Egypt fines prominent editor Lina Attalah and shuts independent news outlet Mada Masr Warnings of escalating clampdown on press freedom come after Cairo court convicts Attalah of managing an unlicensed websiteLina Attalah, a prominent Egyptian journalist and the editor-in-chief of the news outlet Mada Masr, has been released from detention by Egypt's authorities and had her website ordered to be shut down by a court amid an intensifying crackdown on independent media in the country.Attalah was taken briefly into custody after a Cairo court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website, prompting fresh international concerns over press freedom in Egypt. Continue reading...
Africa's 'unprecedented' Ebola outbreak could reach UK, says top health official Jean Kaseya, of the Africa CDC, warns of the illness spreading like Covid unless more funding is secured to increase preparedness and possible treatmentThe "unprecedented" spread of the Ebola outbreak means it could reach the UK and other countries, according to one of Africa's top health officials.As the current outbreak reached 10,000 cases, with almost 5,000 deaths, Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), compared the outbreak to the Covid pandemic, which first took hold in China before spreading to countries across the world, claiming millions of lives, and ravaging health systems and economies. Continue reading...
UK sanctions Sudanese military leaders implicated in El Fasher 'campaign of rape' Commanders suspected of sexual violence during the largest and fastest slaughter of civilians in more than 30 years have been subjected to travel ban and asset freezeSenior Sudanese commanders implicated in a "campaign of rape" have been targeted by the UK on the first anniversary of a mass atrocity that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed over several days.A year after the fall of El Fasher, the British government said it had sanctioned military leaders from both sides in the country's ongoing conflict whom it suspected of sexual violence during the siege of the city. Continue reading...
US forces accused of 'weaponising' Somalia's floods by trapping women and children in the path of El Niño Exclusive: Coordinated airstrikes on territory held by al-Shabaab are driving the civilian population to find refuge alongside a river where rising water levels are a threat to safety. Is it a deliberate military strategy?The water was rising rapidly. It had already reached Cayni Ali's waist. Her home, five metres from the flooded River Juba in southern Somalia, never stood a chance. There was nowhere to go. Ali's city of Jilib was under attack. Repeated airstrikes, said the mother of six, were pinning its population beside the rising river."The drones come all the time," said the 27-year-old. "We hear them constantly. They kill animals, civilians. The town is big but destruction is everywhere." Continue reading...
Sudan paramilitary drone strikes cause mass power cuts in eastern states Rapid Support Forces strike five power stations in three states controlled by Sudanese armySudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have launched a coordinated drone attack against five power stations, causing mass power outages across the country's east, a government official said.The drones hit two power stations each in the states of Al-Jazira and Gedaref and one in White Nile state, "resulting in power outages across large parts of these three states", the official said on condition of anonymity. Continue reading...
Cuts like a knife: Canadian rocker Bryan Adams trolls Trump with new song Musician wrote a 'love letter' to Canada with a new album - and some pointed commentary about the US presidentLake Ontario, the vast body of water that straddles the US-Canada border, has gone by many names over the centuries: Lac Saint-Louis, Lacus Ontarius, Skaniadorio, Cataraqui Lake. But one thing it will never be called, says the Canadian rock star Bryan Adams, is Lake America.In his new song Lake Ontario, Adams takes aim at the US president, Donald Trump, accusing him of "breaking the peace" between the people who live on the lake's shores.The 'lake of shining waters' is what the Iroquois called herIt's a First Nations name - not an executive order.But things weren't going his way in IranSo like a baby tossing the toys from the pramYou can push us to the brinkBut where the open road dividesContinue reading...
Pentagon accuses fired 3-star general of leaking classified information Pentagon accuses fired 3-star general of leaking classified informationWASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon has accused a newly ousted three-star general of leaking sensitive information to the media just hours after officials confirmed his removal from a top military planning post. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia as head of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a defense official said late Wednesday. Typically, the general in the position and their staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans for both the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president. No reason was given for the firing, the latest in a series of ousters or departures of military leaders under Hegseth. However, a Pentagon official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, later said in a statement that Sylvia was under investigation over allegations of sharing classified information about the Iran war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other topics with journalists. The statement claims that Sylvia failed three polygraph tests about leaking classified information. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post that the department "took necessary personnel action to protect sensitive information" without mentioning Sylvia by name. He said the matter has been sent to the Justice Department for "potential further legal action." It is not clear why the Pentagon would appear to be pursuing charges in civilian courts instead of trying the general in the military justice system. Sylvia did not immediately respond to a voicemail, text messages, emails and a LinkedIn message on accounts and numbers that appear to belong to him. When asked about Sylvia's firing by reporters Thursday, President Donald Trump said, "She's gonna have big problems," incorrectly identifying the male general as a woman. "We're very much looking for leakers," Trump said. In a confusing twist, the Joint Staff on Thursday also withdrew a statement from a day earlier that wished Sylvia well because "upon further review, we determined that the statement did not appropriately reflect the full circumstances." A spokesperson late Wednesday had said the Joint Staff extended its "deepest gratitude to Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished service to our nation." The firing of Sylvia from the Pentagon's top military planning post comes as Trump weighs renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war following next week's midterm elections. The Pentagon official, however, insisted Sylvia was not a "central planner" on the Iran conflict and said that was the purview of U.S. Central Command. Before arriving at the Joint Staff, Sylvia served as commander of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, until May 2025, according to his official biography, which has now been taken offline. He also previously served as the vice director for the office he recently led. His military awards include six Bronze Star Medals, including one for valor, and a Purple Heart, indicating he was wounded in combat. Sylvia's case is Hegseth's latest accusation against top Pentagon officials of leaking to the media. He fired three aides from his inner circle last year as part of a broader leak investigation that included polygraph tests. In a joint statement shared by senior aide Dan Caldwell, the trio protested the firing and said they were "incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended. Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door." Hegseth never provided more information on what the three were accused of, and Caldwell would go on to be hired by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Under Hegseth, the Pentagon also has carried out a series of moves restricting media access, including requiring that journalists be escorted while on Pentagon grounds and declaring that its press office was a classified space inaccessible to journalists. ___ Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Associated Press at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/pentagon-accuses-newly-fired-general-173642624.html
Speaker Johnson signals he will keep leading Republicans even if they lose the House Speaker Johnson signals he will keep leading Republicans even if they lose the HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) recent hints that he intends to remain GOP leader even if Republicans lose the House have rattled the party's leadership outlook and raised fresh new questions about the GOP's future heading into the next Congress.Most House Speakers in recent decades have stepped out of Congress after losing the gavel. And Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the majority leader, and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a conservative icon, are both expected to launch bids to lead House Republicans if Democrats flip the chamber, according to GOP lawmakers, aides and strategists.But Johnson recently muddled the leadership landscape by signaling his intention to keep his spot atop the party even if Republicans are knocked out of power. Then on Monday, President Trump offered a glowing endorsement of Johnson's leadership chops, sparking further speculation that Johnson might, in fact, buck historic trends and try to remain leader even from the minority. "Mike Johnson is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER," Trump posted on social media, "and he has my Complete and Total endorsement for Re-Election." "Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump!" Johnson responded. "The best is yet to come as we save America!" Much about the leadership race is expected to come into sharper focus after next Tuesday's midterm elections. A Johnson spokesperson said the Speaker is "solely focused on protecting the majority," noting that he "will campaign in 21 districts across 13 states between now and Election Day."But many Republicans are skeptical, predicting Johnson will follow the example of past GOP Speakers - including Newt Gingrich (Ga.), Dennis Hastert (Ill.), Paul Ryan (Wis.) and Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) - who all left Capitol Hill in short order after losing the gavel. "I highly doubt that the Speaker will go for minority leader at this point," a GOP aide said Wednesday. "I just don't see him having a desire. I don't think he's having a fun time as Speaker. I don't think he'd want to be minority leader."Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defied modern tradition in 2011, when she clung to the minority leader seat after the party was clobbered in the 2010 midterms. Pelosi would win the gavel back eight years later, but she's been the exception.GOP strategist Amy Frederiksen said, "When you lose, and you're no longer Speaker …it's hard to go back to minority leader.""There's certainly a lot less trappings and a lot less power, and also the caucus just tends to kind of want to clean some house. Like members just see it as an opportunity to just switch things up, and so it's not that it hasn't happened, of course. Speaker Pelosi went to be the minority leader, so it isn't unprecedented," Frederiksen said. "It wouldn't be historic in any kind of way, and it's very possible. But it is - I don't think it's as simple as him just deciding. I think that the caucus is going to really want to weigh in on things." She added that Johnson was a "compromise candidate anyway" for Speaker."We went through a couple, two, three, four different potential Speakers, including Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, when he was finally chosen as Speaker, so I, you know, I just think that there is that," she said. "It was sort of a bargain struck anyway for him to be Speaker."Some Republicans predicted next year's leadership roster will hinge on how the midterms play out. Although Trump is not on the ballot, the elections are shaping up to be a referendum on the president, whose historic unpopularity has created huge challenges for GOP candidates and made Democrats the favorite to control the House next year.Still, some Republicans believe that if Democrats win by a wide margin, Johnson will bear much of the blame, lose support within the conference and struggle to secure the votes needed to become minority leader, even if Trump wanted him there."I would imagine there to be more of a push for someone else, just given that over, you know, a billion dollars has been spent on the midterms alone," a second GOP staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Hill earlier this month.Although both Scalise and Jordan have downplayed their interest in the top spot, many Republicans say they're both angling for the position, setting the stage for a potentially messy internal fight when House lawmakers return to Washington the week after the midterms. (Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the Republican whip, says he wants to remain in that seat). There's plenty of disagreement about who would have the advantage in such a race. Some say that if it's a two-way race between Scalise and Jordan, Scalise would likely be better positioned than Jordan to step into the top spot given his current leadership position."I think for Scalise … it'd be an easy transition for him to step into that. But for Jordan, he's really - how do I phrase this? He's been a loyal soldier. He's rallied people well, and he's an effective politician. So I think both would do well in the role, but I think Scalise would have an easier transition just out of pure - his House leadership currently," a third GOP staffer said.The first Republican staffer, though, predicted Jordan has the edge. "He's done a lot of work over the past couple years where he's kind of built his own coalition, [and] he does have, like, a cult following around the country when he goes on the campaign trail. So I do think it's his to lose at this point," the first aide said. "When you're in the minority, you need somebody who can be a fighter and willing to go out there and go on TV and bomb some bombs. And I think he's the guy for it."The offices of Scalise and Jordan did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Johnson has faced a rocky tenure as Speaker, often marked by internal GOP fighting, a razor-thin margin and repeated challenges in keeping his conference united on government spending, the Iran war and other issues.Even so, Johnson told CBS News's Robert Costa this month that in the "unlikely scenario" Republicans lose the House, "I would expect my colleagues would ask me to continue leading this conference, even if we have divided government." "I'm going to continue to serve my highest best use to God and country, and I believe right now, as we're sitting here, that's the Speaker of the House," Johnson said. "And if we lost the majority, I don't think that that position that I have would change. I think I would stay right there."Some Republicans note that if Johnson were to jump into the minority leader race, he would have a strong case for the position.The third GOP staffer noted Johnson's "had to deal with a lot of curveballs" and that he's handled them well."I think that the party recognizes that and will react accordingly," the staffer said. "That doesn't mean there's not people gunning for the same spot, but I think Johnson has been a good leader, a team player amidst what is, you know - we could say honestly - has been some chaos at times."Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.This article originally appeared on The Hill at https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6179692-mike-johnson-house-gop-leadership/
Hegseth's treatment of lawmakers threatens Trump's $1.5 trillion defense plan Hegseth's treatment of lawmakers threatens Trump's $1.5 trillion defense planThis summer, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked a Republican lawmaker what he thought the odds were that Congress would pass the Trump administration's record $1.5 trillion defense budget request. The chances, the lawmaker responded, were about the same as Hegseth getting confirmed again by the Senate. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. "You have a problem, and you need to increase the amount and the quality of the communication" with Congress, the Republican lawmaker recounted in an interview, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the private exchange. Months later, members of both parties said the Pentagon has not changed course. For decades, defense issues have mostly remained insulated from Washington's toxic partisanship. But Republicans and Democrats say they increasingly fear that fire wall no longer exists. With just over 20 legislative days left in the year - and next week's election likely to empower Democrats eager to confront Hegseth - lawmakers are deadlocked on their major defense policy and spending bills. Failure would leave the Pentagon with few options to replace the thousands of weapons spent during eight months of war with Iran and halt the administration's ambitious military agenda. To understand how the consensus collapsed, The Washington Post spoke with 30 people at the center of national security in Congress, including 20 lawmakers who sit on the committees that oversee the Pentagon and its budget. Republicans argued that Democrats are stalling critical military funding to placate voters incensed at President Donald Trump. Democrats framed their opposition as a necessary check on an administration that the GOP-controlled House and Senate have refused to hold accountable for starting a war without the approval of Congress. But most lawmakers who spoke with The Post described the impasse in more personal terms. Hegseth's adversarial behavior - from withholding information to attacking Democrats and some Republicans - was straining the bipartisan dealmaking that has long ensured support for the military, members of both parties said. "The people who have been around for a few days have seen what normal looks like," Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut) said. "We're not living in normal." In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Joel Valdez defended Hegseth's approach, saying the secretary is "always willing to engage directly with any lawmakers who bring forward their concerns in good faith." "Lawmakers understand exactly how critical the National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations are to military readiness," Valdez said, referring to the pending bills. "We do not expect them to deliberately cripple the force or our warfighting capability simply to score political points."
The collapse of bipartisanship
The NDAA is widely considered a must-pass bill. The legislation, which covers issues from troop pay to weapons production, has advanced for 65 consecutive years. A similar, albeit less reliable, coalition helps pass the annual defense spending bill, which provides the money to pay troops, buy weapons and conduct military operations worldwide. The group of Republicans and Democrats who typically support the legislation has fractured this year. The NDAA failed to advance in the Senate and barely passed the House, where more Republicans voted against it than Democrats voted for it. The two chambers are negotiating a final version with votes expected later this fall. At greater risk of failing, most lawmakers said, is the annual defense budget. The Trump administration's $1.5 trillion plan would fund a range of advanced weaponry, from commercial-style drones to precision missiles depleted during the Iran war. It would direct billions more toward some of Trump's personal projects for the military, including a Golden Dome missile defense shield, a fleet of battleships named after him and a renaming of the Defense Department as the "War Department." Hegseth has called the 40 percent increase in spending an "urgent, necessary injection of resources" to outpace America's adversaries. He has also urged Congress to approve an additional $67 billion in funding to help cover the costs of the Iran war and other military operations around the world. Nearly all Senate Democrats blocked the request in an extraordinary act of protesting the conflict. In a move that has frustrated some Republicans, the administration split the defense budget into two buckets: $1.15 trillion that will require some Democratic support and another $350 billion meant to pass with GOP votes alone. Republicans have so far failed to agree on a strategy to pass the party-line share of funding. The gridlock has left the military vulnerable, lawmakers said. U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, estimated that as of mid-October the Iran conflict had cost more than $47 billion, forcing the Pentagon to delay trainings and maintenance projects just to cover its bills. After failing to reach a lasting ceasefire this summer, the president has threatened to restart strikes after the midterms. "Russia and China are questioning whether or not we have the resources and the ability to quickly replace dwindling stocks and ammunition," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), who faulted Democrats for holding up the defense budget. "You're mad at the president, but you're taking it out on these men and women who are following orders."
Excluding the Democrats
Democrats say the Trump administration is blaming them for problems of its own making. "To come in and say, 'Oh, by the way, we made this choice and we spent all this money and we need you to replenish it' - it takes a lot of nerve," said Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats. The Trump administration has excluded Democrats from several briefings on the $350 billion in defense spending it hopes to pass on a party-line vote. These meetings have broken a long-standing practice of sharing national security information equally with each party, lawmakers said. Multiple Republicans noted that the administration has tightened the briefings in part because of concerns about leaks to the news media, which Trump officials have blamed on congressional Democrats. Many in the GOP said they had urged the Pentagon to include both parties. "If we are asking them to make these country-altering decisions, I think we have to inform them," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), one of multiple Republicans who noted they'd urged the Pentagon to share more information with Democrats. The Republican lawmaker who offered Hegseth his blunt assessment of the $1.5 trillion request also said that Democrats are partly to blame for the lack of communication. Earlier this year, the lawmaker said, he brokered a private meeting between Hegseth and a small group of Democrats. All of the Democrats declined to meet with the secretary, the lawmaker said. Other members of Congress faulted Hegseth for the distrust. In April, while appearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth delivered a broadside in his opening remarks. "The biggest adversary we face at this point," he said, "are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans." At one point during the hearing, Rep. Austin Scott (Georgia), a senior Republican on the committee, noted that the administration would need Republican and Democratic votes to secure its budget. "The way Hegseth treats people is a problem," Scott said in an interview.
'Shockingly unprofessional'
During Hegseth's first private meeting with the Senate Armed Services Committee, in June 2025, he opened with a warning, according to three people familiar with his remarks. Though the hearing was classified, the secretary said, he didn't know - and didn't trust - everyone in the room and would watch what he said, these people recalled. They cited the exchange as an example of Hegseth's combativeness. "It's as shockingly unprofessional as anything I see," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who voted against Hegseth's confirmation and has opposed the Iran war, said of the secretary's tone. Current and former officials familiar with Hegseth's relationships on Capitol Hill disputed assertions that the Pentagon was withholding information from Congress or refusing to meet with Democrats. They said Hegseth's private meetings had been professional and noted that Democrats had openly attacked him, accusing him of mismanagement and dishonesty. The Pentagon did not directly address questions about this encounter or others detailed in this report. The contentious relationship has led some Republicans to ask the Pentagon to instead send uniformed officers to brief Congress, lawmakers said. Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has hosted private breakfasts with Republicans and Democrats at the Pentagon in an attempt to build more bipartisan support for the budget, according to lawmakers and others familiar with the sessions. A spokesperson for Caine declined to comment. Meanwhile, members of both parties voiced a sense of resignation that the defense-related committees were becoming more partisan. "Democrats don't want to work on anything in a bipartisan way that could be construed as giving Trump a win," said Sen. Deb Fischer (Nebraska), a senior Republican. Many Democrats said they are worried that the Pentagon's shortfalls could hamstring military readiness for years, including in a future Democratic administration. But they argued that they need to use every tool they have to resist what they see as an unconstitutional war. "We are taking serious risks with our national security and should not be," said Sen. Chris Coons (Delaware), the top Democrat on the Senate panel on defense spending. "At the end of the day, the president's responsible for the decisions he's made." Multiple people familiar with the budget negotiations, some speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide their candid assessment, said that the Trump administration's $1.5 trillion request was probably impossible with so little time left in the year. A U.S. official familiar with Hegseth's relationships with lawmakers asserted that the full budget request was still viable and that Republicans, if they lose control of Congress, would see this as their last chance to secure defense-related priorities without Democratic votes. Doubts about the budget have come at a low point for Hegseth's standing with congressional Republicans, who have signaled they will oppose his preferred picks to lead the Army and criticized him more openly in recent weeks. When the House returns in November, Hegseth will probably face an impeachment vote, led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), over the Iran war. Meanwhile, some Democrats felt emboldened heading into next week's election - they appear likely to at least regain control of the House - and the prospect of launching aggressive oversight of the Pentagon. Earlier this year, Hegseth held private breakfasts with the top Republicans and Democrats on the Armed Services committees, in an effort to improve his standing. Rep. Adam Smith (Washington), the House Armed Services Committee's top Democrat, recalled saying near the end of his meeting with Hegseth that, despite their disagreements, they didn't have to be enemies. In an interview, Smith said he wasn't looking to partner with "this Pentagon." "I'm looking," he added, "for ways to stop the awful things they're doing with our military." Related ContentThis article originally appeared on Washington Post at https://washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/10/29/inside-breakdown-trumps-15-trillion-pentagon-plan/
Trump administration renews bid to block 20,000 California ballots after court rebuke Trump administration renews bid to block 20,000 California ballots after court rebukeAn election worker places a ballot into a ballot box in Boyle Heights on Tuesday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)Soon after a federal judge in Los Angeles sharply rejected a Trump administration effort to block 20,000 California ballots from voters it alleged may be noncitizens, the U.S. Justice Department appealed - leaving attorneys on both sides preparing Thursday for yet another court battle.That was despite the lower court judge calling the request an unlawful threat to eligible voters in Tuesday's midterm election and to free and fair American elections moving forward, and the same appellate court having already rejected the plan days prior."Every day, more ballots are processed by election officials. This ongoing emergency disenfranchises American citizens through dilution," wrote First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, the lead prosecutor in L.A.Early Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom swiped back at the Trump administration, writing, "A warning to Donald Trump: I'm deploying election lawyers to key battleground districts in California to protect every vote. And I just made it a FELONY to illegally seize ballots."With just days to go until polls close, the heated election war between California and the Trump administration is showing no signs of slowing down, despite multiple court orders rejecting the administration's central effort to interfere in the midterms by accusing state and county officials of willfully turning a blind eye to voter fraud.That's in part because lawyers within the U.S. Justice Department have been unrelenting in their pursuit of such control, both through court orders and threats to state and county officials - including through criminal grand jury subpoenas issued to at least three officials in Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan's office.The subpoenas, reviewed by The Times, demand that the officials appear before prosecutors the day after the election with a host of internal documents and speak to their office's handling of the Justice Department's demands to segregate the ballots.It's also because those same state and county officials have refused to yield, denouncing the threats in recent letters back to the Justice Department as unconvincing and illegal."Be aware that we consider DOJ's efforts to threaten California election officials with criminal sanctions for following federal and state law to be an effort to unlawfully intimidate both election officials and California voters, which can undermine voters' faith in the election process," Susan K. Blitch, counsel for Monterey County, wrote in one.Read more:Judge denies feds' request to block 20,000 California ballots in blistering opinionSeveral elections experts warned the administration is trying to sow confusion and suspicion around an election in which the Republican Party is poised to lose ground, in part so they can reject the outcome. But they also said the courts have consistently rebuffed the Trump administration, and will continue to do so through Nov. 3 and after - with the recent rulings over the 20,000 flagged ballots a perfect example."The federal government lost in every way it could possibly lose. It lost on the law, and it lost on the facts, and it lost on the equities - [or] weighing the harms to the various parties," said Rick Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law.
Appeal, rebuke, appeal
Last week, Trump administration attorneys decided that U.S. District Judge David O. Carter was not ruling quickly enough on their emergency request for a temporary restraining order to block California, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Logan from counting the 20,000 ballots it asserted were from "likely noncitizens" - so they appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.On Monday, a three-judge panel there - including two appointees of President Trump and one of President Biden - denied the appeal for a lack of jurisdiction, because Carter hadn't weighed in yet. However, two of the judges - Mark J. Bennett, a Trump appointee, and Gabriel P. Sanchez, the Biden appointee - wrote separately to make clear that they also would have denied the administration's request for being likely unconstitutional and in violation of federal law.On Wednesday, Carter, an appointee of President Clinton, ruled that the administration's allegations about noncitizen voters were "not credible" and that the intervention it sought would violate a host of federal laws, sow chaos in the ongoing midterm election, likely lead to the disenfranchisement of legitimate voters and foster future political meddling in elections."This request violates longstanding constitutional principles mandating that states have control over their elections," Carter wrote. "If [the Trump administration's] last-minute request for relief were granted, either party could create chaos for their own political purposes to disrupt the election process."Carter wrote that never in American history "has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch."The ruling - forceful, unequivocal and based on several of the same arguments made by Bennett and Sanchez - was cheered by state officials and voting rights groups. Elections experts said it squared directly with their understanding of the law, and was appropriate in the face of the Trump administration's unprecedented, legally baseless effort to intervene in an ongoing state-run election. Justice Department lawyers filed a sparse appeal back to the 9th Circuit Thursday, arguing the ongoing counting of ballots constitutes an emergency the court must intervene to stop, and asking it to do so by Friday. The same panel that previously rejected the request took the case back up, and gave the state, L.A. County and several voting rights groups until Friday morning to respond.
War of words
On Wednesday night, Newsom appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and predicted Trump will take sweeping steps to "literally suppress the vote, to set the conditions where he will then express doubt in the electoral outcome, and suggest that it was rigged." But he also said California is fighting back and prepared. "Right now, I am focused on getting over 1,000 poll workers, folks out there to monitor the DOJ monitors that Trump's gonna send to try to steal this election," Newsom said. "We have been running tabletop exercises. We have 1,000 volunteers. We have 134 election law attorneys that we're sending out."On Thursday, Essayli replied to the latter deployment, writing, "You're going to protect every legal or illegal vote? What about California citizens whose votes are being diluted by ineligible voters. Do their constitutional rights matter."Read more:Your last-minute voter guide to California's 2026 general electionTrump, meanwhile, asserted with no evidence that "there are hundreds of thousands of bad ballots, bad votes, in California. Millions, in my opinion." He said California has "very corrupt elections," and that if it had honest ones, he "would have won it by a lot."The remarks were just the latest in a swirling and highly public war of words between state and federal officials.Federal prosecutors have issued three grand jury subpoenas to officials in Logan's office. One dated Oct. 24 and addressed to office's records custodian seeks internal emails, text messages, guidance and discussions related to the Trump administration's demands that Logan's office investigate alleged noncitizen voters. It orders the custodian to appear in Santa Ana on Nov. 4, the day after the election, or provide the records and a signed certification beforehand.Prosecutors are also seeking records describing how the county screens for unlawful voting, prevents noncitizen ballots from being counted and handles evidence that noncitizens voted in federal elections or that others helped them do so.A Justice Department spokesperson said it doesn't comment on grand jury subpoenas, but noted Carter had "explained that voting unlawfully results in criminal exposure."Carter did say that a "clear remedy" to the administration's concerns already existed, in that prosecutors could criminally charge individuals committing voter fraud. But he also explicitly denounced what he called the administration's "threat" to charge elections officials, writing that "these threats must stop."Logan, in a statement, said Carter's "admonishment about threats directed at election officials on Tuesday was well placed and appreciated. At every step, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken a confrontational, adversarial approach. Election officials are acting in accordance with state and federal law."In Carter's courtroom Tuesday, Essayli claimed the federal government has maintained a collaborative "tone" since it first demanded the state set aside ballots, and said he was surprised at how "adversarial" state elections officials had been. But Essayli and other Justice Department officials have been engaged for weeks in an aggressive back and forth with California officials online - which is highly unusual for prosecutors actively litigating related cases.When Newsom's office recently wrote that "Trump's DOJ is so desperate to invent 'widespread voter fraud,' it sent California counties lists of people who NEVER voted - and voters from the WRONG COUNTY. Absolute clown show!," Essayli shot back, "Hey Fraud King," with a crown emoji. "We're not waiting for them to vote."Also unusual have been the threats Justice Department attorneys have been sending to county elections officials in California, including in a series of Oct. 23 letters in which they asserted varying numbers of "likely aliens" per county, set a 48-hour deadline for the counties to cooperate with federal authorities to prove those voters are citizens.In one letter to Kristin Connelly, head of the Contra Costa County registrar's office, U.S. Atty. Craig Missakian flagged 407 potential noncitizens in the county, and said he was writing "to make unmistakably clear the legal implications" of processing any ballots from those voters.On Wednesday, Thomas L. Geiger, Contra Costa County counsel, responded with his own letter, questioning the accuracy of the noncitizen claims and saying it would be "legally unsound" for Connelly to "disregard both California and federal law" in order to comply with Missakian's demands.Other California officials have signaled a willingness to work with federal authorities. San Luis Obispo County District Atty. Dan Dow said Thursday that his office is investigating "63 federally identified suspect registrations" off a list also provided to the county clerk-recorder.Get the L.A. Times California Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week.This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.This article originally appeared on LA Times at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/california-feds-continue-election-war-195307417.html
Patrick Stewart, a revered English actor best known for his work on Star Trek, has died. He was 86.
According to a post on his X account, Stewart died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles "in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
"He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all," the post read. "We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.
"His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise," the post continued. "His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans' mental health services, and animal welfare, particularly his cherished foster puppies.
"He was a Knight, Chancellor, motor sport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield Football fan," the post added. "He will be remembered for the dignity, compassion, and humanity he brought to every role - in his art and life."
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Fund https://t.co/luC5CdcWDy Alzheimer's Foundation of America Caregiver Resources https://t.co/zvNptfyuNd
Born on July 13, 1940, in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, Stewart dropped out of school at age 15 to work as a reporter at a local newspaper and then furniture salesman before enrolling in drama school in 1957.
He made his professional theater debut in 1959, eventually joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. He spent the next two decades performing in both classical and contemporary productions - Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra - alongside fellow stage greats such as Ben Kingsley and Helen Mirren.
In the mid '80s, Stewart moved to Los Angeles to star in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
He later reprised the role on the big screen for a series of Star Trek films, including Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).
Stewart had more than 160 credits as an actor, according to IMDB, most recently as the voice of Avery Bullock on the animated comedy series American Dad!.
He will also appear posthumously in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday as Professor Charles Xavier, a role he played in several previous X-Men films.
In 2010, Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and given the title of Sir in honor of his contributions to TV, film and theater.
"We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today," Hugh Jackman, who starred alongside Stewart in X-Men, wrote in an Instagram post. "And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days."
The Royal Shakespeare Company wrote on Instagram that Stewart was "a colossus of both stage and screen and one of the finest classical Shakespearean actors of his generation."
And William Shatner, who preceded Stewart as captain of Star Trek's USS Enterprise, honored the talent and humanity that Stewart brought to the role of Picard.
"Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him," Shatner wrote on Instagram. "I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work."Patrick Stewart poses in his dressing room at the Lyceum Theater in New York in 2008 during a production of "Macbeth."
AP Photo/Rick Maiman
Stewart had a son, Daniel, and daughter, Sophie, with his first wife, Sheila Falconer, who he married in 1966. They divorced in 1990.
In his 2023 memoir, Making It So, Stewart revealed that he had an affair with his Star Trek: The Next Generation costar Jennifer Hetrick during his marriage to Falconer, which led to their divorce and his estrangement from their children.
"We don't have relationships," Stewart told the Irish Independent during his book tour. "I never thought that this would happen, but both my children are in their 50s - they're not children anymore, they're adults. And my relationship with them is practically non-existent."
Stewart and Hetrick dated and were later engaged, but never married.
In 2000, he married Wendy Neuss, one of the show's producers. They divorced three years later, after Stewart had an affair with actress Lisa Dillon, his costar in a stage production of The Master Builder. At the time, Stewart was 62 and Dillon was 23.
"And so, another divorce. I felt stupid and responsible," Stewart wrote in his memoir. "I had cheated on my wife with a younger woman - again."Patrick Stewart and his wife Sunny Ozell arrive at Vanity Fair's Oscar party in 2024.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
In 2008, Stewart met singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell at a restaurant in Brooklyn, where she was working as a waitress. Stewart was performing in a sold-out production of Macbeth, and gave her his phone number so he could arrange tickets for her.
"[I] said 'Call me, I can get a ticket.' And that's what we did. And she came backstage afterward and we had dinner and here we are," Stewart told People magazine.
They were married in 2013 in Ozell's home state of Nevada. Stewart's longtime friend and X-Men costar Ian McKellen officiated the ceremony.This article originally appeared on Yahoo Entertainment at https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/article/patrick-stewart-star-of-x-men-and-star-trek-dies-at-86-195431969.html
'Operation Ghostbusters': DOJ unveils crackdown on student aid fraud scheme 'Operation Ghostbusters': DOJ unveils crackdown on student aid fraud schemeFederal law enforcement authorities have launched a nationwide crackdown dubbed, "Operation Ghostbusters," to dismantle an international student aid scheme that investigators estimate has been operating since 2021, "potentially reaching several hundred million dollars" in taxpayer losses. Announcing the first wave of enforcement actions, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald revealed that organized syndicates have systematically stolen the identities of working Americans who never applied to college, using their information to enroll fictional "ghost students" at institutions nationwide and siphon federal financial aid directly into offshore accounts."These are not isolated errors," McDonald said at a news conference Thursday. "This is organized fraud at scale."Trump Admin Requiring Gov Issued Id To Apply For Federal Student Aid Saved $200 Million In Fraud In 2 MonthsAssistant Attorney General Colin McDonald announces the first enforcement actions from 'Operation Ghostbusters,' a nationwide crackdown on student-aid fraud, at a news conference on Thursday.The sprawling operation currently spans more than 40 open cases across 26 FBI field offices and has already produced indictments against five defendants, as well as the international seizure of more than $750,000 in laundered cryptocurrency tied to networks in Kenya. "If successful at duping the Department of Education, Ed then sends the aid money to the college where the ghost student is enrolled," McDonald said in his opening remarks. "After tuition and fees are deducted, the leftover federal funds are deposited directly into bank accounts controlled by fraudsters, and in a flash, the money vanishes, often overseas to places like Kenya. Read On The Fox News App"The methods used in these schemes are increasingly sophisticated. "Some use super intelligence to fill out college applications and complete coursework, so it looks like the ghost student is actually completing the class. "Some even create the appearance of a fake student in an online classroom to trick schools into believing a real person is present. The goal is to keep the ghost student in school for as long as possible, semester after semester after semester, stealing money from the taxpayer."Treasury Identifies $270 Million In Suspicious Activity Tied To Possible Federal Student Aid FraudProsecutors allege that after tuition and fees were settled, leftover grant and loan disbursements were siphoned through domestic "money mules" and funneled abroad - including through fronts like a Nairobi safari company."We have already sent a team to Kenya to be on the ground for purposes of rooting out this fraud scheme and figuring out how it works on the ground in Kenya," McDonald said in the question and answer portion of the news conference.And, unsuspecting victims facing ruined credit and bills for an education they never received, they warned."The complete story includes the plight of an American citizen who graduated high school and went straight to work to provide for his family," McDonald said. "He never applied to college, he never enrolled in classes, and he never asked for federal student aid. But one day, he finds his name attached to a loan from a school hundreds or thousands of miles away."His credit is now at risk and his name is on the bill."Doj Investigates Illinois Schools Over Secret Gender Transitions, IdeologyMcDonald's timeline for the investigation began in earnest in April and includes alleged fraud that began in 2021 under the Biden administration, according to McDonald."If you steal American identities, if you steal taxpayer dollars, if you exploit programs meant to help students build their future, we are resolved to find you and prosecute you," he said. "Whether you're in Nebraska, New Jersey, Virginia, or Nairobi, we will pursue you and bring you to justice."Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent pinned the Biden administration on this for having taken off fraud safeguards.Click Here To Download The Fox News App"When we walked in the door last January, we were extremely troubled to find that the Biden administration had turned off nearly every fraud detection measure, allowing critical funds to become the target of large-scale fraud," Kent said. "The federal student aid programs result in about a $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio. That's like turning off fraud detection efforts at Wells Fargo, which is just crazy." Original article source:DOJ's 'Operation Ghostbusters' targets massive student-aid fraud scheme built on fake enrolleesThis article originally appeared on Fox News at https://www.foxnews.com/us/dojs-operation-ghostbusters-aims-crush-massive-student-aid-fraud-scheme-involving-fake-students
