Cuba expands private business permits in emergency economic plan
Center Right
The Cuban Communist Party approved an emergency economic reform package on Thursday aimed at opening parts of the island’s tightly controlled economy as the government grapples with a deepening economic crisis and renewed pressure from the United States. The move came one day after Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel convened an unscheduled session of the Communist […]
World leaders are returning home from the annual G7 summit, having failed to address issues such as income inequality, climate change and territorial conflict, while entertaining the wealthy executives of the artificial intelligence and fossil fuel industries. Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar calls the G7 “a club of the super-rich super-elites” and slams the summit’s focus on business, and business as usual, at the expense of humanitarian efforts and improving the lives of “the common people.”
Political commentator Bill O’Reilly said Wednesday the Trump administration reaching a deal with Iran is “plan B” after the war did not turn out as President Trump and his team intended. “This is plan B,” O’Reilly told host Chris Cuomo on NewsNation’s “Cuomo.” “So plan A didn’t work. Plan A was kill the leadership and…
President Trump blasted critics of the Iran deal as "fools" for not thinking he was tough on Tehran, describing them as "either jealous, bad people, or stupid."
President Donald Trump's costly attempt to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has blown up in his face, with the Daily Beast reporting that he is now taking drastic emergency steps to fix the algae bloom before July 4.As part of his broader campaign to renovate and remodel Washington D.C., to his own personal taste, Trump undertook a $13.1 million project to paint the city's iconic Reflecting Pool a new shade of blue, which he insisted would make it more "patriotic." After rushing through the process and awarding a no-bid contract to a Virginia firm for the job, the project was completed last and promptly went sideways when the pool became infested with a massive bloom of green algae, making the watery landmark so green that it could be seen from planes thousands of feet in the air.Still hoping to have an "American Flag Blue" Reflecting Pool ready for the country's 250th birthday next month, Trump's National Parks Service is now in crisis mode. As the Daily Beast noted in a Thursday report, the government is "desperately seeking additional workers to help address the issue," and has upgraded the situation internally to a "regional and national priority.""An email addressed to National Park Service employees and reviewed by the outlet stated that officials were working on 'critical pre-July 4th operational needs' and were seeking 'additional personnel to assist immediately,'" the report explained. "Specifically, workers are needed to support 'scrubbing and pump out operations' at the pool. They are being asked to work 12-hour shifts starting this week and continuing through the weekend."It continued later: "The algae bloom appeared within 24 hours of the end of renovation work earlier this month. Workers have already been deployed to vacuum algae from the pool and disperse hydrogen peroxide into the water, but the algae and resulting green tint to the water have remained."Different theories have been floated around to try and explain what is going on with this sudden algae bloom. Some have suggested that the light waves reflected off the new blue paint job are more conducive to producing algae, while Cochise Wanzer II, president of the Pool Service Company in Arlington, Virginia, told the Associated Press that the development was wholly unsurprising, given the type of water used.“What do you expect?” Wanzer said. “You’re basically taking natural, untreated river water, pumping it in and expecting it to do something different from what it would do out in the open.”Wanzer also added that the navy blue paint job made the pool "nice and dark," increasing the pool's temperature to a level at which algae grows better.The Trump administration, as the Daily Beast noted, has attempted to defuse criticism of the situation, claiming that the algae bloom is typical of the immediate aftermath of such a project and being handled, while also taking the opportunity, unsurprisingly, to hail Trump as an "expert builder" while denigrating Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has accused President Donald Trump of “coming after” him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, claiming that the president directed the Department of Justice to investigate the couple. Newsom posted a video on social media on Monday, stating that he and his wife had “joined Donald Trump’s hit list” because the governor is “considering running for president.” 'It has been apparent ever since their maskless dinner party at the French Laundry during COVID that the Newsoms feel themselves above the law.'Newsom, who referred to Trump as “the most corrupt president in American history,” claimed that federal agents had “knocked on the doors of family, friends, and former employees.”“Not because they found a crime, because they’re simply trying to find one,” Newsom stated, adding that the federal agents were “digging through years and years of random documents.” “To get me, he’s coming after my wife, Jen, a public servant, a woman who’s dedicated her life to supporting women and girls,” Newsom continued. “We have nothing to hide,” he added.Newsom’s office stated that it believes grand jury subpoenas had been issued for records to financial institutions, ABC News reported. The governor’s office submitted a public records request seeking “all documents and records” from the DOJ that pertain to Newsom and his wife from the beginning of the second Trump administration.RELATED: 'Come after me': Gavin Newsom challenges Trump after claiming DOJ is investigating his wife Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. David Paul MorrisA source familiar with the situation informed Blaze News that multiple ongoing investigations relating to Newsom have been initiated since last year by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California. One of those investigations concerns Siebel Newsom’s tax activities, and a separate probe concerns Newsom’s former chief of staff and potentially current staff members, the source confirmed. Local sources and whistleblowers reportedly triggered the investigations. Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker, leads two tax-exempt nonprofits, the Representation Project and the California Partners Project. She also runs a film production company, Girls' Club Entertainment LLC, and works as a director for her family’s private foundation, the Siebel Family Charitable Foundation.The Sacramento Bee previously reported potential conflict-of-interest concerns related to one of Siebel Newsom’s nonprofits, writing, “In 2015, the year Newsom announced he would run for governor, the Representation Project’s contributions increased by 30% to almost $1.6 million.”The Representation Project’s tax filings show that the nonprofit funneled over $1.5 million to Siebel Newsom’s for-profit production company from 2015 through the first quarter of 2025. Siebel Newsom has received roughly $150,000 to $160,000 annually as the founder and chief creative officer for the Representation Project, which reported revenue of $1.2 million from April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025.It is unclear whether Siebel Newsom receives compensation from the other two nonprofits, though tax filings from the Siebel Family Charitable Foundation indicate she does not draw a salary there, and she is not listed on the tax filings for California Partners Project.Tax documents from 2015 to 2023 showed that the Siebel Family Charitable Foundation gave $35,000 in charitable donations, classified as “support,” to the Representation Project.RELATED: VIDEO: Gavin Newsom's wife explains how she's raising children to 'deconstruct' the 'limiting narratives' about gender Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Shannon Finney/Getty Images"It has been apparent ever since their maskless dinner party at the French Laundry during COVID that the Newsoms feel themselves above the law,” Michael Chamberlain, the director of the government watchdog Protect the Public's Trust, told Blaze News. "What is interesting is that the accusations of financial corruption originated in Sacramento," Chamberlain continued. "If the governor of a one-party state like California is feeling heat from his own capital, it would be no surprise if people tended to ignore his protestations of politicized justice and believe there may be some egregious self-dealing going on."The second alleged investigation is likely tied to Dana Williamson, who previously served as Newsom’s chief of staff and is a former consultant for current Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Xavier Becerra. Williamson pleaded guilty in May to three counts related to campaign finance fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to federal investigators.Williamson was caught up in a scandal in which she was accused of conspiring with Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief of staff, and a Sacramento lobbyist to funnel $225,000 from Becerra’s state campaign account to McCluskie.
Closed-circuit footage from the pool showed Simmonds look over at the child and, without hesitation, jump into the pool fully clothed and quickly reach the child to render aid.
