Author: Press Room

As Senate Majority Leader John Thune rushed to advance a new funding package this month, he faced a familiar roadblock: a trio of conservatives from his conference’s right flank. Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah banded together as they sought to advance key conservative priorities, including an end to spending earmarks — holding out for weeks as Thune strained to keep the 2026 funding process on track and avoid another costly government shutdown on Jan. 30. The tensions between the fiscal hawks, who want to drastically slash spending, and more pragmatic…

Sen. Lindsey Graham urged a formal U.S.–Israel defense pact, arguing that strong GOP support for Israel remains overwhelming, that U.S. aid delivers “tenfold” returns in intelligence, counterterrorism, and advanced technology, and that Israel’s security role provides capabilities the United States could not replicate on its own. In remarks delivered Sunday to reporters in Israel following meetings with Israeli leaders, U.S. military officials, and intelligence briefers during a two-day visit — including talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar — Graham framed Israel not as a burden on the United States, but as one of its most…

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes segment on alleged abuse at a Salvadoran prison housing Venezuelan deportees just 36 hours before airtime, prompting correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi to call the decision political rather than editorial in an internal email. The segment, led by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, focused on CECOT, described by CBS as one of El Salvador’s harshest prisons. The Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants there in March. CBS News had already promoted the piece on air and through a press release, which referenced “the brutal and torturous conditions” that some recently released deportees claim they…

Right-wing influencer Nick Fuentes previously labeled the US vice president’s spouse a “jeet,” a racial slur for Indians US Vice President J.D. Vance has hit back at slurs directed at his wife over her ethnic heritage as well as rumors about problems in their marriage.Media reports earlier this year speculated about strains in the vice president’s relationship with his spouse, Usha Vance, after she was seen on several occasions without her wedding ring.In an interview with Unherd published on Monday, Vance said “anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat shit. That’s…

A mob of over 200 people kidnapped 18 Colombian soldiers on Sunday during an armed operation against the National Liberation Army (ELN) Marxist terror group, local outlets reported. The officials reportedly remain kidnapped at an indigenous community reserve at press time. The incident occurred in a rural area of the town of El Carmen de Atrato, Chocó, as the military officials conducted operations against ELN. In a statement shared by the Colombian National Army’s Fifteenth Brigade Command to local outlets, the military institution explained that the officials were “surrounded and intercepted by approximately 200 people, who arbitrarily detained and transferred…

On Monday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) stated that there is a legal basis to stop and board some oil tankers around Venezuela, but that’s “sort of beside the point.” And “we could cut off funds for” this kind of operation. Smith said, “There is a legal basis for it…if you’re one of these vessels, if you’re flying under a false flag or no flag, and if you are engaged in illegal activities. This goes on all over the world. The dark fleet you referred to earlier, no one operates more dark fleet vessels than Russia,…

A plan to outlaw the centuries-long practice forms part of the country’s latest animal welfare strategy The British government has set out plans to ban the live boiling of lobsters and crabs under its latest animal welfare strategy.The proposal appears in the new strategy published on Monday, and follows the government’s decision in 2022 to formally recognize decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs as sentient beings.The document says there are gaps in understanding how live animals move through supply chains “from catch to kill,” making it harder to prevent “unnecessary pain or suffering.” To address this, the government said it will…

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday denied accusations from the European Council (EC) that Tehran has been assisting Russia with its invasion of Ukraine. After discussions with Ukraine on Friday, the EC produced a statement condemning “third countries, actors, and entities therein” for supporting Russia’s war, specifically including “military support provided by Iran, Belarus, and the DPRK (North Korea).” “The European Council urges all countries to immediately cease any assistance to Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine, whether direct or indirect, notably through the provision of dual-use goods or components,” the statement said. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil…

Monday on MS NOW’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) likened CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss to a “reporter on the payroll of Vladimir Putin.” Reportedly, Weiss pulled a “60 Minutes” segment because she felt the outlet did not do enough to get Trump administration officials on the record. Raskin said the decision suggested the outlet was acting as if it were “state-controlled TV.” “In what ways are companies like CBS or Paramount, or any of the parent companies involved here, accountable to their shareholders, accountable to Congress, accountable to the people, if they decide to be part of…

The Japanese government is preparing to revise its immigration rules to make it more difficult for foreigners to obtain citizenship, including doubling the required period of residency in Japan and adding a requirement for Japanese language proficiency. Japan has a basic law for requirement citizenship, known as the Nationality Law, that stipulates “five years or more” of residency in Japan before a foreigner can apply for citizenship. The applicant must also be at least 18 years of age, demonstrate financial independence, and have a clean legal record. The administration of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae is planning to add rules that…