Barstool founder Dave Portnoy had a heated back and forth with his podcast's cohost Kirk Minihane over 'Jew jokes.'

Portnoy faced backlash recently on social media, after firing two waitresses and taking further action against some college students involved in an incident at his Barstool Sansom Street bar in Philadelphia, where a sign that read "Fuck the Jews," was displayed.

"Shut the fuck up you bald fuck" Portnoy screamed at Minihane during a recent The Unnamed Show episode after Minihane criticized Portnoy's approach to 'Jew jokes.'

Minihane argued that Americans and especially comedians have a right to free speech and to make jokes. While Portnoy suggested that given the war in Gaza and public anti-Israel sentiment online, 'Jew jokes' should not be allowed and offenders must be prosecuted.

"Shut up!... You work for me!" Portnoy screamed at Minihane who responded "Sure. You bet. For now..."

"Quit! I'll save $500,000." Portnoy said.

Minihane then asked "Is this a show or not a show? We can't have a conversation?"

"You're an idiot. You're literally saying people should be allowed to make Jew jokes whenever they want." Portnoy shot back.

Geert Wilders' populist Party for Freedom (PVV) on Tuesday, withdrew from the Netherlands governing coalition, causing the government to collapse and likely leading to early elections. Wilders accused other coalition parties of failing to back his tougher immigration policies, despite these policies being part of the previously agreed coalition agreement.

Wilders had presented a 10-point plan for stricter asylum measures, including a freeze on asylum applications, halting the construction of reception centers, and limiting family reunifications for asylum seekers who have been granted refugee status. However, his coalition partners refused to sign up to the measures.

The coalition partners suggested Wilders propose his plan in the House of Representatives, which would delay implementation and risk rejection.

After a brief emergency meeting Tuesday, lasting about 20 minutes, Wilders announced the PVV’s exit, stating, “No signature for our asylum plans. PVV leaves the coalition.” He argued he had “no choice” as his promise to voters for the “strictest asylum policy ever” was not being fulfilled.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof, a former spy chief, confirmed he would step down, and the government would resign, paving the way for new elections. He offered to lead a caretaker government without PVV until new elections, likely not before October 2025.

Schoof described Wilders' decision as "unnecessary and irresponsible."

The coalition, formed in July 2024 after Wilders’ party won 37 seats in the November 2023 election, consisted of the PVV, the conservative-liberal VVD, the Farmers' Citizen Movement (BBB), and the left-wing New Social Contract (NSC).

Coalition leaders criticized Wilders sharply: VVD’s Dilan Yeşilgöz called the decision “super-irresponsible,” accusing him of prioritizing his ego, while BBB’s Caroline van der Plas said he was “putting Geert Wilders first” over the country. NSC’s Nicolien van Vroonhoven deemed the move “incomprehensible.” They noted the coalition was already addressing immigration, and Wilders’ ultimatum was seen as a strategic move to bolster his declining poll numbers, with PVV dropping to around 20% support, still narrowly leading other parties.

Wilders' move has been seen as a significant political gamble, an effort to avoid diluting his party's popular restrictive immigration policy. Wilders said that he intends to become the next prime minister and ensure that the PVV becomes larger than ever in the upcoming elections, with current polling data showing a decline in support for the other coalition partners.

Opposition to the left's unchecked globalist immigration policies has led to the rise of populist parties across Europe.

The collapse of the Dutch government comes just weeks before a NATO summit in The Hague, raising concerns about the stability of the country's leadership.

The Senate in the American state of Texas has passed House Bill 229, which clearly defines "male" and "female" based on biological reproductive systems, and it is expected to be signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, making Texas the 14th state to implement such a "sex definition" law.

The bill defines a "female" as an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova, and a "male" as an individual whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female. The bill will apply these definitions across state records.

"Texas recognizes only two sexes. Male and female. That's it. I will sign this immediately into law. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Abbott," Abbott wrote on X.

The bill follows an executive order by Governor Abbott and a similar directive by President Donald Trump, which recognize only two sexes based on biological criteria.

“Each individual is one of two sexes, male or female, and individuals diagnosed with a disorder of sex development or as intersex are not considered to belong to a third sex and must receive accommodations in accordance with state and federal law,” the bill reads.

HB 229, which goes into effect Sept. 1, mandates that state and local agencies use a binary view of sex when collecting information that identifies the sex of a person.

“A governmental entity that collects vital statistics information that identifies the sex of an individual for the purpose of complying with antidiscrimination laws or for the purpose of gathering public health, crime, economic, or other data shall identify each individual as either male or female,” the bill states. The bill will revert the gender identity of transgender individuals to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records.

HB 229's definitions fall mostly in line with another bill that defines male and female, SB 1188. That bill requires Texas’ medical providers to record a person’s “biological sex.” The only difference is for males, which SB 1188 defines as having a reproductive system “developed to produce sperm.”

The bill also sets certain findings into Texas law, placing men as “on average, bigger, stronger, and faster than females.” It also “finds” that those differences inherently “leave females more physically vulnerable than males to specific forms of violence, including sexual violence.”

Following a spirited left-wing opposition to the bill just before midnight local time, Democrat state senator Molly Cook(D-Houston) and HB 229 sponsor Republican Senator Mayes Middleton(R-Galveston), engaged in over 20 minutes of debate on the Senate floor.

At around 1 a.m. local time Wednesday, HB 229 was quickly passed along party lines in the Texas Senate, dodging the Senate’s bill deadline by nearly 24 hours.

Far-left LGBTQ activists contend that the bill is an attack on transgender and intersex individuals, erasing their identities and leading to greater marginalization and discrimination.

However Texas voters overwhelmingly support this type of legislation, with seven in ten voters and 94% of Republicans believing that the sex listed on a birth certificate should be the only way to define gender.

Similar bills have been passed in other states and countries, and the push for strict sex definitions has gained momentum with the Trump administration.

Mary Elizabeth Castle, Texas Values’ director of government relations, said that the bill sends a clear message. “HB 229 makes sure that the reality and truth of the two sexes is clear in Texas law and never altered by school districts, local cities, or bureaucrats ever again!" she said. "With today’s vote in the Senate, Texas will lay the foundation for protecting women’s spaces and opportunities.”

Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, announced Wednesday, a one-year partnership with Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, to integrate the Grok AI chatbot across Telegram. As part of the deal, xAI will pay Telegram $300 million in cash and equity, and Telegram will receive 50% of the revenue from xAI subscriptions sold through the platform.

"This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market. @elonmusk and I have agreed to a 1-year partnership to bring xAI’s @grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps. This also strengthens Telegram’s financial position: we will receive $300M in cash and equity from xAI, plus 50% of the revenue from xAI subscriptions sold via Telegram. Together, we win," Durov announced on X.

This integration will provide Telegram's over one billion users with access to advanced AI technology starting this summer.

Grok will be deeply integrated into Telegram, accessible via the search bar, and will offer features such as writing help, moderation, sticker creation, chat summaries, document digests, and group chat moderation.

This deal strengthens Telegram's financial position, contributing to its ongoing growth and development, and cements a relationship between two major pro-free speech platforms -- X and Telegram

Romanian conservative and Eurosceptic candidate George Simion on Sunday, lost the contested presidential runoff to pro-European leftist Nicusor Dan. The day before the election, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov revealed that Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, had asked him to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of the election, a request Durov refused.

Dan, a pro-European leftist and the mayor of Bucharest won with 54% of the vote, while Simion secured 46%.

With alleged nudging from European Union officials, Romania's Central Electoral Bureau on March 9, barred leading populist candidate Călin Georgescu from running in the Sunday's presidential election re-run, citing bogus violations of election rules and allegations of Russian interference in his favor. The decision sparked protests nationwide and raised concerns that European Union leaders were trying to influence the outcome of the election against the people's will, and in favor of Dan.

Durov posted on his Telegram channel and X that he had been approached by Lerner, head of the French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), to censor conservative voices in Romania.

The meeting allegedly took place at the Salon des Batailles in the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. Durov stated, "This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hôtel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused." 

Durov emphasized Telegram's commitment to free speech, noting that the platform had not blocked protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran and would not start doing so in Europe.

The French foreign ministry and the DGSE denied the allegations, stating that any meetings with Durov were focused on combating terrorist propaganda and child pornography, not electoral interference.

The ministry posted on X, "Completely unfounded allegations are circulating on Telegram and X regarding alleged French interference in the Romanian presidential election. France categorically rejects these allegations and calls on everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy."

Responding to the denials, Durov wrote on X, "French foreign intelligence confirmed they met with me — allegedly to fight terrorism and child porn. In reality, child porn was never even mentioned. They did want IPs of terror suspects in France, but their main focus was always geopolitics: Romania, Moldova, Ukraine.

"Since 2018, Telegram has fought child abuse in many ways: content fingerprint bans, dedicated moderation teams, NGO hotlines, and daily transparency reports on banned content — all verifiable. Falsely implying Telegram did nothing to remove child porn is a manipulation tactic."

EU leaders, panicked by the rise of populist and nationalist parties amid the migration crisis, rising living costs, and the war in Ukraine, have been accused of interfering with recent elections in Poland and Romania, with financial backing from globalist billionaire Alexandra Soros. They saw the election in Romania as a test of EU unity.

Pope Leo XIV affirmed that the family is founded on the "stable union between a man and a woman" and emphasized the dignity of the unborn and the elderly as God's creatures in his first private address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on Friday. The address came ahead of his formal installation Mass, scheduled for Sunday May 18, which will be attended by some world leaders including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Pope reiterated the Catholic Church's traditional stance on marriage and abortion, emphasizing the inherent dignity of all individuals, especially the most vulnerable. He called for governments to build peaceful societies by investing in the family, which he defined as a union between a man and a woman.

Christians worldwide have criticized the aggressive effort by left-wing activists and globalists to corrupt and push leaders of churches and government institutions to weaken their stance against LGBTQ degeneracy.

To conservatives, marriage is sacrosanct and vital to societal wellbeing. They also oppose child adoption by homosexual partners.

Leo XIV also underscored the inherent dignity of every person, particularly the most vulnerable, including the unborn, elderly, sick, unemployed, and immigrants, asserting that this dignity is unchanging as “creatures willed and loved by God.” These remarks were part of his first major address since his election on May 8, 2025, and were released in prepared texts by the Vatican.

“In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” he said.

During the address Friday, to the diplomatic corps representing nearly 200 countries, Leo XIV also stressed the importance of inter-religious dialogue and multilateral diplomacy in the pursuit of peace.

Notable world leaders including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to attend the Pope's formal installation mass Sunday.

The Trump administration officials welcomed a group of 59 white South Africans as refugees at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Monday. The group, which includes children, was greeted by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar.

The Afrikaners who faced discrimination and violence in South Africa, arrived on a State Department-chartered plane and were greeted with American flags and balloons. In his remarks to the refugees, Landau emphasized the importance of assimilation and the welcoming nature of the American people.

Trump has slammed the South African government for discriminating against the white minority population and seizing their lands. He had promised to help the Afrikaners who are facing "race-based persecution" and "genocide" to seek asylum in the U.S.

Monday's arrival of the Afrikaners however, triggered far-left pro-open-borders activists and groups. The Episcopal Church announced it will not assist in the resettlement of the white South Africans, bizarrely citing its "commitment to racial justice and reconciliation," and claiming that it cannot support the preferential treatment of this group over other refugees.

The Trump administration reiterated it does not discriminate based on race in admitting refugees. And other critics called out Episcopal Church's hypocrisy, pointing out that it has been aiding and abetting the illegal immigration of violent criminal gangbangers and child traffickers into the U.S.

The Episcopal group, which has long been involved in refugee resettlement, also decided to end its partnership with the federal government's refugee resettlement program. The church's Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe claimed that the church's commitment to racial justice and its historical ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa prevent it from participating in this resettlement.

However many anti-illegal immigration activists welcomed the group's decision, and urged the Trump administration to take this opportunity and cut all ties to the group and others like it who facilitate illegal immigration into the country.

Israel and especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have faced growing criticisms in the U.S. and across the west, from many traditional supporters of the Jewish nation.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Israel for the lack of progress on talks to end the war in Gaza. And Trump has reportedly soured on Netanyahu over his attempts to manipulate administration officials and push the U.S. into bombing Iran's nuclear facilities.

Until now, Israel has enjoyed overwhelming support among the American right. But that has changed recently, as wariness over wars in the middle east grows. Many Americans blame the Jewish nation and its powerful lobby the American Israel Public Affairs Committee(AIPAC) for dragging America into unnecessary wars in that region which have caused Muslim resentment towards the U.S.

Criticisms of Israel and Jewish control of American institutions of power, had only been prevalent among the dissident right and the far-left in western countries.

But such criticisms have now become mainstream, with the viral meme, 'The Great Noticing,' which references growing number of people becoming aware of the corruption and blackmail tactics against American politicians used by pro-Israel operatives in the U.S.

As the death toll rises in Gaza and Israel refuses to stop bombing the strip, Netanyahu has faced accusations of committing genocide against Palestinians, with many former pro-Israel conservatives condemning the Israeli leader.

Viral pro-Palestinian content on TikTok, X, Instagram and other platforms, popular personalities like social media stars and podcasters Candace Owens, Joe Rogan, Dave Smith, Andrew Tate, Myron Gaines, Nick Fuentes and fashion and Hip Hop mogul Ye among others, have all contributed to mainstreaming what are known online as 'The Great Noticing,' and JQ (or Jewish question).

Ye's recent viral and controversial song 'Heil Hitler,' has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on X, Instagram, TikTok and others, and racked up tens of millions of views.

Recent polls in the U.S. show that for the first time in recent history, more people have negative views of Israel, especially among under 40-year-olds.

President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with the United Kingdom during a White House event Thursday. The deal is described as "full and comprehensive" and is the first such agreement since Trump imposed sweeping global tariffs last month.

The deal includes increased market access for American exports, particularly in sectors such as chemicals, machinery, and other industrial products.

“The deal includes billions of dollars in increased market access for American exports. In addition, the UK will reduce or eliminate non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminated against American products,” Trump said.

Tariffs on U.K. car imports will be reduced from 27.5% to 10%, and that of U.K. steel imports will be dropped. Rolls-Royce engines and plane parts will be allowed to enter the U.S. tariff-free.

The U.K. will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminated against American products; and will lower trade barriers on U.S. beef imports and ethanol.

The deal is expected to create $5 billion in new economic opportunities for U.S. exporters.

The final details of the deal are still being written up and will be made more conclusive in the coming weeks. The specifics of the deal will need to be approved by the US Congress.

The deal is seen as a significant achievement for both Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who have been working to strengthen economic ties despite recent trade tensions.

In his remarks, Trump emphasized that this deal is the first of many, with other countries in various stages of negotiation.

Thursday's announcement marks a significant step in U.S.-U.K. trade relations and is expected to have broader implications for global trade negotiations.

Stock markets responded positively to the news, with all three major US stock indexes climbing.

Microsoft is officially shutting down Skype May, and is urging users to migrate to Microsoft Teams While some users are transitioning to Teams, others are exploring alternative messaging and video calling platforms like Telegram, X and WhatsApp.

Skype was launched in 2003 and was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion. It once had over 36 million daily users but saw a decline in market share over the years.

Existing Skype users can sign into Teams using their Skype credentials, retaining their chat history and contacts. New purchases of Skype Credit and subscriptions have been halted, but existing users can continue using their plans until their billing cycle ends. Users have until January 2026 to migrate their data before it's permanently deleted.

Microsoft aims to streamline its communication offerings and focus on Teams, which has grown to 320 million monthly active users.

The free version of Teams offers messaging, file sharing, group calls, and calendar integration, similar to Skype's core features

One notable difference is that the free version of Teams does not include phone-call functionality or the ability to receive calls with a Skype phone number

Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans will lose access to Skype’s 70-minute call benefit starting March 2026, but subscribers will still be able to host calls for up to 30 hours with as many as 300 participants via Teams Free.

For users looking for alternatives, Telegram, Zoom, and WhatsApp offer robust features and have gained significant popularity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platform X is also planning to launch new messaging feature XChat with encrypted video and audio calls.

The International Space Station (ISS) executed a Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver(PDAM) on Wednesday, April 30, to avoid a piece of space debris from a Chinese Long March rocket that launched in 2005.

The orbit-raising burn was performed by Progress 91 which is docked to the aft port of the Roscosmos Zvezda module of the ISS. The cargo spacecraft launched to the ISS from Russia's launch site in Kazakhstan on Feb. 27, and docked to the space station two days later.

Progress 91 engaged its thrusters at 2210 UTC Wednesday, and fired for a total of 3 minutes and 33 seconds. This maneuver provided an extra margin of safety, increasing the distance between the ISS and the oncoming Chinese rocket debris. Without the boost, the fragment could have passed within 0.64 kilometers of the ISS, according to NASA estimates.

The PDAM was pre-planned by NASA, the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and other international partners to ensure the safety of the station and its crew.

Wednesday's maneuver is not uncommon for the ISS, and have increased in frequency in recent years. It marked the 41st orbit boosting burn performed by the ISS in its efforts avoiding space debris since 1999. The most recent occurred last November, which was the first for 2024, though it was followed about a week later by another avoidance burn.

The maneuver did not impact operations aboard the space station and did not affect the scheduled U.S. spacewalk 93 on Thursday, May 1, involving NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers.

A United States District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple willfully violated a 2021 injunction aimed at loosening its App Store restrictions, stemming from an antitrust lawsuit by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite.

The judge found that Apple not only defied the court’s order to allow developers to direct users to alternative payment methods but also attempted to conceal its non-compliance through misleading documentation and testimony. Specifically, Apple imposed a 27% fee on external purchases (compared to its 30% in-app commission) and used “scare screens” to deter users from non-Apple payment options, actions deemed anticompetitive.

“Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated,” Gonzalez Rogers said. She added: “This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order.”

Gonzalez Rogers said she will refer Apple to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation into its conduct in the case.

The judge accused Apple executives, including CEO Tim Cook, of prioritizing revenue over compliance, ignoring internal advice from App Store chief Phil Schiller. She referred Apple and its VP of Finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, citing “outright lies” in court.

The ruling Wednesday, prohibits Apple from collecting fees on purchases made outside the App Store and from restricting developers’ ability to communicate alternative payment options. This is a significant blow to Apple’s control over its lucrative App Store, which generates billions annually.

Apple said in a statement that it disagrees with the decision, plans to comply, but will appeal the ruling.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney hailed the ruling as a victory for developers and consumers, announcing that Epic would bring Fortnite back to the U.S. App Store “next week” and launch a webshop for direct payments, bypassing Apple’s fees.

Sweeney also proposed a “peace deal” to drop litigation if Apple extends the court’s “Apple-tax-free” framework globally.

The 2021 injunction, upheld by the 9th Circuit and not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024, stemmed from Epic’s challenge to Apple’s 30% commission and restrictive payment policies.

While Apple was not deemed a monopolist under federal antitrust law, its anti-steering practices violated California’s Unfair Competition Law. Epic’s earlier breach of Apple’s terms by implementing its own payment system in Fortnite led to the game’s removal from the App Store in 2020 and a $3.6 million penalty for Epic.

This ruling and the judge’s harsh rebuke of Apple’s conduct, is a damning defeat for Apple, and could reshape the app economy, potentially lowering costs for developers and consumers.

Over 200 people including over 100 illegal aliens were captured inside an underground nightclub off Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs, United States, after federal agents had the illegal party busted early morning Sunday. Guns, drugs and other weapons were also seized during the raid.

"Shortly before #DEA entry this morning, occupants of the illegal underground nightclub in Colorado Springs were given multiple warnings to come out. Initial arrests were made about 3:45aMT - more than 200 people were inside. More than 100 were illegally in the U.S," DEA Rocky Mountain wrote on X, Sunday. "Part of busting up the underground nightclub in Colorado Springs included the arrest of 114 illegal aliens. #DEA partners and @DHSgov" placed patrons (in the U.S. illegally) on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation."

DEA conducted the operation with several local and federal agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned so-called 'sanctuary states and cities,' run by left-wing Democrat politicians, against haboring illegal aliens.

Thje Trump administration recently paused funding to those states for not helping the Immigration and Customs Enforment, ICE, in its effort to find and deport criminal aliens.

Virginia Giuffre, a prominent survivor and accuser of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, has died by suicide at the age of 41. Her family announced her passing on Friday(April 25) stating that she was a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking" and that the "toll of abuse... became unbearable."

The 41-year-old was found unresponsive at her farm in Neergabby, Western Australia, on Friday night. Police confirmed that emergency services were called to the scene, but first aid was unsuccessful.

Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, alleging that they trafficked her for sexual abuse when she was a teenager. She also accused Britain’s Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, which he has strenuously denied.

Her family described her as "the light that lifted so many survivors" and emphasized her dedication to fighting against sexual abuse and trafficking. Giuffre was a mother to three children: Christian, Noah, and Emily.

Giuffre had mentioned late last month that she only had days to live after being involved in a collision with a school bus.

In a in Dec, 2019 post on X, Giuffre said, "I am making it publicy known that in no way, shape or form am I sucidal. I have made this known to my therapist and GP- If something happens to me- in the sake of my family do not let this go away and help me to protect them. Too many evil people want to see me quiteted."

News of his death has sparked speculations on the real cause of her death, as observers and activists await the release of the so-called Epstein files which U.S. President Donald Trump said he has ordered the department of justice to do.

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on Monday. Following several health challenges in recent years, including a serious bout of double pneumonia earlier this year, the Catholic leader reportedly died at around 0100 UTC on April 21.

The Pontiff died of a cerebral stroke on Monday afternoon. Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department, said that the stroke put him into a coma and led to irreversible heart failure. He added that Francis also suffered from episodes of "respiratory insufficiency," as well as his recent bilateral pneumonia. The pope also suffered from type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Despite his health issues, Pope Francis continued to participate in church activities, including a surprise visit to Regina Coeli prison on Holy Thursday and an appearance at St. Peter's Basilica on Easter Sunday.

Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Joseph Farrell was seen sealing the door to the papal bedroom and studio at the Vatican shortly after the announcement of the pontiff's death. It is traditional to seal the pope's doors after his death, which will be followed by a nine-day mourning period called Novemdiales.

Pope Francis had been seen in public greeting crowds on Easter Sunday and met with United States Vice President JD Vance.

"I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," Vance wrote on X. "I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul."

UK Prime minister wrote on X: "Deeply saddened to hear of the death of His Holiness Pope Francis. His tireless efforts to promote a world that is fairer for all will leave a lasting legacy. On behalf of the people of the United Kingdom, I share my sincerest condolences to the whole Catholic Church."

President Donald Trump odered that the flag be flown at half-staff on all U.S. government and military buildings around the world.

He wrote on Truth Social, "As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations."

The deceased Catholic leader's funeral is expected to be held within the next week, and the conclave to elect a new pope will convene shortly after.

Google has lost a landmark antitrust case brought by the United States Department of Justice, which accused the tech giant of illegally monopolizing the online advertising technology market. The ruling, made by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema on Thursday, found that Google violated antitrust laws in the markets for advertising exchanges and tools used by websites to sell ad space, known as ad servers.

The court found that Google had "willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts" that resulted in it obtaining monopoly power in the open-web display publisher ad server market.

The court also criticized Google for its "systemic disregard of the evidentiary rules regarding spoliation of evidence and its misuse of the attorney-client privilege," though it did not impose sanctions because the government prevailed on the available evidence.

The decision is a significant blow to Google, as it could lead to the company being required to divest parts of its ad tech business. The Justice Department will ask the court to require Google to sell off portions of its advertising business.

Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division stated, "The Court’s ruling is clear: Google is a monopolist and has abused its monopoly power."

Google has said it will appeal the part of the case that it lost. Lee-Anne Mulholland, the company's vice president of regulatory affairs, noted that the court found that Google’s advertiser tools and its acquisitions, such as DoubleClick, do not harm competition.

Alphabet's shares quickly sank by up to 3.2% on the ruling, though they pared losses to close down 1.4% in New York.

The Justice Department and a group of states sued Google in 2023, arguing that the company illegally monopolized three separate markets related to the technology used for online display advertising: ad servers, exchanges, and networks.

Thursday's ruling comes on the heels of another major antitrust loss for Google in a separate case, where a federal judge ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain its search monopoly.

The Justice Department will now move to the remedies phase of the trial, where it will argue for specific actions to be taken against Google, including potential divestitures.

This case is part of a broader wave of antitrust actions against major tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, and Apple, which could profoundly shape the future of the tech industry.

This ruling marks a significant victory for antitrust enforcement and could have far-reaching consequences for Google's business and the broader tech landscape.

US President Donald Trump reportedly waved off Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to carry out military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities as early as next month.

Israel had come up with May attack plans, hoping that the U.S. would sign off on those plans. The Jewish nation wanted to disrupt and set back Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons, by at least several years.

For Israeli military to succeed in such operation, they would need U.S' deep involvement, by not only signing off, but pledging to defend Israel from Iranian retaliation.

The head of U.S. Central Command Gen. Michael E. Kurilla and Trump's national security adviser Michael Waltz reportedly discussed how the United States could support Israel in such military action against Iran, if Trump approved of the Israeli plan.

However, during one the several discussions of the Israeli plan among Trump and his top security officials, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly presented intelligence assessment warning that military strikes against Iran could cause a broader destabilizing conflagration in the region, and entangle the U.S. in another prolonged conflict in the middle east.

During some of the top security meetings, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, also expressed opposition to Israel's plans.

Trump ultimately decided to pursue diplomatic negotiations with Iran to limit its nuclear program. He announced the decision during Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu earlier in the month.

After initially being informed that the U.S. preferred diplomacy to military action, Netanyahu reportedly said that an agreement would only be effective if those opposed to Iran's nuclear program were able to "go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision with American execution."

Responding to the reports, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said "President Trump has been clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and all options remain on the table," said "The president has authorized direct and indirect discussions with Iran to make this point clear. But he’s also made clear this cannot go on indefinitely."

Trump, who welcomed the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the White House Thursday, also remarked on the news in response to a reporter's question. "I wouldn't say waived off ... I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death, and I'd like to see that. That's my first option," he said in part.

Hungary's parliament has passed a constitutional amendment that allows the government to ban public events organized by LGBTQ+ communities, including Pride marches. The amendment, which passed with 140 votes in favor and 21 against, emphasizes the protection of children's physical, moral, and spiritual development over other rights, and recognizes only two sexes, male and female.

The law also permits authorities to use facial recognition tools to identify individuals attending prohibited events, with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546) for violators.

The government argues that the measures are necessary to protect children from what it calls "woke ideology" and "gender madness." Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has praised the legislation, stating, "We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids."

Ahead of the vote, opposition politicians and protesters attempted to blockade the entrance to a parliament parking garage, but were forcibly removed by police. Opposition lawmakers used air horns to disrupt the vote.

Embassies of left-wing and liberal-led European nations, including those of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, signed an open letter expressing significant concern over the ban, claiming that it restricts the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

However conservative leaders, pro-family and children's rights advocates praise the law as a necessary measure to combat LGBTQ degeneracy and indoctrination of children by degenerate adults in Hungary.

Six people were killed  when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the Hudson River, between New York and New Jersey, Thursday afternoon local time.

"We’re following reports of a helicopter crash in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey," @flightradar24 reported on X. "At this time, based on ADS-B data and the location of SAR activity, we believe the aircraft involved to be N216MH, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV."

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the helicopter dropping quickly from the sky in multiple pieces before it crashed hard into the water on the western side of the river near Jersey City, New Jersey.

The fire department said its units are on scene performing rescue operations. Multiple rescue boats were seen on video circling the crashed aircraft.

Five bodies were reportedly recovered quickly after the chopper went down at 1917 UTC.

Those aboard reportedly included a family from Europe touring New York City by air. Children are believed to be among the dead.

"Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River," President Donald Trump wrote on social media. "Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!"

In an Oval Office meeting with Trump Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the middle eastern country will remove all tariffs on U.S. goods. Both leaders also discussed the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Gaza.

During the meeting with Netanyahu, Trump also announced that the U.S. is holding direct talks with Iran, set to continue on Saturday, with the aim of reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

Trump warned that if the talks are not successful, Iran could be in "great danger" and emphasized that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Dan Norris, the 65-year-old British Member of Parliament(MP) for North East Somerset and Hanham, was arrested by Avon & Somerset Police on suspicion of rape and child sex offences from the 2020s, as well as misconduct in public office. His ruling left-wing Labour Party has suspended him upon being informed of the arrest.

In a statement, Avon & Somerset Police said: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.”

“A man, aged in his sixties, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

The MP was released on conditional bail pending further investigation.

Norris previously served as an MP from 1997 to 2010 representing Wansdyke and was a junior minister under Gordon Brown and an assistant whip under Tony Blair. He was re-elected in the 2024 General Election, defeating Jacob Rees-Mogg by 5,319 votes.

The 65-year-old has been the Mayor of the West of England since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May's local elections.

Ashley St. Clair, the mother of Elon Musk’s child, says she is selling her $100,000 Tesla car, which was a gift from Musk during their relationship. This, she claimed, is to make up for a shortfall in payments, after the Tesla CEO allegedly cut her child support payments in half.

Ashley, who apparantly called the paparazzi on herself outside of her ritzy manhattan condo, also alluded to ongoing violent far-left attacks on Tesla. "You can check the stocks. I'm not the only one cleaning up after Elon's messes," she told the paparazzi, Monday.

The Jewish social media influencer announced on Feb, 14,, that she had given birth to Musk's then 13th child five months earlier. The Tesla CEO and girlfriend Shivon Zilis have since announced his 14th child.

"I don’t know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out," Musk wrote on X. "No court order is needed. Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5M and am sending her $500k/year."

To which she replied, "Elon, we asked you to confirm paternity through a test before our child (who you named) was even born. You refused. And you weren’t sending *me* money, you were sending support for your child that you thought was necessary… until you withdrew most of it to maintain control and punish me for “disobedience.” But you’re really only punishing your son. It’s ironic that your last effort in court was to try to gag me while you use a social media channel you literally own to distribute derogatory messages about me and our child to the entire world. It’s all about control with you, and everyone can see it. America needs you to grow up, you petulant man-child."

In what political observers call a blatantly anti-democratic legal witch hunt, Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's populist National Rally party, has been sentenced to four years in prison, with two years to be served under house arrest, and fined $108,000 for "embezzling" European Union funds. She has also been banned from running for public office for five years, effectively disqualifying her from the 2027 presidential election which polls show her leading.

Le Pen was found guilty of misusing EU funds to pay for party workers between 2004 and 2016. The court ruled that her party, the National Rally, had illegally used European Parliament money for its own benefit, causing a loss of $4,870,000 to European taxpayers.

The sentencing is seen as a coordinated and fascistic attempt by far-left judges and EU bureaucrats to derail Le Pen's political career, as she was considered a leading contender for the 2027 presidential election. Her lawyer has announced that she will appeal the verdict, but the ban will remain in effect during the appeals process.

The National Rally has been fined $2,164,000, and another $1,082,000 has been confiscated. The party will need to run another candidate for the 2027 presidential election, which could significantly alter the political landscape in France.

Le Pen has denounced the verdict as a "political decision" and a "denial of democracy." She left the courtroom before her full sentence was read and has vowed to continue her political fight. Populist leaders across Europe, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, have expressed support for her.

The populist leader joins others like her who have been targeted by far-left prosecutors and judges, in brazen attempts that undermine the people's trust in the democratic process.

"This is a big deal," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, Monday responding to a question about Le Pen's sentencing. "A lot of people thought she wasn't going to be convicted of anything... that sounds very much like this country," he added, referencing the legal witch hunt against him by far-left prosecutors during the Joe Biden presidency.

In an interview with Fox News Thursday, Elon Musk spoke out about what he sees as a growing wave of violence against Tesla owners, blaming left-wing rhetoric for inciting the attacks. He argued that the real issue isn’t just the individuals committing these acts but the people spreading anti-Tesla narratives.

Reports of Tesla-related incidents have been increasing, ranging from minor vandalism, such as keying or graffiti, to more extreme cases like arson and drive-by shootings targeting Tesla vehicles and dealerships.

Paul Hyon Kim, 36, was arrested Wednesday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, after at least five cars were allegedly set on fire on March 18, in Molotov cocktail attack last week, that torched several Tesla cars at a local Tesla Collision Center.

Kim has been charged with multiple crimes ranging from destruction of property, arson and possessing a fire device, according to jail records.

He will also face federal charges, Spencer Evans, the FBI agent-in-charge of the bureau's Las Vegas office, told reporters at a Thursday news briefing. 

"There's nothing courageous or noble about firebombing private property and terrorizing your local community," Evans said. "The self-righteous mob that's cheering you on today to commit acts of violence on their behalf will leave you high and dry and forget about you tomorrow. And at the end of the day, you and you alone will be held responsible and face the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence."

Police say Kim arrived near the location in a black Hyundai Elantra before walking over to the Tesla building. He allegedly concealed his face, wore gloves and black clothing.

He allegedly also damaged surveillance cameras with a rifle, police said.

The word "resist" was spray-painted on the Tesla center’s front doors. An unlit Molotov cocktail was found in one of the cars, police said. 

Authorities said Kim's social media activity showed potential links to communist groups and Palestinian causes. His DNA matched DNA samples collected at the scene of the attack, authorities said. 

Investigators searched two vehicles linked to Kim and his apartment, and found multiple firearms, including rifles, a shotgun, a handgun and gun parts, as well as ammunition.

Musk and DOGE have been a lightning rod for criticism due to the department's commitment to slashing waste, fraud and abuse in the U.S. federal government.

"The real problem is not the people. It's not like the crazy guy that firebombs a Tesla dealership," Musk said. "It's the people pushing the propaganda that cause that guy to do it. Those are the real villains here."

According to Musk, the rise in vandalism and attacks on Tesla cars and dealerships stems from criticism of his leadership at DOGE. He claims that rhetoric from Democrat leaders, especially those opposed to DOGE and his involvement, has fueled anger against Tesla and its supporters.

"They are being fed propaganda by the far left, and they believe it," Musk said. "....Tesla is a peaceful company that has made great cars, great products. That's all it's done. It hasn't harmed anyone. And yet people are committing violence."

"They are firebombing Tesla dealerships. They are shooting guns into stores. They are threatening people. They are issuing death threats against me and other Tesla personnel," Musk told Baier.

Musk also said that the Trump administration has vowed to take action. 

"The president has made it clear: We’re going after them. The ones providing the money, the ones pushing the lies and propaganda. We're going after them," he said.

When asked why he continues his role at DOGE despite the backlash, Musk compared the attacks against him to those faced by President Trump, particularly accusations that he is a Nazi.

"I got the normal playbook," he said. 

"They called the president all these things… At one point there was a magazine cover, which said the president was worse than Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin combined. And the president hasn't killed anyone. He hasn't started any wars. In fact, he's good at stopping wars."

Musk argued that such extreme language is part of a broader strategy to disrupt his and Trump’s agenda.

"Why do they push these lies? I think we need to hold people responsible for pushing these lies, because those lies almost got the president killed," he said.

In response to the violence against Tesla, the FBI announced Monday that it has launched a task force to investigate attacks on Tesla owners. FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the incidents are being treated as "domestic terrorism."

Thursday's interview marked a significant public appearance for the DOGE team, which has generally kept a low profile since its inception. Despite the team's efforts to present a positive image, the interview highlighted ongoing controversies and legal challenges surrounding their activities.

Elon Musk announced Friday, that his artificial intelligence company, xAI, has acquired his social media platform X in an all-stock transaction. The deal values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion, with X's total valuation at $45 billion including $12 billion in debt. The merged entity is now valued at $113 billion.

"@xAI has acquired @X in an all-stock transaction," Musk wrote on X Friday. "The combination values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion ($45B less $12B debt)."

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO continued: "Since its founding two years ago, xAI has rapidly become one of the leading AI labs in the world, building models and data centers at unprecedented speed and scale.

"X is the digital town square where more than 600M active users go to find the real-time source of ground truth and, in the last two years, has been transformed into one of the most efficient companies in the world, positioning it to deliver scalable future growth.

"xAI and X’s futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent. This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach. The combined company will deliver smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people while staying true to our core mission of seeking truth and advancing knowledge. This will allow us to build a platform that doesn’t just reflect the world but actively accelerates human progress.

"I would like to recognize the hardcore dedication of everyone at xAI and X that has brought us to this point. This is just the beginning. Thank you for your continued partnership and support."

X CEO Linda Yaccarino said of the acquisition "The future could not be brighter."

xAI’s AI models, including the chatbot Grok, have already been integrated into X, and the merger formalizes this relationship.

This acquisition marks a significant step in Musk's vision to create a powerful tech entity combining AI and social media.

The arrangement is similar to a previous Musk deal combining two companies he controlled. Tesla Motors acquired SolarCity, a company with Musk as its largest individual shareholder and his cousin Lyndon Rive as CEO, for $2.6 billion in 2016 and dropped “Motors” from its name.

xAI has attracted significant investment from major firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, BlackRock, and others, valuing the company at $45 billion in a recent funding round.

Tiger Woods, 49, confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Trump, 47, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., with a post on X Sunday, saying, "Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together." He also requested privacy for those close to their hearts.

Woods shared two photos, one showing them standing side by side and another with them lying in a hammock, with Vanessa's arm draped across his chest. The couple have reportedly been quietly dating for the past several months.

Vanessa was previously married to Donald Trump Jr. for 12 years and has five children with him. Woods has two children from his previous marriage to Elin Nordegren, which ended in 2010.

Woods, known for keeping his personal life private, has asked for privacy for all those close to their hearts. However critics wonder why he'd announce the relationship on social media and ask for privacy, when it's sure to stoke more interest from the tabloids.

The confirmation of Woods' new relationship comes two days after the golfer announced that he's ruptured his Achilles tendon. “As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” Woods wrote on social media. The injury will likely keep him out of the Masters and the rest of the golf season.

The G7 foreign secretaries, after meeting in Charlevoix, Canada, issued a joint statement urging Russia to reciprocate Ukraine's commitment and agree to an immediate ceasefire on equal terms. They welcomed the meeting between the U.S. and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, where Ukraine expressed its readiness for a ceasefire as an essential step towards a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with the Charter of the United Nations.

The G7 foreign secretaries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States also discussed imposing further costs on Russia if a ceasefire is not agreed upon. These measures include further sanctions, caps on oil prices, additional support for Ukraine, and other means.

The statement also condemned the provision of military assistance to Russia by North Korea and Iran, as well as the provision of weapons and dual-use components by China, which are seen as decisive enablers of Russia's war and the reconstitution of Russia's armed forces. The G7 reiterated their intention to continue taking action against such third countries.

Additionally, the ministers expressed alarm about the impacts of the war, especially on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and reaffirmed their commitment to working together to achieve a durable peace and ensure that Ukraine remains democratic, free, strong, and prosperous.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told reporters that "now is the time for a ceasefire with no conditions," and that "there's a coalition of the willing emerging to give Ukraine the security architecture" that it needs.

The G7 also addressed other global issues, including the conflict in Sudan, the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the need for democracy in Venezuela. They called for the cessation of hostilities in Sudan and the protection of civilians, and urged external actors to end their support fueling the conflict.

The statement highlighted the importance of accountability and the need for a peaceful and negotiated resolution of conflicts.

Meanwhile in a post on X Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that "South Africa's Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA."

U.S. has paused $400M in aid to South Africa over its government's brutal treatment of white South African farmers.

Rasool told participants in a foreign policy seminar Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump is leading a white supremacist movement in America and around the world.

The ambassador was addressing the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in Johannesburg in attempting to explain Trump’s recent foreign policy stances against South Africa’s property expropriation legislation and its alliances with Iran and Hamas, among others.

Rasool said that white supremacism was motivating Trump’s “disrespect” for the “current hegemonic order” of the world, including institutions like the United Nations and the G-20.

He also said that the Make America Great Again movement was a white supremacist response to growing demographic diversity in the United States, and suggested that South African farmers who had presented Afrikaner grievances within the U.S. were part of that global effort.

Video-sharing platform and cloud services provider, Rumble has announced the purchase of approximately 188 Bitcoin at an average price of $91,000 per coin,, valued at around $17.1 million, as part of its Bitcoin treasury strategy to allocate up to $20 million into Bitcoin.

“We are excited to announce these purchases and allocation of Bitcoin as part of our treasury strategy as well as a larger strategic move as we further expand our ties to the crypto industry,” said Rumble Chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski. “These holdings have the potential to serve as a valuable hedge against inflation and will not be subject to dilution like so many overprinted government-issued currencies. As a leading video and cloud services platform for the crypto community, we are proud to officially hold Bitcoin as we continue to grow and engrain crypto into our company’s DNA.”

The announcement follows Rumble’s previously disclosed corporate treasury diversification strategy, which was approved by its Board of Directors. The strategy aims to leverage Bitcoin as a strategic asset to accelerate the company’s expansion into digital assets while strengthening its financial position.

“We believe that the world is still in the early stages of the adoption of Bitcoin, which has recently accelerated with the election of a crypto-friendly U.S. presidential administration and increased institutional adoption,” Pavlovski stated. “Unlike any government-issued currency, Bitcoin is not subject to dilution through endless money-printing, enabling it to be a valuable inflation hedge and an excellent addition to our treasury. We are also excited to strengthen our ties with crypto and to bolster our efforts to become the leading video and cloud services platform for the crypto community.”

President Donald Trump purchased a Tesla car from Elon Musk at the White House on Tuesday, in a show of support for Musk, who is also a top adviser to the president. Trump showcased a selection of Tesla vehicles on the South Lawn and announced his intention to buy a red Model S, which he will keep at the White House for staff use.

Trump and Musk, accompanied by Musk's child Lil X, displayed a Cybertruck and a red sports car on the White House lawn. Trump praised Tesla as a "great product" and emphasized Musk's contributions to the country.

The president defended Musk against recent protests and attacks on Tesla dealerships, labeling such acts as "domestic terrorism" and promising to take strong action against perpetrators.

"In support of the policies of President @realDonaldTrump and to demonstrate our confidence in the future of the United States, @Tesla commits to doubling vehicle production in the US within 2 years!" Musk wrote on X Tuesday, after the White House event.

Musk, who is advising the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut costs and improve efficiency, has faced criticism for his dual roles in government and private sectors.

Tesla's stock rallied following the event at the White House Tuesday. Musk is appealing a court decision that rescinded his $56 billion compensation package from Tesla.

Social media platform X has been hit by a series of outages on Monday, which platform owner Elon Musk claims is due to a massive cyberattack. The Dark Storm Team, an anonymous hacktivist group, has taken responsibility for the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks causing the outages.

Musk posted on X that the platform is experiencing a "massive cyberattack" involving significant resources, suggesting either a large, coordinated group or a country is involved.

"We’re not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyber attack to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area," Musk said during an interview with Fox Business Network.

Multiple outages have been reported, with the first starting around 1000 UTC. The issues have been intermittent, with significant spikes in reports around 1400 and 1530 UTC.

Downdetector, a platform outage monitor, reported over 350,000 issues from US users and more than 8,000 from UK users

X has since enabled DDoS protections from Cloudflare, which now shows a captcha for suspicious IP addresses.

Chad Cragle, CISO at Deepwatch, described the attacks as full-scale DDoS assaults combined with sophisticated botnet activity, credential stuffing, API abuse, and targeted application-layer attacks.

Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility on their Telegram channel, writing, "How are you Elon Musk? I hope you liked our visit." Dark Storm Team is known for targeting Western entities.

However experts warn that there may be other actors with Ukrainian links involved in the attack, given Musk's outspoken support for a peace deal to end the country's war with Russia, and his criticisms of President Volodymyr Zelensky's intransigence.

Mark Carney has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, succeeding Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January 2025. Carney, a left-wing globalist and former Banks of England and Canada governor, won the leadership race with nearly 86% of the vote, positioning him to become the next Prime Minister of Canada.

The leadership vote which took place on Sunday, included four candidates: Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Frank Baylis, and Karina Gould.

Carney faces significant challenges, including managing Canada's trade relationship with the United States, particularly in light of trade tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump. He has promised to stand up to Trump and protect Canadian interests.

Justin Trudeau will remain as Prime Minister for a transitional period before Carney is sworn in.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the Liberal Party's choice, suggesting that Carney is part of the same woke Liberal team that has driven up taxes and costs and promotes LGBTQ degeneracy to children. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet also responded to Carney's election, with Singh emphasizing the need to protect Canada from Trump's threats.

Carney is expected to call federal elections soon after being sworn in, where he will face off against Poilievre and other opposition leaders. His campaign is likely to focus on unpopular woke left-wing agenda and standing up to the U.S. in trade negotiations. He has also promised to implement economic reforms to address the country's low growth and high cost of living.

The new leader will need to form a new cabinet and decide on the roles of other leadership candidates, including Chrystia Freeland, who has already expressed her support for Carney and her intention to run in the next federal election.

Romania's left-leaning Central Electoral Bureau has barred populist candidate Călin Georgescu from running in the May presidential election re-run, citing violations of election rules and allegations of Russian interference in his favor.

The decision, announced on Sunday, has sparked protests in Bucharest and drawn international criticism, including from U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Tesla chief Elon Musk, who called the decision "crazy."

The Central Electoral Bureau rejected Georgescu's candidacy, based on his past statements which it claimed are in contravention of the values required for the presidential office and that his candidacy goes against the court rulings from late 2024.

"A direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide!" the populist candidate who is leading in opinion polls wrote on X. "I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple! Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!"

Georgescu can appeal the decision to the Constitutional Court within 24 hours. The court is required to rule on the appeal by Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

Thousands of Georgescu's supporters gathered outside the electoral bureau, clashing with police using tear gas to disperse them.

The decision has been condemned by several international figures, including Vance and Musk, who accused Romania of suppressing democracy. Left-wing European diplomats, however, have expressed support for the 'independence' of Romanian courts.

Critics on social media Sunday, slammed left-wing activist judges in Europe who employ fascistic judicial tactics to suppress freedom and undermine democracy while hypocritically condemning countries like Russia and China for undemocratic elections.

Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election in November 2024 but the vote was annulled in December by the Constitutional Court due to discredited allegations of Russian interference.

Georgescu submitted his candidacy for the May ballot re-run, and he is currently leading in opinion polls. He is under criminal investigation for membership in a 'fascist organization.' However, citics see the investigation as a witch hunt against the populist candidate.

President Donald Trump announced the creation of a U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve on Sunday, which will include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple (XRP), Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA). This move is part of his plan to make the U.S. the "Crypto Capital of the World."

This announcement marks a significant shift in the U.S. government's approach to cryptocurrencies and is expected to have a substantial impact on the industry.

Trump signed an executive order in January directing the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to move forward with the creation of the Crypto Strategic Reserve.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump vowed to be friendly to the crypto industry and promised to establish a national Bitcoin stockpile. The U.S. president was once a critic of cryptocurrencies, calling them a "scam" in 2019. However, he has since embraced the industry, even launching his own meme coins and NFTs.

The Trump administration is expected to be more crypto-friendly compared to the previous Joe Biden administration, which had sought more regulation for the industry. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has already backed away from its previous stance on cryptocurrencies.

Trump is hosting the first White House Crypto Summit this week, to discuss the future of the crypto industry. The event will include prominent founders, CEOs, and investors from the crypto industry.

Sunday's announcement led to significant price increases for the included cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin rose by about 10%, Ethereum by about 12%, Ripple by over 30%, Solana by about 20%, and Cardano by over 60%

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE) via the Office of Personnel Management(OPM) sent out emails to over 2 million federal US workers over the weekend, asking them to highlight five things they accomplished at work the previous week.

This comes as reports reveal that 60% of federal employees 'work' from home and fraudulently collect salaries without actually accomplishing any important task.

Some left-wing federal workers and far-left media talking heads have since been breathlessly whining about the emails.

A federal worker called into the Breakfast Club radio show Tuesday, and slammed her colleagues for complaining about the emails.

“I got the email and I honestly feel like this is a great opportunity to outline what you as an employee bring to the company — you know, bring to the federal government, and if it’s really good what you outline they can give you an opportunity to get a promotion or something,” she said.

Such emails would be normal at another job, the caller added.

“God forbid they ask you what you’ve done. Any other job, they’ll ask you at the end of the week, at the end of the month,” she said.

The caller also revealed that remote workers are using a device to make it appear as if they are working as many government remote jobs will track the progress and activity status of employees’ computers.

“People are actually buying it and using it and not working. And this is our taxpayers’ money, and you have to work,” she said. “You don’t like it, get another job.”

The caller also took a shot at Democrats. “It’s this Democratic thing," she said. "It’s like, I don’t want to get the parties into it, but they don’t want to go to work. They want to work from home. People are not working from home.”

Meanwhile polls show that voters overwhelmingly see sending the emails as a common sense measure to find out who is actually working for the government and what contributions they make as they collect tens of thousands in salaries per employee, every month.

Breakfast Club is a morning radio show hosted by far-left Democrats Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy.

SpaceX's Starship upper stage (or Ship 33) experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its seventh test flight. The explosion occurred approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff over the Atlantic Ocean near the Turks and Caicos Islands Elon Musk stated that the explosion was likely caused by a propellant leak.

SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) conducted a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause and implement corrective actions for future flight tests.

The Elon Musk company wrote in a blog Monday,

"The seventh flight test of Starship and Super Heavy flew with ambitious goals, aiming to successfully repeat the core capability of returning and catching a booster while launching an upgraded design of the upper stage. While not every test objective was completed, the lessons learned will roll directly into future vehicles to make them more capable as Starship advances toward full and rapid reuse.

"On January 16, 2025, Starship successfully lifted off at 4:37 p.m. CT from Starbase in Texas. At launch, all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster started up successfully and completed a full duration burn during ascent. After powering down all but the three center engines on Super Heavy, Starship ignited all six of its Raptor engines to separate in a hot-staging maneuver and continue its ascent to space.

"Following stage separation, Super Heavy initiated its boostback burn to propel the rocket toward its intended landing location. It successfully lit 12 of the 13 engines commanded to start, with a single Raptor on the middle ring safely aborting on startup due to a low-power condition in the igniter system. Raptor engines on upcoming flights have a pre-planned igniter upgrade to mitigate this issue. The boostback burn was completed successfully and sent Super Heavy back to the launch site for catch.

"The booster successfully relit all 13 planned middle ring and center Raptor engines for its landing burn, including the engine that did not relight for boostback burn. The landing burn slowed the booster down and maneuvered it to the launch and catch tower arms at Starbase, resulting in the second ever successful catch of Super Heavy.

"After vehicle separation, Starship's six second stage Raptor engines powered the vehicle along its expected trajectory. Approximately two minutes into its burn, a flash was observed in the aft section of the vehicle near one of the Raptor vacuum engines. This aft section, commonly referred to as the attic, is an unpressurized area between the bottom of the liquid oxygen tank and the aft heatshield. Sensors in the attic detected a pressure rise indicative of a leak after the flash was seen.

"Roughly two minutes later, another flash was observed followed by sustained fires in the attic. These eventually caused all but one of Starship’s engines to execute controlled shut down sequences and ultimately led to a loss of communication with the ship. Telemetry from the vehicle was last received just over eight minutes and 20 seconds into flight.

"Contact with Starship was lost prior to triggering any destruct rules for its Autonomous Flight Safety System, which was fully healthy when communication was lost. The vehicle was observed to break apart approximately three minutes after loss of contact during descent. Post-flight analysis indicates that the safety system did trigger autonomously, and breakup occurred within Flight Termination System expectations.

"The most probable root cause for the loss of ship was identified as a harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing, which led to increased stress on hardware in the propulsion system. The subsequent propellant leaks exceeded the venting capability of the ship’s attic area and resulted in sustained fires.

"Immediately following the anomaly, the pre-coordinated response plan developed by SpaceX, the FAA, and ATO (air traffic control) went into effect. All debris came down within the pre-planned Debris Response Area, and there were no hazardous materials present in the debris and no significant impacts expected to occur to marine species or water quality. SpaceX reached out immediately to the government of Turks and Caicos and worked with them and the United Kingdom to coordinate recovery and cleanup efforts. While an early end to the flight test is never a desired outcome, the measures put in place ahead of launch demonstrated their ability to keep the public safe.

"SpaceX led the investigation efforts with oversight from the FAA and participation from NASA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the U.S. Space Force. SpaceX is working with the FAA to either close the mishap investigation or receive a flight safety determination, along with working on a license authorization to enable its next flight of Starship.

"As part of the investigation, an extended duration static fire was completed with the Starship flying on the eighth flight test. The 60-second firing was used to test multiple engine thrust levels and three separate hardware configurations in the Raptor vacuum engine feedlines to recreate and address the harmonic response seen during Flight 7. Findings from the static fire informed hardware changes to the fuel feedlines to vacuum engines, adjustments to propellant temperatures, and a new operating thrust target that will be used on the upcoming flight test.

"To address flammability potential in the attic section on Starship, additional vents and a new purge system utilizing gaseous nitrogen are being added to the current generation of ships to make the area more robust to propellant leakage. Future upgrades to Starship will introduce the Raptor 3 engine, reducing the attic volume and eliminating the majority of joints that can leak into this volume."

German conservative party leader Friedrich Merz is projected to become the next chancellor following victory in Sunday's election for his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 29% of the vote, while the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to 20%, making it the second-largest party in the Bundestag, and doubling its result at the last election in 2021.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in third with 16% of the vote, marking a significant decline from its previous result; while the Green Party won 11% of the vote. The Left Party (Die Linke) won 8%, a notable increase that secures its place in parliament. Scholz acknowledged the "bitter" defeat, signaling the end of his tenure as chancellor.

“I’d like to express my respect for our political rivals,” said the CDU/CSU chancellor candidate, Merz. “It was a very tough campaign. Now we need to talk to each other and as quickly as possible form a government for Germany that can take action so that we can do the right thing at home, be present again in Europe and make sure the world sees that Germany again has a reliable government.” CSU leader Markus Soeder also celebrated the victory Sunday night.

Merz is expected to begin coalition talks, but it remains unclear which parties will join him. The AfD is likely to be excluded from any coalition.

Jubilant AfD chancellor candidate and co-leader, Alice Weidel, cheered the outcome with officials. “This is a historic success for us – our best result ever,” she told the broadcaster ARD. “We extend our hand to offer cooperation with the CDU. Otherwise change won’t be possible in Germany.”

The election was dominated by concerns over the economy, immigration, and security, particularly in the wake of recent terror attacks by illegal immigrants.

AfD attracted high-profile endorsements from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and the US vice-president JD Vance, during the campaign. However establishment parties in Germany have pledged to maintain a “firewall ” barring formal cooperation with AfD.

US President Donald Trump hailed the election’s outcome. “Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no-common-sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “This is a great day for Germany.”

Sunday's election marks a shift in Germany's political landscape, with the populist AfD emerging as a major force and the conservative CDU poised to return to power.

Apple has removed its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for iCloud data in the United Kingdom following a government order demanding backdoor access to encrypted user data.

The UK government issued a technical capability notice under the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted iCloud data, which would have compromised the end-to-end encryption for users worldwide.

Apple has disabled ADP for new users in the UK and will eventually require existing users to disable it manually.

This move affects iCloud data such as photos, notes, messages, and device backups, but does not impact iMessage, FaceTime, password management, and health data, which remain end-to-end encrypted.

Apple has stated that it is "gravely disappointed" and remains committed to offering the highest level of security for users' personal data.

In a statement by Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said the company’s Advanced Data Protection feature will no longer be available to new users and current U.K. users “will eventually need to disable this security feature.”

“We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the U.K. given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy,” the company said. “Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before."

The UK government's demand is controversial, as it would have provided access to data from users worldwide without their knowledge or consent 

Privacy advocates and tech experts have criticized the UK government's actions, noting that the move undermines user privacy and security

US Defense Secretary warned NATO allies that President Trump will not allow anyone to turn "Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker," emphasizing that Europe should be primarily responsible for its own defense. In a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels Thursday, Pete Hegseth said that NATO is a great alliance, but to endure for the future, European partners must do more for Europe's defense, and "we must make NATO great again."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that as the U.S. aims to "revive the warrior ethos," European members of NATO also should follow suit and bolster defense efforts.

"NATO should pursue these goals as well," Hegseth told NATO members. "NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense."

"We must make NATO great again," he said.

Hegseth urged European allies to bolster defense spending from 2% to 5% of gross domestic product, as President Donald Trump has long advocated.

As of 2023, the U.S. spent 3.3% of its GDP on defense spending — totaling $880 billion, according to the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. More than 50% of NATO funding comes from the U.S., while other allies, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have contributed between 4% and 8% to NATO funding in recent years.

Hegseth also defended the US negotiating strategy with Russia on the war in Ukraine.

NATO comprises more than 30 countries and was originally formed in 1949 to halt the spread of the Soviet Union.

Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post Wednesday, that he had a "highly productive" conversation with Vladimir Putin, where they agreed to work together to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. president said that Putin wants peace and they discussed "getting a ceasefire in the not-too-distant future."

"We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end."

Trump also revealed that Putin will visit the U.S., and vice versa in the future.

The US President also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who emphasized that Ukraine cannot accept any agreements made without its input, and emphasized the importance of Ukraine's participation in peace talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, has secured the release of American hostage Marc Fogel from Russia, White House announced Tuesday, as both were on a flight back to the U.S. where he's expected to be reunited with his family. The 63-year-old was welcomed later in the night at the White House where he called Trump a "hero."

Fogel, an American schoolteacher, was detained in Russia since August 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison for carrying medically prescribed marijuana. The details of the exchange, including what the US gave in return for Fogel's release, have not been disclosed.

Witkoff's unannounced visit to Moscow marks a significant breakthrough in US-Russia relations. He flew Fogel out of Russia on his private jet.

Fogel's release is seen as a "show of good faith" from Russia and a step towards ending the war in Ukraine, according to White House national security adviser Mike Waltz.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia" Waltz wrote in a statement Tuesday. "President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine. Since President Trump’s swearing-in, he has successfully secured the release of Americans detained around the world, and President Trump will continue until all Americans being held are returned to the United States."

Trump administration has reportedly been working to secure Fogel's release and improve relations with Russia as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, also negotiated the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in December.

President Donald Trump said in an interview with The New York Post, that he will not deport Prince Harry from the US, citing that the royal has "enough problems" with his wife, Meghan Markle, and that she is "terrible."

Harry’s immigration status is the subject of litigation in Washington DC, with the Heritage Foundation alleging that he may have concealed past illegal drug use that should have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa.

Heritage cited Harry’s autobiography “Spare” — in which he admitted to using cocaine, cannabis and psychedelics — when it sued the Department of Homeland Security last year to force the release of his US visa records.

“Anyone who applies to the United States has to be truthful on their application, and it is not clear that is the case with Prince Harry,” Heritage’s Nile Gardiner reportedly said. 

The conservative think tank suggests Harry was given preferential treatment by the Joe Biden administration after he and Meghan moved to California in 2020 following their acrimonious “Megxit” split from the royal family.

“I don’t want to do that,” he said in The New York Post interview. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

The Duke of Sussex and his left-wing American wife have voiced disapproval of Trump over the years, including one outburst in which the Duchess called the president “divisive” and “misogynistic.”

Trump praised Harry's older brother, Prince William during the interview, calling him a "great young man."

“I think William is a great young man,” he said.

Trump in turn has described Harry as “whipped” by Meghan. “I think poor Harry is being led around by the nose.”

The US President who has been no fan of the Duchess of Sussex, has previously suggested that Harry could face deportation if it is proven he lied on his visa application.

President Donald Trump has ordered the termination of funding to several media outlets, including BBC and Politico, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This was part of a broader effort to realign U.S. foreign aid priorities and stop funding left-wing media outlets that were seen as promoting anti-American views and values.

The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE) recently revealed that USAID had been funding these outlets, with Politico receiving over $34 million from USAID and other government agencies.

Other left-wing media outlets, including the New York Times and Reuters, have also been affected by the USAID funding cuts.

The BBC's charity arm has expressed concern over the funding cuts, said it could impact their programs worldwide.

However many Americans believe this was a necessary step to ensure that American taxpayer dollars were not being used to support media organizations that were fundamentally opposed to American interests and traditional values. And the Trump administration has maintained that the funding cuts are necessary to align USAID's priorities with his America-first policy.

Donald Trump has paused tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days after reaching agreements with the leaders of both countries to address border security concerns and the flow of fentanyl into the US. The U.S. president appears to be pursing an even more aggressive 'America first' policy than he did in his first term in office.

Trump announced the pause in tariffs Monday, which were initially set to impose 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10% tariffs on goods imported from China. The pause in tariffs is part of a deal where Mexico will send 10,000 soldiers to its northern border to stem fentanyl shipments into the US, and Canada will take additional actions to address Trump's concerns about fentanyl flowing into the country.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to immediately send 10,000 soldiers to her country's northern border to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US, in exchange for a 30-day pause in tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his part announced that Trump would pause tariffs on imports from Canada for at least 30 days, after Canada agreed to take additional actions to address Trump's concerns about fentanyl flowing into the country.

Meanwhile, Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods are still scheduled to go into effect, with a 10% levy set to begin at midnight on Tuesday, February 4.

On another front, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected Trump's claim Sunday night, of land confiscation. Trump said in a Truth Social post that "certain classes of people" are being "treated very badly," pointing to land confiscations as a key issue, and said the U.S. will conduct a "full investigation."

South African government has faced allegations of discrimination and cruelty against the country's minority white population.

Ramaphosa, who recently spoke with Trump, denied the allegations against his government. He insists his government is not seizing land, just implementing a "constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution."

The U.S. sent $440 million in aid to South Africa in 2023. Trump announced he will halt all future U.S. funding to the African country pending investigations by the U.S. government.

Meta has agreed to pay Donald Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit over the suspension of his Facebook and Instagram accounts following the January 6 Capitol riots.

The settlement reported Wednesday, includes $22 million that will go towards funding Trump’s presidential library, with the remainder covering legal fees and payments to other plaintiffs in the case.

This development marks a significant concession by Meta, which had initially suspended and then banned Trump from its platforms due to concerns over public safety.

The lawsuit, filed by Trump in 2021, alleged that Meta had engaged in “impermissible censorship” by removing him from the social media platforms.

Meta’s decision to settle the lawsuit comes after the company lifted the final restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in July 2024, ahead of the US presidential elections.

The settlement does not require Meta to admit wrongdoing, and the company’s spokesperson confirmed that the parties have reached an agreement to settle the individual claims and resolve the matter.

The payout is the second to Trump in recent months, following a $15 million settlement with ABC News in December 2024 over a defamation lawsuit

Apple has reportedly been working with SpaceX and T-Mobile to add support for the Starlink satellite network's direct-to-cell(DTC) service in its latest iPhone software, providing an alternative to the company’s in-house satellite-communication service. The initial version of Starlink is exclusively for texting, but SpaceX and T-Mobile have said that they plan to expand into data connections and voice calls in the future.

This development marks a significant step in expanding satellite connectivity for smartphone users, with the Starlink option designed to work automatically, even when the phone is in a customer’s pocket.

The Starlink DTC service is currently available only in the US and is limited to T-Mobile users, with a small number of iPhones enabled as part of a beta test. The current Apple feature requires users to point their iPhone to the sky to find a satellite, whereas the Starlink option is designed to work automatically.

Participants in the beta received messages from T-Mobile, informing them of their inclusion in the Starlink program. The company said that the test will initially support select smartphones, with plans to expand to more devices.

The integration of Starlink into iPhones is seen as a major accessibility shift, making off-the-grid communication more accessible to users.

SpaceX is looking to expand Starlink's DTC service to other carriers globally, and the program may be available on other devices in the future.

American left-wing Actress and singer Selena Gomez, 32, has deleted an Instagram video of herself crying over the deportations of criminal illegal aliens from the United States, which was posted in response to the recent immigration crackdown by the President Donald Trump administration.

The deleted video featured Gomez crying and saying “All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry, I wish I could do something but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise.”

The actress faced backlash from critics who slammed her for crying for criminals instead of their American victims. Some of the criminal aliens rounded up over the weekend have been convicted of various violent crimes including the rape of children.

Gomez has also faced criticism from various political figures, including Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who questioned her tears for the deported individuals while asking where her tears were for the victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens.

After deleting the original video, Gomez posted another Instagram story saying “Apparently it’s not ok to show empathy for people,” which has also been deleted

Brave Search has introduced a new feature Thursday, called Rerank, which allows users to customize search rankings by boosting or removing domains from search results, giving them full control over their search experience. This feature is powered by Goggles, a technology that enables users to create, apply, and share custom filters to change the way results are ranked.

“Rerank enables users to easily adjust search results according to their preferences, explicitly, while being in full control. No opaque personalization is done by unknown algorithms, as Rerank puts users in charge of their search experience,” said Arjaldo Karaj, VP, Brave Search.

The Rerank feature appears as a separate panel on the right side of the search page, summarizing search results for a given search term and allowing users to upvote or downvote certain websites to tune their search results.

To use the tool on a search results page, click the Rerank icon on the top right, and simply thumbs up or down a domain to increase or decrease its presence or absence respectively in your results.

For users who wish to switch between pre-made reranking configurations, default Goggles can be applied by navigating to the Goggles tab alongside Images, Videos, and News tabs on the search results page (SERP).

"Use of Rerank will not change domain presence or ranking for other users or on Brave Search as a whole—Rerank only applies for the users who choose to use the feature, and only on that user’s device," Brave wrote in a blog announcing the tool. "Rerank does not track users, and modifications can be cleared at any time in the search settings."

Goggles, the technology behind Rerank, was first introduced to Brave Search in June 2022, and it gives users the ability to create and share custom filters, such as “News from the left” or “Tech blogs”, to counter any intrinsic biases in the algorithm.

Brave Search is a privacy-oriented search engine that uses a personal web index to create search results, and it does not profile its users or use opaque personalization algorithms, making it a unique alternative to other search engines.

Rerank is available to Brave Search users for free.

At the Samsung Unpacked 2025 event Wednesday, the tech giant unveiled the Galaxy S25 series smartphone, including the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra, with a focus on AI features and improvements. The event also teased the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, an ultra-slim smartphone with a rumored thickness of 6.4mm, but no official details were announced.

The  Galaxy S25 Series smartphones are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, the newly launched chipset which provides a performance boost of 40% in NPU, 37% in CPU, and 30% in GPU compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and supports advanced AI features and improved gaming performance.

The smartphones feature thinner and lighter form factors, and improved camera capabilities, including 10-bit HDR recording and a new Galaxy Virtual Aperture.

A One UI 7 fresh upgrade brings new features and improvements to the Galaxy S25 series, including enhanced productivity and entertainment capabilities; and improved AI capabilities, including a personal data engine, multi-app commands, and a Now Brief feature that anticipates user needs and packages them neatly for easy access.

The base model Galaxy S25 features a thinner and lighter design, with a starting price of $799, and includes a 6.2-inch display, 4,000mAh battery, and 50MP main lens.

The Galaxy S25 Plus model has a starting price of $999, with a 6.7-inch display, 4,900mAh battery, and similar camera specifications to the base model. The Galaxy S25 Ultra model features a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, 50MP ultrawide camera sensor, and a starting price of $1,299, with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.

US President Donald Trump has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace, who was serving a life sentence for his role in creating the platform. The pardon, announced late Tuesday fulfills a campaign promise Trump made last year to Ulbricht’s supporters, particularly those in the Libertarian movement.

"I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross. The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Silk Road, an online black market launched in 2011 by Ulbricht under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts, operated on the dark web as a hidden service on the Tor network. It allows users to buy and sell illicit items, including hard drugs, hacking equipment, and stolen passports, using Bitcoin for transactions.

As part of the case, the government had seized 173,991 Bitcoins from Ulbricht, which were worth approximately $33.6 million at the time but are now valued at over $18 billion.

Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for his connection to the Silk Road, with charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, and computer hacking.

Online rights activists who argued the life sentence was too harsh and disproportionate, welcomed the release, and thanked Trump for honoring his campaign promise unlike most politicians.

The cryptocurrency meme coins $TRUMP and $MELANIA, launched by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, have experienced significant price fluctuations. The $TRUMP coin, which reached a peak value of around $75, has fallen by over 50% to approximately $40, while the $MELANIA coin has also seen a substantial decline.

Meme coin is a cryptocurrency with no economic or transactional value often linked to internet personalities or trends such as Dogecoin which was inspired by the image of a shiba inu dog. $TRUMP was launched by the then president-elect over the weekend days before he was sworn in as the 47th president.

Experts have warned about the potential risks and conflicts of interest associated with the launch of these meme coins, particularly given President Trump’s plans to deregulate the crypto industry. Some have criticized the timing of the launch, just days before the inauguration, as potentially predatory and harmful to investors.

Non-bitcoin cryptocurrencies or 'shitcoins,' experts warn, could delegitimize the industry as a whole if governments don't intervene to establish clear regulations to protect investors and create a stable environment for companies.

The price of Bitcoin has surged in anticipation of a crypto-friendly Trump administration, currently at $105,000.

The U.S. Supreme Court has on Friday, upheld a law requiring TikTok to be sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban from U.S. app stores starting this Sunday(Jan 19).

Friday's ruling comes after President Joe Biden signed a bill last year, compelling the sale of the Chinese-owned app within 270 days.

President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20 as the 47 president, has indicated he'll intervene with an executive order to delay the ban, and keep TikTok operating in U.S until a resolution with ByteDance can be reached.

"The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, Friday.

The incoming president also said he spoke on the phone with the Chinese president.

"I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!" He wrote.

Critics have slammed US lawmakers and Biden for caving to pressure from left-wing and neoconservative pro-Israel groups like ADL and AIPAC which many believe, compromise and blackmail elected US officials across the country to do the Jewish nation's bidding even when it's against the interest of American voters.

Social media personalities Wack100 and Adam22 swapped wives in a degenerate sex orgy filmed and posted on porn website Onlyfans.

Adam22, a self-admitted cuck, infamously let his wife Lana have sex on camera with a black pornstar Jason Luv who "pounded and cmummed" inside her in a steamy sex scene.

Since her viral sex scene with Luv, Lana has had sex on camera with another black 'BBC' in a threesome with Adam22 himself.

The latest act by Adam22 and Lana, critics say, is part of a "demonic concerted effort" by "evil" and sometimes unhinged porn industry executives to normalize sexual degeneracy and accelerate the decline of western civilization not unlike the waning days of the Roman empire.

Onlyfans is owned by Jewish billionaire Leonid Radvinski who has donated generously to notorious pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC which has faced criticisms for corrupting and compromising American politicians who are forced to support Israeli military's devastating actions in Gaza

Retired UFC fighter and Hall of Famer, Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from an Frontier Airlines flight over the weekend after a dispute with a flight attendant over his seating in the emergency exit row. Nurmagomedov was traveling to Los Angeles ahead of the UFC 311 event on January 18.

The incident occurred when the flight attendant questioned whether Nurmagomedov was prepared and able to assist other passengers in the event of an emergency, as required for those seated in exit rows.

A viral video shows a flight attendant ask Nurmagomedov who was born in Dagestan Russia, if he could assist passengers in an emergency. The retired UFC fighter apparently didn't initially understand the flight attendant's question due to language differences.

Things escalated when the flight attendant gave the UFC Hall of Famer an ultimatum: take a different seat or get off the plane, after which a supervisor was called in and Nurmagomedov was escorted off the plane. A Russian passenger unsuccessfully tried to defend Numagomedov and resolve the issue.

In the viral video, Nurmagomedov is seen saying it was not fair, and that he had complied with the flight crew during the check-in process.

Some social media users and Nurmagomedov himself criticized the incident as a case of racial profiling. He also clarified that it was Frontier Airlines and not Alaska Airlines earlier reported.

"First of all, I need to clarify that it was @FlyFrontier not AlaskaAir," Numergomedov wrote on X. "Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything and agreed to assist, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I'm not sure. But after 2 minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft, after 1,5 hour I boarded another airline one and left to my destination. I did my best to stay calm and respecttul as you can see on the video. But those crew members could do better next time and just be nice with clients."

But other critics disagree that it was a case of racial profiling, but instead appears to be a language barrier misunderstanding.

Nurmagomedov was on his way to UFC 311 to support his colleagues, including Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, and his presence in Los Angeles is still anticipated despite the in-flight incident

Elon Musk on Thursday, posted a propaganda-style video of him defending Israel's heinous military actions against Palestinians in Gaza. The post attracted criticisms from many X users who accused the Tesla chief of hypocrisy and bias.

"For being so smart, you're exceptionally bad at understanding this issue... Kinda weird..." Social media personality Ian Carroll responded to Musk's post.

Musk then asked Carroll, "what am I missing?"

This prompted Carroll to give the Tesla chief, a thorough and detailed response highlighting the outsized and costly Israeli influence on America's domestic and foreign policies -- "Israel-pilled @elonmuisk" a the social media commentator put it.

Carroll wrote:

"That AIPAC purchased the seats of about 90% or more of our current congress. JFK famously wanted them registered as a foreign agent right before he was shot and thus they changed their name and never registered. Why are we letting a foreign lobby buy off our congress?

"That Israel was obviously the state sponsor of Jefrey Epstein, whose handler was Ehud Barak, ex head of Israeli military intelligence, his funding was Les Wexner one of the worlds richest Zionist 'philanthropists' and he was accused by ex Mossad assets of being Mossad. Not to mention the Maxwell connection. (They had blackmail on Clinton, and many, many more.) He who holds the blackmail holds the leash- just ask J. Edgar Hoover.

"That Israel is the only nation who has a defacto sanctioned, yet actually secret and unsanctioned nuclear program. A program that they stole from the United States- look into the Apollo affair, NUMEC, the Dimona nuclear facility.

"That jews, muslims, and christians lived side by side in peace in Palestine before the Rothschilds purchased the country from Britain during WW1 (see the Balfour declaration) and began their colonial program.

"That the groups that founded Israel, Lehi, Irgun, and Hagannah, were declared terrorist organizations by Israel itself because their tactics were so deplorable (bombing British and Palestinian civilians) yet these three 'paramilitary' groups rebranded to form the IDF and their leadership became the leadership of Israel for the following thirty plus years.

"That Israel is a foreign nation halfway across the world that has no business receiving my tax dollars. Why are we sending them billions of dollars of our tax money while our country burns, is overrun by illegal immigration, etc?

"We are told Israel is our 'greatest ally' so why would they have had a massive spy network targeting US government agencies leading up to sep 11, 2001 - see the Israeli art students DEA report for copious evidence of Israeli surveillance all across the continental US. This is an official government report that cites hundreds of incidents of observed Israeli surveillance teams documented by US government agents all across the continental US.

"And we still have received 0 answers why there were numerous fake Israeli moving companies positioned all across the eastern seaboard leading into September 11, 2001 and we have multiple eye witness reports, as well as hard photographic evidence that they knew the attacks were coming at least a day before they did and that they were positioned at a vantage point to photograph the attack up to a half hour before the first plane hit.

"Never got any answers- but you can read the official FBI reports about the incident. I've broken them down live on X before.

"That's just a small list of some of the best documented reasons why I, as an American, dont want Israel receiving any of my tax dollars.

"And I didn't even mention my obvious objections to the collective punishment, mass surveillance, forced starvation, bombing of refugee camps, brutal murdering of women and children that's been going on in Gaza and the West Bank for years, decades- which you can watch in graphic detail right here on X. 

"And that's not to mention that somehow we let congress pass laws outlawing 'antisemitic' speech, despite our own first amendment. And we have anti-boycott legislation in multiple states, despite the fact that it's perfectly legal to boycott American companies... just not Israeli ones.

"Every content creator knows the fastest way to get demonetized, banned, and slandered is to be critical of Israel. I figured you would have realized this too after what they did to you and tried to do to X last year." Carroll concluded.

While many critics argue that Musk is aware of the so-called Jewish Question(JQ) as it's known on social media, and deliberately replied to Carroll knowing he'd respond with such counter-argument against Zionist influence. Others say the Tesla chief has been brainwashed and compromised by Israeli officials since his "apology tour" of the Jewish state.

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the joint session of Congress Monday, to certify the 2024 presidential election results, marking a significant step in the transfer of power to President-elect Donald Trump.

Harris and running mate Tim Walz lost to Trump and JD Vance in November's presidential elections.

The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 clarified the vice president’s ceremonial role in presiding over the joint session and raised the threshold for challenging a state’s electors to 20% of members in each chamber.

Harris described her role in the certification process as a “sacred obligation,” guided by her love of country, loyalty to the Constitution, and faith in the American people.

In a video clip of the event going viral online, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson appears to smirk as Harris read the official results of the election. Another viral clip on Monday, shows an awkward moment on Friday, when Harris was swearing in Deb Fischer(R-NE), among other senators, for her third term. After the two shook hands and Harris thanked the Republican for all her work, the vice president then turned to Fischer’s husband Bruce to shake his hand which he appeared to refused to do.

Monday's certification of the 2024 presidential election results marks the final step in the electoral process, with President-elect Trump set to be inaugurated on January 20, 2025.

The event was held under heavy security, with the Capitol complex designated as a “National Special Security Event” due to concerns about potential violence by unhinged far-left extremists

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party, effective after a new leader is chosen through a nationwide competitive process. He will remain in office as Prime Minister until the party selects his successor.

The exact timeline for Trudeau’s departure from office is not yet clear, but he has asked the Governor-General to prorogue Parliament until March 24, indicating that an election is unlikely to be held before May.

This decision comes amid growing pressure and criticism, including from within his own party, over his handling of various issues, including the economy. Intra-party battles and polarization within the country, Trudeau believes, would hinder his ability to lead effectively in the next election.

The Liberal Party will begin a process to select a new leader, and Trudeau will stay on as Prime Minister until this process is complete.

Reacting to the resignation, US President-elect Donald Trump who has been trolling Trudeau and Canada as the 51st state of America, wrote on Truth Social, "Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned. If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!"

Trudeau’s decision to step down has been welcomed by some as an opportunity for the party to reset and potentially improve its chances in the next election, which must be held by late October. While many others believe it will give the country a chance to change course from the current gloomy social and economic path caused by the outgoing prime minister's woke and open borders policies

Meta is planning to introduce AI-powered user accounts on Facebook and Instagram, allowing these accounts to create and share content like human users. The company was testing these AI bots, with hundreds of thousands of characters created through Meta’s AI Studio, although most remain private.

The AI bot profiles will have bios, profile pictures, and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform, similar to human user accounts.

There’s “Jane Austen,” a “cynical novelist and storyteller”; “Liv,” whose bio claims she is a “proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller”; and “Carter,” who promises to give users relationship advice. All are labeled as “AI managed by Meta” and the profiles date back to when the initial announcement was made.

The move aims to increase user engagement on the platforms. The company hopes that these semi-independent custom avatars will prove more engaging to young people, who are crucial to the survival of Meta’s flagship social networks.

However, the more than a dozen AI characters have apparently not been very popular: each has just a few thousand followers, with their posts getting just a few likes and comments.

Many of the AI bots haven’t shared new content on their grid since early 2024, and it’s unclear how (or if) users have been finding and engaging with these profiles over the past year.

The introduction of AI bots raises concerns about the potential risks of propaganda, disinformation, relationship deceit, and fraud, as well as the potential for these bots to spread inappropriate content.

Critics argue that few human users would find interacting with a woke boring queer AI bot engaging. "They're woke, creepy, unnecessary. Miss me with that shit," one person wrote on X, summarizing most of the reactions to Meta's AI profiles.

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, announced a new hire for his upcoming administration. In a social media post making the announcement, the incoming president, apparently not thrilled with having to hire Morgan Ortagus, called out the former State department spokeswoman.

After her work at the State department during Trump's first term, Ortagus became a critic of the former president before and during his second campaign for the presidency which he won in November.

Trump wrote,

"I am pleased to announce Morgan Ortagus as Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace, to the Honorable Steven Witkoff. Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson. These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens. She will hopefully be an asset to Steve, a great leader and talent, as we seek to bring calm and prosperity to a very troubled region. I expect great results, and soon!

"Morgan Ortagus has had experience in Diplomacy and National Security, and is an active U.S. Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer. From 2019-2021, Morgan served as Spokesperson at the Department of State (Pompeo!), where she was a member of my Historic Abraham Accords team that brought unprecedented Peace to the Middle East. Earlier, she worked at the Department of the Treasury as a financial intelligence analyst and, from 2010-2011, was the Deputy U.S. Treasury Attaché to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 "Good luck Morgan!"

The President-elect will be officially sworn in as 47th president on Jan. 20

SpaceX in a blog post, outlined the upgrades made to the Starship spacecraft for its upcoming 7th test flight. The new space vehicle will also deploy Starlink satellite simulators during the flight.

The upgrades include,

• Ship's forward flaps have been reduced in size and shifted towards the vehicle tip and away from the heat shield, significantly reducing their exposure to reentry heating while simplifying the underlying mechanisms and protective tiling;

• Redesigns to the propulsion system, including a 25% increase in propellant volume, the vacuum jacketing of feedlines, a new fuel feedline system for the vehicle’s Raptor vacuum engines, and an improved propulsion avionics module controlling vehicle valves and reading sensors;

• Ship’s heat shield will use the latest generation tiles and includes a backup layer to protect from missing or damaged tiles;

• The vehicle’s avionics underwent a complete redesign, adding additional capability and redundancy for increasingly complex missions like propellant transfer and ship return to launch site;

• Avionics upgrades include a more powerful flight computer, integrated antennas which combine Starlink, GNSS, and backup RF communication functions into each unit, redesigned inertial navigation and star tracking sensors, integrated smart batteries and power units that distribute data and 2.7MW of power across the ship to 21 high-voltage actuators, and an increase to more than 30 vehicle cameras giving engineers insight into hardware performance across the vehicle during flight;

• While in space, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, similar in size and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the first exercise of a satellite deploy mission. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned;

• On Starship’s upper stage, a significant number of tiles will be removed to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle;

• Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry;

• Several radar sensors will be tested on the tower chopsticks with the goal of increasing the accuracy when measuring distances between the chopsticks and a returning vehicle during catch;

• The Super Heavy booster will utilize flight proven hardware for the first time, reusing a Raptor engine from the booster launched and returned on Starship’s fifth flight test;

• Hardware upgrades to the launch and catch tower will increase reliability for booster catch, including protections to the sensors on the tower chopsticks that were damaged at launch and resulted in the booster offshore divert on Starship’s previous flight test;

"This new year will be transformational for Starship, with the goal of bringing reuse of the entire system online and flying increasingly ambitious missions as we iterate towards being able to send humans and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars;" SpaceX said in the blog.

Former US President Jimmy Carter: Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, has died at the age of 100. He passed away peacefully around 3:40 pm at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday, December 29, 2024, surrounded by his family.

Carter is survived by his sons, John, Chip, and Donnell, and his daughter, Amy. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, passed away in November 2023.

Jimmy Carter served as President from 1977 to 1981 and was known for his emphasis on human rights, environmentalism, and social justice. After leaving office, he continued to work as a humanitarian, founding the Carter Center and working with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

President Carter is being remembered as a statesman and humanitarian, with tributes pouring in from world leaders, including President Joe Biden, who described him as a “dear friend” and a “man of principle, faith, and humility.”

"I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter," President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.

"The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

"Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers."

Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his tireless efforts to promote peace, human rights, and economic development around the world

US President-elect Donald Trump in a long Christmas Day message on social media, called out the “wonderful soldiers of China” who he accused of “illegally” operating in the Panama Canal while “the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money.” Earlier this month, he suggested the U.S. would retake the canal because of the “ridiculous” fees for shippers moving through the vital transportation channel.

Trump also slammed outgoing US president Joe Biden for pardoning violent criminals who critics describe as the worst of the worst, just weeks after pardoning his own son.

The President-elect mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trump wrote:

"Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in “repair” money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about “anything.” Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World. Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!

"Merry Christmas to the Radical Left Lunatics, who are constantly trying to obstruct our Court System and our Elections, and are always going after the Great Citizens and Patriots of the United States but, in particular, their Political Opponent, ME. They know that their only chance of survival is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no idea what he is doing. Also, to the 37 most violent criminals, who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky “souls” but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL! We had the Greatest Election in the History of our Country, a bright light is now shining over the U.S.A. and, in 26 days, we will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the US on Jan. 20.

On Dec. 21, 2015, a Falcon 9 first stage landed at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This event marked the first time SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket back on Earth after an orbital mission.

The mission was part of SpaceX's Orbcomm OG2 satellite launch, where the rocket not only successfully deployed the satellites into orbit but also returned the first stage for a controlled, vertical landing

Stablecoin giant Tether has made a strategic investment of $775 million in Rumble, a popular free speech video-sharing platform and YouTube competitor.

The partnership aims to drive growth and innovation in the video streaming platform, and establish a meaningful advertising, cloud, and crypto payment solutions relationship with Rumble.

$250 million of the strategic investment will be used to support Rumble’s growth initiatives, and the remaining amount will be used to fund a self-tender offer for up to 70 million shares of Rumble’s Class A Common Stock at $7.50 per share.

According to a company blog announcing the investment, "Rumble’s existing Board and governance structure, including Chris Pavlovski’s super-majority voting control, will remain unchanged following the closing of the transaction and Tether will own a minority position in our outstanding common stock but will not have the right to designate any members of the Board."

The investment and the tender offer are expected to close in the first quarter of 2025.

"I truly believe Tether is the perfect partner that can put a rocket pack on the back of Rumble as we prepare for our next phase of growth," Pavlovski said.

"Legacy media has increasingly eroded trust, creating an opportunity for platforms like Rumble to offer a credible, uncensored alternative," said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. "Beyond our initial shareholder stake, Tether intends to drive towards a meaningful advertising, cloud, and crypto payment solutions relationship with Rumble."

RUM shares rocketed higher by 41% in after hours action to $10.13.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Sunday, the closure of Israel’s embassy in Dublin, citing the “extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government.” This decision was made in response to Ireland’s recent actions, including its decision to join South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide in its devasting bombing of Gaza.

The relationship between Israel and Ireland has been strained, with the Irish government being one of the Jewish nation’s most outspoken critics, particularly over the war in Gaza that started on October 7, 2023.

"Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a statement. "The actions and antisemitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel are rooted in the delegitimisation and demonisation of the Jewish state, along with double standards."

Ireland's taoiseach (prime minister) said in a statement that the decision is "deeply regrettable," and that "keeping channels open has never been more important so that we can better understand each other's positions, even when we disagree"

Simon Harris added: "I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law. "Ireland wants a two-state solution and for Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security. Ireland will always speak up for human rights and international law. Nothing will distract from that." 

Concurrently with the closure of the embassy in Ireland, Israel announced plans to open a new embassy in Moldova, which already has an embassy in Israel. This move reflects Israel’s strategy to prioritize diplomatic relations with countries that are willing to strengthen ties with the Jewish state, Sa'ar said.

South Korea’s National Assembly on Saturday, voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, suspending his powers and duties, following his failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3. The impeachment motion, supported by 204 lawmakers, exceeded the required two-thirds majority, marking a significant political crisis in the country.

President Yoon declared martial law on December 3, citing a need to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces,” a reference to his liberal rivals who control parliament. However, the move was widely criticized as unconstitutional and an attempt to suspend parliamentary operations. The declaration was blocked by lawmakers within hours, and the state of emergency lasted only six hours.

Following the impeachment vote, Yoon vowed not to give up and called for officials to maintain stability in government functions during what he described as a “temporary” pause of his presidency. He will be suspended from presidential duties while the Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide whether to restore him or remove him from office. If he is removed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

The crypto community on social media is abuzz with concerns over the impact of quantum computing on the Bitcoin network encryption, following Google's unveiling of Willow.

However, Bitcoin's cryptographic algorithms -- like the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) for signatures and SHA-256 for mining, -- require millions, if not billions, of qubits to be effectively compromised by quantum computing.

Breaking Bitcoin's encryption in a feasible timeframe would necessitate a quantum computer with approximately 13 million to 1.9 billion qubits, significantly more than Willow's 105 qubits.

While Willow is still considered experimental and far from the scale needed to pose an immediate threat to Bitcoin's security, the crypto community and developers are already working on future quantum-resistant solutions.

There is consensus that any real threat from quantum computing to Bitcoin's encryption is likely years, if not decades, away. This gives ample time for the implementation of new cryptographic methods or protocol upgrades, like soft forks, to enhance Bitcoin's security against future quantum computing advancements.

Discredited and disgraced former US Attorney General Eric Holder said in an X post that he's "tired of the word billionaire," and the notion that "they some special skills or insights."

This prompted a rather wise hot take from venture capitalist and CEO of Social Capital, Chamath Palihapitiya

"Society has used labels for generations as a sorting function to ask if a person’s point of view is credible and how to weigh it against other points of view," Chamath wrote, quoting Holder's post on X. Other labels also exist: Nobel laureate, Harvard grad, Columbia Law School grad, Partner Covington & Burling etc etc. No label is definitive when presented. It’s in the mind of the observer whether to buy into it or not. Find the people who can make your ideas and goals more achievable if you worked with them - irrespective of what label society uses to identify them."

xAI has introduced Aurora, a new image generation model for its Grok chatbot on X, which creates highly realistic images of real people, marking a significant advancement in AI-generated visuals. Some Employees at the Elon Musk-owned AI company, announced Aurora in posts on X early Saturday.

Currently, there appear to be few restrictions on the types of images users can generate, including political figures, copyrighted characters, and potentially sensitive content.

Aurora builds upon xAI’s previous image generation capabilities introduced in October, which were powered by the Flux 1 model from Black Forest Labs. Accessible through the Grok tab on X, the xAI chatbot has undergone significant upgrades, including the launch of Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini, which offer improved performance and new features.

xAI recently closed a $6 billion funding round that could value the comapny at $50 billion. The company is reportedly working on a standalone app for Grok, as it races to catch up with, and potentially beat rivals like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.

The introduction of Aurora comes after X made Grok free for all users; previously, the chatbot was gated behind X’s $8-per-month Premium subscription. Currently free users can send up to 10 messages to Grok every two hours and generate up to 3 images per day.

Romanian left-wing Constitutional Court has annulled the results of the first round of the presidential elections claiming alleged Russian interference, after a populist candidate's victory.

Intelligence documents alleged a Russian social media influence campaign was behind the unexpected lead by candidate Călin Georgescu, known for his anti-war stance, and opposition to NATO's involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. The right-wing candidate also opposes the left-wing elites' globalist agenda.

Georgescu, who became popular on TikTok, secured 22.9% of the vote in the first round, setting the stage for a runoff election against Elena Lasconi, a liberal candidate from the Save Romania Union (USR) party, that was scheduled for December 8, 2024.

The court's decision, which comes just days before the second round of elections are supposed to be held, mandates a complete rerun of the electoral process, with the government yet to set a new date for the elections.

Political and legal experts slam the high court's ruling as reckless, and a brazen subversion of the democratic process.

Left-wing Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman, in a new interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, said she wasn't as active in the just concluded U.S. elections, because "no one" wants to hear what celebrities had to say. Vice President Kamala Harris, a favorite of most Hollywood big names, lost resoundingly to President-elect Donald Trump.

The Democrat activist also claimed she was on her comedy tour during the presidential campaign period. "I was on the road with this tour, for one thing," she said in the interview. "A lot of people asked me if I was going to make a video or something. But my feeling was that no one wanted to hear from celebrities right now."

On her social media accounts, the left-wing comic spoke out in favor of abortion rights and encouraged Americans to vote in the election. She also shared a photo of herself holding up a Harris poster in September with the caption, "Vote Joy! Vote Kamala!"

Silverman put out videos encouraging voters to elect President Barack Obama during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns. She also spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in favor of Hillary Clinton.

But the normally outspoken Hollywood comic was noticeably less vocal during the 2024 presidential campaign cycle.

However, Several big-name celebrities showed up to campaign for Harris in the final weeks of the election, including Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts. The vice president faced backlash from his own party after revelations that her campaign spent over $10 million on these star-studded events as part of her $1.5 billion spending spree.

"Maybe I was wrong," Silverman continued in the Minnesota Star Tribune interview. "I just focused on reposting thoughts from smarter people. There is one thing I wish I had done. In 2008, I did something called the Great Schlep where I told young Jews to tell their grandparents they wouldn’t visit them again unless they voted for Obama. I should have done something like that again."

"Not that it would have made a difference," she admitted.

Popular American journalist and commentator Tucker Carlson revealed Tuesday, that the U.S. President Biden administration ordered Ukrainian President Zelensky to not sit down for an interview with him.

"The American embassy in Kiev, which our tax dollars pay for, told the Zelensky government, no, you may not do the interview," Carlson, who's visiting Moscow to interview Foreign Minister Lavrov, says in a video posted on X. "You can talk to CNN; you can’t talk to us. So, we’ve been unable to speak to him."

The American journalist who's slammed Biden's escalatory policy on the Russia-Ukraine war, had said earlier in the year that he had been trying to secure an interview with Zelensky.

'Brain rot' was chosen as the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 after a public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers, beating five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy, and lore.

The term refers to the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of low quality trashy online content. It can also describe something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.

Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl notes that looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, “you can see society’s growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about.” He adds that “brain rot” speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time.

According to Oxford University Press. The term’s usage increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024.

'Brain rot' has been around since 1854, when Henry David Thoreau wrote about it in his book “Walden.” However, it gained new prominence in 2023, particularly among Gen Z and Gen Alpha communities on social media platforms like X and TikTok.

Critics say the selection of “brain rot” as the Word of the Year reflects society’s growing concerns about the impact of excessive online content consumption on mental health, particularly among young people.

Can the human psyche survive this explosion of trashy online content for much longer?

Kamilla Belyatskaya, 24, was reportedly doing yoga on a rock in Thailand, when a wave swept her into the ocean. In one of her previous posts on social media, she said the spot was the "best thing" she had ever seen in her life.

The incident happened just days before the 24-year-old was supposed to get married to her partner of five years.

Belyatskaya's fiancé says he found out she was missing from social media.  "I was still praying for a miracle, that my fiancé would be found alive. I'm devastated, I'm heartbroken. We were going to get married in a few days," he said.

Rescue teams unsuccessfully tried to save Belyatskaya. Her body was found days later at a nearby hotel.

President-elect Donald Trump hosted Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for dinner at the Trump International Golf Course in Miami Sunday night.

Sara is currently residing in Miami for 20 days as her husband testifies in his ongoing corruption case in Israel.

Netanyahu's son Yair has also been living in an expensive apartment in Miami where he moved to earlier in 2023. The 33-year-old has been criticized for staying in the U.S. while Israel is involved in a devastating war against the Palestinians.

Since elected on November 5, Trump has hosted many dignitaries at his Mar-a-lago home in Miami, including Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who visited the president-elect over the weekend, for talks following Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.

Trump recently announced a potential 25% tariff on imports from both Canada and Mexico, aimed at addressing what he perceives as issues with drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration across the borders. Both leaders described the meeting as productive.

The Tesla humanoid robot Optimus gets an upgraded human-like hand, with double the number of degrees of freedom now in action on the bot. There’s 22 DoFs on the hand, and 3 on the wrist/forearm, according to a Tesla engineer Milan Kovac.

"Our new hand is much closer to a human hand capability," another Tesla employee Julian Ibarz wrote on X. "It's even faster and has much more degrees of freedom which will allow us to do many more tasks such as catching a ball which was almost impossible with the previous hand. The form factor is great too, so many motors that fit in such a slim forearm."

Jaguar recently debuted its woke new logo and slogan, "Copy Nothing," featuring androgynous models in brightly colored, over-the-top outfits, including one man wearing a dress, along with other slogans such as "create exuberant," "live vivid," "delete ordinary" and "break moulds." The ad did not feature any cars in its 30-second run. This prompted mockery by social media users including Elon Musk. But the company's chief is apparently not backing down.

Apparently the Jaguar rebrand is part of the company's efforts to attract wealthier customers in its transition to an all-electric vehicle lineup.

Jaguar Land Rover managing director Rawdon Glover defended the British luxury car company's rebranding launch. He denied the ad was meant to send a "woke" message.

While Glover praised the attention around the campaign as "very positive," he said he was disappointed by the "level of vile hatred and intolerance" shown by social media commentators towards the models in the video.

"If we play in the same way that everybody else does, we’ll just get drowned out. So we shouldn’t turn up like an auto brand," Glover told the Financial Times. "We need to re-establish our brand and at a completely different price point so we need to act differently. We wanted to move away from traditional automotive stereotypes."

Critics see the ad differently. There's a growing backlash against far-left woke activism in the popular culture. Many are pushing back against what they see as companies promoting LGBTQ degeneracy and so-called DEI(diversity, equity and inclusion) in place of common sense and merit. The Jaguar ad is "blatant tone deaf woke garbage," as one Gab user put it.

Built in just 122 days and powered by NVIDIA’s groundbreaking Spectrum-X Ethernet networking, “Colossus is the most powerful training system in the world,” Elon Musk wrote on X. 

This supercomputer, housing 100,000 NVIDIA Hopper GPUs, supports xAI’s Grok large language models and brings ultra-fast AI capabilities. The Spectrum-X platform delivers 95% data throughput with zero latency degradation -- levels traditional Ethernet can’t achieve -- redefining scalable, high-performance AI.

NVIDIA has revealed in a press release, and Musk has confirmed that xAI is doubling the size of the supercluster. "xAI is in the process of doubling the size of Colossus to a combined total of 200,000 NVIDIA Hopper GPUs," he wrote.