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The former couple crossed paths at the posh Sports Illustrated x Authentic Brands Group fête at The Surf Club Restaurant on Thursday night.

AfD Vows To Drain 'NGO Swamp' After Berlin Café That Bans White People Received Taxpayer Cash

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has vowed to cut off taxpayer money for left-wing activist groups after a Berlin organization that runs a coworking café that reportedly excludes White people received more than €662,000 in public funding.

The controversy centers on BIWOC Rising, a nonprofit group in Berlin-Kreuzberg that operates a coworking space and café marketed as a protected venue for Black, Indigenous, and women of color, as well as transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people of color.

Critics say the model amounts to a publicly subsidized space that excludes white people while presenting itself as a project for tolerance, diversity, and democracy.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said the case showed why the party wants to overhaul Germany’s taxpayer-funded activist sector.

“A Berlin café that bans white people from entering was funded with €662,450 in taxpayer money — from the federal program ‘Democracy in Action!’ Pure racism! The AfD will drain the NGO swamp and end the waste of taxpayer money on left-wing ideology,” she wrote on X.

Ein Berliner Café, das Weißen den Zutritt verbietet, wurde mit 662.450 Euro Steuergeld gefördert - aus dem Bundesprogramm „Demokratie leben!“. Rassismus pur! Die AfD wird den NGO-Sumpf austrocknen & die Steuergeldverschwendung für linke Ideologie beenden.https://t.co/Ky6H66dbll

— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) April 29, 2026

According to German media reports citing funding lists from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, BIWOC Rising received €662,450 from the federal “Live Democracy!” program between 2021 and 2024. Other calculations place the figure closer to €800,000 when related funding is included, according to reporting from Tichys Einblick.

The program was created to support democracy, counter extremism, and prevent radicalization, but critics say the BIWOC Rising case exposes how public money has been channeled into highly ideological projects.

The group’s official charitable purposes reportedly include education, the promotion of tolerance, and support for people persecuted on political, racial, or religious grounds. However, questions have been raised over how those aims can be reconciled with a venue that restricts access according to racial and identity categories.

The organization is believed not to have responded to media inquiries about the allegations.

It’s not the first time allegations of White racism have been made within German institutions. In August 2023, a German museum of industrial heritage in Dortmund was scolded for only allowing “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color” to enter the museum on Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for the “That’s Colonial” exhibition. The Zollern Colliery museum argued it was creating a “safer space” intended to protect people of color from “further discrimination.”

The exclusive access was “an offer for BIPoC and black people to be able to withdraw and exchange ideas openly,” according to the museum. “For BIPoC, such safe spaces are rarely found in everyday life or in museum rooms.”

In May 2025, the German Evangelical Church (EKD) was accused of racism after banning White children from attending a workshop on being “courageous and strong” during its Church Congress in Hanover.

The “Become Courage and Strong” workshop was, again, only open to Black, indigenous, and children of color. However, while ethnic Germans and ethnic Europeans are indigenous to Germany and Europe, the designation did not apply to them, only indigenous people from other continents.

“This offer is aimed exclusively at Black, Indigenous, and children of color,” read the program website.

In January of this year, the German taxpayer-funded NGO “Black Sheep,” Schwarze Schafe in German, was offering a six-month intensive seminar designed specifically for White individuals to examine their “alleged privileges,” which is modeled after the concept of “Critical Whiteness.”

The organization, which identifies as a “post-migrant education initiative,” has received significant taxpayer funding from Germans and operates a reporting center for anti-Muslim racism.

White participants were expected to pay up to €2,290 for the course that runs from March to September.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Fri, 05/01/2026 - 07:30

The music streaming platform will review criteria such as artists' live dates and social media presence.

“I can’t stop getting emotional over this," Caputo's Bake Shop owner James Caputo told The Post. "But at the same time, a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.” 

An updated death certificate says it is “unclear” if 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was pregnant when she was allegedly murdered and dismembered by “Romantic Homicide” singer D4vd. The initial death certificate had stated the slain teen was “not pregnant” — but it was amended April 22 to say “unknown.” The potential detail comes after court...

Bombshell Sexual-Harassment Suit Against JPM's Lorna Hajdini Called "Complete Fabrication"

The British tabloid newspaper Daily Mail first broke the story earlier this week about a former JPMorgan staffer who claimed that an executive director on JPM's leveraged finance team turned him into a "sex slave" by drugging him with Rohypnol and Viagra, according to a bombshell lawsuit. However, it now appears that the sexual harassment suit was "fabricated," according to a new report.

The New York Post reported late Thursday that Chirayu Rana, now a principal at Bregal Sagemount, filed the suit under the pseudonym "John Doe," alleging that Lorna Hajdini drugged him, forced him to have sex, and threatened his bonus.

"Rana has been accused of making fabricated sexual-harassment claims against a high-ranking executive at the bank after an internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing," the NYPost said, citing sources.

Hajdini's lawyers issued this statement to NYPost:

"Lorna categorically denies the allegations. She never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual of any kind and has never even been to the location where the alleged sexual assault supposedly took place."

Rana apparently filed an internal complaint in May 2025 with JPM, alleging race- and gender-based harassment and abuse of power before his exit. During this time, he allegedly tried to negotiate a payoff that ran into the "millions," sources said. He also accused JPM of retaliation and of failing to investigate properly.

A JPM spokesperson told the outlet that its HR and legal teams reviewed phone records and emails, and interviewed employees, but found no merit to the claims. The bank said Rana refused to participate in the investigation or provide key facts.

"Following an investigation, we don't believe there's any merit to these claims," the spokesperson said. "While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and declined to provide facts that would be central to supporting his allegations."

Notably, the outlet said, "Rana did not report to Hajdini. The two were simply colleagues on the leveraged finance team, which works on large corporate acquisitions, mergers, and buyouts."

JPM colleagues told the outlet that Hajdini is viewed internally as "a top performer," and that Rana "has tarnished her with a complete fabrication" after the suit, which was reported by the Daily Mail and subsequently by Indian media outlets. Most Western media outlets stayed away from the story, but X meme accounts had a field day.

Hajdini's Bloomberg profile saw a surge in activity on Thursday.

"That sucks, she got dragged through the news cycle because of this loser. On the plus side, she sort of looks like a legend now, especially now that they claim its fabricated, now she has this power lore around her of being a boss bitch," X user Autism Capital opined.

Tyler Durden Fri, 05/01/2026 - 07:10

Stunningly, the last sentence could be under examination if things go awry for the Lakers. 

Employees, about 16,000 of them, are sitting on one of the best stock trades in the media business in recent years. 

Powell confirmed he will stay on as a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors after his term as chair expires, citing “legal attacks" on the central bank.

Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) teamed up on the "No Taxpayer-Funded Pensions for Sex Criminals Act," which comes in the aftermath of the rape and sexual misconduct accusations that forced former Rep. Eric Swalwell to resign.

Exxon & Chevron Shares Jump After Big Q1 Earnings Beat

The impact of the war in Iran is on full display this morning in the earnings of two oil giants - Chevron and Exxon Mobil - as both smashed earnings expectations (despite production pressures).

Ahead of the results, Exxon and Chevron had both flagged major reductions in 1Q earnings due to “timing effects,” or paper losses on derivatives tied to cargoes that had not yet reached their destinations before the end of the quarter.

These accounting charges are expected to fully unwind and turn a profit over the coming quarters but will contribute to messy numbers this morning. 

Exxon will take a hit of about $3.7 billion while Chevron’s will be about $3.2 billion, the companies guided earlier this month. 

Chevron exceeded profit expectations as higher oil and natural gas prices, as well as supplies from the acquisition of Hess Corp., outweighed production outages from the Iran war. As Bloomberg's Kevin Crowley highlighted: Adjusted first-quarter net income of $1.41 a share was 51 cents higher than the average estimate from analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

Surging prices for crude and gas, combined with growth from Chevron’s new stake in a giant Guyanese field, helped cushion the blow from a 5% sequential drop in overall output.

Chevron already had warned that significant accounting losses on derivatives tied to cargoes that had yet to reach their destinations. Notoriously difficult to model, that guidance prompted some analysts to slash estimates, a factor that may have played into the magnitude of Friday’s beat.

Chevron’s outsized earnings owed much to swelling prices for real-world oil from places such as Kazakhstan, as well as fat margins from processing the company’s own crude through refineries, Chief Financial Officer Eimear Bonner said in an interview.

“Bottom line, execution exceeded expectations,” she said.

Exxon Mobil outperformed expectations after oil-production increases from Guyana and the Permian Basin helped offset supply losses due to the Middle East war. Bloomberg's Kevin Crowley highlighted: Adjusted first-quarter net income of $1.16 a share was 20 cents higher than the average analyst estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

Although profit dropped to a five-year low of $4.9 billion, that figure included the impact of temporary accounting charges tied to derivative contracts that the company expects to fully unwind over the coming months.

Even so, Exxon may revise guidance that forecast full-year daily output equivalent to 4.9 million barrels as the Iran war chokes Middle East energy flows and prevents the Texas oil giant from selling crude and liquefied natural gas from the region.

“Part of the challenge with giving guidance is, as you would imagine, we really don’t know how long the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Chief Financial Officer Neil Hansen said in an interview.

Higher energy prices added $1.7 billion to earnings during the quarter, outweighing a $400 million blow from war-related production outages, according to company figures. Roughly 15% of Exxon’s worldwide output remains offline, Hansen said.

Exxon Mobil shares are up almost 2% in the pre-market...

And Chevron shares are also up around 2%...

Today's results follow big beats by European supermajors...

BP, the first supermajor to report first-quarter results, posted a big beat Tuesday. Earnings more than doubled from a year earlier to $3.2 billion, boosted by its trading and refining businesses.

French supermajor TotalEnergies raised share buybacks and dividends when reporting results Wednesday, on the back of soaring oil and gas prices as well as strong trading performance.

Italian major Eni also boosted share buybacks this quarter thanks to stronger cash-flow expectations.

Tyler Durden Fri, 05/01/2026 - 06:49

The comment quickly drew criticism from other users, some of whom described the remark as dangerous and inappropriate given the role of elected officials.

From near-peer mentors to data-driven strategies, these 10 vetted consulting firms are helping students stand out and land coveted acceptance letters.

Trump Says Gas Prices Will Drop "Like a Rock" Once Conflict Ends, As Senator Breaks With GOP Leadership On War Powers Summary

• Trump: "The [price of] gasoline and the oil will go down rapidly once the war’s over." GOP Sen. Collins switches vote on war powers.

• Bessent on X: "Amid the impact of Economic Fury, Iran’s currency has hit an all-time low. The Iranian people deserve a new era, which the corrupt and shambolic Iranian regime cannot provide." Signals hope for uprising, regime change.

• Israeli Defense Minister Katz: "soon we will need to act again in Iran to ensure that the regime cannot threaten Israel for years to come." Oil spikes on this and new reports of Israeli defense build-up at ports, air hubs.

• Not giving up nuclear program: Iran will "guard" its "advanced technologies" like it does its own borders, Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written speech read aloud by state TV. It will “secure the Persian Gulf region and dismantle the hostile enemy’s exploitation of this waterway."

• US military teases cutting-edge, not yet tested in battle, hypersonic missiles for Mideast region as CENTCOM head set to brief Trump on further military options at White House.

//--> //--> //--> US x Iran permanent peace deal by June 30, 2026?
Yes 34% · No 67%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

*  *  *

Trump's 'Assurances' To Americans as GOP Members Start to Scramble

The Iran war and Hormuz closure remains a game of geopolitical chicken, where each side believes it can inflict more pain on the other while being the one to outlast. But Iran, while being subject to a years long sanctions regimen and recent large-scale US-Israeli bombing campaign, does not operation on 4-year and 2-year election cycles. With next fall's midterms staring Congressional Republicans in the face, there this increasingly uncomfortable trend: The average price of one gallon (3.8 litres) of gasoline in the United States has reached $4.30, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), up from less than $3 before the February 28 start of the US-Israel war on Iran.

President Trump addressed this in fielding questions in the Oval Office on Thursday,telling reporters that ​gas ​prices would "drop like ⁠a rock" ​as soon ​as the Iran war ended.

"The [price of] gasoline and the oil will go down rapidly once the war’s over," he stated confidently - "like a rock," he added.

President Trump cuts off a reporter when informed that the average price of gas is now $4.30.

Trump: “Yeah. And you know what? We're not gonna have a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran. The gas is gonna go down. As soon as the war’s over it’ll drop like a rock.” pic.twitter.com/0bCxak9d3w

— The American Conservative (@amconmag) April 30, 2026

However, the war is about to hit 60-days on Friday and America's overall strategy and timeline remains anything but clear. Instead, Trump is insisting the Iranians have "nothing" in terms of a military, and yet the crisis in global energy remains, and Operation Epic Fury is still on, the extended uneasy ceasefire notwithstanding...

President Trump on Iran:

“They’re sitting in a cave and all their leaders are dead… They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no nothing. We can fly right over the middle of Tehran without being shot at because they have no anti-aircraft. They have nothing.” pic.twitter.com/L7AVoV90ZZ

— The American Conservative (@amconmag) April 30, 2026

Meanwhile, an interesting argument (below) from Hegseth this week, as Congress is supposed to vote on a formal war authorization once any foreign conflict hits the 60-day mark, per US law.

And the first Republican Senator has 'switched' and broken ranks with GOP leaders on Trump's Iran war and Congressional authorization:

Centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday broke ranks with Republican leaders and most GOP colleagues by voting for a war powers resolution sponsored by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to halt military actions against Iran, the first Republican senator to change her position on curtailing President Trump’s military authority.

Rand was over there getting lonely defending the Constitution, but the longer the Iran conflict persists - and Americans feel it at the pump - the more Republican members will likely peel off:

Collins joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in voting to advance a resolution to withdraw U.S. military forces from the conflict with Iran unless Congress votes to authorize the use of force.

She and Paul voted with most Democrats for a motion to discharge the resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but it still failed by a vote of 47 to 50.

It marked the sixth time that Senate Republicans have defeated a resolution under the 1973 War Powers Act to halt further military operations against Iran.

HEGSETH: On Iran, we are in a ceasefire right now, which I understand means the 60 day clock pauses or stops

KAINE: I do not believe the statute would support that pic.twitter.com/1JGdThEdR9

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2026 Bessent Gloats Over Iran's Collapsing Currency, Signals Hope For Uprising

Amid chatter that Israel could be preparing for renewed attacks on Iran, and as Trump is said to be mulling more limited strikes - but while at the same time the USS Gerald R Ford is returning to the United States after a record deployment - Iran is signaling it is ready for a long war and can endure the US naval blockade for a long time to come. However, there are also unconfirmed reports out of Pakistan that another draft peace proposal could be presented by Tehran as soon as this weekend. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has newly said Thursday the blockade is effectively an “extension of military operations” by Washington, despite the extended ceasefire declared by Trump.

Also on Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled that the US administration gameplan seems to be to drive Iran into economic ruin, in hopes of triggering some kind of uprising toward regime change. But this was the exact same 'prediction' and gameplan in the opening days of the war - which never materialized. One the one hand his below message on X seems to gloat over imposing widescale misery over the bombed-out country, while on the other claiming to help and support the Iranian people, saying they "deserve a new era". 

As we reported earlier, Iran's currency on Wednesday collapsed to a record low, plunging to 1.8 million rial per dollar amid the prolonged US-Israel war and uneasy ceasefire, also as surging global energy prices hit the economy. The rial began sliding sharply two days prior to this after weeks of artificial stability. In the early phase of the war that kicked off on February 28, the currency held steady due to a near-total halt in imports and limited market activity.

"We think the price was worth it" vibes...

Amid the impact of Economic Fury, Iran’s currency has hit an all-time low.

The Iranian people deserve a new era, which the corrupt and shambolic Iranian regime cannot provide.

With their oil industry closing and their currency plummeting, it is past time for the Iranian regime… pic.twitter.com/k7QvKoWbl2

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) April 30, 2026 Oil Spikes on Israeli Defense Chief's Threats of New Strikes

Israel Defense Minister Katz has said in a Thursday briefing: "It is possible that soon we will need to act again in Iran to ensure that the regime cannot threaten Israel for years to come," according to a local reporter.

According to more, he said that while Israel supports the United States' diplomatic efforts with Iran, it may "soon be required to act again" to remove the "existential threats" posed by the Islamic Republic.

"Iran has suffered extremely severe blows over the past year, blows that have set it back years in all areas," Katz continued at a military ceremony. "US President Trump, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is leading the effort to complete the campaign's objectives in a way that ensures Iran will not return to being a threat to the existence of Israel, to the United States, and to the free world for generations to come," he added. "We support this effort and provide the necessary backing, but we may soon be required to act again to ensure the objectives are achieved." Oil prices shooting back up on the headline, and as Israeli media reports on a new military build-up and US defense aid at the country's ports...

The below is via AP on a "new plan" being mulled by Trump:

Under the plan, the United States would continue its blockade on Iranian ports, while coordinating with allies to impose higher costs on Iran's attempts to subvert the free flow of energy, according to a senior administration official. Trump is weighing multiple diplomatic and policy options to push Iran to end its chokehold on the waterway, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Khamenei: Protect Nuclear Program, Gulf Region Will Have Future Without America

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has never released video or voice messages, and he's still not been seen or even photographed since the war's start, and is believed to be severely injured and recovering. State TV on Thursday read aloud his written speech, which struck a defiant tone, declaring that the only place Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf is "at the bottom of its waters" and that a "new chapter" was being written for the whole region. State media cited security as the reason for having to read aloud his statement.

Khamenei says Iran will closely guard and protect its nuclear and missile capabilities, a clear and direct rejection of President Trump's demand to hand over enriched uranium as the basis for a deal. Iranians will cling to the country's nuclear and missile capabilities "as their national capital and will guard them like water, land and air borders," Khamenei said.

Chilling: Iran supreme leader issues statement saying:
— only place Americans belong in Persian Gulf is 'at the bottom of its waters
— Iran will protect nuclear capability
—Iran will keep Hormuz

Iran is not surrendering— it’s preparing for escalation https://t.co/rFkkH0TTVh

— Robert A. Pape (@ProfessorPape) April 30, 2026

"By God’s help and power, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America, one serving the progress, comfort and prosperity of its people," Khamenei continued. "We and our neighbors across the waters of the Persian Gulf and the (Gulf) of Oman share a common destiny. Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometers away to act with greed and malice there have no place in it - except at the bottom of its waters." He also vowed Iran's forces will "secure the Persian Gulf region and dismantle the hostile enemy's exploitation of this waterway."

via Anadolu Agency US Teases Hypersonic Missiles, CENTCOM to Brief Trump

As we detailed Wednesday night, United States Central Command has requested deployment of the Army’s long-delayed hypersonic Dark Eagle to the Middle East for potential use against Iran, seeking a longer-range capability to strike ballistic missile launchers deep inside the country, Bloomberg first reported. If approved, the move would mark the first deployment of the hypersonic system, which remains behind schedule and has not been declared fully operational, even as Russia and China have already long ago fielded their own versions.

The Pentagon has claimed time and again of late that it has local air superiority, meaning that in some parts of Iran its aircraft can operate without facing much of a threat. And yet dozens of MQ-9 aircraft, plus several crewed fighters, have been downed, showing that other parts of Iran’s airspace remain dangerous.

The Bloomberg report hit just as Axios rehashed an earlier report, according to which President Trump will receive a briefing on new plans for potential military action in Iran on Thursday from CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper. The briefing signals that "Trump is seriously considering resuming major combat operations either to try to break the logjam in negotiations or to deliver a final blow before ending the war."

Meanwhile the Iranian side has been claiming dozens of its vessels have breached the US naval blockade, which the Pentagon has been denying. Others say that while some ships have traversed the strait, they have not actually fully crossed the blockade.

Fifty two Iranian vessels have crossed a US-imposed blockade of Iranian waters within a 72-hour period...
https://t.co/mZrwK5qijI

— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) April 29, 2026 IAEA Chief on Global Energy Crisis, Oil

The head of the International Energy Agency (IAEA) has emphasized in new remarks that the world is facing its biggest energy crisis in history due to the war. "The oil markets and gas markets are going through big difficulties. When I looked last time, the oil price was over $120 which is putting a lot of pressure on many countries," executive director Fatih Birol said at a conference in Paris. "Our world is facing a major economic and energy challenge."

Indeed, benchmark Brent crude for June delivery reached as much as $126 a barrel in trading on Thursday, before easing to $114 - as oil prices have surge to their highest levels since 2022 as Trump mulls a military-enforced Iran blockade extension.

Iranian leadership in the meantime continues to troll the US over rising oil and gas prices, using its significant geographic leverage over global markets...

3 days in, no well exploded.We could extend to 30 and livestream the well here.
That was the kind of junk advice the US admin gets from people like Bessent who also push the blockade theory and cranked oil up to $120+. Next stop:140. The issue isn't the theory, it's the mindset.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 29, 2026 More Latest Developments

via Newsquawk

• US CENTCOM is to brief US President Trump on new plans for potential military action in Iran on Thursday, Axios reported citing sources; plan includes a short and powerful strike potentially targeting infrastructure to break the nuclear issue deadlock. Other options expected to be presented include a plan to take over part of the Strait to allow for commercial shipping, which could involve ground forces, and a special forces op to secure Iran's uranium stockpile.
• US CENTCOM has asked to send the Army's hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran, Bloomberg reported citing sources.
• US CENTCOM said the US navy has redirected 42 vessels from the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and that the military is fully committed to enforcing the blockade.
• US President Trump told Israeli PM Netanyahu that Israel should only take surgical military action in Lebanon and avoid a full resumption of the war, Axios reported.
• US Treasury Secretary Bessent said sprinting for the finish line with Iran, according to Fox Business; willing to do secondary sanctions on Iran oil buyers. Every day adding more economic pressure to Iran. Close to half a billion in Iran-related crypto seized. Consumers and stock market are looking through Iran. UAE and others have requested swap lines, swap lines are not a bailout.
• Iran lawmaker Mottaki says a naval blockade would amount to a declaration of war, and that fighters could decide as soon as tomorrow or next week to remove such obstacles via military action.
• Iran’s Navy Commander said the Islamic Republic will soon unveil a new weapon that would deeply terrify the enemy, IRNA reported. He said Iran has closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz from the Arabian Sea. Condemned the US’s illegal seizure of several Iranian vessels as part of the blockade, which he said amounted not only to “piracy” but also “hostage-taking".
• Iran's Navy commander warns that Iran will soon face its enemies with a very dreadful weapon that will strike fear into their hearts, according to Press TV.
• Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said channels of dialogue with officials in Washington and Tehran remain open, Al Hadath reported. "“The clock on diplomacy has snit stopped. We remain hopeful for a negotiated settlement on this issue. We will continue with our sincerest efforts”,.
• China's Military said they conducted combat readiness patrols near Scarborough Shoal, according to a statement.
• "No point" in negotiating over zero enrichment, Iranian lawmaker said, Al Jazeera reported; adding “I have no objection to going to the negotiating table, but we should have looked more closely at how to proceed”.
• The US administration is asking countries to join a new international coalition that would enable ships to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, WSJ reported. The Maritime Freedom Construct would be a US-led coalition that would share information, coordinate diplomatically and enforce sanctions.
• A surveillance drone near the US embassy in Baghdad has been shot down, according to Iraqi security sources.
• Iranian Navy Commander said we have closed the Strait of Hormuz from the Arabian sea side and will take swift action if enemy advances, Al Araby reported.

Tyler Durden Fri, 05/01/2026 - 06:45

Citi Field was where the New York Mets hoped to reclaim their season over the past nine games.

The bears were sold at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and online beginning in January for about $48.

EU Parliament Pushes Funding Cuts To Orbán-Founded Patriots Group As Witch-Hunt Continues

Via Remix News,

The European Parliament will vote today on suspending EU funding for the right-wing Patriots for Europe faction, founded by outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

At stake is the alleged mismanagement of €4.3 million of EU funds by Philip Claeys, the former secretary general of the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group, who now holds the same post for the Patriots for Europe grouping.

One vocal critic of the lack of action by Brussels in the case, according to Euractiv, has been Nick Aiossa, director of Transparency International.

To remind readers, Soros-backed Transparency International has long attacked Hungary for various alleged violations. Last February, it notoriously ranked the CEE country at the same level as Burkina Faso and South Africa in its 2024 corruption index.

“Considering the seriousness and scale of the irregularities identified, and given that the expenditures in question were authorised and validated under the authority of Mr Claeys, the initiation of a complementary investigation by OLAF appears both necessary and proportionate,” Transparency International stated.

The funds are implicated in various accusations of misuse, including “fictitious service contracts, improper procurement procedures and donations to non-parliamentary groups with ties to far-right figureheads, such as France’s Marine Le Pen,” notes Euractiv.

Le Pen was a major target of Brussels as well, with her rising popularity seen as a threat ahead of critical presidential elections in France next year. Her party, National Rally, also joined the Patriots for Europe group. She was, however, banned from running for office in France after being convicted for misappropriating over €4 million in European Parliament funds, a charge she continues to deny and blames on a witch hunt against anti-migration, conservative voices.

Le Pen has appealed the ruling.

Transparency International’s Aiossa has called for Claeys to be stripped of his power as well. Claeys has denied any wrongdoing, telling Le Monde, “All payments made in the last five years have been duly invoiced, justified and controlled.”

This vote today is critical, as it will allow Brussels to continue going after Orbán by cutting funds for the group his Fidesz party belongs to and which still holds close to 12 percent of the seats in the 2024–2029 European Parliament. It is well known that the outgoing Hungarian leader, highly unpopular among Brussels elites for his sovereignty-focused, nationalist movement, is planning to renew and rebuild his brand inside his country, in Europe, and beyond.

Curbing any resurgence of Orbán will be a high priority for the EU leadership. On the other hand, they are also wrangling with getting funding as soon as possible to Hungary’s new leader, and their darling, Péter Magyar. However, this time, unlike when the right-wing conservatives were ousted from Poland, Brussels is playing hardball, insisting that certain hurdles be overcome before money is released.

Numerous mechanisms were used over the years to go after Orbán’s successive governments, with billions in EU funds ultimately frozen, specifically, €10 billion in post-Covid recovery funds and some €7 billion in cohesion funds.

Hungary has, in fact, already met 17 out of 27 conditions demanded by Brussels, for the former, but now, Magyar has only until August to deliver on judicial independence, anti-corruption safeguards and other reforms, notes Euractiv.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Fri, 05/01/2026 - 06:30

These technologies are a crime-fighting boon, but in the wrong hands they could cost all of us our freedoms.

Rosario spending the past three offseasons working at Driveline, the data-driven baseball factory, to improve his bat speed and launch angle.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with Australian emergency services workers in a remote town following the arrest of a man suspected of murdering a 5-year-old Indigenous girl, police said on Friday.