The serious wildfires that had been furious in Russia’s Siberian region have swallowed more than 600,000 hectares of forest, local authorities have warned.
A federal-level state of emergency has been introduced in the eastern territory of Zabaikalsky Krai, where federal emergency situations have been introduced since late April, reported by the Russian state news agency TASS.
Despite great efforts to tackle wildfires in Mongolia and its adjacent areas, 49 forest fires continue to burn, with a total area of over 629,000 hectares, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency said on Wednesday.
More than 1.4 million hectares of land have been affected by wildfires since the beginning of this year, according to roughly three figures released on Tuesday by the Russian Federation Forestry Agency.Total area affected by fires in the US and Canada so far this yearCombined.
Smoke from the fire has spread hundreds of miles, and forecasts from Copernicus, a European climate change service, show that smoke will reach Beijing and the Korean Peninsula by the end of this weekend.
The emergency has been declared throughout Russia’s Far East Siberian region since April in response to vegetables.
On Tuesday, the Russian Republic declared a regional level emergency on Tuesday, closing all access to the forest, reported Ria Novosti, the state communications agency.
Since mid-March, 174 forest fires have been burning in Biryatia, which borders Mongolia, according to Ria Novosti, the area’s forestry agency said. Of these fires, 90% were caused by careless human activity, the agency said.
As of Tuesday, more than 530 firefighters have been deployed and there are 22 active fires in the Buryatia area.
Russia’s wildfire season began earlier this year, which was recorded in mid-March, compared to May this year.
Creates a condition of a crater box that can be exacerbated by the hot Russian weather and climate change and can cause small fires to spread rapidly.
Over 2,100 bushfires have been recorded across Russia this year, official data from Russia’s Federal Air Forest Conservation Service shows.
Blink and you’d have missed it – almost. In the drawn-out hilly finale of stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia, leading overall favourite Primož Roglič moved to the front of the crumbling peloton and briefly seemed poised to launch the first GC attack of this year’s race. Although it didn’t succeed, it felt like a real threat to his rivals.
As Roglič prowled up to second place behind Lidl-Trek lead-out man Mathias Vacek, it had all the air of one of his trademark late uphill accelerations that has been so profitable in his GC battles in the past.
Was it psychological warfare? Or was Roglič briefly flexing his muscles before stage 7’s first major mountain challenge? Stage winner Mads Pedersen later pointed out that had things kicked off in the GC battle and 10 or 15 riders clipped off the front, Roglič’s fast finish meant he would have been the clear favourite to take the win.
But as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s head sports director Patxi Vila later told a small group of reporters that rather than planning to pounce, Roglič’s menacing manoeuvre had been more a combination of precaution and momentum than anything else.
“It wasn’t hard enough to attack, and obviously the level here at the Giro is super high,” Vila explained outside the Red Bull team bus after the finish.
“Perhaps if it had been a stronger lead-out or a bit of a longer climb,[it could have been different], but the route didn’t provide the opportunity to do something more.
“It was just about being safe and not getting caught on the back foot, perhaps even getting stuck behind there and needing to react.”
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As Vila put it, the whole scenario arose as a result of Roglič maintaining most of a previous decision to go to the front, rather than being a prelude to an all-out attack.
“I think Giovanni Aleotti was the [Red Bull] teammate sprinting to put Primož into second position. Then you keep the momentum to see how it’s going behind,” he explained.
“It’s nothing special, but it’s better to keep that momentum rather than just go back to the back and risk having someone going right or left just ahead of you.”
Roglič finally rolled across the line in 12th place, but he remains in second place overall. While he is 10 seconds further adrift of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) after the Dane clinched his third stage victory, Roglič’s advantage on the remainder of his rivals stays more than intact.
“We knew that on the first part of the Giro, we’d have some tricky days, particularly the gravel stage plus stage 7 and probably after that race will be different,” Vila pointed out.
“But this is the Giro, today was technical, and the Cat 4 climb was also steep, so we have to keep focused. Sometimes it’s a bit boring to watch, but it’s been tense, too.”
Regarding Red Bull’s pre-race ‘shadow’ GC leaders, Jai Hindley remains high up on the overall ranking in 15th place, 58 seconds down, while Dani Martínez has slumped to 85th after losing six minutes. Vila said he could not comment on their performances as he had yet to speak to them after the stage.
Vila said that Roglič remains the clear team leader, “and we want to have them [Martínez and Hindley] ready for when it matters.”
While Roglič remains a constant presence at the top end of the classification and Hindley is still – perhaps – a potential card to play in the GC battle, one big change in the coming days for the entire peloton will be the weather. After nearly a week of dry, warm weather, it’s set to rain on stage 6 to Naples, and then temperatures are expected to plummet to just above freezing on the stage finish at Tagliacozzo.
“It’ll add spice to the race – the rain and cold always change things. Technically, it’ll become more challenging. Hopefully, all the riders are in one piece at the finish line, and the best one wins,” Vila concluded. “But whatever happens, it will add an extra layer of stress.”
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Giro d’Italia coverage. Our team on the ground will bring you all the breaking news, reports, analysis and more from every stage of the Italian Grand Tour. Find out more.
President Trump is touring three of the wealthiest monarchies in the Middle East. They give him a reception worthy of the king’s worshippers.
President Donald Trump plans to accept Qatar jets
President Donald Trump is planning to accept the Qatar royal 747-8 jumbo jet to replace Air Force 1.
Trump was treated to a tour of the Golden Palace in Saudi Arabia, Canon salutes and state dinner.
“We really believe we love each other very much,” he said of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to biographers, monarchy Trump is most admired by the British royal family.
London – When it soaks in with charm, wears a crown or says “fancy,” he appeals to him, says one of his biographers. He named his youngest son “Baron.” This is often a class of genetic nobility, and added an extra “R” for a proper measure.
He added a touch of gold to all White House portraits, fireplace mantle, entrances, sculptures and coasters.
President Donald Trump has acknowledged his romantic relationship with royal families, particularly the British family, dating back to his mother, a poor immigrant from Scotland. In his book, The Art of the Deal, Trump recalls that in 1953, he sat for hours to see Queen Elizabeth II’s coral crown.
Currently, Trump is in the Middle East. There, a wealthy Arab monarchy lies in a reception filled with luxury and pageant, suitable for king worshippers.
Trump’s Gulf Tour: A trip that intersects personal diplomacy and family business
Lavender carpet, golden sword
When Trump jumped into Riyadh on May 13, he was given a rare escort for the Saudi Air Force F-15. Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ruler of Saudi Arabia’s defactor, welcomed him at the airport. There, lavender carpets – colors reserved for famous high-ranking officials, celebrated Saudi Arabian identity – were unfolded.
Honorary Guards lined up with golden swords.
more: Trump denies the story of golf, a Saudi Arabian conference real estate
Trump was treated to a golden palace, cannon salutes and a state dinner tour. A fleet of Arabian horses with riders carrying the flag escorted the beast, his presidential limousine.
Qatar has launched its own carpet. This time – for Trump – he landed in Doha a day later and became the first US president to visit an energy-rich country since President George W. Bush in 2003. The scores of our flags and ours were lined up in the street. They were also placed on boats and stuck to horses and camels.
“We’re grateful for those camels,” Trump said.
Deals, jet liners and Syria sanctions lifted
In Qatar, Trump will take part in a second sparkling state dinner and try to attack commercial deals. Prior to his arrival, Catalis said he was looking for ways to present a gorgeous jet liner worth an estimated $400 million.
When Trump visits some of the richest countries in the world, he appears to be having a good time.
“We really believe we love each other very much,” he said of the Crown Prince as he lavished in a golden chair under the intricate chandeliers of the Saudi Arabian royal palace.
Qatar Gifts: Trump talks to embrace the gorgeous jet
Trump is chasing major trade deals in the Gulf. In a speech later that day at the Riyadh Investment Conference, he described Crown Prince Mohammed as “an incredible man” and “a great man.”
The emotions seemed mutual. When Trump vowed to lift our sanctions on Syria, the Crown Prince placed his hand on his heart and led him to a standing ovation.
“Yeah, I’m doing it for the Crown Prince,” Trump said.
“Give them a chance of greatness”: Trump will end our sanctions on Syria
Trump and the Royal Family, Charm
Douglas Brinkley, author and professor of history at Rice University, notes that Trump has been “always very impressed with the monarchy.” And Michael da Antonio, who wrote his 2016 biography, “The Truth About Trump,” states that throughout his life, Trump has expressed his desire to be on par with his royal family and the British, especially the late monarch Elizabeth II.
“This is more important than legislation that can pass parliament than solving problems at the border with Mexico,” D’Antonio said in a 2019 interview. “I would think one of his thoughts of death would be this. When he was about to leave this earth, he would think, ‘I was that person, I was standing with the Queen.’ ”
(Trump Trump met Queen Elizabeth II twice in his first presidency. In 2018, they watched a military parade and drank tea at Windsor Castle. In 2019, during a state visit, she held a banquet for him at Buckingham Palace. She liked her.”
Still, Christopher Hansel, who served as Charge Die-a-A Affairs at the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia from 2017 to 2019, said he “really didn’t see” his preconceived notion of Middle Eastern monarchy in Trump.
“Every US President recognizes that Saudi Arabia is a very important partner if they are trying to accomplish anything in the Middle East,” he said. “It’s not whether you like them, are attracted to them or not. You have to deal with them. There’s a huge GDP in Saudi Arabia. It’s diplomatic power. It’s religious qualifications.”
Hansel added that the state’s visit is “intended to be impressive,” and that Saudi Arabia is “known for its completely excess and gorgeous event.” He said this is another Gulf nation – Trump has also visited the United Arab Emirates in Junt in his region – sometimes “we tried to copy and even get better.”
Among the gorgeous people, Trump easily took part in a traditional male-only sword dance during his 2017 visit. “I was there for that and I can say he really enjoys it,” Hansel said.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar bring glamour
Brett Brune, director of global engagement at the Obama White House, said the treatment of the royals Trump has received in the Gulf would be “in the paper some of the more sensitive regions of our relationship, from human rights to dealing with China.”
Bruen said Trump “seems to be captivated by the glamour and charm, he forgets to focus on our agenda and lets him fall on the show they put on for him.”
Former diplomat Hansel objected.
He said Trump understood Saudi Arabia relations and contrasted with former President Trump and former President Joe Biden, who vowed to have “Paria” kicked out of the kingdom for the human rights record in 2019, particularly due to the murder of US journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
The US intelligence agency concluded that the prince has approved the murder of Khashoggi. Within a year of winning the White House, Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia and pushed the kingdom to increase oil production amid rising prices.
I didn’t do that.
Where Trump and Arab Monarchies match
Ali al-Ahmed, the Saudi-born founder of the Gulf Issues Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, said Arab monarchy leaders had the “idea that they like to show off.”
He said he believes Trump shares this habit.
“When I look at his house, they’re gold plated,” Al Ahmed said, referring to Trump’s gorgeous 128-room María Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump met the Qatar chief in the incense scent ritual room at Rusail Palace in Doha. As he entered the room he stopped, looked around, marveled at the architecture.
“The work you did is no match for anyone. You see this and it’s so beautiful,” he told Emile. “As a builder, I see Perfect Marble, which is what they call Perfect.”
Valeria Marquez was addressing her Tiktoku followers during a live stream at her beauty salon in Zapopan, Mexico.
“He’s a little piglet!” The beautiful 23-year-old influencer smiled and cried, returning to viewers, unleashing the stuffed animal, throwing long blonde hair over her shoulder.
After a while she was dead and even as the live stream continued, blood was piled up on the desk in front of her and she collapsed into a chair. The footage only ended when others picked up the phone.
According to the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office, Marquez was shot dead by a male intruder in a case being investigated as a murder suspect.
The death of Marquez, a public figure with over 100,000 Instagram followers, sent a shockwave through a country that has long struggled with both high levels of murder and violence against women.
Just a few days ago, another woman – a mayoral candidate from Veracruz – was shot dead during a live stream along with three other people.
Not all murders involving women are feminized, but many do. According to Amnesty International, a quarter of the murders of women in Mexico were investigated as feminists in 2020, and reported in each of the 32 Mexican states.
Last year, Mexican government figures showed 847 murders were reported in the first three months of the year, with 162 reported in the first three months of the year.
Mexico’s response to common murder is sternly hoping, according to rights groups who say there are too few investigations that lead to prosecution.
“In 2022, around 4,000 women were killed in Mexico, which amounted to 12% of all murders that year,” Juanita Goebertus, American director of Human Rights Watch, told CNN. “And the percentage of cases leading to a verdict is around 67%.”
The main challenge, Goebertus said, is to increase the ability of authorities to investigate and protect witnesses and victims.
CNN contacted the Attorney General’s Office for further details.
The US and China agree to a transaction that lowers tariff levels
The US and China agreed to a trade agreement after face-to-face meetings with senior economic officials.
During the tariff riots of recent weeks, you may have noticed that you will pull random plates and mugs from your shelf and hand them over to learn what country they are from.
In many cases, the answer is China.
China ranks as the third largest source of imports in the United States in 2025, with $100 billion imports through March, according to census data. In all of 2024, China ranked second only to Mexico.
President Trump’s import duties campaign surprised consumers at the rise in prices on imports from around the world. However, many of the biggest fears are centered around China.
Trump announced a trade agreement that largely enacted a 145% import tax on Chinese products in April, and reduced it to 30% for now on May 11th. However, 30% is still a large number.
Already “custom tours”, if you take a walk around the house, turn over the lamps and couch cushions and discover their source, you already know how dependent you are on Chinese products.
“This may be a bit of awakening where everything we really come from,” said Alex Jack, Chief of Policy and Advocacy for Progressive Groundwork.
If you haven’t invented imports from your home, make sure you can lead the tour.
This is the amount of household goods from China
Our pans and pans breathtaking share, 90%, from China. A relatively small quotient (30%) of washer and dryer occurs there. But those numbers underestimate the full-scale Chinese imports.
“Even products that appear to be in another country embody important content that came from China,” said Adam Hirsch, a senior economist at the left-leaning Institute for Economic Policy Research.
Here is a list of 11 common household items, showing the percentage of all imported goods in 2024 that comes from China. This number was compiled using the US International Trade Commission’s DataWeb.
cooking:66% are made in China. The next biggest source: Mexico.
Pot and frying pan: 90% made in China. Next biggest source: India.
Cooking utensils:87% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam.
refrigerator:87% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam.
tv set: 48% is made in China. The next biggest source: Mexico.
Sofa: 43% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam.
lamp: 48% is made in China. The next biggest source: Mexico.
dress: 40% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam.
toilet: 44% made in China. Main sauce (47%): Mexico.
Vacuum cleaner:35% is made in China. Main sauce (42%): Vietnam.
Washer dryer:30% is made in China. Next biggest source: Korea.
The current tariff contract between the US and China is only good for 90 days, but the two countries are negotiating. Then where are the customs fees? Even some trade experts hate to say it.
“That’s a million dollar question,” said Colin Grabow, associate director of the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at Cato Institute. “You get the feeling that you’re making it up as they go.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
President Donald Trump touched the warm welcome of fighter jets, cybertracks and dancers in Doha, Qatar.
Ahead of this week’s trip to Qatar and the Middle East, President Donald Trump chased the planned gift of Qatar’s Boeing 747 jets, saying he was “silly” not accepting “free, extremely expensive planes.”
Aboard Air Force 1, Trump lamented Fox News host Sean Hannity, a comparative old age of a US government plane, and did not appear next to the “brand new Boeing 747” in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“You see ours next to it. It’s like a completely different plane,” Trump said.
The White House announced on May 14 that Qatar Airways would purchase more than 200 new jets from Boeing.
As Trump doubles its acceptance of luxury planes from Qatar despite ethical concerns, Virginia-based Boeing has announced a plane contract with foreign airlines for less than half the initially announced price.
When he sat down with Qatar Emil Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and signed the economic and defense agreement, President Trump said it was “the Jets’ biggest order in Boeing’s history,” and said it was “it’s pretty good.”
“It’s over $20 billion, but it’s $160 for the Jets. That’s great,” Trump said. In an official announcement later that day, the White House issued a much lower revised figure – $96 billion – for up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777x aircraft.
Qatar Airways said in a news release that the deal is the largest aircraft order in its history.
Qatar Airlines’ contract was not the first time during a Boeing-cashed trip to the Middle East – Avilleaze, an aircraft leasing company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, ordered as many as 30 Boeing Jets.
more: Fighter planes, chandeliers, cyber trucks: see the glamour of Trump’s visit to the Middle East
In contrast, the plane that Qatar offered to Trump has raised concerns from both Democrats and Republicans, and there is no price tag as it violates the constitution’s emolations clause.
“The American people should let their disgust know. There is no room for this kind of awful disregard for the above-mentioned empty constitution,” Norman Eisen, Virginia Kanter, Richard W. Painter – the former White House legal advice, all written in a New York Times opinion piece.
Democrat lawmakers were also furious. “This cannot bear it. Our foreign policy is not a mechanism to enrich Donald Trump and his family,” Senator Docon Chris Murray said in a video statement.
Trump retorted that the plane was not personally for him, but rather a “free gift” to the Department of Defense.
“Why should our army, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars when they can freely get it from the country they want to reward us for a sufficient job,” he wrote about the truth social in an early morning post on May 14th after his arrival in Riyadh.
“Only fools will not accept this gift on behalf of our nation.”
Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL) almost saw his solid start to the 2025 Giro d’Italia end in a crash on stage 5, as he was forced to abort his sprint into Matera after being clipped by eventual second-place finisher Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious).
The Brit produced a great save to finish rubber-side down in 26th after the incident that led to no ramifications for the Italian, with fellow GC hope Romain Bardet completing the lead-out, and he’ll be glad to live to fight another day after impressing in the opening five race days.
“Poole started his sprint from around sixth wheel but unfortunately had to check his effort to avoid a potential crash; with the duo ultimately finishing safely in the peloton,” said Picnic-PostNL.
“We were there in the last kilometre, but unfortunately, we couldn’t sprint the way we wanted to as Max got blocked a bit,” said Bardet, echoing his team’s words.
Amid their struggle for results and points, Picnic-PostNL have mounted a great bounce back at the Giro d’Italia, not only thanks to Casper van Uden’s stage win in Lecce on stage 4, but also Poole’s flying start in the overall.
The Brit finished the fifth day of racing seventh overall, and in an elite club of six riders who don’t already sit more than 30 seconds in arrears of the favourite for the overall, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), with Poole 26 seconds down on the former Giro winner.
Poole was modest about his successful Grande Partenza, despite finishing in the top 20 of each Albanian stage, and arriving safely, just, on the first two Italian race days.
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“The start in Albania was solid, good to get through and arrive here in Italy,” Poole told Cyclingnews in Alberobello before stage 4.
“With the rest day, it wasn’t such a big deal to start racing hard early on. The Albanian road stages were nice racing days, and the time trial was good, probably better than I expected I could do here.”
Poole, like Van Uden yesterday, assured that the need for points to avoid a relegation battle and stay in cycling’s top division isn’t something that staff at Picnic are overly pushing onto riders, trusting that things will work themselves out now they are into the Grand Tours.
“No, the points thing is not really what we’re focused on. The thing about coming here is that we are fully all in on the Giro,” said Poole.
“That stuff comes with it, obviously it’s there, but it’s not like we’re thinking about it every day. We’re here to race the Giro, and just to focus on that, so we have to do our racing and be confident it will work out.”
The team also have a dual-option for the overall with veteran Grand Tour racer Bardet riding his final three-week race at the Giro.
He’s worse placed than the Brit after five stages, but has proved time and time again over the years just what he can do in the hardest stage races. With two options, the likelihood of the Dutch team carrying the momentum of a first big win in 2025 through to a successful overall placing in Rome looks to be getting stronger.
“We just have to race together. It’s nice to have a couple of different cards to play, but I think we are in a good place,” continued the rider from Scunthorpe.
“We’ve done quite a bit of racing together, so we know how each other works. I think that’s going to be quite important further into the race.”
Poole is racing his third Grand Tour at the 2025 Giro d’Italia, after being the nearly-man at last season’s Vuelta a España, where he finished third on three stages and second once, with that maiden stage win just eluding him.
He wasn’t overly bullish when it came to aiming for a stage win, but did say that the valuable experience from performing well at the Vuelta could help him in his latest campaign. He’s only taken two pro wins so far in his young career, both at the Tour de Lankawai, so a Giro victory would be a huge step up.
“I could take a lot away from last year at the Vuelta, I got a lot of experience and lots of confidence from it,” he said.
“Hopefully I can carry it into here, but it’s a new race, people keep on telling me that the Giro is completely different. But I can definitely take what I learned from 2024 and try to use it here.”
Poole is not only excited about the prospect of a first summit finish into Tagliacozzo on stage 7, but also the gravel stage 9, where he’ll return to the gravel roads of Tuscany after crashing and breaking his collarbone at Strade Bianche only two months ago.
“No, I look forward to going back to gravel. I only got to do half of it in March, so that should be good,” said Poole.
“Then yeah, the uphill finish in a couple days’ time will be the first real tester, I guess, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Giro d’Italia coverage. Our team on the ground will bring you all the breaking news, reports, analysis and more from every stage of the Italian Grand Tour. Find out more.
nAomi Anderson was on vacation looking after her young baby when asked to work at the US Department of Agriculture, helping farmers in developing countries get cut. Anderson was a former Peace Corps volunteer who sends young Americans overseas to projects, and was hoping to spend her entire career in international development.
“I was in this job two years ago with the hopes of staying here for at least 10 years. We started building a community and building our lives here. In January, we began to consider buying a house,” she says.
Now, Anderson has to consider giving up an apartment in Washington, DC Commuter Town in Reston, Virginia. She shares her husband, her 4 month old baby and her almost 2 year old toddler.
“Financially, it’s a bit shaky and honestly, I don’t know what we’re trying to do,” Anderson says. He is an activist in the local branch of the AFSCME Union and dads in selling political merchandise. “We’re thinking about going back to Ohio. I’ve come from, my family. You know, it’s much cheaper.”
Anderson is not alone. “In our apartment, there’s a lot of garden sales and people have sold things and moved away. It’s too expensive to live here without a job, so people just look like they’re just picking up and leaving,” she says.
Such a tough life has been forced over the past few months as the so-called DOGE (DOGE) of government efficiency led by Donald Trump’s favorite tech billionaire Elon Musk cut jobs with cost cuts.
Data from the latest monthly Challenger Jobs report suggests that Doge has been responsible for cutting jobs to date by 281,452.
Brendan DeMitch is one of those who should be fired after losing his job as an engineer at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All of his colleagues working on the safety of the mine, as well as colleagues from the Sister Institute’s testing equipment, such as the respiratory system, will also leave more than 200 in total as part of a wave of cuts launched by Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“So many people are devastated,” says DeMic, chief steward of the local AFGE Union branch. He says that so many workers were taken away at once, that coworkers were unable to give them any kind of send-off. “We had to process the package and leave the door, so it left unexpectedly.”
Although each of these cuts has its own impact, experts warn of the increased risks they combine to cause economic cuts, especially in areas where government work is concentrated.
Liz Schuler: “The economy is affected in such a harsh way, as it ripples across all the industries we represent.” Photo: Bonnie Cash/Upi/Rex/Shutterstock
Liz Schuler, president of the AFL-CIO coalition of 63 unions representing more than 15 million American workers, is looking to build a nationwide campaign to highlight the devastating impact.
“The trick is to connect the dots because there is already a national story of what’s going on, but that’s not yet felt,” Scheller says. “Elon (Musk) has “government efficiency.” We have established the “Division of People Working for Livelihoods.” It’s cheeky, but it’s kind of serious because we say we’re working on the frontline.
“As a labor federation, we are clearly concerned about our jobs and the livelihoods of our people, but it has to do with our communities as well, and the fact that our economy is being affected in such a tough way has rippled over all the industries we represent,” she adds.
These ripples are particularly strong in towns and counties around Washington, DC. There, job losses and government cuts are constantly manifested in conversation.
Kate Bates is the chairman of the wealthy chamber of commerce in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from the US capital. She compares current uncertainty with the pandemic. “But during Covid, the federal government was a backstop, and so far it’s the federal government that’s causing a lot of this,” she says.
Bates reports that her members have warned of a slowdown not only for government contractors, but also for real estate and hospitality as a whole, with some reports already having to hire.
“What we hear from a lot of people is that if they can plan the cut, they’ll be in an OK position.
“If it’s a year-round margin, restaurants like us will go down,” says the general manager of Barley Mac in Arlington. Photo: Greg Kahn/Guardian
Companies that rely on government workers on customs are also feeling cold. Samir Nizam, general manager of Barley Mac Restaurant in Arlington, part of a small family-owned chain, noticed trade declines in almost all of its regular client groups.
Nearby hotels are not very occupied. “Happy Hour Party” reservations by accountants and consultants serving the federal government have dropped by two thirds. And many older locals are surprised by the volatility of the market.
“We can do a lot to turn things around. We can’t draw people to Washington or convince them to go out and do things,” Nizam says. “Barley Macs offer great food and provide great service, but they exist in financial margins like many restaurants, and because when they are in margins all year round, restaurants like us are not part of a huge national chain with deep pockets.”
Real Estate Agent Jessica Miller says the client is responding by trying to withdraw from the transaction and negotiate an unusually short lease. Photo: Greg Kahn/Guardian
Jess Miller, who set up Rock Spring Real Estate Solutions a few years ago, is holding a breakfast roundtable for clients on the top floor of a new, yet-unavailable office block in Arlington.
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She found her clients hope to respond to the changing climate, get out of the transaction and negotiate an unusually short lease. Rather than looking for one anchor tenant, the owner of this building is splitting the floor.
“It’s different how they make decisions, it’s the reduction we see,” says Miller. “After first hitting an NGO, it was a hit, you know, a company and a contractor, and that’s a lot of senior management.”
Katherine Dozmura Friedman is the co-founder and CEO of Thumbprint, an Arlington-based startup that provides an artificial intelligence platform for designing office layouts.
Katherine Dozmura Friedman says she saw family friends and neighbors losing their jobs. Photo: Greg Kahn/Guardian
“There’s no universe where things happen like the past few months, and there’s no serious consequences,” she says. “We have family friends and our neighbors lost their jobs. These are not the people we normally face layoffs. These are people who have reached the peak of their careers and are specialised.”
As far as business effectiveness is concerned, D’Zmura Friedman said:
In her office nearby, Renata Briggman, a residential real estate agent, has come to the idea that the Arlington housing market could be attacked.
However, she acknowledges the signs of change. “It’s definitely changing. We don’t see fire sales. It’s very slow. It’s very slow. It’s just starting to see it.
Renata Briggman: ‘It’s definitely changing. No fire sales are seen. That’s too early. ” Photo: Greg Kahn/Guardian
These challenges have been replicated throughout the region. Jimmy Olebson, president and CEO of National Capital Bank, which serves Washington, DC and its surrounding area, says the bank has yet to see signs of financial distress, including rising delinquent payments, but the mood is “anxious.” Many customers who have approved recent mortgage applications appear to be holding home hunting.
Some experts fear that this culmination of anxiety will be so prevalent in the coming months. An analysis by University of Virginia Regional Economics expert Dr. Joan Ferreira suggests that more than 320,000 people in the state are directly employed by the federal government, with another 441,000 jobs relying on taxpayer-funded contracts.
For example, construction, the same companies that worry about whether contracts will be cut, are also competing with rising prices for materials as a result of tariffs. Some border taxes have been suspended or reduced, but these restrictions, which remain average costs, are far higher than they did earlier this year.
In theory, the Trump administration was able to free the darkness by drawing a line under the budget, returning to his day job where Musk runs electric car maker Tesla. But key members of the Cabinet, including Kennedy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, are bragging about how much they cut from their budgets — and White House trade policies continue to adhere to in turn.
Ferreira said: “As an economist, I don’t think I’ve seen so much happen at the same time. But they all connect in the same direction and it’s a recession.”
He says Virginia has often been eased from past economic downturns due to past federal funding, but in this cycle, he hopes the state will lead the way. “We may definitely see other regions like Virginia and Maryland being at the forefront of this recession,” Ferreira says.
Meanwhile, for many affected individuals, the future looks very uncertain, despite the proposal of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent to work in manufacturing. “For our team, we are committed to international development,” Anderson says. “We have a background in humanitarian work, and the Trump administration is trying to cut international foreign aid. So where do you go from there?”
RFK Jr. dip with his grandson at contaminated DC Creek
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. marked Mother’s Day by swimming with his grandson in a contaminated stream at DC Park.
Ben & Jerry co-founder Ben Cohen was one of about a half dozen people after protesting to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy at the Senate hearing on May 14th.
Within minutes of Kennedy’s testimony, five members of the audience rose from their seats and began charging towards the front of the room near members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet. “RFK kills people with AIDS,” the group chanted.
Capitol police quickly removed protesters, including Cohen, from the room. The ice cream company known for supporting liberal causes and candidates did not immediately respond to USA Today’s request for comment.
Known for taking a controversial stance on vaccines, Kennedy has been criticized by healthcare advocates to raise questions about the established science that AIDS is caused by a virus known as HIV.
At least 87 different groups, including the International Association of AIDS Care, opposed Kennedy’s appointment to lead a country’s health agency that is facing significant cuts under the Trump administration.
For most of the hearing, Democrats burned Kennedy with questions about the vaccine, the country’s measles outbreak, and how they are implementing the recently approved spending bill.
Republican members were largely focused on Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy” initiative. It is expected to receive $500 million infusions under Trump’s budget, and is being promoted to end what the secretary calls the country’s “chronic disease epidemic.”
Cohen was protesting Israeli war in Gaza
Cohen was swept at Kennedy’s hearing, but he was also inside the Capitol opposed Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Earlier in the day, he joined Senator Rashida Tribe, D-Michigan and other left-leaning activists, and this week denounced US allies for intensifying artillery fire in the region.
“We are good Americans and we are expected to look the other way around as Israel keeps food, water and medicines from reaching the rest of Gaza. Israel literally starves them,” Cohen told a news event.
“We won’t look away. We won’t be silent. We will do everything we can to help the government stop the little hungry children from conspire.”
YE, has Bianca Censori been kicked out of the Grammys?
Kanye West and Bianca Censori were not kicked out of the 2025 Grammy Awards.
No Brands – Entertainment
This year, nude is definitely out in Cannes, so is the long, bold gown.
After the International Film Festival unveiled the set of this year’s new dress code rules, Halleberry, who works for the competition judge, has made it clear that pre-planned clothing must be thrown away.
“I had a great Gupta dress, but that’s the train is too big so I can’t wear it tonight,” she told Variety, referring to celebrity designers and Kutulie Gaurav Gupta.
The new rules posted on the festival’s website explicitly prohibit “huge outfits” especially when there are “big trains,” claiming that it “stopping the proper flow of clogging at the theatre and complicating theatre seating.”
Cannes Film Festival bans nudity You are a Grammy Award stunt by Bianca Sensori. Is that a new era?
The new rules also targeted rare coverings that ban nudity in carpets and festival areas. A new trend in “nude dresses”, a name-only clothing, often with figure hagging and a check that looks like see-through.
“For good reason, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet and other areas of the festival,” the rules read.
The move comes after Bianca Sensori made waves at the Grammys wearing a nearly completely see-through dress. Censori, who arrived with her husband, a rapper previously known as Kanye West, received massive backlash for her fashion choices, and many classified it as a sexist stunt.
Halleberry cutout dress Met Gala put the internet into his weapon. why?
Berry, for one thing, is not opposed to the ban on nudity.
“I’m not going to break the rules,” she said of the change in her outfit. “The nude part is probably a good rule too,” her comments bring to mind the trigger of her recent mini-out class surrounding Met Gala Look. It’s not a perfect “naked dress.” It was hardly left in the imagination.
Beyond guidelines that focus more on relevance, the festival is imposing in partnership with French law – they – the trends in nude dress may just be out of style.
“The only thing you can rely on in fashion is that rising must happen,” Lorin Divita, professor of apparel design and merchandising and author of the book Fashion Prediction, previously told USA Today. “In the end, people get tired and the cycle changes.”
“We scored points in clubwear. We portray what makes our clothes tense and reveal we are tired,” she added. “We saw it. We were there. We did it.”
Sign up for CNN Meals, but better: Mediterranean style. Our 8-part guide shows you a delicious, professionally supported dietary lifestyle to boost your health for your life.
For over 20 years, Lisa Lillian has accumulated a collection of home appliances while developing new recipes as “Hungry Girls.” Her kitchen counter features air fryers, slow cookers, instant pots, blenders, toasters and more. But when I ask Lillian, “I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not a nutritionist, I’m just a hungry person,” there’s one tool that makes her come back over and over. It’s a sheet pan.
“Why sheet pan now? I hear it frequently from email subscribers, and almost everyone wants an easier and faster option,” Lillian said. “Sheet pans are really the MVPs in the kitchen because you can put something on the bread, put it in the oven and spend the day.”
Unlike these other tools, it does not take up valuable counter space and is often available for under $20.
“I’m not a cooking snob. I don’t think you need a particular pot. It certainly doesn’t have to be expensive,” Lillian said.
The ingredients you cook with it don’t have to be exclusive either. “We don’t encourage you to go buy all the groceries from the boutique grocery store,” she pointed out. “Hungry girls are Walmart rather than Vanity Fair. In the best way possible, it’s just for everyone.
It is the philosophy behind the whole Hungry Girl Empire, including free daily emails with recipes and healthy cooking tips, magazines, podcasts (often reviewing products available at major online and person retailers), and 16 cookbooks. In her latest “Hungry Girl Sheet Pan Cookbook: One-Pan Wonders 400 Calories,” Lillien shares her 400 Calories recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sides and desserts.
“Sheetpans can do it all: baking, roasting, baking, and even serving,” Lillian wrote in her book. They are “a breeze to clean up. Plus, the raised edges contain oven spills and drips.”
Shooting cues from popular fast food restaurant menu items, viral food trends, beloved comfortable foods, and cookbooks include one-bread tricks to make every meal easier. We asked Lillian to mentor us through a one-day sheet pan ete.
When Flapjack became a doctor with a generous shower of butter and a massive shower of maple syrup, “Pancakes aren’t always the healthiest. They aren’t always easy to cook evenly,” Lillian said. “When you make pancakes in a frying pan or griddle, you often burn later batches, as the heat in the bread can be difficult to control.”
Lillian looked for a solution. She found it and integrated it into her recipe for brownies, strawberries and blueberry pancake bars. Sheet pans allow you to cook the batter evenly and create a week’s worth of pancakes.
To try this at home: Arrange sheet pans on parchment and spritz them with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Mix in your favorite pancake batter. (Lillien digs a whole wheat flour-based blend to boost the fiber.) Pour it into a prepared sheet pan and sprinkles it on desired toppings such as berries or chocolate chips. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-17 minutes, or until golden on top.
Usually, if you’re trying to replicate a fast food worthwhile meal at home, you’ll need deep-fried food, grill, griddle, and perhaps a frying pan to cook some of the toppings, such as onions and bacon. But Lillian’s “Ultimate Lunch” – in-n-out burger copycat animal style burger pate – shows how to DIY in a sheet pan. You can try this same concept with your favorite burgers and fries.
For a midday meal inspired by her fast food, it all starts with the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the ⅓ Cup Thousand Island Dressing (light, if necessary), 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar. If you have another favorite burger sauce, feel free to replace it.
Next, prepare a ¼ pound burger pate with any meat or seasonings you want. (Lillian likes 95% leek round beef jazzed up with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
Place the burger and 2 cups of chopped onion in one sheet pan and place a fried turnip spear or another root vegetable or a stir-fry of heavy-duty squash. Grilled at 425 f until fries are crispy, the onions are tender and the burger is cooked to your preferred dongness level. Top of fries with pate, spoonful of sauce, a scoop of cooked onion and slices of cheddar cheese. Bake until sauce is hot and the cheese is fused.
According to Lillian, a often overlooked advantage of cooking sheet pans is the ability to multitasking. On the large cooking side, multiple items can be cooked on the same sheet without overcrowding. There are carrots roasted with honey mustard pretzel salmon, one of Lillian’s favorite recipes in the book, and only 35 minutes ask for six ingredients, leaving a balanced main dish and sides.
“Honey Mustard is a very good flavor booster. It’s very versatile and has very low calorie content,” says Lillian, acting like a “glue” to adhere to crushed pretzels. “The richness of the salmon works very well with the tang and sweetness of honey mustard and salty pretzels.”
Preheat the oven to 400 f. Spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Place the carrots on a baking sheet. Top with oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Throw it on the court.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 375 f.
Twist the whisker. Add salmon to the baking sheet. Season with salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, remaining salt of ⅛ salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Top salmon with mustard and crushed pretzels.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until salmon is cooked through and the carrots are tender.
Bake the oven.
Bake for 1-2 minutes until the pretzels are slightly toasted.
Matthew Segal is co-director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Supreme Court initiative and filed Amicas Curiae. Easy in Griffin vs. North Carolina Election Commission At the North Carolina Court of Appeals. We also submitted the ACLU Voting Rights Project Easy to the Fourth Circuit of related federal lawsuits. The North Carolina ACLU has signed both briefs.
In democracy, voters are supposed to choose representatives, but not the other way around. In this case, representatives will include the judges of the state that were elected. But for six months, its basic principles were under attack in North Carolina. The attack is over, but the court’s handling necessarily includes important lessons from when democracy is being challenged in other states like this.
In a controversial election last November on the state’s Supreme Court, Democrat Judge Alison Riggs won a 734 vote victory over Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican sitting in the state court of appeals. But the story didn’t end there. Griffin has filed a lawsuit seeking state judiciary to scrap more than 60,000 votes.
Griffin’s lawsuit targeted the North Carolinians who did nothing wrong but instead followed election officials’ instructions. Griffin largely argued that the North Carolina Election Commission accepted voter registration without requiring voters to supply the last four digits of a driver’s license or Social Security number, allowing voters overseas separately to vote military and absentees without supplying photo items. He argued that votes cast by voters in these categories should be abandoned.
Fortunately, on May 5, federal court rejected his efforts, and Griffin chose to make a concession rather than appeal. The end of this lawsuit is welcome, but its existence reveals an important truth. When democracy is under attack, both state and federal courts must come to their defense.
First of all, before the federal court ruled against Griffin, the North Carolina Supreme Court did so in part by determining that the largest category of dispute voters, including false voter registrations, must count. The state court pointed to more than 100 years of precedents from voters who override voters due to false government instructions. In these cases, as explained by the ACLU brief, if election officials allow someone to register and vote, their vote will “not be denied.”
These decisions are consistent with key principles of the state constitution. Like many state constitutions, the North Carolina constitution gives people all their political power. This “popular sovereignty” provision is not merely purity. It reflects the “revolutionary faith” of people, as explained in a paper co-authored by North Carolina Chief Paul Newby. That’s strange, but if, as expressed in the vote, the choice of sovereignty of people could be denied simply because one branch of the government (judicial) (judicial) says another branch (executor) misunderstood them.
But surprisingly, the North Carolina Supreme Court did not apply this principle to overseas voting. These voters also relied on board instructions. However, the state court ruled that these voters would renounce their vote unless they provided their photo ID within 30 days of receiving notification from the board.
The federal district court then intervened. To abandon the vote challenged by Griffin held it for two reasons that it violated the US Constitution.
First, the federal court held that due process provisions in the US Constitution protected all voters who “vote rely on previously established rules.” The North Carolina Supreme Court held that there is no right to count votes if foreign voters do not provide photo IDs, but the federal court concluded that if any, those voters deserve protection in particular.
Second, the federal court held that the North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution by requiring only a portion of the decision, not overseas voters. By requesting photo IDs only from voters in the counties where Griffin submitted the assignment, not all of the state counties, the federal court explained that the state courts had treated him more unfairly than other voters.
These overlapping but clear court decisions – one federal and one state contain important lessons about federalism and our democracy. Standing alone, neither decision provided complete protection from North Carolina voters from disenfranchisement. The state’s decision saved 60,000 votes, but others were at risk. The federal court announced protections for all challenged votes, but Griffin may have appealed the decision.
That’s how federalism should work. The government system does not assume that state or federal courts are perfect. Instead, by balancing power between state and federal agencies, federalism increases the likelihood that at least one court will step up to protect fundamental rights and freedoms.
As more and more democracies are attacked, its federalist system is becoming increasingly important. In Griffin’s case, certainly, federal courts took a broader approach to federal rights than state courts had on state rights. However, in another state, the role may be reversed if: Federal courts may say they cannot rely on challenged voters, but state courts that rely on interpretations of general sovereignty clauses in their country’s constitution may announce voter protections for sweeps.
The stakes are high. If cases like Griffin succeed elsewhere, and especially if they overturn the election outcome, the damage to our democracy will be serious. Every state and federal courts need every court to prevent that from happening.
Suggested Quote: Matthew Segal, The fate of democracy depends on both state and federal courtssᴛᴛᴇcᴏᴜʀᴛrᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ (May 12, 2025), https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/democracys-fate-despends–state-and-federal-courts
A Venezuelan infant who was held in US government detention after his parents were deported, was returned to Venezuela.
Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport on Wednesday on a repatriation flight from the US.
Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores hugged her two-year-old in her arms as the civil servants announced they had returned to reporters gathered at the airport.
“We are having a huge victory today,” Home Minister Diosdado Cabello said.
Venezuela had accused U.S. officials of luring her up, demanding that the US return the girl.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously denied the allegations, claiming that the family was separated in an attempt to protect Maykelis from their parents.
Maikelys’ mother rejected the claim.
In March, the US deported Espinoza Escarona to an infamous prison in El Salvador, according to the Venezuelan government. His mother, Yorelyz Vernal, was deported on a flight to Venezuela without his daughter.
On Wednesday, the girl reunited with her mother and grandmother at the Presidential Palace in Caracas. State television showed Bernal crying tears of joy as she held her daughter tightly in her arms.
President Nicolas Maduro said Venezuelan officials coordinated with US lawyers and rights groups to ensure the girl’s return.
“I would like to thank Ambassador Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump, for his efforts and with Ambassador Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump,” he said.
“There are differences, there are differences, but God’s blessings can move forward.”
CNN has contacted the DHS and the US State Department’s Venezuelan Issues Force for more information.
The infant and her parents entered the United States in May 2024 to seek asylum, according to court documents filed by legal advocacy groups.
Upon arrival, the couple was placed in immigrant detention while their daughter was under the control of the Refugee Resettlement Office (ORR), the father said in an oath.
In July he received an exile order under the Biden administration. Between October and March, the couple visited their daughter in person each week, Espinoza said.
On March 29, Espinoza was sent to a naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to court documents filed by his lawyers.
They said he flew to the infamous Cecot Mega-Prison in El Salvador the next day. The United States uses it to detain hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants.
The mother of the infant was deported shortly after her father was sent to El Salvador. Venezuela said she was forced to return to her country while flying without a two-year-old child.
The girl was placed under ORR’s custody and said DHS “will not allow this child to continue to be abused and exposed to criminal acts that put her safety at risk.”
Bernal previously said he suspected that US authorities tied her to Tren de Aragua for her tattoo.
Listeria outbreaks cause at least 10 people to get sick in all of us
At least 10 people in the US have become ill from the outbreak of Listeria, which is linked to ready-to-eat foods, and producers are voluntarily recalling some of the products.
Scripps News
According to the federal public health warning, some of the chicken sold in four US states are subject to public health warnings and can be fatal.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a warning on May 13th of immediately edible chicken and bacon wrap products due to the possibility of listeria monocytogenes contamination that could cause listeria disease (listeria poisoning).
Are immediate chicken recalled?
According to the USDA, the affected products are no longer on sale. But some people may have frozen the chicken.
Although not a formal recall, a public health warning will be issued to notify consumers of potential health risks associated with certain products.
Which chickens have health alerts issued?
The affected chicken was produced on May 2, 2025 and is as follows:
10 oz. Clear plastic clamshell package containing “Big Y Quick Easy Meal Chicken Bacon Lunch Wrap”
Both items will be on sale until the date on May 7, 2025.
The lot code listed on the bag is 25122.
What state did chickens sell and distribute?
The affected chicken was shipped to distributors in two states, of which three were distributed to retailers. The states are:
Connecticut (Sales)
Massachusetts (dispersion and sales)
New York (distributed and sold)
Listeria poisoning symptoms
Listeria poisoning is a food-borne bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is considered a serious condition and can be dangerous or life-threatening, especially for the elderly, those with a weak immune system, and pregnant women.
Symptoms include per CDC.
heat
Muscle pain
headache
Stiff shoulders
confusion
Loss of balance
convulsions
diarrhea
Other gastrointestinal symptoms
Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and/or life-threatening infections of newborn babies
death
People in the high-risk category who experience flu-like symptoms within two months of eating contaminated food should seek medical care.
Will they be cheaper? Egg prices have fallen for the first time in months.
Toss has affected the ready-to-eat chicken, says USDA
No illnesses were reported immediately in connection with the alert.
For consumers who bought and frozen items, the USDA said they would throw it away.
Are you worried about product illness? The USDA recommends contacting your healthcare provider.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA Today. Contact her at nalund @usatoday.com and follow her at x @nataliealund.
Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal discuss father’s daughter relationship
“The Last of Us” reveals that Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal do not enjoy the character’s alienation in season 2.
Everything old is new again. what goes around comes around. Time is a flat circle. And now Max is HBO Max again.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the streaming service known for HBO content, announced on May 14th that the service party like it was in 2023, returning to its original name from the moniker “Max.”
In a presentation to advertisers in New York, the company described changes happening this summer as meeting consumer needs. “No consumers say they want more content today, but most consumers today say they want better content.” The name change represents the streamer’s new goal of curating high-quality content that appears to resemble HBO shows, such as the current hit “The Last of Us.”
David Theslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, said in a news release that he “backs HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in the media.”
“My team knows well what the HBO brand means to the industry and our consumers,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, said in the presentation. The company “want to name it once more… I know you’re all shocked. The good thing is that I still have stationery.”
The name returns to a left turn from the company’s stance, when the service was renamed from HBO Max to Max, just two years ago in April 2023. Newly turned off the merger between Warner Bros. (owners of film studios of the same name, HBO, HBO Max, TNT, and more) and Discovery (owners of cable channels such as HGTV, Food Network, TLC, and Streamer Discovery+).
At the time, CEO Zaslav called for Discovery+ to be a “rendezvous with destiny” to combine Discovery+ with HBO Max, explaining that “every member of the family will go and see what they like at any time.”
Now, “We will continue to focus on what makes us unique. It’s unique and wonderful for adults and families, not everything for everyone in the home,” says the streaming president.
The new HBO Max has been somewhat chosen, with the brand focusing on programming such as “HBO, recent box office films, docusaries, specific reality series, MAX and local originals” and “eliminating other genres that reduce engagement and acquisition.”
What’s coming soon with HBO and HBO Max
The ad presentation also previewed upcoming content from HBO and newly reimmersed HBO MAX. In September, “Task,” starring Mark Ruffalo, is expected on HBO, a crime drama about an FBI agent investigating a drug robbery outside of Philadelphia. Other series include The Chair Company and It: Welcome To Derry, featuring Tim Robinson, a prequel to the Stephen King horror film about the origins of villain Pennywise.
According to Bloys, the next spin-off of “Game of Thrones,” “Knights of the Seven Kingdom,” will premiere in winter 2026. It is based on a novel by George R.R. Martin, author of “Thrones.”
First look in the video: Scout brand reborn as a family of EV pickups and SUVs
Midsize Scout Terra and Traveler EVS will be selling 3 feet of water in 2027, reaching 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and starting at under $60,000.
Cupra plans to sell “by the end of the decade.”
The brand has sold over 800,000 vehicles since it was created by VW.
The lesser-known Spanish auto brand focusing on electric vehicles is preparing to sell vehicles in the US. This is a disruption about tariffs, trade and environmental policy.
Barcelona-based Cupra has already been in talks with Penske Automotive Group, the third largest dealer group in the United States with around 200 stores. Penske also operates dealers for dozens of brands, including Capra, in Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the UK.
“Cupra aims to inspire the United States from his hometown of Barcelona and bring LED designs and performance-driven cars to American roads,” the company said in a statement to the Free Press.
It’s easier than I would say, but Capra has made an impression in the busy European market since the Volkswagen seat brand launched it in 2018. As a result, German VW brass was so large that it withered the talk sheets, replacing the more stylish, profitable and technically advanced Cupra.
EV with hybrid and Latin talent
Cupra sells electric, hybrid and gasoline vehicle mixtures in more than 40 countries, including Mexico. This starts at just under $37,000 in price for a gasoline-powered Leon compact SUV. The brand wants to focus on performance. Kapla was born as the name of the seat racing team.
New electric vehicle reviews: 2025 Toyota bz4x ev is disappointing, but there may be changes
“Cupra has a respectable supporter, but the challenges in the US market are extremely difficult to overcome,” said Stephanie Brinley, an analyst at S&P Global Principal Automotive. With the vast size and population of the United States, it is expensive to establish a new brand, both geographically and in the minds of shoppers.
Cupra has sold over 800,000 vehicles so far.
The company’s US focus is on sporty, premium EVs and hybrids, but Cupra may also offer internal combustion models to generate volumes of sales and service.
“As the first new brand created within the Volkswagen Group, we offer an alternative to the next generation of US car buyers,” the statement continued. “We are not based on heritage or tradition as we are located between the masses and premium segments. We are an unconventional challenger brand.”
The brand will start with sales that are “strategically lined up with the Cupra brand” in 20 states.
This probably means a condition that promotes EV sales with incentives and emissions restrictions.
“Capra is completely unknown to the US population,” said Adam Bernard, consultant director of Auto Science. “It’s a blank slate. The brand doesn’t overlap with VW or Audi. Does VW want to spend a mountain of money to establish an image for that?”
Cupra executives toured the Los Angeles Auto Show last November to expand the competition. After the first anticipated sales began in 2027, the official goal will be until the end of the decade.
The model line includes gasoline power, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles, and extended range EVs with onboard gasoline-powered generators.
Cupra plans to build vehicles at VW Group facilities in North America. Current options for that include an assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Scout Motors plants under construction in Puebla and South Carolina, Mexico.
Continuous changes to US customs policies will be considered, but the brand will not stop.
“Cupra is closely monitoring development and will comprehensively address the potential impact on supply chains and production networks,” the statement said.
Who sells them?
VW has infuriated many American dealers with plans to sell rugged scout SUVs and pickups directly to consumers.
Brian Gordon, president of Dave Cantin Group, says there are no words yet about Cupra’s sales plans, but the overture to Penske is “evidently an attempt at shortcuts,” and it’s creating a sales network. “Partnerships with a large dealer network will be a strategic beachhead.”
Please contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Please read more Auto And sign up for us Automotive Newsletter. Become a subscriber.
Has Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vaccinated his child? Is he now? Members of the Congressional Committee want to know.
RFK Jr. plans to ban eight artificial food dyes by 2026
By the end of 2026, eight artificial dyes will be banned from drug therapy and the national food supply. said Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
WASHINGTON – As he asks questions about the issue that earned him support and sought opponents, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Wisconsin Democrat Mark Pokan during a hearing before a House committee member that he believes Americans should not receive medical advice from him.
problem? vaccine.
Pokan asked Kennedy, “If I had a child today, would you vaccinate the child for measles?”
“Perhaps because of measles,” Kennedy said. “What I say is that my opinion on vaccines is irrelevant.”
“I don’t want to look evasive, but I don’t think people should take medical advice from me,” he added, repeating his stance when Pokan was pushed further.
For years, Kennedy has questioned the effectiveness of the vaccine, promoting exposed claims that certain vaccines are associated with autism.
Last month, Kennedy argued that the measles vaccine is “lifting easily” because its effectiveness declines over time.
“It’s like your jurisdiction because the CDC gives advice,” Pokan replied. Kennedy said, “What we’re trying to do is to accurately lay out the risks and benefits when we understand the pros and cons and the other.”
Kennedy said again that he didn’t want to give advice when he pushed whether or not to vaccinate his child for Chicken Pox and polio.
Kennedy made the headline last December when it was reported that one of his allies, Aaron Ciri, filed a petition in 2022, on behalf of a group of activists asking the Food and Drug Administration to suspend or withdraw approvals for polio vaccines for children. Kennedy told the senators when he was “everything” about the polio vaccine.
What the secretary might do and what he did in his personal life may be different. When asked at a confirmation hearing on January 29 before the Senate Finance Committee on vaccinations for children, he replied openly, “All of my children are being vaccinated.”
“Peace with you!” Pope Leo XIV is shared on X and Instagram in his first official social media post.
Experts on the importance of the new Pope choose the name Leo XIV
Experts say the Pope’s name can provide clues about the values and priorities of the new Pope. What does choosing Leo XIV tell them?
Following the election of Pope Leo XIV’s sweeping of his personal accounts and taking a whole new meaning after creating his first official post this week.
Pope Leo XIV, elected on Thursday, May 8th, made his first social media post on Tuesday, May 13th. This post was made on the official Pontif Instagram and X account, shared in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, French, Polish and German. The Instagram post included some photos from the Pope’s first few days.
“I’m with you guys!” Leo wrote in his post. “This is the first greeting spoken by the Resurrected Christ, the Good Shepherd. I want this greeting of peace to echo in your heart, in your family, and in all peoples, wherever they are, in every country and in the world.”
According to a news release from DiCastery for Communication, Holy See’s communications division, Pope Leo XIV “chosen to maintain an active social media presence through X and the official pontifical accounts on Instagram.”
Pope Leo XIV on Social Media: Before he was elected Pope, Leo XIV was critical of Trump and Vance on social media.
Pope Leo XIV deletes personal social media accounts
Shortly after he was nominated by Pontife, old social media posts of Pope Leo XIV began to surface. In particular, he criticized Vice President JD Vance’s stance on immigration in the X-Post starting in February.
“JD Vance is wrong. Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank love for others,” Leo wrote in the post, but it was deleted.
As of May 14th, Pope Leo XIV’s old social media accounts had been removed by his previous name, Robert Francis Prevast.
Speaking to USA Today on May 8th, Margaret Susan Thompson, a history professor at Syracuse University, was hoping that the bishop would switch the post to an official clergy account.
“I think he’ll use it sparingly, as social media can become a minefield of divisive commentary. It’s not controversial, perhaps due to a simple idyllic message (and yes, it will be delivered on the official Pope account),” Thompson said in an email.
As of May 14th, the official Instagram account boasted 9.6 million followers, while the X account had 10,800 followers.
Gretacross is a national trend reporter for USA Today. Story ideas? Please email her gcross@usatoday.com.
Editor’s Note:Dana Santas,Mobility Makeris a certified strength and conditioning expert in professional sports, mental and physical coach, and is the author of the book “Practical Solutions for Relieving Back Pain.”
(CNN) – We already know that exercise is good for our bodies, but it is also an essential tool for managing our mental health. However, many still see physical fitness from mental wellness, not as part of the same whole, but as two different goals.
Training routines are often designed with the body in mind, focusing on burning calories, building strength, or increasing flexibility. What is often missing is intentionality. It is a movement designed to not only make you sweat, but also to make you feel mentally and emotionally.
Research shows that consistent physical activity can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, sharpen executive function, and improve sleep quality. This is an important factor in emotional regulation and overall mental health. However, when it comes to mental health, not all movements are created equally. The type of movement, and the way you approach it, are important.
As a mental and physical coach in professional sports for over 20 years, I have helped elite athletes build durable mobile bodies, using movement and breath to regulate their nervous system, grounding under pressure and maintaining a sharp focus. These same tools and principles can help everyone strengthen their body and mind and improve their daily movements and sensations.
Pushing yourself with high-intensity training while mentally checking out or being cut off from your body will not give you the same mental health benefits as moving with consciousness. True Mindbody Fitness involves being present in motion, using intentional breathing and training in ways that support the nervous system.
The brain and body are deeply interconnected through the nervous system. One important player in this connection is the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain stem to the intestines. It affects a variety of functions such as heart rate, digestion, mood, and emotional regulation.
Exercising with deep focused breathing stimulates the maze nerve and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the state of “rest and recovery”). By doing so, moving your body out of “Fighting and Flying” mode will help you calm your mind, reduce stress, improve your concentration and achieve a more easily.
On the other hand, if exercise is performed when excessively intense and insufficient breathing patterns and is not recovering, it will cause a sudden increase in stress hormones, making you feel depleted rather than energized. Therefore, it is important to choose exercises and formats that suit your needs and goals, not only physically but mentally and emotionally.
How to build a mind body fitness routine
There’s no need to overhaul your workout regimen to focus more on your mind. Start by layering these five simple strategies. Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program. If you feel pain, stop immediately.
Breathing is the most efficient and effective way to affect the nervous system. Use slow and intentional breathing before, during and after training.
•Warm up: Use diaphragmatic breathing to downshift from the day and connect to the body.
• During mobility work: Use breathing to move the ribcage in a way that supports better posture, positioning and rotation. For example, when twisting the upper body to the right, inhalation is used to inflate the rib on the right, and to contract the rib on the left to promote rotation.
• During Strength Training: Spit out the effort phase – just like when you push up with pushups or get up from a squat – activate core control to adjust tension.
• Cooldown practices dilated vomiting, which further stimulates the vagus nerve and promotes relaxation and recovery. It is recommended to double the length of nausea during the recovery session.
Mobility training improves flexibility and joint health, but its benefits go beyond the body. Practice respiratory-driven mobility drills such as the release of hip flexors in three directions and twisting windmills to sharpen body awareness and support the regulation of the nervous system. Add exercises like these to warm up or aggressive recovery days, focusing on adjusting your breath and movement to build physical control and mental clarity.
High-intensity workouts have benefits, but doing them too much can chronically increase stress levels and impair recovery. To support the nervous system, balance weekly training with low intensity sessions. Activities such as walking, yoga, breath-focused mobility, and weight strength jobs will keep you proactive, while promoting resilience, emotional regulation and injury prevention.
4. Training with presence and accuracy
No matter what type of training you are doing, strength, mobility, aerobic exercise or recovery – your mental presence will affect how your body functions and adapts. Charging or zoning the person in charge will increase the risk of injury and missing profits. Focus on the quality of movement. Pay attention to alignment, control the pace and recognize how your body is feeling. As your mind begins to wander, use your breath to ground yourself in the present and reconnect with your body. Being transforms all exercise into an opportunity to build both physical skills and mental clarity.
It takes 30 seconds at a time, before, during, before and after training. Ask yourself: Where am I nervous? How about breathing? What do you need now – Strength or Ground?
These moments of self-awareness transform fitness practices into tools for emotional regulation, not just physical condition.
How to structure a mentally and physically focused week
This is a weekly structure of samples to balance strength, mobility and nervous system support.
2 days: Preparing for breath-centered movements and strength training with mobility cooldown.
2 days: Breath-driven mobility or pilates and low-intensity aerobic exercise (such as walking, light cycling).
one day: Restoration days for breathing work and gentle stretching or yoga.
2 days: Mixed training (circuit or flow style) that blends mobility, strength and aerobic exercise.
Planning is important, but mindbody fitness is about listening and adjusting how you feel accordingly. Movements can change your mental and emotional state, but it works best when you start with consciousness and choose the best one to meet your needs. The goal is to support the system.
Remember, your mental and physical fitness routine is not about doing less, but about serving you more fully. By incorporating consciousness training, breathing and mobility and respecting the needs of the nervous system, you will not only feel stronger, but you will be focused on your daily life, resilient and grounded.
Ukrainian President Voldy Mil Zelensky may meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday.
The possibility of the two men facing each other has caused great excitement, but the Kremlin has refused to say that they have spent days of justification and excuses for Putin’s absence, who has come to Turkish and Russian officials.
The talks are unlikely to have immediate results, and they almost certainly won’t bring about President Donald Trump’s elusive “deals” since returning to the White House in January.
But despite the warning, the direct meetings between Kiev and Moscow at all levels will mark a milestone in the conflict. The two are not known to have held an in-person meeting since shortly after Moscow launched a full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
This is what we know.
The talks were first proposed by Putin in response to an ultimatum of a ceasefire or rescue given to Moscow by Ukrainian European allies on Saturday, when leaders from Germany, France, Poland and the UK demanded that Russia accept the 30-day ceasefire proposal or face a new round of “large” occupations.
Putin ignored the ultimatum and instead proposed a “in-person meeting” between Russia and Ukraine.
This is probably a delayed tactic by Putin, and has successfully unfolded his departure several times in the past. But it appears to have backfired.
Europeans and Ukraine initially said they could not hold talks before a ceasefire was agreed, but that changed quickly when US President Donald Trump was involved. In a social media post, he publicly urged Zelensky to “hold a meeting now.”
Putin had not proposed a one-on-one with his disgusting Ukrainian counterpart. He said he hoped to resume his speech in the spring of 2022, with top level diplomats present, not the leader himself.
However, Zelensky raised his stake by announcing that he was planning to travel to Turkey itself and asking Putin to do the same. The Ukrainian leader has made it clear that he will not meet other Russian officials, claiming that “everything in Russia depends on Putin.”
Trump, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East, is adding pressure by suggesting that he might go as well as “if it helps.” The idea was supported by Zelensky, who said Ukraine would “thank” Trump for his presence. Trump told CNN on Wednesday that Putin “hopes I’m there.”
This has made the Russian leader a bit tighter.
If Putin decides to appear – I don’t think most Kremlin watchers are likely – he will undermine his own false narrative that Zelensky and his government are illegal.
However, if he decides to stay home, Putin gives Zelensky the opportunity to point out once again that Russia is not serious about peace.
This message is aimed straight at Trump. Kiev and its European allies have long said they do not believe Putin is seriously interested in negotiating peace.
Trump had previously repeatedly expressed his opposition, but after speaking to Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral last month, he began questioning whether Putin wanted peace. The sight of Zelensky sitting across the table from an empty chair would reinforce this point.
This is also the main reason Zelensky proposed a personal meeting with President Putin, who ordered his assassination, according to the Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies.
The two are so far apart it is unclear what the lecture is about.
Zelensky said Tuesday that anything other than an unconditional ceasefire agreement would be a failure.
Meanwhile, Putin has not ruled out Russia as “there could be some new ceasefire, a new ceasefire during these talks,” but the talks aim to eliminate the “root cause” of the conflict.
The “root causes” he cites include years of Russian grievances, including the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state (formerly part of the Soviet Union) and the expansion of NATO to the east since the end of the Cold War.
Neither can be negotiated for Ukraine or its allies.
What happened when Ukraine and Russia last talked?
The last known in-person meeting between Kiev and Moscow took place in Türkiye and Belarus in the spring of 2022. This reveals that within days Putin’s initial plan to take over the entire Ukraine and set up a new puppet government in Kiev was devastatingly wrong.
This led Russia to scramble and attempted to achieve its goals through negotiations.
The War Institute, a US-based conflict monitor, said the agreement proposed by Moscow would urge Ukraine to abandon its sovereignty and would render Ukraine completely helpless in the face of future attacks.
As Ukrainian forces began to free parts of northern Ukraine, consultations began to collapse after finding clear evidence of genocide and other atrocities.
In particular, Russian abuse discovered in one town, Bucha, just north of Kiev, terrorized the world and strengthened the resolve of the Ukrainian people.
Shortly after Zelensky challenged Russian leaders to a trip to Türkiye, the Kremlin began laying the foundation for the possibility that Putin would not be present.
“This is pure sight, a play, especially in such a difficult situation, because high-level meetings are absolutely not organized like this,” Konstantin Kosachev, vice-president of the Russian Federation Council, told Russia 24 on Monday.
He said negotiators will be present “at an expert level.” Kremlin aides and former Russian US ambassador said the Russian delegation will be determined by the topic being discussed.
The comments on “number of technical issues” could indicate that Moscow intends to continue his strategy of thwarting all the details and saying no, without saying “no.”
The stakes are high this time as both Trump and Ukraine’s European allies said they would impose more sanctions on Moscow if they don’t agree to a ceasefire.
Not much. The Turkish government said earlier this week that it is ready to provide all sorts of support to achieve peace in Ukraine, including mediation and hosting negotiations.
Turkey has in the past served as a bridge between Moscow and Kiev. Most notably, the rare diplomatic success in brutal conflicts when it brokered the Black Sea Grain initiative, which ensures the safe passage of Ukrainian ships carrying food exports. Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023.
As a member of NATO, Turkey is invested in the conflict, but is also seen as more accepting for Russia as Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan has previously praised his “special relationship” with Putin.
Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg and his foreigner Steve Witkov, both are scheduled to be in Istanbul for talks, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday that there was a statement confirmed by another source familiar with the plan.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also in Türkiye and attends an informal meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers.
As of Tuesday, the plan was for US officials to observe Turkey-stimulated consultations between Ukrainians and Russians.
Rubio, Kellogg and Witkov all participated in some of their previous talks in Saudi Arabia. There, he acted as an intermediary and met separately with the Ukrainians a few days later.
This time, the fact that two delegations may meet in person is important.
