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By Jordan King is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her current focus is on religion, health, food safety and population. She has covered the persecution of religions in the global south, fertility and birth rate issues around the world, multiple disease outbreaks in the U.S. and ongoing vaccination discourse. Jordan joined Newsweek in 2024 from The Evening Standard and had previously worked at Metro.co.uk, she has background in international human-interest stories and is a graduate of Kingston University, in London. You can get in touch with Jordan by emailing j.king@newsweek.com. Languages: English. Jordan King US News Reporter 🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur. President Donald Trump has warned Iran not to attempt to rebuild their nuclear facilities, after he claimed recent U.S. military strikes in June “completely destroyed” Iran’s sites. The President wrote on Truth Social on Saturday: “All three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED. It would take years to bring them back into service and, if Iran wanted to do so, they would be much better off starting anew, in three different locations, prior to those sites being obliterated, should they decide to do so. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Why it Matters The stakes surrounding Iran’s nuclear program remain high for U.S. national security interests and for stability across the Middle East. President Trump’s warning comes against a backdrop of ongoing debates about the effectiveness of U.S. strikes and the future of diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. What To Know On June 21, the U.S. military—under an operation code-named Midnight Hammer—conducted airstrikes against three of Iran’s principal nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. President Trump and defense officials publicly claimed that all three sites were “completely destroyed,” saying that Iran would require years to reconstitute its nuclear program if it tried to rebuild. Trump reiterated this with his message on Saturday. But some U.S. intelligence assessments have challenged the administration’s narrative. Only one out of three of Iran’s nuclear sites was destroyed with the other two surviving enough to be able to resume nuclear enrichment within several months if Tehran wants it, according to NBC News, which cited five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the assessment. The Defense Department and the White House have pushed back, asserting that their own intelligence showed all three facilities were “completely and totally obliterated.” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Purnell said: “President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated. There is no doubt about that.” “The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover.” Iran maintains that its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes, despite long-standing Western suspicions. Iranian diplomats are set to meet in Europe next week for discussions about a possible nuclear deal, according to the Institute for the Study of War. “Iran has not softened its position on its right to enrich uranium on Iranian soil, which makes it unlikely that Iran will accept a nuclear deal that includes a zero uranium enrichment demand,” the Institute said in its most recent report. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press briefing with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the White House in… AP What People Are Saying Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell previously told reporters that American strikes had “degraded (Iran’s) program by one to two years.” He said: “We believe, and certainly, all of the intelligence that we’ve seen have led us to believe that Iran’s—those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated.” Trump said in an interview on Fox News‘ Sunday Morning Futures: “It was obliterating like nobody’s ever seen before. And that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time.” What Happens Next The debate over the true impact of the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear capabilities is likely to persist, with calls for independent verification of the destroyed facilities. Iran’s response to both the military strikes and diplomatic overtures remains uncertain, as tensions in the region continue to simmer. fairness meter fairness meter Newsweek is committed to journalism that’s factual and fair. Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsweek is committed to journalism that’s factual and fair. Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Click On Meter To Rate This Article Top stories About the writer Jordan King is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her current focus is on religion, health, food safety and population. She has covered the persecution of religions in the global south, fertility and birth rate issues around the world, multiple disease outbreaks in the U.S. and ongoing vaccination discourse. Jordan joined Newsweek in 2024 from The Evening Standard and had previously worked at Metro.co.uk, she has background in international human-interest stories and is a graduate of Kingston University, in London. You can get in touch with Jordan by emailing j.king@newsweek.com. Languages: English. Jordan King Jordan King is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her current focus is on religion, health, food safety and … Read more Read More

By Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years she has specialized in viral trends and internet news, with a particular focus on animals, human interest stories, health, and lifestyle. Alice joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously wrote for The Observer, Independent, Dazed Digital and Gizmodo. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Alice by emailing alice.gibbs@newsweek.com. Alice Gibbs Senior Life and Trends Reporter 🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur. In 2014, Feliks Khaykin was 23 years old and working out of his mother’s basement with $400 and a vision. Now, he has sold the business he started then for over $4 million. Khaykin, 34, from New Jersey, began startup DankStop as a direct-to-consumer online retailer for cannabis accessories. “At the time, cannabis was still very much taboo,” he told Newsweek. “There were no online retailers taking it seriously yet. We saw the growing popularity and acceptance and wanted to provide a clean, modern, professional outlet.” DankStop launched in April 2014 and quickly scaled into a full-fledged operation: warehouse logistics, wholesale distribution, private label brands. By 2020, the company was generating $5 million in annual revenue. A picture of the DankStop warehouse, left, and Feliks Khaykin poses in cap and shades, right. Feliks Khaykin North America’s legal cannabis sector has experienced massive growth over the past decade, fueled primarily by legalization of cannabis in the U.S. and Canada. From roughly $5 billion in 2015 to almost $45 billion in 2024, the sector is set to surge further to $355 billion by 2033. But the journey wasn’t smooth. “It was our first real business, and the learning curve was brutal,” Khaykin said. One of the biggest hurdles came when Google‘s algorithm changes wiped DankStop from search results—the company’s primary traffic source. “We went from $600k/month to $100k/month overnight. It was devastating,” he said. From left: The interior of the DankStop warehouse is seen before the sale. Feliks Khaykin Forced to cut costs and staff, Khaykin changed things. DankStop transformed into a third-party dropship marketplace, allowing brands to list products and fulfill orders directly. “It was a survival move that became our new model,” Khaykin said. It paid off. In 2021, Canadian cannabis giant High Tide approached Khaykin with an acquisition offer. The company was buying up U.S.-based eCommerce platforms to build market share ahead of federal legalization. “It was aggressive, and we felt the timing was right,” Khaykin said. DankStop sold for $4 million. Khaykin recently shared his experience in a Reddit post, inviting people to ask him anything about his experience. Here, users asked questions from the revenue and profit margins to first products and marketing approaches. Now, with a return of 999,900 percent on his original $400 investment, Khaykin isn’t finished with business. He had his team had built custom software to run DankStop’s operations and post-sale, and they spun those tools into a new venture: CrowdShip, a dropshipping automation platform now used by major cannabis retailers across North America. His latest project, another eCommerce solution, launched just two weeks ago. “DankStop was the beginning,” Khaykin said. “But the real legacy is the software we built along the way.” Is This Article Trustworthy? Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair We value your input and encourage you to rate this article. Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair We value your input and encourage you to rate this article. Slide Circle to Vote No Moderately Yes VOTE Top stories About the writer Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years she has specialized in viral trends and internet news, with a particular focus on animals, human interest stories, health, and lifestyle. Alice joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously wrote for The Observer, Independent, Dazed Digital and Gizmodo. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Alice by emailing alice.gibbs@newsweek.com. Alice Gibbs Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years … Read more Read More

By Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. military, weapons systems and emerging technology. She joined Newsweek in January 2023, having previously worked as a reporter at the Daily Express, and is a graduate of International Journalism at City, University of London. Languages: English, Spanish.You can reach Ellie via email at e.cook@newsweek.com.  Ellie Cook Security & Defense Reporter 🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur. Ukraine has proposed a fresh round of negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Why It Matters Ceasefire talks pushed by the U.S have failed to yield progress toward an agreement after Russia refused to ink an American proposal that Ukraine agreed to back in March. Ukrainian and Russian officials have met directly for talks twice in recent months. U.S. President Donald Trump has grown increasingly irritated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, pivoting from chasing a thaw with the Kremlin to overtly criticize the Russian leader. In a marked departure from the White House’s tough stance on Ukraine, Trump upped military support for Kyiv via NATO nations and said earlier this month Russia had 50 days to clinch a ceasefire deal or face tariffs. Moscow said Ukraine saw this as a “signal to continue the war” and abandon peace talks. Western leaders and Ukraine have repeatedly said Russia is stalling ceasefire negotiations. What To Know The chief of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Rustem Umerov, has “proposed a new meeting with Russia next week,” which would focus on ceasefire negotiations, prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children to the country, Zelensky said late on Saturday. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Umerov, previously serving as Ukraine’s defense minister, was appointed as the country’s NSDC chief on Friday. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends the parliament session in Kyiv, Ukraine Thursday, July 17, 2025. AP Photo/Vadym Sarakhan The Ukrainian president said he needed to meet with Putin “to truly ensure a lasting peace.” “Ukraine is ready,” he added. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week Russia was waiting for Ukrainian proposals for a third round of talks. Moscow has so far refused to set up a direct meeting between the Kremlin chief and Zelensky, despite repeated calls for a face-to-face conversation between the two leaders. Russia has intensified its missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks. The United Nations‘ Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said earlier this month that June marked the highest number of civilian casualties in three years, when 232 people were killed and 1,343 injured. Ukraine said on Sunday Russia had launched 57 drones at several regions of the war-torn country overnight, after reporting Moscow fired 344 drones at Ukraine into Saturday morning. Russia also used 12 short-range ballistic missiles and 15 cruise missiles from late on Friday into the early hours of Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said. Trump told the BBC earlier in July he was “disappointed” in the Russian leader, but “not done with him.” “We’ll have a great conversation. I’ll say: ‘That’s good, I’ll think we’re close to getting it done,’ and then he’ll knock down a building in Kyiv,” Trump said. What People Are Saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia “must stop hiding from decisions.” Read More

Representative Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat, has introduced legislation that would restore the 100 percent deduction for gambling losses that Senate Republicans reduced to 90 percent late in the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). Titus spoke with Newsweek about her Fair Accounting for Income Realized from Betting Earnings Taxation (FAIR BET) Act, which she says so far has garnered “10 times the response” from constituents in her state and beyond compared to other aspects of the OBBB. Republican Representatives including Troy Nehls of Texas and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, also support Titus’ bill. Why It Matters The roughly 900-page bill passed by Congress included a provision inserted by Senate Republicans without consent of the House that imposed a tax increase on Americans who gamble, reducing from 100 percent to 90 percent the amount of losses they can deduct from gambling winnings for their income taxes. The new provision, added by the Senate Finance Committee late in the legislative process ahead of the July 4 bill signing by President Donald Trump, means that gambling losses that have traditionally been fully deductible would no longer be so and gamblers could owe taxes even if they ended up with net losses in a year. For example, someone winning $100,000 and then losing that same amount may still owe $10,000 in taxes on that income—even though they broke even. What To Know Titus, in an exclusive interview, said the issue has drawn more widespread attention on the OBBB compared to other scrutinized portions of the legislation, such as Medicaid and food stamp cuts. “We’ve certainly heard from the industry, they’ve all kind of now gotten on board,” Titus said. “But I can tell you that we put out a lot of messages about that big, bad BS bill and we talked about Medicaid, we talked about food stamps, we talked about renewable energy, but this issue has gotten 10 times the response than any of those have.” The congresswoman continued: “I think it’s people who are on the internet, I think it’s young people who found an issue that they can kind of identify with. And I don’t think it’s just limited to the people directly impacted by gaming in Nevada. It’s a national issue because now everybody can gamble on their phone, and so they’re writing in, they’re texting in, they’re calling in to say, ‘We should fix this.’” Titus said she “found it hard to believe” that some Republican senators were unaware of this provision in the bill’s final version. She doesn’t believe it was inserted from an ideological or partisan standpoint, however, but rather based on tax policy. “Let’s just make it clear these are not just high rollers, these are not just the big professional poker players who itemize,” she said. “Think how many people bet on a football game or bet on their phone, and how much they advertise some of the sports betting apps. These are just ordinary people who bet.” Titus added: “It’s not fair…I don’t think people are going to say, ‘I’m not going to gamble,’ but what they may say is, ‘Why would I itemize? Why would I turn this in if I’m going to have to pay tax on losses?’” Gambling losses up to the amount of one’s winnings can be claimed but only if one itemizes their deductions. However, most don’t do that because they opt for the standard deduction and better tax break. Titus also has a front-row seat to the benefits of the gaming industry, noting how cities like Las Vegas are important economically. People travel to gamble, spend on dining and shows, or just to watch poker championships—the “full ambiance” as she described. “They’re going to go gamble on unregulated sources, whether it’s offshore or the black market or the predictions market that’s coming on so strong,” Titus said. “Those entities don’t pay taxes to the state, they don’t invest in brick and mortar, they don’t hire good union labor. In that sense it also hurts industry and a community’s economy.” Representative Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat, tells Newsweek why she introduced the FAIR BET Act to restore the 100 percent deduction for gambling losses that Senate Republicans reduced to 90 percent in the One Big… Americans Overwhelmingly Support Gambling In its August 2024 report on Americans’ attitudes towards gambling, the American Gaming Association (AGA) said than half of all American adults (55 percent) participated in some form of gambling in the previous 12 months. Roughly 122 million adult Americans, or 49 percent of the population, visited a casino for gambling or other entertainment purposes in that span—the highest level of casino visitation on record. Nearly nine-in-10 (88 percent) Americans find casino gambling to be acceptable for themselves or others, the research found, with 59 percent of Americans finding gambling personally acceptable—another an all-time high. The AGA represents major trade partners including Churchill Downs, DraftKings, MGM Resorts International and other big companies online and in casinos. A gaming industry source told Newsweek that there is support for Titus’ legislation, adding that lawmakers or the Trump administration did not convey why this provision was included in the final bill. “This could potentially have a very direct impact on a professional gambler or a very high-volume recreational gambler who chooses to itemize deductions….We’re committed to working with Representative Titus, as well as her co-sponsors in the House,” the source said. Asked if Titus’ bill is unsuccessful, the source said there’s time to make legislative fixes between now and the spring of 2027 when people go to file their taxes for their prior calendar year. “We’re motivated to get this done,” they said. Financial Hit to Nevada Efforts in the Senate, led by Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, sought unanimous consent to restore the full deduction for gambling losses. That was unsuccessful. Cortez Masto told Newsweek that she will continue to explore all options available to restore the 100 percent dedication for gambling losses

David Gomez, a school resource officer for the Boise County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho, started noticing caffeine pouches last spring. Students were using the pillow-shaped pouches, which can contain more than 200 milligrams of caffeine, alongside nicotine pouches like Zyn. They’ll use them either as a disguise for nicotine pouch usage — caffeine and nicotine pouches often look virtually identical — or a complement to it, Gomez said. “They’ll use the Zyn pouches that they put in their lip, and then they’ll take a caffeine pouch,” he added. “They don’t care what it is they’re putting in their lip.” The use of caffeine pouches among teens is still relatively rare. But some experts and educators have concerns that that could soon change. Teen-friendly marketing of these products is spreading on social media. And Richard Mumby, the marketing executive who helped launch the e-cigarette Juul, which was widely blamed for sparking a teen vaping epidemic, is back with a caffeine pouch startup called Wip. Wip joins a growing market drafting off the popularity of nicotine pouches and trying to sell Americans on a new alternative to caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is part of “the fabric of many Americans’ everyday lives,” Mumby told NBC News — but he argues there’s room for improvement. Wip and its competitors are pitching caffeine pouches as a convenient, portable and affordable alternative to caffeinated drinks. A cross between nicotine pouches and energy drinks, they are placed between the lip and gums to quickly deliver a hands-free hit of caffeine. Pouches typically last anywhere from roughly 20 minutes to an hour, but their caffeine buzz can linger longer. Wip’s pouches come in flavors like mint, strawberry kiwi and sour cherry, and each one contains either 100 or 200 milligrams of caffeine — the latter being roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee, or half the amount of caffeine most adults can safely consume in an entire day, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The health effects of caffeine pouches are not well-studied. But not all experts are sold on this new form of caffeine delivery. Rob van Dam, a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health who studies caffeine, voiced concerns about the potency of some pouches on the market, particularly for consumers who are not used to them. “It may be a bit different than coffee,” he said. “It may hit faster, and you may overdose, in a way, more quickly.” The potential appeal to teens is another concern, given the existing popularity of nicotine pouches and energy drinks. (Philip Morris, which makes Zyn, has previously told NBC News that “Zyn’s marketing is directed toward legal age nicotine users who are 21+.”) While there are no federal age restrictions on the sale or use of caffeine, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens consume no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day — or, even better, avoid using it at all, said Dr. Mark Corkins, chair of the AAP’s Committee on Nutrition. Youth caffeine use came under increasing scrutiny following high-profile reports of death and serious injury among young people who consumed Panera Bread’s heavily caffeinated Charged Lemonade, which the brand discontinued in 2024 as part of a “menu transformation.” Separately, medical visits related to kids drinking other caffeinated beverages are also on the rise: From 2022 to 2023, America’s Poison Centers charted a 24% increase in calls related to energy-drink consumption among people younger than 20. And the rate of pediatric emergency room visits related to caffeine usage roughly doubled between 2017 and 2023, although such visits remain rare, according to data from Epic Research. “Caffeine, in general, is an area we are very concerned about,” Corkins said. “Pouches are just another delivery form.” A growing market — and an ethical ‘gray zone’ Caffeine pouches aren’t entirely new. The brand Grinds started selling coffee pouches about 15 years ago, initially targeting the niche market of baseball players who wanted an alternative to chewing tobacco. At first, business “was like flying a plane into headwinds,” said co-founder Patrick Pezet. “No one knew what pouches were. It was totally foreign.” Business has increased steadily over time, growing by 20% to 50% each year since the company launched, Pezet said. Especially in the last five years or so — in parallel with the rise of the popular nicotine pouch brand Zyn — there’s been a dramatic shift in the public’s awareness of and willingness to use mouth pouches, Pezet said. (Wip said in a press release that almost half of adults ages 18 to 40 are interested in using pouches for energy.) Caffeine pouches are still a small market, particularly compared to the multibillion-dollar U.S. coffee industry or even the nicotine pouch industry. Still, Pezet said, his company has a growing customer base, mostly made up of adults who want an alternative to nicotine products. Another sign of growth: an explosion of competitors. “We keep close tabs on the entire market,” Pezet said. “There’s probably 50 to 60 total caffeine pouches or energy pouches out there. Two or three years ago, that number was a couple dozen.” As the market proliferates, it has given rise to a “gray zone” of legal but ethically dubious promotion to young people, Pezet said. (A blog post on Grinds’ website says “there is absolutely no age restriction on purchasing or using Grinds Coffee Pouches,” but Pezet said the brand directs its marketing toward customers 18 and older.) In some social media posts, creators explicitly promote caffeine pouches to students. “Can you pop a lower decky in school?” asked an influencer in one TikTok post about pouches from the brand LyvWel, using a slang term for mouth pouches. “One-hundred percent, guys. You can use the lower deckies in school. You don’t have to be 21 to buy them.” A representative for LyvWel said the post was not created, approved or sponsored by LyvWel. “Although caffeine products are legally available to

WASHINGTON — For many years, final decisions over how much the U.S. government spends, and how, have required sign-off from leaders of both parties, no matter who controlled the White House or Capitol Hill or the level of polarization. Now, that last vestige of the bipartisan funding process is at risk of dying after a one-two punch by President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress. The “appropriations” process, whereby both parties pass detailed funding bills for various federal agencies every year, has been in a slow decline for decades. But recent moves by the Trump-era GOP to disrupt past funding agreements have accelerated that decline — and, in the view of Democrats and even some weary Republicans, undermined Congress’ power of the purse in deference to the White House. First, Republicans passed a $300 billion hike in military spending and immigration enforcement as part of Trump’s megabill; and second, they cut $9 billion in domestic money and foreign aid under a rarely used “rescission” process, allowing the GOP to cancel already approved bipartisan spending with a party-line vote. A Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government or risk a shutdown will test whether a bipartisan deal is still possible, particularly as Trump’s top budget aide publicly calls for a more partisan approach. House Republicans have undermined the bipartisan path for years by slamming the resulting deals as “swamp” creations by a “uniparty” that is addicted to spending. Now, GOP lawmakers in both chambers are going it alone, suggesting they’ll bring more rescissions packages to undo past bipartisan spending agreements because the existing process is failing. “We don’t have an appropriations process. It’s broken. It’s been broken for a while,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee. He said Congress will likely fall back on continuing resolutions, which largely maintain the status quo, and rescission packages for the remainder of Trump’s presidency. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a senior appropriator, said the once-respected government funding process has “disappeared,” calling the latest rescissions package “a step backwards.” “It’s basically saying: No matter what you decide on, the president is going to be able to change the bill, even for money that’s been appropriated,” Durbin said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, insist the process is alive and well. They will test that theory this week as Thune plans to bring at least one — if not more — appropriations bills to the Senate floor. He has argued that the $9 billion cut hits a tiny portion of the federal budget and shouldn’t dissuade Democrats from working toward a deal. “I would hope, at least for the functioning of our government, that they would be willing to work with us on some things,” Thune said Wednesday on Fox News. “They haven’t been so far.” But even some GOP proponents of the bill admit it adds to the challenges. “The rescission package — of course, I understand that could complicate things,” said Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, a senior Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. Vought weighs in Just after the Senate overcame objections in both parties to approve the $9 billion spending-cut bill requested by Trump, a comment from White House budget director Russell Vought dropped like a bomb on Capitol Hill. “The appropriations process has to be less bipartisan,” Vought told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Thursday. “It’s not going to keep me up at night, and I think will lead to better results, by having the appropriations process be a little bit partisan.” He added that more rescission packages would be coming. The backlash was fierce. Senate Republicans responsible for crafting the government funding bills were taken aback by his candor. “Mr. Vought’s lack of respect and apparent lack of understanding of how Congress operates is baffling, because he’s served in government before,” Collins told NBC News. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Vought “disrespects” the appropriations process in Congress with his “dismissive” comments. “I think he thinks that we are irrelevant,” she said. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday called on Trump to “fire Russell Vought immediately, before he destroys our democracy and runs the country into the ground.” The series of clashes escalates tensions leading up to the fall deadline, with top Democrats warning ahead of the vote that they would have little incentive to provide the 60 votes to cut a deal. “It is absurd to expect Democrats to play along with funding the government if Republicans are just going to renege on a bipartisan agreement by concocting rescissions packages behind closed doors that can pass with only their votes,” Schumer warned in a recent speech. The debate over the demise of individual lawmakers getting to dictate where federal funding is allocated came to a head during a recent meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee, with many senators arguing that the work they were doing in that moment may just be overridden by congressional leadership and the president. “The one thing we all agree on is the appropriations process is broken,” former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., lamented, describing how during his 18 years leading the GOP conference he helped oversee a shift away from government funding levels being decided by committees and instead being negotiated by only the highest levels of leadership and the White House. “I concluded our failure to pass our bills empower every president, regardless of party, because I’ve been in those discussions at the end, the big four and the guy with the pen, and that makes all of our requests irrelevant,” McConnell said. Collins has repeatedly blamed the decline of the process on Schumer’s refusal to put appropriations bills on the Senate floor. That has also been a slow-moving trend: McConnell and former Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., also short-circuited the process on the floor when in charge. Rising partisanship has weakened committees broadly and placed more power in the hands of leadership. In

While she acknowledged “gender reassignment is also a protected characteristic,” Smith cited the case of Isla Bryson, a convicted rapist who came out as transgender while awaiting trial. “These things are at the extreme; they’re not common, but being rare is not a reason for ignoring an issue,” she said. Far-reaching implications While there is no robust data on the U.K.’s trans population, in the latest census, in 2018, the government estimated that around 200,000 to 500,000 people — less than 1% of the population — identified as transgender. Some, like Willow, a 31-year-old delivery driver from the county of Cheshire in northwest England who uses the pronouns they/them, are already feeling the implications of the ruling at a basic level. NBC News agreed not to use Willow’s last name because they feared for their job. Willow said they had long avoided using the women’s toilets at work, opting instead for the one disabled toilet because it was “a safer option,” although “the men at work often use it.” On one occasion, Willow said they had no choice but to use the women’s toilet and were later reprimanded for doing so. “It was upsetting and I actually ended up walking out of work that day,” they said, adding, “I just feel like I’m not treated equally to everyone else at work, like I’m seen as lesser.” Willow’s predicament highlights the issues legislators now face as they attempt to interpret the Supreme Court ruling. After initially issuing guidance that “trans women should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities,” Britain’s rights watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), was forced to backtrack following a legal challenge. Its latest guidance says, “Toilets, showers, and changing facilities may be mixed-sex where they are in a separate room lockable from the inside.” The Good Law Project, an advocacy group that challenged the guidance, said in a statement that the EHRC had conceded a key point in its case and that it was “considering our next steps.” Smith said For Women Scotland’s case was never about toilet access. “No one is standing at the door checking who goes in and out,” she said. But there has already been some pushback against the Supreme Court ruling. The doctors union at the British Medical Association said in a statement it was “biologically nonsensical,” adding: “Attempting to impose a rigid binary has no basis in science or medicine.” More than 20 of the U.K.’s leading charities and service providers, including Refuge, the country’s largest charity for women affected by domestic abuse, and the mental health charity Mind, have also urged the EHRC to think carefully before drawing up new guidelines. Meanwhile, transgender hate crimes in the U.K. have jumped 11%, from 2,253 in 2018–19 to 4,732 in 2022–23, official statistics show. The country’s interior ministry said this increase may be due to transgender issues being “heavily discussed by politicians, the media, and on social media over the last year.” Level playing field? Over the past two years, a handful of international sporting associations, including track and field, cycling and swimming, have banned trans women from elite games, citing unfair competitive advantages. The International Olympic Committee changed its rules in November 2021 to allow individual sports to determine whether trans athletes can compete. And the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in April that it would not set any policy on transgender athlete eligibility ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, despite Trump’s Executive Order 14201 — “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” — threatening to upend protocols for participation. “Biology in sport cannot be ignored,” Sharron Davies, a former British swimmer and an Olympic medalist, said in a telephone interview last month. Women “already have huge unfairness and inequality,” she said, adding: “It’s up to men to make men’s sport welcoming for all men, including nonconforming males.” Those views were echoed by Smith from For Women Scotland, who said that “women just wouldn’t get the opportunity” unless there were “separate sex categories.” But an April 2024 study funded by the International Olympic Committee found that while transgender female athletes had greater handgrip strength than cisgender women, they also had lower jumping ability, lung function and cardiovascular fitness. Given the physiological differences, the authors stated that the study’s most important finding was that trans women are not the same as cisgender men. A consensus statement from the American College of Sports Medicine a year earlier also noted that men typically outperformed women due to fundamental differences dictated by their “sex chromosomes and sex hormones at puberty, in particular, testosterone.” But, it noted, those differences were reduced if a trans woman underwent hormone therapy. As for Walker, while she can no longer play for London Galaxy, her second team, Goal Diggers FC, withdrew from FA-affiliated leagues so she could keep playing. But the association’s decision nonetheless cuts deep. “Imagine taking 24 years to get from hiding my identity from everyone, including my parents, to then being invited by cis women to play a sport I love and finding my place in the world,” Walker said. “Now, that’s all being taken from me.” Astha Rajvanshi Astha Rajvanshi is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London. Previously, she worked as a staff writer covering international news for TIME. Read More

The number of people reported missing in the wake of historic July Fourth flooding in Kerr County, Texas, has dropped from a peak of more than 160 to three, with many now verified as being safe, officials said Saturday. “Extensive follow-up work” and “extraordinary efforts” were credited with the reduction after 173 people statewide were reported missing amid floodwaters two stories deep, officials said in nearly identical statements from Kerr County and the city of Kerrville. “This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful investigative work, and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably difficult time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said in the statements. Dozens upon dozens of people reported missing by loved ones were taken off a list of missing persons after their safety was verified, officials said. “Many individuals who were initially reported as missing have been verified as safe and removed from the list,” the city and county statements said. “This has been an ongoing effort as investigators worked diligently to verify reports of missing persons and confirm their status.” County officials did not immediately respond to a request for more information Saturday. It wasn’t clear if any one factor, such as the return of cellphone service interrupted by the storm, may have been instrumental in locating those initially reported as missing. Rapidly rising floodwaters in the early morning hours of July 4 swept through river-adjacent summer camp bungalows, washed cars off roadways and left some survivors clinging to trees. A “flood wave” also swept down the Guadalupe River, rapidly increasing its depth and damaging structures along its banks. Federal weather data showed the Guadalupe, which runs through Kerville and Kerr County, rose 26 feet in 45 minutes. At least 27 campers and staff members died at Camp Mystic, which was hosting more than 750 children when it was inundated by the sudden river flooding. The process of warning residents is under scrutiny as the federal Integrated Public Alert & Warning System was not used to send Emergency Alert System texts to cellphone users in the region. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., earlier this week called for a formal investigation into the Department of Homeland Security’s response to the flooding. President Donald Trump toured flood-damaged Kerrville last week and defended the stance of his administration, saying the federal response was immediate. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was “there right from the beginning,” the president said. State and local officials have also had to grapple with criticism of the lack of timely alerts being sent to residents ahead of the floods. “It happened so rapidly that nobody, nobody could have anticipated it,” Kerrville’s Rice told NBC News last week, arguing that the historic and overwhelming nature of the flooding could barely be avoided with the best warnings and forecasts. Dennis Romero Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Janat Batra and Alex Lo contributed . Read More

In doing so, the David Crisafulli government has fulfilled its election commitment to “empower communities on renewable energy projects.” The Bill was officially passed by the government in June 2025 and introduces the following: Impact assessment requiring mandatory public notification for proposed large-scale solar PV power plants and wind farms (which were made impact assessable in February 2025). A community benefit system, featuring Social Impact Assessments (SIAs) that include community and stakeholder engagement, and Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) negotiated with local Councils. The state, as assessment manager, is in a new partnership with local governments for large-scale solar PV power plants to ensure consistent rules and certainty across Queensland’s 77 council areas.  Queensland government takes hard stance on renewables The Liberal National Party (LNP) of Queensland, under the leadership of David Crisafulli, won the state election in October 2024. Since taking office, the LNP of Queensland has sought to pursue renewable energy projects that it deems “reasonable and realistic.” One of the first casualties of this stance was the 5GW/120GWh Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project, deemed the world’s largest pumped hydro project, as reported by our sister site Energy-Storage.news. It was scrapped because it was “not financially viable, not environmentally appropriate, and the community was never consulted.” Announcing the new planning laws, the government took the opportunity to take yet another swipe at the previous Labor government in Queensland, which often advocated for renewables in the state. “Labor’s reckless rush to renewables and short-term political point scoring meant that communities, councils, and stakeholders were shut out of approval processes for projects across Queensland,” the Queensland government state said. Adding to this, Queensland’s deputy premier and minister for state development, infrastructure and planning, Jarrod Bleijie, said these “nation-leading laws” would deliver for regional Queensland.   “The Crisafulli government is listening, and we are delivering a new era of renewables accountability, clarity, transparency, and community legacy,” Bleijie said. “We are backing regional Queensland with nation-leading laws that ensures renewable energy projects build social licence in the community and give the renewables sector certainty on government and community expectations.”  ‘Strict’ planning rules could dampen Queensland’s energy transition Earlier this year, PV Tech reported that the Queensland government was considering changing the planning law for large-scale solar PV power plants, much like it did with wind generation sites at the start of the year. The new arrangement for wind generation sites had been described as “strict” by those across the industry, including law firm Allens. The law firm has been involved in several solar PV deals in recent years, including financing for the 250MW Goorambat East Solar Farm. Under the previous rules in the state, development applications are often handled by the local planning authority. The authority prescribes a level of assessment for a proposed development. However, the changes now make the Queensland government the statewide assessment manager for solar PV power plants. In April 2025, Crisafulli’s government announced plans to deliver a new five-year Energy Roadmap by the end of this year. This roadmap is expected to help the state support coal-fired power, invest in gas, and provide backing for smaller pumped hydro energy storage sites. At the time, Queensland’s energy minister, David Janetzki, emphasised that the state government’s new energy plan would be based on “economics and engineering, not ideology.” Janetzki attacked the previous Queensland Labor government, which Janetzki claims pursued renewables without a credible financial plan. Read More

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