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Tens of thousands march against the Hungarian government for LGBT rights

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The Budapest crowd waving the rainbow flag and carried signs laughing at Prime Minister Victor Orban amid a new ban on Pride’s march.

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BUDAPEST, June 28 (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of protesters passed through the Hungarian capital on June 28, causing a ban on LGBTQ+ rights to swell into massive demonstrations against the government.

The crowd filled a square near Budapest city hall before departing through town. Some were waving the rainbow flag, while others were holding signs laughing at Prime Minister Victor Orban.

“This is far more than just homosexuality…. This is the last moment we stand up to our rights,” said Esther Lane Bodhi, one of the marchers.

“Not everyone is free until everyone is free,” one sign read.

A small group of far-right rebels attempted to confuse the parade, but the police alienate them and deflect the marching route to avoid a conflict.

Orban’s nationalist government has gradually reduced the rights of the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade, and its lawmakers passed a law in March that allowed the Pride March to ban pride marchs, citing the need to protect children.

Opponents are seeing the move as part of a broader crackdown on democratic freedom ahead of the national elections before Orban faced strong opposition challengers next year.

According to organizers, participants arrived from 30 countries, including 70 members of the European Parliament.

More than 30 embassies expressed their support in March, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to move the parade ahead.

70 Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparent International Hungary and the Hungary Helsinki Commission, issued an open letter on June 27th in support of the march.

“Legal Consequences”

“The right to assembly is a fundamental human right, and I don’t think it should be banned because someone doesn’t like the reason you go on the street, they don’t agree with it.

Budapest Mayor Gelgary Kalaksony tried to get around the law by organizing a march as a city event, but he said he didn’t need permission. However, police banned the event and claimed it falls within the scope of the Child Protection Act.

Orban is promoting a conservative Christian agenda, but provided some clues on what participants could expect when they warned about “legal consequences” about organising and attendance in March on June 27th.

Earlier this week, Justice Minister Bens Tazson warned in a letter sent to a foreign embassy in Budapest that organizing a prohibited event would result in a year being punished in prison while attending the count as a misdemeanor.

Laws that allow pride bans allow police to impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people attending.

When asked about the threat of a one-year sentence, Kalaksony said at a press conference on June 27 that such a sentence would only increase his popularity.

“But I can’t take it seriously,” he said.

Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for the Fair Political Analysis Think Tank, said that by making March an important topic of political discourse, Orban government was able to reclaim the initiative from its opposition and mobilize the voter base.

“For the past 15 years, Fides has decided what the topic controls the political world,” he said, adding that this has become even more difficult as Orban’s party faces challenges from the Tisa party of Peter Magyaru, the central opposition leader who has 15 points ahead of Orban’s Fides in recent polls.

Tisa, who has avoided gaining strong positions on the issue of gay rights, did not specify in response to a question of whether Reuters believes Pride marching is legal, but said attendees deserve state protection.

“Peter Magyar called on Hungarian authorities and police to protect Hungarians this Saturday, even if it means facing the argitrar nature of power, as well as on other days,” the reporters said. Magyaru himself did not attend.

Israeli forces detain six settlers after attacks on occupied West Bank troops

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CNN
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Israeli forces detained six West Bank settlers, which were occupied overnight, after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they had attacked security forces.

The IDF says it has found an Israeli civilian driving towards a closed military zone near the Palestinian village of Kahru Malik. There, a settler a few days ago said Palestinian officials had killed three people.

When Israeli forces approach the group, the IDF says the soldiers were physically assaulted and verbally abused. Additionally, the suspect attempted to destroy security forces’ vehicles to damage them and plunge the troops.

The IDF said six suspects were arrested and transferred to police.

“The IDF and Israeli police will act firmly against attempts to condemn violence against security forces and harm security personnel who are obligated to protect Israeli citizens,” the IDF said in a statement.

Israeli politicians have condemned settlers’ attacks on Israeli security forces.

Opposition chief Yair Lapid said in a statement on social media: “The extremists attacking IDF soldiers who are protecting the security of the Israeli state in these difficult times are dangerous criminals supporting our enemy.”

Left Democrat head Yair Golan said he had called previous settlers attacks in the area “violent Jewish pogroms.” Golan referenced Maa Kahane, an extremist rabbis whose political parties were completely banned in Israel under anti-terrorism laws.

“This is not a small outbreak. It’s a dangerous current that has taken away its deep roots. Even around the government table, references to far-right ministers supporting the coalition government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezarel Smotrich. Smotrich calls for a formal annexation of the West Bank settlement, but Ben-Gvir’s party is made up of followers of Kahane’s banned party.

In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Katz asked law enforcement to stare at all those who relied on violence and act quickly to find all those who put them on trial “as it’s done everywhere.”

On Friday, Nabil Abu Rudain, a spokesman for the Palestinian authorities’ presidency, said the settlers’ attacks were part of Israel’s “radical right-wing government” plans to drag the West Bank into a bigger conflict. Abu Rudain is fully responsible for the “consequences of this bloody attack,” Wafa said.

Israel is destroying the entire community as it bolsters its military operations in the West Bank along with its attacks in Gaza, attacking Iran and its proxies, driving away thousands of Palestinians, and targeting what it says is an extremist active on its territory.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager on the West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli military said “terrorists threw explosive devices at IDF forces.”

In late May, Israel approved a massive expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank in a movement that was accused of the de facto annexation of the territory’s massive swath. Peace, an Israeli non-governmental organisation tracking the settlement, said it was the largest expansion of the settlement since the signing of the Oslo agreement more than 30 years ago.

Israel plans to establish 22 new settlements, including deep in the West Bank and areas where the country had previously withdrawn. The occupied Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights settlements are deemed illegal under international law.

The winner of the Mega Millions Jackpot is a ticket for sale in Virginia

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A lucky Mega Millions player has been awarded the biggest lottery award awarded in Virginia.

The ticket coincided with all six Mega Millions figures on Friday, June 27th, winning an estimated $348 million jackpot, or $155.5 million cash options.

Virginia lottery officials have not yet announced where tickets were purchased or whether they were purchased online or at a retail store.

According to Virginia Lottery, tickets matching victory counts of 18-21-29-42-50 and Megaball number 2 are the biggest awards won in the Virginia lottery game. Winners will have 180 days to claim the award.

Virginia law, effective July 1, allows those who win the awards with more than $1 million can claim the award anonymously, so the public may never know who actually won. If given permission, the Virginia lottery may release the winner’s name and homeland and release a promotional photo.

MegaMillions win another winner after increasing jackpot and odds

According to Mega Millions, this was the fourth MegaMillions Jackpot in 2025, roughly coinciding with the $349 million jackpot winning in Illinois on March 25th. That victory came on the same day that the Mega Millions announced a megaoverhaul, raising a starting jackpot of $20 million to $50 million and tickets from $20 million.

According to Mega Millions, the changes included better odds (still long shots) of one in 290,472,336, compared to one in 302,575,350. The chances of winning the Mega Million Award increased by 1/23 compared to 1/24.

Shortly after the lottery changes came into effect, $112 million won tickets sold in Ohio were sold. Lucky Tickets, which were sold in Arizona, charged a $112 million jackpot on January 17th.

The jackpot will be reset to $50 million ($22.4 million cash option) for the next drawing on Tuesday, July 1st.

How do you play Mega Million?

To play Mega Million, you can purchase tickets at various locations, including convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores. In some states, tickets can also be purchased online.

Once you have your ticket, select six numbers. Five numbers will be white balls with numbers 1-70. Gold Megaball ranged from 1-24 in new games, previously ranging from 1-25.

You can also have your computer generate picks randomly. Seek for “quick play” or “easy picks.”

Where can I buy Mega Million tickets?

Mega Million tickets can be purchased directly at local gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Tickets may also be sold at some airport terminals.

You can also order tickets online Jack Pocket, the official digital lottery delivery company of the USA Today Networkthese US and territories include Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Maine, Maine, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington, DC, and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app lets you select lottery games and numbers, order, look at tickets, and collect all your winnings using your mobile phone or home computer.

Contributions: Fernando Cervantes and Greta Cross

Mike Snyder is a reporter for the trending team at USA Today. You can follow him in the thread, send BlueSky, X with X and send him an email Bliss & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider &msnider@usatoday.com

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Without birthright citizenship, these celebrities may not be American

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Many well-known Americans are innate citizens, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to martial arts icon Bruce Lee.

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Secretary of State, former presidential candidate and martial arts icon Bruce Lee all became American citizens at birth due to the birthright citizenship the Supreme Court is currently threw at Limbo.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies not to grant citizenship to domestic parents without temporary or legal approval for children born in the United States.

On June 27, the Supreme Court lifted a temporary block to prevent Trump’s order from coming into effect, but left it to the lower courts to consider the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order. It is unclear whether Trump will be able to abolish the long-standing legal precedent that grants citizenship to all children born in American soil.

Here are famous actors and politicians who were not American citizens at the time they were born if no one existed.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 54, is the son of a Cuban immigrant who did not become a naturalized US citizen until 1975 years after his son was born.

Rubio previously said he has not agreed to abolish birthright citizenship.

Diane Guerrero

Actress Diane Guerrero, who appeared on the hit TV show Orange is the New Black, was born to an undocumented immigrant from Colombia, who was deported at the age of 14, she told NPR in 2019.

In an interview with the outlet, she said, “This is a country of immigration. People have forgotten. Our ancestors want to forget that they came here with the same dreams.

According to her autobiography, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, was born in South Carolina for immigration from the Punjab region of India.

In 2015, she told the state news outlet that her parents were legally in the United States, but they did not become naturalized citizens until after her birth.

Bruce Lee

Martial arts icon Bruce Lee, who appeared in films such as Enter the Dragon and Fists of Fury, was born in San Francisco while her parents were traveling with Chinese operas.

The National Archives says he was considered a citizen, but he would not have revised Trump’s laws. “Lee’s parents applied for a return certificate on his behalf, allowing him to return to the United States if he wanted to do so later.

Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship may have been explicitly designed against his November rival for former vice president Kamala Harris.

David Beer of the Libertarian Cato Institute posted to the X where Trump signed the order.

Trump’s order specifies that if a mother had a temporary visa, someone would not be born with.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech billionaire and Republican presidential candidate for 2024, told NBC News in 2023 that his father became a US citizen who only made it natural after birth, and his mother was naturalized.

Ramaswamy, who Trump supported at next year’s Ohio Governor’s race, has repeatedly called for an end to birthright citizenship.

Contributions: Maureen Groppa, Eduardo Quebas, Sarah Chernikov, Ramon Padilla Bad Janssen, USA Today

Trump’s “big and beautiful bill” is still shrinking. What else was cut?

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Senate rules require new immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to remove plans to relocate the discovery of the space shuttle to Houston.

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Senate Republicans are trying to save some of President Donald Trump’s ambitious second term legislative agenda as Congressional bureaucracy continues to bite him from his so-called “big beautiful bill” heading for the vote in Washington this weekend.

Trump and the GOP leaders have placed a July 4 deadline, focusing primarily on extending tax cuts from his first term and expanding priorities for other MAGA movements as part of his bulldosing return.

“Now we have the opportunity to advance all these priorities and pass bills that set our country for a better day,” Sen. John Toun, R-South Dakota, said in a floor speech on June 27th.

The Republican-controlled room hit several speed bumps along the way, not for resistant Democrats who are totally opposed to much of Trump’s agenda, or for passive GOP members who are not happy with cost-cutting.

Instead, it is Sen. Elizabeth McDonough, a Chamber of Commerce judge, serving as the biggest obstacle to the proposal by providing that the provisions that many Republicans are seeking provide for bills that require a simple 51-vote majority or a 60-vote rug. Basic: To avoid filibusters, all provisions in the bill must have a direct impact on the federal budget.

The Congress’ first decision means Republicans have dragged their efforts to curb environmental regulations. Limit the powers of federal judges. All immigrant enforcement in one go. We will cut funds from the Consumer Protection Agency. She also opposed provisions that reduced Medicaid spending on undocumented health programs for immigrants.

“We have managed to remove some of this bill that hurts families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats continue to make their claims against all the provisions of this big, beautiful bill that violates Senate rules,” said Sen. D-Oregon, a ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee.

In response, Senate Republicans and the White House are cooking alternative proposals in key sections to meet budget savings targets and fulfill other commitments, while keeping unsettling caucus members in their flock.

“The bill will carry out the mission that the Americans gave Republicans last year… it’s around the corner,” Thune said.

However, as Senate GOPs are screaming to help get proposals to the president’s desk in the expected vote marathon this weekend, Congress recently determined that it is violating Senate rules, named after a later term. Robert Byrd, d-west Virginia.

What else is this coming out, and it’s back to a massive scale.

Asylum seeker fees and other immigration reforms

One item to launch a MAGA base pulled from the Megaville is a variety of new fees for immigrants seeking asylum in the US.

The senator opposed various provisions that Republicans are promoting, including attempts to charge immigrants a $1,000 fee when Republicans apply for asylum. A $100 fee for immigrants demanding continuance in immigration court. A $250 fee to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery. A $400 fee to process diversity visa applications.

She also launched a language that requires $5,000 in bonds to sponsor unaccompanied children who did not appear in immigration courts and $5,000 in bonds to sponsor a bipartisan Laken Riley Act signed earlier this year to speed up the removal of non-citizens allegedly strengthened laws.

Broadband Spectrum Auction

Republicans have been working behind the scenes for months with supporters of the bill, planning to free up hundreds of wireless spectra and increase the revenue they need.

Under the Senate’s proposed bill, the federal government will light the environment to the Federal Communications Commission to auction the 600 megahertz spectrum until 2034.

Others point out that this is a big win for mobile carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, who want to continue their licensing system after FCC’s ability to turn off the spectrum expired in 2023.

However, Congress advised that the idea had to go through another legislative process that required filibuster proof votes.

NASA Space Vehicle Movement

One small provision you may not have heard of in the larger proposal is the plan to relocate the Space Shuttle Discovery (the most used orbiter in US history) from the Smithsonian Aerospace Museum outside of Washington, D.C., to a Texas nonprofit organization.

Flying 39 Earth orbit missions and traveling the 172,000-pound NASA shuttle that spent 365 days in space costs around $85 million. This is a major priority for Texas Republicans Sen. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, who introduced the bill in April calling for the move of Behemoths to a location near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Space Shuttle Discovery is the only shuttle still owned by the federal government.

AI Moratorium is back

But not all of the bad news for Senate Republicans, as the room judge ruled on June 27 that a package could remain a provision prohibiting the state from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade.

The Senate version aims to remove $500 million for programs dedicated to increasing broadband access, specifying that money can be used to develop AI models and systems, a rapidly evolving technology.

McDonough initially expressed concern that by impacting $42 billion in broadband funding, surveillance with Democrats who claimed it would break the Bird Rules. However, she later said certain languages ​​do not violate the rules as long as the law applies to the new $500 million expenditure provided in the settlement bill.

Budapest Pride ignores bans as massive crowds march in protest against Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law

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CNN
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Amidst the flames of the rainbow flag and the roar of rebellion, a large crowd gathered in Budapest, the capital of Hungarian, for the city’s 30th Pride Pride March. This year, it is being held as both a celebration and a protest.

Moving through the capital in the heat of the heat, demonstrators read “Solidarity with Budapest’s pride” and waved placards beyond the illustrations of Prime Minister Victor Orban.

Music played from portable speakers when people of all ages joined in March – strollers, cape-covered teenagers and senior teenagers walking alongside activists.

From the city’s historic centre to the riverside roads, the queues swelled in numbers and noise.

The march went publicly against the police ban imposed earlier this year under a new law banning LGBTQ+ events.

At least 70 members of the European Parliament were expected to join the procession, officials told CNN in May.

Participants will take selfies when they arrive to participate in the event despite government bans.

Van Sparentak, Dutch MEP of the Parliament’s “Green/European Freedom Alliance” political group, told CNN that he would let them know “to support the Hungary LGBTIQ+ community and let them know they’re not alone.”

“Pride is a protest and one election that leaves all pride away from being banned if Orban can ban Budapest’s pride without consequences,” she continued.

In March, Hungarian lawmakers banned pride events and allowed participants to be identified by allowing them to use facial recognition technology.

The temporary cameras were installed along the Budapest Pride marching path on Friday months after the law was passed, allowing participants to be identified using facial recognition technology.

Orban welcomed the ban and said he would ban assembly “violating the Child Protection Act.” His government is strongly promoting Christianity and a conservative agenda.

The ban sparked a vibrant protest in Budapest in March, with city pride organizers pledging to continue the annual festival despite new laws and declared “fighting this new fascist ban.”

The petition demanding police rejected the ban, gathering over 120,000 signatures from supporters in 73 countries, urging authorities to “deny this unfair law.”

Catherine Nichols and Billy Stockwell of CNN contributed to this report.

When will I receive the July SSI check? See the full 2025 payment schedule

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Those who have undergone supplemental security income checks will get them on their regular schedule in July.

SSI recipients received two checks in May. This was issued on May 1st on May 1st and made payments for June on May 30th. Payments are usually issued on the first day of the month, and payments on May 1st were issued as expected. However, the payment was sent on May 30th, as June 1st fell over the weekend.

According to the SSA calendar, payments for July and August will arrive on a more regular schedule, with July payments issued on Tuesday, July 1st and Friday, August 1st.

When will SSI payments be sent in July? See the full 2025 payment schedule

The SSI beneficiaries will receive two checks in August, October and December. That’s because the first day of the following month will land on weekends or holidays.

According to the SSA calendar, the remaining SSI payment dates for 2025 are as follows:

  • Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 (Checked in July 2025)
  • Friday, August 1st, 2025 (Checked August 2025)
  • Friday, August 29th, 2025 (checks for September 2025)
  • Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 (checks for October 2025)
  • Friday, October 31st, 2025 (checks for November 2025)
  • Monday, December 1st, 2025 (Checked December 2025)
  • Wednesday, December 31st, 2025 (Checked January 2026)

What is SSI?

Americans with approximately 7.4 million Americans with disabilities or may have limited resources can earn monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

SSI provides benefits to people with limited income or resources, those over the age of 65, or those with blind or qualified disabilities. According to the Social Security Administration website, eligible children with disabilities can also obtain an SSI.

Adults who earn more than $2,019 from their work each month are not usually eligible for an SSI. Approximately a third of these SSI recipients also benefit from Social Security.

Anyone who may be eligible for an SSI can call online, directly at your local Social Security Agency, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) local time from 8am to 7pm local time during work week.

Mike Snyder is a reporter for the trending team at USA Today. You can follow him in the thread, send BlueSky, X with X and send him an email Bliss & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider &msnider@usatoday.com

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Iran holds funerals for commanders and scientists killed in the Israeli war

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At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those who grieved the funeral, according to Iranian media.

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June 28 (Reuters) – A large number of mourners dressed in black-lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran held funerals for some of the top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians killed in the air war with Israel on June 28th.

According to national media, at least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourning at the funeral.

Their ffin was driven into Azadi Square in Tehran, decorated with pictures of them and national flags as the crowd reached out to touch the casskets and throw rose petals at them. State-run press television showed images of ballistic missiles on display.

The large prayers were later held in the square.

State television said a funeral called the “Mar Teacher Procession” was held as a total of 60 people were killed in the war, including four women and four children.

The attendees included President Maud Pezeshkian and other seniors, including Iran’s highest leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and adviser Ali Shamhani, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who was seriously injured during the conflict.

“Today, Iranians protect their honor and dignity through heroic resistance to two nuclear-armed regimes, and look to something more dignified and more determined than ever with pride for the future,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Arakich, who also attended the funeral.

There was no immediate statement from Khamenei that has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. At previous funerals, he led prayers over a co-commander before the official rituals broadcast on state television.

Israel launched its air force on June 13th, attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities with the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the war with Iraq in the 1980s, killing top military commanders and civilians.

Iran retaliated against a barrage of missiles in Israel’s military facilities, infrastructure and urban areas. The United States was attacked by Iran’s nuclear facility on June 22 and joined the war.

The threat of Trump

Israel, the only country in the Middle East that is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aims to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

Iran has denied having a nuclear weapons program. The UN Nuclear Watch Office says it has “reliable signs” of an aggressive and coordinated weapons programme in Iran.

On June 13th, the first day of the war, Bugheli, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed. Bagheri was buried on June 28th at Bisht Zafra Cemetery outside Tehran. Salami and Hajizadeh were scheduled to be buried on June 29th.

President Donald Trump said he would consider bombing Iran again on June 27, but Khamenei, who appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, said Iran would respond to future US attacks by hitting US military bases in the Middle East.

Senior Israeli military officials said on June 27 that Israel had “a major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On June 28, Iranian revolutionary guards said in a statement that Israel and the United States “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.

Iran’s health ministry figures show that 610 people were killed on Iran’s side in the war before the ceasefire took effect on June 24th. More than 4,700 people were injured.

Activist communications agency Hrana has placed the number of people killed in 974, including 387 civilians.

Israeli Health Ministry said 28 people have died in Israel and 3,238 have been injured.

“Parasite” voted the best movie of the century by Hollywood Power Players

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People are talking, and the best movie released from January 1, 2000 has been decided.

And by people, we mean about 500 actors, directors, writers and other Hollywood power players surveyed by the New York Times about the 100 best films in the 21st century that won the top 20 on June 27th.

Pamela Anderson, Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King, Sim Liu, Sofia Coppola, Daniel Brooks, Brian Cox, Ava Duvernei, Molly Ringwald, Rachel Zegler and Mel Brooks were among others.

Oscar-winning director Coppola appears to have won the 2004 Pixar Classic (and fellow Oscar winner) “The Incredibles.” And Sparks aren’t just looking at nasty romances. He also enjoys dramas such as “Inception” and “Gladiator.”

What is the best movie released since 2000?

He was nothing more than Bong Joon Ho’s “parasitivity” that became the first non-English film to win the Best Photo Oscars in 2020, ranked Best Posture Film in NYT’s survey.

And it’s no wonder, as it scored a 99% “fresh” rating from nearly 500 film reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Oscar 2020: “Parasite” regains 4 wins including the best pictures

Korean black comedy “Parasite” won four honors at Oscars, including Best Pictures for Bong Jung-ho and Best Director.

neon

In 2019, USA Today film critic Brian Lewitt was approaching offering the full mark of a social comment thriller (he ended up giving him three and a half stars). The Korean film “is cleverly paced with its release, never falling apart (even if it falls into bloody chaos), and is also characterized by outstanding acting performances,” he said in his review.

If everyone is wondering, director Bonn did not include his own films (recent “Mickey 17”, 2017’s “Okja” and 2013’s “Snowpiercer”) in his top nine rankings.

Top 20 movies since 2000

The top 20 films with the best voices are:

  • 20. “Wolf on Wall Street,” 2013
  • 19: “Zodiac”, 2007
  • 18: “And your mother too,” 2002
  • 17: “Brokeback Mountain,” 2005
  • 16: “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, 2000
  • 15: “The City of God”, 2003
  • 14: “Inglourious Bastterds”, 2009
  • 13: “Children’s Children,” 2006
  • 12: “Zone of Interest” 2023
  • 11: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” 2015
  • 10: “Social Networks”, 2010
  • 9: “Spirited Away”, 2002
  • 8: “Get Out” 2017
  • 7: “The Eternal Sun of a Beautiful Heart,” 2004
  • 6: “There is no country for the elderly” 2007
  • 5: “Moonlight”, 2016
  • 4: “The mood of love,” 2001
  • 3: “There is blood,” 2007
  • 2: “Mulholland Drive”, 2001
  • 1: “Parasites”, 2019

Have you burned the bridge or cleared the road?

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Everyone burned the bridge. Maybe you turned it down after something better has passed through, then accepting the job offer. Maybe you started dating your longtime crash right after breaking things with your ex. But if you didn’t burn the bridge, are you actually just “clear the road”?

We know, we know. It sounds a bit fetched. But the virus tyktok raising that question has over 500,000 views. And mental health experts understand why.

It’s a powerful question that reconstructs our thinking about the way out of life,” says Chase Cassie, a licensed clinical social worker. “It resonates because it not only leaves, but also makes room for growth, but also gives language to deliberately leaving.”

“Loss is inevitable”

Cassine compares phrases (or mantras, if you rely on them) with today’s quiet quitting, therapy stories, boundary setting culture. “It can encourage self-reflection and self-reflection, not just about the consequences (loss or exits), but also about the intentions and energy behind it. And you hold yourself on the departure and own your role. Was this exit driven by emotional clarity or emotional reactivity? Did you destroy something?

It could be something your doctor ordered to go from a difficult situation and own your agency. “What people sometimes label as ‘burning bridges’ is actually a necessary step in self-preservation and healing, especially for those who have been taught to stay in harmful situations due to fear of being considered obligations or difficulties (people).”

In general, burning bridges is considered hostile, especially in workplaces where competition and ego is becoming more difficult. And women in particular have social pressures that they should not burn bridges and not assert independence, putting other people’s feelings and needs above themselves,” says Alice Shepherd, clinical psychologist and owner of Miliel therapy. But that doesn’t have to be.

“The act of leaving is courageous and deserves praise and support,” she adds. “So, unless you leave your job in a very professional way, stop worrying about burning the bridge. Take your own chances.

Plus, you need to let go of these moments in your life. Please stay close to your discomfort. “Loss is inevitable,” says Laura Pettiford, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “And we can choose to focus specifically on the loss, or we can see that it may not have been before the loss. Being able to change our perspective is very useful when we get through difficult times. But that doesn’t mean denialing the real pain associated with the loss.”

“Not all situations are that black and white.”

Remember, there is not always a “burn bridge” or “clear path” binary. Also, remember that it doesn’t necessarily imply good or bad things.

“Not all situations are that black and white,” says Cornejo. “Some bridges need to burn. Others probably didn’t, but they didn’t tell us anything. And sometimes we don’t know if we’d cleaned up the road long after.”

Cassine says people can celebrate making them romantic and cutting people off or justifying their own negative behavior. “So not every bridge that burns is worthy of a badge of honor, and not every clear path is a consequence. But the real point is this: people can end things with intention and clarity instead of confusion and drama.”

Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown is to hurt ice agents

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The new tactics are filled with public resistance and despair from suspects facing ice detention and deportation.

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Mask agent. A terrifying suspect. Emotions run high as the screaming crowd is pushed in and handed over the phone camera.

Amid the surge in immigration enforcement across the country, federal agents are hospitalized with wounds as they make increasingly public and dangerous arrests of people they believe they are undocumented.

White House officials say assaults against agents increased by 500% as President Donald Trump’s massive deportation campaign.

Executives say bold tactics are needed to fight back what is called “invasions” of immigrants. However, policing experts say that the offensive approach is causing unnecessary, dangerous encounters.

In a recent case in Nebraska, a female ice agent was thrown to the ground and choked by a member of the accused Tren de Aragua gang who previously said he was a Venezuelan soldier, according to court documents. The suspect escaped and was later captured with the help of local police.

Bystander video captured the suspect on the ground on crowded streets and caught the suspected agent chasing the farm. One widely circulated video showed an agent grabbing a US citizen by his neck in a Walmart parking lot, resisting taking it. Federal prosecutors charged the man with assault after he allegedly punched an agent.

“Just this week, an ice officer was dragged 50 yards in the car while arresting an illegal alien sex offender,” Homeland Security Advisor Tricia McLaughlin told USA Today. “Every day, ice men and women risk their lives to protect and protect the lives of American citizens.”

Trump, Those who have pledged to expel one million immigrants this year, He ordered US immigration and customs enforcement agents to “do it with all forces to achieve the very important goal of providing the single largest deportation program in history.”

In a social media post on June 15th, he said: “Every day, the brave men and women of the ice are under threat from violence, harassment and even radical Democratic politicians, but nothing prevents us from carrying out our mission and fulfilling our mandate to Americans.”

Art del Quet, vice-president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the union’s 16,000 members welcome Trump’s tough new approach to immigration enforcement.

Detainees are fighting back more and more, he said, they know they have no escape: “That’s why you’re watching an attack on the agent.”

“It’s not about public safety anymore.”

However, there is an increasing number of pushbacks from the public. Recent immigration in the Los Angeles area has sparked widespread protests and small riots downtown as people threw rocks at law enforcement, set patrol vehicles on fire, and federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper spray.

In some cases, federal agents are trying to film games with crowds and stop or stop what they think is enthusiastic detention, especially if masked agents refuse to identify themselves.

Police experts say ice agents exacerbate tensions with practices that many American police departments have largely dismissed.

There is little objection to detaining violent criminals, but masked agents cause panic to get down into the car parks of their home warehouses and arrest a car park or food vendor that has mostly no criminal history.

“The aggressive police tactics employed by the federal government are causing problems,” said longtime police superintendent Diane Goldstein, who is currently leading the law enforcement litigation partnership.

“Their direction and their leadership put them directly in a horrifying situation,” she said.

The ice tactics on display are dramatically diverging from the previous ice agents’ previous work, said Jason Hauser, a former official with the Department of Homeland Security’s Terrorism Bureau. Houser is an Afghan combat veteran who was the ICE chief staff during the Biden administration.

Previously, ICE agents prioritized serious criminal offenders for their arrest, Houser said. A team of agents can work days or weeks to minimize risk to the public and the agents themselves, carefully and at the right time to make arrests before investigating one subject.

ICE agents are trained to “think about prioritizing public safety, risks and removability,” he added.

The Department of Internal Justice training program emphasizes that whenever possible, particularly in the absence of an immediate threat to public safety, a focus should be on elimination of emissions and avoiding arrests in public areas.

“Now we have a political allocation: ‘Give me 3,000 arrests’ (per day).’ And all the gloves are off,” Hauser said. “It’s not about public safety anymore.”

Before Trump, the attack had declined.

According to Department of Homeland Security statistics, an increase in attacks on officers and agents this year will reverse the three-year trend of declining incidents.

Despite daily interactions with millions of daily people, ice, customs and border patrol agents were rarely attacked by work.

According to DHS data, the agency recorded 363 assault cases in 2024, down from 474 incidents in fiscal 2023 and 524 in fiscal 2022.

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, which includes both customs officials and patrol agents, has 45,000 law enforcement agencies, making it the nation’s largest law enforcement agency. Additionally, ICE has around 6,200 deportation agents on its staff.

White House officials declined to answer USA Today’s questions about the number underlying the 500% increase in assault, including the total number of injuries and their severity. It is also unknown how many additional federal agents have been reassigned to immigration enforcement so far.

Masked Agent Refusing to Identify Yourself

In Huntington Park, California, authorities took this week into custody a man who appears to be pretending to be ice agents. The situation they said was possible because actual ice agents refuse to properly identify themselves when actively restraining people.

Mayor Arturo Flores said the way the ice agents are acting does not present a “fair and legal image of government.” He said he can understand why people are angry and scared, especially knowing that there are potential vigilantes and spoofs active in the area.

In response to the accused’s arrest, Huntington Park leaders asked local police to verify the identity of the suspected ice agent operating in the city.

The suspect was found with multiple police radio, official federal documents, flashing lights and a 9mm handgun, according to city police.

“If people can’t trust who is enforcing the law, public safety will weaken us and fear will begin to take hold,” Flores said at a June 27 press conference. “What we’re saying is simple. If you’re acting with federal authorities, show it.

“Someone is going to pull a gun.”

It is a fundamental fact that it underlies the tension between the ice and the public. Ice has arrested a record number of people with no criminal history.

An analysis by the Libertarian Cato Institute shows that ICE arrests four times more people a week without criminal convictions or criminal charges than the government agency that took place at the same time in June 2017 when Trump was also president.

“This is a radical tactical change compared to Trump 1.0,” says David Beer, director of immigration studies, in a post in X.

An ICE official said it was responding to interference from the public.

They say advocacy groups are agents who try to make arrests, put agents in danger and allow them to escape the target. Federal agents testifying before a Senate committee on June 26th said bystanders filmed officers during a recent enforcement operation and posted photos online in threatening messages.

There have also been an increasing number of cases where people call local police stations to report that the presence of armed masked men was bundling community members into unmarked vehicles.

ICE officials often say that when hundreds of “sanctuaries” jurisdictions across the country hand over immigrants after being sentenced to criminal penalties, agents often reduce the need for dangerous public arrests.

But before Trump’s enforcement ramp-up, about 70% of people arrested on the ice were transferred directly from the prison system to ICE custody, according to immigrants’ nonprofit freedoms. Trump’s new approach has led agents to make more arrests in their communities in places like Home Depot.

According to Goldstein, pushes to fill quotas run towards raids and roundups, running towards roundups. She worries that the offensive tactics combined with masks will ultimately lead to a shootout. 28 states have a “stand on your ground” law that allows citizens to shoot if they are threatened.

“If you cover up someone who escaped to you, someone would pull out the gun and someone would get injured,” she said.

Trump’s homeland security leader does not appear to have plans to retreat.

“Federal law enforcement is facing an increasingly increasing number of attacks,” DHS wrote in X.

Weekend Senate preparations for Trump’s mega-tax and policy bill

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Senate Republicans are on the verge of lawmakers from each other over a variety of provisions in the drastic law.

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax, spending and policy bill heads for a climate weekend showdown on the Senate floor after Republicans near Midnight announced a 940-page plan to call for Medicaid cuts, increased immigration and ending taxes on tips and overtime wages.

Senate majority leader John Tune works to lead Trump to a major legislative victory. Meanwhile, several of his Republicans have navigated conflicting concerns about how the bill will affect the federal deficit, the scope of health insurance for low-income people, and their own political popularity.

The South Dakota Senator told reporters when he left the U.S. Capitol that he hopes to begin debate on the marathon floor on June 28th, but admitted that he may not have yet put together the necessary support from within his GOP ranks to begin the process.

Tune and Trump face complications following Senate Elizabeth McDonough’s ruling about what the president and Republicans were and were not within the scope of the law that was called a “big and beautiful bill.” McDonough has discovered several Senate GOP provisions in the past few days that have violated, including attempts to eliminate non-citizen federal food aid, multiple measures to ease environmental regulations on federal judges’ ability to block government policies, and attempts to ease multiple measures.

In response to many of these rulings, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham announced most of the new bill near midnight. “If you like higher taxes, open borders, weaker military forces and unidentified government spending, this bill is your nightmare,” said the South Carolina Republican, adding that the law “contains all of President Trump’s domestic economic priorities.”

Democrats are united against the Republican plan, with more than 2 million people likely losing their jobs on June 27th when Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer warned of “the biggest cuts in food funds to date.” He also highlighted the GOP rollback of the Clean Energy Initiative led by the Biden administration.

Thune’s next hurdle will round up enough support to meet the 51-year-old voice threshold in the second half of June 27th, with a large number of members of his Republican Conference expressing reservations and no Democrats informing him that he will gain support. At the Capitol building heading over the weekend, several Republicans said they had itching to challenge the argument.

“We will gradually move from thoughtful and rational deliberations to the Jackaceley hills,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Lousiana, told reporters on June 27. “We’ve talked about the same thing over and over again.

For now, the timing of the first vote remains unknown, but the Senate is scheduled to take place at 2pm ET for a rare Saturday session on June 28th. If the Senate approves the law, it will need to be settled with the House of Representatives, which narrowly passed the first version in May.

Trump stayed on an ambitious timeline for Senate Republicans, completed his job and returned to the house in time to be on his desk to sign the law by July 4th.

But President and House Speaker Mike Johnson also acknowledges that their immediate ambitions may not be real in the deep internal GOP policy disputes and the complex Senate rules that have sent bills through legislative shredders.

2025 NHL Draft Winners, Losers: Decentralized Format Miss Mark

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There was a lot going on in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Matthew Schaefer responded emotionally to being ranked number one overall by New York Islanders, with celebrities unveiling their team picks, two goaltenders being selected in the first round, the son of Sean Hokoff and Jenny Potter, and previously there was a Canadience trade for the big islanders.

But the night felt strange overall. This was the first decentralized draft of the NHL outside of Covid years and did not look the same. The topic was raised during a pre-draft press conference for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who said he would give it a chance. I hope they will regain their old path.

The winners and losers of the first round of the NHL Draft are:

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Matthew Schafer

The Ellie (Pa.) Otter defenseman had to overcome a lot of adversity to be selected first overall. He lost his mother (breast cancer) and Billett’s mother in the 2023-24 season, and in 2024 Ellie’s team owner. Schafer broke his collarbone at the World Junior Hockey Championship in December, missing out on the rest of the season.

However, NHL Central Scouting was seen enough to rank him first from his short season, and the islanders agreed. His islander’s jersey held a pink ribbon when he walked to the stage. He kissed the ribbon and released his emotions.

Noah Dobson’s islanders trade before the draft creates a room for Schafer to become an important part of the team’s blue line.

James Hagens

The winners of the Boston College Center and Team USA gold medals were on top picks early in the season. However, he fell to sixth place.

But that meant going to the Boston Bruins, near where he played this season. As a bonus, actor Adam Sandler announced the video pick. Hagens’ favorite move is “Happy Gilmore.”

The Bruins are light in the center and have promising pipelines.

Roger McQueen’s Disney Adventure

McQueen was drafted 10th overall by Anaheim Ducks, and his pick was announced by “The Mighty Ducks” film actors Joshua Jackson and Margaret Morrow. He and his family were then taken by a helicopter to Disneyland, where McQueen began posing near Lightning McQueen from the “car.”

Crowd reaction to Johnny Gaudreau’s widow

Celebrity pick announcers include Sandler, Wrestler Bailey, country music artists Jordan Davis, and Hockey Royalties (Lunny McDonald and Shea Weber). Chris Letan and his son Alex did an incredible job with the Penguin announcement.

But the most moving thing was that Johnny Gordrow’s widow Meredith unveiled the Columbus Blue Jacket pick. The crowd gave her a standing ovation and chanted “Johnny, Johnny” as she took the stage.

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format

Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the vote to decentralize the draft was 26-6. This move saves teams travel days and gives them more time to plan free agents.

The other leagues hold distributed drafts, but what’s great about the NHL draft floor was activity. Is there a deal if someone gets a phone or walks towards another table? Instead, all 32 team draft rooms were displayed on the screen on stage. It’s not the same.

The league has established a draft house where Pick can speak remotely with executives of new teams. However, there were issues such as echo and delay. And for the Ottawa Senator, the sound didn’t work.

Lack of player trading

Two years ago, there were no deals in the first round. Last year, only draft picks were traded. This year, Dobson’s pre-draft trade led to conspiracy. Will General Manager Mathieu Darche try to package the newly acquired 16th and 17th picks and move them up? Will he follow Hagen, who is from Long Island? No, he used the picks from prospective customers Victor Ecklund and Kashaun Echyson. For the second year in a row, only picks were handled in the first round.

Kenholland’s draft strategy

Ken Holland, the general manager of the Neuros Angeles Kings, ran his first draft with the team and did it in front of home fans. However, he chose to move down seven spots in the first round, winning a second-round pick in the process.

Voting for GM of the Year

The award will be voted after the second round of the playoffs, and winners will be announced in the draft. Dallas star Jimnil won for the third year in a row. He bought Mikko Lantanen and Michael Granland during the season, but shouldn’t it be Panthers GM Bill Jeet’s turn? His acquisitions of Brad Marchand and Seth Jones played a major role with the Panthers, reaching the Stanley Cup final for the third consecutive year, repeating them as champions. Hoshi lost in the conference final for the third year in a row. Perhaps he will start next year with Zito re-signing playoff MVP Sam Bennett to a team-friendly contract.

Forecasters aren’t looking forward to stocks in 2025. Should I do it?

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It is said that Americans are wise to invest in the stock market. This is because the stocks bring about historic returns of around 10% per year.

But perhaps this year.

Many analysts predict that the S&P 500 index will be inherently flat in 2025 or will end with only a small profit.

In the roundup on June 25th, Yahoo Finance charts several strategists with year-end forecasts that will place the benchmark S&P index between 5,600 and 6,100. These numbers fall below or slightly above the approximately 5,900 S&P began its year.

Some forecasts are in a higher range, with predictors growing more bullish on American stocks in 2025. However, anyone who predicts double-digit returns this year is at risk of being branded as outliers.

How should armchair investors react if large investment companies expect the stock market to close where 2025 has more or less started? Is the investment environment changing below our feet?

First, let’s explore the reasons behind these dark predictions.

The stock opened high in 2025. It’s probably too expensive.

The stock market opened strong in 2025. The Broad S&P Index was nearing its record high following two years of noticeable growth.

That growth was enough to pay attention to the predictors in itself. The S&P surge means that the stock price is relatively high. Some stocks are at high prices. There are few bargains. Indexes may not have much room for growth.

“We are pleased to announce that we are committed to providing a wide range of services,” said Eric Thiel, Chief Investment Officer at Comerica Bank.

Comerica’s own predictions require the S&P 500 to finish at 6,400. This is heading towards the high end of prediction.

Wall Street prognosticists were bearish on stocks in 2025 due to one overarching theme: uncertainty.

“It’s all the unstable actors in our current economy,” says Catherine Barrega, a certified financial planner near Boston. “It’s something I don’t know from one day to the next. Are there any customs duties? Are there any customs duties?”

It is difficult to predict how President Trump’s import tax will affect prices and therefore inflation. The trade war, coupled with Trump’s crackdown on immigration, could slow economic growth. The fear of a recession is rising. The Federal Reserve may or may not ease interest rates accordingly.

“We avoid the recession and assume that interest rate cuts are on the horizon but not immediate,” Thiel said, reflecting the general view of Wall Street. “So, there’s an element of careful optimism that I think is in the market, but there’s a high degree of uncertainty and unclear macropolicy that is in the market.”

Inventory forecasters don’t want to be wrong

There’s another big reason, analysts say why the S&P 500 year-end forecast is a low trend: Forecasters tend to make mistakes on the conservative side.

“Analysts have historically underestimated the S&P 500 returns,” said Christian Akturian, head of BlackRock’s Ishhales investment strategy. “People stick their necks out with bold predictions and don’t want to be wrong.”

The impulse explains why stock forecasts tend to bundle together, she said. No one wants to stand out.

“It’s hard to be an outlier,” said David Meier, senior analyst at Motley Fool.

Meier cites another reason why inventory forecasters tend to achieve low targets. “Let’s call it bearish because it’s negative. Readers are drawn to disastrous news about stocks.

Therefore, stocks are having a holiday year. what can i do?

Now, let’s move on to the actual question. If the S&P 500 may not get much ground in 2025, what should ordinary investors do about it?

Of course, the simple answer is to do nothing.

The stock market forecast for next month or next year will not be as important to long-term investors, the advisor says.

And that advice applies to almost everyone. If you’re not participating for a long period of time, experts advise that stocks may not be for you.

“If you need funds right away, don’t invest,” said Randy Bruns, a certified financial planner in Naperville, Illinois. “If you don’t need funds for 15 years, stop looking at volatility.”

The market slump tends to be short. The recession is shorter than it looks. Anyone who saves for retirement or other long-term goals can generally get over them.

“If you have the luxury of being a long-term investor, you’re alone,” Actuarian said.

However, there is a longer, more subtle answer to the question of how to respond to conservative stock forecasts for 2025.

Pessimistic forecasts for 2025 and 2035

This involves this complex factor. Stock market forecasts are surprisingly conservative for 2035.

Investment company Vanguard predicts that the overall U.S. stock market will increase by 5.8% over the next decade, an overwhelming 3.8% to 5.8%. “Growth” stocks such as Nvidia and Amazon are projected to rise by just 2.5% to 4.5%. It’s not much faster than inflation.

These forecasts are based on the idea that many US stocks are inherently high and are trading beyond their actual value.

Vanguard’s analysis shows that everyday investors hoping for flashy returns they expect from American growth stocks would be better off looking elsewhere in global stocks. Small and medium-sized American stocks with low market value. “Value” stocks trade below their intrinsic value.

“I think it’s time to make a more balanced allocation,” Comerica’s Teal said.

Financial planner Bruns suggests that the average investor needs to “diversify across all the broad asset classes that make up a textbook portfolio.”

That doesn’t mean you need to sell all your alphabet stock, experts say. However, it may be correct to scrutinise your portfolio. Do foreign stocks are included? Small-cap stock? Bonds?

If not, you may consider re-adjusting your portfolio to make it more diverse.

“The easiest way to do that is to change your future allocation if you are a 401(k) contributor,” Valega says. That way you don’t have to mess with your current investments.

Don’t know how to rebalance?

“Reach out to our advisors,” Varega said. “That’s what we’re there.”

I hardly thought that airstrikes could end Iran’s nuclear weapons program. What about them?

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Experts have long argued that airstrikes alone would not allow negotiations to permanently close Iran’s nuclear program.

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WASHINGTON – A highly politicized debate has unfolded over the impact of the June 21 US airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, raising questions about the targets and expected impacts of the attack.

President Donald Trump claimed Iran’s “major nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and completely wiped out,” and claimed a complete victory at the Awakening of the Strikes. Subsequent scrutiny of that claim during an early assessment from the Intelligence Reporting Agency led Trump and his allies to double and even expand his declaration of success. Defense Secretary Pete Hegses insisted to CNN that the strike “eliminates Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.”

Iran itself acknowledges the effects of US and Israeli attacks.

But years after Washington withdrew from its nuclear deal with Tehran in 2015, experts and analysts stress that airstrikes alone do not derail Iran’s nuclear ambitions forever, but merely delay nuclear ambitions. Rep. Mike Quigley of D-Illinois reiterated his long-standing understanding in an interview on June 26th.

“The targets are hard targets, deep targets, mobile targets. So it wasn’t meant to eliminate the program,” Quigley told USA Today. “I had no intention of doing anything other than slowing down the program.”

A lawmaker who is on the House of Representatives Intelligence Email Committee and regularly receives Iranian briefings, said, “We’ve been told that the only way to end this (nuclear) program is through many troops that have been on the ground for a long time.”

Corey Hinderstein, former director of the National Nuclear Security Agency’s non-proliferation program, gave a similar tone.

“The traditional wisdom that air attacks alone cannot destroy Iran’s (nuclear) programmes is actually present,” says Hinderstein, now vice president of the Carnegie Fund for International Peace. “Some people say that airstrikes are tactically and strategically successful, but I don’t think the ju-describers have come out about it yet. There’s no information that they really need to believe that this program is gone.”

Third nuclear site, hidden centrifuge, missing uranium

If Iran is equipped with enrichment centrifuges and conversion devices, and if the regime wants to pursue it, it may have another nuclear site that allows it to continue the process of preparing uranium for use in nuclear bombs.

Shortly before Israel launched its air campaign against Iran, the administration told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had a third nuclear enrichment site but did not provide details.

Analysts believe that the private underground facility on Mount Pikakuse, near Natantz’s nuclear power plant, could be even deeper below the surface than the Fodow enriched plants that were severely damaged by the US strike. The Pickaxe Mountain facility was first opened to the public in 2023 by experts who spoke with the Associated Press.

And it is unclear whether Tehran’s approximately 880 pounds of highly enriched uranium was destroyed or buried during the strike. The satellite image shows cargo trucks parked outside the Fordow enrichment plant in the days before the US attack.

According to CNN, US lawmakers explained the intelligence report evaluation of the June 26th and June 27th strikes and called for a full accounting of the materials. Rep. Michael McCall, R-Texas, told the press that the issue of uranium’s whereabouts “emphasizes the importance of negotiating directly with us and directly with us.

However, whether Iran wants to negotiate is another question.

Despite the state’s obligations as a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Iranian Guardian Council approved on June 25th a law halting the state’s cooperation with the IAEA and testing of Tehran’s nuclear sites.

Contributions: Tom Vanden Brook and Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today

Davis Winkie’s role in covering nuclear threats and national security at USA Today is supported by partnership with Autorider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partner. Funders do not provide editor input.

Should we make an acquisition in a volatile job market? Five tips to consider.

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You were offered shopping. Your employer wants to pay you to quit. It’s a huge chunk of change.

Should you accept it?

Companies offer shopping to thin the rank and spend the money in the short term to save money in the long term.

Employers often use shopping to avoid layoffs. And that idea is that only you should give you a pause.

The Trump administration is aiming to offer takeovers to all federal workers this year, reducing it by up to 10%. Approximately 75,000 workers accepted.

The private sector has been offering acquisitions to US workers this year, including Google, Unitedhealthcare and Nissan.

Shopping may sound attractive. A five-digit retirement package may be the most money a worker has ever seen on a single salary. But it is also the final salary your employer gives you.

“It’s like a lottery winner. Some people think the money will last longer than that,” said Donna Walton, wealth strategist at TD Wealth.

If you are contemplating your shopping, some considerations are universal: how big is the retirement package? Am I close to retirement? Did you want to quit that job anyway?

However, the current economic environment presents its own challenges.

Approximately 2 million Americans have not been working for more than six months, the Labor Bureau reported in May that it was the largest in more than two years. The job market has slowed down over the last few months. Companies are reducing employment due to uncertainty over President Trump’s tariffs. Artificial intelligence is swiping jobs from new graduates. A recession fears looms.

“It’s a very soft job market,” said Michele Evermore, a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Security and a former Biden administration labor official. “It’s a very time of economic uncertainty. I think people depend on their work.”

Below are five tips for employees considering buying out in 2025.

Seek for an acquisition

Start with a proactive step. Maybe your employer doesn’t offer acquisitions. But you’re restless to make a difference and you’ve heard that your company wants to cut costs.

Consider approaching your manager and seeking an acquisition. Often there’s nothing to stop your employer from creating a voluntary retirement package just for you.

“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Michael Scarpati, CEO of Retireus, the Financial Wellness platform. “It’s kind of a win-win for both parties.”

If you are looking for shopping first, you may get a better retirement package than your employer ultimately offers to everyone else.

But if you’re not ready to take it, don’t ask for shopping.

“If they provide it to you, you have to be willing to leave,” Walton said. “That’s not what you want to bluff.”

Negotiate terms of purchase

A typical acquisition could offer a 4-week payment. Furthermore, this is one week of my annual work at the company. Additional health insurance coverage may be available. It also helps you find a new job.

About half of the workers have accepted offers to buy without negotiating, AARP reports. But it is not harmful to demand better conditions.

“Think about going for a job interview,” Scarpati said.

You can seek a year’s retirement benefit rather than a few months. Perhaps your employer will cover health insurance costs while you are searching for a new job.

David John, senior strategic policy advisor at AARP Public Policy Institute, said some workers will hire lawyers to negotiate the acquisition.

That may sound extreme, but remember: an acquisition is a business proposal. Contracts can be complicated and sometimes include private contracts and non-competitive clauses.

Even if you haven’t taken your lawyer to buy-out negotiations, Walton said, “You should meet at least one person.”

Test the job market

Experts say you need to measure your likelihood of finding another job before you leave your current job.

If you’re working in a shrinking field, or in an area that is struggling financially, you may already know that.

“If you’re working for ThinkTank, it’s quite different to getting an acquisition in DC or if you’re working for an oil rig in South Dakota,” Evermore says.

Evermore said to find out how many people in your area are applying for unemployment insurance and how many people will last for the benefit role.

Better yet, apply for some jobs. Check if there is a bite. If not, it may be a good sign that is not for you.

In the best case scenario, you can line up new jobs before you make an acquisition.

Measure the risk of layoffs

Many employers offer shopping to avoid layoffs, or at least delay them.

If you have an acquisition offer, weigh the possibility of relying on layoffs once the acquisition is over.

“Responsible businesses will deal with those concerns right away and say yes or no,” said John of AARP.

If there is a possibility of layoffs, consider whether you could reach the layoff list. Ask your manager if you are vulnerable.

If your company has endured layoffs in the past, look at the retirement packages that those workers have received.

In some cases, Walton said the acquisition package might be “the same as what the company offers if we offer you six months from now.”

please take it easy

Many federal workers who have received shopping from the Trump administration only had a few weeks to make a decision.

Experts say it’s not that long.

“If you ask someone to make major life decisions that could involve relocating the whole family, you should get it for at least a few months,” Evermore said.

Ideally, Scarpati said six weeks would be the “minimum” time frame for the acquisition offer. 90 days is more reasonable.

Use that time to “think where you are in your career,” Evermore said. Tell your friends, colleagues, and loved ones about your options. Test the job market. Ask yourself if you are ready to uproot your family and move around the country.

Run the numbers. If you’re a medium career, are you sure you have enough emergency savings to survive a period of unemployment? How do you cover your health insurance? How generous is your state’s unemployment allowance?

If you’re nearing retirement: When did you plan to get Social Security? How will you cover your health insurance until Medicare begins? Do you have enough retirement savings?

Consider meeting with a financial planner.

“Ideally, I completed this financial plan before this happened.”

Will Michelle Obama become the voice that Democrats need now?

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When Democrats search to counter Trump, it may not be Michelle, not Barack Obama, the party’s most popular figure they should turn to.

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Michelle Obama is back – not just in the political stage.

When Democrats are hungry for dynamic leadership, the former First Lady is cozy and personal with a podcast called “IMO.”

“I feel like I’m 60. This is the first time I’ve had all my decisions for me,” Obama said on the June 19 episode with radio show host Angie Martinez. In their young adult life, their daughters Sasha and Maria launched the story, “This is an age of freedom.”

Each week, Obama and Robinson were joined by celebrities such as comedians Damon and Marlon Weyan, producer Issa Ray and actress Keke Palmer.

It’s her space to talk to friends.

While references to her husband, former President Barack Obama, or the eight years of raising young children in the White House, are true, the political wildfires of the Second Trump administration have received little attention.

As in July last year, Ipsos polls revealed that only Michelle Obama had the chance to praise Donald Trump in the presidential election. Even before she left the White House in early 2017, Democrats hoping she would run.

She repeatedly knocked on the door on top of it.

But as Democrats are looking for a liberal counter to the right-wing media ecosystem that helped Trump reclaim the White House by reaching millions who don’t pay attention to mainstream media, a more relevant and popular Democrat online show could be what they’re looking for.

Regardless of whether Democrats want her podcast, Michelle Obama has demonstrated that she shows her way.

For now, she is using a platform that reflects the larger and perhaps more effective cultural strategies of former First Ladies, reflecting how black female voters are dealing with the loss of former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, said Democrat strategist Nina Smith.

“This is the best way she can create space and demonstrate the multidimensionality of black women. It allows us to talk about our thoughts, how we interact with our friends, how we interact with people across the racial line, how we interact with our brothers, and how we feel about our bloating, and she can talk about the issues of the moment,” Smith said.

IMO (short for “in my opinion”) is largely lacking juicy gossip, let alone talking about current or former White House residents.

The Father’s Day episode featuring Bruce Springsteen and watched by around 216,000 viewers on YouTube came just days after Trump denounced the rock music icon for calling the administration “corrupted, incompetent, and rebellious.” Trump’s name never appeared, but they both laughed when Michelle Obama joked about someone who was a president who needed medical treatment.

Instead, they talked about going to therapy, building relationships with absentees, and presenting for children during their formative years

“I realized that raising a child is a bank penny,” Springsteen said. “It was when you were working and you didn’t want to stop, but you did. It made a huge difference for me. I always felt that if I had failed with my kids I would have failed very much in my life.”

Michelle Obama responded from her childhood about the meaning of her father, who worked long hours as an urban worker in Chicago, when he gave her full attention to her and her siblings.

“When he was there, he was in a very small but meaningful way,” she said.

“She hates politics.”

Michelle Obama, a corporate lawyer specializing in marketing and intellectual property law, was caught up in the national spotlight when Sen. Skinny, a middle Muslim name, defeated the old security guards of both parties with a new, hopeful American message.

For most of that, she had to pay more attention to her husband’s agenda and image. She has been openly critical of him since Trump took office, but not her podcasts, including the 2024 Democratic National Convention in her hometown, Chicago.

Democratic strategist Linda Tran said that what she thinks about the right moment is likely to last.

“You wouldn’t be surprised to see her using her voice to bring together Democrats in the future, assuming the right place and strategic values. And when she does, I’d expect an overwhelmingly positive response from Democrats,” Tran, who worked for the Obama administration, told USA Today.

But her participation in politics is not a central role in the party’s future, but a gathering of money and giving a speech. Her focus over the past few years has been on external projects, her family, and now she co-hosted new podcasts with her siblings.

Requiring more to do from either Barack or Michelle Obama often meets scoffs from longtime supporters like Natalie Graves, a clinical social worker who was in Chicago’s Grant Park when the couple won in November 2008.

“My first response is eye roll,” Graves, a 55-year-old registered Democrat, said of his continued efforts to recruit former first ladies to run for former president. “If people say they don’t want to run, what are we talking about? They ignore the fact that she made it very clear that she hates politics.”

“I served their time.”

The former first lady shut the door tightly by running to president in March, saying that her daughters, both in their 20s, were in the spotlight and should be a private, young adult.

“I wanted them to have the freedom to not have the world’s eyes. So when people ask me, the answer is no,” Obama said on Kyle Kelsey’s “Don’t Lie” podcast. “When you ask me that, you know absolutely no sacrifices your child makes when your parents are in the role.”

Democrats cast trustworthy voices to help them better connect with different voters and create a left-wing media ecosystem to create a right-wing ecosystem.

Some liberal strategists are asking donors to help them find voices and influencers on the left to fight against people like Steve Bannon and Joe Logan who helped Trump take office, the New York Times reported last month.

Democrats have more statistically trusting mainstream media than Republicans, said Adam Schiffer, a political science professor at Texas Christian University.

The trust of the democratic brain asks, “Who is Joe Rogan, the Democrat?” He said, “It’s not clear that there is always that, as Democrats don’t necessarily find it satisfying and interesting.”

Young people have a fundamentally different media consumption than their parents, Schiffer said, and that if they don’t understand how to get ahead of them, it could “be an important issue for Democrats.”

No matter how popular she is, her former first lady in the 60s might not be the best messenger for the young man, he said.

Influencers played a major role in Harris’ presidential campaign last summer and fall, but were unable to compete with the Republican online juggernaut, which has been built for more than a decade.

And not everyone is an “IMO” fan. Some have called for the former women to complain about living in the White House. For example, former Fox News host Megin Kelly laughed at the podcast in a June 26 video posted to X, and later said Michelle Obama was “destroying her child and husband again.”

When Michelle Obama talks about politics on her podcast, it is the trajectory around the future for Americans of her daughters generation and how political decisions affect ordinary people. She often reflects kitchen table politics that can only be heard by swing state voters, as they can hear from presidential candidates every four years.

“I’m talking to many young people who are fatally afraid of their future in this climate,” she said in the May 21 episode. “They are not only worried about their job, they are worried about being able to become the next entrepreneur. They are wondering if they can pay off their student loans and if they have health care and housing.”

In that episode, Obama and her brother spoke with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky about the future of businesses under the Trump administration’s new tariffs. They spoke about how taxes on goods brought into the country are being handed over to consumers, impeding the ability of young Americans to achieve current economic goals.

“So some people can hold on, while others are not only losing their business, they’re losing their homes in the process,” she said. “That’s a bit scary.”

Michelle Obama used the podcast to defend her decision not to attend Trump’s January inauguration. She insisted that it was all she was to “make the right choice.”

“Whatever the repulsion was, I had to sit and own it. But I didn’t regret it, do you know? Now it’s my life, and now I can say it.”

Dem in the groove

Michelle Obama’s show also arrives when democratic brands stay in the ditch with progressive voters.

About a third of Democrats said they were optimistic about the party’s future.

While some Democrats are beginning to move towards 2028, liberals struggle with the lack of a hero to match Trump’s political moxies in the way that then speaker Nancy Pelosi did in her first term.

Recently, Democrat office holders have clashed with federal agents at press conferences, immigration hearings and ice facilities, creating a viral moment supported by mainstream, left-leaning progressives.

Because such actions did not belong to any of Obama’s styles, some black political activists and artists have emphasized the need for “self-care” over political action in the aftermath of the 2024 election.

“It’s good that she wants to work because it’s important for her to stay in public. She supports the candidate and the nature of that. I have no problem with that,” said Stephen Uzkuw, a cybersecurity analyst in Baltimore, Maryland.

“I just don’t think we should rely on Obama to save America.”

Modi visits restive Indian region to inaugurate world’s highest railway bridge

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The world’s highest railway bridge, an ambitious piece of engineering across a mountain valley in Kashmir, was opened Friday by Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, just weeks after a deadly tourist massacre in the Himalayan region sparked a brief conflict with neighboring Pakistan.

Modi’s visit to India-administered Kashmir was his first since a brief but deadly conflict between India and Pakistan in April. The nuclear-armed neighbors traded missiles, drones, and artillery shelling for four days after New Delhi blamed the massacre on its neighbor, which Pakistan denies.

Decades in the making, the arched Chenab Bridge sits 359 meters (about 1,180 feet) above the river of the same name – that’s 29 meters (over 95 feet) higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Costing more than $160 million with a length of 1,315 meters (4,314 feet), the bridge is part of the first railway link between Kashmir and the rest of India.

Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government has moved to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country, including revoking a constitutional provision that allowed it to set its own laws in 2019.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by India, Pakistan and China. All three administer a part of the region, one of the most militarized zones in the world.

A decorated Vande Bharat passenger train is seen at the Srinagar railway station in Srinagar, India-administered Kashmir, on Friday, ahead of the inauguration of the Kashmir rail link by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In addition to the Chenab Bridge, Modi also inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which connects key cities in India-administered Kashmir to the rest of India.

For Modi, who swept to power more than a decade ago on a ticket of nationalism and a promise of future greatness, investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge and the broader rail link project can be seen as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence. Since he was first elected in 2014, the prime minister has rapidly expanded the region’s road and rail connectivity, building networks that connect disparate towns with major cities.

In 2019, New Delhi revoked a constitutional provision giving India-administered Kashmir the autonomy to set its own laws. The southern and eastern portions of the region known previously as the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir became two separate union territories, bringing them under direct control of New Delhi – a move Modi claimed would promote stability, reduce corruption and boost the economy.

An Indian engineer at the site of the Chenab Bridge in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir on March 4, 2015.

The Chenab Bridge is being hailed as a major win for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party government.

His administration has poured billions into upgrading India’s old and outdated transport network, part of its vision to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047.

Among these ambitious projects is the construction of several tunnels and highways in the mountainous Himalayan region which has been criticized by some environmentalists who say the heavy construction could damage fragile topography already feeling the effects from the climate crisis.

Modi’s Char Dham Highway project, a multimillion-dollar infrastructure plan to improve connectivity in the state of Uttarakhand, came under fire in November 2023 when an under-construction mountain tunnel collapsed, trapping dozens of workers inside for several days with little water and oxygen.

In August that year, more than a dozen workers were killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in the northeastern state of Mizoram. In June, a four-lane concrete bridge that was being built across the River Ganges in the eastern state of Bihar collapsed for the second time in just over a year, raising questions about the quality of its construction.

First, watch dozens of new locations open in 2025. See location.

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First Watch operates more than 580 restaurants in 31 states, with the number expected to grow in 2025.

The company said in its first quarter 2025 revenue call on May 6, it opened 13 restaurants in 10 states in the first three months of the year, bringing a total of 584 restaurants (498 companies owned locations and 86 franchises owned).

Also in a revenue call, First Watch said it expects to open 59-64 new restaurants in 2025. “The same restaurant traffic results in the first quarter encourage and continue the trends that experienced the 2024 escape and demonstrate both the strength and resilience of the first watch brand,” Chris Tomasso, president and CEO of the first watch, said over the phone.

Tomasso said the location, which opened in 2024 and 2025, exceeded expectations despite the “uncertainty” of the economic environment.

Here’s a look at where the chain has opened new restaurants so far in 2025 and where new locations will open for the rest of the year.

Where did First Watch open a new location in 2025?

The company said it opened 13 new locations in 10 states in the first three months of the year.

  • Alabama
  • Florida
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia

According to a spokesman for the first watch, the Massachusetts location is the company’s first New England location, and is located in Hanover. The company plans to open its second Massachusetts location on Boyleston Street in downtown Boston later this year.

In a news release on April 23rd, First Watch CEO & President Chris Tomasso said:

The company also told USA Today it entered Idaho, its 31st state in May.

Where is the first clock to open a new location for the rest of 2025?

The company told USA Today it plans to open new locations in the following states later in 2025:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Missouri
  • Nevada
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Yuta
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin

The company’s new restaurant in Nevada is located in Las Vegas and is expected to open this summer, a spokesman for the first watch told USA Today. Nevada will become the 32nd state of the company that has a location.

Additionally, the company’s first location in Memphis, Tennessee is scheduled for September 2025.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can follow him with X @geuna Alternatively, email him at gdhauari@gannett.com.

Jake Paul drops $39 million on Georgia’s iconic Southlands Ranch

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  • Called Southland, the facility is located near Seminole Lake and is considered a major hunting and fishing location.
  • The property was originally listed for $42.5 million and is described as an iconic sports property.

Professional boxer, social media influencer and content creator Jake Paul bought the vast Southland property just south of Bainbridge, Georgia for $39 million.

Paul said in an interview with the “The Iced Coffee Hour” podcast in mid-June, according to Landreport.com, that he wanted to buy the ranch for the past 15 years.

“That’s my dream and why am I working so hard,” Paul said. He said the 5,746 acres of property was “…a little bigger than what I wanted, but when I got there I said, “I have to buy this.” ”

Paul, 28, is known for his co-star on YouTube and other social media platforms and co-stars, premiering in March 2025 and being a co-star with Logan Paul of Paul American, a reality show that takes a peek into family life outside of boxing and wrestling rings. Logan Paul is a professional wrestler and social media maven.

In November 2024, Paul faced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, a unanimous decision to defeat the veteran fighter. He was originally scheduled to receive $40 million for beating a retired boxer.

The 5,653-acre facility surrounded the east coast of Lake Seminole just above the Florida Panhandle and was listed in October 2024 for $42.5 million. “There is a sports huntsman paradise rich in bobwhite wild quail, turkey and whitetail deer, as well as a 20-acre fishing pond and a 30-acre duck pond.

John Kohler, an expert on large-scale plantation facilities in the southeast, said there is little investment that could build “long-term wealth, such as owning properties such as Southland.”

“We can see financial appreciation, but only sellers can measure immeasurable intrinsic value: lifestyle, experience, memory, that is the most important kind of wealth.

In a Facebook post announcing the purchase, Kohler described the property as “one of America’s most iconic sports properties.”

“From its roots with Herbert Stoddard, a heritage dating back to 1937, Southland has long been the crown jewel of American land management, and Jake Paul’s passion and commitment to conservation has brightened its future more than ever,” the post says.

Contact Economic Development Reporter Tamarin Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @tamarynwaters on X.