This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. EXCLUSIVE – FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that the case involving two Chinese nationals who were charged Tuesday with allegedly smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. to study at the University of Michigan laboratory demonstrates a serious national security threat to America's food supply. "This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," Patel told Fox in a statement. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage." University of Michigan research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – both citizens of the People's Republic of China – have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday. The couple are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a "potential agroterrorism weapon," according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors note the noxious fungus causes "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year." Two Chinese nationals were charged with conspiracy and smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. for their work at a University of Michigan laboratory. The Justice Department also says fusarium graminearum's toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock." According to the criminal complaint, Jian, 33, allegedly received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China. Federal prosecutors say Jian's electronics contain information "describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party." Liu, 34, allegedly works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors say "he first lied" but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The FBI arrested Jian in connection with the allegations, and she was scheduled to make her first federal court appearance in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Justice Department. It's unclear whether Liu has been taken into custody. "The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon' into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme." CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu "are indicative of CBP's critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States." "This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners," Raybon said. "I'm grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America's national security interests." Jian is still listed as a post-doctoral research fellow on the University of Michigan website as of Tuesday afternoon. Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan for comment on Tuesday but did not immediately hear back. Anti-Israel demonstrators gather for a mock trial against the University of Michigan's Board of Regents on the university's campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 21, 2025. The charges were announced at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on what they categorize as anti-American radicals at U.S. universities, particularly foreign students engaged in antisemitic or anti-Israel protests on campus. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced he would be "aggressively" revoking the student visas for Chinese nationals, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." Related to Harvard University in particular, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused what is perhaps America's most prestigious university of potentially having "collaborated with the CCP and other foreign adversaries." Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman is being held on a $10 million, cash-only bond, prosecutors said. Several people were injured and some may have been set on fire at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, police said. Police said a man was taken into custody in an attack that the FBI immediately described as an act of terror. Boulder police said there were “several victims” in the attack. Witnesses recounted the dramatic scenes after eight people, calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, were injured at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colorado, by a man who police say used a makeshift flamethrower and hurled an incendiary device into a crowd. The FBI says the suspect in an attack in Boulder, Colorado that injured six yelled “Free Palestine” and used a makeshift flamethrower. Law enforcement officials investigate after an attack on the Pearl Street Mall Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Law enforcement officials investigate after an attack on the Pearl Street Mall Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Law enforcement officials dress to investigate after an attack on the Peark Street Mall Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The man charged for injuring a dozen people in Boulder, Colorado in an attack on a group demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza went disguised as a gardener and told police his initial plan was to kill them all. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces hate crime charges in federal court and attempted murder and other charges in state court. Soliman — whose first name also was spelled Mohammed in some court documents — had 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two during Sunday's attack in which he yelled “Free Palestine,” police said. He didn't carry out his full plan “because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,” police wrote in an affidavit. The two incendiary devices he did throw into the group of about 20 people were enough to injure more than half of them, and authorities said he expressed no regrets about the attack. Soliman was being held Tuesday on a $10 million, cash-only bond, according to prosecutors. He's due back in a Boulder County courtroom Thursday. More charges are possible in federal court, where the Justice Department will seek a grand jury indictment. She declined to comment after Monday's hearing where he officially was charged. Soliman was born in Egypt and he moved three years ago to Colorado Springs, where he lived with his wife and five children, according to state court documents. Immigration agents on Tuesday were taking Soliman's wife and five children into custody, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a post on X. Sunday's attack at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder had been planned for more than a year and specifically targeted what Soliman described as a “Zionist group,” authorities said in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime. That charge carries a sentence of life in prison when it includes attempted murder. It was a deliberate hate crime against the Jewish community that was planned for months,” Sen. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday on Senate floor in the U.S. Capitol referring to Boulder attack. “The scope of that hatred is unconscionable,” continued Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat. “These were men and women who dedicated their time to advocating for innocent hostages, who have been now held in captivity for over 600 days.” The events have been staged globally since 2023 and call for Hamas to release Israeli hostages. The weekly demonstration Sunday was wrapping up when the crowd was attacked with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails, authorities said. Three people remained hospitalized Tuesday at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, spokesperson Kelli Christensen said. U.S. supporters of the Israeli hostages say they're scared but have vowed to keep demonstrating.

The US trade war with China has a major sticking point: rare earths minerals. Last month, President Donald Trump said the United States needed Greenland “very badly,” renewing his threat to annex the Danish territory. Trump also signed a “rare earth deal” with Ukraine. China for years has built up near-total control of the materials as part of its wider industrial policy. Here's what you need to know about rare earths. Rare earths are ubiquitous in the technologies we rely on every day, from smartphones to wind turbines to LED lights and flat-screen TVs. Rare earths are also essential for the US military. They're used in F-35 fighter jets, submarines, lasers, satellites, Tomahawk missiles and more, according to a 2025 research note from CSIS. There's two types of rare earths, categorized by their atomic weights: heavy and light. “Until the start of the year, whatever heavy rare earths we did mine in California, we still sent to China for separation,” Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN. However, the Trump administration's announcement of sky-high tariffs on China in April derailed this process. The US has one operational rare earth mine in California, according to Baskaran. On Friday, Trump said on Truth Social that China violated a trade truce put in place last month. Beijing has kept its export controls on seven rare earth minerals and associated products, which were seen as a response to Trump's “reciprocal tariffs” on Chinese goods announced in April. After agreeing on the truce in Geneva, US officials had expected China to ease export restrictions on those minerals. The export controls could have a major impact, since the US is heavily reliant on China for rare earths. Between 2020 and 2023, 70% of US imports of rare earth compounds and metals came from the country, according to a US Geological Survey report. On Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the administration is actively monitoring China's compliance with the Geneva trade agreement” and that US officials “continue to be engaged in correspondence with their Chinese counterparts.” Beyond China, rare earths are also featured in US foreign policy objectives with Ukraine, Greenland and Saudi Arabia. “Ukraine is a very, very nascent mining industry, and even though it was a part of the conversation, we don't actually have a mapping of what's economically viable,” Baskaran said. CNN's Nectar Gan and John Liu contributed to this report. Most stock quote data provided by BATS. US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates. Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt joins 'America Reports' to discuss the hate crime charges against the Colorado terror suspect as new details are released and the Republican holdouts on President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' The family of the Boulder, Colorado firebombing suspect is in federal custody, sources confirm to Fox News. According to senior sources within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the wife and five children of 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman were taken into custody. "Mohamed's despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we're also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in an X video post on Tuesday afternoon. "If they had any knowledge of it or if they provided any support to it." The family is being processed for expedited removal, sources said. Soliman, 45, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, crimes against at-risk adults/elderly, assault, criminal attempt to commit class one and class two felonies and use of explosives or incendiary devices during a felony. Soliman is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa after entering the U.S. during the Biden administration, three DHS and ICE sources told Fox News. Soliman first arrived in the U.S. after landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 27, 2022, with a non-immigrant visa. He was authorized to stay through Feb. 2, 2023, but never left. Victims and witnesses observed Soliman throw what appeared to be a glass bottle, which burst upon impact, creating large flames, towards a crowd of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder on Sunday, June 1, authorities said. Twelve individuals were injured in the attack. Video stills of a man later identified as Mohamed Soliman allegedly throwing an incendiary device into a group of pro-Israel supporters (off camera) in Boulder, Colorado, Sunday, June 1, 2025. Now facing a litany of charges – including multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and possession of incendiary devices – Soliman is being held on a $10 million bond. Judicial District Attorney Michael Dougherty outlined the severe potential penalties facing Soliman if convicted on all charges related to the June 1 attack. If convicted and the sentences are ordered to run consecutively, he could face a maximum of 384 years in state prison for those charges alone. In addition, Soliman is charged with two counts of use of an incendiary device, which could add up to 48 years if served consecutively. He also faces 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device, carrying a potential additional 192 years. In total, the maximum possible sentence could reach 624 years if all convictions are handed down and run consecutively. Along with charges on the state level, he has also been federally charged with a hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion or national origin. His next court appearance, for filing charges, will be Thursday, June 5 at 3:30 p.m. MT. Since joining in 2021, she's covered high-stakes criminal justice—from the Menendez brothers' resentencing, where Judge Jesic slashed their life-without-parole terms to 50-years-to-life (making them parole-eligible), to the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump's life and shifting immigration enforcement, including her reporting on South Florida's illegal-immigration crisis, covering unprecedented migrant crossings from the Bahamas and ensuing enforcement operations. Beyond those beats, she reports on crime, politics, business, lifestyle, world news, and more—delivering both breaking updates and in-depth analysis across Fox News Digital. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This image provided by the Department of Homeland Security shows a handwritten letter that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed an immigrant threatened the life of President Donald Trump. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem meets with service members in Tel Aviv, Monday, May 26, 2025. Cain Oulahan, Ramon Morales Reyes' immigration attorney addresses the media Friday, May 30, 2025 in Milwaukee about the detention of his client Ramon Morales Reyes. MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin man is facing charges accusing him of forging a letter threatening President Donald Trump's life in an effort to get another man who could testify against him in a criminal case deported. Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint filed Monday that Demetric D. Scott was behind a letter sent to state and federal officials with the return address and name of Ramón Morales Reyes. Scott was charged Monday with felony witness intimidation, identity theft and two counts of bail jumping. Scott's attorney, listed in online court records as public defender Alexander Kostal, declined comment when reached by phone Tuesday, referring questions to the state public defender's headquarters in Madison. The office's legislative liaison, Steve Knudson, declined comment when reached by phone. Immigration agents arrested Morales Reyes, 54, on May 21 after he dropped his child off at school in Milwaukee. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the arrest, saying he had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would “self-deport” to Mexico. But the claim started to unravel as investigators talked to Morales Reyes, who doesn't speak English fluently, and obtained a handwriting sample from him that was different from the handwriting in the letters, according to court documents. Morales Reyes is listed as a victim in the case involving Scott, who is awaiting trial in Milwaukee County Jail on armed robbery and aggravated battery charges. was taken to a hospital and treated for what the documents called “a small laceration” that did not require stitches. Police arrested Scott a few hours after the alleged robbery. Scott's attorney in the robbery case, Robert Hampton III, didn't return an email seeking comment. Law enforcement officers listened to several calls Scott made from the jail in which he talked about letters that needed to be mailed and a plan to get someone picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement so Scott's trial could get dismissed, according to the criminal complaint. Morales Reyes works as a dishwasher in Milwaukee, where he lives with his wife and three children. He had recently applied for a U visa, which is for people in the country illegally who become victims of serious crimes, said attorney Kime Abduli, who filed that application. Abduli told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday that she was glad Morales Reyes was being cleared of any involvement in the letter writing. His deportation defense lawyer, Cain Oulahan, confirmed Tuesday that Morales Reyes is from Mexico. Oulahan wrote in an email Monday night that the main focus now is to secure Morales Reyes' release from custody and the next step will be to pursue any relief he may qualify for in immigration court. “While he has a U visa pending, those are unfortunately backlogged for years, so we will be looking at other options to keep him here with his family, which includes his three US citizen children,” Oulahan wrote.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. One of two suspects charged in Jocelyn Nungaray's murder is now accused of raping an American woman in Costa Rica, according to former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants who may have ties to the Tren de Aragua gang — Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21 — are charged in the 12-year-old's June 2024 murder. They allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled the pre-teen to death, leaving her body tied up in a bayou in Houston. Ogg told FOX 26 Houston last week that she learned over the course of her investigation as DA, before her successor Sean Teare took office last year, that Pena Ramos had been involved in a prior sexual assault in Costa Rica involving an American woman who was apparently on vacation at the time. It happened to an American citizen who came forward with that information after their pictures were shown on national television," Ogg told the outlet. "When she reported it to the authorities in Costa Rica, they did nothing. I don't want that to be swept under the carpet." Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. "The courage of any crime victim to come forward like that is remarkable to me and that played a major role in determining whether the death penalty is appropriate," Ogg told FOX 26. Ogg, who was seeking the death penalty for both suspects while in office, added that "authorities had no idea of their past behavior," such as charges in other countries, which "makes it hard to determine if someone is going to be a future danger." The former district attorney said she came forward with the information to FOX 26 now because she is "very concerned about the decisions" that Teare "has been making," referencing multiple cases that have been dismissed recently. "Do they deserve death for the rape and murder of Jocelyn? Or should they spend their life in the penitentiary? What I don't want is some backdoor deal done in the quiet of the night and a long time after people have forgotten the horror of this case. I just want people to remember Jocelyn, and I want them to hear and make a decision about the evidence." Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said the immigration system is broken as her officer works to prosecute two illegal immigrants charged with killing a 12-year-old Houston girl. Alexis Nungaray, Jocelyn's mother, has since become an advocate for victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants. Nungaray said Jocelyn "was very quirky" and "an old soul." U.S. Republican Presidential Candidate and former President Donald Trump comforts Alexis Nungaray, mother of Jocelyn Nunagaray who was killed by undocumented migrants, at the U.S.-Mexico border fence on August 22, 2024 south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. Nungaray also said she is grateful to President Donald Trump for both his support and for "keeping his promises" regarding immigration enforcement. "I support immigration, but I say there's just a right way and a wrong way to do it," she explained. "We've still got a long way to go," she went on. Because I know 1 million percent, Jocelyn's death should have been preventable." Pena Ramos illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, in May 2024, sources with the Department of Homeland Security previously confirmed to Fox News. He was caught by Border Patrol agents and was released into the U.S. with a Notice to Appear in court. Rangel Martinez also crossed illegally into El Paso in March and was caught by Border Patrol. He was released into the U.S. on an unknown basis. Jocelyn had been at a convenience store and was talking to her 13-year-old boyfriend on the phone after sneaking out of her family's apartment. The boyfriend told investigators that he could hear Nungaray talking with two people. Fox News' Peter Pinedo contributed to this report. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane breaks down Ukraine's largest attack on Russia since the beginning of the war. After Ukraine launched a sudden drone assault on Russian installations, it brought new attention to the U.S.' own vulnerabilities, regardless of which side the U.S. stood on Kyiv's attack. In recent years, Chinese Communist Party-linked entities have commercially targeted land around the U.S., including in the vicinity of sensitive installations like the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The Fufeng Group's 300-acre farmland purchase in 2021 first raised the collective antennae of Congress to such under-the-radar transactions – and even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis swiftly banned them in his state as a result, among other efforts around the country. On Tuesday, North Dakota's senators agreed that the U.S. must remain vigilant for any malign activity, whether it be from relatively novel drone assaults to potential espionage through real estate transactions. An explosion of a drone is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 24, 2025. "Our posture must always be vigilant, never assuming foreign actors are benign or have the best intentions," he said. "Whether it's directly spying, indirectly influencing, or sending drones to blow up aircraft, the ability of the enemy increases when we allow them easy access near our national interests." Cramer's Flickertail State counterpart, Sen. John Hoeven, joined an effort to prevent such land-buys and has worked with federal partners to update the process in which foreign investment is analyzed for approval and decided upon. "We need to remain vigilant against China and other adversaries," said Hoeven, who is co-sponsoring South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds' bill banning individuals and entities controlled by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing farmland or commercial land near sensitive federal sites. "At the same time, we're working to update the CFIUS process [which governs federal approval of foreign investments] to ensure proper reviews are taking place as well," Hoeven said. "We also are working to develop the technology we need to protect our domestic military bases from potential drone threats." Rounds' bill also has bipartisan support, including from Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., whose state also hosts sensitive government sites like Nellis Air Force Base and Area 51. "It is common sense that we should not allow our foreign adversaries to buy agricultural land next to these locations," Masto said in a statement. Rounds added in a statement that America's "near-peer adversaries… are looking for any possible opportunity to surveil our nation's capabilities and resources." Even private-sector entities have expressed concern, including the South Dakota Soybean Association, which said farmland must be protected from foreign purchase for both agricultural and national security purposes. Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration. Over the past year and a half, I've kept finding myself in unexpected conversations about Diddy. Cab drivers, deli cooks, and far-flung uncles have all wanted to chat about the 55-year-old rapper who's now on trial for charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. There is, certainly, plenty to talk about: Federal prosecutors allege that the media mogul liked to throw baby-oil-slicked orgies—called “freak-offs”—where abuse and exploitation regularly occurred. Some of the people I've spoken with had theories about Justin Bieber, citing rumors suggesting that the singer—a teenage protégé of Diddy's—had been preyed upon (“Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims,” Bieber's representative said in a statement last month). Most of them agreed that Diddy was comparable to Jeffrey Epstein in that he was probably at the hub of a celebrity sex-crime ring. Since the trial began a few weeks ago, it's become clear what these conversations were: distractions from the bleak, all-too-ordinary issues that this case is really about. In January, social-media users wondered if the fires that swept through glitzy L.A. neighborhoods were meant to destroy evidence pointing to the participation of other celebrities. On Amazon last year, sales spiked for a salacious memoir purportedly written by the rapper's late girlfriend, Kimberly Porter, and published by a self-described investigative journalist using the pseudonym Jamal T. Millwood—the latter being the supposed alias that Tupac used after he, according to legend, faked his death. (Amazon pulled the book from its offerings after Porter's family lambasted it as a forgery.) One viral fake news story, based on no evidence at all, said that Will Smith had sold one of his children into Combs's servitude. On Truth Social last fall, Donald Trump himself shared a meme featuring a fabricated image of Kamala Harris and Diddy, with text reading, “Madam vice president, have you ever been involved with or engaged in one of Puff Daddies freak offs?” A former bodyguard of Combs's gave an interview for a TMZ documentary saying that politicians, princes, and preachers were mixed up in the rapper's debauchery. The conservative influencer Charlie Kirk devoted a portion of one webcast to wondering, “Maybe P. Diddy has footage of Barack Obama doing something he shouldn't have been doing?” Piers Morgan hosted a singer, Jaguar Wright, who insinuated that Jay-Z and Beyoncé had committed crimes much like the ones Diddy is charged with. After those stars issued a vigorous denial and threatened to sue, Morgan apologized and edited any mention of them out of the interview online—and then, in February, retired General Michael Flynn presented Wright with a “Defender of Freedom Award” at Mar-a-Lago. A few actual facts underlay all of this QAnon-esque speculation. Attendees often joked publicly about how rowdy the festivities could get. Still, the speed and sheer giddiness with which conspiracist thinking eclipsed the known details of Combs's case confirmed a few bleak realities about the psyche of a country in which economic inequality and sexual abuse are both stubbornly endemic. A whole class of politicians, commentators, and media platforms exist to exploit the resentments that everyday people hold toward the rich and famous. The trial itself, which began in Manhattan on May 12, has not yet revealed a network of super-famous evildoers. Although the testimony has surfaced vivid and bizarre details about the rarefied lives of celebrities, it's also told an intimate, human, oddly familiar story about how power can warp relationships in all sorts of ways. Combs's downfall in the public eye began in November 2023, when an ex-girlfriend, the singer Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit alleging that he had raped and physically abused her. Although the federal trial against Combs is expected to last at least eight weeks and feature dozens of witnesses, Diddy and Ventura's relationship has been central to the testimony. Ventura, now 38, was a 19-year-old aspiring R&B singer when she met Combs around 2005. He'd heard her first-ever single, “Me & U”; it would become a hit, but Diddy promised that he could guide her to a career of lasting success. It is still her only album to ever come out. The singer said she'd initially rejected the rapper's advances but that she'd felt pressured to do what he wanted because her career was largely in his hands. The video is a small and terrible glimpse into their relationship. Diddy is in a towel and clearly furious; Ventura, starkly alone, makes no effort to defend herself. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable,” Combs said in a filmed mea culpa last year; during the trial, his lawyers have acknowledged that he was violent toward her. One former assistant, Capricorn Clark, reported seeing Combs repeatedly kick Ventura after learning that she'd been romantically involved with the rapper Kid Cudi. Another former assistant, George Kaplan, described a 2015 altercation between Combs and Ventura on Diddy's private jet. He heard the sound of breaking glass in a private area, where he then saw Combs standing and holding a whiskey glass over Ventura, who was on her back. The now-notorious freak-offs allegedly occurred against this backdrop of violence and intimidation. Combs's defense argues that Ventura willingly participated in these events. Other texts suggest a more complicated picture—in 2017, Ventura wrote, “I love our FOs when we both want it.” She and prosecutors assert that whenever she tried to resist Combs's commands, he would bring her to heel with physical violence and threats of blackmail and financial harm. Ventura's lawsuit alleged that when she tried to break up with him for good in 2018, he raped her in her home (an accusation that Diddy's defense has concertedly pushed back on during the trial). His employees have shared particularly disturbing stories: Clark said that Combs kidnapped her twice; a former assistant identified as Mia testified last week that the rapper repeatedly sexually assaulted her. (Diddy's lawyers dispute that the kidnappings ever happened and have questioned Mia's credibility.) Prosecutors are pursuing racketeering charges on the theory that Combs didn't act alone: For example, they say he may have had someone set Kid Cudi's car on fire (the defense denies Combs's involvement in that arson). In this way, Diddy's case is also a story about what happens when it's easier to take the check and not ask too many questions. It recalls the prosecutions of Harvey Weinstein, the movie producer who allegedly dangled job prospects to women interested in the film industry in exchange for sex (one of his convictions was overturned last year and is being retried now). It also evokes R. Kelly, the musician who wooed aspiring singers with promises of career help and then violently kept them—and other women—in sexual servitude (behavior for which he is currently serving 31 years in prison). When #MeToo erupted eight years ago, it forced many everyday Americans to reexamine experiences they'd had in their workplaces and homes. The movement has, by many indications, petered out or even curdled into backlash: Yesterday, one of Diddy's lawyers asked Mia whether she was looking for a “Me Too money grab,” which suggests he thinks the very words Me Too might be tinged for some jury members. Since I started paying attention to the case, my YouTube algorithm has become polluted by videos with AI-generated courtroom sketches of stars such as Will Smith and Jay-Z, paired with totally imaginary testimony about their involvement in Combs's crimes. The videos are yet another sign that our society is losing any shared sense of reality. They do, however, have disclaimers stipulating that they are fiction, which raises the question: Why is this the story someone wants to hear? Perhaps because tales of demonic Hollywood cabals offer a simple, clear-cut narrative that doesn't ask us to reflect on how domestic violence and sexual coercion really get perpetuated—and perhaps because that narrative benefits certain agendas. Last month, I tuned in to Asmongold, a popular Twitch streamer who interprets the daily news for a large audience of young, often aggrieved men. Then he said, “I don't care about this case at all—until Diddy starts naming names.”

President Donald Trump caught allies by surprise when he announced his decision over the weekend to withdraw billionaire commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman as his nominee for the next NASA administrator. The Senate had been scheduled to vote on Isaacman's confirmation this week, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in April. But White House officials argue that Isaacman's past support for Democrats essentially tied the president's hands. “It's essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump's America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon.” Furthermore, White House officials cited Isaacman's ownership of a Russian MiG-29 fighter jet, potentially the only one privately owned in America, and his being a registered Democrat in Pennsylvania as justifications to withdraw his nomination. Trump didn't specifically mention Isaacman's past donations while announcing his decision Saturday night. “After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA, I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space,” he wrote on Truth Social. Trump originally announced his plans to nominate Isaacman, buoyed by Musk's support, before entering office back in December of 2024. Musk stepped down from his role as a special government employee on Friday, but not after running into conflict with Trump Cabinet officials regarding the slash-and-burn cuts to the federal workforce advocated by the Department of Government Efficiency. “This was just a power play — the real people who are actually in charge of the White House letting Elon know, ‘we're running things,'” that person said. White House officials vehemently denied that Musk's departure, and any conflict he had encountered with Trump's Cabinet, had factored into the president's decision on Isaacman. Both Senate GOP aides and aeronautical insiders floated retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast as the heir apparent to Isaacman. Kwast has also said that space will emerge as a critical battlefield in future conflicts with China and has raised alarm bells about Beijing's plans to further develop “global reach” aircraft. “China's plans to mature these hypersonic technologies is hardly a surprise. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, himself a longtime proponent of American space dominance, told the Washington Examiner that he had not spoken to the president about his next choice to lead NASA but gave Kwast a full endorsement to fulfill that role if called upon.

Bulgaria is close to realizing its decades-old goal of joining the euro currency union and deepening ties with the more prosperous countries of Western Europe. A man passes by graffiti sign reading ‘No to Euro' in Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, June 2, 2025. Street traffic is mirrored next to a damged sign of the EU Parliament and Commission in Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, June 2, 2025. Red paint from pro-Russian protests remain visible on the European Parliament and European Commission building in Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, June 2, 2025. A protester shouts anti-euro slogans in front of signs reading ‘Preserve Bulgarian Lev!' during an anti-Euro protest in Sofia, Bulgaria, Saturday 31, May 2025. SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria is close to realizing its decades-old goal of joining the euro currency union and deepening ties with the more prosperous countries of Western Europe. Fears of inflation, poverty and the unknown are mingling with disinformation spread on social media that aims to turn people against the euro. The discontent tracks with increased support for populist and anti-EU parties across Europe, which is exploited by nationalist and pro-Russian politicians in a country that remains one of Europe's poorest and most afflicted with corruption. After all, prices will be in euros,” said 78-year-old retiree Tanya Ignatova. “Bulgaria is not ready for the euro. Someday we may be ready, but not now,” said another retiree, Mario Georgiev. Others in Bulgaria say the country already benefits from EU membership and it does not matter what the currency is. Aiming at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions, the government is pressing ahead. It has asked for a review of whether it meets the requirements of low inflation, sound government finances and legal conformity to EU institutions. If the commission gives a green light, other member states will decide on Bulgaria's candidacy in the coming weeks. President Rumen Radev has encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. That followed a protest in February that saw the offices of the EU's executive commission in Sofia spattered with red paint and its entrance set on fire. The president's proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Russia with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption. It has been plagued by political instability and corruption that have fueled euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Analysts say disinformation campaigns from abroad have fed fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. One claim says the EU plans to take away people's savings if they fail to spend them within a certain period. Another claims that plans to introduce a digital version of the euro are part of a plan to control everyone. “There is a powerful brainwashing of the average Bulgarian. Illusory fears are being spread, lies are being told wholesale, unscrupulously and brazenly,” said Ognyan Minchev, director of the Institute for Regional and International Studies in Sofia. Economists say joining the euro will not bring massive change to Bulgaria's economy in the short run. Joining the euro can bring lower borrowing costs, greater ease in comparing domestic and foreign prices and no need to exchange money when vacationing in another euro country. More than that, it's a sign of integration into the EU and its large economy. Members get a seat on the European Central Bank's interest rate-setting committee. Croatia was the last to join in 2023. That's a sharp contrast to its neighbor, Greece, which entered the euro in 1999 with high debt that was concealed through complex financial transactions. Greece's broken finances eventually triggered a eurozone-wide crisis. Bulgaria's government has been “fiscally super conservative ... the risk of Bulgaria becoming a fiscal risk to the eurozone is essentially zero,” said Zsolt Darvas, senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels. Fears of inflation are not entirely without basis. Experience in other countries shows that “whenever there is a changeover from national currency to the euro, there is often a minor inflation effect, but it's typically less than 1%,” said Darvas

Medical staff with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and South Sudan Red Cross, move a weapon-wounded patient to an ambulance in Akobo, South Sudan, Saturday, May 24, 2025. Medical staff with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and South Sudan Red Cross carry a weapon-wounded patient in Akobo, South Sudan, Saturday, May 24, 2025. International Committee of the Red Cross doctors (ICRC), operates on a man wounded by an airstrike at a field hospital in Akobo, South Sudan, Friday, May 23, 2025. “Everything was on fire,” she said in an interview at the hospital in the border town of Akobo where she was being treated for her injuries. The bombing happened on May 3 at another hospital in the northern community of Fangak where she had traveled to be with her 25-year-old son while he sought treatment for tuberculosis. A series of strikes there, including several at the Doctors Without Borders facility, killed seven people. “I ran outside and started rubbing mud on myself to stop the burning,” Makuach said. Makuach, 60, is just one of the dozens of civilians who aid groups say have been killed or badly injured by airstrikes in recent weeks as South Sudan's army clashes with militia groups across the country. The army says it targets only combatants, and has not commented on civilian casualties. “The army displaced us and our families into the bush and that's when we decided we would fight back,” said Gatkuoth Wie, 24, who was wounded while fighting in northern Jonglei State. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to send to South Sudan a group of eight deportees from Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere who have been convicted in the U.S. of serious crimes, sparking a legal fight that has reached the Supreme Court. Others have been stranded for days by the fighting. Doctor Bjarte Andersen, a surgeon working with the ICRC, says that the fighting has made it difficult to transport patients that have been critically wounded. “We know of one person who has died waiting for transportation, but there are probably more,” he said. Most of the people brought to their facility are young men, several of whom told The Associated Press that they were engaged in fighting. In the past month, however, an increasing number of the victims have been women and a few children, according to hospital staff. One is Kuaynin Bol, 15, who was gravely injured by a blast as he lay asleep in his home. The government pinned responsibility for the attack on First Vice President Riek Machar, placing him under house arrest and detaining other members of his SPLM-IO party. It also brought in Ugandan forces to support a sweeping military offensive against opposition troops and community militias across the country. That offensive centered on Upper Nile State and allegedly involved use of improvised incendiary weapons that Human Rights Watch has said killed at least 58 people, including children. Isaac Pariel, a member of Machar's opposition party who is the local chairman in Fangak of the government's Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, said that at least 25 civilians have been killed this month. But the true toll is likely higher, as much of the fighting has taken place in remote areas that are inaccessible to medical workers. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify those figures. Army spokesman General Lul Ruai Koang told The Associated Press he was not authorized to comment on “ongoing military operations across the country.” The violence has been devastating for civilians already reeling from successive humanitarian crises. Much of the fighting has taken place in South Sudan's Greater Upper Nile region, a vast floodplain that in recent years has been ravaged by extreme weather, disease, and severe food insecurity. “They fear the plane will come and bomb them again.” Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Richardson made the comments during a briefing Monday morning, multiple sources told CNN. While some interpreted the remark as a joke, others said it raised concerns about the recently appointed acting administrator, who has no prior experience managing natural disasters. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN the comment was made in jest, adding, “FEMA is laser focused on disaster response, and protecting the American people.” It remains unclear whether Richardson's comment – joking or not – reflects a lack of knowledge before assuming his current role. Related article Exclusive: FEMA is ‘not ready' for hurricane season, internal agency review shows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appointed Richardson – a former Marine combat veteran and martial-arts instructor – in early May, firing President Donald Trump's first acting FEMA chief just hours after he broke from other Trump officials and told lawmakers he did not support eliminating FEMA. In an all-hands meeting on his first day at FEMA, Richardson told agency staff he will “run right over” anyone who tries to prevent him from carrying out the president's mission, CNN previously reported. Since then, the Department of Homeland Security has installed more than a half-dozen of its officials into key roles at FEMA to effectively run the agency. In Monday's meeting, Richardson announced that FEMA will not release an updated disaster plan for this hurricane season as previously promised, saying the agency does not want to get ahead of Trump's newly formed FEMA Review Council, sources said. Instead, FEMA will largely default back to its operating procedure from 2024, though the agency enters this hurricane season in turmoil, with a dramatically smaller workforce. In a memo issued last month that was obtained by CNN, Richardson officially rescinded FEMA's 2022-2026 strategic plan, saying it “contains goals and objectives that bear no connection to FEMA accomplishing its mission.”

In the wake of the terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) called for urgent action on gun control and a national reckoning with violent hatred and extremism. The man suspected of carrying out the firebomb attack during a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration has been charged with a federal hate crime and numerous state-level offenses, including multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder. He used the moment to press for long-standing Democratic priorities on gun policy reform. He pointed to the Boulder incident as part of a broader national trend. “We are still in the midst of a gun violence epidemic. So we need to be acting with due concern for human life. I mean, this is why, of course, we have been fighting for universal, violent criminal background checks. We are for a ban on military-style assault weapons in the country. You know, our lax gun laws are a danger to everybody in America.” “It's profoundly troubling to see all of these violent incidents taking place against the Jewish community,” Raskin responded.

Iranian nuclear negotiations appear to be losing momentum, with a senior Iranian official on the negotiating team telling Reuters that Tehran is poised to reject the latest U.S. offer. Trump vented his frustrations in a post on Truth Social, blaming former President Joe Biden's administration for the conundrum and contradicting reports that the U.S. would allow limited uranium enrichment. “The AUTOPEN should have stopped Iran a long time ago from ‘enriching.' Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” he wrote. He followed that post six minutes later with another about the U.S.'s military power: It allegedly contained details that contradict the public statements of Trump administration officials. Contrary to Trump and his administration's insistence, the deal allegedly allows limited low-level uranium enrichment within Iran. “President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb. Despite this, he has clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his push for military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel has readied a strike force to hit Iranian targets swiftly if talks fall through.