing developers to market ways to make in-app purchases outside of the App Store ecosystem. Apple responded by lowering its commission to 27 percent on purchases made elsewhere, but it also introduced a series of other changes, including showing so-called scare screens, to dissuade users from making purchases outside its ecosystem.
Last year, Epic challenged in court how Apple was responding to the order, leading Gonzalez Rogers to require the tech giant to turn over documents that contributed to Wednesday's contempt ruling.
Apple pursued its noncompliance strategy “with the express intent to create new anticompetitive barriers which would, by design and in effect, maintain a valued revenue stream; a revenue stream previously found to be anticompetitive,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her ruling on Wednesday. “That it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation.”
She also said that Apple executives tried to hide the real motivations for the changes. “In stark contrast to Apple's initial in-court testimony, contemporaneous business documents reveal that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option,” Gonzalez Rogers said. She went as far as accusing Alex Roman, a vice president of finance at Apple, of lying during testimony in which he talked about how Apple came to its decision to go with a 27 percent commission on purchases made outside the App Store. “The testimony of Mr. Roman was replete with misdirection and outright lies,” the judge said.
“We strongly disagree with the decision,” Apple spokesperson Olivia Dalton said in a statement to WIRED. "We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal." Roman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Citing internal Apple documents from 2023, Gonzalez Rogers said Apple's App Store chief Phillip Schiller “had advocated that Apple comply with the injunction” but that CEO Tim Cook “ignored Schiller and instead allowed Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri and his finance team to convince him otherwise.”
The judge demanded that Apple immediately comply with her earlier order. “This is an injunction, not a negotiation,” she wrote. “There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order. Time is of the essence. The Court will not tolerate further delays. As previously ordered, Apple will not impede competition.”
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted on X that the new ruling would bring an end to “Apple's 15-30% junk fees.”
Update 4/30/25 10:00 ET: This story has been updated with a statement from Apple.
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Difficulty finding words or the habit of substituting them with others that are similar semantically – such as knife and cutter – or phonologically – such as knife and wife – are usually the first symptoms of a type of dementia known as primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Another sign is a subtle difficulty in forming sentences, evidenced by verbal and nominal agreement errors that have never been made before, or reversal of word order, for example. Writing errors (dysgraphia) and reading difficulties (dyslexia) may also occur, so that writing and reading become increasingly difficult tasks, as does expressing ideas and thoughts.
Primary progressive aphasia is a rare and difficult-to-diagnose neurodegenerative disease that begins with language problems that affect communication and progresses to more serious cognitive changes that may resemble Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. The neurological diagnosis of this dementia syndrome requires a complete analysis that includes other cognitive functions in addition to language and communication problems.
Now, a study supported by FAPESP and published in the journal PLOS ONE has shown that this condition can be detected early using a set of speech and hearing tests known as the Montreal-Toulouse Language Assessment Battery (MTL-BR).
The possibility of early and more accurate diagnosis is great news because the earlier treatment is started, the slower the progression of the disease tends to be. The earlier the rehabilitation, the greater the chance that the patient will be able to maintain their communication, speaking, reading and writing skills for longer. But of course we're not talking about a complete diagnosis, just a part of the assessment that can allow us to identify patients who need more monitoring and attention."
Karin Zazo Ortiz, professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Therapy at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil and corresponding author of the article
In the study, the researchers evaluated 87 individuals, including 29 diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and 58 healthy individuals matched for age and educational level.
"We compared the performance of participants with and without the syndrome on a large number of tasks involving different linguistic processes. As a result, we observed marked differences in some tasks, and at this stage of the work we were able to identify the most relevant tests among the 22 tasks that make up the MTL-BR battery," says Ortiz.
As this is a very comprehensive and complete battery, the researcher says that identifying the key tests can help simplify the assessment, making preliminary detection quicker and more accessible.
According to the results, the tasks in which patients with primary progressive aphasia performed worst on the MTL-BR were: directed interview, oral comprehension of sentences, oral narrative discourse, written comprehension of sentences, dictation, repetition of sentences, semantic verbal fluency, naming of nouns and verbs, manipulation of objects on verbal command, phonological verbal fluency, recognition of body parts and left-right orientation, written naming of nouns, comprehension of oral text, numerical dictation, comprehension of written text, and numerical calculation (mental and written).
Ortiz explains that the battery of tests was chosen as the object of study because it provides a broad assessment of oral (speech) and written comprehension and production, as well as being the only validated test in Brazil for acquired language disorders of neurological origin.
The research is now entering a new phase, which aims to identify the most important linguistic tasks for identifying each variant of the syndrome.
The partial or total loss of the ability to understand and express spoken or written language came into the spotlight in 2022 when Hollywood actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia, which later developed into frontotemporal dementia. In the same year, Brazilian cartoonist Angeli announced that he was quitting his job because of the syndrome.
Primary progressive aphasia is a different condition from aphasia, which can arise as a result of strokes, brain tumors and traumatic brain injuries. PPA belongs to the group of diseases known as dementias. It affects the frontotemporal part of the brain and is considered even more aggressive than Alzheimer's disease.
Nevertheless, PPA is difficult to diagnose, mainly because the initial symptoms can be very similar to those of other dementia syndromes – although language impairment is much greater in relation to other cognitive domains. Another complicating factor is the heterogeneity of the cases. "Despite the importance of language in the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, there's still a lack of language assessment tools for all types of dementia, including primary progressive aphasia," he says.
To further complicate diagnosis, there are four subtypes of PPA. One is non-fluent or agrammatic primary progressive aphasia, which is characterized by changes in the syntactic structure of sentences, difficulty understanding complex sentences, and may be accompanied by apraxia of speech, in which the patient makes speech errors due to motor planning deficits.
Another variant is semantic primary progressive aphasia, which is characterized by difficulty understanding words due to semantic impairment, anomia, and difficulty reading and writing irregular words. Logopenic primary progressive aphasia is considered to be more similar to Alzheimer's dementia and in these cases the patient has difficulty understanding long content and commits exchanges and omissions of sounds in speech.
There is also mixed or unclassifiable PPA, characterized by language alterations in which a specific language profile cannot be identified because either the patients do not have the characteristics predicted for one of the variants or they have characteristics of several of the variants, making it difficult to specifically diagnose one of them.
"And it's in this sense that our study contributes to diagnosis, as it allows early identification of changes in language, highlighting the differences between primary progressive aphasia and other dementia syndromes," says Ortiz.
São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
da Silva, A. A., et al. (2025). Language assessment in primary progressive aphasia: Which components should be tested? PLoS ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318155.
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Reduced levels of a critical protein are linked to devastating brain diseases like Alzheimer's, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Surprisingly, the protein shortage primarily affects the brain's blood vessels.
University of Connecticut researchers report in the April 16 issue of Science Advances that mutations in the TARDBP gene that reduce TDP-43 protein levels also impair the cells lining blood vessels in the brain. Called endothelial cells, they play a vital role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier, a protective shield that prevents harmful substances from entering the brain. When endothelial cells lack enough TDP-43 protein, they don't stick together as tightly. This creates gaps in the blood vessel walls, allowing large or toxic molecules to leak into the brain. The resulting damage may play a role in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, frontotemporal dementia, and ALS.
To look more closely at this, the researchers used a mouse model carrying a TARDBP mutation known to be associated with both ALS and frontotemporal dementia. They also used a second model with genetically modified mice that deleted the protein TDP-43 only from endothelial cells, not other cells in the brain. Both mouse models showed clear signs of blood-brain barrier breakdown, brain inflammation, and behavioral deficits. This adds to the growing body of evidence that the defects in TDP-43 first observed in neurons of patients with ALS and frontotemporal dementia are also found in other cells of the brain. This may explain the varied presentations of these diseases. ALS is primarily defined by increasing paralysis, while frontotemporal dementia involves cognitive impairment. But in many cases the two overlap. Understanding cell-type specific vulnerabilities is likely to provide answers to the complex human presentations of these diseases. It may also shed light on less genetically linked diseases, like Alzheimer's, where TDP-43 dysfunction is also observed.
And although genetic mutations seem to play a role in some of these devastating brain diseases, they don't tell the whole story.
"While some people with ALS or frontotemporal dementia carry mutations in the TDP-43 protein, most patients do not-yet the protein still becomes dysfunctional in nearly all cases. This tells us that other unknown factors in the body might be causing TDP-43 disfunction," says School of Medicine researcher Ashok Cheemala. "In the next phase of our research, we aim to understand what causes TDP-43 dysfunction in endothelial cells in the absence of mutations in the gene." Cheemala and UConn School of Medicine biologist Patrick Murphy and their colleagues are working on finding other genes that might limit TDP-43 dysfunction. Some of these might provide new approaches to limit or slow the progression of these diseases.
The team is also testing whether TDP-43 disfunction may spread between the endothelium and other cells in the brain. Brain blood vessels are in constant contact with neurons and support cells like astrocytes. When TDP-43 becomes dysfunctional, it can clump, and these clumps can spread between cells. The researchers have shown that endothelial TDP-43 dysfunction occurs early in the disease. That suggests that abnormal TDP-43 might be able to infect neighboring cells, in a chain reaction.
"By discovering how TDP-43 becomes harmful and spreads, we hope to uncover new ways to protect the brain, preserve the blood-brain barrier, and stop the progression of diseases like ALS, frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer's," Murphy says.
University of Connecticut
Cheemala, A.., et al. (2025). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia mutation reduces endothelial TDP-43 and causes blood-brain barrier defects. Science Advances. doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads0505.
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Children with low vitamin D levels face a greater risk of early heart disease, according to a decades-long Finnish study. Could early supplementation shift the tide on cardiovascular prevention?
Childhood 25-OH-vitamin D Levels Predict Early Cardiovascular Outcomes in Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Image Credit: Ekaterina Markelova / Shutterstock
In a recent article published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers in Finland investigated whether low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-vitamin D) levels in childhood are associated with the development of adult-onset atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).
Their findings suggest that low childhood vitamin D levels are independently associated with the development of early-onset ASCVD in adulthood. This research may identify an important early-life risk marker for cardiovascular disease, informing targeted prevention efforts.
Previous observational studies in adults have shown that low serum vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
In an earlier paper, this team of Finnish researchers found that low vitamin D levels in childhood correlated with higher intima-media thickness of the carotid artery in adults. This is an established marker of atherosclerosis, indicating that plaque is gradually building up in artery walls. Eventually, this will cause the arteries to narrow and block the flow of blood. If the plaque bursts, it could lead to blood clots.
Due to these mechanisms, vitamin D deficiencies could increase the risk of heart disease. However, it remains unclear whether low vitamin D levels during childhood could predict actual cardiovascular events in adulthood.
Researchers examined whether low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in childhood are associated with ASCVD. The hypothesis is grounded in emerging evidence that early-life exposures may affect long-term cardiovascular health. Given that vitamin D influences vascular and inflammatory pathways, this study aimed to investigate its potential role as an early-life risk marker for later cardiovascular events.
The prospective cohort study used data from 3,516 participants of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Serum 25-OH-vitamin D concentrations were assessed in 2010 using frozen serum samples originally collected in 1980, when participants were between 3 and 18 years old.
The average childhood vitamin D level was 51.3 nmol/L, with a mean age at baseline of 10.5 years. Childhood measurements also included body mass index (BMI), lipid levels (specifically low-density lipoprotein [LDL], high-density lipoproteins [HDL], and triglycerides), blood pressure, dietary habits, socioeconomic status, smoking status, and physical activity.
Cardiovascular events were tracked through linkage with national Finnish health registries, including the National Health Index and the Care Register for Health Care, up to 2018. A total of 95 participants (2.7%) experienced at least one ASCVD event, with a median age at onset of 47 years.
Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine associations between different cut-off levels of childhood vitamin D and ASCVD risk in adulthood, adjusting for sex, age, and other conventional early-life risk factors.
The study specifically analyzed several thresholds (cut-points) of vitamin D levels—31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, and 43 nmol/L—to assess which concentrations were most strongly associated with future ASCVD events.
Researchers found that low levels of 25-OH-vitamin D during childhood were significantly associated with a higher risk of adult-onset ASCVD events. Specifically, having childhood vitamin D levels below 31, 33, 35, or 37 nmol/L was linked to an increased risk of ASCVD in adulthood. For example, children with vitamin D levels below 35 nmol/L had more than double the risk of developing ASCVD compared to those with higher levels (hazard ratio, 2.19 [95% CI, 1.30–3.69]; adjusted for multiple risk factors). These associations remained significant even after adjusting for numerous childhood risk factors, including BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, diet, and physical activity.
These associations remained consistent in additional analyses, including propensity score matching and adjusting for adult vitamin D levels. Nearly one-fifth of the cohort had vitamin D levels below 37 nmol/L during childhood.
The results suggest that suboptimal vitamin D status in early life is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk decades later, independent of other known risk factors.
The study also explored potential mechanisms, noting that vitamin D receptors are present throughout the vascular system and that vitamin D's active form may help reduce inflammation, regulate blood pressure, and slow vascular aging, all of which could influence long-term cardiovascular health.
This study suggests that low levels of vitamin D in childhood are independently associated with early-onset ASCVD in adulthood, highlighting a potential early-life risk marker for cardiovascular disease.
The findings support current recommendations for maintaining adequate vitamin D levels in children and could inform preventive strategies. The study's strengths include a large, population-based cohort with long-term follow-up, robust health registry data, and a comprehensive assessment of childhood cardiovascular risk factors.
However, limitations include potential measurement error from using serum samples stored for 30 years, though vitamin D is relatively stable under such conditions. The cohort was ethnically homogenous (white Europeans), limiting generalizability. Also, at follow-up, the participants were still relatively young, and many had not yet reached the ages at which ASCVD becomes more prevalent, warranting continued observation.
Additionally, the study's observational nature precludes establishing a direct causal relationship between childhood vitamin D levels and subsequent cardiovascular events.
In conclusion, the study provides early-life evidence linking vitamin D status with adult cardiovascular health. Optimizing vitamin D intake during childhood may offer a low-cost and easily implemented strategy for reducing long-term ASCVD risk; however, further research, including randomized trials, will be needed to confirm causality and refine recommendations.
Posted in: Child Health News | Men's Health News | Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News | Women's Health News
Written by
Priyanjana Pramanik is a writer based in Kolkata, India, with an academic background in Wildlife Biology and economics. She has experience in teaching, science writing, and mangrove ecology. Priyanjana holds Masters in Wildlife Biology and Conservation (National Centre of Biological Sciences, 2022) and Economics (Tufts University, 2018). In between master's degrees, she was a researcher in the field of public health policy, focusing on improving maternal and child health outcomes in South Asia. She is passionate about science communication and enabling biodiversity to thrive alongside people. The fieldwork for her second master's was in the mangrove forests of Eastern India, where she studied the complex relationships between humans, mangrove fauna, and seedling growth.
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As the global population ages, supporting older adults in maintaining their cognitive and memory functions has become a pressing concern. The United Nations estimates that by the 2070s, there will be over 2.2 billion people aged 65 or older, surpassing the global number of children under 18. This demographic shift is especially pronounced in Japan, the fastest-aging country, where 28.7% of the population is 65 or older.
One promising strategy to counter cognitive decline is through olfactory stimulation-engaging the sense of smell. Smell signals travel directly to brain regions involved in memory and emotion. Building on this knowledge, a joint research team from Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), University of the Arts London, Bunkyo Gakuin University, and Hosei University, Japan, has developed the world's first cognitive training method for older adults by combining olfactory stimulation with virtual reality (VR). The study was published in Volume 15 of the journal Scientific Reports on March 28, 2025.
VR provides a promising platform to simulate sensory conditions in a controlled yet engaging manner. By combining goal-oriented tasks with real-time feedback, our VR-based olfactory training approach can increase cognitive engagement and maximize its therapeutic impact."
Professor Takamichi Nakamoto from Science Tokyo
The method involves an olfactory display that emits specific scents during immersive VR gameplay, activating memory- and emotion-related brain regions. In the activity, participants are asked to memorize and later match scents within a virtual environment. The experience begins in a virtual landscape. Using a VR controller, participants interact with a scent source represented by a stone statue. When touched, the statue releases a specific scent, accompanied by a white vapor cloud as a visual cue to reinforce memory.
Participants then explore the virtual landscape to locate a scent source. As they move through the landscape, the olfactory display emits subtle traces of the scent to guide them to the location. Upon reaching the odor source, shown as a stone lantern, they encounter three colored vapor clouds, each emitting a different scent. Their task is to compare the smells and identify the one that matches the original scent they memorized.
"The smell memory phase strengthens odor recognition and memory encoding by linking the olfactory stimulus with a visual cue. The navigation phase challenges players to integrate spatial navigation with odor recognition while retaining memory of the initial scent. The final odor comparison phase engages olfactory discrimination and working memory retrieval, reinforcing cognitive function," explains Nakamoto.
The activity led to noticeable cognitive improvements in 30 older adults aged 63 to 90. After just 20 minutes of playing the VR game, participants showed improvements in visuospatial rotation and memory. Visuospatial processing and cognitive function were assessed through different tasks. In the Hiragana Rotation Task, where they had to decide if rotated Japanese characters matched the original, scores improved from 19–82 to 29–85. In a word-based spatial memory recall task, where participants memorized word positions in a grid, scores rose from 0–15 to 3–15. These improvements were validated through statistical analysis.
With continued research and development toward more affordable olfactory displays or alternate scent delivery methods, olfactory-based VR activities could become an accessible and engaging tool for supporting mental health in older adults.
Institute of Science Tokyo
Sunami, R., et al. (2025). Exploring the effects of olfactory VR on visuospatial memory and cognitive processing in older adults. Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94693-9.
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The Global Virus Network (GVN) is highly concerned that the world is unprepared for the next pandemic and has not incorporated the lessons learned from COVID-19. The GVN, comprised of 80+ Virology Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in 40+ countries, whose mission is to facilitate pandemic preparedness against viral pathogens and diseases that threaten public health globally, believes that systemic inadequacies and vulnerabilities persist, which threaten public health on a global scale. Furthermore, the need for governments and health organizations worldwide to invest and collaborate in developing and implementing an effective, comprehensive, and integrated pandemic response program is critical.
According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank presented to the Group of Twenty (G20), or international forum of major economies, in 2022, an estimated USD $31.1 billion in annual funding is required to establish a comprehensive Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PPR) system. This falls at least USD $10.5 billion short of what is needed today to meet global preparedness requirements. To close this gap, urgent focus must be placed on strengthening systems that protect humanity from future, inevitable pandemic threats.
Past pandemics have shown that failing to invest in sustainable health infrastructure can devastate healthcare systems, economies, and societies. Moreover, the reductions in global health programs and grant funding have led to major setbacks in pandemic preparedness. Without stable and reliable funding, the world risks losing hard-won progress in disease surveillance, research, training, and emergency response capabilities.
As evidenced by the ongoing avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak, and described in GVN's Lancet Regional Health-Americas publication, which was published Monday, mutations and genetic reassortment, where two influenza viruses combine, pose a significant risk of increased transmissibility and mortality, and the potential emergence of another global pandemic. These risks are further exacerbated by inadequate biosafety measures and the absence of a robust, coordinated global surveillance system capable of detecting and responding to such threats in real time.
To mitigate these dangers, the GVN believes immediate action is crucial to close the critical gaps in global preparedness and ensure a world ready to respond to future pandemics GVN will continue to promote sustained investment in pandemic preparedness throughout the world, especially for research and training, to ensure scientists, public health experts, and first responders have the necessary resources to detect, prevent, and control viral threats. Strengthening partnerships with global health organizations, governments, and the scientific community remains essential in addressing cross-border health challenges.
Additionally, clear and transparent communication and efforts to deal with a lack of knowledge and understanding, counter misinformation, and address vaccine hesitancy are critical to ensuring public health, restoring public trust, and ensuring compliance with health measures. The rapid spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now in measles outbreaks seen globally, highlights the necessity of reliable, science-based public health information.
Global Virus Network
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Background and goal: Many adults aged 65 and older never receive a cognitive check during regular primary care visits. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a digital cognitive assessment for Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) screening into primary care.
Study approach: From June 2022 to May 2023, seven Indiana University Health clinics offered the five-minute Digital Clock & Recall test on an iPad to every patient 65 and older. Each site set its own rules on which visit types and which staffers would run the screen and upload results to the electronic record for the physician to review. In month three, researchers introduced a registered-nurse role to support patients for completing care pathways if they were flagged for cognitive impairment. Physicians retained discretion over follow-up.
Main results
Of the 16,708 patients identified as eligible for screening, a total of 1,808 digital cognitive assessments (10.8%) were completed by 1,722 unique patients.
More than one-half (55.3%) of eligible visits never offered the digital cognitive assessment because PCPs declined or the encounter was deemed out of scope.
Screening outcomes: Among 1,808 tests, 44.3% were categorized as unimpaired, 36.5% as borderline, and 13.7% as impaired.
During follow-up within 90 days for the impaired group, 2.1% received a new Alzheimer or related-dementia diagnosis. Additionally, 5.1% received a new mild cognitive impairment diagnosis, 16.9% had brain imaging ordered, and 62.7% were referred to the brain health navigator.
Why it matters: Digital cognitive assessments may offer a feasible way to screen older adults during routine visits, helping identify those who may benefit from early diagnosis, treatment, and care planning.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Fowler, N. R., et al. (2025). Feasibility and Acceptability of Implementing a Digital Cognitive Assessment for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias in Primary Care. The Annals of Family Medicine. doi.org/10.1370/afm.240293.
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Background and goal: This study evaluated the performance of an artificial intelligence–enabled electrocardiogram (AI-ECG) and an AI-powered digital stethoscope to see how well they could detect early signs of heart dysfunction in women of reproductive age.
Study approach: In this cross-sectional pilot study, researchers examined two groups of women aged 18 to 49 who were considering pregnancy. Women who were currently pregnant or within one year postpartum were also included. The first group included 100 women already scheduled for an echocardiogram. The second group of women with no indication for an echocardiogram were seen at a primary care appointment for routine care. All participants received two tests: a standard 10-second 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and a digital stethoscope recording that captured a 15-second, single-lead ECG and phonocardiogram (heart sounds) from up to three locations on the chest. AI models analyzed the ECG and stethoscope recordings to estimate each participant's risk of having left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), a type of heart dysfunction.
Main results:
Group 1 (diagnostic cohort, women scheduled for echocardiograms):
Five percent of women had LVSD.
The AI-ECG showed a negative predictive value of 96.8% and the AI-stethoscope achieved 100%.
Among women who screened positive using the AI tools, 33.3% (using the AI-ECG) and 22.7% (using the AI-stethoscope) truly had LVSD.
Group 2 (screening cohort, women seen during routine primary care visits):
Using the AI-ECG, only 1% of women in this low-risk sample screened positive. A follow-up echocardiogram in that patient showed a normal ventricular ejection fraction. With the AI-stethoscope, 3.2% of the sample had a positive screen.
Why it matters: The findings from this study highlight the potential of quick, low-cost AI tools to help detect early signs of heart dysfunction during regular primary care visits.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Kinaszczuk, A., et al. (2025). Artificial Intelligence Tools for Preconception Cardiomyopathy Screening Among Women of Reproductive Age. The Annals of Family Medicine. doi.org/10.1370/afm.230627.
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Despite a global surge in plant-based eating, a new review reveals that most studies still lack consistent definitions and validated tools to assess plant-based food diversity, thereby undermining efforts to link these diets to health outcomes.
Review: Diversity of Plant-Based Food Consumption: A Systematic Scoping Review on Measurement Tools and Associated Health Outcomes. Image Credit: Antonina Vlasova / Shutterstock
In a recent scoping review published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, researchers at King's College London, United Kingdom, conducted a systematic scoping review to investigate the definitions, assessment tools, methodologies, and health outcomes assessed in previous studies on plant-based diet diversity. The review focused on research conducted in high-income countries and identified 43 eligible studies, 88% (38/43) of which were observational in design.
Plant-based foods are any dietary components derived from plant sources, including grains, herbs, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. The oils extracted from plants and beverages, which use plant products as their primary constituents, also fall under this category.
Studies on plant-based foods have highlighted their health benefits, including a reduced risk of all-cause mortality associated with the consumption of fruits and vegetables, which has triggered a surge in their global consumption. Reports estimate a 60% increase over just three years, between 2017 and 2020. Several national and international guidelines now recommend incorporating a variety of plant-based foods into a balanced human diet.
Unfortunately, despite decades of research in the field, no standard definition for ‘plant-based food diversity' exists. The aforementioned dietary guideline recommendations primarily recommend consuming fruits and vegetables, and omit other plant-derived food sources. Furthermore, standardized methodologies and validated assessment tools for measuring plant-based food consumption and subsequent health outcomes are also lacking, potentially resulting in reduced study reliability and complicating comparisons between independent works.
The present scoping review has four primary objectives concerning previous plant-based foods publications: 1. to identify the definitions of plant-based foods; 2. to identify variations in assessment tools employed; 3. to characterize the methodologies used; 4. to elucidate the findings (health outcomes) of previous works. The review conforms to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.
Study data (publications) were obtained from Web of Science and Medline using a custom search strategy, encompassing all publications in these online repositories from the databases' inception until October 2022. Study inclusion eligibility criteria were designed using the Patient, Exposure, Comparators, Outcome, and Study Design (PECOS) approach and included observations or intervention studies reporting measurements, effects, or health-related outcomes of plant-based food consumption. Studies were restricted to high-income countries (as classified by the World Bank) to ensure a homogeneous sample population.
Potential publications were manually screened for eligibility through a cascade of title, abstract, and full-text reviews. Data extraction comprised study design, population characteristics, methodology, dietary assessment tools (if available), diversity assessment tools (if available), and health outcomes. Review syntheses were both qualitative and descriptive in nature.
Of the 6,569 publications identified using the custom search strategy, 95 were deemed eligible after screening the titles and abstracts. Full-text screening excluded a further 52, resulting in a final dataset of 43 publications. Included studies comprised cross-sectional studies (40%, n = 17), prospective cohort studies (33%, n = 14), case-control studies (16%, n = 7), secondary analyses of randomized controlled trials (5%, n = 2), non-randomized controlled trials (5%, n = 2), and a case study (2%). Per-study sample cohorts ranged from 63 to 452,269 participants across the USA, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.
An assessment of the definition of plant-based foods in studies revealed that almost three-fourths (74%) restricted the definition to comprise only fruits and vegetables, 12% included grains, and 7% included cereals. Only one study extended the definition to grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. None of the studies explicitly included herbs, spices, plant-based oils, or plant-derived beverages in their definitions.
Plant-based food consumption was primarily assessed via food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) (49%), 24-hour dietary recalls (23%), and food diaries (26%). The three dedicated diversity indices (VIC, FAVI, FAVVA) were validated against food and nutrient intakes or dietary assessment tools; however, none were specifically validated for measuring plant-based food diversity itself—a subtle but important distinction. The durations of plant-based food diversity assessments varied substantially between studies, ranging from 24 hours to three months.
Measurements of plant-based food diversity were similarly varied, with 59% of studies restricting their dietary assessments to only plant-based dietary components, while 40% included non-plant-based foods as well. For those studies that included non-plant foods in their diversity assessment, plant-based diversity scores were typically reported separately. Only three studies utilized dedicated dietary assessment tools, and although these were validated against dietary intake or nutrient biomarkers, none were specifically validated for assessing the diversity of plant-based foods. “Due to the variation in definitions, methods of measurement, and reporting of plant-based diversity outlined above, it is challenging to compare levels of diversity and subsequent associations with health outcomes, across studies.”
The present review highlights significant methodological limitations in previous research on plant-based foods, underscored by a lack of consensus in the definitions of ‘plant-based foods' and ‘plant-based food diversity.' Glaring methodological limitations, particularly in measurement and assessment, were also observed, which prevented comparisons between studies and reduced the robustness of their findings regarding health outcomes. This review, therefore, calls for the standardization of definitions and methodologies in the field, as well as the development of dedicated assessment tools.
“While the impact of plant-based food diversity has been investigated for several health outcomes, findings are limited by contradicting evidence and the limitations in study designs. These, in combination with the increased interest in plant-based food diversity among the general population, highlight the urgent need to improve assessment and reporting of plant-based food diversity.”
Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News
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Hugo Francisco de Souza is a scientific writer based in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. His academic passions lie in biogeography, evolutionary biology, and herpetology. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, where he studies the origins, dispersal, and speciation of wetland-associated snakes. Hugo has received, amongst others, the DST-INSPIRE fellowship for his doctoral research and the Gold Medal from Pondicherry University for academic excellence during his Masters. His research has been published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, including PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases and Systematic Biology. When not working or writing, Hugo can be found consuming copious amounts of anime and manga, composing and making music with his bass guitar, shredding trails on his MTB, playing video games (he prefers the term ‘gaming'), or tinkering with all things tech.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
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Francisco de Souza, Hugo. (2025, April 30). What's missing in plant-based nutrition research? A new review explains. News-Medical. Retrieved on May 01, 2025 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250430/Whate28099s-missing-in-plant-based-nutrition-research-A-new-review-explains.aspx.
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Francisco de Souza, Hugo. "What's missing in plant-based nutrition research? A new review explains". News-Medical. 01 May 2025.
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Two former U.S. Men's National Team stars have warned Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney not to sign an American player for the sake of it in order to capitalize on Wrexham's growing popularity Stateside.
Since the debut of the FX docuseries Welcome To Wrexham in 2022, the Red Dragons have become something of a cultural phenomenon in the U.S. Following Hollywood stars Reynolds and McElhenney's journey as owners of the Welsh soccer team, fans around the globe have tuned in across three series' as Wrexham have gone from National League minnows to Premier League dreamers.
Wrexham's notoriety in the U.S. prompted Phil Parkinson's side to travel across the pond during their 2023 and 2024 preseasons, with newfound Red Dragons fans from across the country flocking to see them in action. However, while the prospect of signing a USMNT star could help fuel their growth in America, former internationals Herculez Gomez and Kasey Keller don't believe it should be done for the sake of promoting the team.
“If the good people of Wrexham, who understand TV and understand marketing and understand how to promote things, didn't see it fit to have - at any level - an American, I don't think it's necessary that they have an American now,” Gomez suggested on ESPN FC's Futbol Americas.
As for Keller, he added, “To me, it's not about the token American. To me, it's about finding the right player. If that right player happens to be American, fine, no problem. I'm not a fan of tokenism at all. I want to see Wrexham, clearly they have had success - there is no issue of thinking: ‘Hey, would this sell a couple more jerseys in California?' I think they are doing it the right way.”
Having recently confirmed their third straight promotion, this time to the Championship via a 3-0 win against Charlton Athletic, Wrexham will soon likely look to add to their already experienced roster ahead of their first season in the second division since 1982.
Yet to be linked with any USMNT stars, they have been suggested as a potential landing spot for several other international stars, including Leicester City's Jamie Vardy, Arsenal's Raheem Sterling, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester United's Jonny Evans, and Rangers' Tom Lawrence, according to the Daily Mail.
That being said, whoever is ultimately brought in to bolster their team ahead of what will undoubtedly be a tough season, Parkinson has made it crystal clear that they have a “no superstar” policy in place.
“I think that a lot of tough decisions will be made this summer, in terms of who we bring in and how we add to this fantastic squad of lads we've got, but let's see if we can build a squad to compete at that level,” he explained, via ESPN.
“I think it's interesting because the jump in salaries is incredible, mind-blowing. Even coming up to this level [League One], the jump to get players of Championship quality is expensive but obviously with the next level, I don't think people outside football quite realise.
“They think players in League One must be multi-millionaires, but the drop-off from what people read about Premier League players when they come down, is huge.
“That is a challenge, but what we've always tried to do is make sure the culture in the club is right and I think that's key - no superstars, no egos in the dressing room and we've got to try and get that balance right again.”
Two Manchester United figureheads are reportedly expected to leave the club as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's second round of redundancies.
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Real Madrid has been left with little to play for this season. The Whites suffered a resounding defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals against Arsenal. They were knocked out of their favorite competition, looking very inferior to Mikel Arteta's side, who won 5-1 on aggregate. After the blow, they turned their attention to the Copa del Rey, but Barça won that in a good game that was decided in the final stages of extra time.
With this scenario, the only option for the Whites is to cling to La Liga, which looks complicated as Barça are four points ahead and have both the head-to-head record and the overall goal difference. There is one Clásico left between the two sides on Sunday 11 May at Montjuic, which looks vital in deciding the champion.
In addition, once LaLiga is over, Real Madrid also has the incentive of fighting for the Club World Cup. This is a new title that the Whites want to add to their trophy cabinet and, as with LaLiga, it has been complicated by the many injuries that the team has suffered.
Throughout the season, Real Madrid's infirmary has always had many occupants. Since the start of the season, Dani Carvajal has been out of action with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn lateral collateral ligament, and torn popliteal tendon in his right leg, and Eder Militao has suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, affecting both menisci in his right leg.
Both players have worked very hard and are nearing the end of their recovery in order to be fit for the World Cup. The team will need them because the last few days have been catastrophic in terms of injuries. In the last 48 hours, Rüdiger, Alaba, and Mendy have all undergone surgery.
In principle, the German center back will miss the rest of the domestic competition, but he should be available for the club tournament. However, it remains to be seen in what condition he will be and whether the excruciating pain he was suffering has improved. On the other hand, Alaba's operation went well and he is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks. The club is confident that he will make it to the Club World Cup.
The same cannot be said for Ferland Mendy, who has also undergone surgery. The full-back has suffered a tear of the proximal tendon of the rectus femoris in his right quadriceps. Mendy will be out for between 10 and 12 weeks. He will not make it to the Club World Cup.
In addition to the injuries, it remains to be seen what will happen with two players whose contracts are expiring, Lucas Vázquez and Luka Modric. There is talk that both have had their contracts extended so that they can play in the Club World Cup regardless of what happens with their contracts afterwards.
With a depleted defense ahead of the Club World Cup, Real Madrid has to make decisions. In addition to the expected arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the tournament to strengthen the back line, the Whites will have to draw on their youth academy to compete in the World Cup. José Félix Díaz has told Marca which players will be promoted to the first team to help out during this competition.
“Yusi and Valde will be responsible for helping Fran García at left-back for Real Madrid for the rest of the season,” the journalist revealed in Marca, also confirming the presence of Jacobo Ramón, Mario Rivas, and Diego Aguado.
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Manchester City cannot get ahead of themselves and need to stay on their toes when they travel to the United States to participate in the Club World Cup between June and July, Pep Guardiola has said.
City will feature in the 32-club tournament and represent the Premier League alongside Chelsea as Guardiola's side prepare for the new season, giving the Blues another opportunity to claim silverware after reaching the FA Cup final last weekend.
Goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol helped Manchester City to a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final as the 2023 treble winners edge closer to an eighth FA Cup title in the club's history.
After failing to challenge for the Premier League title for only the second time since Guardiola was appointed manager in 2016, Manchester City can do with every bit of competitive football to earn their spark back ahead of the new campaign.
“We will see how we finish the season and see how we arrive in that tournament together and then we will see what happens. Normally whenever I start a competition for example like the Premier League, never do I start thinking ‘Oh, we are going to win etc',” Guardiola said in an in-house club interview.
“So, one step at a time, try to play better than we played in the league, arrive in better conditions everyone and after we see. What's happening today in football, even in domestic leagues, there are different managers, different cultures, different styles and ways to play and of course you play teams from Oceania, Asia, South America.”
City take on Wolves in the Premier League this weekend and Guardiola will know the importance of taking one game at a time as his side look to continue their rich vein of form and take one step towards qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League.
Josko Gvardiol has stressed on the importance of the Club World Cup in Manchester City's preparations for the 2025-26 season and has called on his teammates to give the competition the respect it deserves when City do fly out to the United States in June.
Guardiola added: “It (Club World Cup) is a new one and that's why its football, right? It's not always the same style, it's different visions, different types of players, that's culture so that's nice.”
Manchester City have a big summer ahead and have been allowed by the Premier League to register new signings for a 10-day period between 1-10 June – before they begin their Club World Cup campaign – when they will come up against Wydad AC, Al Ain and Juventus to begin with.
A 5-1 aggregate defeat in the Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final comes after a shock failure to win main domestic title
A dejected-looking Lionel Messi walked off the pitch in defeat on Wednesday after his Inter Miami team were exposed in emphatic fashion by a young Vancouver Whitecaps.
The 3-1 loss in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final meant a 5-1 aggregate defeat to the Canadian side and no one who watched the games would question whether the scoreline was a fair reflection of the games.
A Miami team built around Messi and ageing former teammates from his Barcelona heyday – Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – backed up mainly by journeymen players from South America, showed their age against a Whitecaps team that was faster and sharper in all areas.
Last year Miami won the Supporters Shield – for the best regular season record in Major League Soccer, with a record-breaking campaign but were surprisingly beaten by Atlanta United in the first round of the MLS Cup play-offs.
The 38-year-old Suarez, who like Messi scored 20 goals in MLS last year, now appears totally spent, his legs no longer able to get him in the positions his experience tells him he needs to be.
Busquets is a sorry shadow of the outstanding midfielder he once was and Alba, while still an attacking threat, appears to have been given permission to ignore his defensive duties.
Rodri's season-ending injury means he won't be defending the trophy he won in 2024 - so who are the main contenders to succeed the Spaniard?
If you thought the days of the Ballon d'Or generating headlines were over after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's era of dominance came to an end, then think again. After one of the most closely-fought races for a number of years, Rodri came out on top in 2024, beating Vinicius Jr into second place as Real Madrid dramatically boycotted the ceremony in Paris in protest at their star player missing out.
Unfortunately for Rodri, he will be unable to defend his crown in 2025, with the Manchester City midfielder having suffered a season-ending knee injury in September. The door, then, is open for a whole host of players to succeed the Spain star, and the race for the Golden Ball is heating up as we enter the final weeks of the European campaign.
The 2024-25 season doesn't have the same international tournaments as its two predecessors, and so the destination of the Ballon d'Or will be decided solely by club performances. That opens it up to all sorts of individuals who might not share the same success with their countries as others, while there is also the prospect of the new-look Club World Cup to consider.
So, who are the favourites for the most prestigious individual prize in world football? As always, GOAL is here every step of the way to track the contenders and the pretenders with our Ballon d'Or Power Rankings - check out who is in contention...
Previous update: April 28. Players dropped out: Virgil van Dijk, Alexander Isak & Michael Olise.
The Dutchman was directly involved in all of the Nerazzurri's goals as they claimed a fully deserved draw in Catalunya
Denzel Dumfries almost singlehandedly kept Inter's season alive in Barcelona on Wednesday, with the Dutchman scoring two goals and creating another in an extraordinary 3-3 draw at Montjuic.
The Nerazzurri had gone into this eagerly-awaited Champions League semi-final first leg on the back of three consecutive defeats that saw them replaced by Napoli at the top of Serie A, and dumped out of the Coppa Italia by city rivals AC Milan. Consequently, many fans feared the worst for Simone Inzaghi's side against Europe's form team.
However, Inter raced into a 2-0 lead thanks in no small part to Dumfries, who was making his first start for a month due to injury. The wing-back crossed for the fit-again Marcus Thuram to open the scoring with a stunning back-heeled finish before Dumfries doubled the visitors' advantage himself with a sensational scissors-kick.
Barca were level by the break, however, thanks to the irrepressible Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, who did a fine job filling in for Robert Lewandowski, but Dumfries put Inter back in front when he climbed highest to head home a Hakan Calhanoglou corner midway through the second half.
The Blaugrana drew level almost immediately when Yann Sommer unwittingly deflected Raphinha's thumping drive into his own net, but Inter held on quite comfortably to ensure that a win of any variety of San Siro next week will send them through to their second final in three years.
Below, GOAL rates all of the Inter players on show at Monjuic as Dumfries did the impossible by upstaging Yamal!
By
Victor Corral Martinez
Imagine you see soccer legends like Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappé practicing a bicycle kick with their teammates from the Argentina or France national teams. But you're not watching television, you're seeing it live on the soccer field at Gonzaga University as the team prepares for the World Cup.
That once-in-a-lifetime experience is what Washington legislators, the city of Spokane, Visit Spokane and Spokane Sports are hoping Spokanites can experience as the city has been selected to host a team base camp for one of the teams. National soccer teams will use team base camps in the months leading up to the World Cup and during the group phase as a primary location for training, rest and preparing for their matches.
Spokane is also slated to serve as one of nine fan zone sites across the state, featuring large screens to watch matches streamed live and acting as a local hub for the FIFA World Cup.
Visit Spokane is helping market the fan zone, working with Seattle's World Cup organizing committee, which selected the city as a fan destination. Visit Spokane CEO Rose Noble says the fan zone will be geared toward locals in the region.
At the heart of downtown Spokane, Riverfront Park is the ideal spot for people to enjoy the park, as well as watch the matches and purchase official merchandise without heading to Seattle, Noble says.
"Riverfront Park makes perfect sense, and we have the infrastructure to support a large viewing party, and being designated an official fan zone means we get all of the official branding and merchandise for FIFA," Noble says. "We envision it being a very welcoming, inclusive, vibrant space that has large screens to watch some of the key games with the branding that no one else will have anywhere on the east side."
Spokane Sports will handle the fan zone operations. The organization's CEO Ashley Blake says via email that Spokane has always been a sports town, and the FIFA fan zone will be a great chance to curate lasting memories.
In March, Spokane Sports created fan sites for travelers and locals to enjoy during the Women's March Madness games. They'll be able to build on that work to create unique experiences in Spokane during the World Cup.
"Spokane Sports is proud to work alongside partners across the region to deliver a memorable fan zone," Blake writes. "Our organization has a rich history in event execution, and we're looking forward to building an electric atmosphere."
Currently on Gov. Bob Ferguson's desk is House Bill 1515, which will allow local governments to ask the Liquor and Cannabis Board to approve expanded outdoor alcohol service on civic campuses, such as parks, for liquor licensees within their jurisdiction.
The bill was designed for fan zone sites like Spokane, and Seattle, which is a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The bill, if signed by Ferguson, would allow the Gesa Credit Union Pavilion to serve alcoholic beverages outside of a confined, age-restricted beer garden, with up to 100 acres of space to maximize mobility for event guests and families. It will allow Washington cities with a population over 220,000 to produce up to 25 expanded alcohol service events a year until December 2027.
For Mayor Lisa Brown, it's a natural evolution of what can be done in Spokane, with places like Brick West already offering a large outdoor area for families to enjoy live music, drinks and food.
"The ability for people to come, for adults to have alcohol, and for kids to play is something we already have going on in Spokane," Brown says. "I go to Brick West every year when my son plays music on the stage. I've got my little grandson there, and I just think it's something we've already shown we can do."
TEAM BASE CAMP
In Olympia, despite a tough biennial budget cycle, legislators also included $100,000 in the state capital budget to make improvements at Gonzaga University's practice field so it can host the team base camp.
Alexander Scott, city administrator for Spokane, says all the qualifying national teams need to make their base camp selections by March 2026. He says that national teams may already be scouting without the city knowing.
Currently, the three host countries including Mexico, the United States and Canada, qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Japan, New Zealand, Iran and Argentina have qualified as well. Other qualifying countries are expected to be determined by the fall.
For Scott, a dream scenario would be to host one of the nations with a Spokane sister city, such as Japan, South Korea, Italy or Ireland.
Scott says FIFA had to do a lot of back-and-forth with Gonzaga about their practice field, also known as a pitch. The international soccer organization has strict requirements for their pitches to have natural grass with a synthetic stitched base.
"FIFA technical crews were out here looking at the Gonzaga pitch and signing off on that," Scott says.
Looking at past World Cups, Scott believes that there would be some collaboration for event planning between the national team that opts to stay here and the city. There will be opportunities to watch practices or youth clinics.
"The public would possibly be invited to attend an open practice, or they might put on clinics for youth," Scott says. "For the most part, they're going to be very much going about their business and getting ready for the World Cup."
FIFA ruled out using university dormitories for teams to stay in while they practice during the months ahead of the World Cup, and when they're not competing in one of the host cities, Scott says.
The official FIFA website lists Northern Quest Resort & Casino as the official hotel partner for a potential team stay in Spokane.
Brown says she's looking forward to experiencing the fan zone sites and for people not from the region to experience all that Spokane has to offer. She says that even with the current issues around immigration, Spokane can be a connector of different cultures and languages united through soccer.
"Soccer — there's just something about it as an international sport that I think connects us to the world in a positive way, and I think we need that right now," Brown says.
The Seattle FIFA World Cup organizing committee is excited to have Spokane on board.
"Spokane's fan zone is an incredible opportunity to bring the energy of the FIFA World Cup to Eastern Washington," says Hana Tadesse, vice president of communications for Seattle's FIFA World Cup committee. "We're thrilled to be able to bring the celebration of soccer to everyone across the state — and especially in Spokane, the beating heart of soccer in the Inland Northwest." ♦
The original print version of this article was headlined "International Invite"
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Bayern Munich have one hand on the league title with three games left to play. One more win, and the trophy is guaranteed to be in the possession of Die Roten. After the conclusion of the Bundesliga on May 17, the players will go into the preparation process for the FIFA Club World Cup, which starts in mid-June.
Vincent Kompany is looking to finalize the roster to bring to the USA. Apart from the current squad, Bayern Munich will also showcase some young talents from the academy. Jonah Kusi-Asare, Wisdom Mike, and Lennart Karl are all expected to have minutes in the tournament.
Bayern fans are also looking forward to the highly anticipated debut of another young star in the summer transfer, Tom Bischof from TSG Hoffenheim. The young German's contract only expires on June 30, which makes him unavailable for the first phase of the Club World Cup. However, Bayern Munich are in negotiations with Hoffenheim to release Bischof ahead of schedule.
The talks have been going well. While talking to Sky Sports (via iMiaSanMia), Hoffenheim director Andreas Schicker has shown great willingness to let Tom Bischof join Bayern early.
Tom Bischof has enjoyed a breakout campaign this year. He tallied six goals and three assists across all competitions. Bayern have managed to scoop up Germany's top midfield talent for a price of $0 (€0 for our European readers). The deal has been confirmed in the January transfer window. The 19-year-old will join Bayern's exciting haul of young talents and is expected to be the club's midfield maestro in the near future. And, hopefully, his legacy in red and white will all start at the FIFA Club World Cup in the coming months.
According to TyC Sports, Bayern Munich are having links with Independiente's midfielder Filipe Loyola. The Chilean international is also a very versatile player, capable of playing both as a center midfielder and as a right-back - a similar archetype as Konrad Laimer. The 24-year-old also fancies this move to the German giant.
The expected fee for this deal might fall around €15-20 million. Bayern are considered to be serious about the move and are in the advanced phase.
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The Basque club are living through their latest golden age and will make formidable opponents for the Red Devils
For Manchester United, winning the Europa League is not just about lifting another trophy. It is about survival. After their worst season since being relegated in 1974, hoisting Europe's second-biggest prize in Bilbao on May 21 would take the club back to where they both want to be and - financially - need to be: the Champions League.
For the last 30 years, United have been run as if they were always in or at least aiming to be in Europe's top competition, meaning the wage bill hasn't been altered even when they missed out on qualification. Failing to win the Europa League, though, would mean missing out on the Champions League for two consecutive seasons, something that has never happened since the club first entered the competition in 1993.
But more than pride is at stake for United. Being in Europe's top competition is worth around £100 million ($134m) and could ward off fears about financial meltdown and meeting the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability obligations. It would also make United more attractive to players in the summer transfer window, which is crucial to shaping next season. As manager Ruben Amorim put it last month: "Being in the Champions League can change everything."
Things are very different for Athletic Club, the team who stand in United's way of reaching the final. Athletic are having their best La Liga season in 11 years and already on course to return to the Champions League after more than a decade away. That will be their only third campaign in Europe's top competition, and they will savour it. And so with fourth-place domestically all-but secured, the Europa League is fundamentally about glory to the Basques who have the chance to win a European trophy for the first time in the club's history.
But this season's compettion is even more important than the UEFA Cup final in 1977 or the Europa League final in 2012, both of which they lost. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lift the trophy on home soil - and they are not going to give it up without a real fight.
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Nasir Jabbar
An abandoned World Cup stadium that cost $55 million to build was sold for 'less than a house' and slammed by a former England manager.
In 1993, USA hosted England, Germany and Brazil in a round robin tournament.
Five stadiums across America hosted games, including the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, Michigan.
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The Silverdome, an 80,300-seat stadium, cost $55 million to build in 1975 and when it opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure - the first use of the architectural technique in a major athletic facility.
The state-of-the-art stadium played host to Germany vs. England in the 1993 US Cup.
Germany beat England 2-1 in a fixture that was contested indoors and had no uncertainties.
At the time, the Three Lions were managed by Graham Taylor, and he hit out at the stadium's dome feature.
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"The beauty of football is its uncertainties," he explained.
"The more uncertainties you take away, the more boring it gets. Weather and climate play a part in our game. I wonder, when I look at a stadium like this: Is it taking away some of the uncertainties and beauty of the game?"
The grass drew criticism, too. Both teams practiced on the 14,000 square feet of hybrid grass that hosted four games at the 1994 World Cup.
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The surface was left with the divots and spots, which were carefully repaired before the game with green-dyed sand.
Roger Faulkner, president of the Michigan World Cup Host Committee, said: "People are going to be out there looking for divots with microscopes. But if you look at Soldier Field (where USA and Germany played) after the game, I'm sure there were hundreds of them."
The Pontiac Silverdome - once home to the NFL's Detroit Lions between 1975 and 2001 - was sold for $583,000 in 2009.
Topics: FIFA World Cup, England, Football
Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.
@NasJabbar
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Neeraj Sharma
The 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is credited to make history by bringing the event to Africa for the first time and the Paradise Arena in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles island will be serve as the picturesque backdrop for the competition.
The 13th edition of the popular tournament will kick off on May 1 with high expectations, as this promises to be a delightful dish mixed with skill, spirit, and hot drama on sand.
Fresh off their impressive runs in the 2025 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship, El Salvador and Guatemala punched their tickets to the big stage, each hoping to make history by becoming the first nation from the region to lift the coveted trophy when the action wraps up on May 11.
WATCH:2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup LIVE on Fubo
WATCH:2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup LIVE on Fubo
This edition's tournament has 16 participating nations from all over, South America, Europe, and the recently high repute of Africa, bringing mesmerizing entertainment.
Brazil is the defending champion, as they have won six titles more than any other team, and they will once again start as the team to beat. However, they will be challenged by European giants like Portugal and Italy, who are also hungry to upend the status quo and steal the limelight in Seychelles.
The Sporting News has everything to know to tune in, including the schedule, bracket and TV channels for every match.
In the U.S., fans can catch the tournament action in English on Fox's family of networks and streaming services, while Spanish-language coverage will be handled by NBC Universo. For those streaming, Fubo also offers live access.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
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Neeraj Sharma is a content producer at The Sporting News, driven by a passion for crafting engaging and informative articles. Neeraj is a die-hard Newcastle United fan who has been living the dream since the takeover.
Before landing at TSN, he sharpened his craft as a preview, opinion, and analysis writer for an online fan blog and served as a sports reporter for his college magazine. When he's not churning out content, you'll find him stirring up some classic Ronaldo vs. Messi debates or hitting the field or court for a game of football or basketball.
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A new format and building familiarity before the FIFA world cup are major motivating factors says Kane.
Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane is pumped for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. The month long tournament will be taking place in the USA from mid June to mid July. Yes, the fixture loaded tournament will be taking place in the break season. It however does bring its benefits, namely, to build familiarity with the conditions and crowds for the international World Cup set to happen in 2026.
Who doesn't love more football? Striker Harry Kane shares the excitement of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. A World cup style tournament but for clubs from all over the world is as global as club football can get. The revamp of the format has lent more appeal to the CWC per Harry Kane. Also, there is the factor that the actual 2026 FIFA World Cup( in which the countries play) will take place in USA. The CWC offers a great opportunity to be at the venues around the same time of the year to familiarize oneself with the conditions and spark a connection with the local fans.
In an interview with Goal , Harry Kane was asked to give his views on the CWC, the prospect of playing in the new format and in the USA. He said “ I think it's going to be great. The Club World Cup is going to be unique, playing this type of major tournament with your club is different to what's been done in the past, but I think it's going to be a good experience. Going out to the U.S., as well, a year before the World Cup itself will be a great chance to get to know some of the stadiums and get to know the fans out there. I'm very much looking forward to it.”
While it is great to have more football, the welfare of the players is not to be taken lightly. The strain from the already heavy load of fixtures during the season warrants a sufficient rest period. However, the interest of expanding the sport globally and the money coming from it, continues to push the interest of the players to the back seat.
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Filed under:
A new format and building familiarity before the FIFA world cup are major motivating factors says Kane.
Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane is pumped for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. The month long tournament will be taking place in the USA from mid June to mid July. Yes, the fixture loaded tournament will be taking place in the break season. It however does bring its benefits, namely, to build familiarity with the conditions and crowds for the international World Cup set to happen in 2026.
Who doesn't love more football? Striker Harry Kane shares the excitement of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. A World cup style tournament but for clubs from all over the world is as global as club football can get. The revamp of the format has lent more appeal to the CWC per Harry Kane. Also, there is the factor that the actual 2026 FIFA World Cup( in which the countries play) will take place in USA. The CWC offers a great opportunity to be at the venues around the same time of the year to familiarize oneself with the conditions and spark a connection with the local fans.
In an interview with Goal , Harry Kane was asked to give his views on the CWC, the prospect of playing in the new format and in the USA. He said “ I think it's going to be great. The Club World Cup is going to be unique, playing this type of major tournament with your club is different to what's been done in the past, but I think it's going to be a good experience. Going out to the U.S., as well, a year before the World Cup itself will be a great chance to get to know some of the stadiums and get to know the fans out there. I'm very much looking forward to it.”
While it is great to have more football, the welfare of the players is not to be taken lightly. The strain from the already heavy load of fixtures during the season warrants a sufficient rest period. However, the interest of expanding the sport globally and the money coming from it, continues to push the interest of the players to the back seat.
Check your inbox for a welcome email.
Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
Jack Draper will be in the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career on Monday.
The British number one confirmed he will leapfrog Novak Djokovic after reaching the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.
Draper beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-0, 6-4 in their last eight encounter on Thursday.
The fifth seed will now face either Lorenzo Musetti or Gabriel Diallo on Friday for a place in the final.
By beating Arnaldi, Draper has ensured he will be at least fifth in the latest ATP rankings.
As well as overtaking Djokovic, he has also equalled a feat previously achieved by another tennis great.
Draper is only the second left-handed player to be ranked in the top five this century.
He follows in the footsteps of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
It is 20 years since the former world number first entered the top five back in May 2005.
Nadal would not leave the top five positions on the rankings for the next decade.
Reflecting on his win over Arnaldi, Draper told Sky Sports: "I feel stronger every time I play.
"Against these guys I used to feel like I would be the one on the back foot, the one defending, so the next part of my game was getting capable physically to do the things I know I can do and bully these guys.
"I have been doing everything in all areas pretty well and am excited to keep on going. Hopefully it keeps coming together.
"You see guys like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have no fear and so I just want to go after it, I suppose.
"My forehand is doing a lot of damage and I want to keep it up.
"I know I can win any match and lose any match. I am fearful I could lose but that helps me compete the way I do."
Draper's ascension to the top five is the latest achievement in an already impressive year for the Brit.
The 23-year-old won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Indian Wells Open back in March.
After reaching the final, he saw off Denmark's Holger Rune to clinch the title.
Draper could add another such victory this weekend, with either Francisco Cerundolo or Casper Ruud waiting if he makes the final.
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Stan Wawrinka, Borna Coric and Reilly Opelka are in the final eight, however.ByLiya DavidovPublished May 01, 2025 copy_link
Published May 01, 2025
© Getty Images
Ten Frenchman began their pursuit of the Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole title on the ATP Challenger Tour two days ago, from world No. 314 ranked Arthur Gea to No. 3 seed in the draw Quentin Halys.All 10 have bid adieu.Halys, along with sixth seed Arthur Rinderknech and eighth seed Corentin Moutet, reached the second round, but that was as far as they'd go.Argentina's Mariano Navone kicked off match play on Thursday by knocking out the third-seeded Halys, 6-2, 6-4.
All 10 have bid adieu.Halys, along with sixth seed Arthur Rinderknech and eighth seed Corentin Moutet, reached the second round, but that was as far as they'd go.Argentina's Mariano Navone kicked off match play on Thursday by knocking out the third-seeded Halys, 6-2, 6-4.
Halys, along with sixth seed Arthur Rinderknech and eighth seed Corentin Moutet, reached the second round, but that was as far as they'd go.Argentina's Mariano Navone kicked off match play on Thursday by knocking out the third-seeded Halys, 6-2, 6-4.
Argentina's Mariano Navone kicked off match play on Thursday by knocking out the third-seeded Halys, 6-2, 6-4.
A post shared by Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole (@openaixprovence)
The second match in Aix-en-Provence saw back-to-back French upsets, if you go by seeding. Borna Coric conquered Rinderknech in a heated straight-set battle, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Rinderknech struck nine aces to Coric's zero, but the Croat won all first-serve points in the second set to maintain an unbeaten record against the Frenchman.The final Frenchman to take the court was Moutet, who began Thursday by completing his first-round match against Pavel Kotov. The two battled to 7-5, 3-6, 5-5 on Wednesday—during which Moutet reported receiving death threats from Kotov.Upon restarting, Moutet won eight of ten points to edge out the Russian. There was no handshake exchanged between the two players at net.
The final Frenchman to take the court was Moutet, who began Thursday by completing his first-round match against Pavel Kotov. The two battled to 7-5, 3-6, 5-5 on Wednesday—during which Moutet reported receiving death threats from Kotov.Upon restarting, Moutet won eight of ten points to edge out the Russian. There was no handshake exchanged between the two players at net.
Upon restarting, Moutet won eight of ten points to edge out the Russian. There was no handshake exchanged between the two players at net.
COCO COCO COCO 🗣️@moutet99 edges Kotov 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in a THRILLER in @OpenduPaysdAix 🔥#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/QiZr8FDQx5
Moutet went onto play Reilly Opelka in the last second-round match of the day. The two met twice on tour previously, most recently in 2021. Both meetings went to a deciding set, with each player claiming a victory.Today was a different story.Opelka edged out the first set tiebreak, 7-3, earning set points with a 141 m.p.h. serve. The first break of the match also went in Opelka's favor early in the second set, but Moutet rallied from 2-4 down to 5-4 with a love-hold service game.
Today was a different story.Opelka edged out the first set tiebreak, 7-3, earning set points with a 141 m.p.h. serve. The first break of the match also went in Opelka's favor early in the second set, but Moutet rallied from 2-4 down to 5-4 with a love-hold service game.
Opelka edged out the first set tiebreak, 7-3, earning set points with a 141 m.p.h. serve. The first break of the match also went in Opelka's favor early in the second set, but Moutet rallied from 2-4 down to 5-4 with a love-hold service game.
They would head to a tiebreak, and in two hours and five minutes—with ten aces to his credit—Opelka knocked out the Frenchman and earned the final spot in the Challenger quarterfinals.Not only was Moutet the final Frenchman in contention at a home tournament, but he was also the last seeded player left in the draw.The results see no Frenchmen in the Aix-en-Provence quarterfinal since 2018, and all seeded players out of the running.
Not only was Moutet the final Frenchman in contention at a home tournament, but he was also the last seeded player left in the draw.The results see no Frenchmen in the Aix-en-Provence quarterfinal since 2018, and all seeded players out of the running.
The results see no Frenchmen in the Aix-en-Provence quarterfinal since 2018, and all seeded players out of the running.
A post shared by ATP Challenger Tour (@atpchallengertour)
Wild card Stan Wawrinka is the new head of the draw after taking out top seed Alexei Popyrin. He meets Nishesh Basavareddy for the first time, and on the American's 20th birthday.Navone and Coric battle each other in the quarterfinals, alongside clashes between Valentin Vacherot and Borna Gojo, and Opelka and qualifier Ignacio Buse.The tournament continues through Sunday, May 4, on the Tennis Channel app. ATP Challenger Estoril is also streaming live all week long, where American Alex Michelsen is the top seed remaining following a second-round loss from Felix Auger-Aliassime.For more information on the ATP Challenger Tour, click here.
Navone and Coric battle each other in the quarterfinals, alongside clashes between Valentin Vacherot and Borna Gojo, and Opelka and qualifier Ignacio Buse.The tournament continues through Sunday, May 4, on the Tennis Channel app. ATP Challenger Estoril is also streaming live all week long, where American Alex Michelsen is the top seed remaining following a second-round loss from Felix Auger-Aliassime.For more information on the ATP Challenger Tour, click here.
The tournament continues through Sunday, May 4, on the Tennis Channel app. ATP Challenger Estoril is also streaming live all week long, where American Alex Michelsen is the top seed remaining following a second-round loss from Felix Auger-Aliassime.For more information on the ATP Challenger Tour, click here.
For more information on the ATP Challenger Tour, click here.
Francisco Cerundolo advanced to his second career Masters 1000 semi-final with an impressive comeback win over Jakub Mensik.
The Argentine star has proved himself to be one of the best clay-court players on the ATP Tour in 2025, winning more matches (16) than any other player on the surface.
He picked up a big win in the fourth round, as Cerundolo stunned Alexander Zverev in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
He then made his way through to his first Masters 1000 semi-final in three years, with a comeback win over Jakub Mensik, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.
However, while Cerundolo and Mensik provided some thrilling action in Madrid, the match may be better remembered for highlighting a ‘ridiculous' issue which continues to plague the sport.
The two Adidas athletes turned up to their Madrid Open quarterfinal match in identical kits.
In doing so, fans watching around the world struggled to tell the difference between the two players throughout.
Many took to X to share their thoughts on the ‘ridiculous' kit clash.
“This is ridiculous,” said one fan.
“Tennis is so ridiculous sometimes,” added another.
Cerundolo & Mensik: same shorts, shirt, wristband. Same cap, worn in the same way. Same shoes and socks. Not helpful for viewers..
One fan suggested the choice of attire wasn't ‘helpful' for the viewers.
“[Francisco] Cerundolo and [Jakub] Mensik: same shorts, shirt, wristband,” they said.
“Same cap, worn in the same way. Same shoes and socks. Not helpful for viewers.”
“Unwatchable even for a diehard tennis fan,” said one disgruntled viewer on X.
“Imagine a casual observer tuning in. Tennis has got to be the stupidest sport sometimes.”
Several other fans called for a rule change, after seeing Cerundolo and Mensik battle it out.
we gotta stop with these kit clashes in tennis man, I look down for a minute and I just forget who's who.
“We've got to stop with these kit clashes in tennis man, I look down for a minute and I just forget who's who,” said one fan.
“This is just horrible to watch, and should be illegal in any sport.”
“This is so unhinged,” added another.
“Ban wearing the same outfit immediately.”
The same issue occurred during Jack Draper's win over Holger Rune in the Indian Wells final earlier this year, as the two Nike athletes wore the exact same kit.
The problem, from a distance at least, seems to have a very simple solution. Ban players from wearing the same kits.
Every major tennis apparel company has more than one kit available to use, so there could be a simple rule in place to prevent players from taking to the court with an identical outfit to their opponent.
If players chose to be stubborn about who of the pair needed to change, the decision could be made by ranking, forcing the lower-ranked player to swap into a different kit.
It remains to be seen if ATP Tour officials will look into such a change, but there certainly seems to be some real demand for a solution.
Cerundolo won't be too bothered by the kit drama, having booked his place in the Madrid Open semis with a thrilling win over Mensik.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Cerundolo looked ahead to his last four encounter with Norway's Casper Ruud.
“Playing Casper [Ruud] in the semi-finals is going to be a super tough match, I think it's 5-3, the head-to-head, but we play on clay maybe four or five times, 2-2 or 3-2 to him, I think,” he said.
“It's going to be a fight tomorrow. I saw him today, he's playing really good this week, I think he hasn't lost a set, so it's going to be a fight again.”
The clay head-to-head record is level at 2-2, although Ruud has won their previous two matches on the surface.
Ruud beat Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals to book his place in the semi-finals and looked dominant throughout.
Only time will tell if Cerundolo can retake the lead in his clay head-to-head with Ruud when they face off for a place in the Madrid Open final.
Cerundolo and Ruud will play their Madrid Open semi-final match on Friday, May 2.
14:22 EDT 01 May 2025, updated
14:57 EDT 01 May 2025
By
HUGH MACDONALD
The thwock thwock of tennis ball on racket echoes around Rouken Glen. They come from a practice session under a watery sun in the south of Glasgow. They are the shots, though, that have been heard around the world.
Aidan Moody, at 21, has played in two Australian Opens, has served and volleyed at Wimbledon, represented Team GB and is heading to a world finals in Kazakhstan next week.
His coach, Gary Smith, once helped Andy Murray on his rise to the very top and also played at elite level, representing his country.
They are bound together by a tennis story that is profoundly inspiring. Both have faced challenges, indeed still do. Both have found tennis to be a healing balm.
Moody was diagnosed with autism at four. He found tennis at his primary school. It has led him towards a new, fulfilling life. He competes in the learning disability category. This is part of the Australian Open schedule. ‘We play on the courts of the Open during the tournament. In front of the crowds, in front of the cameras,' he says after practice ends for the day.
Now in the top ten in the world, he has qualified for the Australian Open twice. He was put out in the quarter-finals last year and in the semis this year. He finished runner-up in the doubles on both occasions.
‘The Australian Open is the only major that has a learning disability category at the moment,' says Smith. ‘But I believe the other majors will follow.'
Moody has, though, played twice in competitions at Wimbledon but not under the banner or at the same time as the prestigious tournament.
He is now preparing for the LD Virtus world tennis championships in Kazakhstan from May 3-11. He will travel with other members of Team GB.
It has already been a spectacular journey. ‘This is my third time representing Team GB,' says Moody. ‘It is an honour to represent your country and I am very proud to pull on the jersey with the flag.'
He enjoys travelling to and playing in tournaments in Britain and abroad. ‘It's always a good atmosphere with different players from around the world.'
It has led to a meeting with Andy Murray, his hero. ‘He was coming off court after a session at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton and he looked tired. But he gave me a chance to take a photograph and wished me good luck. He's my idol and I look up to him. To be in the NTC is great, but to meet Andy...'
Moody and his father, Stephen, a mortgage adviser, have already banked special memories. This year at the Australian Open they met and chatted to Jim Courier, who is now a commentator but is also a grand slam winner. Ben Shelton, the American player, also stopped for a chat in the tunnels that link courts in Melbourne.
Young Moody has been enthused by all this but he has a focus. ‘My ambition is probably building up my world ranking,' he says. ‘I am in the top 10 and I want to go further — top five, top three. See where it goes.'
He has been coached by Smith for six years. Moody was introduced to tennis when Giffnock tennis club did an outreach programme at Our Lady of the Missions primary school in Thornliebank.
‘I was just nine then but I enjoyed it so much,' says Aidan. ‘I fell in love with the sport and joined Giffnock.'
He benefited from coaching there and also attended a dedicated session every week with Glasgow Disability Tennis.
His link with Smith began after his previous coach moved away from Giffnock. The Smith brothers have serious form in coaching. Leon captained Team GB to a Davis Cup victory and also coached Murray as a teenager with Gary helping out. Leon is head of men's tennis at the LTA. Toby is now national manager for players aged 16 and under at Tennis Scotland.
Gary has been with the best. He regularly hit with Murray and has coached 11 players who have played in majors at junior and elite level. However, he has also had to deal with a brain injury inflicted in a mugging 20 years ago.
Now 44, he has to manage his time and efforts. ‘The mugging changed how much I could play,' he says. ‘I initially came back from that but for periods I could not go on. I didn't have PTSD because I had no memory of my incident. I know it could have cost me my life but I moved on mentally very quickly.
‘Physically it took me a good while to get up and about. But then I won a few tournaments here and there.'
However, he adds: ‘The damage to the brain grew into something over the years and it became problematic. Doing continuous session after session without a break was taking its toll. I was getting more tired. I had to take periods of time off coaching. That was difficult.'
The collaboration with Moody, though, has been invigorating. ‘It is a new challenge,' says Smith. ‘He was entrusted to me when his previous coach moved from Giffnock. I was more than happy to take him on. We got on well very straight away. It's all about creating relationships with players.
‘We were just working away before any notion of grand slams came on the horizon. I didn't want to know the details of his disability. For me, he was just another player and every player has things he or she must work on. I have coached a lot of players and I find it easier with him, to be honest.
‘He is constantly improving. There is a boom in LD sport and he is ready to profit for that. He has achieved success early on. In my experience, he is also a better person as well as a better tennis player.'
Smith points out that the other grand slam tournaments at Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows and Roland Garros are like to follow Australia's lead in including LD tennis.
‘This is going to grow and Aidan at 21 is living it now. He will be one of the pioneers of this sport,' he says.
Stephen Moody watches the practice from the sidelines. He has travelled the world with his son.
‘When we go to Australia, I take it as part of my annual leave and obviously we have to fund it,' he says. He has been repaid in experience. ‘It is wonderful to walk about the Australian Open with the credentials lanyard on and bumping into the greats. Andy Murray was wonderful with Aidan too at the NTC.'
The greatest reward, of course, is to witness his son finding satisfaction and even joy. ‘Tennis has been simply brilliant for him,' he says. ‘He had great pals at primary school but at high school he was pretty much isolated and not through anybody's fault. Tennis has helped him cope with all of that and he now has a good group of friends locally as well as the many friends he has met through tennis. He loves travelling with Team GB. He is the youngest but it's a welcoming environment.'
Aidan's mother, Amanda, a teacher, says: ‘Tennis has had a huge impact on him. He was extremely quiet at school. He didn't have a lot of confidence. Tennis has been a bit of a lifeline for him. It has given him a platform to succeed. He has found something he is good at, he has found something he has a passion for. That really helped his confidence and self-esteem.'
This all unfolds in front of one's eyes at Rouken Glen. Moody plays with focus, determination and undiluted passion. His demeanour when he leaves court is quiet but there is that hint of satisfaction that glows after a productive session.
Most wonderfully, though, there is the sense of a young man taking on the world despite his problems. It is humbling to realise that having learning difficulties does not mean one can't teach the rest of us a lesson.
Awful Announcing
Bored of complaining about TNT Sports' relationship with the NBA, Charles Barkley turned his attention to the French Open.
As Inside the NBA was winding down very early Thursday morning, Ernie Johnson read a promo for Roland-Garros, also known as the French Open, which will air on TNT Sports later this month. And as Johnson read the promo proudly, touting the new partnership between TNT Sports and Roland-Garros, Barkley offered some thoughts on the French Open's more official name.
“Probably the last time we'll run that promo” – Ernie Johnson 🤣 pic.twitter.com/lNAA3W9vWR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 1, 2025
“Changing that from French Open to Roland-Garros is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard,” Barkley ranted.
“Stop. Stop,” Johnson interjected before reminding Barkley, “We're trying to keep a nice relationship with our new partners!”
Barkley, however, cannot be tamed.
“We gave them $60 million a year, we've been good for them,” Barkley fired back. “We gave them $60 million a year, they can shut the hell up.”
“Wow,” Johnson said with surprise. “Probably the last time we'll run that promo.”
TNT Sports begins a 10-year, $650 million deal with the French Open, or as Chuck likes to call it, Roland-Garros, this month. The partnership was announced last June, serving as part of TNT's sports blitz in the wake of losing its NBA game package.
Despite Barkley's newfound disdain for the name, the French Open has been known as Roland-Garros since 1928, which is when the tournament moved to Roland-Garros stadium. But what appears to have changed is the way it's being promoted in the United States.
NBC previously carried the tournament for 41 years and it was branded as the French Open, with Roland-Garros more often appearing as a secondary name. Since joining TNT Sports, however, the tournament is seemingly being promoted by its more official name, Roland-Garros.
Maybe this was at the request of the tournament. Or maybe the decision to promote it as Roland-Garros was made by TNT Sports executives. Barkley may have been a bit harsh in his wording, but he's right. Especially in their first year carrying the tournament, every graphic, commercial and ad read on TNT should mention “French Open” alongside Roland-Garros. Because if Barkley didn't know the French Open has long been called Roland-Garros, chances are others seeing these ads were similarly unaware.
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com
“Catching your favorite team on TV shouldn't feel like solving a puzzle."
If you are of a certain age and fondly remember the NBA on NBC and the Michael Jordan...
Baseball reporter Alanna Rizzo will cover the Boston Red Sox full time with NESN after the cancellation of her MLB Network show 'High Heat.'
Ross Tucker shared a story from last season how Shedeur Sanders skipped a production meeting, playing into concerns about him in the NFL.
“We're not talking about that."
Kevin Harlan remains the king of ad reads, even finding a way to work a tariffs joke into one during the Lakers-Timberwolves playoff game.
“Catching your favorite team on TV shouldn't feel like solving a puzzle."
If you are of a certain age and fondly remember the NBA on NBC and the Michael Jordan...
Baseball reporter Alanna Rizzo will cover the Boston Red Sox full time with NESN after the cancellation of her MLB Network show 'High Heat.'
Ross Tucker shared a story from last season how Shedeur Sanders skipped a production meeting, playing into concerns about him in the NFL.
“We're not talking about that."
Kevin Harlan remains the king of ad reads, even finding a way to work a tariffs joke into one during the Lakers-Timberwolves playoff game.
Tennis - Australian Open - Press Conference - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 10, 2025 Australia's Nick Kyrgios during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Nick Kyrgios is making headlines once again as he shakes up the tennis world with his unexpected return to the French Open after an eight-year hiatus. But hold on to your seats, folks, because there's a twist in this comeback story that will leave you shocked!
While fans were ecstatic to hear about Kyrgios' Roland Garros appearance, it has been revealed that the Australian star will not be competing in the singles competition. That's right, Kyrgios will be gracing the courts of Paris, not for singles, but for doubles alongside his compatriot Jordan Thompson.
The decision to skip singles is not a matter of choice for Kyrgios, as he does not possess the required ranking or protected ranking to secure a spot in the singles draw. This unexpected turn of events has left many scratching their heads, wondering what prompted this strategic move by the fiery Aussie.
Despite the disappointment of not seeing Kyrgios in singles action, fans can still look forward to a dynamic duo on the doubles court as Kyrgios and Thompson team up to take on the competition at Roland Garros. With Thompson in need of a new partner following Max Purcell's ban from the sport, the pair is set to bring their A-game to the doubles tournament.
Criticism has been directed towards the French Tennis Federation (FFT) for their strict wildcard policy, which often favors homegrown talents over international players. This policy has put players like Kyrgios in a tough spot, forcing them to explore alternative routes to participate in prestigious tournaments like the French Open.
As the tennis world buzzes with speculation and anticipation, one thing is for sure – Nick Kyrgios is back, and he's ready to make a statement in Paris. Stay tuned as the enigmatic Australian star prepares to light up the doubles court at Roland Garros, promising an exciting and unpredictable storyline in the world of tennis.
Jack Draper's Meteoric Rise: Crushing Djokovic's Conqueror Propels Him into Top Five Rankings In a jaw-dropping display of dominance at the Madrid Open, Jack Draper has solidified his...
Jack Draper continued his remarkable run at the 2025 Madrid Open, breezing past Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-0, 6-4 to secure his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal appearance. The British...
Francisco Cerúndolo delivered a brilliant comeback to defeat Jakub Mensik 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Madrid Masters, securing his place in the semifinals...
Rising Tennis Star Carlos Alcaraz Overcomes Injury Setback, Sets Sights on Rome Comeback In a thrilling comeback story, the young and talented Carlos Alcaraz is defying the odds...
In a jaw-dropping turn of events at the Madrid Open, Coco Gauff delivered a masterclass performance, leaving Iga Swiatek in the dust with a resounding victory. Gauff's scintillating...
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Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas' Participation in Upcoming Tennis Exhibition Hangs in the Balance Due to Scheduling Conflict
The anticipation is high as Spain's renowned tennis duo, Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas, are slated to showcase their talent in an exhibition match scheduled to take place in Huelva this July. The couple, known for their prowess on the court and off, is set to dazzle fans at the event organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Spain's oldest tennis club. Joining them on the court will be Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, promising an exciting display of skill and sportsmanship.
However, the event faces a major hurdle as it coincides with the second week of Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious Grand Slam tournaments in the tennis calendar. With players from around the world vying for the coveted title, there is a looming question mark over the participation of the four stars in the exhibition match. Should they progress to the main draw of Wimbledon, they may opt out of the event to focus on the Grand Slam competition.
Adding to the uncertainty is Paula Badosa's current physical condition, as she is recuperating from a recent back injury. Sustained during the third round of the Miami Open in a match against Clara Tauson, Badosa displayed her resilience by clinching victory in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6. In a recent interview with the WTA, Badosa shared insights into her recovery journey, expressing optimism about her progress. She revealed, “My back is good, slowly getting better. It's been a tough injury, honestly, this one because it was totally different from the last one. It was an injury that was touching the nerves, so I was constantly having pain.”
As fans eagerly await further updates on Badosa's recovery and the final decision regarding the Huelva exhibition, the tennis world is brimming with excitement and speculation. Will the dynamic duo of Badosa and Tsitsipas grace the courts in Huelva, or will their focus shift to the prestigious Wimbledon tournament? Stay tuned for more developments as the tennis season unfolds.
Jack Draper continued his remarkable run at the 2025 Madrid Open, breezing past Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-0, 6-4 to secure his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal appearance. The British...
Francisco Cerúndolo delivered a brilliant comeback to defeat Jakub Mensik 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Madrid Masters, securing his place in the semifinals...
Rising Tennis Star Carlos Alcaraz Overcomes Injury Setback, Sets Sights on Rome Comeback In a thrilling comeback story, the young and talented Carlos Alcaraz is defying the odds...
In a jaw-dropping turn of events at the Madrid Open, Coco Gauff delivered a masterclass performance, leaving Iga Swiatek in the dust with a resounding victory. Gauff's scintillating...
Iga Swiatek Suffers Crushing Defeat to Coco Gauff in Madrid Open, Breaks Down in Tears The clay court has always been a sanctuary for Iga Swiatek, but her...
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"Like millions of other people I love watching you play," wrote the Norwegian. "Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you'll be back stronger than ever!!"ByEd McGroganPublished May 01, 2025 copy_link
Published May 01, 2025
© 2025 Eurasia Sport Images
After advancing at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, Casper Ruud took time to acknowledge someone who didn't.The Norwegian, who defeated Daniil Medvedev to advance to the semifinals, sent a note on X to Iga Swiatek after the Pole's one-sided, 6-1, 6-1 loss to Coco Gauff in their semifinal. The high-profile contest followed Ruud's victory on Manolo Santana Stadium.Trailing Gauff 6-1, 3-0, a camera focused on Swiatek during a changeover, where she covered her face with a towel and appeared to be in tears. Swiatek, the three-time defending champion at Roland Garros, has not won a tournament since winning her fourth title on the terre battue, and had never lost a set to Gauff on clay. But with this stumble on her favorite surface, that title drought continues, and she could lose the No. 2 ranking to Gauff as soon as Monday.
The Norwegian, who defeated Daniil Medvedev to advance to the semifinals, sent a note on X to Iga Swiatek after the Pole's one-sided, 6-1, 6-1 loss to Coco Gauff in their semifinal. The high-profile contest followed Ruud's victory on Manolo Santana Stadium.Trailing Gauff 6-1, 3-0, a camera focused on Swiatek during a changeover, where she covered her face with a towel and appeared to be in tears. Swiatek, the three-time defending champion at Roland Garros, has not won a tournament since winning her fourth title on the terre battue, and had never lost a set to Gauff on clay. But with this stumble on her favorite surface, that title drought continues, and she could lose the No. 2 ranking to Gauff as soon as Monday.
Trailing Gauff 6-1, 3-0, a camera focused on Swiatek during a changeover, where she covered her face with a towel and appeared to be in tears. Swiatek, the three-time defending champion at Roland Garros, has not won a tournament since winning her fourth title on the terre battue, and had never lost a set to Gauff on clay. But with this stumble on her favorite surface, that title drought continues, and she could lose the No. 2 ranking to Gauff as soon as Monday.
Iga is defending more than half of her ranking points through Roland Garros.
It wasn't Swiatek's best day, as Ruud—who like Swiatek has reached multiple finals at Roland Garros—acknowledged in a heartfelt response to the video being posted on social media:Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏 Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you'll be back stronger than ever!!😊🤩👏🎾
Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏 Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you'll be back stronger than ever!!😊🤩👏🎾
Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you'll be back stronger than ever!!😊🤩👏🎾 https://t.co/zV2lQE4kKq
Swiatek was once 11-1 against Gauff, including a 6-3, 6-1 victory in the 2022 French Open final. But she has lost her last three matches to Coco, all in straight sets."I'm proud of\] the mentality I had through the whole match," she [said on-court afterward. "I think I was aggressive and played with margin. Maybe it wasn't her best level today but I think I kind of forced her into some awkward positions. I'm really happy with how I played today."
"I'm proud of\] the mentality I had through the whole match," she [said on-court afterward. "I think I was aggressive and played with margin. Maybe it wasn't her best level today but I think I kind of forced her into some awkward positions. I'm really happy with how I played today."
Ruud, who has reached three Grand Slam finals but has never won a title at the ATP Masters 1000 level, will face Francisco Cerundolo on Friday for a spot in Sunday's title match."Eight sets played and eight sets won, so I can't ask for anything better, honestly," said the 26-year-old world No. 15. "I've been beating some good players, and, yeah, really happy with the game today."
"Eight sets played and eight sets won, so I can't ask for anything better, honestly," said the 26-year-old world No. 15. "I've been beating some good players, and, yeah, really happy with the game today."
Merseyside once again will be playing host to the 23rd Liverpool International Tennis Tournament in what is expected to be a huge week for the city.
The event will take place on June 19 and run until June 21 at the Liverpool Cricket Ground in Aigburth, as it has done since 2014. Players from all over the world will be coming to compete ahead of the run up to the Wimbledon Championships, which begin later in the month.
Previous competitors include the likes of former world number one, Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon Champion, Neal Scupski who was present in Liverpool just last year.
The tournament was first introduced by Northern Vision Sporting Events in 2002 as a warm up event for players before Wimbledon. Since then, Northern Vision has introduced tennis to over 100,000 local juniors through its Liverpool-based events, including the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament and Liverpool Junior International Tennis Tournament.
After last year's event, organisers at Northern Vision have evolved and become more engaged with the community. As a result of this, organisers are now in a position to give local players wildcards to junior tournaments that can give their career a chance to ignite.
Event organiser Anders Borg, is delighted with the progress Northern Vision has had over the last year regarding community aspects.
He said: “It is great. It is very important for us. Being the organiser, we are able to give local players wildcards. It is a real community value for us.”
A positive from Northern Vision's community development involves Liverpool's very own, Abi Redman, who will be competing at the event this year. The local star is looking forward to being back in the city after victory in November at the Liverpool Tennis Centre.
She said: “I'm so excited to come back to the Liverpool International this year. It is an event unlike any other I have played in so far in my career.
“The atmosphere is so fun, and I love playing on grass. Growing up locally, my Grandad used to umpire at this event so I used to come and watch, hoping one day I would also play here.”
After a successful period, Redman is now ranked around 600th in the world as she looks ahead to Liverpool Internationals in June. The teenager is coming into the tournament off the back of a third set tiebreak win at the Liverpool Tennis Centre, in which she was selected as a wildcard.
Her victory meant she was offered a full scholarship in America, a great achievement for her and a showcase of the importance of community value.
Opportunities for Redman first soared when she had the chance to compete internationally in 2022 after she received a wildcard from event organiser Borg, to compete in her first ITF main draw in Liverpool.
On the international experience, Redman said: “I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel the world playing tennis. One of the most uncomfortable but important lessons I have learned is that tennis is a brutal sport.
“I've learned how vital self-belief is when playing at these high levels. The difference between winning and losing can be a single point, which can be disheartening.”
Redman is also extremely grateful for the opportunity that was handed to her by Borg especially with the unfortunate circumstances that were in front of her.
“Investing in young talent is incredibly important. It's especially difficult to progress in the North as there are nowhere near as many opportunities as in the South. Having someone like Anders [Borg] to support you with Wild Cards can help with confidence and progress my game to what it is today," she said.
After progress off the court, this year's tournament promises to be better than ever and Borg can not wait.
“I am always very excited when the spring and summer comes around, the grass court season has started. We want to bring tennis out of a little bit of a snobbish environment and bring it out to the people," he said.
“This year we are hosting it at the legendary Liverpool Cricket Club, which is one of the oldest sporting grounds in England.
“It is certainly the highlight of our tennis schedule throughout the other organised events in Norway and in Spain. The Liverpool National is definitely my favourite. I have been there for 23 years and saw how the city has evolved over the years- it has become a fantastic place.”
With excitement already building, full focus is on the tournament, starting on the 19th June. Players are set to be announced in the next few weeks during the build up to the event.
Tickets start at just £22 with children able to go for free and VIP access also available.
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Andre Agassi, the eight-time tennis Grand Slam champion, made his professional pickleball debut at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championship in Naples, Florida on April 30.
Agassi, was partnered with Anna Leigh Waters, the top-ranked female pickleball player in the world. Waters, 18, had the idea to play with Agassi after seeing him play pickleball on YouTube.
"She's probably sick of winning so much, and that's why she called me and asked me to play," Agassi told CNBC.
Agassi and Waters played their first pro mixed doubles match April 30, a day after Agassi's 55th birthday.
Here's what to know about Andre Agassi, the tennis legend's pickleball debut and results at the U.S Open:
Agassi and Waters were pushed to three games in their first match at noon, where they faced the teen duo of Tristan Dussault, 16, and Stevie Petrpouleas, 13.
"Coming out here with Anna Leigh, I was more nervous than a gypsy with a mortgage," Agassi told CBS Sports. "This is a metaphor for life: choose your partners well."
While Agassi struggled early, he and Waters settled down to avoid an upset.
Tied 7-7 in the final game, Agassi and Waters scored four consecutive times, with Agassi scoring the game-winning point for a 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 victory.
Agassi and Waters didn't fare as well in the second match at 6:30 p.m., losing to Len Yang and Trang Huynh-McClain in three sets, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7.
"I'm really excited," Huynh-McClain said on the YouTube Pickleball Channel. "Andre Agassi was my growing up idol. So it's really phenomenal. I did say in the beginning of the tournament, I wish I could play them in mixed so it came true and really fun playing with Len. And he just did a phenomenal job. And I'm happy that we went out with a win."
Agassi is 55 years old. Agassi was born on April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas.
His pro pickleball debut at the U.S. Open in Naples came one day after his 55th birthday.
Agassi's wife is fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf, 55. They met at Wimbledon in 1992.
The pair married in 2001 and have two children: son Jaden Gil Agassi, 23, and daughter Jaz Elle Agassi, 21.
Aggasi and Graf live in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Agassi was married to actress Brooke Shields from 1997 to 1999.
Agassi was asked by Us Weekly where he stands with Shields after the release of her book, "Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old."
“I have always wished nothing but the best for her,” Agassi told the outlet. “I guess maybe one of the reasons why I don't know much about it is because I don't want to be in a position to necessarily comment on it one way or another, except rooting for her. I mean, at the end of the day love wins and I try to love everyone.”
Agassi's net worth is estimated at $145 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
His pro tennis career earnings total $31,152,975, per the ATP Tour.
During his tennis career, Agassi had deals with Nike and Adidas, worth millions. According to the LA Times, Agassi's Nike deal, which ended in 2005, was reportedly worth $120 million over 10 years.
Contributing: Ed Reed, Dan DeLuca, Naples Daily News
The third clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season will see the world's best players compete at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where home favourite Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz will be among those in action.
Here's what you need to know ahead of the tournament in the Italian capital:
When is the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
The 2025 Internazionali BNL d'Italia will be held from 7-18 May. The clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 1930, will take place at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. The tournament director is Paolo Lorenzi.
Who is playing at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
The Internazionali BNL d'Italia will feature stars such as the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz, Fritz, Jack Draper, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur.
When is the draw for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
The Rome draw will be made on Monday, 5 May, at noon (CEST).
What is the schedule for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
* Qualifying: Monday, 5 May and Tuesday, 6 May at 10 a.m.
* Main Draw: Wednesday, 7 May – Tuesday, 13 May at 11 a.m., Wednesday, 14 May & Thursday, 15 May at 1 p.m., Friday, 16 May at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, 17 May at noon.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 18 May, not before 2 p.m.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 18 May, not before 5 p.m.
View On Official Website
What is the prize money and points for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
The prize money for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia is €8,055,385.
SINGLES
Winner: €985,030 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €523,870 / 650 points
Semi-finalist: €291,040 / 400 points
Quarter-finalist: €165,670 / 200 points
Round of 16: €90,445 / 100 points
Round of 32: €52,925 / 50 points
Round of 64: €30,895 / 30 points
Round of 96: €20,820 / 10 points
DOUBLES (€ per team)
Winner: €400,560 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €212,060 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: €113,880 / 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €56,950 / 180 points
Round of 16: €30,540 / 90 points
Round of 32: €16,690 / 0 points
How can I watch the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
Watch Live on TennisTV
TV Schedule
How can I follow the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?
YouTube: Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Facebook: Internazionali BNL d'Italia
TikTok: @internazionalibnlditalia
X: @InteBNLdItalia
Instagram: @internazionalibnlditalia
Who won the last edition of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in 2024?
Alexander Zverev won the 2024 Internazionali BNL d'Italia singles title with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Nicolas Jarry in the championship match. Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos lifted the doubles trophy in Rome with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph against Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the final.
Who holds the Rome record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?
Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (10)
Most Titles, Doubles: Brian Gottfried, Raul Ramirez, Daniel Nestor, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan (4)
Oldest Champion: Novak Djokovic, 34, in 2022
Youngest Champion: Bjorn Borg, 17, in 1974
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Ivan Lendl in 1986, 1988, Jim Courier in 1992, Pete Sampras in 1994, Rafael Nadal in 2009, Novak Djokovic in 2015, 2020, 2022
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 47 Felix Mantilla in 2003
Last Home Champion: Adriano Panatta in 1976
Most Match Wins: Rafael Nadal (70)
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
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For the 2025 edition of New Balance's Grey Days, the brand is unveiling a special edition of the Coco CG2, the latest version of Coco Gauff's signature tennis shoe.
Dropping on May 25th, the Grey Day model features a pale blue grey color over the New Balance logo and outsole against the cream of the rest of the shoe in place of the CG2's latest green and white colorway.
The contrast between the softer blue grey and the lightness of the cream offset the harsh reds of clay courts, ensuring the shoe will stand out at Roland-Garros.
The special edition shoe is a part of New Balance's Grey Days celebrations, which kick off on May 1st. Grey Days is a long tribute to the timeless quality of the brand's lasting legacy in its signature color: grey. New Balance introduced the color in the 1980s as a part of its quest to create the superior running shoe.
Grey was the defining color given the concrete pavement and asphalt roads that served as a background for many runners, eliminating the ragged look of white running shoes after they've hit the streets. And while the brand's styles evolved to embrace modern technology and creative innovation, the color continues to represent New Balance's style legacy.
The month-long event will bring together the brand's ambassadors and athletes for a variety of special-edition products, VIP events, and stories that embrace the meaning of the color grey.
New Balance will launch the shade across 21 footwear styles and 11 apparel designs throughout May, ranging from all-time classics to modern favorites.
The CG2 introduces a mid-cut silhouette, providing a bold, non-traditional look that differenciates it from the typical tennis shoe. The shoe is designed to improve court-ready performance while elevating the creative vision of Gauff's signature model.
The shoe's dual-density FuelCell midsole not only provides exceptional cushioning, but it also grants energy returns to assist a player's response when recovering to the baseline. Lastly, a carbon fiber plate adds stability, ensuring the shoe meets the demands of every aspect of the game.
This is the second time Gauff will bring the Grey Day celebration to grand slam tennis. The Coco CG2 ($160) is currently available in multiple colorways on newbalance.com.
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Lorenzo Musetti Debuts New ASICS x A.P.C. Kit at Madrid Open.
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Former tennis world No. 1 Andre Agassi's pro pickleball debut at the US Open Pickleball Championships has come to an end, after he and partner Anna Leigh Waters fell in their second match to Len Yang and Trang Huynh-McClain.
Agassi – an eight-time grand slam singles champion on the tennis court – and Waters clinched a victory in their first match over Stevie Petropouleas and Tristan Dussault with a 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 win in the mixed pro division on Wednesday in Naples, Florida.
But the winning start, which marked the 55-year-old Agassi's pro debut in the sport, was short-lived with the dynamic duo losing out in their next match to Yang and Huynh-McClain in three sets: 11-7, 4-11, 7-11.
Agassi had nothing but praise for Waters – the 18 year old No. 1-ranked player in the world – ahead of the tournament, saying: “She's right up there with the greatest ever in what she does and the idea of challenging myself to not screw things up for her is daunting,” per Reuters.
Once relatively niche, pickleball – a mashup of tennis, table tennis and badminton that can be played indoors or outdoors, by single players or in pairs – now claims to be the United States' fastest-growing sport.
An estimated 48.3 million adults played it at least once between 2022 and 2023, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), which is nearly 19% of the total US population.
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Agassi has been known to play the sport alongside his wife, 22-time grand slam singles title winner Steffi Graf.
“He's so good,” she told CNN Sports earlier this year. “And he's played a little more, he's physically so much stronger and quicker (than me). His sense for this game, how quickly he picked it up, was absolutely phenomenal to watch.
“Not that I didn't see it in the other sports that he's so good at, but he picked it up and he loved the analysis of it, from the beginning on watching videos and other clips. When he goes out and plays with some of the professionals, he will have very specific questions that he needs answered to get better.”
Since discovering his love for pickleball, Agassi has become a vocal advocate of the sport. Promoting the game in India recently, he defended tennis as “the most difficult racket sport in the world” but lauded pickleball as a more accessible alternative.
“It's going to grow like you can't even imagine,” Agassi said, adding that he could “absolutely” see pickleball at the Olympics.
However, regardless of his aptitude for the sport, Agassi is unlikely to be pursuing full-time pro status anytime soon.
“If I had the luxury of bandwidth to focus all my energy on just playing and body recovery and all that stuff, that would be a joy. But I don't. I'm in a different season now,” he said, per Reuters.
CNN's George Ramsay contributed reporting.
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Novak Djokovic swings at the ball during a practice session as Andy Murray looks on in the distance at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Former Tennis Star Reveals Shocking Insights on Novak Djokovic's Partnership with Andy Murray
In a surprising turn of events, former tennis star Steve Johnson has come forward to share his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's current struggles and his partnership with Andy Murray. Despite Djokovic's recent setbacks, Johnson believes that Murray will continue to support the Serbian player, especially at Wimbledon.
Since teaming up with Murray, Djokovic has faced mixed results on the court. While he managed to reach the Australian Open semifinals, an unfortunate injury halted his progress. Subsequent tournaments have seen Djokovic falter, with a three-match losing streak and early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Johnson expressed his skepticism about the effectiveness of Djokovic and Murray's partnership, stating, “It is very strange to watch him lose matches like this consecutively. I don't see the Murray partnership paying off.” Despite his doubts, Johnson acknowledged the importance of Murray's presence, particularly during the upcoming grass court season.
Fellow tennis player Sam Querrey echoed Johnson's sentiments, emphasizing the significance of maintaining consistency leading up to Wimbledon. Johnson concurred, highlighting the need for Djokovic to have Murray in his corner to avoid any potential backlash from the Wimbledon crowd.
Djokovic himself has been candid about his form, admitting after a loss in Madrid that he doesn't consider himself a top contender for the French Open. However, with seven Wimbledon titles under his belt, Djokovic remains a formidable force on the grass courts. Amidst uncertainties surrounding his partnership with Murray, Wimbledon may prove to be Djokovic's best chance for success this season.
As Djokovic navigates through a challenging period in his career, all eyes will be on how he and Murray tackle the upcoming tournaments, with Wimbledon looming large on the horizon.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are set to ignite the courts in a fierce showdown at the Madrid Open, both hungry for their first title of the season....
Rising Tennis Star Coco Gauff Ready to Conquer Clay Courts and Take Down Iga Swiatek in Madrid Showdown In a thrilling showdown set to rock the tennis world,...
Tennis Sensation Alexander Zverev Sounds Off on the Brutal Battle to Stay in the Top 10 German tennis prodigy Alexander Zverev, a stalwart in the ATP Rankings for...
Taylor Fritz's Culinary Delight in Madrid Sends Shockwaves Across the Tennis World Rising tennis star Taylor Fritz, known for his impressive on-court performances and humble demeanor, recently took...
In a shocking turn of events, the tennis world is once again rocked by a doping scandal involving two prominent players, Max Purcell and Jannik Sinner. The controversy...
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Tennis
Novak Djokovic is not looking in great shape heading towards the French Open, which begins on May 25, according to pundit Annabel Croft; watch all the action from the ATP and WTA Tours on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, NOW and the Sky Sports app
Tennis Expert & Columnist
Wednesday 30 April 2025 18:57, UK
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Annabel Croft admits the pressure of what Novak Djokovic is trying to achieve by winning a landmark 100th ATP Tour title and record 25th Grand Slam is getting harder and harder.
Djokovic is already out of the Italian Open in Rome next week following a three-match losing streak, having crashed out of the Madrid Open following defeat by Matteo Arnaldi.
After defeat by Arnaldi, 37-year-old Djokovic said he had to adapt to a "new reality" where he's just happy to win "a match or two".
He faces arriving at the French Open without having won a match on clay since his emotional victory over Carlos Alcaraz last summer in the Olympic final.
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Djokovic has played a fuller schedule than last season, when his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title fell short, but it has not helped him find any consistent form, with the world No 5 losing his opening match in four of his last five tournaments.
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Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, former British No 1 Croft said: "His total focus is on adding to that Grand Slam tally. He wants to move above Margaret Court [24 Grand Slam titles]; he wants to become the greatest tennis player, but it's getting harder and harder, and actually, I always feel like he's just gone a bit flat on the court as well.
"He just can't find it, he can't find that winning formula. He didn't win a major last year, which was extraordinary, but all four majors were split between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, and actually, when I look at his results, he's had some extraordinary losses to very low-ranked players - to Alejandro Tabilo [in Monte-Carlo] and Matteo Arnaldi here. Lots of different players who he wouldn't normally lose to, so he's definitely losing confidence.
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"The last great match that I think he played was against Alcaraz in Australia [Djokovic won in four sets to reach the semi-finals].
"It was absolutely phenomenal but then he had to pull out after that epic tie-break first set against [Alexander] Zverev, and he hasn't been the same since, so I don't quite know what's going on, whether there's distractions, or he's just not happy, or he's lost confidence, but whatever's happening, he's not looking in great shape heading towards the French Open, and we know he's now pulled out of Rome."
"I think he's not in great shape, so I don't know if he can sort it out ahead of the French Open."
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The Serbian has said his priority working with Andy Murray as his coach is to peak for the French Open and Wimbledon.
Djokovic began working with his long-time rival, who retired from playing in August, on a trial basis at January's Australian Open.
Djokovic still has hopes of achieving his 100th tour-level title to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) in the history books, but admits his priority after performances in recent years is to peak for the Grand Slams.
Colin Fleming said: "I think he's still got an inner confidence that when the time comes, the ones that he's really motivated for the most, the Grand Slams now, to get to 25, I still think he thinks he can turn it on. I don't think he was in the right headspace to compete here [in Madrid]. It was a sort of flat and even the way he took the loss was a bit like, 'nah, whatever, yeah, on to the next one. I've pulled out of Rome, I've got to get my head right for Roland-Garros.'
"He doesn't need to be playing the tennis to beat Alcaraz and Sinner in round one in Paris. He's the master of the two-week event, building his way in, get through the first few matches, find his feet, find his form, and he'll still back himself.
"It's not ideal for him, but I wouldn't rule him out just yet of getting number 25 and indeed title number 100, but I think the 25 is the big thing for him."
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With Djokovic turning 38 on May 22, he will be searching for a fourth title at Roland-Garros but won't be a top-four seed at the second Grand Slam of the year which could lead to a blockbuster quarter-final encounter.
"His body has been tending to break down. He's 37, I think nearly 38, not going to get any easier," said Croft. "I think everything is just looking very, very tough and uphill. And I think you mentioned the word aura, but you know, a lot of players now walk onto court thinking, 'well, I do have a chance against him because he's not playing great tennis'.
"They would have been panicking about whether they were going to get games on the board and now they all feel they have a chance. And that makes it doubly difficult for him."
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By Natalia Lobo
April 30, 2025 11:16PM EDT
Jana Novotna's Wimbledon victory in 1998 stands as one of the most emotional and memorable Grand Slam moments in tennis history. The Czech star enjoyed a decorated career, lifting 100 titles, 76 in doubles and 24 in singles, including 12 Grand Slam doubles crowns. But for many, she was long defined by a heartbreaking loss at the All England Club in 1993, and the emotional win that followed five years later.
Novotna turned professional in February 1987 and quickly made her mark with an elegant serve-and-volley game that was rare and stood out in the women's game. By 1990, she had cracked the top 15, and in 1991, she reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, losing to Monica Seles after notching wins over Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
That was the first of four major singles finals she would reach. But none were as unforgettable as Wimbledon in 1993. “If I could do it again I would – all of it – except I would win Wimbledon three times this time around,” she once said.
En route to the final, Novotna defeated both Monica Seles and Martina Navratilova. In the title match, she led Steffi Graf 4-1 in the third set and held a point for 5-1. Then came a double fault, and a sudden collapse. Graf rallied to win 7-6, 1-6, 6-4.
Novotna and the Duchess of Kent (Getty Images)
Novotna, devastated, wept on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder during the trophy ceremony, which is one of the most remembered images in the history of Wimbledon. “I know you will win it one day, don't worry,” the Duchess whispered to her.
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She was World No. 2, a Wimbledon finalist, has a unique WTA record and retired at only 29
Years later, Novotna reflected on that loss not as a failure, but a turning point. “It wouldn't sound great to say the 1993 final was the one I was most proud of because I lost the match when I was ahead,” she told Wimbledon, as cited in a 2018 article. “But it meant so much for me and maybe it made me a better player, a better person and maybe that match helped me to accomplish a lot more in my career.”
Novotna came close again in 1997, reaching the final but falling to Martina Hingis in three sets. By then, she had developed into a more complete player, but still couldn't convert the big moment into victory.
Then came 1998. After beating Hingis in the semifinals, Novotna entered the final as the favorite against France's Nathalie Tauziat. Just weeks away from turning 30, she held her nerve, winning 6-4, 7-6 and clinching the tiebreak 7-2. She was the oldest first time Grand Slam champion in the Open Era until 2010.
Novotna celebrates her Wimbledon victory (Getty Images)
It was a full-circle moment, not just for Novotná but for everyone who had watched her journey. Once again, she stood beside the Duchess of Kentthis time holding the Venus Rosewater Dish.
While her singles journey is the most famous chapter, Novotna was also one of the greatest doubles players of her era. She won 12 major titles and completed a double career Grand Slam in doubles, partnering with some of the best players of the 1990s.
She retired from professional tennis at the end of 1999, having reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals one last time. She continued to be a regular presence at the tournament, playing in the Invitation Doubles and working as a BBC commentator.
Martina Navratilova (R) and Jana Novotna celebrate winning the Ladies Invitational Doubles Final (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
In 2005, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Later, she turned to coaching, mentoring future French Open and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Novotna lived in Florida until 2010, then moved back to the Czech Republic with her partner, former Polish tennis player Iwona Kuczyńska. They settled in the village of Omice, near her hometown of Brno.
She died of cancer on November 19, 2017, at age 49. She had kept her diagnosis private, sharing the news only with those closest to her. Her death prompted a wave of tributes from across the tennis world, who remembered not only a champion, but a player who inspired generations.
Natalia is a sports journalist at Bolavip US, where she covers soccer, tennis, and the broader sports world. She also works as an entertainment journalist at Spoiler US, focusing on the film industry, series, reality TV, and celebrity news. With a diverse background that includes reporting on sports, fashion, and culture, she brings a rich and varied perspective to her current roles. Natalia holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Media from the Universidad Central of Venezuela (UCV) and has over eight years of experience in digital media. She has previously contributed her bilingual skills in English and Spanish to outlets such as Revista Exclusiva and Cambio16.
Bolavip, like Futbol Sites, is a company owned by Better Collective. All rights reserved.
World number one men's tennis player Jannik Sinner will be making his return from a three-month doping ban in Rome on 4 May. However, there was a time the Italian felt he should walk away from the sport. Those thoughts came to Sinner's mind when he defended his Australian Open crown earlier this year.
Sinner
accepted a three-month ban in February after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, who had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear him.
The Italian had tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol which Sinner said entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
Sinner won the Australian Open in January, with the WADA case hanging over him, and was asked during an interview with Italian broadcaster RAI on Tuesday whether he had ever considered giving up tennis.
“Yes, yes. I remember before the Australian Open this year, I was not in a very happy moment because there was still that case of doping,” Sinner said.
“I didn't feel really comfortable in the locker room, where I ate. It was a bit like some players looked at me differently and I didn't like it at all. And there I said it's heavy to live tennis in this way.
“I didn't feel comfortable and then I said, maybe after Australia, a little bit of free time, in the sense where I take a little break it will do me good.”
Sinner was then forced into a break by the ban, but is now back in training for the upcoming Italian Open next month.
“Slowly, I'm getting back into the rhythm of real training with a goal in front of me,” Sinner said.
“Sometimes it goes very well, sometimes there is a drop and I don't know why, so I will certainly be very happy to return to the court.
“Especially in Rome, it is a special tournament for me, but I certainly enter with a slightly different mentality. I miss the competition. I am certainly very happy that this phase is now over and we are ready to start again.”
Sinner's settlement brought plenty of criticism from both current and former players, with Serena Williams saying she would have been
banned for 20 years and had her Grand Slam titles taken away had she tested positive in a similar fashion.
“I mean, I don't even want to answer. Everyone is free to say what they want, everyone can judge, but that's okay,” Sinner said.
“It's important to me that I know how that happened, but above all also of what I went through and it was very difficult.
“I don't wish it on anyone to really pass as innocent something like that because it wasn't easy, but we are in a world where everyone can say what they want, so it's okay.”
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Sinner accepted a three-month ban in February after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, who had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear him.
The Italian had tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol, which Sinner said entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
Sinner won the Australian Open in January, with the WADA case hanging over him, and was asked during an interview with Italian broadcaster RAI on Tuesday whether he had ever considered giving up tennis.
"Yes, yes. I remember before the Australian Open this year, I was not in a very happy moment because there was still that case of doping," Sinner said.
"I didn't feel really comfortable in the locker room, where I ate. It was a bit like some players looked at me differently, and I didn't like it at all. And there I said it's heavy to live tennis in this way.
"I didn't feel comfortable, and then I said, maybe after Australia, a little bit of free time, in the sense that I take a little break, it will do me good."
Sinner was then forced into a break by the ban, but is now back in training for the upcoming Italian Open next month.
"Slowly, I'm getting back into the rhythm of real training with a goal in front of me," Sinner said.
"Sometimes it goes very well, sometimes there is a drop, and I don't know why, so I will certainly be very happy to return to the court.
"Especially in Rome, it is a special tournament for me, but I certainly enter with a slightly different mentality. I miss the competition.
"I am certainly very happy that this phase is now over and we are ready to start again."
Sinner's settlement brought plenty of criticism from both current and former players, with Serena Williams saying she would have been banned for 20 years and had her Grand Slam titles taken away had she tested positive in a similar fashion.
"I mean, I don't even want to answer. Everyone is free to say what they want, everyone can judge, but that's okay," Sinner said.
"It's important to me that I know how that happened, but above all, also what I went through, and it was very difficult.
"I don't wish it on anyone to really pass as innocent something like that because it wasn't easy, but we are in a world where everyone can say what they want, so it's okay."
The quarterfinals are set at the ATP Mutua Madrid Open, and it's a great lineup despite the top 4 seeds getting bundled out. Since there isn't a clear favourite, all eight players have a good chance of winning the title. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate. But which players will advance to the semifinals?
Head-to-Head: Mensik 0-1 Cerundolo
Jakub Mensik extended his win streak in the Masters 1000 to 10 matches as he displayed a fantastic performance against Alexander Bublik in the fourth round. Mensik has not been broken in his last two matches, which is a testament to his great serve. However, he will face his biggest test in the quarterfinals against Francisco Cerundolo, who is going through the best phase of his career.
Cerundolo took out the top seed, Alexander Zverev, and will look to reach his first Masters semifinal of the season. Both players are in fantastic form, but Mensik's significant advantage on serve could be the deciding factor in this matchup.
Prediction: Mensik in 3
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Matteo Arnaldi played another solid match to defeat Frances Tiafoe in straight sets. This will be the second quarterfinal for the Italian in the Masters event and the first on a clay Masters. Arnaldi badly needed a week like this to get his game going and improve his rankings. Being seeded at Roland Garros would be his goal, and another win here would certainly get him closer to achieving that. However, beating Jack Draper is going to be a huge task. The Brit is demolishing players as every aspect of his game is working in fine order. I expect him to continue his great form and win this in straight sets.
Prediction: Draper in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Head-to-Head: Musetti 1-1 Diallo
Gabriel Diallo won the biggest match of his life after saving three match points in the second set tiebreak against Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov got a little tight, and Diallo took advantage by playing brave tennis. The Canadian player has had his fair share of luck this season, with multiple main draw appearances as a lucky loser. However, this time he has taken advantage of the second opportunity and is in his first Masters quarterfinal.
Lorenzo Musetti continues his brilliant form on clay and got the better of Alex de Minaur again. This time, he didn't let the Australian win a set, as he dominated from start to finish. If he keeps playing like this, he will put himself in a position to make another Masters final. Diallo is playing fearless tennis and has been brilliant behind his serve. However, Musetti is a good returner and can make Diallo play a lot of balls. I am going with the Italian in this one.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Head-to-Head: Medvedev 3-0 Ruud
Daniil Medvedev made a good comeback after losing the first set to defeat Brandon Nakashima in three sets. Medvedev made the necessary adjustment and started playing aggressively in the last two sets. He makes it back-to-back quarterfinals in Madrid and would be pleased to have defended the points from last year. Medvedev has never lost a set to Casper Ruud, but this will be the first time that these two will face each other on a clay court. Ruud has played brilliantly in all his matches so far and should like his chances to get his first win against the Russian player. Medvedev will need to serve well to have a chance, as Ruud is a better player on clay from the baseline.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui – Imagn Images
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff headline semifinal action at the WTA Mutua Madrid Open. The defending champion has a dominant 11-3 record against her American
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The WTA Madrid Open has reached the quarterfinals, and our featured match is Coco Gauff vs Mirra Andreeva. Here are my best bets for three
There are four exciting WTA Madrid quarterfinals scheduled. One of those is Coco Gauff vs Mirra Andreva, and we at LWOT predict that blockbuster encounter
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Atlantic Records have released the full artist line-up for the soundtrack of Apple Original Films' upcoming F1 movie – released globally on June 27 – with the likes of Ed Sheeran, ROSÉ and RAYE all set to feature.
F1 – directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton – stars Pitt as former F1 driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the sport to partner rookie team mate Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris, at the fictional APXGP team.
Click here to find out everything you need to know about the upcoming F1 movie
The soundtrack campaign officially kicked off on April 30 with the single Lose My Mind from multi-platinum Houston rapper and singer-songwriter Don Toliver, featuring GRAMMY Award-winning, multiplatinum star Doja Cat – the video of which you can see below.
Elsewhere, there are brand-new tracks from an exhilarating line-up of superstar artists, including Ed Sheeran, Tate McRae, RAYE, Burna Boy, ROSÉ, Roddy Ricch, Dom Dolla, Chris Stapleton, Tiësto, Sexyy Red, Myke Towers, Madison Beer, Peggy Gou and more. See below for full tracklisting.
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F1 THE ALBUM was produced and overseen by multi-GRAMMY Award Winner, seven-time GRAMMY Award-nominee and Atlantic Records West Coast President Kevin Weaver (Soundtrack Album Producer of Barbie The Album, Twisters: The Album, The Greatest Showman, Suicide Squad, Daisy Jones & The Six, Birds Of Prey), along with Atlantic Records' EVP and Co-Head of Pop/Rock A&R, Brandon Davis and Atlantic Records' SVP A&R/Marketing, Joseph Khoury.
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Named by Rolling Stone as a “soundtrack guru,” Weaver has produced numerous multi-platinum soundtrack projects that have amassed tens of millions of albums sold worldwide. Additional key players involved on the project include Soundtrack Album Executive Producers Kosinski and Bruckheimer.
To celebrate the soundtrack's launch, there is an exclusive and immersive F1 THE ALBUM activation happening all weekend long at the Miami Grand Prix. Held within a private VIP Paddock just a few feet away from the official F1 team garages, the F1 THE ALBUM experience will bring the film's fictional racing team APXGP to life with a recreation of their actual garage from the movie.
Watch the thrilling new trailer for Apple Original Films' movie 'F1'
Pass holders will be able to enjoy interactive games, racing simulators, movie memorabilia and an official album preview with film and soundtrack talent stopping by throughout the race weekend.
F1 THE ALBUM is available for pre-order here and arrives in stores and at all online retailers on Friday, June 27 in conjunction with the theatrical release of the feature film, distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Check out the full tracklisting below.
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Two nights after his surprise elimination from season 23 of “American Idol” on April 28, 2025, Egyptian-born crooner Filo addressed fans eager to hear how he was doing. Many fans — and even the judges — were shocked seeing the gifted singer go home, but he's handled the disappointment with grace and gratitude.
In honor of the April 28 episode's theme, “Iconic Idol Moments,” Filo performed “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,” which was a standout moment during Jennifer Hudson‘s journey on the show. The 23-year-old was in tears as the judges gave him a standing ovation, the crowd chanted his name and and both Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie said it was his best performance of the season.
But Filo, who received one of the judges' coveted Platinum Tickets following his impressive audition, didn't garner enough viewer votes during the live episode to advance into the top 10. He and British R&B singer Ché Chesterman were sent home at the end of the show — Chesterman back to Essex, England, and Filo to his family's home base near San Francisco.
A post shared by Filo (@filosings)
Filo remained silent until about 24 hours after his elimination. On the night of April 29, he posted only a photo in his Instagram Stories from inside his flight home with a brief message. He tagged Hollywood Burbank Airport, and wrote, “This marks the end of an incredible journey. I have so much to get off my chest…but in the meantime, I love you all for your support and I can't wait to show you what's to come ❤️”
By the evening of April 30, however, he had gathered his thoughts and posted a much lengthier farewell to the show and words of gratitude to his new friends and fans.
“And just like that, my @AmericanIdol journey comes to an end,” he wrote. “It's hard to put into words what this experience has meant to me. The dream of being on the show felt far-off, and the fact that God gave me the opportunity to be a part of the Idol family is something that I will never take for granted.”
Filo, who graduated from the prestigious Berklee School of Music in 2024, wrote to his fans, “To everyone who's supported me, I owe you a great deal of gratitude,” the Berklee . I can't express to you enough how much it means to me that you believed in me and took the time to show your love and support. Making it to the #TOP12 is no easy feat, and I truly couldn't have done it without each and every one of you!”
He also thanked his new “family” of contestants he bonded with since auditions, which took place in the fall of 2024, noting that “as bittersweet as this moment is, the bitterness is from how much I'm going to miss my Idol family❤️”
“I have met some of the most wonderful and loving people I've ever known,” he continued. “To my fellow contestants, thank you so much for being the light in the midst of this intense rollercoaster. I love every single one of you with all my heart and I can't wait to see what God has in store for all of you!🤩”
Filo also thanked his brother Arssani and mom, Haidi, whom he called “my rock in this world.” They were frequently seen in the studio audience as she sobbed during each of her son's performances. The family fled Egypt when Filo was in middle school to escape persecution of Coptic Orthodox Christians.
A post shared by Dean McCarthy (@deanmccarthy)
Speaking with reporter Dean McCarthy after the April 28 show, judge Carrie Underwood was she felt “overwhelmed” by the level of talent among season 23's top contestants, which means very gifted singers will wind up going home.
“It was an incredible night of showcasing talent,” she said, “but then the end, losing Che and Filo, was just heartbreaking. Both of them — Filo especially was one of my favorite favorites, so it was like, ‘Oh my gosh!'”
“And he was so great,” she continued. “That makes it even worse when it's like, ‘You had a great night!' So it's like, ‘You didn't do anything wrong,' you know?”
Underwood wasn't the only one stunned by Filo's departure. Fans flooded social media, including one who wrote on his April 30 post, “those votes weren't right i'm telling you. Even the Judges were shocked.”
“My jaw dropped and stayed on the floor for a solid 15 minutes when you didn't make it into the top 10,” another wrote. “You should have won.”
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When Shawna Delong won the trip of a lifetime to watch longtime Hallmark star Marcus Rosner film his latest project, she never expected to wind up in the movie. But when “The Final Victim” co-starring Brittany Bristow premieres on Lifetime, Delong will make her onscreen debut right alongside them.
In late April 2025, Rosner told EntertainmentNOW that DeLong won the epic trip during a raffle held on board Expedia Cruises' “Cruising With Friends” fan trip in January featuring him, Jesse Hutch, and Jen Lilley. There was no promise of a walk-on role, but Rosner said he wanted to make the trip extra special for Delong — a fellow Canadian who flew from Ontario to Edmonton with her mom, Kimberley Delong, and was “so enthusiastic” about being there.
“If she was nervous, she did not show it,” Rosner marveled. “She had the greatest disposition for this event. Like, she just seemed excited and interested, but also quite calm. She didn't seem overwhelmed at all, which was great, because I could totally see a fan getting this experience and being overwhelmed. Shawna was seemingly the perfect pick.”
Rosner was able to coordinate the cool prize package with Expedia Cruises because “The Last Victim” was produced by Northern Gateway Films, the Canadian production company he co-founded. Noting that Shawna and Kim “were just thrilled to be here,” Rosner first had lunch with them at a favorite spot in Edmonton, Chianti.
Once they got to the movie set, Rosner decided to elevate the experience, explaining, “We got Shawna into a cop uniform. She appears early in the movie, in the background, as I'm sort of walking up to interview Brittany's character. I play a cop, a detective in the film, and you'll see a shot of Shawna in the back.”
“But then later that week,” Rosner continued, “we did a night shoot on top of this rooftop in downtown Edmonton, and in this scene, we are about to raid the killer (who's) up there. So Shawna's in there, behind me. She's got the earpiece on, she's bringing up the rear as we're sort of swatting this killer. Yeah, it was great and she was amazing.”
Rosner also invited his brothers to join the scene, dressed as fellow cops, and wrote on Instagram that it was an “unforgettable” night of filming. The “Notes of Autumn” star said he was impressed by how relaxed Shawna was throughout the whole experience, including filming overnight until 5 a.m. and when a medical emergency occurred on the set.
“We had a medical situation with somebody on set one night that we haven't encountered before,” he told EntertainmentNOW. “I won't say exactly what happened, but it was very stressful for a bit, and Shawna and her mom very quietly came up at one point. They were like, ‘Should we leave?' And I was like, ‘Nah, stick around, things will be touch and go for a bit, but you guys can stay.' They just didn't stress me out at all. It was very cool with them being around.”
A post shared by Marcus Rosner (@marcus_rosner)
Although Rosner frequently has visitors watching from the sidelines on movie sets, this was the first time a fan has won a trip like this with him. He told EntertainmentNOW he was very relieved Shawna enjoyed it, because he often worries it won't be very fun for bystanders.
“Anytime someone comes to watch, I always feel this great insecurity or self-consciousness, because I know that it'll be less glamorous than they were imagining,” he said. “It'll be more tedious than they were imagining, and it'll take longer, and their interest may devolve into boredom, and then I will feel sort of responsible for that. So that's always my underlying fear.”
“But if Shawna and Kim felt any of that along the way, they didn't express it, and they just seemed excited in all the ways,” he smiled, adding that he's open to doing something similar in the future.
In fact, Rosner said that now that he has multiple fan experiences under his belt, he's definitely open to participating in more. Rosner told EntertainmentNOW in the fall that he was a bit nervous about agreeing to take part in several fan events for the first time, including December's first-ever Hallmark Christmas Experience.
But in April, looking back on the event, Rosner gushed, “I loved that weekend, I loved hanging out with those people, I loved the way Hallmark ran it. It was just, like, perfectly spaced out. I never felt overstretched. I always felt like I knew what I was doing, and just the level of clarity and organization was so greatly appreciated.”
Rosner and his wife also set sail with fans on the Expedia Cruises excursion in early January, a five-day trip to the Bahamas, where Shawna won the trip that led to her upcoming movie debut. Rosner said he suspects “The Final Victim” will air on Lifetime in the fall and said he's also just wrapped a new Hallmark Christmas movie.
Meanwhile, Expedia Cruises plans to announce which stars will be aboard its 2026 “Cruising With Friends” trip soon, with details to be released first on via its private Facebook group.
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By Dominic Patten, Sean Piccoli
Days before jury selection is set to start in Sean “Diddy” Combs' sex trafficking trial, a federal judge today sought confirmation from the Bad Boys Records founder that prosecutors put forth a plea deal and that he rebuffed it.
“Yes, I did,” a bespectacled Combs said in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday before Judge Arun Subramanian. Offering a reduction in time served if Combs took the deal and entered a guilty plea, the agreement put before the “All About the Benjamins” performer seems to have been on the table in the last few weeks.
Beyond that, no details are known about the written offer. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York is keeping it that way. In the legal ether for months, the plea deal was made public in an almost casual manner by an assistant U.S. attorney at an April 25 hearing.
Looking at likely life behind bars if found guilty on the racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution charges and more, the 55-year-old Combs (a.k.a .inmate 37452-054), who has pleaded not guilty, has been held in one of the more low-key units of Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest last September. A defendant not just in this criminal case, but in dozens and dozens of civil cases alleging assaults and abuse, Diddy has always sworn he is innocent, and all the interactions were consensual.
A major element in Combs' rejection of the plea deal appears to be he truly wants his day in court to prove his innocence and beat the charges, well-placed sources tell us.
The rest of today's hearing dealt with jury selection questionnaires and procedure, including what will and will not happen in open court.
Determined to keep the sometimes-wayward case on track, Judge Subramanian once again made it clear to Combs, prosecutors and the defense Thursday that he wants jury selection to begin on May 5. A panel needs to be seated for opening statements on May 12 in the Manhattan courtroom, the judge has insisted. At the end of the less than one-hour hearing, Judge Subramanian told everyone he looked forward to seeing them on Monday morning.
Of course, a spanner in the works of that could be the quickly settled ($30 million) assault and abuse suit and more from Victim-1, a.k.a former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Unlike many such high-profile cases and the other accusations against Combs, there is visual evidence of the violence and attacks Ventura says she endured from Diddy for years. Judge Subramanian ruled last week that 2016 L.A. hotel security footage of the couple, that CNN aired last spring, will be shown to the jury.
The video, which Combs apologized for on social media when it became public, shows a half-naked Combs chasing an escaping Ventura down a corridor hitting and kicking her and dragging her back to his room where allegedly one of his so-called freak offs was happening. Having deleted his seemingly forced Instagram apology now, Combs and his lawyers have tried almost every trick in the book to undermine or dispute the footage – footage that Combs almost immediately bought for $50,000 the day after the apparent attack occurred
Add to that, among four victims id'd by the feds, Ventura has said she will testify in open court in this trial under her own name. Prosecutors allege that Combs and his aides coerced Ventura, other women and men into marathon debauched sexual encounters called “freak-offs.” The sessions included male and female prostitutes, drug use, threats of violence and imprisonment in the hotel rooms where the acts were staged and videotaped.
Direct questioning of about 150 jury candidates starts on Monday morning.
Judge Subramanian intends to bring each prospect into his courtroom, one at a time, to ask them about their backgrounds and potential biases, with none of the other jury candidates present. The judge called it “sequestered questioning,” designed to protect juror privacy around sensitive personal matters in a case dealing with sex trafficking. Prospective jurors will also be allowed to answer some questions in sidebar conferences with the judge and lawyers, out of earshot of reporters, if they consider the information to be too personal to discuss in open court, the judge said.
If all goes as scheduled, it will take three days of sequestered questioning to whittle the field down to 45 jury and alternate candidates, who will then undergo voir dire questioning on bias, etc by the lawyers for both sides. The aim is to seat the 12 jurors and handful of alternates who will hear the case beginning the following week. Emphasizing that “time is of the essence,” Judge Subramanian today wondered aloud whether they can stay on schedule if sequestered questioning leads to a lot of breaks in the action for privacy sidebars.
No one in court Thursday could promise him it wouldn't be an issue.
In what will likely be a bmajor tenet of the soon to expand Marc Agnifilo- and Teny Geragos-led legal team's approach against SDNY, the defense has repeatedly complained the feds are using “racist” laws against Combs and seeking to “police non-conforming sexual activity.” Back on February 24, the defense took a swipe at “unconstitutionally broad” search warrants that had been used on Combs as part of spring 2024 raids of his Los Angeles and Miami homes, devices, digital storage and more.
After coming up short over and over in requests for release on bail and keeping certain evidence out of the case, this week saw a small but significant notch in the defense's belt.
One time mini-mogul Combs received permission on Wednesday from the court to wear “non-prison clothing” during his six-week estimated trial.
To that, the April 30 order says that starting next week, the past and present Sean John Combs is allowed “up to five button down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court.” No mention of hair dye, so the prospective jurors will see Combs with the white hair he has had since being arrested last September.
Unlike almost all the past hearings in this case, no blood members of Combs' family appeared to be in court Thursday offering their support. A self-declared “godbrother' was there and Combs waved to him from the defense table.
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Who would've thought “Bad Lieutenant” would become a quasi-franchise? We're guessing not Abel Ferrara, but after Werner Herzog did his own version, the “franchise” is continuing with yet another unlikely auteur taking on the themes of the original neo-noir film: Japanese master Takashi Miike.
Miike's next film is “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,” and shortly after the film was reported as a hot package due to hit the Cannes market, Neon announced on Wednesday evening that it was boarding the film with plans to both release it theatrically in North America as well as represent the sales rights at Cannes internationally.
“Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo” will star Shun Oguri (“Godzilla v. Kong”) and Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”), as well as WWE star Liv Morgan joining the cast. The film follows the Bad Lieutenant (Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled case after an enigmatic FBI agent (James) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the disappearance of a politician's daughter (Morgan). Meanwhile, a deviant killer operating in the yakuza underworld seems to be shadowing their moves.
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Filming on the project is expected to begin this month.
Daisuke Tengan, who worked with Miike on “Audition,” “Imprint,” and “13 Assassins” will now collaborate for the fourth time; Tengan wrote the script based on the IP first produced by Edward R. Pressman. The idea is to preserve the DNA of the original film while transporting the story to the streets of Tokyo.
“A team of incredibly talented actors and crew has gathered in Tokyo. Now. I'm about to throw a fastball straight down the middle of your strike zone — no tricks, no gimmicks,” Miike said in a statement. “I'm confident we are about to break through every limit, to create unforgettable entertainment. Get ready for the ride with us!!”
The film will be a U.S.-Japan co-production, produced by Jeremy Thomas for Recorded Picture Company, Sam Pressman for Pressman Film, Naoaki Kitajima for Nippon TV, and Misako Saka for OLM. Executive producers include Tom Quinn, Yuzo Kuwahara, Tetsu Fujimura, Paula Paizes, Alainée Kent, Peter Watson, Ivan Kelava, Max Loeb and Mike Apgar. The deal was negotiated by Neon's Sarah Colvin, VP of Acquisitions, and Paula Paizes from Pressman Film, and Recorded Picture Company's Ivan Kelava on behalf of the filmmakers.
“We're all delighted to reinterpret this iconic IP with a master filmmaker like Takashi Miike,” said producer Jeremy Thomas of Recorded Picture Company. “We've produced 10 films in Japan, most recently “Grand Maison Paris” which has grossed over $28M domestically, and it's a fertile place to create and distribute films. I feel the time is right for this irreverent hybrid.”
“Director Miike brings a fearless new vision to the Bad Lieutenant, a character defined by the auteur. Just as maestros Ferrara and Herzog delivered films as radically different as their own voices, Miike's adaptation is unrelentingly wild and unique,” said Sam Pressman, CEO of Pressman Film, “My father Edward R. Pressman, always believed this story of corruption, both of police and the human soul, has a global resonance. To realize this next evolution now in Tokyo with Director Miike, Neon and my father's lifelong friend Jeremy Thomas — all true believers in the power of independent cinema — is both an honor and a dream come true.”
Miike is also producing a new adaptation of his classic horror film “Audition” for Focus Features, which has Charli XCX in talks to star in the project.
Neon also has a number of films it's presenting at Cannes, including Joachim Trier's “Sentimental Value,” Julia Ducouranu's “Alpha,” Raoul Peck's “Orwell,” and Michael Angelo Covino's “Splitsville.”
Miike is represented by CAA and Atlas Artists. Oguri is represented by Tristone Entertainment Inc. James is represented by Tavistock Wood Management, Independent Talent Group, and UTA.
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"It can't even be called music," the embattled rapper spewed of Cole.
By
Michael Saponara
Ye (formerly Kanye West) hasn't let up when it comes to repeatedly taking shots at J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. During a livestream on Wednesday (April 30), West claimed he hates Cole's music and disparaged the Compton rapper along with Lamar's fans.
“I hate J. Cole. It can't even be called music. I hate J. Cole,” Ye told Toronto rapper Top5. “And it's something about both J. Cole and Kendrick that kinda, that leaves me sorta like — it reminds me of each other and s–t like that. It's just not that sauce to me.”
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Ye continued that if anyone in the room with him at that moment was a J. Cole fan, he didn't want them to tell him because otherwise, he'd devalue their opinion. The embattled rapper then turned his attention back to Lamar and took shots at any fan who would list the Pulitzer-winning rapper as their GOAT.
“Anybody that say Kendrick is one of their favorite rappers, don't know about rap, doesn't know about real rap,” he claimed.
Billboard has reached out to J. Cole and Lamar's reps for comment.
Cole and Kendrick have been frequent targets for Ye when he's been lashing out at his peers during recent rants on X.
“I DON'T LIKE KENDRICK LAMARS MUSIC,” he wrote in March. “HE RAPS VERY GOOD BUT I DIDNT NEED TO HEAR HIM ON CARTI ALBUM.”
While there's plenty of history between Cole and West, the Chicago native — who has faced widespread criticism for his repeated hate speech — claimed in early April that Cole's music was for “virgins” and he's “hurting hip-hop.”
“I hate J Cole music so much,” West said matter-of-factly on X. “It's like between Kendrick and J Cole I bet you industry plants asked J Cole to diss Drake then we would have been accosted with a J Cole Super Bowl commercial with no SZA song to save it… No one listens to J Cole after loosing [sic] their virginity.”
Kanye also dissed J. Cole last year with his “Like That” remix. “Play J. Cole get the p—y dry,” he raps on the track. Cole has jabbed at West on multiple occasions in the past. He previously checked him on 2016's “False Prophets” and 2019's “Middle Child,” saying he feels West hasn't lived up to the billing of his legend status.
However, following the repeated shots, Cole took the high road and showed Ye love during his set at Dreamville Fest 2025 in April, where he saluted West for clearing samples for him throughout his decorated career.
“I know n—-s feel a way about him right now, but I got love for [Ye] and I really appreciate him. He cleared all these f—ing samples for me,” he said.
On the music front, Ye is staying busy. He uploaded his lost 2022 Donda 2 album to streaming services for the first time on Tuesday night (April 29).
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By Nellie Andreeva
Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV
It's been two and a half years since getting the proverbial offer he could not refuse from Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden, Eric Schrier left the tight-knit executive team at FX after two decades to take over Disney Television Studios, which houses 20th Television and 20th Television Animation.
Over that time, he has spearheaded major deals with networks and talent including the recent four-season pickup of four 20th Animation series by Fox: The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers as well as American Dad! in its return to the network after an 11-year run on TBS. Schrier also oversaw the merger of 20th Television and ABC Signature five and a half years after the two studios became corporate siblings following Disney's acquisition of Fox assets, and took oversight of Disney's global originals strategy.
In an interview with Deadline, Schrier speaks about all of that as well as 20th TV's current IP push with half a dozen reboots in the works, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Malcolm In the Middle and Scrubs, the studio's talent deal strategy amid industry contraction, and its new compensation model which is being embraced by talent, he says.
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Schrier also addresses 9-1-1: Lone Star‘s cancellation, the business pressures impacting pickup decisions, the prospect of Bob's Burgers streaming originals and the future of Doctor Odyssey and The Great North. Additionally, he shares his thoughts on the industry post-Peak TV and selling outside of Disney. He discusses filming in Los Angeles and the status of the studio's productions on the Fox lot after Disney's lease comes to an end later this year, with executives relocating to the Disney headquarters in Burbank.
DEADLINE: How did the blockbuster 4×4 deal come about? Its length is obviously tied to Fox's current licensing deal with Disney-owned Hulu where the four animated comedies stream.
SCHRIER: We've had a long-standing relationship with Fox on adult animation that goes back as long as The Simpsons has been on the air, which through this end of this deal will be over 40 seasons and over 860 episodes.
When I took this job, I didn't really know that much about our adult animation business, and it's a fascinating business. The power of these shows is tremendous. They're global shows, and we have a really great partnership with Fox. So as they were coming to the end of the current window, we started conversations very early on with Fox about, how do we extend the relationship, and how do we keep these shows going for as long as possible?
[Fox Entertainment CEO] Rob Wade, [Fox Network President] Michael Thorn, [20th TV Animation head] Marci Proietto and I sat down and talked about, creatively, what was the right idea for these shows? How long can they sustain? How long could they commit to it? How long can we commit to it? And we came up with this historic deal, which was for 16 seasons of television. I don't think there's ever been an order of 16 seasons at one time. And it's a win-win for both companies.
From a Fox standpoint, adult animation has been a foundation of their schedule that they've had for a really long time. The shows do tremendously well on Sunday nights, that's a great platform to premiere the shows on, and then they go next day on Hulu, which benefits us as a larger company as well. That relationship has been very fruitful, and we wanted to figure out how to continue that on. And then there was a mutual desire to get it done and do it for all that time.
In the meantime, American Dad! was something that we really value at the company and see as a long-term asset for us as well. There was an opportunity to move it from Turner to Fox, which they were very supportive of. So in my mind, it's a win-win for everybody.
DEADLINE: In the past couple of years, you revived two other 20th Animation former Fox series, Futurama and King of the Hill but it was American Dad! that went to Fox while they became Hulu originals. How was the call made? Was it just the timing when American Dad! became available?
SCHRIER: Yeah, it was timing. Futurama had already premiered as a Hulu original, and King of the Hill is premiering this summer, and it's really good, really excited about it. So it was timing and how much could fit on the Fox schedule with all the other shows that they're doing. We'll see how that works over time. But there's a very symbiotic relationship between Fox adult animation and Hulu and 20th Animation as a studio.
DEADLINE: Do you think that this would be the last animated renewal at Fox, especially for the older shows like The Simpsons? The studio and network are not affiliated, and I was thinking how old some of the voice actors will be in four years…
SCHRIER: I think they would have said that 40 years ago or 35 years ago as well. I think as long as the shows are creatively vibrant and that the economics makes sense, we're going to figure out a way to continue to do them. I can't speak to Fox's long-term commitment to it, but I have no indication that they would want not to do these shows.
DEADLINE: So this was not done as a final deal?
SCHRIER: There's no plans that those would be the final seasons. I think three years from now, there'll be lots of conversations about what the future is for all of those shows. We'll have really robust conversations with the creative partners first, what they want to do, and then ultimately, with Fox and our partners at Hulu.
DEADLINE: What is the status of the other animated comedy you have at Fox, The Great North? It's been on the bubble and seems like it may be going away.
SCHRIER: It's still under consideration. I don't think Fox has made a final determination on it; it's another show that we really love. It'd be great for it to continue, but I understand if they're not able to.
DEADLINE: Could it transition to Hulu?
SCHRIER: I'd have to look at the performance, I haven't looked at that recently, and I'd have to talk to the partners I have at Hulu about it, we'd have to see if it makes sense. We like the current relationship but ultimately, the core shows are these four core shows.
DEADLINE: I've reported that you were able to maintain the returning series' license fees. The sizes of the orders are a little smaller than in years past but you have been keeping them at previous levels by making The Simpsons and Family Guy exclusive episodes for Disney+ and Hulu. Can you talk about that?
SCHRIER: We looked at it as a four-season order, so you're looking at the sum total of all the episodes that we were producing, and it was a conversation with the talent about, what do they think they can do? How many can they do per year? What makes the most economic sense?
On Family Guy and The Simpsons, we're doing exclusive episodes for Disney+ and for Hulu that won't air on Fox, and that made sense for us; we worked through it on a show-by-show basis. There's no cut specific parameters of how to do it, and this felt like the perfect order pattern for all four of them. But we looked at it not in a season-by-season basis but in sum total, so if you think about it in that way, it's a pretty extraordinary order.
DEADLINE: Will there be any exclusive episodes of Bob's Burgers for Hulu? It's doing well on the platform.
SCHRIER: Bob's Burgers does great. Nothing I can comment on at this time but hopefully down the road, there may be an opportunity to do it.
DEADLINE: What about animated originals beyond the legacy shows? Currently, you have Solar Opposites, which is ending, and The Great North, which likely is ending too. What do you have in the pipeline?
SCHRIER: I'm really excited about the stuff that Marci and her team are working on. We have projects in the pipeline that I'm really looking forward to; hopefully there's another great adult animated hit in there.
What I didn't understand when I took the job — and now I do understand — is how vibrant and how widely viewed these shows are. They're just tremendous, and there's nothing like them in all television. It's a great business.
We are the most prolific studio in adult animation, and our plan is to continue to do that, working hard with our Hulu partners and our Disney+ partners, because I think there's some shows that we can do In the animation space, more adult for Hulu or young adult for Disney+, that I feel really good about, but I don't want to speak about any specific project.
DEADLINE: On the live-action side, the studio has Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Prison Break and Holes pilots, the Malcolm in the Middle revival, a potential Scrubs reboot and a Desperate Housewives offshoot across Hulu, Disney+, ABC and Onyx. That is some heavy leaning into IP. Is this conscious IP strategy or is the current volume coincidental?
SCHRIER: I think it's more coincidental than a specific desire. Obviously, we have a great library of amazing IP within the Fox library that came over in the [2019] transaction, as well as the Disney library; ABC Studios has a tremendous library as well, Scrubs is one of those titles that comes in there. [20th TV President] Karey Burke and her team are always looking to see what's in that library, what our creative partners at the studio are interested in telling those stories and is there an organic way to reboot those stories. It's not like there was some sort of mandate, let's get a bunch of old IP and redo them. It's all if there's the right creative story to tell.
In the case of Buffy, it stemmed out of Karey Burke and [Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment Scripted President] Simran Sethi had always wanted to try to figure out a way to reboot that show. Our partners at Searchlight Television, who I work with as well, have a deal with Chloé Zhao. It ends up that Chloé Zhao loves Buffy, so we put them together. And out of that came the idea. Sarah Michelle Gellar has been a part of it from the get-go as well; she is an executive producer. [Executive producer] Gail Berman is back; she's been behind the scenes trying to pull it all together. We have Nora and Lilla Zuckerman writing it, whom we have a deal with; they're great.
So that's just an amazing package that came about organically because we were excited about retelling that story after so much time in a new way. I think all of these reboots come from that idea of, “What's the new way in which we can tell these stories?” Not “Okay, they're IP and let's go reboot them.”
DEADLINE: Is there any chance for Malcolm to go beyond the four-episode revival that you have commissioned?
SCHRIER: That came out of [series creator] Linwood Boomer's brain of, is there a way to do this and put the band back together for a special four-episode run? I think the scripts are really funny and I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. It's designed to be four episodes. If it's a huge success, there's always a conversation to have, is there a way to do more of it? We'll see.
DEADLINE: How is the Scrubs reboot coming together? Is it going to happen?
SCHRIER: I'm optimistic that it will happen. I don't know exactly what the specifics are on it today, but ultimately, I think the creative team really wants to figure out how to do it. Obviously it's very complicated because of the business terms. So my feeling is, when there's a creative desire, you usually figure these things out, but we'll see.
DEADLINE: And the other pilots, Prison Break and Holes, how are they going?
SCHRIER: Prison Break. Elgin James, who I worked with on Mayans, is doing that, so very excited about that. He's also at the studio. The Holes pilot's in process. We're also doing Group Chat with Kenya Barris and Kim Kardashian for Hulu. A lot of really good pilots in development.
DEADLINE: Why was the decision made to fold ABC Signature into 20th Television after years of speculation, and why last fall? How have things changed and how is it working under Karey Burke?
SCHRIER: When I first started in this role, there was a certain amount of volume that we felt like we needed to be able to produce, and it made sense to have two studios. But as we started to calibrate how much content we needed for our platforms, it just didn't make sense to have two studios and the infrastructure associated with them, so we merged them, and it's going really well.
Inherently, there was always a little bit of friction by having two studios; this makes it a lot cleaner. It makes it cleaner for the talent, it makes it cleaner for the representatives, and it makes it cleaner for our platforms. Karey is doing a great job. We have an amazing roster of talent at the studio, and they're having a tremendous amount of success right now. Our legacy series are doing tremendously well, 9-1-1, Only Murders In the Building, Grey's Anatomy.
And in the last couple of seasons, we've launched a lot of new hit shows. Will Trent continues, going into its third season, Percy Jackson's in production on its second season. High Potential was a big win for us last year on ABC, that show's just doing great; Kaitlin Olson is amazing in it. Shifting Gears, the half-hour multi-cam, bringing that [genre] back, and it's performing very well.
Good American Family on Hulu, which recently launched, starting Ellen Pompeo, is doing great as well. And then we have Paradise, which was a breakout hit for us. It comes from Dan Fogelman, who's an amazing creator, he's been at the studio for a really long time. And then we have Tracker, which is super interesting. It's doing extremely well for CBS, it's their No. 1 show. We produce that for them, but we also have that show on Disney+ around the world, we have the international streaming rights to it, and it appears on Disney+ as well as Hulu in the SVOD window. So that's a model that works really well for us. Not only are we producing it as a traditional studio, but it also comes back to our Disney platforms.
DEADLINE: You didn't mention one recent hit, Nobody Wants This for Netflix. Will you continue to focus on your own platforms while still selling outside? Will you do more third-party business?
SCHRIER: Our primary focus is for our own platforms, that's consistent. We know the demand there, it drives the overall business. But on a case-by-case basis, we'll examine third-party business, and does it make financial or business sense for us. Some of the third-party business makes a lot of sense for us, like Tracker, and others don't make as much sense. We have shows in production or development at multiple platforms around town, and those are all good businesses for us. We're really proud of Nobody Wants This, it's a big hit for Netflix. Erin and Sara Foster are talent that we were working with at the studio, and now we have an overall deal with them, so we're working on their next show.
DEADLINE: You mentioned 20th TV's pacts with the Fosters, Dan Fogelman and Elgin James. You used “calibrating” when talking about the merger of the two studios. Are you doing the same with your roster of talent, are you cutting back? Also, like others, you have converted some overall deals to first-look. How is that business going?
SCHRIER: I think as our volume has decreased, we've cut back the amount of overall deals and total talent deals we have, because we just don't need the volume as much as we did. With that said, we still have a tremendous roster of talent. And what we do, instead of blanket approach of how to approach all of our deals, we look at it on a case-by-case basis.
Each creator is different, they're unique, and we try to design the deals to be the best environment for them to be the most successful. Some people like the security of an overall deal: they're highly prolific, they want to work exclusively with us, they've been at the studio for a long time, or they're excited about a specific show that's been ongoing. So that works very well for the overall deal side.
On the first-look side, we have an awesome roster of not only writers but producers in first-look deals at our studio, and that works really well for them, because they can develop with our roster of talent at the studio, they can develop for multiple brands. And I think we have an environment where, basically, most of the shows that they're going to develop, we have a potential home for on our platforms, whether it's ABC or FX or Hulu Originals or Disney Branded Television, there are different opportunities across that landscape for all of our talent to work. So first-look deals work really well for producers like Ryan Reynolds or the Rock. We have an overall deal with Warren Littlefield that works really well for him, he's highly prolific, we have a ton of shows with him. It all depends on the creator.
DEADLINE: There's one creator that you used to work with on the network side at FX, Ryan Murphy. Now he's one of the biggest names on your talent roster. Talk about getting to work with him on the studio side?
SCHRIER: Ryan is one of one-of-a-kind creator. He's an amazing talent, highly prolific, highly inventive. He just has his finger on the pulse of what people want to watch. I've been working with Ryan for over 20 years; I worked with him on Nip/Tuck as a current executive, I've been working with him all the years I worked at FX, and it's been great to work with him in this different capacity at the studio.
I'm really excited about the shows he has upcoming. We have four new shows in the pipeline from him: All's Fair; The Beauty; 9-1-1: Nashville, which is a great franchise for us; and American Love Story. It's great to work with Ryan, and I'm really looking forward to more success with him.
DEADLINE: What about the mothership American Horror Story, which has been renewed through the upcoming Season 13. Can it continue for the foreseeable future?
SCHRIER: I think yes, as long as Ryan has an idea. The way we work with Ryan is different than with other creators, he's in a select few group of people that, if he has a great idea for another American Horror Story, and that's something that [FX Networks chairman] John [Landgraf] and the team at FX really want to do, we're going to figure it out.
We don't have another incarnation of American Horror Story ordered, but it's a franchise that, by design, can always be rebooted. And so when Ryan has an idea that is great and can figure it out with his schedule of all the things that he's doing, I could very well see us doing another installment.
DEADLINE: What's the latest on Ryan's Doctor Odyssey, which has been on the bubble at ABC?
SCHRIER: I really love Doctor Odyssey, I think it's a wildly inventive show, and we're doing everything we can to support it. That decision ultimately lies with Ryan Murphy, whether Ryan wants to continue to do it, and he feels like there's stories to tell that he feels confident in.
DEADLINE: Were you involved in the decision to kill off Peter Krause's character on 9-1-1? I'm trying to see how high up the chain it went. Did you have to sign off?
SCHRIER: That was a decision that I was not involved in, that was [showrunner] Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy and everyone else involved in that show. So I'll leave it to that.
DEADLINE: 9-1-1 spinoff Lone Star recently ended on Fox. The reasons were financial as the show was still doing OK. Is it something that we'll see more of, when for studios, due to business reasons, it's hard to continue with a show?
SCHRIER: I think Lone Star is actually a good example of the pressures of the business in the current environment. As companies have to be profitable and have to justify the business behind all these shows, Lone Star became a very expensive show for what it was performing at and didn't make economic sense for the platform or the studio to continue with.
Ultimately, as these shows grow and become more and more expensive, that threshold for performance becomes higher and higher. And so unfortunately, Lone Star just wasn't achieving that level of success from a performance standpoint. As much as we loved the show and it was hard for us to see it leave, it was time.
DEADLINE: Lone Star was your last live-action series on Fox; it was vestige from the old times when the network and 20th TV were vertically integrated. Now that they are separated, is there a chance for you to do a drama for Fox under their current $3M-$4M an episode model?
SCHRIER: We've had a lot of conversations with Michael and Rob about us producing live-action shows for them. They're operating under a specific cost structure, so it's finding the right idea that can fit in there. But I'd very much like to do that.
DEADLINE: We referenced the challenging business environment that impacts pickup decisions. Does everything come down to money these days? How hard is it to manage the creative and business sides and to have to tell your creatives every year that the budgets have to be cut for the shows to get renewed?
SCHRIER: We are not in the process of saying all the budgets have to be cut so that the shows get renewed, it's trying to decrease the increasing cost of the shows. We're trying to bend the cost curve down, and I look at that from a desire to support creativity. As shows become more and more expensive, there's a finite pool of money in which we can spend resources against those shows. So the more expensive the shows become, the fewer shows you get to make.
I think collectively, getting to a place where shows' cost matches their performance is something the entire industry is going through and something I'm really focused on: how do we maintain a wide variety of shows, and a number of shows for the industry? Because I think that's really good for creativity.
DEADLINE: Disney TV Studios changed the model for compensating talent before you started, replacing traditional backend with upfront payments and bonuses that allow Disney to exploit shows across platforms. How has it been dealing with creators over it? Are you fine-tuning the model, and is it working for you?
SCHRIER: Yeah, our backend model, I was actually involved in creating it alongside Craig Hunegs, who was running Disney Television Studios at the time, him and I, Josh Sussman, who now leads Business Affairs [for Disney Entertainment Television], and [FX Business Affairs EVP] Kelly Cline really worked with the representative community on how do we create a better structure that rewards people in success and is much more transparent.
It was designed, first and foremost, [as] how do we give the best experience to our creators, and how we create a transparent environment for them to be compensated appropriately and in success. Now that we're a few years into it, it's actually working, and people are coming to us and asking on existing shows to convert to that model. It's proven to be a very successful model for us that I'm very very confident in. Of course, we're always evaluating what's the right way to compensate talent in the most productive way, and I think that the talent that's working here feels really good about the way in which they're compensated.
DEADLINE: How is your relationship with FX two and a half years after leaving the network? Do you continue to have a close relationship with your former boss John Landgraf?
SCHRIER: I still speak to them almost daily, work really closely with them, because in the other part of my job, which is the global original television strategy, I'm working on how that works, how much do we make and where do we make it, working with our platform partners and our studio partners on what's the best mix of product that we make. So I work with the FX team a lot, and 20th produces a lot of shows for them, so there's a lot of interaction. I love those guys, it's so great to work with them, and John's obviously an amazing partner, he has been my mentor.
DEADLINE: Since you mentioned global originals, let's talk about that. How was your learning curve in that area?
SCHRIER: First of all, it's been great working for Dana for the last two and a half years, she's just an amazing leader and amazing person and creative executive.
She asked me to take on overseeing our local originals two years ago. At the time, we were producing over 140 shows all around the world, and now we're producing about 100 shows around world for Disney+, all in their local languages, in 25 different countries. It's fascinating to see the creativity that's coming to fruition all around the world, and to help support that.
We have teams in all of these markets that we're producing shows that are selecting and developing shows to commission for their audiences. Our strategy is very unique, I think, in the marketplace, which is, we have global brands and global IP that travel the world. We have Star Wars, Marvel, Disney Branded, Pixar, FX, Hulu originals, ABC shows.
These shows travel the world and are known really well. So we don't need to make an excess volume of local originals. But what we need to do is complement those global shows with locally relevant stories for the audiences in the markets in which we have Disney+. For example, in Spain, we produced a show last year called Invisible, which is based on a very well known book there; that was in Spanish, intended for a Spanish audience.
If they ultimately travel, great, but they're really designed and built to work for the local audience. It's a local-for-local strategy that's really working. In Latin America, we have The Boss, which is a very big show in Argentina, and Amor da Minha Vida, which has performed really well in Brazil.
We had 16 BAFTA nominations last year. In the UK, Rivals was a big hit for us. A Thousand Blows just finished its run, it's doing very well as well. And just two weeks ago, we premiered The Stolen Girl, which did really well in the UK, and is also doing very well in Hulu and Freeform here in the U.S. So we're looking at these titles on a global basis, but really designing them for the local markets to have local language and local flavor for that specific market.
We produce a lot of Korean dramas that have traveled really well. Moving, created by Kang Full, and his second series, Light Shop, both have done tremendously well. He's a really inventive creator; he's actually a perfect example of the unique creativity that I'm finding all around the world. He's developing a subsequent season of Moving right now.
In France, we had a big win this spring with Bref.2, a really unique half-hour show that was based on a series of 2011 shorts. Our team in France developed it with the producers, got them to do six 30-minute episodes, and it took France by storm. That's a good example of a show that was designed based on a title that had worked there, hadn't been done or seen in a long time, and the shorts were two- to three-minute episodes. It was rebooted and hit the zeitgeist in France, and that's exactly what we want to do.
DEADLINE: You mentioned that when you started, there were 140 shows and now there are 100. Why is that? Did you evaluate the entire slate and cut down the number to be more focused?
SCHRIER: It was two things. One was, we were producing about 30 to 40 shows in India, and now India is part of a joint venture with Reliance. We are no longer working on those shows, so that's part of the decrease in the number. And then I think initially, we weren't as strategic as we needed to be. When [CEO] Bob [Iger] came back to Disney, he looked at all the programming we were doing, and we just needed to curate the programming more for the needs of the streaming platform.
When I first came in, we were making lots of shows all around the world, and there wasn't a cohesive strategy. So Dana created this role where it's global original television strategy, and part of my role is to help create a cohesive strategy with our partners at the direct-to-consumer unit, with [Direct-to-consumer President] Joe Earley and his team, to be more strategic about what we're making. Disney is based on long-running IP, and our our goal is to create long-running IP that can help power the platform for many years to come.
DEADLINE: What is coming down the pike that you think may resonate globally?
SCHRIER: I would be a psychic if I could predict which show would be a global phenomenon, but I have a lot of shows I'm bullish on that are in the pipeline. In France, The Lost Station Girls is a six-episode true crime limited series. In the UK, we have feature documentary Flintoff, about former cricket star Freddie Flintoff. There's a new show coming out in Korea called Tempest.
In LATAM, we have Killer Nannies (working title) with John Leguizamo in his first Spanish-speaking role. It's a really good story about Juan, Pablo Escobar's son, who was raised by his henchmen; he calls them his killer nannies. I think we're just finishing production on it. I haven't seen it yet, but very excited about it.
DEADLINE: A question we always ask of your former boss, John Landgraf: Where is the television business going? Will the contraction ease up at some point, when can we see a bit of an expansion? Or are we just managing the decline? How are you planning for the future of the studio?
SCRIER: I feel really bullish about our business, not only at the studio, but also for Disney and our direct-to-consumer businesses. We've gone through a transformative time over the last few years, and Dana and [Disney Entertainment co-chairman] Alan Bergman have done a great job leading our streaming services. I think we're now organized and set up for success, now we have to execute. And we are.
I went through earlier all the shows that are working, and in the future, I feel really good about Disney and Disney's commitment in the long term, and the amount of volume of shows that we're doing as we continue to fine-tune that.
I think, as an industry, we have to continue to make compelling content that audiences want to watch, since there's so much choice. There are different platforms of choice for for audiences, especially younger audiences, and I feel really good about our place within that ecosystem.
DEADLINE: So life post-Peak TV is just fine?
SCHRIER: Yeah, we're still producing a very significant amount of shows. We're actually producing a lot of shows here in California. We have 16 shows in production in Los Angeles, and I'm really proud of that fact.
We really love producing here. The crew base in Los Angeles is excellent, our talent loves working here, we love working here. The Walt Disney Company is really committed to California, and I'm really excited about the increased tax incentive that is hopefully going to come to pass so that we can continue to do more shows here in Los Angeles.
DEADLINE: You have a few shows that are filming on the Fox lot in West L.A. including High Potential. Are you going to keep series there after Disney's lease comes to an end? And how do you feel about leaving the Fox lot; a lot of you have offices there?
SCHRIER: We're only in one building on the lot now from an office standpoint. The FX and 20th teams will be moving over by the end of the year, and I think it's going to be great, because right now, in my job, I shuttle between the two. We'll have a true creative campus here in Burbank with all the teams, and I think it will be good for us all to be together.
And Fox lot in terms of production, we're still going to have some productions there, but some of them will move, and that's an ongoing discussion with the teams at Fox.
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Noise begets noise begets noise: when everything is content, is anything real?
By
Kristin Robinson
Senior Writer
This analysis is part of Billboard's music technology newsletter Machine Learnings. Sign up for Machine Learnings, and other Billboard newsletters for free here.
Last week, I had a drink with a source who works in music marketing. They showed me their latest handiwork: a TikTok page where every post features their client's song paired with an AI-generated video of a scenic landscape. I promised them anonymity, so I can't share these videos, but rest assured — all of them were convincingly realistic.
My source has started paying a fan to post hundreds of these AI videos — generated in seconds using OpenAI's video tool, Sora — to TikTok to promote their artist's new single, with the hope that at least one of the videos will go viral. And they're not the only ones experimenting with AI to automate digital marketing. I also recently met with RHEI, a company that claims its proprietary AI agents — AI systems that can make decisions and take actions — can generate lyric videos and populate fan pages for artists without anyone lifting a finger. Already, music companies like Symphonic, Lyrical Lemonade and MNRK use RHEI's products. Though this technology is still in its infancy, using AI agents or video generators is clearly the super-charged next step for what's known as “fan page marketing,” which is the promotional method du jour in 2025.
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Music marketers have complained for the last few years that social media, especially TikTok, is oversaturated with content and music, and that breaking through the noise is becoming harder. Their response to this, almost universally, has been to combat the noise by turning up the metaphorical volume even louder. Nowadays, asking artists to post “did I just make the song of the summer?” videos isn't enough. Now, marketers are promoting artists by circulating thousands of repurposed interview and livestream clips, user-generated content remixes, memes, live videos and — increasingly — AI-generated videos on “fan pages” run or paid for by the artists' team. Typically, this is all still coupled with classic influencer campaigns where various content creators are paid to make videos to a song, often without disclosing that these are paid advertisements.
More is also more in the world of streaming. In 2018, Luminate reported that about 45,000 songs were uploaded to Spotify daily. Five years later, in 2023, Luminate said that number had grown to 120,000. In some ways, it's a beautiful thing — it's easier to release a song than ever before, allowing countless DIY artists chances at success they never would have had otherwise. But it's also led to what Lucian Grainge, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group, has called a “content oversupply,” of which he said, “AI has already been a major contributor.”
Major-label artists have some part in this too. Taking advantage of streaming's infinite shelf, top artists have started to release longer and longer albums. Migos' 24-track Culture II (2018), Rae Sremmurd's 27-track SR3MM (2018) and Drake's 25-track Scorpion (2018), are all popular, early examples of this phenomenon which is now common to see across all genres. More recently, Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, The Kid LAROI and Taylor Swift have all released projects that span more than 30 tracks — something which rarely happened in the days of CDs and cassettes, given those formats' physical limitations.
Major artists are also trying to capture attention in the age of “content oversupply” by releasing alternate versions of albums and songs, and more remixes than ever. Take Republic Records signee Ariana Grande. She released 12 versions and remixes of her single “yes, and?' last year (including sped up, slowed down, a capella, extended, and instrumental variations), five versions of “we can't be friends (wait for your love),” five versions of “the boy is mine” and six versions of the album those songs are on, eternal sunshine.
This strategy has bled over to vinyl, too. Over the last year, Swift, for example, released 36 different vinyl editions of varying colors and contents of The Tortured Poets Department to continue to engage fans and to further its monetary (and chart) success.
In the end, for artists and their teams, there's no strong downside to any of these marketing strategies on social media, streaming services or physical products, and thus, they're likely to persist and keep growing. The more songs on an album, the higher the likelihood that fans will stream them — and generate the significant royalties that come with it. And if a single's a capella version doesn't do well, that's not a problem: it's virtually free to silence the instrumentals on a track and put that result on streaming services. Why not try? Even a few curiosity listens from major fans make it worth it. On social media, the main result of a big fan page and creator campaign push is the appearance of a groundswell of support for the artist. The only danger is that this appearance is a facade.
It's true that constant promotion can wear out fans. I've seen it from time to time, especially with excessive vinyl variants, but really, with fans' attention being pulled in so many directions at every moment, how many of them will notice just how big all the promotion has become? And how many of them are even aware that some of the fan pages and influencer co-signs they see are part of that campaign anyway?
Streaming services have started to take the effects of saturation seriously — Spotify is now curbing mass uploads and SoundCloud is de-monetizing AI tracks — but that's not enough to stop the flood, especially not as AI music and content creation surges. Deezer reported last week that 18% of its daily uploaded songs are now fully AI-generated, nearly double the count it reported in January. Sora, meanwhile, became so popular after its release in December that, a few days later, it had to pause users' ability to make new accounts, citing extremely high demand.
Surely, there's some limit to how hard the music business can push these pro-saturation tactics. But I also believe this might just be the new state of the internet, where the rise of AI tools are making it easier to flood online platforms with various forms of content. Will the “dead internet theory” — the idea that there's so much AI slop and even human-made saturation that nothing can be found or trusted — come to pass, or will music marketers continue to break through the exponentially growing noise by fighting back with even more noise?
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"Bad decision after bad decision was made," says writer-director Joel Souza.
By
James Hibberd
Writer-at-Large
After several years and enormous tragedy, the ill-fated Rust will finally be released on Friday.
And the Western's writer-director, Joel Souza, has complicated thoughts on his creation — given the death of the movie's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was accidentally shot in 2021 by the film's star, Alec Baldwin. After much debate, Souza and the cast and crew returned to finish the film.
“[Hutchins' family] wanted it completed,” Souza told The Guardian. “I'd been repelled by the thought of going back, but [then] it started to appeal. And I couldn't live with the idea of someone else doing it.”
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That said, Souza quite naturally wishes he could go back in time and have never made the film. “Talk about the butterfly effect — I wish I never wrote the damn movie,” he said. “You think about the chain of events that started that morning [of the shooting]. Bad decision after bad decision was made.”
Prop armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is serving an 18-month prison sentence. Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter over this role in the shooting, but the charges were dismissed in December due to mishandled evidence.
“We're not friends,” Souza says of Baldwin. “We're not enemies. There's no relationship.”
Souza added that he hasn't watched the actor's recent cringey-cheerful family reality show on Max, The Baldwins, which has generated dismal ratings and audience scores. “I think I was busy hitting myself in the face with a frying pan that night [it aired],” Souza said.
All told, the resumption of filming was an emotionally difficult time. The bullet that killed Hutchins also wounded Souza in the shoulder. So the director literally had to resume filming the actor who shot him, however unintentionally.
“I was a mess going in and a mess coming out,” Souza said. “The crew carried me through. My family carried me through. Emotionally, I was all over the map.”
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of the film called it, a “no-frills Western, a classic story of cowboys and outlaws that revels in gorgeous scenery and the Puritanical moral dilemmas foundational to much of this nation's mythology. The film is competently made and absorbing at times, but there's a workaday quality that slows its momentum. It's a handsomely made project, but a story about such a complicated set of characters should make us feel more strongly, and Rust struggles to accomplish that.” The review also praises the cineamatography, which was started by Hutchins and completed by Bianca Cline. “It's not clear where Hutchins' work ends and Cline's begins, but the end result is harmonious and visually compelling. There are some impressive moments that play with shadows and silhouettes, and no shortage of dramatically staged gun battles.”
Starting May 2, Rust is getting a limited theatrical release and will be available to buy for $14.99 to stream online on Apple TV, Prime Video and other video-on-demand platforms.
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He's also shared new single "Old Phone" to celebrate the news.
By
Sophie Williams
The forecast for Ed Sheeran fans is looking especially bright this week, as the megastar is entering his “big pop” era with new album Play.
After much teasing, Sheeran has announced on Thursday (May 1) that his eighth studio album will be released on Sept. 12 via Gingerbread Man Records and Atlantic Records, marking his first full-length effort since 2023's Autumn Variations. The record will feature the Persian-influenced hit “Azizam,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart in April and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring,” he wrote in part of the new album in an Instagram post. “It's a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”
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The announcement also coincides with the release of emotive single “Old Phone,” which was preceded by the launch of a new Instagram account on Tuesday (April 29). With dozens of never-before-seen pictures, texts and lyric notes, @teddysoldphone offers an intimate look back through the four-time Grammy winner's mobile phone that he retired a decade ago, including snaps with Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and more.
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“I wrote the song ‘Old Phone' on my own at 2am whilst jet lagged in India finishing the album, and recorded it that morning,” Sheeran shared on the account. “It feels like a song that should've been on my debut album, but also a song I couldn't have written until I experienced real life things happening to me.”
A tracklist for Play has yet to be announced; pre-orders are available via the musician's official website. The album's neon pink artwork, meanwhile, features a manifesto of sorts: “Play is leaving the past behind. Play is colourful. Play is dancing. Play is nostalgic. Play is mirror images,” it reads.
“Play is capturing moments. Play is knee jerk reactions. Play is telling people you love them while you have the chance. Play is longing. Play is getting lost in the night. Play is everlasting. Play is youth. Play is a gift. Play is now.” See the artwork below.
In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year, the 34-year-old revealed that Play will form part of a coordinated series. “When I was like 18, I had an idea for 10 albums. It's Plus, Multiply, Divide, Subtract, Equals and then Play, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind and Stop,” he explained.
“So, I wanna do my 10 and then every now and then do a side project,” added Sheeran, who has released the aforementioned Autumn Variations and 2019's No. 6 Collaborations Project and in addition to his mathematical series.
In May, Sheeran will kick off an extensive European tour in support of his new LP. Kicking off in Madrid, Spain on May 30, he will perform in stadiums across the continent through September, with support from rising British star Myles Smith.
Sheeran made a surprise appearance at this year's Coachella festival with the creation of his bespoke pop-up British pub, The Old Phone, where he performed the song live for the first time.
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By Katie Campione
TV Reporter
EXCLUSIVE: Shudder has acquired the distribution rights to the supernatural thriller Good Boy in the U.S,, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand following the film's premiere at SXSW in March.
Good Boy, which redefines the haunted house genre by telling its horror tale through the eyes of a family dog, is co-written and directed by Ben Leonberg. Alex Cannon also co-writes.
Leonberg's directorial debut stars his dog, Indy, who finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner — and best friend — Todd, leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering.
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Indy's new world is immediately filled with unease: he senses invisible presences, follows phantom tracks, receives chilling warnings from a ghostly dog, and is haunted by glimpses of the previous resident's gruesome demise. When a dark influence begins to grip Todd, Indy must fight a malevolence intent on pulling him into the afterlife.
“We immediately recognized the immense potential of Leonberg's debut and are thrilled to strike this deal with Shudder, ” said Amy Beecroft, Head of Verve Ventures, who negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
Emily Gotto, SVP of Acquisitions and Production for Shudder, represented the AMC Networks' horror streamer in the deal. In a statement of her own, she adds: “Ben Leonberg's debut is a singular experience in perspective-driven horror. Told entirely through the eyes of Indy, a devoted dog whose terror and determination to save his human become our own, the film delivers a haunting and emotional experience that introduces a surprising standout performance from Indy and a strikingly assured first feature from Leonberg.”
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Additionally, Leonberg has signed with Altitude, which is expected to launch international sales for the film in Cannes.
After a sold-out premiere at SXSW (and the “Howl of Fame” award for Best Canine Performance for Indy), Good Boy received a warm welcome at Overlook Film festival in New Orleans, where it expanded from one to three theaters to satisfy audience demand, and earned an honorable mention for Scariest Feature Film. The film was also screened at Calgary Underground Film Festival.
In a relatively quiet start to the year for festival film sales, Good Boy‘s acquisition speaks to its originality, as Leonberg and his wife Kari Fischer, who also produced the film, adapted their own home and acted as stand ins for three years to accommodate Indy's production schedule. In all, production with Indy took 400 days and a whole lot of patience, as he is not a trained animal actor. The result, however taxing it may have been to achieve, is an incredibly realistic and haunting portrayal of a dog's reaction to his house taking on a life of its own.
Good Boy also features horror legends Larry Fessenden (Blackout, Depraved, The Last Winter, Wendigo, and Habit) and Stuart Rudin (Silence of the Lambs).
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Bruce Springsteen has released the first song ever from his long-ago shelved soundtrack to Faithless, a film that was never made. Springsteen recorded much of the album in the months after his 2005 Devils & Dust tour concluded. It is one of seven albums to be unvaulted for his new collection Tracks II: The Lost Albums, out June 27. Listen to the title track of Faithless below.
“This was a really unusual collection of songs,” Springsteen said in press materials. “You could recognize details and maybe a character or two. But for the most part, I just wrote atmospheric music that I thought would fit.” Among the 11 tracks are four instrumentals, but Springsteen plays and sings solo for much of the record. Ron Aniello produced, and some touring E Street Band members—Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Curtis King Jr., Michelle Moore and Ada Dyer—contribute alongside Patti Scialfa and Evan and Sam Springsteen.
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Bruce Springsteen has released the first song ever from his long-ago shelved soundtrack to Faithless, a film that was never made. Springsteen recorded much of the album in the months after his 2005 Devils & Dust tour concluded. It is one of seven albums to be unvaulted for his new collection Tracks II: The Lost Albums, out June 27. Listen to the title track of Faithless below.
“This was a really unusual collection of songs,” Springsteen said in press materials. “You could recognize details and maybe a character or two. But for the most part, I just wrote atmospheric music that I thought would fit.” Among the 11 tracks are four instrumentals, but Springsteen plays and sings solo for much of the record. Ron Aniello produced, and some touring E Street Band members—Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Curtis King Jr., Michelle Moore and Ada Dyer—contribute alongside Patti Scialfa and Evan and Sam Springsteen.
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© 2025 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Pitchfork may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices
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By Mike Fleming Jr, Andreas Wiseman
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winners and husband-and-wife cinema royalty Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) are set to reunite on screen in psychological thriller Bunker from Oscar-winning writer-director Florian Zeller (The Father).
FilmNation Entertainment will launch international sales on behalf of Blue Morning Pictures and MOD Producciones at the upcoming Cannes Market, with CAA Media Finance and WME Independent handling domestic rights.
In Bunker, when an architect accepts a morally ambiguous project — building a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire — his wife begins to question their marriage after 17 years together. The film is described as “a thriller that delves into the emotional and moral challenges a couple faces amid the tensions of the world around them, exploring the fears, doubts, and dilemmas that define our era.”
Zeller wrote the English-language project specifically for Cruz and Bardem, who themselves have been married for close to 17 years.
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Zeller said: “I wanted to tell the story of a marriage and was deeply compelled to work with a real-life couple. I immediately was drawn to the idea of working with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, two of the most gifted actors working today, who also happen to be one of the most iconic couples. I wrote Bunker for them. This film will push the boundaries of narrative and emotional truth, blurring the lines between reality and fiction in a way that feels thrilling and deeply human.”
The iconic Spanish couple have starred opposite each other multiple times across more than three decades including in films Jamón, Jamón, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Loving Pablo and Everybody Knows.
Blue Morning Pictures' Federica Sainte-Rose is set to produce alongside Fernando Bovaira and Simon de Santiago of MOD Producciones. Alice Dawson will also serve as a producer on the film. Mariano Cohn, Gaston Duprat, Andres Duprat, Emanuel Nunez and Fernando Sokolowicz will executive produce.
“What excites me most about working with Florian on Bunker is the bold new direction he's taking as a filmmaker. This project marks a clear tonal shift — unsettling and cinematically daring, Bunker speaks to the glaring contradictions that exist in modern society,” said Sainte-Rose. “The exploration of fears of the future, from ecological threats to rising social inequality, makes this film both urgent and relevant.”
Zeller is repped by CAA. Cruz is repped by CAA, Untitled and Kuranda. Bardem is repped by WME and Goodman Genow.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar is detailing how Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao changed her mind about a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot.
Gellar, who has publicly been against a revival for years, officially is set to reprise her titular role as Buffy Summers for a new Hulu series, with Zhao directing the pilot. “Poker Face” scribes Nora and Lilla Zuckerman are writing the show, which hails from 20th Television and Searchlight TV where Zhao has a first-look deal. Both Gellar and Zhao will executive produce the series, along with original executive producer (and music icon) Dolly Parton. “Buffy” creator and writer Joss Whedon has no involvement in the reboot.
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“Every pitch I heard was just like, ‘Let's just do “Buffy” again,'” Gellar told Elite Daily of why she finally decided to agree to a revival. “Why? But the passion that [Zhao] came to me with, what she wanted to do with the show and the character, and why ‘Buffy' is needed now — it was the first time where I thought, ‘OK, there's a reason.'”
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“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” aired on the WB for five seasons from 1997 to 2001 before moving to UPN for two more seasons. The series also landed spinoff “Angel” from 1999 to 2004.
Gellar said that the revival has been in the works for four years. “We won't do it unless it's 100 percent right and there's 100 percent a reason,” she added. “The whole point of an antihero is to be a hero for the people who don't fit in the box, the people who aren't like everybody else. That's who I want to tell stories for.”
And while not much else is known about the revival, Gellar confirmed that any loglines or casting rumors are false. “Those are all fake characters,” she said. “That thing that got released is all fake.”
Gellar teased during “The Drew Barrymore Show” in 2024 that she was inspired by other early 2000s revival series to revisit “Buffy.” “It's funny, I always used to say no, because it's in its bubble and it's so perfect,” she said. “But watching ‘Sex and the City' and seeing ‘Dexter,' and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe.' […] And it makes you realize that in this world, we need those heroes, I think, more so than ever.”
In the meantime before “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” 2.0, Zhao was directing “Hamnet” based on Maggie O'Farrell novel about William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley star.
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Asawin Suebsaeng
Donald Trump's trade wars with China and other nations are widely expected to cause sharp economic pain, but some experts have warned consumers not to hoard supplies and goods before prices skyrocket, arguing that mass stockpiling could backfire spectacularly.
Well, many Americans aren't listening to that advice, according to survey data this year, instead preparing for the possibility of store shelves being bare amid a Trump-inflicted recession. Funnily enough, this includes a number of government officials and staffers working directly for the man who launched these massive new trade wars, all on the grounds of bad tariff math and the flimsy premise that he would bring economic “liberation” to America and make the country “wealthy again.”
Two Trump administration officials and a Trump aide tell Rolling Stone that they have done some stockpiling of their own in recent weeks or months, and that they know others working in Republican politics — inside and outside of the administration — who are doing the same. One of the Trump officials says they have already run to Target to bulk-buy toilet paper, some types of food, and other household supplies.
When asked why they're doing this, the Trump aide — who says they and their partner have done similar household-supply hoarding lately, and are also “stashing cash” reserves in their D.C.-area home — simply replies: “Because it would be stupid not to!” The aide adds that they still believe in Trump's tariffs regime, though, citing the supposed advantage of “short-term pain” in exchange for long-term “prosperity.”
The trend is symptomatic of a larger panic taking place within the Trump-dominated Republican elite. A significant share of the GOP luminaries on Capitol Hill, members of the Republican donor class, and some top-ranking officials in the Trump administration are privately (and sometimes publicly) extremely fearful that Trump's trade warfare is going to throttle the U.S. economy and further drive down his and the party's approval ratings ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
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But because Trump commands a towering personality cult among the Republican base and rules over his party with catty malice, these GOP bigwigs mostly have to just go along with it and smile. They'll tell the American people one thing (Trump's got this, they'll claim), and behave privately another way (hoarding toilet tissue for themselves, and occasionally trying to talk the president off his Peter Navarro-shaped ledge).
In the corridors of power within Trump's own administration, there is a growing belief that the Chinese government indeed has the upper hand in this stage of the trade standoff, and that Trump is strategically flailing and looking for easy wins that don't actually exist, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter attest. Many in the GOP's upper echelons are keeping their fingers crossed that the president will find some outs and declare imaginary victory before his economic war inflicts too much damage on the average American voter.
Nobody — not even Trump, it seems — knows how long this is going to last. The American public has been trying to tell the president that they won't put up with it for very long.
“U.S. consumer confidence plummets to Covid-era low as trade war stokes anxiety,” The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, referencing the last time Trump was in office overseeing a crisis that also involved numerous Americans hoarding toilet paper, amid a supply chain crisis. (A similar supply shock is on its way.)
In recent days, multiple high-quality polls have separately shown the president's approval rating sinking, in some data to the thirties. The poor numbers have infuriated Trump enough for him to call for criminal investigations of pollsters.
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He has reason to be upset. Widespread dissatisfaction with the American economy is a primary reason Trump won, and why the last president had his legacy ripped apart. As CNN reported on Monday: “A 59 percent majority of the public now says President Donald Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions in the country, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, up from 51 percent in March and on par with the worst numbers Joe Biden saw during his presidency.”
On Tuesday, after it was first reported by Punchbowl News that Amazon planned to “display how much of an item's cost is derived from tariffs — right next to the product's total listed price,” the Trump White House slammed it as a “hostile” act, and a reportedly “pissed” Trump quickly got Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on the phone. The president later claimed “Bezos was very nice” and “solved the problem very quickly. Good guy.”
By Wednesday morning, when news broke that the American economy had shrank and, per The Wall Street Journal, that “the 0.3 percent decline in GDP fell short of the 0.4 percent growth that economists surveyed” predicted, the president did the only thing he could think to do: He took to the internet to try to pin the blame for the mess he's made on former President Joe Biden.
“We will get back to the GDP, etc., moving forward, and we remain convinced and confident this president knows exactly what he is doing. He is the ultimate dealmaker,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins insisted to a Fox News host, who really did not sound like he was buying what she was selling.
Rollins' appeal to good vibes aside, as indicators have worsened by the week, some close Trump allies and conservative-economics stalwarts aren't bothering to dissuade the American people — and Trump officials, evidently — from hoarding certain goods and products. In fact, some are openly saying it's a perfectly rational response to the Trump administration's tariff salvos.
“We had a pretty good consumer spending report a few days ago, and the hunch is that people are buying in advance of the tariffs; that sounds plausible,” says Stephen Moore, a conservative writer and Project 2025 contributor who has advised Trump on economic matters for years.
“That's just logical consumer behavior,” he adds. “The tariffs in the short term will probably bump prices up, [so] it might make sense to buy in advance of that. This is like a tax increase; basically, you buy before the tax increase takes effect … But the problem is that now it is getting too late to buy in advance because tariffs are already having an effect. Consumers are gonna change their behavior based on these things, if it's something that's imported. If Trump starts to get a few of these deals done, then it'll alleviate some of that pressure, but I don't know where they are on that right now.”
Moore is just one example of a long-established figure in the national GOP ecosystem and right-wing media who continues to counsel and support Trump, despite his and other conservative diehards' misgivings about the tariffs. For years, the president, unlike more traditional Republicans, has viewed massive tariffs as a net positive for the country and as his perfect negotiating tool in high-stakes international trade standoffs. He also believes he can impose his tariff blitzes unilaterally as president, a legally dubious claim that is currently working its way through the courts.
“When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,” Trump tweeted in 2018, when he was president the first time and toying with trade warfare on a smaller scale than now. “When we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don't trade anymore — we win big. It's easy!”
Senior officials from Trump's first administration are about as convinced by that argument today as they were when they worked for him.
“If we continue down this path, I think it's going to be pretty bleak for the economy,” says Marc Short, who once served as Trump's White House legislative affairs director and as a top aide to Mike Pence. “There's likely going to be significant job losses and potential supply problems in your stores. I do think the president is very adept at claiming victory and reversing his policies, so there's a question about how long this actually goes. But if you look at the data on trucking and shipping right now, I think by the end of May, you're going to see more shortages and supply disruptions.”
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Short continues: “On Tuesday morning, there was data that showed how the monthly trade deficit ballooned to one of the highest levels ever, and the tariffs in theory were about fixing that deficit. But it's only gotten worse. I think this could mean a lot of Americans — not just White House staff — are out there ordering supplies ahead of what they expect to be a rougher period. Thankfully we live in a relatively free economy that's dynamic, but in the past we [in the Republican Party] have criticized central planners on the left. But I think there are currently central planners in this White House who think they can control what Americans buy and sell through their trade policies.”
He concludes: “I don't think it works.”
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By
Steven Pearl
Dear Mr. President, we say no to your power grab, and this week people are taking to the streets to protest it. Rallies, marches, town halls, and other direct actions have been increasing over the past month, and today more than a thousand protest events will take place across all 50 states. While organizers tell us the primary focus of Thursday's May Day demonstrations is rallying against the “billionaire takeover” of the federal government, grassroots opposition is on the rise as Americans feel the ramifications of your policies.
We the people say no to executive overreach and your flagrant amassing of authority by purging thousands of civil servants so you can fill them with zero-sum loyalists or eliminate their positions entirely under the guise of efficiency. We say no to intimidation, to stonewalling court orders, and to flouting the rule of law itself when it's not to your liking. Most fundamental of all, we say no evading checks and balances, the very foundation of how our government has operated since the Constitution you swore to uphold was first ratified. That's not governance, it's not making anything great, and we the people say hell no.
We must be active, smart, and resilient in how we fight back and put a stop to these abuses. That means seeing the big picture and where we're all headed if we do not resist and speak out. We must also provide a positive vision. We're saying no to many things the Trump administration is doing, but we are also saying yes to making life in the nation actually great.
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We know well that times are hard for a huge number of Americans and that many of us feel disempowered: financially, culturally, geographically, you name it. We know, Mr. President, that you tapped into those feelings during the election — after all, who among us doesn't want their government to be more efficient, who doesn't want to feel safe? — and we know that you're a consummate salesman who convinced 77 million people that your leadership was the country's best choice even after you finished your last term as a serial-lying, insurrection-raising, Muslim-banning, family-separating, bankruptcy-filing, hush-money-paying, business-record-falsifying, classified-document-stealing, liable for sexually abusing, abortion-ban-producing, twice-impeached, election-subverting felon. That's impressive.
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So too, Mr. President, is your flood-the-zone strategy, a blitz of executive orders, announcements, and a daily assault on rights and governance meant to stun and immobilize those of us who oppose your agenda — a strategy we recognize as a page from the classic autocratic playbook that it is. Putting aside the recurrent onslaught and day-to-day chaos of the administration, the massive amount of money allowed in our politics, and even the horribly bungled implementation of so many of your policy rollouts — firing, rehiring, and keeping government workers in limbo; explosive tariff mania that's jacking up prices, started a global trade war, and is sending the stock market zigzagging downward — let's step back and name some of the things we oppose about the first 100 days of your second term.
We say no to defying the judiciary by selectively disregarding due process as enshrined in the Constitution, arguing that presidents have absolute powers over the executive branch that the judiciary cannot usurp, filing motions to disqualify judges, and calling for the impeachment of those ruling against your administration, all while disregarding court orders that conflict with your agenda.
We say no to chainsawing the federal workforce and dismantling large parts of the government via a so-called Department of Government Efficiency, no to your gutting the U.S. Agency for International Development and Department of Education, and no to the massive layoffs and reckless firings of essential workers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Health and Human Services Department, the IRS, FEMA, AmeriCorps, and the Social Security Administration.
We say no to your shameful efforts to erase transgender identity, so often by hiding behind the fig leaf of religious freedom. We are all your administration's constituents, Mr. President, and ostracizing any of us is an attack against all of us. From blocking new passports for trans and nonbinary Americans to trying to ban transgender people from serving in the military and from your housing trans women in male prisons to erasing trans history and public health data from government websites, we say no.
We say no to withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the landmark global initiative to address the climate crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions signed by every nation on Earth except Yemen, Libya, and Iran. We say no to your doubling down on fossil fuels, to rolling back fuel economy standards, and to ending requirements that big polluters disclose how much carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases they emit. We do not approve of your canceling $20 billion in climate grants, ending climate standards on household appliances, and moving to repeal dozens of the nation's most significant environmental regulations.
We also say no, Mr. President, to effectively switching sides on the war in Ukraine, blaming Ukraine for starting the war, being deferential to Vladimir Putin, and allowing members of the Cabinet to spout the Russian government's talking points. We say no to walking away from our allies and fostering an adversarial relationship with the European Union. We say no to pledging to retake the Panama Canal, no to insisting that the U.S. will acquire Greenland (which we imagine will go about as well as your endless 2016 promises that Mexico would build and pay for a wall along the southern border), and no to saying that Canada should become part of the U.S. We say no to renaming the Gulf of Mexico and proposing that the U.S. take over Gaza, displacing the entire Palestinian population of the devastated enclave and turning it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
I'll say this for you, Mr. President. When you hate something, you really hate it. While nobody is advocating to keep violent criminal migrants in the country, many of us draw a distinction between civil removal proceedings and criminal prosecutions, and we say no to your firing immigration judges when there's a backlog of cases. But what's really galling is the cruelty, lawlessness, and overreach of your crackdown.
We say no to deporting anyone without due process. We say no to illegally deporting people from the United States to El Salvador (255 and counting). And we say no to your deporting anyone because of an administrative error, especially to a foreign prison notorious for its inhumane conditions, and then refusing to bring him back even when a court orders you to do so. We say no to your deporting two-, four-, and seven-year old citizens, no to your saying undocumented immigrants shouldn't get trials, and no to insisting that your administration should be able to deport unauthorized immigrants without appearing before a judge.
We also say no to terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government, to blaming DEI for the deadly midair collision over the Potomac in January, and to withholding federal funding from states and districts with diversity programs in their public schools orders that are designed to ensure equal opportunity for all — and we say yes to equal access to jobs, housing, health care, and education for everybody.
When it comes to our nation's health, we say no to withdrawing from the World Health Organization (again), no to gutting the National Institutes of Health to the tune of 1,300 fired workers, no to terminating employees and active research grants at the National Science Foundation, as well as your canceling $2 billion in federal research grants that include clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease and cancer. These are the things that affect our lives and loved ones. So we are going to keep saying no to extensive staff reductions that include scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Environmental Protection Agency, and no to the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly discontinuing $11.4 billion in state grants used to track infectious diseases and to support mental health services, addiction treatment, and other urgent health issues.
As for institutions, we say no to your freezing, reducing, and eliminating billions of dollars in funding to an ever-widening group of universities in federal grants and contracts because you don't like their politics. Fighting the insidiousness of antisemitism and all other forms of hate is momentous, necessary, and to be applauded, Mr. President. But bullying exceptional schools with lists of demands based on your ideology is unacceptable. We say no to detaining international students, no to sending permanent legal residents to ICE detention centers, no to entering student housing, and no to plainclothes officers physically restraining students before showing their badges, all of which have happened during your campus crackdowns. Beyond universities, we say no to your vengeful targeting of political opponents and threatening perceived enemies including law firms, news organizations, television networks, former officials, and cultural institutions like the Kennedy Center.
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By coming together, being creative, fighting back against your creeping authoritarianism masquerading as American exceptionalism, and insisting on better choices and sorely lacking congressional oversight as we move forward, we the people will indeed ensure the nation's greatness, Mr. President.
Watch us as our ranks swell and our protests grow. Listen as our chorus gets louder. Feel how our unity is spreading.
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“Sinners” director Ryan Coogler is currently at the top of Hollywood off the success of his IMAX-shot vampire epic, which has so far grossed more than $168 million worldwide.
But the “Creed” and “Black Panther” franchise filmmaker has said that his next project will indeed be returning to another piece of I.P., a long-rumored revival of “The X-Files,” the beloved Emmy-winning Fox series about FBI agents investigating the U.S. government's collaboration with extraterrestrials.
Gillian Anderson, who played FBI agent Dana Scully in the series that wrapped on Fox in 2002 but returned for two subsequent seasons in 2016 and 2018, has now revealed she's open to appearing in another version. Especially with Coogler — the “perfect person” to remake it, as she says — at the helm.
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Anderson said during ITV1's “This Morning” in the below clip that she contacted “Sinners” filmmaker Coogler after it was rumored in 2023 he would be reviving the series. “I spoke to him, and what I said was, ‘If anyone were to do it, I think you are the perfect person and, best of luck, call me,'” Anderson said. “At some point, if the phone rings, and it's good, and it feels like the right time — perhaps.”
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“The X-Files” first aired from 1993 to 2002 on Fox, with Anderson and David Duchovny as FBI special agents investigating paranormal cases that revealed a government collusion with extraterrestrials. The series spurred two films — “The X-Files” in 1998 and “I Want to Believe” in 2008 — in addition to its follow-up seasons.
“The X-Files” reboot as described by Coogler was first revealed by original series creator Chris Carter during the “On the Coast” podcast in 2023. “I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount ‘The X-Files' with a diverse cast,” Carter said at the time. “So he's got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.”
After that announcement, Anderson deemed Coogler a “bit of a genius” during the “Today” show in 2024.
“It's so funny because for most of my life, since I have finished ‘The X-Files,' every interview I do, people have asked and the answer has always been, ‘Nope, not going to happen, not going to happen,'” Anderson said. “Now, Ryan Coogler, who is the director of ‘Black Panther' — brilliant, brilliant director — has approached Chris Carter to say that he wants to do a take on it, and I cannot think of a better way around for a reboot to happen.”
She added, “Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing. I'm not saying no. I think he's really cool, and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well. And maybe I'll pop in for a little something something.”
Coogler later confirmed his involvement during the “Last Podcast on the Left” in 2025, saying that he will return to developing the series after “Sinners.”
“I've been excited about that for a long time, and I'm fired up to get back to it,” he said. “Some of those episodes, if we do our jobs right, will be really fucking scary. We're going to try to make something really great and really be something for the real ‘X Files' fans, and maybe find some new ones.”
Anderson has spoken out about her complicated feelings on returning to “The X-Files” before. In 2016, she made headlines when she revealed she demanded pay parity with her co-star Duchovny, whom she said was offered twice in pay what she was for her return to the 2016 series revival.
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Eva Victor‘s feature directing debut “Sorry, Baby” — which the filmmaker also wrote and stars in — was the jewel of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. A24 bought the film before the festival's end, where this poignant and incisive look at an academic recovering from trauma won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award out of the U.S. Dramatic Competition. “Sorry, Baby” will hit U.S. theaters on June 27 from A24 after opening the Seattle International Film Festival for one last festival bow. The film will also close this year's Cannes Directors' Fortnight, the sidebar that regularly honors boundary-pushing filmmakers. Watch the trailer below.
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A24's logline for “Sorry, Baby” is curiously mute on details — “Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least” — but IndieWire saw the film at Sundance and can confirm it takes a hard and unusual cinematic look at a woman reeling from a terrible encounter from her mentor. Victor, a comedian and social media star, makes a bold statement with her first film, both darkly funny and poignant. She co-stars alongside Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges as Agnes, who has stayed behind in the New England cottage town where she completed grad school, here still to try and make it as a writer. A fraught encounter with her thesis advisor (Louis Cancelmi) has left her scrambling for answers, as the movie charts her belated coming-of-age against the backdrop of one terrible event.
More from IndieWire's rave review: “Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on. Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life. How lucky we are that Victor is here to chronicle just that.”
Victor spoke to IndieWire at our Sundance Studio about how telling this very personal story became a kind of “therapy”: “It was definitely in a lot of ways an attempt to put myself through some sort of therapy, it's a story about healing, and in some meta ways, writing was an attempt at that, making it was an attempt at that. The film is about this serious thing in some ways but it's about the time afterwards and a friendship that gets you through that. A lot of the film is about trying to find joy, and that's what our characters are doing together in the film.”
“Sorry, Baby” finds uncomfortable humor in the darkest of times. Oscar winner Barry Jenkins produced the movie along with Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak. John Carroll Lynch co-stars as a stranger who helps Agnes out in the worst of times.
Watch the trailer for “Sorry, Baby” below.
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The rapper said a delay in locking down the guests for her "Invasion of Privacy" album is the reason you haven't heard it yet.
By
Gil Kaufman
Here's the thing. It's not Cardi B‘s fault that her long-in-the-works sophomore studio album hasn't been released yet. At least that's what Cardi said during an Instagram Live session with fans this week, in which the rapper claimed that the real hold-up is the feature verses she's waiting on from her guests.
“I really need these f–king features,” she said in a repost of the session. “And it's like I'm not really trying to press or go crazy on these artists because I love them down. But it's like come on now! I need that! I need that right now! Helloooo! Y'all don't want to miss this opportunity. I'll sing this s–t myself! But I really need y'all and I need y'all to hurry up and I love y'all. I feel like nobody want to miss being on this album.”
In an X Spaces chat on March 31 Cardi said, “the features on my album are really good… I don't have a lot of features but I'm working with artists, some that I have worked before and some that I haven't worked before. And the ones that I have not worked before, I feel like it's gonna really, really surprise y'all.”
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In the Insta chat this week, she admitted to fans that she often doesn't “feel too confident” about a lot of things, but that she's “very confident” about the unnamed follow-up to her smash 2018 debut, Invasion of Privacy. “These motherf–kers almost cried listening to my s–t,” she said of her team, noting that they told her there were “no skips” on the album.
“It's iconic! This album is so good!” Cardi raved. “I put my whole p–sy on it! I rapped with the bottom of my p–sy! So hurry up!” While Cardi did not specify who she is waiting on, she again encouraged them to get in the booth because, flipping her hair back and forth across her face she promised, “this album is for the books!… Like, the production, the production, the feelings, the words, the rap… it's just, it's really there. Y'all not even understanding.”
At press time no release date or track list for the untitled album had been announced.
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By
Jae-Ha Kim
In January 2023, Tablo told Rolling Stone that “another Tablo x RM collab is in the pipeline.” Fans assumed that this collaboration between the Epik High frontman and the BTS leader would happen sooner rather than later. But two years after the rapper originally hinted about the upcoming song, the artists are ready to share their evocative single, “Stop the Rain,” which will be released at midnight Eastern time on Friday.
“I've been holding onto this song for two years,” Tablo tells Rolling Stone in an exclusive Zoom interview from Seoul. “One of the reasons was because as I was listening to the song, I realized that both of us were talking about very personal things. It really felt like entries in a diary or some sort of confession. It only occurred to me then, which is crazy that we weren't really aware of where we were going with the song.”
Toward the end of 2023, while Tablo was still pondering what to do with the song, RM, 30, enlisted in the South Korean military, which is mandatory for all able-bodied men.
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“Once he enlisted, there was no way for me to get in touch with him for a while,” Tablo, 44, continues. “I thought maybe this song should come out when he's around, or maybe not at all. There are many songs in my vault that I haven't released for the same reason. So I just held on to it.” He says that he spoke with RM “a few times” after the younger artist enlisted, but never brought up the subject of the song. “And then a few months ago, he hit me up and said, ‘Hyeong [a Korean term used by a younger man addressing his older brother or close male friend], where's the song we finished recording a while ago? Why don't you drop it?' I explained to him that I felt maybe his lyrics were very personal and I didn't know if he wanted it out. And he said, ‘What are you talking about? Drop it!'”
Smiling, Tablo adds, “That's why I've been in a complete rush to get things together and finalize the mix. That's why this song is dropping now.”
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Tablo is intentionally releasing the song a month before RM is discharged from the military, sparing RM from having to answer questions about his lyrics, which are unflinching in their depiction of despair, and their shared feeling — at different times in their lives — that they might not live long enough to grow old. Over a languid beat, RM raps, “When I was a kid/I was convinced that I was destined for the 27 club/I'm 29 sinkin' in a bathtub.”
The 27 club refers to a collective of prominent musicians who coincidentally died at the age of 27, including Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and the K-pop star Jonghyun of Shinee.
Having lived through TaJinYo — a yearslong smear campaign orchestrated by hundreds of thousands of anti-fans who hated him — Tablo didn't want RM to be targeted by spiteful people intent on sensationalizing his lyrics. The personal topics they address on “Stop the Rain” include mental and physical abuse, as well as suicidal ideation. The song is in English, except for one line in Korean near the end: “다시 덫 뒤에 덫,” which alludes to a cycle of feeling trapped.
“If it was just my song with only me on it, I would have been OK with releasing this song right away,” Tablo says. “But with RM on it, it's a different story. I worried about how it could impact him. I didn't want him to be harmed in any way.”
Tablo's less concerned with how listeners may react to his own lyrics, which reveal the abuse he says he lived through as a child: “Raised by shame/Raised by the rod/Bloody calves sacrificed in the name of God/They claimed it was love/Felt like heartbreak to me.”
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Before his family immigrated to Canada, Tablo went to school in South Korea during a time when teachers had impunity to smack their students. (Corporal punishment in schools wasn't banned until 2010.) “My sister was talking about this in front of my daughter, and Haru asked if I had been hit,” he recalls. “My sister said, ‘Oh, your dad got slapped all the time.' So we had this conversation, which was interesting, because this song kind of touches upon it. But I wasn't just hit by one person. I was hit by my dad. I was hit by my mom. I was hit by my brother. I was hit by my teachers. And when you came home and told your parents that your teacher beat you, you would get hit again for getting beat in school. I was like a ping-pong ball.”
As a parent, Tablo says he has worked hard to break this cycle. Hitting a child isn't something he ever did. But he sometimes finds himself speaking to his daughter in a way that is reminiscent of “past generations flowing through me.”
“I grew up in a certain way, and sometimes say the exact same things I hated [hearing when I was a child],” he says. “But my daughter is very open with me and tells me exactly what she feels” — which gives him the opportunity “to apologize and stop.”
He says the core memories from his own childhood made it into “Stop the Rain,” with rain offering hope, renewal, and cleansing that can alleviate some of the despair.
“Even as a child when people asked me what I liked the most, I would always say rainy days,” he says. “They would assume that it was about the rain. But it's not. Rain allows me to realize how lucky I am to have a roof over my head. How lucky I am to be able to be holding an umbrella with or for someone. It makes me hyper aware of how rare and amazing sunny days are, and to see a rainbow is just a bonus. I like writing about rain, not because it sounds moody and cool, but because for me it has always symbolized this duality.”
So it's not surprising that rain is a recurring theme in Tablo's work with Epik High (“Rhapsody of Rain,” “Rain Song,” “Umbrella,” “Rain Again Tomorrow”). Or that he's drawn to RM's solo song “Forever Rain,” where the K-pop idol contemplates how a heavy rainfall offers him a bit of anonymity from peering eyes.
RM has often praised Tablo's artistry and spoken of how much Epik High has impacted his own growth as a musician. But Tablo is just as quick to stress the importance of RM and BTS, not only for the group's music, but for the way they've broken cultural and musical barriers. It's because of this mutual respect that their collaborations go beyond merely guesting on a track. Each is involved in writing what they will sing, and offering ideas on how to make the song stronger. This is how they worked on “All Day,” a cut from RM's 2022 solo album Indigo. And with “Stop the Rain,” Tablo agreed with RM's suggestion that the song would flow better in English, rather than Korean as originally planned.
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“The way he treated both these collabs made me feel kind of honored that he was putting so much effort into it,” Tablo says. “He cared enough to make it a great song. There was another bridge that made the song longer. He said, ‘What do you think about taking it out?' And until he said that, I was content with how it was. But he was right. An example that I wanted to tell you about is that there's a line in the song that at first was something like, ‘I can never stop the rain.' And then RM said, ‘I think we should change that line. What do you think about, ‘I'm tryna stop the rain.' And I was like, ‘Yo, that's way better!'”
He adds: “I thought about how when I was younger working with other artists on their songs, if I didn't think something was really the best choice, I would just let it fly and remain quiet. I thought that was what you're supposed to do. But in retrospect, maybe I should've said something, too, and given them the opportunity to rethink an idea. That's a true collaboration. I will always be grateful to RM for caring enough to go out on a limb like he always does.”
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By Stewart Clarke
EXCLUSIVE: Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini has talked about hopes for more Solo Leveling and given the latest on the new Demon Slayer trilogy of movies and Ghost of Tsushima, the upcoming anime series based on the PlayStation game of the same name.
Solo Leveling has popped on Crunchyroll, the anime SVOD service that has over 15M subs. It was the Sony-owned service's most popular show through 2024. Season 2 dropped in January, becoming Crunchyroll's top series in the first quarter of 2025. Fans are clamoring for more.
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Purini attributes the success of the series to the strength of the source IP — it was already a popular manhwa (Korean comic) — as well as the quality of the visuals and production. A-1 Pictures animated the series and Shunsuke Nakashige directed.
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Noting that most anime fans are also gamers, Purini went on to pinpoint another reason he thinks the series has resonated so strongly. “The most important thing is the theme of the story, it has lot of themes from gaming. If you are an RPG player, or play first-person-shooting games, you understand it. When people see those themes in a narrative story format like this, it is new and it is different, and it is a language they speak and that makes it much more compelling.”
Given the success is Season 3 coming? “We hope so,” Purini said when asked about a third outing. “The [series] creators want to work on lot of shows. Anime is really popular, so there's a lot of demand, and so we have to find the right time to get started on the next season.”
Ghost Of Tsushima & Demon Slayer
Purini said the success of Solo Leveling is shaping Crunchyroll's wider programming strategy, highlighting Ghost of Tsushima, the upcoming project based on the Sucker Punch-produced PlayStation videogame about a Samurai warrior.
“It definitely makes us want to take more experiments. Ghost of Tsushima is an example. It is a game IP that we know gaming fans love, and that's one of the reasons we want to bring it to anime; to see if we can recreate that same phenomenon.”
Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Sony Music and PlayStation Productions have teamed for the series, which is slated to bow in 2027.
The Sony family connections also reveal themselves in the new Demon Slayer movies. Sony is releasing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle in U.S. theaters in September. Hopes are high for Haruo Sotozaki's adaptation of the Koyoharu Gotouge story after previous Demon Slayers notched strong openings. 2021's Mugen Train debuted to $21.2 million and 2023's Swordsmith Village opened to $10.1M.
“The trilogy movies are the final arc of the story and, for fans, if they want to finish it, they have to watch it,” Purini said. Asked about the following chapters he added: “The production teams have not announced the exact release date.”
The expectation in industry circles is that the subsequent films will be fairly evenly placed after the first movie.
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The London band's absence has only underlined its importance.
By
Sophie Williams
Even the most patient and forgiving of Wolf Alice fans have had to learn how to love at a different rhythm than the fans of other artists. Waiting for a new record, without knowing if anything is coming at all, seems to have become a primary act of their devotion. “Is it over?” exclaimed one despairing Reddit user a few months back, exasperated by the British rock band's radio silence throughout 2024. “No more music?”
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Wolf Alice
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On April 22, after a near four-year wait, an eon in an ever-changing industry, their qualms were put to rest. Breaking cover, all posts on the London four-piece's Instagram page were swiftly archived, while its previously dormant TikTok account began to flicker into life. Soon enough, a carousel of striking, retro-leaning images — including bassist Theo Ellis wearing a leather jacket adorned with a gem-encrusted ‘Wolf Alice' motif — was uploaded with a call-to-arms caption: “We've missed u.” Major festival slots at Glastonbury and Radio 1's Big Weekend, meanwhile, were also confirmed for the summer.
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Offering a glimpse of what may lie ahead, it's a new look for the band, and a new way of marketing its music, heralding in the group's next era with aplomb. Unlike most contemporary acts subject to mass idolatry, Wolf Alice's online presence (which, historically, has been minimal) has never been part of the appeal. Dozens of accounts have instead become dedicated to posting whatever updates they can find, often rehashing photoshoots from their early career.
In a world of algorithm game-playing and lyrics bundled with gossipy subtext, the band's songs — which deftly blend garage rock and shoegaze — function as talismans affirming the importance of standing tall by your convictions. The subtlety and class with which they choose to signal meaning to their audience is something that has long defined their music; in knowing relatively little about the band's own inner lives, fans' desire to get closer only grows stronger.
Young, terminally online pop fans feel drawn to the notion of artist folklore, having grown up watching the likes of Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande incorporate “Easter eggs” (hidden messages and references) into their videos. It's an idea that extends to other genres that are popular in stan culture forums, where lost songs and “will-they-won't-they” social media teasers are analyzed feverishly. In the case of Wolf Alice, the group has earned a committed Gen Z fanbase who gravitate toward them as much for the element of surprise as they do for the music.
The anticipation around the band's next steps, therefore, couldn't be greater. Wolf Alice's last record, 2021's Blue Weekend, ushered in a new commercial zenith, landing a nomination for the Mercury Prize (which the group won for 2017's Visions of a Life), topping the Official U.K. Albums Chart and leading the band to its first-ever BRIT award the following year. The campaign steamrolled ahead across a further 12 months, during which they opened up for Harry Styles in stadiums across Europe and completed an extensive headline tour.
In 2025, each of the members are now in their early 30s. No longer the wild-eyed 20somethings they emerged as with fiery 2013 EP Blush, they have spent the past decade quietly unlocking emotional discoveries in their songs, flowing with their shifting perspectives on ambition and desire. Across three studio LPs, it's become clear that guitarist and lead songwriter Ellie Rowsell focuses on growing privately in order to bloom publicly; she can do huge indie hooks with the best of them (2015's “Freazy” or the endlessly affecting “Don't Delete the Kisses”), but has never sounded quite like any of her peers because of the strength of character at the center of her work.
Consistently ducking the expectations of indie's upper echelons — the ones which the band vaulted into with 2015's My Love Is Cool — has only further affirmed Wolf Alice's influence and longevity. You can see the band's gnarly, incisive showmanship in the likes of Wunderhorse or rising stars Keo, or hear the band's incandescent take on indie throughout You Can't Put a Price on Fun, the debut EP from Manchester-based artist Chloe Slater. “Seeing them live was the most joy I've ever felt,” the latter recently recalled of a formative Wolf Alice gig, which she credits with changing the course of her burgeoning career.
Intriguingly, the band's period of downtime was interrupted last year with the announcement that it had left its longtime label home of Dirty Hit — home to The 1975 and Beabadoobee — to sign with Sony imprint Columbia. According to a report from The Independent, the move stemmed from the members wanting “to experience something different,” having previously been in the same deal for nearly a decade, and that Rob Stringer (CEO of Sony Music Group) “is a huge fan” of theirs.
Though Blue Weekend was rapturously received by critics, with The Observer describing it as “alchemically good,” the question of whether the band can level up to festival headliner status has long hung over reviews of its electrifying live performances. Groundbreaking things can happen if a band is given the time and space it needs to truly develop into greatness, and one can hope that with the support of a major label and a new team around Wolf Alice, the group's music will be able to travel further than ever. It's fascinating to think what they might do next.
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By
Emily Zemler
Kamala Harris criticized Donald Trump in a speech in San Francisco last night, noting that his administration has perpetuated a “wholesale abandonment” of America's highest ideals.
Speaking at the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America, an organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, Harris took aim at the president's agenda. During the 15-minute speech, Harris reflected on the fear and anxiety being caused by Trump's tactics and praised those who have been standing up against them.
“They are counting on the notion that if they can make some people afraid, it will have a chilling effect on others,” she said. “But what they have overlooked is that fear is not the only thing that's contagious. Courage is contagious. The courage of Americans who are banding together against the greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history.”
Harris called Trump's tariffs “reckless” and said they hurt workers and families, as well as American businesses. She added that these tariffs “as I predicted, are clearly inviting a recession.”
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During the speech, Harris noted that the Republicans aren't just creating “absolute chaos.” Instead, she said the administration is following a calculated plan.
“What we are in fact witnessing is a high-velocity event,” she said. “Where a vessel is being used for the swift implementation of an agenda that has been decades in the making. An agenda to slash public education. An agenda to shrink government and then privatize its services. All while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest among us. By the way, an agenda that is not lowering costs. Not making life more affordable. And not what they promised.”
She continued, “It's an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power, and leave everyone else to fend for themselves. All while abandoning allies and retreating from the world.”
Harris added that we are currently experiencing is “exactly what they envisioned for America.” She said there is a risk of a constitutional crisis if the courts and Congress fail to stand up to the president.
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“That is a crisis that will eventually impact everyone,” she said. “Because it would mean that the rules that protect our fundamental rights and freedoms, that ensure each of us has a say in how our government works, will no longer matter.”
The former vice president warned that if that does happen “the one check, the one balance, the one power that must not fail is the voice of the people.”
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Elsewhere during her speech, Harris praised Democrats who have been “speaking with moral clarity” about Trump's action. She called out Cory Booker, Chris Van Hollen, Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by name, thanking them for their efforts.
Harris has kept a low profile since losing the presidential election to Trump last year. Last night's speech represented her longest remarks since she left office in January. It has been speculated that Harris could run for office again, including for governor of California, however she did not address her future during the speech. She closed the evening by acknowledging, “Things are probably going to get worse before they get better. But we are ready for it.”
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WWE's WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas showcased the best wrestlers and musicians. From meet-and-greets with fans to Travis Scott's appearance, fan opinions on John Cena and Cody Rhodes, and catching up with Bianca Belair before SmackDown, keep watching to catch everything you missed during the big weekend!
Were you at WrestleMania 41? Let us know in the comments!
Fan 1:It's my first mania. I had to, I saved so much, went through so much, just to get here. And you know, the payoff is good.
Carl Lamarre:They were just like, “Yo, if we see New Day, we might have to jump.”
The New Day:For what? Who gonna jump us? Who gonna jump us? They can barely get off the couch how are they going to jump at anybody? Who said that?
Fan 2:Travis Scott is a b—h.
Fan 3:These fans. I mean, they're the best in the world. I mean, they're so passionate about everything that happens around WWE.
Excision, or Marilyn Manson because it's angry and sexy.
Carl Lamarre: I love that. We spent the week in Las Vegas for all of the WWE activities before and after the main event. What's going on y'all? I am deputy director of R&B/hip-hop, Carl Lamarre, and we are here live at WrestleMania in Las Vegas at WWE World. Billboard kicked off WrestleMania week on Thursday at WWE World. Think of it like Comic Con for wrestling fans. Wrestlers were signing top cards and belts. You could walk down the ramp to your favorite superstar's entrance. Some pros were even giving wrestling demos in the ring. You could also catch a live podcast recording and thank John Cena for his 25 years in wrestling. Fanatics hosted a Make-a-Wish event with superstar wrestlers Tiffany Stratton and Braun Strowman in attendance.
Tiffany Stratton:I love the kids. That's, like, my favorite part of being a superstar is getting to meet them and, like, do stuff like this, where they get to do their own entrances.
Keep watching for more!
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Dorit Kemsley revealed she was “blindsided” during “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Season 14 reunion, but it wasn't by anything her co-stars said.
In an April 2025 interview with Rollacoaster, the Bravo TV personality noted that she experienced an unexpected moment from her estranged husband, PK, during the sitdown with Andy Cohen.
“I was completely blindsided when PK had sent a statement,” Kemsley shared in the interview. “No matter what happens with PK and I, he's always been my best friend, my husband, we're family. I never believed that things could ever get to a place where our bond and the foundation would ever be broken to the extent that we could do things to hurt each other that crosses the line.”
A post shared by PK (@paul_kemsley_pk)
In May 2024, Dorit and PK Kemsley announced they were separating after nine years of marriage. The split news came just as filming for RHOBH Season 14 began.
Despite the split, PK filmed some scenes for Season 14. But when he was invited to attend the reunion taping, he declined and sent a statement instead.
Much to Dorit Kemsley's surprise, Cohen read PK's statement during the reunion.
“I was invited to be part of the reunion, but declined because I don't believe engaging with Dorit in this forum would be constructive,” read PK's statement, per BravoTV.com.
“Dorit has made several mischaracterizations about me, but the one I must address is the claim that I am a bad father,” he continued. “That statement is both heartbreaking and false. It is deeply hurtful to me and more importantly, to our children, who, despite Dorit's assertion, will inevitably see and hear all of this at a time not of our choosing.”
“Those closest to us know the truth,” PK added. “Many have wanted to speak out, but I have asked them not to because the truth should never need a champion. I refused to stoke a fire I did not ignite. The Dorit I married would never have allowed this, much less caused it. That woman embodied kindness, integrity, and grace. I can only hope this version of Dorit finds her way back to the person she once was.”
A post shared by Dorit Kemsley (@doritkemsley)
PK's reaction was to his ex's comments about his alleged parenting style during an exchange with Kathy Hilton in Season 14, Episode 10 of RHOBH. After Hilton asked of PK, “I think he's a very good father. Am I correct?” Dorit responded that she was wrong.
In a confessional, Kemsley explained, “There are times that I think PK's the greatest father in the world. But is he the most hands-on father? The truth is, no. He would disappear and be gone for weeks and weeks without even calling the kids. ….I've protected him at all costs no matter what, and I don't think he realizes that.”
Kemsley later apologized for her comments on the RHOBH After Show. She explained that her comment came as she was still reeling from a multi-page email her ex had sent her.
Speaking with Rollacoaster, Kemsley said she never wants to go “toe to toe” with PK.
“I know his feelings about what I had said in the moment about him not being a great dad, I not only apologized to him, but I – in my confessional and in the after show – immediately took it back and explained that this is after a couple of months of not speaking, I was really worried about the kids,” she explained. “I felt very, very bad. It was in a weak, vulnerable moment after a seven-page vicious email. You can only take the high road for so long.”
While her marital problems are still being sorted out, Kemsley said she is looking forward to her next chapter. “I know that there are brighter days ahead,” she said.
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The L.A.-set heist movie also stars Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte.
By
Pamela McClintock
Senior Film Writer
Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry‘s heist movie Crime 101 has landed a high-profile release date in theaters.
Amazon MGM Studios will open the film Feb. 13, the beginning of the long Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day weekend.
Directed by Bart Layton, Crime 101 is based on author Don Winslow's novella of the same name. The story follows detective Lou Lubesnick as he attempts to solve a string of multimillion-dollar jewel heists by tracking the perpetrator who follows a strict set of rules known as “Crime 101.” As the fates of the various characters converge, the line between hunter and hunted blurs. Layton wrote the adapted script.
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Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Tate Donovan, Devon Bostick, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte round out the cast.
Working Title produced Crime 101 alongside The Story Factory, RAW and Wild State.
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“I love all my children," the two-time Oscar winner says.
By
Carly Thomas
Associate Editor
Robert De Niro is sharing nothing but “love and support” for his daughter, Airyn De Niro, after she came out as transgender.
The two-time Oscar winner shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is. I love all my children.”
De Niro shares Airyn and her twin brother Julian with actress Toukie Smith. The legendary actor also has five other children, including his most recent baby, Gia, whom he welcomed in 2023 with his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen.
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Earlier this week, Airyn opened up about her transition during an interview with Them, saying that seeing other successful trans women helped her navigate her personal journey, despite being a self-proclaimed “late bloomer.”
Related Video
“Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success…I'm like, you know what? Maybe it's not too late for me,” she explained. “Maybe I can start.”
Airyn added, “I think a big part of [my transition] is also the influence Black women have had on me. I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way.”
After the Them story was published, Airyn took to her Instagram Story to share her appreciation for the support she's received. “Thank you to everyone who's been so sweet and supportive! I'm not used to all these eyes on me,” she wrote. “Also for the folks asking if I have representation or signed to anyone, I am literally just a girl with a phone, so sorry if I miss your messages!”
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One report puts the purchase price for the minority stake at $200 million.
By
Chris Eggertsen
Big Loud has sold a stake in Morgan Wallen‘s recording catalog to Chord Music Partners, Billboard has confirmed.
“Big Loud has sold a minority stake in Morgan Wallen's master recording catalog to Chord Music Partners, as part of a strategic investment to expand the label's global footprint and fuel long-term artist development,” a Big Loud representative tells Billboard. “The deal was executed with the support of the internal Big Loud team, alongside partners at Chord Music, Republic Records & UMG, PLUS Capital, Eisner, Loeb & Loeb, DLA Piper, Dickinson Wright and Armanino.”
The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, pegs the purchase price for the catalog stake at $200 million.
Chord Music Partners was formed in 2021 by KKR and Dundee Partners. In February 2024, Universal Music Group (UMG) acquired a 25.8% interest in the company while also taking over distribution and publishing administration for Chord's catalog via Virgin Music Group and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), respectively. KKR exited Chord following the transaction, with Dundee increasing its share to 74.2%. Notably, Big Loud struck a multi-year distribution deal with UMG's Mercury Records/Republic for all releases last March.
Trending on Billboard
Representatives for Chord Music Partners and UMG did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
At the time of the UMG acquisition, Chord owned more than 60,000 copyrights, including stakes in songs such as “Dreams” and “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “La Grange” by ZZ Top, “Counting Stars” and “Apologize” by OneRepublic, “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, “I Like Me Better” by Lauv, “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, “All Of Me” by John Legend, “Girls Like You” and “Sugar” by Maroon 5, “Halo” by Beyonce and “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri.
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Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
11:54 EDT 01 May 2025, updated 16:02 EDT 01 May 2025 By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
A bipartisan congressional briefing Thursday revealed startling details of a never-before-seen UFO hovering over the US.
Government officials heard from scientists who said they need a larger role in the investigation into UFOs and other strange phenomena the government has been keeping secret.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, with help from the UAP Disclosure Fund, held the briefing Thursday called 'Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation.'
It's focused on UFOs (or UAPs, as they're now called) and what the government knows about these unusual sightings.
Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official who investigated UAPs before becoming a UFO whistleblower, and Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, were the main speakers.
They're pushing for the government to release more UAP data and for the development of better ways of detecting these unidentified objects.
The hearing was led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican congresswoman from Florida charged by President Trump with overseeing the disclosure of several classified events, including UFO sightings.
Former military intelligence official Luis Elizondo held up an unvetted photo of a UAP taken by a civilian pilot Thursday.
According to the Pentagon whistleblower, the image came from a regular camera, taken at 21,000 feet as the enormous silver craft hovered over the ground.
The UFO was said to be approximately 1,000 feet long, the size of a ocean cruise ship.
Elizondo highlighted the uncertainty that military, commercial, and civilian aviators face when they witness and/or document UAPs in US airspace: 'Do they report it to the FAA? Do they report it to NORAD? Maybe the airforce?' he asked.
'Once again, you would think this information would be important for somebody to look at,' he added.
'If these are over sensitive military installations, whose are they? What are their capabilities? What is the intent?'
Dr Anna Brady-Estevez, a founding partner of American DeepTech, a technology investment firm, revealed that companies in the private sector are allegedly building new inventions based on alien systems.
Brady-Estevez, who previously worked with NASA on space economic policy, said she had funded entrepreneurs who described their inventions as being inspired by UFOs.
'They were working on advanced energy. They were working on advanced communications,' the tech investor explained.
'I funded companies working on what the entrepreneurs later described as UAP-adjacent or UAP-inspired technologies,' Brady-Estevez added.
She added that these inventors were not allowed to go into detail about their tech because of the classified nature of the research.
Mike Gold, a former NASA associate administrator, revealed the amazing images sitting in the space agency's archives that have yet to be investigated as possible UAPs.
Gold, the current president of civil and international space at tech company Redwire revealed several shocking images of unexplained phenomena that has been photographed by NASA on Mars and the moon.
Those images included another sighting of the so-called 'Tic Tac' UFO, which recently appeared on the surface of Mars after multiple sightings over the Pacific Ocean.
'Why are we not investigating this?' Gold asked.
'It's certainly worth the effort to investigate and we're not doing it!' he added.
A newly publshed poll found that 44 percent of Americans believe that the government is hiding information about the existance of UAPs, while 28 percent disagree and another 28 percent are unsure.
The poll, conducted by NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ, surveyed 521 Republicans, 559 Democrats, 349 independents and 18 'other' voters.
Young Americans were found to be especially suspiscious of the government's UAP knowledge, with 49 percent of Gen Z respondents and 48 percent of millenials claiming that federal officials know more than they're letting on, compared to just 39 percent of baby boomers.
Republicans were also revealed to be more suspiscious than Democrats or Independants, with 48 percent saying the government hides UAP information. Just 39 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Independants felt the same.
Intelligence community expert Christopher Mellon added on Thursday that the military has recently submitted roughly 1,800 reports involving UFOs in just the last few years.
The reports went to AARO, the Defense Department's office for investigating and assessing the threat posed by UFOs and UAPs.
They add to a growing list of events that the US military have taken as serious threats to national security.
There are dozens of unsolved cases going back to the 1960s that occurred over nuclear missile installations, Navy ships, and a desert in New Mexico.
The FBI, CIA, and other government branches have spent years looking into these reports, but have yet to determine what the objects were and where they came from.
In just the last few months, the skies over New Jersey were filled with unidentified aircraft and drones that required a formal response from both the Biden and Trump presidencies.
Christopher Mellon, a national security expert who spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community, suggested that there is a massive coverup of data that would prove the extistence of UFOs visiting Earth.
During his presentation at Thursday's hearing, Mellon revealed that the US government has some of the most powerful radar and satellite technology on Earth but has somehow never recorded any information about UAPs.
'Either we've spent billions of dollars on a system that's not performing as it should be... or it's simply so highly classified the information is not reaching AARO,' Mellon said.
AARO is the military's department which assesses the potential threat from UAPs.
Mellon noted that the Solid State Phased Array Radar System is one of the most powerful sensor systems on the planet, which would be detected by any extraterrestrial civilization anywhere near Earth.
However, the radar system has made zero reports of UAPs to AARO over the last 20 years.
'How is that possible?' Mellon asked.
Mellon called on the US Inspector General to look into the lack of reporting coming from key military radar posts regarding UFO sightings.
This comes despite documented reports that the military has scrambled aircraft to follow UFOs they've detected near US airspace.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral at Thursday's UFO hearing, says a secret military document was removed from his computer without his permission.
Admiral Gallaudet said the classifed memo described the urgent need to address near-misses Navy pilots were having with UFOs.
Gallaudet, who was in charge of safety and flight while serving as the chief meteorologist in the Navy, said the email had an infamous UFO video attached to it.
The email, which sought urgent information about the origin of the UFO threatening Navy planes, was mysteriously wiped from his computer a day after the admiral received it.
'It didn't sit well with me,' Gallaudet said.
He added that it's the reason he's gone public with what he knows and why he's calling on the White House to disclose what the government knows about UFOs.
Research physicist Dr Eric Davis said during Thursday's hearing that the US government has been operating a secret program that recovers crashed UFOs since the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.
Dr Davis worked as a subcontractor and then a consultant for the Pentagon UFO program since 2007.
According to him, the secret program originated after the discovery of a crashed UFO in 1944.
Since then, Davis claimed much of the technology recovered from these wrecks over the years has been secretly moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
All of this activity, Davis said, was being done without congressional oversight or approval, with project code names regularly changing every few years to cover up the Defense Department's actions.
He previously said that examination of some materials recovered by the program failed to determine their source and led him to conclude, 'we couldn't make it ourselves.'
A retired US Navy admiral slammed an alleged 'disinformation' campaign by the US intelligence community which he claimed was covering up military sightings of UFOs.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, spoke at Thursday's hearing, claiming that the Navy 'has a trove' of data on UFO sightings from pilots and other personnel who have spotted UAPs while on duty - much of which has not been officially released.
Admiral Gallaudet publicly called on the White House to reveal this information and noted that he had just received reports from members of the Navy who had been involved in recent UFO sightings.
He also compared the urgency needed on this topic to the current climate change emergency researchers are well funded to study in depth.
During the hearing, Loeb referenced fragments of metal that he and his colleagues recovered from the Pacific Ocean in 2023.
The remnants came from a meteor-like object that originated from 'interstellar space' and crashed off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014. Loeb has not ruled out the possibility that this object could have been an alien craft, or part of one.
'This is a historic discovery because it represents the first time that humans put their hand on materials from a large object that arrived to Earth from outside the solar system, he said at the time.
Loeb is working to raise funds for another expedition to the location where these fragments were recovered to look for more physical evidence of alien technology.
Avi Loeb told Thursday's congressional hearing that 'there are objects in the sky that we don't understand' while explaining the need for increased funding for UFO detection.
Loeb said that at least one billion dollars needs to be committed to improving America's efforts to track and monitor the movements of UFOs and UAPs.
The Harvard astrophysicist added that he was upset with the lack of data available currently in terms of tracking objects flying over our skies.
Loeb went to discuss the possibility of alien civilizations that could have developed long before humans developed into a modern society.
Days before Thursday' hearing, the whistleblower behind a stunning report submitted to Congress - exposing what he claims is a secret Pentagon program tracking unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) - revealed his identity and says he fears for his future after speaking out.
Matthew Brown, a former US national security official, publicly identified himself as the whistleblower on an episode of WEAPONIZED - a podcast released Tuesday that is hosted by investigative journalists and UFO experts Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp.
Brown is the author of the Immaculate Constellation Field Report, a document entered into the Congressional Record earlier this year that alleges the Executive Branch has been secretly managing UAP programs for decades - without congressional oversight.
One of today's main speakers is Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American astrophysicist at Harvard University.
For years, Loeb has been a prominent advocate for more scientific investigation UAP sightings, hypothesizing that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth, and that we may have recovered physical evidence of their technologies.
During the hearing, he plans to give a presentation advocating for more funding for UAP research and urging the US government to share 'any data or materials concerning what lies outside the solar system.'
Months before Thursday's briefing, Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence official turned UFO whistleblower told Congress that there was proof of alien life being kept from the public.
During his testimony back on November 14, 2024, he blasted the US intelligence community for 'excessive secrecy' of UAP reports that had lasted decades, adding that it was 'all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos.'
Elizondo resigned from his position, running the Pentagon's program to investigate UFO sightings to 10 years, and went public with what he knew in October 2017.
On Thursday, Elizondo is serving as the moderator for this new hearing on UFOs.
By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 11:54 EDT, 1 May 2025 | Updated: 16:02 EDT, 1 May 2025
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A bipartisan congressional briefing Thursday revealed startling details of a never-before-seen UFO hovering over the US.
Government officials heard from scientists who said they need a larger role in the investigation into UFOs and other strange phenomena the government has been keeping secret.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, with help from the UAP Disclosure Fund, held the briefing Thursday called 'Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation.'
It's focused on UFOs (or UAPs, as they're now called) and what the government knows about these unusual sightings.
Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official who investigated UAPs before becoming a UFO whistleblower, and Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, were the main speakers.
They're pushing for the government to release more UAP data and for the development of better ways of detecting these unidentified objects.
The hearing was led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican congresswoman from Florida charged by President Trump with overseeing the disclosure of several classified events, including UFO sightings.
Former military intelligence official Luis Elizondo held up an unvetted photo of a UAP taken by a civilian pilot Thursday.
According to the Pentagon whistleblower, the image came from a regular camera, taken at 21,000 feet as the enormous silver craft hovered over the ground.
The UFO was said to be approximately 1,000 feet long, the size of a ocean cruise ship.
Elizondo highlighted the uncertainty that military, commercial, and civilian aviators face when they witness and/or document UAPs in US airspace: 'Do they report it to the FAA? Do they report it to NORAD? Maybe the airforce?' he asked.
'Once again, you would think this information would be important for somebody to look at,' he added.
'If these are over sensitive military installations, whose are they? What are their capabilities? What is the intent?'
Dr Anna Brady-Estevez, a founding partner of American DeepTech, a technology investment firm, revealed that companies in the private sector are allegedly building new inventions based on alien systems.
Brady-Estevez, who previously worked with NASA on space economic policy, said she had funded entrepreneurs who described their inventions as being inspired by UFOs.
'They were working on advanced energy. They were working on advanced communications,' the tech investor explained.
'I funded companies working on what the entrepreneurs later described as UAP-adjacent or UAP-inspired technologies,' Brady-Estevez added.
She added that these inventors were not allowed to go into detail about their tech because of the classified nature of the research.
Mike Gold, a former NASA associate administrator, revealed the amazing images sitting in the space agency's archives that have yet to be investigated as possible UAPs.
Gold, the current president of civil and international space at tech company Redwire revealed several shocking images of unexplained phenomena that has been photographed by NASA on Mars and the moon.
Those images included another sighting of the so-called 'Tic Tac' UFO, which recently appeared on the surface of Mars after multiple sightings over the Pacific Ocean.
'Why are we not investigating this?' Gold asked.
'It's certainly worth the effort to investigate and we're not doing it!' he added.
A newly publshed poll found that 44 percent of Americans believe that the government is hiding information about the existance of UAPs, while 28 percent disagree and another 28 percent are unsure.
The poll, conducted by NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ, surveyed 521 Republicans, 559 Democrats, 349 independents and 18 'other' voters.
Young Americans were found to be especially suspiscious of the government's UAP knowledge, with 49 percent of Gen Z respondents and 48 percent of millenials claiming that federal officials know more than they're letting on, compared to just 39 percent of baby boomers.
Republicans were also revealed to be more suspiscious than Democrats or Independants, with 48 percent saying the government hides UAP information. Just 39 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Independants felt the same.
Intelligence community expert Christopher Mellon added on Thursday that the military has recently submitted roughly 1,800 reports involving UFOs in just the last few years.
The reports went to AARO, the Defense Department's office for investigating and assessing the threat posed by UFOs and UAPs.
They add to a growing list of events that the US military have taken as serious threats to national security.
There are dozens of unsolved cases going back to the 1960s that occurred over nuclear missile installations, Navy ships, and a desert in New Mexico.
The FBI, CIA, and other government branches have spent years looking into these reports, but have yet to determine what the objects were and where they came from.
In just the last few months, the skies over New Jersey were filled with unidentified aircraft and drones that required a formal response from both the Biden and Trump presidencies.
Christopher Mellon, a national security expert who spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community, suggested that there is a massive coverup of data that would prove the extistence of UFOs visiting Earth.
During his presentation at Thursday's hearing, Mellon revealed that the US government has some of the most powerful radar and satellite technology on Earth but has somehow never recorded any information about UAPs.
'Either we've spent billions of dollars on a system that's not performing as it should be... or it's simply so highly classified the information is not reaching AARO,' Mellon said.
AARO is the military's department which assesses the potential threat from UAPs.
Mellon noted that the Solid State Phased Array Radar System is one of the most powerful sensor systems on the planet, which would be detected by any extraterrestrial civilization anywhere near Earth.
However, the radar system has made zero reports of UAPs to AARO over the last 20 years.
'How is that possible?' Mellon asked.
Mellon called on the US Inspector General to look into the lack of reporting coming from key military radar posts regarding UFO sightings.
This comes despite documented reports that the military has scrambled aircraft to follow UFOs they've detected near US airspace.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral at Thursday's UFO hearing, says a secret military document was removed from his computer without his permission.
Admiral Gallaudet said the classifed memo described the urgent need to address near-misses Navy pilots were having with UFOs.
Gallaudet, who was in charge of safety and flight while serving as the chief meteorologist in the Navy, said the email had an infamous UFO video attached to it.
The email, which sought urgent information about the origin of the UFO threatening Navy planes, was mysteriously wiped from his computer a day after the admiral received it.
'It didn't sit well with me,' Gallaudet said.
He added that it's the reason he's gone public with what he knows and why he's calling on the White House to disclose what the government knows about UFOs.
Research physicist Dr Eric Davis said during Thursday's hearing that the US government has been operating a secret program that recovers crashed UFOs since the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.
Dr Davis worked as a subcontractor and then a consultant for the Pentagon UFO program since 2007.
According to him, the secret program originated after the discovery of a crashed UFO in 1944.
Since then, Davis claimed much of the technology recovered from these wrecks over the years has been secretly moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
All of this activity, Davis said, was being done without congressional oversight or approval, with project code names regularly changing every few years to cover up the Defense Department's actions.
He previously said that examination of some materials recovered by the program failed to determine their source and led him to conclude, 'we couldn't make it ourselves.'
A retired US Navy admiral slammed an alleged 'disinformation' campaign by the US intelligence community which he claimed was covering up military sightings of UFOs.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, spoke at Thursday's hearing, claiming that the Navy 'has a trove' of data on UFO sightings from pilots and other personnel who have spotted UAPs while on duty - much of which has not been officially released.
Admiral Gallaudet publicly called on the White House to reveal this information and noted that he had just received reports from members of the Navy who had been involved in recent UFO sightings.
He also compared the urgency needed on this topic to the current climate change emergency researchers are well funded to study in depth.
During the hearing, Loeb referenced fragments of metal that he and his colleagues recovered from the Pacific Ocean in 2023.
The remnants came from a meteor-like object that originated from 'interstellar space' and crashed off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014. Loeb has not ruled out the possibility that this object could have been an alien craft, or part of one.
'This is a historic discovery because it represents the first time that humans put their hand on materials from a large object that arrived to Earth from outside the solar system, he said at the time.
Loeb is working to raise funds for another expedition to the location where these fragments were recovered to look for more physical evidence of alien technology.
Avi Loeb told Thursday's congressional hearing that 'there are objects in the sky that we don't understand' while explaining the need for increased funding for UFO detection.
Loeb said that at least one billion dollars needs to be committed to improving America's efforts to track and monitor the movements of UFOs and UAPs.
The Harvard astrophysicist added that he was upset with the lack of data available currently in terms of tracking objects flying over our skies.
Loeb went to discuss the possibility of alien civilizations that could have developed long before humans developed into a modern society.
Days before Thursday' hearing, the whistleblower behind a stunning report submitted to Congress - exposing what he claims is a secret Pentagon program tracking unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) - revealed his identity and says he fears for his future after speaking out.
Matthew Brown, a former US national security official, publicly identified himself as the whistleblower on an episode of WEAPONIZED - a podcast released Tuesday that is hosted by investigative journalists and UFO experts Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp.
Brown is the author of the Immaculate Constellation Field Report, a document entered into the Congressional Record earlier this year that alleges the Executive Branch has been secretly managing UAP programs for decades - without congressional oversight.
One of today's main speakers is Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American astrophysicist at Harvard University.
For years, Loeb has been a prominent advocate for more scientific investigation UAP sightings, hypothesizing that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth, and that we may have recovered physical evidence of their technologies.
During the hearing, he plans to give a presentation advocating for more funding for UAP research and urging the US government to share 'any data or materials concerning what lies outside the solar system.'
Months before Thursday's briefing, Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence official turned UFO whistleblower told Congress that there was proof of alien life being kept from the public.
During his testimony back on November 14, 2024, he blasted the US intelligence community for 'excessive secrecy' of UAP reports that had lasted decades, adding that it was 'all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos.'
Elizondo resigned from his position, running the Pentagon's program to investigate UFO sightings to 10 years, and went public with what he knew in October 2017.
On Thursday, Elizondo is serving as the moderator for this new hearing on UFOs.
I bet they have so many files with legitimate proo...
Share what you think
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Hulk Hogan's horrifying new look on Fox News sparks viewers' concern
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 11:54 EDT, 1 May 2025 | Updated: 16:02 EDT, 1 May 2025
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A bipartisan congressional briefing Thursday revealed startling details of a never-before-seen UFO hovering over the US.
Government officials heard from scientists who said they need a larger role in the investigation into UFOs and other strange phenomena the government has been keeping secret.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, with help from the UAP Disclosure Fund, held the briefing Thursday called 'Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation.'
It's focused on UFOs (or UAPs, as they're now called) and what the government knows about these unusual sightings.
Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official who investigated UAPs before becoming a UFO whistleblower, and Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, were the main speakers.
They're pushing for the government to release more UAP data and for the development of better ways of detecting these unidentified objects.
The hearing was led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican congresswoman from Florida charged by President Trump with overseeing the disclosure of several classified events, including UFO sightings.
Former military intelligence official Luis Elizondo held up an unvetted photo of a UAP taken by a civilian pilot Thursday.
According to the Pentagon whistleblower, the image came from a regular camera, taken at 21,000 feet as the enormous silver craft hovered over the ground.
The UFO was said to be approximately 1,000 feet long, the size of a ocean cruise ship.
Elizondo highlighted the uncertainty that military, commercial, and civilian aviators face when they witness and/or document UAPs in US airspace: 'Do they report it to the FAA? Do they report it to NORAD? Maybe the airforce?' he asked.
'Once again, you would think this information would be important for somebody to look at,' he added.
'If these are over sensitive military installations, whose are they? What are their capabilities? What is the intent?'
Dr Anna Brady-Estevez, a founding partner of American DeepTech, a technology investment firm, revealed that companies in the private sector are allegedly building new inventions based on alien systems.
Brady-Estevez, who previously worked with NASA on space economic policy, said she had funded entrepreneurs who described their inventions as being inspired by UFOs.
'They were working on advanced energy. They were working on advanced communications,' the tech investor explained.
'I funded companies working on what the entrepreneurs later described as UAP-adjacent or UAP-inspired technologies,' Brady-Estevez added.
She added that these inventors were not allowed to go into detail about their tech because of the classified nature of the research.
Mike Gold, a former NASA associate administrator, revealed the amazing images sitting in the space agency's archives that have yet to be investigated as possible UAPs.
Gold, the current president of civil and international space at tech company Redwire revealed several shocking images of unexplained phenomena that has been photographed by NASA on Mars and the moon.
Those images included another sighting of the so-called 'Tic Tac' UFO, which recently appeared on the surface of Mars after multiple sightings over the Pacific Ocean.
'Why are we not investigating this?' Gold asked.
'It's certainly worth the effort to investigate and we're not doing it!' he added.
A newly publshed poll found that 44 percent of Americans believe that the government is hiding information about the existance of UAPs, while 28 percent disagree and another 28 percent are unsure.
The poll, conducted by NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ, surveyed 521 Republicans, 559 Democrats, 349 independents and 18 'other' voters.
Young Americans were found to be especially suspiscious of the government's UAP knowledge, with 49 percent of Gen Z respondents and 48 percent of millenials claiming that federal officials know more than they're letting on, compared to just 39 percent of baby boomers.
Republicans were also revealed to be more suspiscious than Democrats or Independants, with 48 percent saying the government hides UAP information. Just 39 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Independants felt the same.
Intelligence community expert Christopher Mellon added on Thursday that the military has recently submitted roughly 1,800 reports involving UFOs in just the last few years.
The reports went to AARO, the Defense Department's office for investigating and assessing the threat posed by UFOs and UAPs.
They add to a growing list of events that the US military have taken as serious threats to national security.
There are dozens of unsolved cases going back to the 1960s that occurred over nuclear missile installations, Navy ships, and a desert in New Mexico.
The FBI, CIA, and other government branches have spent years looking into these reports, but have yet to determine what the objects were and where they came from.
In just the last few months, the skies over New Jersey were filled with unidentified aircraft and drones that required a formal response from both the Biden and Trump presidencies.
Christopher Mellon, a national security expert who spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community, suggested that there is a massive coverup of data that would prove the extistence of UFOs visiting Earth.
During his presentation at Thursday's hearing, Mellon revealed that the US government has some of the most powerful radar and satellite technology on Earth but has somehow never recorded any information about UAPs.
'Either we've spent billions of dollars on a system that's not performing as it should be... or it's simply so highly classified the information is not reaching AARO,' Mellon said.
AARO is the military's department which assesses the potential threat from UAPs.
Mellon noted that the Solid State Phased Array Radar System is one of the most powerful sensor systems on the planet, which would be detected by any extraterrestrial civilization anywhere near Earth.
However, the radar system has made zero reports of UAPs to AARO over the last 20 years.
'How is that possible?' Mellon asked.
Mellon called on the US Inspector General to look into the lack of reporting coming from key military radar posts regarding UFO sightings.
This comes despite documented reports that the military has scrambled aircraft to follow UFOs they've detected near US airspace.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral at Thursday's UFO hearing, says a secret military document was removed from his computer without his permission.
Admiral Gallaudet said the classifed memo described the urgent need to address near-misses Navy pilots were having with UFOs.
Gallaudet, who was in charge of safety and flight while serving as the chief meteorologist in the Navy, said the email had an infamous UFO video attached to it.
The email, which sought urgent information about the origin of the UFO threatening Navy planes, was mysteriously wiped from his computer a day after the admiral received it.
'It didn't sit well with me,' Gallaudet said.
He added that it's the reason he's gone public with what he knows and why he's calling on the White House to disclose what the government knows about UFOs.
Research physicist Dr Eric Davis said during Thursday's hearing that the US government has been operating a secret program that recovers crashed UFOs since the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.
Dr Davis worked as a subcontractor and then a consultant for the Pentagon UFO program since 2007.
According to him, the secret program originated after the discovery of a crashed UFO in 1944.
Since then, Davis claimed much of the technology recovered from these wrecks over the years has been secretly moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
All of this activity, Davis said, was being done without congressional oversight or approval, with project code names regularly changing every few years to cover up the Defense Department's actions.
He previously said that examination of some materials recovered by the program failed to determine their source and led him to conclude, 'we couldn't make it ourselves.'
A retired US Navy admiral slammed an alleged 'disinformation' campaign by the US intelligence community which he claimed was covering up military sightings of UFOs.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, spoke at Thursday's hearing, claiming that the Navy 'has a trove' of data on UFO sightings from pilots and other personnel who have spotted UAPs while on duty - much of which has not been officially released.
Admiral Gallaudet publicly called on the White House to reveal this information and noted that he had just received reports from members of the Navy who had been involved in recent UFO sightings.
He also compared the urgency needed on this topic to the current climate change emergency researchers are well funded to study in depth.
During the hearing, Loeb referenced fragments of metal that he and his colleagues recovered from the Pacific Ocean in 2023.
The remnants came from a meteor-like object that originated from 'interstellar space' and crashed off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014. Loeb has not ruled out the possibility that this object could have been an alien craft, or part of one.
'This is a historic discovery because it represents the first time that humans put their hand on materials from a large object that arrived to Earth from outside the solar system, he said at the time.
Loeb is working to raise funds for another expedition to the location where these fragments were recovered to look for more physical evidence of alien technology.
Avi Loeb told Thursday's congressional hearing that 'there are objects in the sky that we don't understand' while explaining the need for increased funding for UFO detection.
Loeb said that at least one billion dollars needs to be committed to improving America's efforts to track and monitor the movements of UFOs and UAPs.
The Harvard astrophysicist added that he was upset with the lack of data available currently in terms of tracking objects flying over our skies.
Loeb went to discuss the possibility of alien civilizations that could have developed long before humans developed into a modern society.
Days before Thursday' hearing, the whistleblower behind a stunning report submitted to Congress - exposing what he claims is a secret Pentagon program tracking unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) - revealed his identity and says he fears for his future after speaking out.
Matthew Brown, a former US national security official, publicly identified himself as the whistleblower on an episode of WEAPONIZED - a podcast released Tuesday that is hosted by investigative journalists and UFO experts Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp.
Brown is the author of the Immaculate Constellation Field Report, a document entered into the Congressional Record earlier this year that alleges the Executive Branch has been secretly managing UAP programs for decades - without congressional oversight.
One of today's main speakers is Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American astrophysicist at Harvard University.
For years, Loeb has been a prominent advocate for more scientific investigation UAP sightings, hypothesizing that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth, and that we may have recovered physical evidence of their technologies.
During the hearing, he plans to give a presentation advocating for more funding for UAP research and urging the US government to share 'any data or materials concerning what lies outside the solar system.'
Months before Thursday's briefing, Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence official turned UFO whistleblower told Congress that there was proof of alien life being kept from the public.
During his testimony back on November 14, 2024, he blasted the US intelligence community for 'excessive secrecy' of UAP reports that had lasted decades, adding that it was 'all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos.'
Elizondo resigned from his position, running the Pentagon's program to investigate UFO sightings to 10 years, and went public with what he knew in October 2017.
On Thursday, Elizondo is serving as the moderator for this new hearing on UFOs.
I bet they have so many files with legitimate proo...
Share what you think
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Hulk Hogan's horrifying new look on Fox News sparks viewers' concern
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
Unleash your inner couch detective!
If you're a true crime fan, chances are that you've already watched the big hitters, like Unsolved Mysteries and Making a Murderer. Still, there's a whole world of lesser-known true crime documentaries and docuseries out there that are every bit as gripping and bizarre as their mainstream counterparts. So, here are some of the most underrated true crime shows that are totally binge-worthy (and where you can catch them).
Discovery+1. Kentucky Murder Mystery: The Trials of Anthony GrayAt first glance, James and Vivian Gray seemed like just another retired couple living a quiet life in rural Kentucky. But in 2007, they were brutally murdered in their home, and all signs pointed to their son, Anthony Gray.It was no secret that there was tension between Anthony and his parents, and his strange behavior after their deaths only heightened suspicion. Yet, the narrative becomes much murkier as the documentary unfolds, revealing dark family secrets that suggest the Grays might not have been as innocent as they appeared. You can watch Kentucky Murder Mystery: The Trials of Anthony Gray on Discovery+.Netflix2. Long ShotWhen Juan Catalan was arrested for murdering a teenage girl in 2003, his life turned into a nightmare scenario. He was suddenly facing the death penalty for a crime he swore he didn't commit.He had an alibi, too, and claimed he was at a Dodgers game with his daughter. But even though he had a ticket stub from the game, the police didn't buy his story. It wasn't until the case against him started gaining momentum that Juan remembered something strange: a TV crew had been filming at the stadium that night. So, his lawyer set out on a hunt for video evidence that could prove his innocence. Long Shot is available to stream on Netflix.Netflix3. Who Killed Little Gregory?This haunting documentary explores one of the most chilling and puzzling child murder cases in modern Europe. Gregory Villemin, a 4-year-old from France, vanished while playing in his front yard, and hours later, he was found dead in a nearby river.This alone was heartbreaking for Gregory's loved ones, but what follows is a decades-long family drama filled with anonymous threats and a mysterious figure known only as "The Raven." Who Killed Little Gregory? features five episodes and can be watched on Netflix.HBO4. Pray, Obey, KillSet in a seemingly quiet Swedish village, Pray, Obey, Kill starts with a late-night shooting that leaves one woman dead and another man wounded. Meanwhile, the confessed killer is a former nanny and member of a deeply religious and cult-like congregation.However, her confession only scratches the surface of what really happened. As journalists dig deeper into the story, they uncover an eerie world of manipulation and spiritual extremism, with the former nanny believing she was sent a text message from God. This docuseries is available to stream on HBO Max.Prime Video5. Ted Bundy: Falling for a KillerEveryone has heard of Ted Bundy, but this documentary reframes his story through the eyes of the women who knew him best. Centered on his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall, and her daughter, Molly, the series explores the psychological toll of living alongside a killer and the heartbreak of realizing someone you loved was capable of evil.Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer features first-person interviews and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.HBO6. Who Killed Garrett Phillips?Just minutes after arriving home from school in 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered. His neighbors heard a struggle occurring and tried to check on him, but the door was locked, and once the police arrived, the killer managed to escape, possibly right out of a second-story window.Suspicion soon fell on Oral "Nick" Hillary, the former boyfriend of Garrett's mother, Tandy. However, she'd also previously dated the town's sheriff, and as investigators build their case, the documentary raises serious doubts about the evidence against Oral. You can watch Who Killed Garrett Phillips? on HBO Max.Netflix7. Why Did You Kill Me?Crystal Theobald was killed in a drive-by shooting at just 24 years old, and her family wasn't content with waiting for justice to be served. So, they took matters into their own hands.Crystal's younger cousin, Jaimie, wound up creating a fake Myspace account to infiltrate the world of local gang members in hopes of identifying the shooter. She posed as Crystal under the name "Angel" and got different gang members to talk to her. Then, when the search became too overwhelming, Crystal's mother stepped in to continue the quest for answers. Why Did You Kill Me? is available to stream on Netflix.HBO8. The Cheshire MurdersDuring the early morning hours of July 23, 2007, the Petit family's Connecticut home became the scene of a horrifying home invasion that shook the nation. Over several hours, two men terrorized the family, turning what was supposed to be a burglary into a triple murder.The Cheshire Murders questions whether the police could've done more to stop this heinous crime and includes debates over the death penalty. You can watch it on HBO Max.
Discovery+
At first glance, James and Vivian Gray seemed like just another retired couple living a quiet life in rural Kentucky. But in 2007, they were brutally murdered in their home, and all signs pointed to their son, Anthony Gray.
It was no secret that there was tension between Anthony and his parents, and his strange behavior after their deaths only heightened suspicion. Yet, the narrative becomes much murkier as the documentary unfolds, revealing dark family secrets that suggest the Grays might not have been as innocent as they appeared. You can watch Kentucky Murder Mystery: The Trials of Anthony Gray on Discovery+.
Netflix
When Juan Catalan was arrested for murdering a teenage girl in 2003, his life turned into a nightmare scenario. He was suddenly facing the death penalty for a crime he swore he didn't commit.
He had an alibi, too, and claimed he was at a Dodgers game with his daughter. But even though he had a ticket stub from the game, the police didn't buy his story.
It wasn't until the case against him started gaining momentum that Juan remembered something strange: a TV crew had been filming at the stadium that night. So, his lawyer set out on a hunt for video evidence that could prove his innocence. Long Shot is available to stream on Netflix.
Netflix
This haunting documentary explores one of the most chilling and puzzling child murder cases in modern Europe. Gregory Villemin, a 4-year-old from France, vanished while playing in his front yard, and hours later, he was found dead in a nearby river.
This alone was heartbreaking for Gregory's loved ones, but what follows is a decades-long family drama filled with anonymous threats and a mysterious figure known only as "The Raven." Who Killed Little Gregory? features five episodes and can be watched on Netflix.
HBO
Set in a seemingly quiet Swedish village, Pray, Obey, Kill starts with a late-night shooting that leaves one woman dead and another man wounded. Meanwhile, the confessed killer is a former nanny and member of a deeply religious and cult-like congregation.
However, her confession only scratches the surface of what really happened. As journalists dig deeper into the story, they uncover an eerie world of manipulation and spiritual extremism, with the former nanny believing she was sent a text message from God. This docuseries is available to stream on HBO Max.
Prime Video
Everyone has heard of Ted Bundy, but this documentary reframes his story through the eyes of the women who knew him best. Centered on his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall, and her daughter, Molly, the series explores the psychological toll of living alongside a killer and the heartbreak of realizing someone you loved was capable of evil.
Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer features first-person interviews and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
HBO
Just minutes after arriving home from school in 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered. His neighbors heard a struggle occurring and tried to check on him, but the door was locked, and once the police arrived, the killer managed to escape, possibly right out of a second-story window.
Suspicion soon fell on Oral "Nick" Hillary, the former boyfriend of Garrett's mother, Tandy. However, she'd also previously dated the town's sheriff, and as investigators build their case, the documentary raises serious doubts about the evidence against Oral. You can watch Who Killed Garrett Phillips? on HBO Max.
Netflix
Crystal Theobald was killed in a drive-by shooting at just 24 years old, and her family wasn't content with waiting for justice to be served. So, they took matters into their own hands.
Crystal's younger cousin, Jaimie, wound up creating a fake Myspace account to infiltrate the world of local gang members in hopes of identifying the shooter. She posed as Crystal under the name "Angel" and got different gang members to talk to her. Then, when the search became too overwhelming, Crystal's mother stepped in to continue the quest for answers. Why Did You Kill Me? is available to stream on Netflix.
HBO
During the early morning hours of July 23, 2007, the Petit family's Connecticut home became the scene of a horrifying home invasion that shook the nation. Over several hours, two men terrorized the family, turning what was supposed to be a burglary into a triple murder.
The Cheshire Murders questions whether the police could've done more to stop this heinous crime and includes debates over the death penalty. You can watch it on HBO Max.
Looking for more TV & entertainment news? Follow us on Facebook so you never miss a thing!
If you're a true crime fan, chances are that you've already watched the big hitters, like Unsolved Mysteries and Making a Murderer. Still, there's a whole world of lesser-known true crime documentaries and docuseries out there that are every bit as gripping and bizarre as their mainstream counterparts. So, here are some of the most underrated true crime shows that are totally binge-worthy (and where you can catch them).
Discovery+1. Kentucky Murder Mystery: The Trials of Anthony GrayAt first glance, James and Vivian Gray seemed like just another retired couple living a quiet life in rural Kentucky. But in 2007, they were brutally murdered in their home, and all signs pointed to their son, Anthony Gray.It was no secret that there was tension between Anthony and his parents, and his strange behavior after their deaths only heightened suspicion. Yet, the narrative becomes much murkier as the documentary unfolds, revealing dark family secrets that suggest the Grays might not have been as innocent as they appeared. You can watch Kentucky Murder Mystery: The Trials of Anthony Gray on Discovery+.Netflix2. Long ShotWhen Juan Catalan was arrested for murdering a teenage girl in 2003, his life turned into a nightmare scenario. He was suddenly facing the death penalty for a crime he swore he didn't commit.He had an alibi, too, and claimed he was at a Dodgers game with his daughter. But even though he had a ticket stub from the game, the police didn't buy his story. It wasn't until the case against him started gaining momentum that Juan remembered something strange: a TV crew had been filming at the stadium that night. So, his lawyer set out on a hunt for video evidence that could prove his innocence. Long Shot is available to stream on Netflix.Netflix3. Who Killed Little Gregory?This haunting documentary explores one of the most chilling and puzzling child murder cases in modern Europe. Gregory Villemin, a 4-year-old from France, vanished while playing in his front yard, and hours later, he was found dead in a nearby river.This alone was heartbreaking for Gregory's loved ones, but what follows is a decades-long family drama filled with anonymous threats and a mysterious figure known only as "The Raven." Who Killed Little Gregory? features five episodes and can be watched on Netflix.HBO4. Pray, Obey, KillSet in a seemingly quiet Swedish village, Pray, Obey, Kill starts with a late-night shooting that leaves one woman dead and another man wounded. Meanwhile, the confessed killer is a former nanny and member of a deeply religious and cult-like congregation.However, her confession only scratches the surface of what really happened. As journalists dig deeper into the story, they uncover an eerie world of manipulation and spiritual extremism, with the former nanny believing she was sent a text message from God. This docuseries is available to stream on HBO Max.Prime Video5. Ted Bundy: Falling for a KillerEveryone has heard of Ted Bundy, but this documentary reframes his story through the eyes of the women who knew him best. Centered on his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall, and her daughter, Molly, the series explores the psychological toll of living alongside a killer and the heartbreak of realizing someone you loved was capable of evil.Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer features first-person interviews and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.HBO6. Who Killed Garrett Phillips?Just minutes after arriving home from school in 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered. His neighbors heard a struggle occurring and tried to check on him, but the door was locked, and once the police arrived, the killer managed to escape, possibly right out of a second-story window.Suspicion soon fell on Oral "Nick" Hillary, the former boyfriend of Garrett's mother, Tandy. However, she'd also previously dated the town's sheriff, and as investigators build their case, the documentary raises serious doubts about the evidence against Oral. You can watch Who Killed Garrett Phillips? on HBO Max.Netflix7. Why Did You Kill Me?Crystal Theobald was killed in a drive-by shooting at just 24 years old, and her family wasn't content with waiting for justice to be served. So, they took matters into their own hands.Crystal's younger cousin, Jaimie, wound up creating a fake Myspace account to infiltrate the world of local gang members in hopes of identifying the shooter. She posed as Crystal under the name "Angel" and got different gang members to talk to her. Then, when the search became too overwhelming, Crystal's mother stepped in to continue the quest for answers. Why Did You Kill Me? is available to stream on Netflix.HBO8. The Cheshire MurdersDuring the early morning hours of July 23, 2007, the Petit family's Connecticut home became the scene of a horrifying home invasion that shook the nation. Over several hours, two men terrorized the family, turning what was supposed to be a burglary into a triple murder.The Cheshire Murders questions whether the police could've done more to stop this heinous crime and includes debates over the death penalty. You can watch it on HBO Max.
Discovery+
At first glance, James and Vivian Gray seemed like just another retired couple living a quiet life in rural Kentucky. But in 2007, they were brutally murdered in their home, and all signs pointed to their son, Anthony Gray.
It was no secret that there was tension between Anthony and his parents, and his strange behavior after their deaths only heightened suspicion. Yet, the narrative becomes much murkier as the documentary unfolds, revealing dark family secrets that suggest the Grays might not have been as innocent as they appeared. You can watch Kentucky Murder Mystery: The Trials of Anthony Gray on Discovery+.
Netflix
When Juan Catalan was arrested for murdering a teenage girl in 2003, his life turned into a nightmare scenario. He was suddenly facing the death penalty for a crime he swore he didn't commit.
He had an alibi, too, and claimed he was at a Dodgers game with his daughter. But even though he had a ticket stub from the game, the police didn't buy his story.
It wasn't until the case against him started gaining momentum that Juan remembered something strange: a TV crew had been filming at the stadium that night. So, his lawyer set out on a hunt for video evidence that could prove his innocence. Long Shot is available to stream on Netflix.
Netflix
This haunting documentary explores one of the most chilling and puzzling child murder cases in modern Europe. Gregory Villemin, a 4-year-old from France, vanished while playing in his front yard, and hours later, he was found dead in a nearby river.
This alone was heartbreaking for Gregory's loved ones, but what follows is a decades-long family drama filled with anonymous threats and a mysterious figure known only as "The Raven." Who Killed Little Gregory? features five episodes and can be watched on Netflix.
HBO
Set in a seemingly quiet Swedish village, Pray, Obey, Kill starts with a late-night shooting that leaves one woman dead and another man wounded. Meanwhile, the confessed killer is a former nanny and member of a deeply religious and cult-like congregation.
However, her confession only scratches the surface of what really happened. As journalists dig deeper into the story, they uncover an eerie world of manipulation and spiritual extremism, with the former nanny believing she was sent a text message from God. This docuseries is available to stream on HBO Max.
Prime Video
Everyone has heard of Ted Bundy, but this documentary reframes his story through the eyes of the women who knew him best. Centered on his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall, and her daughter, Molly, the series explores the psychological toll of living alongside a killer and the heartbreak of realizing someone you loved was capable of evil.
Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer features first-person interviews and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
HBO
Just minutes after arriving home from school in 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered. His neighbors heard a struggle occurring and tried to check on him, but the door was locked, and once the police arrived, the killer managed to escape, possibly right out of a second-story window.
Suspicion soon fell on Oral "Nick" Hillary, the former boyfriend of Garrett's mother, Tandy. However, she'd also previously dated the town's sheriff, and as investigators build their case, the documentary raises serious doubts about the evidence against Oral. You can watch Who Killed Garrett Phillips? on HBO Max.
Netflix
Crystal Theobald was killed in a drive-by shooting at just 24 years old, and her family wasn't content with waiting for justice to be served. So, they took matters into their own hands.
Crystal's younger cousin, Jaimie, wound up creating a fake Myspace account to infiltrate the world of local gang members in hopes of identifying the shooter. She posed as Crystal under the name "Angel" and got different gang members to talk to her. Then, when the search became too overwhelming, Crystal's mother stepped in to continue the quest for answers. Why Did You Kill Me? is available to stream on Netflix.
HBO
During the early morning hours of July 23, 2007, the Petit family's Connecticut home became the scene of a horrifying home invasion that shook the nation. Over several hours, two men terrorized the family, turning what was supposed to be a burglary into a triple murder.
The Cheshire Murders questions whether the police could've done more to stop this heinous crime and includes debates over the death penalty. You can watch it on HBO Max.
Looking for more TV & entertainment news? Follow us on Facebook so you never miss a thing!
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By framing Exercise Hammer Strike as a mix of innovation and technological modernisation, Pakistan army chief Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah is trying to project the image of a powerful general, top Indian intelligence sources have told CNN-News18.
“The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) release is a multilayered psyops tool," said a source. “It warns India against aggression while reassuring China of Pakistan's strategic utility."
According to intelligence sources, this serves as a calculated psychological operation by the Pakistan army chief. This is designed to project military strength against India and shape domestic and international narratives.
“This exercise is to highlight cutting-edge weapon systems, long-range precision artillery, and next-generation technologies," a source said. “This signals Pakistan's ability to counter India's military edge: S-400 missiles and Rafale jets."
Munir's statement, where he said, “Any misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and notch-up response", reinforces nuclear ambiguity and conventional readiness and resembles India's Cold Start, said sources.
Pakistan is showcasing niche technologies, likely Chinese-origin systems like HQ-9 SAMs and Wing Loong drones, they added. This indicates heavy dependence on Chinese artillery.
In this, they have shown the JF-17 Block III with Chinese AESA radars/PL-15 missiles, positioned to challenge India's Rafales.
This is timed at heightened India-Pakistan tensions post-Pahalgam attack to preemptively counter Indian military posturing, sources stated.
This distracts from domestic crises like economic collapse and political instability by redirecting focus to national security, they added.
This exercise, according to them, counters India's global narrative of Pakistan as a terror sponsor by reframing the army as a professional, tech-savvy force. The presence of senior formations with him shows solidarity.
Munir visited the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) on Thursday to observe Exercise Hammer Strike— a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by the Pakistan army's Mangla Strike Corps, according to ISPR.
The military's media wing highlighted that the exercise demonstrated the army's growing integration of advanced and emerging technologies to enhance both kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities.
During his visit, General Munir praised the professionalism, morale, and combat readiness of the participating troops, describing them as a true representation of the Pakistan Army's operational excellence.
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While addressing the troops, he reiterated the armed forces' unwavering commitment to defending Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Let there be no ambiguity: any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and elevated response. While Pakistan remains devoted to regional peace, our readiness and determination to protect national interests are absolute," he emphasised.
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Premieres Friday, June 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on USA and SYFY
Resident Alien, the comedy-drama television series based on the acclaimed sci-fi noir comic series created by writer Peter Hogan and artist/letterer Steve Parkhouse from Dark Horse Publishing, is set to return with new episodes next month. Ahead of the premiere, the trailer for Resident Alien season 4 was released.
While the first three seasons were broadcast on Syfy, the fourth season will air on both USA and SYFY on Friday, June 6 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on USA and SYFY. In addition to the main cast, returning guest stars this season includeGary Farmer, Gracelyn Awad Rinke, Jenna Lamia, Sarah Podemski, Linda Hamilton, Enver Gjokaj, Terry O'Quinn, and Edi Patterson who will be joined by new guest stars Jewel Staite and Stephen Root. In addition, series star Alan Tudyk makes his television directorial debut filming the first two episodes of Resident Alien Season 4.
On the comic side of things, Dark Horse has announced a new Resident Alien comic miniseries arriving this August.
Based on the Dark Horse comics, “Resident Alien” follows a crash-landed alien named Harry and his life on planet Earth. The fourth season starts with Harry (Alan Tudyk) and his baby Bridget stuck in prison on the Grey Moonbase, while a shape-shifting Alien called a Mantid (also Alan Tudyk) has taken over his body on Earth passing himself off as the real Harry Vanderspeigle. Harry manages to escape the Greys and arrives back on Earth for a showdown with the Mantid Alien, but soon finds he may not have what he needs to finish the job. Asta (Sara Tomko) and D'arcy (Alice Wetterlund) struggle to keep a secret from Ben (Levi Fiehler) and Kate (Meredith Garretson), who are both desperate to find answers to what has been happening to them. Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) and Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) attempt to solve some mysterious deaths in Patience that Sheriff Mike is beginning to think aren't caused by anything human.
From UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group in association with Amblin TV and Dark Horse Entertainment, “Resident Alien” was adapted to television by executive producer Chris Sheridan. Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg of Dark Horse Entertainment, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank of Amblin TV, Robert Duncan McNeill and Nastaran Dibai also executive produce.
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With increasing trends like tarot card reading and astrology apps, psychic services are, once again, becoming a popular tool in mainstream culture. Of course, the effectiveness of these services is hotly contested, but the benefits often extend past the “psychic” of it all. Between self-reflection, emotional guidance, and seeking clarity, plenty of people find these tools useful regardless of whether or not they believe that spirits are leading the charge.
Let's say that tarot card reading is as much of a random draw as a poker game — that doesn't mean you can't get something useful from it. A significant portion of psychic reading centers on identifying clients' problems and helping them self-reflect to decide what to do. Ultimately, the cultural shift toward embracing mysticism has led to a focus on intuition, introspection, and seeking meaning when things are difficult.
Self-help tools and wellness are all the rage, and psychic services are turning those trends on their heads to see past logic and rationality. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Platforms like PsychicOz, Yes Psychic, and Fortune Psychics allow individuals to connect remotely with practitioners to self-reflect from the comfort of their couch.
Whether it's relationship advice, career direction, or even a space to feel seen and heard, unjudged, psychic services offer comfort and introspection to many clients worldwide. Through a series of questions, emotional exploration prompts, and listening to gut feelings, many clients describe these services as “therapeutic” — just in an unconventional way that focuses on possibilities rather than certainty.
So, what makes psychic services stand out? Well, options like tarot cards, numerology, or mediumship focus on intuition and emotional resonance. Most people using these services aren't looking to find out what day they'll die or the eye color of their one true love. They're simply seeking personally meaningful guidance in a way that feels exciting and fun.
Psychics and fortune-telling aren't new concepts in the slightest. These practices go all the way back to cultures like ancient Mesopotamia. From there, they made their way to 19th-century spiritualists and continued growing into the psychic practices available today.
By nature, humans have always sought answers to the same questions, such as: “Who are we and why are we here?” Mysticism has long been a tool to help people answer those questions for themselves and humanity as a whole.
The beauty of psychic services is their versatility. It doesn't matter whether or not you believe a tarot card is being hand-picked for you by the spirits or if you're using the practice as a means to ask yourself questions in a novel and entertaining way.
People find value in the experience itself. Each person can decide for themselves to what extent they believe in mysticism. At their core, psychic services allow each person to interpret their own meaning while trusting their intuition.
Naturally, not everyone believes in the usefulness or efficacy of psychic services. Scientific evidence is lacking, and some people warn against becoming over-reliant on unverified guidance. Yet, most aspects of life hinge on moderation.
Is it healthy to seek out psychic readings for every decision you make? Probably not. But that doesn't mean it can't be a helpful and intuitive tool to help people better understand themselves and their lives.
At the end of the day, many psychic services aren't giving you advice: They're helping you connect with yourself to follow your own advice. Ultimately, psychic services don't promise absolute truths. Instead, they give people an opportunity to look within themselves for guidance. And who knows you better than you? Sometimes, you just need a little nudge to listen.
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The dress code was red, white and Bucky, which some revelers accessorized with handcuffs courtesy of Madison's finest.
Jeff Erlanger, a beloved Madison advocate, appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood when he was 10 and kept in touch with Fred Rogers over the years.
Take this multiple-choice quiz and find out.
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It's a bit of a secret, but The Cardinal Bar, known for music and dancing, has exceptional cocktails and food.
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11:54 EDT 01 May 2025, updated 13:21 EDT 01 May 2025 By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
A bipartisan congressional briefing is underway, hearing from scientists who say they need a larger role in the investigation into UFOs and other strange phenomena the government has been keeping secret.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, with help from the UAP Disclosure Fund, is holding a briefing Thursday called 'Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation.'
It's focused on UFOs (or UAPs, as they're now called) and what the government knows about these unusual sightings.
Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official who investigated UAPs before becoming a UFO whistleblower, and Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, are the main speakers.
They're pushing for the government to release more UAP data and for the development of better ways of detecting these unidentified objects.
The hearing is being led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican congresswoman from Florida charged by President Trump with overseeing the disclosure of several classified events, including UFO sightings.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral at Thursday's UFO hearing, says a secret military document was removed from his computer without his permission.
Admiral Gallaudet said the classifed memo described the urgent need to address near-misses Navy pilots were having with UFOs.
Gallaudet, who was in charge of safety and flight while serving as the chief meteorologist in the Navy, said the email had an infamous UFO video attached to it.
The email, which sought urgent information about the origin of the UFO threatening Navy planes, was mysteriously wiped from his computer a day after the admiral received it.
'It didn't sit well with me,' Gallaudet said.
He added that it's the reason he's gone public with what he knows and why he's calling on the White House to disclose what the government knows about UFOs.
Research physicist Dr Eric Davis said during Thursday's hearing that the US government has been operating a secret program that recovers crashed UFOs since the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.
Dr Davis worked as a subcontractor and then a consultant for the Pentagon UFO program since 2007.
According to him, the secret program originated after the discovery of a crashed UFO in 1944.
Since then, Davis claimed much of the technology recovered from these wrecks over the years has been secretly moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
All of this activity, Davis said, was being done without congressional oversight or approval, with project code names regularly changing every few years to cover up the Defense Department's actions.
He previously said that examination of some materials recovered by the program failed to determine their source and led him to conclude, 'we couldn't make it ourselves.'
A retired US Navy admiral slammed an alleged 'disinformation' campaign by the US intelligence community which he claimed was covering up military sightings of UFOs.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, spoke at Thursday's hearing, claiming that the Navy 'has a trove' of data on UFO sightings from pilots and other personnel who have spotted UAPs while on duty - much of which has not been officially released.
Admiral Gallaudet publicly called on the White House to reveal this information and noted that he had just received reports from members of the Navy who had been involved in recent UFO sightings.
He also compared the urgency needed on this topic to the current climate change emergency researchers are well funded to study in depth.
During the hearing, Loeb referenced fragments of metal that he and his colleagues recovered from the Pacific Ocean in 2023.
The remnants came from a meteor-like object that originated from 'interstellar space' and crashed off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014. Loeb has not ruled out the possibility that this object could have been an alien craft, or part of one.
'This is a historic discovery because it represents the first time that humans put their hand on materials from a large object that arrived to Earth from outside the solar system, he said at the time.
Loeb is working to raise funds for another expedition to the location where these fragments were recovered to look for more physical evidence of alien technology.
Avi Loeb told Thursday's congressional hearing that 'there are objects in the sky that we don't understand' while explaining the need for increased funding for UFO detection.
Loeb said that at least one billion dollars needs to be committed to improving America's efforts to track and monitor the movements of UFOs and UAPs.
The Harvard astrophysicist added that he was upset with the lack of data available currently in terms of tracking objects flying over our skies.
Loeb went to discuss the possibility of alien civilizations that could have developed long before humans developed into a modern society.
Days before Thursday' hearing, the whistleblower behind a stunning report submitted to Congress - exposing what he claims is a secret Pentagon program tracking unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) - revealed his identity and says he fears for his future after speaking out.
Matthew Brown, a former US national security official, publicly identified himself as the whistleblower on an episode of WEAPONIZED - a podcast released Tuesday that is hosted by investigative journalists and UFO experts Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp.
Brown is the author of the Immaculate Constellation Field Report, a document entered into the Congressional Record earlier this year that alleges the Executive Branch has been secretly managing UAP programs for decades - without congressional oversight.
One of today's main speakers is Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American astrophysicist at Harvard University.
For years, Loeb has been a prominent advocate for more scientific investigation UAP sightings, hypothesizing that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth, and that we may have recovered physical evidence of their technologies.
During the hearing, he plans to give a presentation advocating for more funding for UAP research and urging the US government to share 'any data or materials concerning what lies outside the solar system.'
Months before Thursday's briefing, Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence official turned UFO whistleblower told Congress that there was proof of alien life being kept from the public.
During his testimony back on November 14, 2024, he blasted the US intelligence community for 'excessive secrecy' of UAP reports that had lasted decades, adding that it was 'all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos.'
Elizondo resigned from his position, running the Pentagon's program to investigate UFO sightings to 10 years, and went public with what he knew in October 2017.
On Thursday, Elizondo is serving as the moderator for this new hearing on UFOs.
11:54 EDT 01 May 2025, updated 13:21 EDT 01 May 2025 By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
A bipartisan congressional briefing is underway, hearing from scientists who say they need a larger role in the investigation into UFOs and other strange phenomena the government has been keeping secret.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, with help from the UAP Disclosure Fund, is holding a briefing Thursday called 'Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation.'
It's focused on UFOs (or UAPs, as they're now called) and what the government knows about these unusual sightings.
Luis Elizondo, a former Pentagon official who investigated UAPs before becoming a UFO whistleblower, and Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, are the main speakers.
They're pushing for the government to release more UAP data and for the development of better ways of detecting these unidentified objects.
The hearing is being led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican congresswoman from Florida charged by President Trump with overseeing the disclosure of several classified events, including UFO sightings.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral at Thursday's UFO hearing, says a secret military document was removed from his computer without his permission.
Admiral Gallaudet said the classifed memo described the urgent need to address near-misses Navy pilots were having with UFOs.
Gallaudet, who was in charge of safety and flight while serving as the chief meteorologist in the Navy, said the email had an infamous UFO video attached to it.
The email, which sought urgent information about the origin of the UFO threatening Navy planes, was mysteriously wiped from his computer a day after the admiral received it.
'It didn't sit well with me,' Gallaudet said.
He added that it's the reason he's gone public with what he knows and why he's calling on the White House to disclose what the government knows about UFOs.
Research physicist Dr Eric Davis said during Thursday's hearing that the US government has been operating a secret program that recovers crashed UFOs since the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.
Dr Davis worked as a subcontractor and then a consultant for the Pentagon UFO program since 2007.
According to him, the secret program originated after the discovery of a crashed UFO in 1944.
Since then, Davis claimed much of the technology recovered from these wrecks over the years has been secretly moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
All of this activity, Davis said, was being done without congressional oversight or approval, with project code names regularly changing every few years to cover up the Defense Department's actions.
He previously said that examination of some materials recovered by the program failed to determine their source and led him to conclude, 'we couldn't make it ourselves.'
A retired US Navy admiral slammed an alleged 'disinformation' campaign by the US intelligence community which he claimed was covering up military sightings of UFOs.
Tim Gallaudet, a retired Navy Rear Admiral, spoke at Thursday's hearing, claiming that the Navy 'has a trove' of data on UFO sightings from pilots and other personnel who have spotted UAPs while on duty - much of which has not been officially released.
Admiral Gallaudet publicly called on the White House to reveal this information and noted that he had just received reports from members of the Navy who had been involved in recent UFO sightings.
He also compared the urgency needed on this topic to the current climate change emergency researchers are well funded to study in depth.
During the hearing, Loeb referenced fragments of metal that he and his colleagues recovered from the Pacific Ocean in 2023.
The remnants came from a meteor-like object that originated from 'interstellar space' and crashed off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014. Loeb has not ruled out the possibility that this object could have been an alien craft, or part of one.
'This is a historic discovery because it represents the first time that humans put their hand on materials from a large object that arrived to Earth from outside the solar system, he said at the time.
Loeb is working to raise funds for another expedition to the location where these fragments were recovered to look for more physical evidence of alien technology.
Avi Loeb told Thursday's congressional hearing that 'there are objects in the sky that we don't understand' while explaining the need for increased funding for UFO detection.
Loeb said that at least one billion dollars needs to be committed to improving America's efforts to track and monitor the movements of UFOs and UAPs.
The Harvard astrophysicist added that he was upset with the lack of data available currently in terms of tracking objects flying over our skies.
Loeb went to discuss the possibility of alien civilizations that could have developed long before humans developed into a modern society.
Days before Thursday' hearing, the whistleblower behind a stunning report submitted to Congress - exposing what he claims is a secret Pentagon program tracking unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) - revealed his identity and says he fears for his future after speaking out.
Matthew Brown, a former US national security official, publicly identified himself as the whistleblower on an episode of WEAPONIZED - a podcast released Tuesday that is hosted by investigative journalists and UFO experts Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp.
Brown is the author of the Immaculate Constellation Field Report, a document entered into the Congressional Record earlier this year that alleges the Executive Branch has been secretly managing UAP programs for decades - without congressional oversight.
One of today's main speakers is Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American astrophysicist at Harvard University.
For years, Loeb has been a prominent advocate for more scientific investigation UAP sightings, hypothesizing that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth, and that we may have recovered physical evidence of their technologies.
During the hearing, he plans to give a presentation advocating for more funding for UAP research and urging the US government to share 'any data or materials concerning what lies outside the solar system.'
Months before Thursday's briefing, Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence official turned UFO whistleblower told Congress that there was proof of alien life being kept from the public.
During his testimony back on November 14, 2024, he blasted the US intelligence community for 'excessive secrecy' of UAP reports that had lasted decades, adding that it was 'all to hide the fact that we are not alone in the cosmos.'
Elizondo resigned from his position, running the Pentagon's program to investigate UFO sightings to 10 years, and went public with what he knew in October 2017.
On Thursday, Elizondo is serving as the moderator for this new hearing on UFOs.
Just started about 30 minutes ago. Being streamed live.
“The UAP Disclosure Fund (UAPDF), in collaboration with the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, is hosting a pivotal congressional briefing titled “Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation.” The session will take place at 11:30am ET on May 1, 2025, in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2247 (time and location subject to change). The open, livestreamed event will feature Members of Congress and leading experts who will offer a science‑driven perspective on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), formerly known as unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Discussions will examine the implications of UAP for science, national security, and innovation. In an era marked by rapid advancements in aerospace, energy, and artificial intelligence, the significance of UAP has transitioned from fringe curiosity to a matter of central importance. This nonpartisan briefing will convene esteemed figures from the realms of science, defense, and technology to discuss the multifaceted aspects of UAP.”
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Elway Explore the Psychic Toll of Warfare in Video for New Single “Laugh Track”
The Fort Collins punks share the first track from their seventh album Nobody's Going to Heaven just in time for May Day.
Words:
Mischa Pearlman
Photo: Tom May
May 01, 2025
Photo by Michael Muller. Image design by Gene Bresler at Catch Light Digital. Cobver design by Jerome Curchod.
Phoebe Bridgers makeup: Jenna Nelson (using Smashbox Cosmetics)
Phoebe Bridgers hair: Lauren Palmer-Smith
MUNA hair/makeup: Caitlin Wronski
With 232 pages and an expanded 12″ by 12″ format, our biggest print issue yet celebrates the people, places, music, and art of our hometown, including cover features on David Lynch, Nipsey Hussle, Syd, and Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records, plus Brian Wilson, Cuco, Ty Segall, Lord Huron, Remi Wolf, The Doors, the art of RISK, Taz, Estevan Oriol, Kii Arens, and Edward Colver, and so much more.
Channeling Ziggy Stardust's glam transcendence, Will Toledo resurrects the album as a grandiose narrative vehicle while marking his valiant stride into the rock canon.
The Erasure frontman works out something open and anthemic on his latest solo album, with producer Dave Audé adding subtler shades to his post-house pop mix.
The Swedish post-punks' fourth album combines half-assed humor with half-assed performances, filling in the void left by guitar-centric punk with demented synth tinkering.
On March 19, 2003, the USA—with the UK very much in tow—invaded Iraq. It's that day and singular event which is the setting of this new song by Elway. Over the course of just over three minutes, the Fort Collins, Colorado punks combine the very personal with the very political, navigating the memory of that day and declaration with the knowledge of what's followed in the 20-plus years since. Set to a video montage of presidents and political figures both pre- and post-Bush, both Democrat and Republican, as well as news footage of significant worldwide events, “Laugh Track”—the first single to be taken from Elway's forthcoming seventh album—explores the long-lasting ramifications of that day's events, as well as American imperialism in general.
As political as it is, it's also a beautiful song—melodic, sincere, and poignant in equal measure—that finds itself at odds with the world in which it exists. Of course, as the song and its video both highlight, that world is the natural consequence and legacy of a country that's been engaged in war for 231 of its 248 years of existence. “The psychic toll of war is congenital,” explains frontman Tim Browne. “It is passed like a mutation through the generations in America. This song is about how I came to learn how endemic war is in our culture and it proposes, if not insists, for this utter madness to end with us.”
It's no coincidence that this digitally released single—backed with an acoustic version of fan favorite “Better Whenever,” because Red Scare label owner Tobias Jeg doesn't like the idea of releasing lone tracks—is premiering here on May Day, given the label's (tongue-in-cheek) name and political leanings. “‘Laugh Track' is the first single from Elway's upcoming Nobody's Going to Heaven LP,” says Jeg, “and even though these soy boys are really frustrated with the current timeline, the new songs are secretly triumphant and affirmative.”
A perfect reminder of that most important and (sadly still relevant) political adage: No war but class war. Happy May Day! Watch the video exclusively below before the song is officially released on May 2 (pre-save here). The band will also be on tour later this month and will also be performing at this year's The Fest. Find all their upcoming tour dates here.
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MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Take a spooky tour of the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse with Yooper Paranormal to raise funds for the Marquette Maritime Museum.
The tours will happen once a month during the Summer 2025 season.
The first paranormal tour will be on May 23. Tickets for the paranormal tours will be on sale May 13.
To get your tickets ahead of time call (906) 226-2006.
Copyright 2025 WLUC. All rights reserved.
By Philip Ball2025-05-01T13:35:00+01:00
But a microbial source of the signal from planet K2-18b would have interesting implications for evolution
Source: © NASA/ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser/STScI/Science Photo Library
Recent reports claim that dimethyl sulfide detected on planet K2-18b indicates the presence of alilen life
Belief in alien life, having been forever devoid of any empirical basis pro or con, has been free to enjoy cycles of fashion. When both traditional astronomy and Christian theology placed the Earth at the centre of the cosmos, few imagined the stars and planets as anything other than the unchanging celestial backdrop to life in this vale of tears. But ‘A Man that is of Copernicus's Opinion', in the evaluation of Christiaan Huygens in the late 17th century, ‘cannot but sometimes have a fancy that it's not improbable that the rest of the Planets have… their Inhabitants too'.
Huygens' casual acceptance of extraterrestrial life remained the norm at least until HG Wells warned of its hazards, and even in 1952 the Astronomer Royal Harold Spencer Jones was happy to tell us that ‘it is almost certain that there is some form of vegetation on Mars.'
When the Viking lander missions of the 1970s revealed a sterile Martian landscape, scientific opinion reverted to the notion that we are a lone oasis of life in the solar system and possibly in the wider cosmos. Some still consider the origin of life on Earth to have been an extremely rare and improbable event on potentially habitable worlds. But probably a more common view, now that we know how abundant extrasolar and even somewhat Earthlike planets are, is that life of some kind might be fairly widespread in the universe, but that intelligent life – the sort that we purport to be – could be very rare.
One argument for that view came from cosmologist Brandon Carter, who in 1983 pointed out a peculiar coincidence whereby the timescale for humans to evolve – around 4.6 billion years – is of the same order of magnitude as the span over which our planet will be habitable at all: in around 5 billion years' time the Earth will be fried by the ageing, swollen Sun before it wanes into a white dwarf.1 Carter inferred that it would normally take much longer for intelligent life to appear on a planet like ours, and that we are the result of one or two rare and improbable events required for such evolution: ‘hard steps' that usually preclude advanced, intelligent life but which will happen here and there throughout the cosmos. In this view, we're either alone or nearly so.
Carter's hard-steps model has recently been challenged by a team who argue that the late arrival of humans need not imply our improbability, but might rather reflect the fact that the environmental conditions needed for big, complex life forms like us – not least, an oxygen-rich atmosphere to support our energy-hungry cells – can't evolve quickly from the inhospitable setting of the Hadean (Earth's oldest geologic eon).2
All this context adds intrigue to the recent claim by a team of astronomers at the University of Cambridge, UK, to have detected a potential ‘biosignature' – a compound that, on Earth, has only a biogenic natural source – on an extrasolar planet called K2-18b, 2.6 times the diameter of Earth and orbiting a red-dwarf star 124 light years away.3 They report the spectral signature of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in K2-18b's atmosphere, based on measurements by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The team made the same claim more tentatively two years ago from data collected by a different JWST instrument.4
The most credulous (or most sensationalist) media sources reported this claim as a likely (‘99.7% certainty') detection of alien life. Many experts were more sceptical. For one thing, the DMS detection itself may not be as convincing as the authors claim. They said there is only a 0.3% chance of the signal being mere noise, but others have questioned that number.
On Earth, DMS in the atmosphere is produced by marine plankton, and the Cambridge team says the compound has been considered a ‘robust biosignature' for planets like K2-18b, which is thought to have an ocean beneath an atmosphere rich in hydrogen. But an abiotic source of DMS has been reported from photochemical reactions involving hydrogen sulfide and methane.5 Some planetary scientists argue that it seems unlikely any putative biosignature gas in a planetary atmosphere can be considered compelling evidence for life, given how little we know about the geological conditions of any extrasolar planet.
All the same, it's interesting to contemplate what a world with DMS-generating microbes might imply. On Earth, these are relatively recent: the metabolic pathway leading to DMS is thought to have appeared only around 250 million years ago.6 So it's a fairly sophisticated bit of biochemistry. Such life might then be supposed already to have completed some of Carter's hard steps – in which case they wouldn't look so hard after all.
1 B Carter, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 1983, 310, 347 (DOI: 10.1098/rsta.1983.0096)
2 DB Mills et al, Sci. Adv., 2025, 11, eads5698 (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ads5698)
3 N Madhusudhan et al, Astrophys. J., 2025, 983, L40 (DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/adc1c8)
4 N Madhusudhan et al, Astrophys. J., 2023, 956, L13 (DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/acf577)
5 NW Reed et al., Astrophys. J. Lett., 2024, 973, L38 (DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad74da)
6 HA Bullock, H Luo and WB Whitman, Front. Microbiol. 2017, 8, 637 (DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00637)
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2025-04-25T08:35:00Z
By Alice Motion
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