Following the signing of a bill that reduced Medicaid funding, President Trump announced plans for a $200 million, gold-accented ballroom attached to the White House’s East Wing. The timing of this announcement drew significant criticism, with many online users comparing the project to the opulence of Versailles, especially given the simultaneous cuts to healthcare access for millions. Social media was flooded with outrage, including memes referencing the French Revolution and the use of guillotines. The administration downplayed the criticism, insisting the ballroom was a “legacy project” funded by private donors, however, the public’s reaction was largely negative.
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UN report finds United Nations reports are not widely read, and honestly, it’s not that surprising. The news itself is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn’t it? A report on reports that aren’t being read? Well, color me unsurprised. It’s a bit like someone finally realizing the emperor has no clothes, except the emperor is the UN, and the clothes are… well, lengthy reports.
The core issue seems to stem from a fundamental disconnect between the UN’s output and its audience. The UN is churning out a significant volume of reports – the Secretary-General himself mentioned thousands of meetings and hundreds of reports, with a 20% increase since 1990.… Continue reading
In a significant ruling, a court in Karnataka, India, has sentenced former MP Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment. The conviction stems from the rape of a domestic staff member, with the verdict delivered on Saturday. Revanna’s case gained national attention in 2023 due to the circulation of explicit videos implicating him, though he initially denied the accusations. Following his conviction on Friday, Revanna had pleaded for leniency.
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Newly leaked memos from a recent meeting between high-ranking officials within the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense have raised concerns about the Trump administration’s plans to increase military involvement in domestic law enforcement. The memo, authored by Philip Hegseth, a senior advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security, suggests a push for closer collaboration between the two departments, potentially replicating operations like those seen in Los Angeles earlier in the year. Experts are alarmed by the memo’s comparison of transnational criminal organizations to Al Qaeda and the potential for excessive force, further worried by the high-level participation in the meeting which included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The memo also suggests that military involvement in domestic civilian law enforcement could become more common, which many legal and political analysts view with great concern.
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Small earthquake rattles parts of New York City area, New Jersey, and naturally, that’s where we begin. It seems a little tremor, clocking in at a modest magnitude, decided to grace the area with its presence. The reaction is, well, predictable, but still entertaining to observe. People were definitely talking about it, from Bushwick to Jersey, and it’s sparking all sorts of thoughts and, yes, even jokes.
Small earthquake rattles parts of New York City area, New Jersey, and let’s face it, there’s a distinct air of surprise surrounding the whole thing. It’s not every day you feel the earth move in this part of the world, and that’s why this particular event gets noticed.… Continue reading
Mykyta and Sofiia Lamekhov, both 23, along with their two-year-old son Lev and their unborn child, tragically lost their lives in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on July 30-31. The family, originally from Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, had relocated to Kyiv in 2022. Their bodies were discovered in the rubble of their apartment, which was hit by a missile. This attack resulted in the deaths of 31 individuals, including five children, while also injuring 159 others.
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On Saturday, the Senate confirmed Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News personality and Trump loyalist, as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia by a vote of 50-45. Pirro had been serving in the role on an acting basis since May after previously co-hosting “The Five” on Fox News. The confirmation followed the approval of Emil Bove, a former Trump defense lawyer, to a U.S. appeals court. President Trump praised Republican senators for their efforts to approve his nominees, blaming Democrats for delays.
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The family of Khamis Ayyad, a 40-year-old U.S. citizen killed in the West Bank, is demanding the Trump administration launch an investigation into his death, describing it as a murder. Ayyad, a former Chicago resident, is the second American citizen to be killed in the West Bank this month, with no arrests made in the previous case. Relatives believe Ayyad died from inhaling tear gas and smoke after settlers set fire to cars outside his home, amidst escalating settler attacks and Israeli military actions. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) highlights this as part of a pattern of violence, emphasizing the need for U.S. action to protect its citizens. Despite previous calls for investigations, including one in a previous case of a slain U.S. citizen, Washington has resisted probes into Israeli actions.
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On August 2, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) announced a joint operation with local partisans that resulted in the explosion of a minibus carrying five Chechen soldiers from the Akhmat unit in occupied Melitopol, killing all five. The blast also wounded two Russian soldiers in a nearby vehicle and destroyed an electronic warfare system. HUR previously reported successful operations in Melitopol and Skadovsk, targeting Russian forces and personnel. These actions are part of a larger effort by Ukrainian partisan groups and intelligence agencies to disrupt Russian operations within occupied territories.
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The Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, has criticized the West for undermining its relationship with India through threats and sanctions related to India’s dealings with Moscow. Alipov stated that the US and EU’s actions, particularly sanction threats, reveal them as unreliable partners. He argued that these actions are perceived as illegitimate and are not fostering trust, while emphasizing that India’s energy security will guide its foreign policy decisions. Alipov further asserted that Russia has never pursued its relationship with India at the expense of others, unlike the US, which is undermining not only Russia’s interests but also India’s.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood