Category: Australasia

More than a dozen Republican senators have reportedly asked President Donald Trump’s top aides to get rid of the nearly $1.8 billion so-called “slush fund” that could allow allies, such as January 6 rioters, to obtain millions in taxpayers’ money.
Lawmakers, politicians, commentators and members of the public have expressed outrage at the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” created by the Justice Department, that would permit those who believe they were unfairly prosecuted under the Obama and Biden administrations to seek payments.
But as the president faces a record-low approval rating, some allies have expressed concern that the image of the multi-billion-dollar fund, amid high gas prices and rising grocery costs, could hurt Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Even loyalists, such as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have privately urged Trump to drop the fund, according to the report.
Publicly, some Republicans ha..

Three climbers have died after falling near a perilous pass on Alaska’s Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest peak.
A fourth climber who fell is in critical condition after being evacuated from the mountain, Latvian Mountaineering Association said in a statement.
The climbers fell Wednesday as they traversed a route notorious for its exposed sections, where numerous injuries and fatalities have been recorded.
The National Park Service confirmed the climbers were part of a Latvian expedition and fell near Denali Pass, situated approximately 18,200 feet (5,550 meters) above sea level.
Mount McKinley itself stands at about 20,310 feet (6,190 meters). Their bodies have not yet been recovered, as Denali National Park and Preserve rangers awaited clearer weather conditions before attempting to reach the site.
The three were part of a seven-person group on the mountain. Their deaths were confirmed by the Latvian mountaineering group Friday.
Three other members of the climbing party tende..

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is sending state police to bring order to an immigration detention center in Newark that has been the site of violent demonstrations and arrests in recent days.
The Democrat announced Friday that police will create designated protest zones and set up vehicle checkpoints to regulate traffic outside Delaney Hall. She said the decision comes as clashes between protesters and federal immigration enforcement officials have intensified.
“It has grown unsafe, and that’s completely unacceptable,” Sherrill said at a news conference along with the state attorney general and state police leaders. “Our top priority is public safety, and we need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature.”
Spokespersons for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the GEO Group, the private firm contracted to run the facility, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The protests began last Friday after immigrant advocates said detainees inside launched a hu..

Las Vegas has seen a sharp rise in kidnapping and abduction reports this year, with new police data showing that cases have surged by more than 40 percent compared with the same period in 2025.
Police investigated more than 150 kidnapping or abduction cases as of May 24, up from 108 reported during the same timeframe last year – which is roughly a 42 percent increase, according to data collected from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, KSNV reported.
The spike comes as several recent high-profile cases in the Vegas area – some involving accusations sexual assault or deadly carjackings – are also being investigated for alleged kidnapping. Experts say the numbers may also reflect the wide scope of Nevada’s kidnapping laws.
Under the state’s law, kidnapping can include a range of situations in which a person is taken, detained or moved against their will. State statute defines kidnapping as unlawfully seizing, confining, abducting, concealing or carrying away a person for purpo..

Trump says he doesn't care about midterms when asked about Iran negotiationsUS officials have said they do not have “unlimited patience” as negotiations over a potential ceasefire extension continue between Tehran and Washington.
Speaking on Thursday, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent blamed delays in getting an agreement over the line on “trouble communicating” with the Iranian government.
He claimed the US delegation is being “patient” but said such patience is not unlimited and that Donald Trump had not relented on his three key demands. The US president has previously insisted any deal include the Strait of Hormuz being opened, Iran committing to not pursue a nuclear programme, and giving up its supply of enriched uranium.
It came after several media outlets reported a 60-day memorandum of understanding had been agreed in principle and is with President Trump for approval.
US officials said the MOU will allow “unrestricted” shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran w..

Matthew Perry’s live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his central role in the actor’s fatal ketamine overdose.
Iwamasa, 60, received the sentence from Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles federal court, which also included two years of probation and a $10,000 fine.
This sentencing marks the fifth and final resolution in the 2 1/2-year investigation and prosecution following the death of the “Friends” star, who passed away at 54 on October 28, 2023.
Iwamasa was a constant presence in Perry’s final days, acting as an enabler, drug messenger, and de facto medical provider. He was the last person to see Perry alive and discovered his body in a Jacuzzi.
Iwamasa was the first to cooperate with prosecutors, pleading guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.
His testimony became crucial to the prosecution’s case. His lawyers argued in a court filing that he was m..

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich admitted in an interview that it was a “mistake” to impeach former President Bill Clinton over the sex scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, saying it drew attention away from Clinton’s perjury charge.
Gingrich, a Republican congressman from Georgia and Speaker of the House, led the 1998 House impeachment inquiry into Clinton, which arose after the affair between Clinton and Lewinsky became public. But reflecting on his role to “Pod Force One with Miranda Devine,” the Republican expressed remorse.
“I think it was a mistake because the real problem wasn’t Lewinsky,” Gingrich said. “The real problem was he had committed perjury in a case involving sexual harassment while he was governor.”
Gingrich was referring to Clinton’s comments stemming from a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Paula Jones in 1994, when Clinton was still governor of Arkansas. In a deposition, Clinton denied Jones’s allegations, though he settled out of court with her in 1998..

A two-year-old boy was bitten and scratched by a raccoon at a popular Massachusetts playground Friday afternoon, prompting local police to warn families to remain alert.
The incident occurred at Wayland Town Beach in Wayland, a wooded community about 20 miles west of Boston. Grayson Cohen was playing on a jungle gym with his nanny when the animal lunged from behind the structure and attacked him.
The child’s father, Spencer Cohen, said the attack occurred so quickly that the nanny was initially unaware of the full extent of the interaction.
“It happened so fast,” Spencer Cohen told NBC10 Boston. “She didn't even know he was bitten until she got him in the car seat.”
When the nanny brought the toddler home, Cohen saw how severe the injury was and took his son to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
open image in galleryThe boy’s mother, Megan Cohen, says her son’s injuries were far more severe than she initially expected (Spencer Cohen)“I got a text saying he had an ‘encounter’ with a racc..

A Democratic Senate candidate seemingly provoked the owners of the Boston Red Sox by airing a critical political advertisement during a baseball game this past week – which was taken off the air midway through the game.
Graham Platner, the Democrat hoping to replace Maine Senator Susan Collins, aired a somewhat trolling ad on May 22, accusing the Red Sox owners of destroying the team by allowing private equity firms to own portions of the team.
“Private equity has destroyed our favorite baseball team. Stripping them for parts,” Platner said in the 15-second ad, while promising to “reverse the private equity curse.”
“I’m Graham Platner, and I approve this message because I miss Mookie Betts,” he added, referring to the outfielder traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
But midway through the game, the New England Sports Network, which is also partly owned by the Red Sox, pulled the ad, Platner said in an X post Saturday.
open image in galleryDemocratic candidate Graham Platner accu..

After losing a primary challenge to a Donald Trump-backed candidate last week, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is already preparing for a return to politics in 2028.
The Kentucky congressman has already filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission, which will allow him to continue fundraising for any potential campaigns before the next congressional elections.
“I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run,” he said Monday.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Massie said he wasn’t ruling out “anything” for his political future.
“Look, I’ve spent the last five days on my farm with my grandkids, and my cattle, and my peach trees, and it’s a pretty nice life,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to screw that up again. I’ve been in Congress 14 years, fighting. Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more.”
open image in galleryRepublican Rep Thomas Massie is already eyeing a political comeback, days after losing a ..