As GameStop continues to struggle to stay afloat, it looks to make a $56 billion bid to buy eBay. The problem is they cannot show how they could pay for it.
GameStop offers $56 billion for eBay, struggles to explain how it’ll pay for it– arstechnica.com News Source
EXCERPT:
GameStop wants to slash eBay marketing budget
Morgan Stanley similarly doubted the potential cost savings. “On the expense side, we also think the potential opportunities would likely be minimal as physical and digital business require different cost bases, as do 3P marketplaces vs. 1P wholesalers. To add another challenge, GameStop has already undergone a series of large cost cuts,” the research note said.
Morgan Stanley analysts expressed skepticism about “how a deal would be financed given the material valuation gap.” If completed, they said it could end up as the largest leveraged buyout ever, “surpassing the recently announced $55 billion Electronic Arts transaction.”
GameStop said that eBay spent $2.4 billion on sales and marketing in fiscal 2025 but added only 1 million net active buyers, increasing the total from 134 million to 135 million. GameStop said it would cut $1.2 billion from eBay’s sales and marketing budget, arguing that the current spending “is not producing more users on a marketplace with near-universal brand recognition.”
GameStop proposed cutting another $300 million from eBay’s product development expenses and $500 million from general and administrative functions. The combined company will consolidate its finance, HR, real estate, legal, IT, and professional services after the merger to save money, GameStop said.
GameStop touted its own financial performance under Cohen, saying that it “moved from a $381 million net loss in fiscal 2021 to $418 million of net income in fiscal 2025.” eBay meanwhile said in its press release today that its “board and leadership team are executing a focused strategy to drive sustainable growth and long-term shareholder value.”
eBay last week reported Q1 2026 revenue of $3.1 billion, up 19 percent year over year. eBay’s GAAP net income was $512 million, up 2 percent.
GameStop, which is on a different fiscal schedule, reported net sales of $1.1 billion in Q4 2026. That was down from $1.28 billion in the prior year’s fourth quarter. GameStop’s Q4 net income also fell year over year, from $131.3 million to $127.9 million.
President Donald Trump announced a 5,000 troop cut in Germany, adding more is to come. He said, “We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
Trump Announces Deeper U.S. Troop Cuts in Germany as Tensions With Allies Grow › American Greatness– amgreatness.com News Source
EXCERPT:
President Donald Trump said the United States will reduce its military presence in Germany beyond an already announced withdrawal, indicating a broader shift in U.S. defense posture in Europe.
Speaking to reporters Saturday evening, Trump said the planned reduction of roughly 5,000 troops is only the beginning. “We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he said.
The Pentagon confirmed Friday that thousands of U.S. personnel will be pulled from bases in Germany over the next year. The move revisits a policy first pursued during Trump’s earlier term, when his administration proposed withdrawing about 9,500 troops before the plan was halted by Joe Biden after he took office.
The United States currently maintains about 36,000 troops in Germany and approximately 80,000 across Europe, making it one of the largest overseas deployments of American forces.
The decision comes amid rising friction between Washington and European allies over defense commitments and strategy. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly criticized the White House’s handling of the Iran conflict, saying the United States had been “humiliated,” a remark that drew attention in Washington.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the U.S. bears an unfair share of the financial burden for Europe’s defense, particularly in Germany, while also pointing to Berlin’s economic ties with countries such as Russia and China.
Leaders of the separatist movement of Canada’s western province Alberta claim to have enough signatures to trigger a vote on separation from Canada.
Alberta separatist group says it has enough signatures to trigger referendum vote on leaving Canada– www.washingtontimes.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada.
The group needed 178,000 signatures to force the province to consider such a vote.
The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada.
A yes vote would not trigger independence automatically. Negotiations with the federal government would have to take place and Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said some Indigenous groups who are already using the courts to prevent an independence referendum would use venues including the courts to stop independence from happening.
TRANSGENDER CARE FOR KIDS, SAYS DISTRICT JUDGE – United States District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai has ruled that the HHS’s declaration that gender-affirming care for children is unsafe and ineffective is unconstitutional. The judge sided with the 22 progressive-led states, which argued the federal government did not have the legal authority to make such a determination.
META’S DOWNSIZING CONTINUEs – The parent company of Facebook, Meta, has announced plans to lay off nearly 10% of its total workforce, 8,000 positions, starting in early May 2026. These layoffs may not be the only layoffs, as more might be announced after May of this year.
TRUMP DOWN BIGLY – President Trump’s approval ratings have fallen to 37% according to an NBC News poll. This is the lowest rating the poll has recorded during the President’s second term. His disapproval rating has hit 62%, with 50% now strongly disapproving.
HEADLINES MISSED
FISA COURT QUASHES SPY TOOL, TRUMP DISSENTS – The Trump administration is fighting a FISA court ruling that prevents the government from specifically searching for individuals online who have merely contacted a foreigner. The administration is challenging the FISA court as the court’s existence comes up for renewal this April 30. The GOP-led House extended the program by unanimous consent vote during a late-night session.
AI IS BECOMING A UTILITY – More and more Americans have begun making AI subscription services a part of their essential household budget. Since 2024, paid AI subscriptions have increased by 38%. The paid AI subscription service market is expected to exponentially expand over the next two years.
RIOT BOTS AND THE CCP – China hopes to soon deploy robots to control future rioters. The People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) is already testing the possibility in preparation for a potential mass riot event.
PEOPLE ADVANCE
CHARLIE KIRK HONORED WITH 1A PROTECTING LAWS – Kansas joins a growing list of states which passed laws honoring the late assassinated American activist Charlie Kirk. The laws have one thing in common, they both protect rights enumerated in the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. These rights are the right to religious liberty and the right to freedom of speech.
WOKE HEALTH PANEL NO MORE – RFK Jr. is vowing to replace the “woke” panel currently in charge of choosing what preventative care gets covered by Obamacare. Kennedy plans on replacing the current allegedly “woke” members of the U.S. Preventative Service Task Force, saying “We’re now bringing new members on who have a clear mission.”
DIRT-POWERED BATTERIES – Researchers from Northwestern University have invented a fuel cell that is powered by microbes found in soil. Northwestern alumnus Bill Yen, who led the work, said of their proof-of-concept, “We need to find alternatives that can provide low amounts of energy to power a decentralized network of devices… we looked to soil microbial fuel cells, which use special microbes to break down soil and use that low amount of energy to power sensors. As long as there is organic carbon in the soil for the microbes to break down, the fuel cell can potentially last forever.”
In a move that is sure to be immediately challenged in a progressive court, President Trump has announced a plan to end the DHS pay freeze without using congress. He declared, “They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again….
Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do! Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports.”
Trump Ends DHS Payment Freeze Without Congress, Issues Immediate Orders to New DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin – westernjournal.com
In an announcement on Truth Social Thursday evening, President Donald Trump announced that he would be ordering new Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to pay Transportation Security Agency officials who have been working without salary during the DHS shutdown.
It was unclear from the statement how he planned to find the funds, but said the move would be through executive order.
The Associated Press noted that the administration had considered using the declaration of a national emergency to move funding through, although the wire service noted it “would be politically fraught and almost certain to face legal challenges.”
The terrorist assaults on ICE agents in the lawful commission of a Presidential order are decreasing, but hardly ending. Public schools run by insurrectionists have built children’s armies, taking them away from learning and into the frontlines of their insurrectionist war.
Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) has sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging her to investigate the foreign funding of the terrorist operation. He wrote, “I urge you to investigate foreign influence behind anti-ICE activism. Progressive groups across the country are organizing protests, economic boycotts, and school walkouts to oppose immigration enforcement, they are inciting the obstruction of federal law.”
ED. NOTE: We support the rights of Americans to lawfully protest ICE action until it interferes with the lawful commission of a Presidential order. We do NOT support the use of children as political weapons whipped up into an anti-American frenzy by a treasonous class of Progmericans, the leftist public-school teachers.
Sen. Jim Banks Calls for Investigation into Foreign-Funded Anti-ICE Groups – breitbart.com
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) has called for a federal investigation into anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activist groups he says are being organized and funded by foreign entities, including agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In a Wednesday letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi obtained by Breitbart News, Banks urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to look into the growing “national and coordinated” network of radical leftists protesting ICE in events that often turn violent.
President Donald J Trump has signed a bill that will compel the Department of Justice to make the Jeffrey Epstein child sex rape files available to the public. The move came after the Democrats started selectively leaking the files in deceptively edited ways to attempt to sully President Trump.
So far, the files have yet to be fully released. Trump said of the release, “Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged by the Trump Justice Department in 2019 (Not the Democrats!), was a lifelong Democrat, donated Thousands of Dollars to Democrat Politicians, and was deeply associated with many well-known Democrat figures, such as Bill Clinton (who traveled on his plane 26 times), Larry Summers (who just resigned from many Boards, including Harvard), Sleazebag Political Activist Reid Hoffman, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (who asked Epstein to donate to his Campaign AFTER Epstein was charged), Democrat Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, and many more.
Trump Announces He’s Signed Bill to Release Epstein Files – RedState
After the House of Representatives did its thing and the Senate did theirs, President Trump has done his – signing the bill that calls on the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.
In a Truth Social message posted Wednesday night, Trump wrote:
… Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES! As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage. At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress.
Senator Mark Kelly (R-AZ) led 5 Democrat U.S. legislators in a viral video campaign appealing to the military to “refuse illegal orders.” Now, Kelly could face a military recall and court martial, while all six face potential treason charges, The video campaign was called “Don’t Give Up the Ship.” One legislator, Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), when pressed, could not identify any specific “illegal orders.”
President Trump’s suggestion treason means hanging triggered House Democrats to call the Capital Police for reasons not given. Since the viral video, more Democrat legislators have come out in support of the open call for military members and intelligence officials to commit, in essence, treason.
Well-founded suspicion is the Democrats are saying as much as they can say publicly to a sleeper cell that knows they mean insurrection, not defiance of unconstitutional orders. Given the unconstitutional policies of the DNC, this seems a well-founded concern. So far, Pam Bondi has threatened, but not charged, once again.
SEDITION: Pentagon Launches Review of ‘Serious Allegations of Misconduct’ Against Mark Kelly – Geller Report
The Pentagon said Monday that it has received “serious allegations of misconduct” against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and has initiated a “thorough review” of the allegations. It comes days after the senator, along with a handful of other lawmakers, called on U.S. service members to disobey any illegal orders issued by the Trump administration.
The Department of Defense said it had initiated an investigation to “determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”
“This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality,” the statement read. “Further official comments will be limited, to preserve the integrity of the proceedings.”
Kelly said Monday that he had upheld his oath to the Constitution through his time in the Navy and that his time in the military and at NASA was “in service to this country that I love and has given me so much.”
Thanks in part to holdups on Trump U.S. attorney confirmations by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), charges filed by Trump appointed U.S. attorney Linda Halligan against DNC operatives have been dismissed. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed the charges against former FBI Director James Comey and current Fulton County Attorney General Leticia James.
The Judge ruled the Halligan was inappropriately appointed and thus has no authority to file charges before a U.S. court. Since the judge dismissed the charges, they can be brought again. Grassley held up the confirmation of Lindsey Halligan using a Senate traditional rule called the “blue slip,” which allows a home-state Senator to hold up any confirmations of their constituents for any reason.
Legal Expert Jonathan Turley Explains Why Comey and James Are Not Out of the Woods Yet, Despite Cases Being Dismissed – Western Journal
George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley made clear on Monday why former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James are not out of legal jeopardy yet.
Earlier in the day, U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, a Bill Clinton appointee, ruled that Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was incorrectly appointed, and therefore, the indictments brought by her office against Comey and James were “defective.”
“All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment … constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside,” the judge wrote.
Islamist Socialist Zohran Mamdani has chosen a police abolitionist author to be on his transition team. Alex Vitale, who wrote the book “The End of Policing,” will be working on “community safety issues.” This follows his meeting with President Trump in the oval office where they exchanged mostly substance-less jabs with one another.
After a Jewish synagogue was harassed by a group shouting “Death to the IDF,” Mamdani blamed the victims for holding an event that offended the anti-Israel activists. His recent reiteration that he would honor “international law” over U.S. law leaves some to question whether he will try to arrest Jews wanted by the antisemitic “World Court.”
Mamdani taps radical socialist author of ‘The End of Policing’ to transition team – The Post Millennial
A tagline on the listing for his book states that it’s the “best-selling bible of the movement to defund the police.”
Socialist New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has just brought on an advisor whose work includes the writing of the book, “The End of Policing.” The staffer will be on Mamdani’s transition team and working on “community safety issues.”
Alex Vitale, whose X bio states the words “putting abolition into practice” and touts his book “The End of Policing” in his bio, wrote on X, “I’m excited to announce that I have been asked to join the Mamdani Transition Team to work on community safety issues. A New Era for NYC.”
NEW: Mamdani Suggests He Will Disobey U.S. Legal System: ‘City Of International Law’– trendingpoliticsnews.com
Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on an international arrest warrant that is not recognized in U.S. law, setting up a potential act of rebellion against federal authority.
The mayor-elect, a self-styled socialist, has repeatedly pledged that if elected mayor, he would direct the New York Police Department (NYPD) to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the city. Mamdani has claimed that he has an obligation to do so in order to adhere to “international law,” particularly by honoring an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against Netanyahu stemming from the conflict in Gaza.
Hennepin County Judge Sarah West overruled a Minnesota jury after they found Abdifatah Yusuf guilty on fraud and racketeering charges. He was charged with committing $7.2 million in Medicaid fraud. The judge said the jury “erred” in its judgment. Because a jury originally found him guilty, the prosecutor can appeal the verdict.
One juror. Ben Walfoort, the jury’s foreman, told KARE 11, “It was not a difficult decision whatsoever. The deliberation took probably four hours at most. Based off of the state’s evidence that was presented, it was beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Judge Tosses Conviction Of Somali Who Ripped Off Minnesota Taxpayers – Daily Caller
A Hennepin County, Minnesota, judge set aside a jury’s guilty verdict in a $7.2 million Medicaid fraud case Monday, leaving jurors shocked.
Hennepin County Judge Sarah West ruled that the jury erred when it found Abdifatah Yusuf guilty on fraud and racketeering charges, KARE 11 reported. Stunned jurors told the Minneapolis-area TV station they didn’t have much difficulty during deliberations.
The U.S. House has passed a bill to repeal a provision included in the continuing resolution that ended the historic government shutdown. The bill is NOT addressing the provision that makes most of the CBD industry illegal. The bill removes the permission for Federal employees who were victims of Operation Arctic Frost to sue the Federal government.
The operation, run by DNC attorney Jack Smith, spied on mostly Republicans’ phone records, including its top leadership, including Marco Rubio. The bill required a two-thirds yes vote to pass, which it did. Seven members, three Republicans and four Democrats, chose not to vote at all. It must now pass the Senate, which is not a guarantee as of right now.
The House has passed a bill to repeal a provision in the government shutdown-ending continuing resolution that allowed lawmakers surveilled by the federal government to seek damages.
The House passed the bill to repeal the funding bill provision that would permit U.S. senators to sue the government for “$500,000 or the amount of actual damages” if the government has subpoenaed or seized their data without notification by a vote of 426 to 0. Two hundred and sixteen Republicans and 210 Democrats voted to strip the provision from the stopgap measure.
The wanna-be world czar Bill Gates signaled to the world that the climate change hoax jig was up after admitting “The doomsday outlook is causing much of the climate community to focus too much on near-term emissions goals, and it’s diverting resources from the most effective things we should be doing to improve life in a warming world. The biggest problems are poverty and disease, just as they always have been.”
This signals a potential shift in globalist strategy from promising to save the world from human greed and the brown people from the white devil, they’re going to go back to the basics, economic class. President Trump wasn’t letting Gates surrender so gently, however.
He quipped back, “I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax. Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue,” he added. “It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful. MAGA!!!”
President Donald Trump said opponents of the “climate change hoax” had won the struggle after Bill Gates said supporters should pivot their efforts.
Gates has been a longtime proponent of policies to fight climate change, but on Monday he took a far more moderate tone that accepted the survivability of slightly higher global temperatures.
‘Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue.’
“I (WE!) just won the War on the Climate Change Hoax,” the president wrote on his Truth Social account.
“Bill Gates has finally admitted that he was completely WRONG on the issue,” he added. “It took courage to do so, and for that we are all grateful. MAGA!!!”
For the 13th time, the U.S. Senate has failed to reach the 60 votes needed to pass the continuing budget resolution that would re-open the government. The vote was 55-45, with two Democrats breaking ranks and voting for the CR while one Republican voted against the CR. Getting a clear picture of the differences between the two is near impossible, with AI tools doing little more than carrying DNC talking points.
From the White House: FACT: Democrats’ proposal would result in nearly $200 billion spent on healthcare for illegal immigrants and other non-citizens over the next decade — enough to fund the entire Children’s Health Insurance Program.
While the DNC CLAIMS it’s not defending illegal aliens from losing healthcare coverage, Republicans insist they do. The language used by the DNC and its illegal campaign advertisers (with Reuters doing the most offensive work) is intentionally obtuse beyond defiantly declaring the DNC doesn’t want to fund illegal aliens. For now, MIA’s stance is the evidence points to the DNC wanting to fund illegal alien healthcare, or worse, destabilize America for the Progmerican revolution to grow.
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is breaking ranks, saying to his own party, “As a committed Democrat, I’m dismayed my party is playing chicken with the food security of 42M Americans. I reject a political gamble that exposes a vulnerable constituency to widespread deprivation and chaos.”
This tactic appears, more and more, about causing “widespread… chaos” for the intentional of revolution than anything else. Read why the DNC should be declared a terrorist organization on pg. 2, remembering the American left STILL exists and should NOT be caught up in the judgement to come for the leaders of the Progmerican left.
So far, 90,000 people have taken advantage of Canada’s law MAID, (Medical Assistance in Dying) which legalizes assisted suicide. In 2024, there were 16,500 MAID suicides, which accounted for 5% of total deaths that year.
Canada’s average wait time to see a specialist is now at 27.7 weeks, an all-time high, and this fact alone has led to documented suicides, including from a Winnipeg woman who wrote just before her MAID suicide, “I could have had more time if I had more help.”
Canada has euthanized around 90,000 people since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government legalized so-called “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAID) in 2016, a watchdog has revealed.
The death toll was exposed in shocking new data published by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC).
EPC Executive Director Alex Schadenberg revealed the grim total, citing government data and projected 2025 figures.
“There were around 16,500 Canadian euthanasia deaths in 2024, representing 5% of all deaths,” Schadenberg declared.
Your taxpayer dollars and mine were paying for a special makeup artist at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) — that is, until DOGE got involved.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut contracts with a ceiling value of around $17 billion altogether over the last three weeks. It seems as if the waste and fraud in our federal government is endless, and DOGE has to wade through an absolute mountain of corrupt insanity as it tries to restore fiscal responsibility to the government.
Shortly after being selected, the new PM had to survive a no-confidence vote, which he was able to do. Hope of replacing the current dominant political parties were dimmed when a court ruled that Marine Le Pen, the leading opposition figure, cannot stand for election at all. The decision is sure to further destabilize France as the global oligarchs desperately hold on to power.
France may be teetering on the verge of national snap elections, but the poll-topping sovereigntist leader Marine Le Pen is banned from even standing, a Paris court has confirmed, over a conviction her supporters say is a case of politically targeted lawfare.
The French Council of State, the body of top lawyers which provides legal advice to the government and supreme court, has rejected an appeal by National Rally leader Marine Le Pen to have her “ineligibility” order overturned, reportsLe Figaro. The order that was imposed on the politician in March by a judge is considered unusual and controversial because unlike normal criminal punishments, it is being imposed immediately, despite the appeals process to have the conviction itself overturned not having been exhausted.
BEIJING (Reuters) -China tightened its rare earth export controls on Thursday, expanding restrictions on processing technology, unauthorised overseas cooperation and spelling out its intention to limit exports to overseas defence and semiconductor users.
Exports of technology used to mine and process rare earths or make the associated magnets is barred without permission, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. Many of these technologies are already restricted and it was not immediately clear what the new rules will add.
China added several rare earths and related material to its export control list in April, however Thursday’s announcement explicitly said licenses are unlikely to be granted for defence companies as well as certain users in the semiconductor sector.
Over the course of the five days after the controversy broke, major CBS, ABC, and PBS broadcast shows refused to discuss Democrat Jay Jones’ violent text messages in which he fantasized about assassinating a political opponent, a new analysis revealed.
NBC alone dedicated a mere 63 seconds to the Virginia attorney general candidates’ texts, Media Research Center’s study of major NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS segments revealed. The analysis included the shows ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, CBS Saturday Morning, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Today, NBC Sunday Today, ABC’s This Week, NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation, and PBS’s NewsHour. MRC analyzed the programs from Friday, the day the National Review broke the story about Jones’ messages, through Tuesday morning.
National Review revealed messages Jones sent to a former colleague in 2022 in which he said, “Put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.” The hypothetical Jones proposed put Gilbert on par with Hitler and Pol Pot.
The announcement came after last-ditch talks by outgoing premier Sebastien Lecornu failed to find a solution to crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron will name a new prime minister within the next 48 hours, his office has said, in the latest effort to chart a path out of the worst political crisis of his presidency.
The announcement on Wednesday followed two days of last-ditch talks with party leaders by outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu in a bid to break the country’s political deadlock, after his cabinet lineup, unveiled on Sunday, was rejected by allies and rivals alike.
The Elysee presidential office said in a statement that Lecornu’s discussions with various parties had concluded that a majority of lawmakers were not in favour of parliament being dissolved for early elections, and that there was “a platform for stability” that could make it possible for a budget to be passed by the year’s end.
“On this basis, the President of the Republic will appoint a Prime Minister within the next 48 hours,” said the statement.
A friend of a British couple who ended their lives at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland has shared her concerns that the husband coerced his wife into ending her life, according to media reports.
Ruth Posner, 96, and husband Michael, 97, neither of whom were terminally ill, told friends and family in an email message of their intention to end their lives at Swiss assisted suicide clinic, Pegasos, saying, “There came a point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve”.
The couple added, “The decision was mutual and without any outside pressure”.
However, a friend of the couple, Julia Pascal, has questioned this statement, sharing her belief that Ruth was coerced by her husband, Michael, into ending her life.
Pascal, who had known the couple since 1990, described Ruth as being “totally under [Michael’s] control”, saying “Ruth was disempowered”.
“He was very dominant. I spoke to them and sent emails, saying ‘please don’t kill yourselves’. I tried to talk Ruth out of it, but I felt it was too far gone, that she was totally under his control”.
Pascal added, “Ruth sent the email, but I believe Michael would have dictated it to her”.
Since the catastrophic Los Angeles firestorm destroyed 6,800 houses and businesses in the Pacific Palisades, inquisitive people in L.A. have wondered if a fire that firefightersallegedly put out a week before continued to smolder underground only to kick up on January 7 when it was breathed back into life by Santa Ana winds. According to the U.S. Attorney in Central California, Bill Essayli, investigators looking into what sparked the fire, the answer to that question is yes, but there are other considerations, which we’ll get to in a moment.
The alleged arsonist is believed to have set his family Bible on fire to spark the flames, admitting months later that he “Burned the Bible I had literally.”
Indeed, he admitted to ChatGPT: “I am 28 years old. And… I basically… This just happened. Maybe like… I don’t know, maybe like 3 months ago or something. Like, the realization of all this. I literally burnt the Bible that I had. It felt amazing. I felt so liberated.” About the same time he wrote to a family member that he had, “Burned the Bible I had literally.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is eying a proposal to end the government shutdown as the gridlock in Washington, D.C., enters its ninth day.
Thune is “ready” to use Congress’s appropriations process to open the government. It’s an arduous process lawmakers seek to use every year to pass 12 sweeping appropriations bills that provide government funding to different priorities, including defense, education, and healthcare.
Under Thune’s plan, he could wield his power as majority leader to bring a single appropriation bill to the floor one at a time if it has already been passed by the House, such as the defense package, according to Axios.
“We’re prepared to do that,” Thune told the outlet. “[But] that takes consent. We got to find out if the Dems are going to let us do anything while the government is shut down.”
Key Senate Democrats signaled they were on board with the idea, but argued it wouldn’t substantially change anything in terms of the government shutdown.
“There’s nothing holding [Thune] back from doing that,” Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) said. “[But] that does not change where we are right now in the CR….we still have to negotiate with the House. The President has to sign it, so it’s a long way from anywhere.”
The market for AI toys in China is predicted to grow faster than any other consumer AI sector, writes MIT Technology Review, reaching $14 billion by 2030. That’s not surprising when there are around 1,500 AI toy companies operating in the country as of October 2025.
On Tuesday, a judge released pending trial the two suspects arrested for ramming and boxing in a vehicle driven by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent in Chicago on Saturday, saying they were not a flight risk and could be trusted to appear in court.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather McShain was the judge who presided over the detention hearing, Judge McShain said, given that both are U.S. citizens and lifelong residents of Chicago with no criminal history, they can be released on bond, pending trial, WGN Chicago reports.
Marimar Martinez – reportedly armed with a semi-automatic weapon – and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz were participating in a protest against federal immigration law enforcement in the city when they allegedly rammed the CBP vehicle and attempted to box it in.
According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Martinez and Ruiz used their vehicles to strike the vehicle containing three CBP agents Saturday morning near the intersection of West 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue on Chicago’s Southwest Side….
CNN’s Harry Enten Says Majority Of Americans Believe Trump Is Delivering On Promises– dailycaller.com Source Link Excerpt:
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten found on Tuesday that the majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump is delivering on his campaign promises.
A majority of voters, 52%, believe that Trump is fulfilling what he promised throughout his 2024 campaign, prompting him to currently have a 43% approval rating, Enten said while citing his aggregate data. The voters expected Trump to secure the border, bring down inflation and address crime, which have caused his favorability rating to remain steady.
“Donald Trump is who the voters thought he was,” Enten said. “What are we talking about here, well, ‘Is Trump doing what he promised?’ in the 2024 campaign? Yes! 52%, a majority of Americans say that Donald Trump is doing what he promised, compared to 48% who said no. So what essentially is going on here is the voters expected all of this from Donald Trump. The majority did, and that’s why his favorability ratings simply has not really moved all that much compared to where it was a year ago.”
“Trump is basically doing what the American people thought that he was going to do and indeed, if you look at the numbers, Trump has basically the same, steadiest favorable rating this much through a presidency of any president on record and it’s basically where he was a year ago. Good enough to get him reelected,” Enten continued.
Pentagon Revises Controversial Press Rules After Backlash, But Keeps Tough Conditions In Place: Report – Benzinga Source Link Excerpt:
The Pentagon announced on Monday that it has made changes to the new rules for journalists seeking access to the department. Under the new guidelines, journalists will no longer need departmental approval before publishing articles containing non-official information, reported The New York Times.
The revised draft states that journalists are not obligated to submit their work for approval before publication. However, it specifies situations in which journalists might be considered “security risks” and have their credentials revoked.
News outlets seeking Pentagon access will have one week to review and decide whether to sign the new policy. Those who decline may lose their press credentials. Signing indicates acknowledgment of the outlined policies and procedures.
In September, the Pentagon announced new rules requiring reporters covering the War Department to use only officially approved information or risk losing their press credentials.
Feds Investigating Democrats After 250 Blank Ballots Are Found In Amazon Package– trendingpoliticsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
State and federal authorities in Maine are investigating a jaw-dropping case of 250 blank ballots that were delivered to a voter in an Amazon box.
The inexplicable oversight is casting a pall over the office of Shenna Bellows, the Democratic secretary of state who last year attempted to keep President Donald Trump off Maine’s presidential ballot. Authorities were made aware after the ballots were reported missing by the town of Ellsworth, and a resident later called to report that her unanticipated Amazon delivery contained them.
The box appeared to have been opened and retaped when it arrived, the woman told investigators.
“Safe and secure elections are my top priority. As soon as we became aware of allegations of ballots being received outside of the appropriate chain of custody, I immediately initiated an investigation through my Secretary of State’s law enforcement division. Law enforcement is working diligently to determine who is responsible, and they will be held accountable. We will not stop until we have answers,” Bellows said in a statement to ABC News.
“This year, it seems that there may have been attempts to interrupt the distribution of ballots and ballot materials,” Bellows said later at a press conference.
“I have full confidence that law enforcement will determine who is responsible, and any bad actor will be held accountable,” she added.
Babis’ win in Czechia is a huge victory for European conservatives– rmx.news Source Link Excerpt:
After four long years in the political wilderness, Andrej Babiš returns to presumably lead the Czech Republic after his blowout victory. In neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orbán was jubilant, celebrating the victory of his ally, while in Slovakia, Robert Fico also toasted to Babis’ huge win.
Orbán and Fico are grizzled veterans of the political wars within their own countries, and now Babis is being welcomed back into the fold. One cannot help but think back to the famous “Hangover” scene.
Orbán, long in the driver’s seat in Hungary, with a tired Fico smiling warily from the backseat, still recovering from an assassination attempt that nearly killed him last year, and Babis fist-pumping from the passenger seat. At least that is one way to imagine Babis’ comeback victory.
Hungarian media is also doing the victory rounds, with Magyar Nemzet writing that Babis’ “return will further strengthen the influence of patriotic leaders in the European Union.” The paper further wrote that “his result could create another opportunity to increase the influence of the V4 and Patriots in Europe.”
CBS Blames ICE for the Attempts to Kill Agents– www.newsbusters.org Source Link Excerpt:
Amid several attempts across the nation by left-wing extremists to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, CBS News Sunday Morning appeared to blame the actions of ICE for the attacks. CBS alluded to ICE being the source of the violence, twisted the story of a young illegal immigrant, and talked for a former ICE attorney all to allude to a false fact that ICE deserved the attempts to kill their agents. The reporter behind the segment even suggested it was a “David versus Goliath” fight.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, is now effectively the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency in the nation. Some have cheered its growth. Others are wondering, when does more become too much?” chided host Jane Pauley as she introduced the segment which was delivered by correspondent Lee Cowan.
Though not explicitly calling it such, Cowan’s report essentially consisted of listing out the purported transgressions that caused ICE agents to deserve the attempts on their lives, even blaming them for the violence brought against them, and accusing them of racism:
COWAN: Thirteen members of his congregation were arrested that day. The Trump Administration no longer considers schools, and hospitals and churches “protected sensitive locations” anymore. So, the following Sunday, Father Jamie told the faithful to stay away.
(…)
COWAN: In Los Angeles, that fear turned to anger, and anger into violence [shows law enforcement shooting off tear gas].
The raids were challenged in court for being indiscriminate and based on skin color, but ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the raids could continue. Since then, in city after city, the administration has been testing the court`s limits, especially in Chicago.
GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): ICE is running around the Loop harassing people for not being white. Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States. Now, ICE is making it commonplace.
COWAN: Late Saturday, the Trump administration federalized 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, a move Pritzker insists is unnecessary.
(…)
COWAN: In fact, this past week, while addressing top military brass, he suggested American cities could serve as “training grounds” for U.S. combat troops.
