Twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, including a 7.5 magnitude quake whose epicenter hit west of Caracas just 40 seconds after a 7.2 magnitude quake struck nearby. At least 164 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 more have been wounded from the back-to-back earthquakes that crumbled buildings and devastated city streets, according to Venezuela’s ...
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna leads conservatives vowing to block all House floor votes until Republicans pass the SAVE America Act.
Christopher Phelan, President Trump’s pick to lead the White House Council of Economic Advisers, will testify before the Senate Housing, Banking and Urban Affairs Committee on Thursday morning for his nomination to lead the key advisory panel. If confirmed by the Senate, the former University of Minnesota professor would replace Stephen Miran, who stepped down…
A Colorado-based storm chaser was visited by the FBI after cracking a joke about introducing algae spores into the "paint" a Virginia company used on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Patrick Pineda, a photographer of severe weather, motion designer and video game developer, cracked a joke on social media that was so scientifically absurd, he presumably assumed his audience would know it was a joke. The FBI did not. "I am the leftist who put algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This plan was months in the making. I introduced spores into the paint used by the contractors who repainted the pool. It was me the whole time," said Pineda on BlueSky.Right Wash, a professional render cleaning service, has a section on its website that explains that algae in a swimming pool can be eliminated by painting over it. It isn't the "best" solution for a number of reasons, it explains, but paint can eliminate an algae problem. But the pool wasn't merely painted. In a June release, Rhino Linings claimed it was the company that provided an epoxy primer, elastomeric waterproofing and a protective finish coating, tinted American Flag Blue. "This project demonstrates how modern protective coating systems can help extend the lifespan of aging infrastructure while reducing maintenance requirements and preserving public spaces for future generations," the company said. To cure, the epoxy needs a low-moisture and chemically hostile surface to adhere. Living organisms like algae need water, light, and nutrients to grow, Florida Atlantic University explains. It simply can't grow in paint, much less the chemicals used for the pricey lining used on the Reflecting Pool. A swimming pool expert explained that keeping algae out of the reflecting pool will be impossible unless the government uses strong chemicals, which could significantly damage the new liner.After coming into office, President Donald Trump appointed Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Among his first actions was to fire scores of experienced directors, agents, and other staff, the New York Times reported. It has left the department short-staffed. PBS News explained that this has left both the Justice Department and the FBI in a tough spot as it desperately tries to rebuild. According to Forbes, leaders are now "easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards." The report also said that some current and former agents "say the FBI is promoting into positions of leadership employees with less experience than would be customary for the jobs."
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) says he won’t “be bullied into silence” after he got into a shouting match with President Trump during a meeting Wednesday at the Capitol, where the two men clashed heatedly over Cassidy’s vote the day before for a resolution to curtail Trump’s war powers in Iran. “I’m not going to be…
President Trump said late Wednesday that the Senate striking down another war powers resolution “puts Iran on notice” amid negotiations between the two nations for a long-term deal to end the conflict in the region. “Wow! The Senate just changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for,” the president wrote on Truth…
President Donald Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) "went at each other" during a Wednesday meeting with the Republican caucus. Trump was on Capitol Hill, where he was to sign a bipartisan bill that aimed to make housing more affordable. Trump was dismissive of it on Truth Social, calling it "of minor importance." He then announced he was canceling the bill signing altogether. "Trump and Cassidy just went at each other over Iran during the Senate GOP lunch, per [a] source in room," said Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio. "Trump was interrupting Cassidy as Cassidy was calling the war a 'blunder.' Other senators tried to jump in but Cassidy and Trump kept going back and forth, source said."The battle goes back to the years-old bad blood between the two men. Cassidy is one of the long-time Republicans who Trump ousted in a GOP primary despite placating Trump during confirmation hearings. However, Cassidy was one of very few Republican lawmakers in 2021 who believed that they should hold a trial in the Senate over the second impeachment of Trump, earning him Trump's permanent hostility. Since losing his primary, Cassidy has said publicly that he wouldn't turn against the president. His actions have proved otherwise, however. In the matter over Trump's nearly $1.8 billion Justice Department "slush fund," Cassidy was working up until the Homeland Security budget vote, "trying to perfect language to drive a stake through [it]," reported The Hill in early June.Explaining his convictions, Cassidy said, "I would like to fund control of the border but also do something about the weaponization fund. I’m trying to strike that balance."Last week, Cassidy scored Trump's 14-point proposed Iran peace agreement. "The details that I’ve seen so far look … awful," Cassidy told reporters. "This will go down as a tremendous foreign policy blunder."If the terms are accurate, Cassidy said that it would ultimately put Iran in a stronger position than it was before the war began. Meanwhile, it would leave allies in the Middle East weaker. “It’s clear that they [the administration] don’t have a plan. Or if this is the plan, it’s not a very good plan, and that’s because it’s now been five months,” Cassidy added. “So that’s why I think Congress needs the ability to be fully briefed and to weigh in. Not to be told kind of top line what’s going on, but to be fully briefed. And that’s my… goal right now. Let the American people, by their elected representatives, have input into what we’re doing, because it’s not going as we were promised that it would go.”
A state of emergency has been declared across Venezuela after successive quakes with magnitudes above 7 struck the country on Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings.
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela about 100 miles west of Caracas on Wednesday, killing dozens of people, injuring hundreds and causing widespread damage.The big picture: The U.S. Geological Survey issued its highest-level alert, signaling the back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes were expected to cause extensive casualties and severe economic damage.The first earthquake struck near Morón on Venezuela's Caribbean coast at a depth of 13.6 miles. The second quake struck seconds later in the same area at a depth of 6.2 miles.Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez thanked President Trump after he offered assistance in a Truth Social post. Screenshot: President Trump/Truth SocialState of play: Rodríguez said in a video address late Wednesday that at least 32 people had been killed and another 700 were injured in the quakes. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise.Officials reported buildings were destroyed or extensively damaged across Caracas and in several Venezuelan states.Rodríguez said on social media that a state of emergency had been declared and she urged "all citizens to remain alert, safe, and as calm as possible."What we're watching: As search and rescue efforts continued into Thursday, U.S. officials had already "mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to the Venezuelan people," according to Jeremy Lewin, under secretary for foreign assistance at the State Department."Working with our partners in the interim Venezuelan government, the U.S. will be sending search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in the crucial first days after this tragic natural disaster," Lewin said on X.Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.