Social Media

Former President Trump’s campaign lashed out Thursday at new charges levied against him and his associates in his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, calling it an attempt to harass Trump and those around him. “This is nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him,” the campaign said in a statement. “Deranged Jack Smith knows that they have no case and is casting about for any way to salvage their illegal witch hunt and to get someone other than Donald Trump to run against Crooked Joe Biden,” the statement continued. Special counsel Jack Smith’s office has newly accused Trump of attempting to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago property in June 2022. That brought two new obstruction charges against the former president. Prosecutors also added a co-conspirator, who they allege worked to delete the footage, as a new defendant in the case. Trump also faces a 32nd count of willfully retaining national defense information, one more than the original indictment filed last month. The new count corresponds to a presentation Trump allegedly showed a book publisher and writer during a July 2021 meeting, which prosecutors described in court filings as a “[p]resentation concerning military activity in a foreign country.” More on this

Trans activist Federico Barbarossa entered the Miss Italy pageant after its organizer said trans women weren’t allowed. His protest went viral and more than 100 trans men signed up, he said. More than 100 transgender men have entered the Miss Italy pageant this week, according to an activist leading a protest against recent comments by the pageant’s organizer, who said trans women wouldn’t be allowed to compete. The comments came after another European pageant, Miss Netherlands, crowned its first transgender winner, Rikkie Valerie Kollé, this month. About a week later, Patrizia Mirigliani, the official organizer of Miss Italy, told an Italian radio station that Miss Italy wouldn’t allow trans women to compete. “Lately, beauty contests have been trying to make the news using strategies that I think are a bit absurd,” Mirigliani said, according to the Italian news outlet Il Primato Nazionale. She added that Miss Italy has historically allowed only people who were assigned female at birth to enter, “probably because, even then, it was foreseen that beauty could undergo modifications, or that women could undergo modifications, or that men could become women,” according to Il Primato Nazionale. FULL STORY

The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised interest rates in the eurozone once again, taking its key rate to a record high last seen in late 2000. The bank raised the deposit rate in the 20-nation bloc for the ninth time in a row - to 3.75%, up from 3.5%. The ECB said inflation continued to ease, but was still expected to remain "too high for too long". On Wednesday, the US central bank raised rates to their highest level in 22 years in its bid to control prices. In the UK, where inflation fell to 7.9% in June, the Bank of England's base rate is at 5%, At its next decision on 3 August, the Bank is widely expected to raise rates to 5.25%. The idea of raising rates is to make the cost of borrowing more expensive and so decrease demand and make price rises more difficult to pass on. As in other regions, the eurozone has been hit by rising food and energy prices that have weighed on households. Inflation in the eurozone is running at 5.5%. Food price inflation has continued to slow but was still at 11.6% in June. FULL STORY

Amid blistering heatwaves, July is "virtually certain" to be the world's warmest month on record, say scientists. So hot has the month been to date that researchers are confident the 2019 record will be broken, even with several days to go. UN chief Antonio Guterres said the planet is entering an "era of global boiling". Scientists agree the extra heat is mainly linked to fossil fuel use. US President Joe Biden described climate change as an "existential threat" and that no one "can deny the impact of climate change anymore". Some experts believe that July might well be the warmest month in the past 120,000 years. Will the Gulf Stream really collapse by 2025? Greta Thunberg fined over Swedish climate protest July heat near 'impossible' without climate change FULL STORY

Former President Donald Trump faced new charges Thursday in a case accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents, with prosecutors alleging that he asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct a federal investigation into the records. The indictment includes new counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, adding fresh detail to an indictment issued last month against Trump and a close aide. The additional charges came as a surprise at a time of escalating anticipation of a possible additional indictment in Washington over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The updated allegations make clear the vast — and unknown — scope of legal exposure faced by Trump as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024 while fending off criminal cases in multiple cities. The new allegations from special counsel Jack Smith center on surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, evidence that has long been vital to the case. Trump is alleged to have asked for the footage to be deleted after FBI and Justice Department investigators visited in June 2022 to collect classified documents he took with him after leaving the White House. The new indictment also charges him with illegally holding onto a document he's alleged to have shown off to visitors in New Jersey. FULL STORY

Renowned geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan recently made a startling prediction during an interview with commentator Joe Rogan. Zeihan believes that China's collapse is imminent, with only 10 years remaining before potential disaster. The crux of his prediction lies in his assertion that China has misrepresented its population numbers, leading him to estimate that the country's actual population is lower by 100 million than what the government has officially reported. "This is their last decade," Zeihan said of China. When Rogan clarified by asking, So, you're saying that China has 10 years to go?" His response was, "At most." Some argue that China's massive military, control over its people and economic power are safeguards against its demise, but others point to concerning signs that hint at potential challenges ahead. China's economy is showing signs of strain from various angles. Civil unrest erupted as a result of its strict zero-COVID policy, leading to lockdowns, reduced industrial output and restrained consumer spending. Last year, economic growth experienced a significant decline, reaching one of its lowest levels in the past 50 years. The fourth quarter, in particular, was severely impacted by strict economic policies and political decisions that were deemed unwise. FULL STORY

Wall squats are particularly good at lowering high resting blood pressure, a study of previous trials suggests Strength-training exercises such as wall squats or holding the plank position are among the best ways to lower blood pressure, a study suggests. Current guidance focusing mainly on walking, running and cycling should be updated, the UK researchers say. Analysis, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, of trials involving 16,000 people found all exercise lowered high blood pressure. But wall squats and planking led to larger falls than aerobic exercise. These isometric exercises are designed to build strength without moving muscles or joints. The plank position, which resembles a press-up, with elbows directly beneath shoulders, legs stretched out behind, strengthens the abdomen. FULL ARTICLE

Singapore is scheduled to execute a woman for the first time in almost 20 years, human rights advocates say. Singaporean national Saridewi Djamani, 45, was found guilty of trafficking 30g (1.06oz) of heroin in 2018. She will be the second drug convict to be executed in three days, after fellow Singaporean Mohd Aziz bin Hussain, and the 15th since March 2022. Singapore has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, which it says are necessary to protect society. Aziz was convicted of trafficking 50g of heroin. Under Singapore law, the death penalty can be applied for trafficking of more than 15g of heroin and more than 500g of cannabis. Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said Aziz was accorded "full due process", and that his appeal against his conviction and sentence was dismissed in 2018. In April, another Singaporean, Tangaraju Suppiah, was executed for trafficking 1kg (35oz) of cannabis that he never touched. Authorities say he co-ordinated the sale via mobile phone. The CNB declined to comment on Saridewi Djamani's case when contacted by the BBC. British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, has again criticised Singapore for its executions, saying the death penalty is not a deterrent against crime. "Small-scale drug traffickers need help, as most are bullied due to their circumstances," Mr Branson said on Twitter, adding that it was not too late to stop Saridewi Djamani's execution, he said. FULL STORY

Residents of the northeastern U.S. saw firsthand this summer the devastation flooding can cause in a community. Unfortunately, scientists predict flooding will only become more common as the years go on. A map created by Climate Central, an organization of scientists and journalists focused on studying the impacts of climate change, shows what the future may hold for coastal communities as sea level rises. In the first map (below), we set the projections to include sea level rise and typical annual flooding (weather that can be expected every year). We set the map to include what would happen with “unchecked pollution” between now and 2050. That setting most closely matches the current path we’re on, Climate Central said.

Russia has repositioned its Black Sea Fleet following the termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and there is now the potential for an increase in violence in the area, Britain's Defense Ministry said. In its daily assessment, defense officials in the United Kingdom said that since Russia pulled out of the hard-fought Black Sea grain export deal, the Black Sea Fleet has "altered its posture...in preparedness to enforce a blockade on Ukraine." Moscow announced on July 17 that it was pulling out of the deal, which was due for its fourth renewal. The Black Sea Grain Initiative allowed the safe exports of Ukraine's grain and agricultural products to global markets. The United Nations has said Russia's decision to terminate it would "strike a blow to people in need everywhere."

After briefly pausing its war on inflation last month, the Federal Reserve is resuming the battle by hiking its benchmark interest rate to the highest level in 22 years. The central bank concluded a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday by announcing that it is raising the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point, lifting the Fed's target rate to between 5.25% and 5.5%. The Fed left the door open to further rate hikes this year, with Chair Jerome Powell telling reporters in a news conference that additional tightening is possible unless inflation continues to cool rapidly. "What our eyes are telling us is policy has not been restrictive enough for long enough to have its full desired effects. So we intend to keep policy restrictive until we're confident that inflation is coming down sustainably to our 2% target, and we're prepared to further tighten if that is appropriate," he said. "The process still probably has a long way to go." The Fed's current rate-hiking cycle, its most aggressive push to tighten monetary policy since the 1980s, has proved effective in dousing the hottest bout of inflation in four decades by raising borrowing costs for consumers and businesses. Since the central bank began tightening in March 2022, mortgage rates have more than doubled while the costs of car loans and credit cards have surged. The hikes have also squeezed technology companies and banks that were reliant on low interest rates, putting some out of business and forcing others to cut tens of thousands of workers. FULL STORY

The White House on Wednesday criticized House Republicans for their attacks against President Biden, saying that their disjointed messaging about the president is a “clown carousel.” “Instead of having a consistent, disciplined message, the congressional GOP’s public criticisms of the Biden-Harris Administration are now a fragmented grab-bag that runs the gamut from bizarrely opposing our fentanyl crackdowns to blasting us for trying to end rural poverty (not a joke, sadly),” the White House said in a memo from spokesperson Andrew Bates. In a day, the memo said, Republicans will move from bashing drag queens to calling Biden old to calling Ukraine a U.S. adversary. “By the time 4 o’clock shows up, it’s a game of mad libs with bizarre conspiracies about the President’s family and then something about ‘wokeness’ (we keep asking them what ‘wokeness’ is, but then they leave the chat),” the memo said. “Apparently, this clown carousel wasn’t weird enough. Now House Republicans are channeling their frustrated energy into a measured and purposeful urge to impeach… someone… somewhere… for something.” FULL STORY

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) froze in front of television cameras for about 20 seconds Wednesday as he battled a bout of lightheadedness that forced him to walk away briefly from a press conference. The scary moment, which prompted members of his leadership team to suggest that he take a rest, raises new questions about the 81-year-old Republican leader’s future. “Are you good, Mitch?” asked Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Joni Ernst (Iowa), putting her hand on the back of his arm. Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (Wyo.), who is a doctor, ushered McConnell away from the podium after the leader was unable to get more than a couple of sentences into his opening statement. “Let’s go back to your office,” Barrasso suggested. “Do you want to say anything else to the press? Let’s go back.” FULL STORY

Here are the 5 most memorable moments from Congress’ UFO hearing Government is ‘absolutely’ in possession of UAPs ‘Nonhuman biologics’ were found at a crash site Officials must establish a 'safe and transparent reporting process' Stigma associated with sightings 'silences' possible witnesses UFO spotted accelerating to 'supersonic speeds' FULL ARTICLE

The Trump ally's acknowledgment came in a filing Tuesday related to the 2020 election workers' lawsuit about baseless claims of fraud he made against them. Rudy Giuliani conceded in a court filing Tuesday that he made “false” statements about two Georgia 2020 election workers who are suing him over baseless claims of fraud that he made against them. “Defendant Giuliani, for the purposes of litigation only, does not contest that, to the extent the statements were statements of fact and other wise actionable, such actionable factual statements were false,” Giuliani wrote in a signed stipulation that he said was intended to “avoid unnecessary expenses in litigating what he believes to be unnecessary disputes.” Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, have said their lives were turned upside down when conspiracy theorists, as well as then-President Donald Trump and his ally Giuliani, claimed they had committed election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. A heavily edited, brief clip of security footage was widely circulated online and by Trump allies as supposed proof. FULL STORY

The Gulf Stream system of warm ocean currents could collapse as early as 2025, a scientific study has warned. The end of the system, which drives the Atlantic's currents and determines western Europe's weather, would probably lead to lower temperatures and catastrophic climate impacts. But leading scientists have reservations about the study and say it is not established science. It is far from certain the system will shut down this century, they say. The most recent assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that the system, known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc), would not in fact collapse so quickly. The latest study's author, Prof Peter Ditlevsen at the University of Copenhagen, told BBC News that other scientists had warned about the potential for collapse of the Amoc. "There's been worries that this current is weakening for as long as we have had measurements of it - since 2004," he said. The Amoc is a complicated set of currents that bring warm water north towards the pole, where it cools and sinks. But as global temperatures rise with global warming, fresh water is pouring into the Amoc from the melting Greenland ice cap and other sources. It if collapses, it could lower temperatures by up to 10 or 15 degrees in Europe and lead to rising sea levels in the eastern US. It would also disrupt rain that billions rely on for agriculture. The last time Amoc stopped and restarted was during Ice Ages about 115,000 to 12,000 years ago. A really simple guide to climate change What you can do about your carbon footprint FULL STORY

Irish singer and activist Sinéad O'Connor has died at the age of 56. Her family announced the news "with great sadness", saying "her family and friends are devastated". The cause of death has not been made public. She was best known for her single Nothing Compares 2 U, released in 1990, which reached number one and brought her worldwide fame. Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar said her music "was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched". Irish President Michael D Higgins praised O'Connor's "authenticity" as well as her "beautiful, unique voice". "What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, one who had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her," he said. FULL STORY

If the truth is out there, the US Congress wants to know. The House of Representatives convened a landmark panel on unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAPs), known more colloquially as UFOs, on Wednesday, in the most serious acknowledgement yet that mysterious sightings deserve scrutiny at the highest levels of government. US lawmakers were "not bringing little green men or flying saucers into the hearing… we're just going to get to the facts," Republican Tim Burchett said at the beginning of the meeting. Yet the testimony at times strayed into the unknown. Over the course of two hours, three witnesses shared their encounters with objects that defied physics and told of pilots afraid to speak up, biological material recovered from crafts, and alleged retaliation against whistleblowers. All acknowledged that anomalous phenomena were a potential national security threat. The hearing produced no serious bombshells - nor a confirmation of alien life - but the fact that the witnesses received a major hearing before Congress was notable in and of itself. Lawmakers and witnesses alike used the panel to demand greater transparency around UAPs from the military. Retired US Navy commander David Fravor once again recounted his encounter with a "tic-tac" shaped UAP in 2004 that moved in a way that baffled aviators, footage of which was released in 2017 and publicly verified by the US Navy two years later. "The technology that we faced was far superior than anything that we had, have today, or are looking to develop in the next 10+ years," Mr Fravor said. FULL STORY

An agreement expected to see US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, plead guilty to tax charges and admit a gun offence has dramatically fallen apart in court. The plea deal, negotiated over several weeks, was likely to spare the younger Mr Biden prison time. But a judge on Wednesday said she could not "rubber stamp the agreement". The case marks the first time the justice department has charged the child of a sitting president. Hunter Biden's lawyers have been given 14 days to hash out a new deal with the prosecution. It follows a five-year investigation into the finances of the US first son, who arrived on Wednesday morning at the court in Wilmington, Delaware. In a plea agreement announced last month, he was to be charged with two misdemeanour counts for failing to pay his taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. He was also to admit that he had illegally possessed a gun while being a drug user, and agree to drug treatment and monitoring in lieu of a more serious felony charge and possible jail time. Hunter Biden charged with tax and gun offences The struggles and scandals of Hunter Biden FULL STORY

Summary Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has been found not guilty of nine sex offences at London's Southwark Crown Court The Hollywood star, who is 64 today, denied the charges - which included seven counts of sexual assault - against four men He cried in the doc as the verdicts were read out, and hugged his manager and legal team afterwards The alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s, with the incidents said to have happened between 2001 and 2013 Prosecutors told the jury the star had left the four complainants feeling “small, diminished and worthless” Spacey denied using his power as an A-lister to get people into bed, saying he tried to help others - and described the allegations as a "stab in the back" All four of Spacey's accusers are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the law Full Story

Due to charges of lying to the clerk's office, the judge presiding over Hunter Biden's criminal case threatened Biden's legal team with fines. In order to purportedly have material about IRS whistleblowers removed from the docket, Hunter Biden's attorney is charged with flouting the rules of court. Judge Maryellen Noreika of Delaware gave Biden's legal counsel till Tuesday night at 9 p.m. to present their case. In particular, a member of Hunter's legal team is accused of lying about her identity when requesting to have amicus documents removed from the docket. Instead of formally asking the court for the information to be sealed, she allegedly called the clerk to do so. "The Court has discussed the matter with the relevant individuals in the Clerk's Office and has been informed that the caller, Ms. Jessica Bengels, represented that she worked with Mr. Kittila and requested the amicus materials be taken down because they contained sensitive grand jury, taxpayer and social security information," the order read. Fox News was able to get a letter from Biden's legal team explaining to the judge that the clerk had appropriately described her affiliation with her law firm during the phone discussion. THE CLAIM MADE BY BIDEN THAT HE HAD NO IDEA OF HUNTER'S BUSINESS DEALINGS IS BECOMING MORE IMPOSSIBLE TO SUPPORT The lawyers' defence stated, "The matter under consideration appears to be the result of an unfortunate and unintentional misunderstanding between a staff member at our firm and employees of the Court." "We don't know how the miscommunication happened, but from what we understand, there was no misrepresentation," The letter continued, "We hope this letter and the declaration attached dispels any implication that the undersigned counsel or our staff would ever intentionally misrepresent or mislead the Court with respect to any matter." On Wednesday, Biden will enter a guilty plea to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, which are misdemeanours. According to reports, The First Son failed to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on profits of over $1.5 million in 2017 and 2018. Copyright 07.26.2023

Officials at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland have criticized Fox News host Greg Gutfeld for saying on air that Jewish people survived Nazi concentration camps by being “useful.” “While it is true that some Jews may have used their skills or usefulness to increase their chances of survival during the Holocaust, it is essential to contextualize this statement properly and understand that it does not represent the complex history of the genocide perpetrated by Nazi Germany,” the Auschwitz Memorial said in a six-paragraph post early Tuesday on the social media service X, formerly known as Twitter. “While it is accurate to acknowledge that some Jews may have survived temporarily due to their perceived usefulness, it is crucial to remember that the Holocaust was a systematic genocide with the ultimate aim of exterminating the entire Jewish population,” the memorial said in part. “It would be more appropriate to say that some Jews survived the Holocaust because they were considered temporarily useful, and the circumstances of the Nazi regime’s collapse prevented their murder.” “We should avoid such oversimplifications in talking about this complex tragic story,” the memorial added. FULL STORY