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White House shuts down reporter’s ‘ridiculous’ challenge of White South African farmer deaths

The White House pushed back against statements from a reporter challenging statements from the Trump administration regarding the treatment of White South African farmers — after President Donald Trump showed a video allegedly depicting burial sites of them at the White House on Wednesday. 

While hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump aired a video in the Oval Office that showed white crosses that Trump said were approximately 1,000 burial sites of White Afrikaner South African farmers. Trump has claimed these farmers are being forced off of their land. 

But Yamiche Alcindor with NBC News questioned White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the credibility of the video, amid reports that the crosses were from a memorial demonstration following the murder of a White farming couple, not actual burial sites. 

‘We know that that was not true and that the video wasn’t true,’ Alcindor said during the White House press briefing on Thursday. 

Leavitt and Alcindor sparred and talked over one another, with Alcindor asking ‘what protocols are in place when there’s unsubstantiated information being put out for the world and world leaders?’

Leavitt then stepped in and ended the exchange, claiming the video was not unsubstantiated. 

‘What’s unsubstantiated about the video?’ Leavitt said. ‘The video shows crosses that represent the dead bodies of people who were racially persecuted by their government. In fact, the Associated Press, of all places, has a picture of that very monument in the caption from the Associated Press is ‘Each cross marks a white farmer who has been killed in a farm murder.’’ 

‘So it is substantiated. But it’s not just by that video and the physical evidence that everybody saw on display in the Oval Office, but also by another outlet in this from the Associated Press,’ Leavitt said. ‘So you should take it up with them if you believe the claim is unsubstantiated. And that’s a ridiculous line of questioning.’ 

The crosses depicted were part of a demonstration that occurred after a white, farming couple was killed in 2020, according to the Associated Press, citing local news reports from South Africa.

Trump told Ramaphosa at the White House that the burial sites by the side of the road are visited by those who want to ‘pay respects to their family member who was killed.’ 

‘Have they told you where that is, Mr. President? I’d like to know where that is. Because this I’ve never seen,’ Ramaphosa said. 

‘I mean, it’s in South Africa, that’s where,’ Trump said. 

‘We need to find out,’ Ramaphosa said.

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

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Antisemitic shooting of Israeli diplomats adds to alarming rise in domestic terrorism

Two young Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed in an antisemitic attack in Washington D.C. Wednesday night. 

It was the latest incident being investigated by federal authorities as domestic terrorism.

The U.S. has seen an increase in antisemitic attacks and violent pro-Palestine protests amid the war between Israel and Hamas. 

But the incidents of domestic terrorism aren’t limited to antisemitism. Extremists who hold anti-American sentiment have attempted attacks on vehicles, military bases and more. 

Here is a breakdown of the domestic terrorism incidents in the U.S. this year: 

Shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. 

On Wednesday, May 21, a pro-Palestinian man opened fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. 

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two staffers of the Embassy of Israel to the U.S.—a couple set to be engaged—were shot and killed as they left the museum’s event focused on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza. 

Lischinsky was born in Israel and grew up in Germany. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian.

Milgrim was an American employee of the embassy.

Authorities took Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, into custody. Upon being taken into custody, Rodriguez began shouting, ‘Free, free Palestine!’ 

The FBI is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime and investigating any ties to terrorism. 

Steven Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said in a news conference that the federal law enforcement entity is working alongside the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to ‘look into ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime.’

Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing

On May 17, a bombing took place at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif. The bombing killed the suspect and injured four others.

Authorities identified the perpetrator of the incident as a 26-year-old suspect motivated by a fringe ideology known as ‘pro-mortalism.’ 

‘Pro-mortalism,’ a radical offshoot of anti-natalism, views human reproduction as inherently immoral and embraces death as a moral corrective.

According to federal and local law enforcement, the suspect targeted the American Reproductive Centers facility specifically to destroy human embryos stored on-site.

Surveillance footage and online postings suggest he parked in the rear of the building to remain unnoticed, ingested drugs and then detonated an explosive device – killing himself in the process. 

The FBI has classified the bombing as an act of domestic terrorism, citing the ideological motivation behind the violence. 

Officials have said that it is the first high-profile case linked to the pro-mortalist ideology and are now monitoring it as a potential emerging threat. Authorities have urged families and communities to remain vigilant for signs of ideological extremism, especially among those who may feel disenfranchised. 

Attempted mass shooting at Michigan military base 

Earlier this month, a former Michigan Army National Guard member, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting near the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) center at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. 

Said planned to carry out the attack on behalf of ISIS. 

Said ‘launched his drone in support of the attack plan’ and told an undercover FBI agent in the lead-up to the foiled plot he recommended that ‘everyone have about seven magazines because you don’t want to be in there and run out of ammo,’ according to officials. 

Said is now facing charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years per count if convicted. 

The FBI disrupted the attempted attack, with FBI Director Kash Patel telling Fox News Digital that any individual targeting the U.S. military or conspiring with foreign terrorist organizations will be ‘prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’ 

‘Let this be a warning: Anyone who targets our military or conspires with foreign terrorist organizations will be found, stopped and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,’ Patel told Fox News Digital on Thursday. ‘I commend the men and women of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners for their continued dedication to protecting the American people.’

Tesla attacks 

Since January, there have been a number of instances of vandalism, arson and targeted shootings against Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations across the nation. 

Tesla vehicles and dealerships have been targeted nationwide amid Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been focused on slashing wasteful spending and fraud within the federal government. Musk is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla. 

The FBI launched a task force to crack down on violent Tesla attacks. 

The FBI’s task force was created in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and will coordinate investigative activity.

A threat tag has been created at the FBI to streamline reports and a command post at FBI headquarters has been created. It consists of a joint FBI/ATF task force to mitigate that threat stream. 

The FBI is treating the attacks as ‘domestic terrorism.’ Attorney General Pam Bondi called the attacks on Tesla ‘domestic terrorism,’ and the Department of Justice announced charges against suspects in Tesla arson cases. 

Musk spoke out against the ‘deranged’ attacks, suggesting that ‘there’s some kind of mental illness thing going on here, because this doesn’t make any sense.’ The billionaire even alluded to ‘larger forces’ potentially behind the attacks that have sprung up across the nation.

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Trump has not directed administration to declassify Biden documents on health ‘cover-up’

President Donald Trump has not directed his administration to declassify documents related to former President Joe Biden’s health and an alleged ‘cover-up’ of the 46th president’s slipping mental acuity while commander in chief, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. 

‘The president can declassify anything that he wants. Has he looked to see if there are any records here that would contradict what we’ve been told about Joe Biden’s decline?’ Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Leavitt during a press briefing Thursday.

‘He has not directed anyone, to my knowledge, to look into that,’ Leavitt responded. ‘But, surely, I can ask him if he intends to.’ 

Biden’s health is back in the national spotlight after audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur were released Friday. The recordings showed the former president tripping over his words, slurring sentences, taking long pauses between answers and struggling to remember key moments in his life, including the year his son Beau Biden died of cancer. 

Hur led an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents after Biden’s departure as vice president during the Obama administration. Hur announced in February 2024 he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, saying Biden is ‘a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.’

Biden’s office revealed Sunday the former president was battling an ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer that had metastasized. 

After the election cycle, a handful of books documenting the 2024 election cycle and Biden’s apparent health decline have hit store shelves claiming that Biden staffers were aware of and fretted about the president’s mental decline, but publicly promoted him as physically and mentally fit to serve as president. Fox News Digital has extensively covered concerns about Biden’s mental acuity and health dating back to the 2020 election cycle. 

‘I think the president has spoken on this pretty extensively,’ Leavitt added at the news conference. ‘And I have spoken about it extensively from this podium as well, how it was truly one of the worst political scandals this country has ever seen, that the previous administration covered up the decline in the former president’s mental and physical ability. And it’s now all coming out. But the American people knew the truth, and that’s one of the many reasons why President Trump won the election on Nov. 5.’ 

Doocy asked Leavitt specifically about the Biden administration’s use of an autopen, which Trump has argued was used by Biden staffers to sign official White House documents without Biden’s approval. 

‘Specifically, (Trump) talks about the autopen. He thinks that staffers were using this autopen. Is there some kind of, like a badge, that you have to swipe to use an autopen? Is there a record of that?’ Doocy asked. 

‘I can tell you here at this White House, the president signs any document that has legal implications,’ Leavitt responded. ‘The president signs every executive order. He signs every proclamation. He signs pretty much every document that is needed for the president’s signature, with the exception of maybe some letters to children. From what we have heard and seen, that was not the case in the previous administration. And the president is raising good questions that are worth looking into.’ 

Autopen signatures are automatically produced by a machine, as opposed to an authentic, handwritten signature. 

The conservative Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project first investigated the Biden administration’s use of an autopen earlier this year and found that the same signature was on a bevvy of executive orders and other official documents, while Biden’s signature on the document announcing his departure from the 2024 race varied from the apparent machine-produced signature.

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White House decries ‘evil of antisemitism,’ vows justice after fatal shooting of Israeli embassy staffers

Those responsible for the fatal attack against two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., Wednesday will be prosecuted to the ‘fullest extent of the law,’ according to the White House. 

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were departing an event at the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday evening when a gunman opened fire and killed them. The two were slated to get engaged next week in Jerusalem, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a White House press briefing. 

A pro-Palestinian man authorities identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago was arrested, according to officials. 

‘The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society,’ Leavitt told reporters Thursday. ‘I spoke to the attorney general this morning. The Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator responsible for this to the fullest extent of the law. Hatred has no place in the United States of America under President Donald Trump. Everyone here at the White House is praying for the victims, friends and families during this unimaginable time.’

Yaron, born in Israel but who grew up in Germany, has a father who is Jewish. However, his mother is a Christian and the family is considered Christian. Milgrim was an American employee the Israeli embassy employed. 

Leavitt’s comments echo similar sentiments from President Donald Trump and other leaders in the administration, who have asserted that the attack amounts to an act of antisemitism. 

‘These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!’ he wrote in a Truth Social post. ‘Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!’

Likewise, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that those responsible for the attack would encounter consequences. 

‘We condemn in the strongest possible terms the murder of two staff members from the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC. Our prayers are with their loved ones. This was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice,’ Rubio wrote on X on Thursday.

Additionally, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin said he met Milgrim in May at his agency’s headquarters. 

‘I just met Sarah two weeks ago in my office at EPA HQ. She struck me as a young woman filled with life and positivity,’ Zeldin said in a post on X. ‘Heartbroken to learn she was one of two tragically murdered last night by a Jew-hating radical screaming ‘Free Palestine’. May Sarah and Yaron rest in peace.’

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Knicks left begging for air after trying to keep pace with Pacers

NEW YORK — He was done answering questions and reporters scattered off, leaving Josh Hart to ponder what had just happened.

The Knicks forward sat at his locker and leaned with his elbows resting on his knees, his face buried in his hands. Then, for a few minutes, he stared ahead vacantly, presumably processing how his team let a 14-point lead inside the final three minutes slip away — how his team let Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals slip away.

For the first 44 minutes of the game, the Knicks matched the speed and tempo of the Indiana Pacers. And for the first 44 minutes, it worked.

The Knicks controlled the middle portion of the game, grabbing a lead with 8:20 to play in the second quarter and retaining it until Tyrese Haliburton’s improbable game-tying shot at the end of regulation bounced high off the back rim, hung in the air, and fell through the net, sending the game to overtime.

“We didn’t finish the game out,” Hart told reporters moments earlier. “We didn’t run through that finish line. I feel like defensively we let off the gas; the intensity and physicality wasn’t there. Offensively, we were playing slower, a little stagnant, and it looked like we were playing not to lose. We got to make sure we don’t make that mistake again.”

In the interview room down the hallway here at Madison Square Garden, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau also summed it up succinctly.

“You just can never let your guard down against them,” Thibodeau said. “No lead is safe.”

These assessments from Hart and Thibodeau reveal a truth simmering below New York’s collapse: the Knicks, who excel in the halfcourt, ranking 26th in pace, are better served grinding games down, making the Pacers slog through their offense when confronted with physical transition defense. Indiana wants to play fast, and spending 48 minutes matching its speed often leaves opponents sucking wind at the end of games, trying — and often failing — to do anything to stop its late-game onslaughts.

This postseason alone, the Pacers have won a pair of games in which they trailed by seven inside the final 48 seconds — putting the record of teams facing such situations at 3-1,679.

On Wednesday, the Knicks scored 69 points in the first half, tying a franchise record for most in a half of a playoff game. New York had set that mark last year in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals … against the Pacers, a series New York lost in seven games.

Throughout the early part of Game 1, the Knicks scooped boards and fed players streaking down the court on outlets, generating high-percentage looks at the rim or kickouts along the perimeter.

In essence, they outpaced the Pacers — until they couldn’t.

Late in the fourth, as New York was trying to cling to its lead, Knicks players appeared gassed, doubling over, slow to rotate. Their play, particularly on defense, suffered.

In the fourth quarter, New York allowed Indiana shooting guard Aaron Nesmith to drain five consecutive 3s — the Pacers as a team connected on seven straight from deep to close the period — and score 20 of his 30 points in the quarter. For the most part, the shots were open looks that the Knicks could not contest in time.

In the final minutes, the Pacers played quicker and more assertively. They closed the fourth on a 31-14 run. Nesmith was the catalyst, and it’s safe to question whether fatigue set in on New York.

“I mean, yeah, once he hits one, you have to be on high alert,” Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson told reporters after the game. “I got to do a better job of finding him. I think he had one or two with me in the vicinity that started it off. That’s not a way to close a game.”

“It’s a tough one,” Hart said. “We’re all disappointed in it, but the series is not over after one game.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Colts owner Jim Irsay dies at age 65

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has died. The team confirmed his death in a statement Wednesday evening. He was 65.

“We are devastated to announce our beloved Owner & CEO, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon,’ Pete Ward, the team’s chief operating officer, revealed.

‘Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed. Our deepest sympathies go to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson, and his entire family as we grieve with them.’

Irsay dedicated most of his adult life to the Colts.

After spending years around the team – his father, Robert Irsay, acquired the then-Baltimore Colts in 1972 – Jim Irsay worked in various capacities for the club, including as a ball boy, scout and in the personnel department. He became the organization’s youngest general manager in 1984, the same year of his father’s controversial relocation of the franchise from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Jim Irsay became the Colts’ controlling owner following Robert Irsay’s death in 1997.

‘Some of Jim’s fondest memories came from his youth working training camps in Baltimore and growing relationships with players, coaches, and staff whom he considered his extended family,’ according to the team’s statement.

‘Jim’s love and appreciation for the NFL in addition to its history, tradition, and principles influenced him to become a steward of the game throughout his 50-plus years in the League.’

Beloved for decades in Baltimore, the Colts didn’t win much initially after landing in Indianapolis. Irsay made a momentous trade with the Los Angeles Rams for legendary running back Eric Dickerson during the 1987 season, but the Indianapolis Colts didn’t win their first playoff game until 1995.

But the franchise became a powerhouse at the turn of the century. Quarterback Peyton Manning won a record five league MVP awards after the Colts picked him atop the 1998 NFL draft. Manning benefited greatly from the staff Irsay put around him, including general manager Bill Polian and head coach Tony Dungy. The Colts also selected a host of other future Hall of Famers, including wideout Marvin Harrison, running back Edgerrin James and defensive end Dwight Freeney.

After years of coming up short to the dynastic New England Patriots, Manning and Co. finally broke through to win Super Bowl 41 following the 2006 season. Indianapolis played again on Super Sunday three years later but lost to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl 44. With Manning on the field, the Colts captured eight division titles and only missed the playoffs twice.

However, the organization has largely struggled since, despite Irsay’s aggressive attempts to restore ‘The Shoe’ to glory. He made the decision to part with injured Manning in 2012 and drafted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck No. 1 overall that year. Manning went on to lead the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl 50 (his final game), while Luck’s once-promising career was short-circuited by injuries that led to his surprise retirement shortly before the 2019 season. The Colts have not won a postseason game since.

‘We were deeply saddened to learn of Jim Irsay’s passing today,’ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. ‘Jim was a friend, and a man deeply committed to his family, the game, the Colts, and the Indianapolis community.

‘Within the League, Jim was an active Chairman of the Legislative Committee and member of the Finance Committee. He led with integrity, passion and care for the Colts’ players, coaches and staff, and his courageous work in support of mental health will be a lasting legacy. Outside of football, he was a talented musician and built an extraordinary collection of historical and musical artifacts that he shared with people across the country. On behalf of the entire NFL, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Jim’s daughters and their families, and to his many friends throughout the NFL.’

Despite the Colts’ up-and-down fortunes under Irsay, he had other notable successes during his tenure. After playing in the RCA Dome for years, the club moved into beautiful Lucas Oil Stadium in 2008. Indianapolis staged Super Bowl 46 in 2012 and was widely acclaimed as the host city. Irsay also earned praise for his willingness to speak out against controversial Washington owner Daniel Snyder in 2022, sparking momentum that eventually led to Snyder’s departure.

Irsay was a colorful character off the field, too. He embraced power lifting as a young man. Later in life, he collected guitars, among other musical memorabilia, and fronted his own band – singing at events around Indianapolis.

Irsay battled substance abuse during his lifetime. He was arrested in 2014 amid suspicion of driving under the influence and drug possession. He eventually pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors and was consequently suspended by the NFL for six games and fined $500,000.

In recent years, he was the face of the team’s ‘Kick the Stigma’ campaign in a bid to help people suffering from mental health issues.

‘Jim’s generosity can be felt all over Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the country,’ read Ward’s statement. ‘He made philanthropy a daily endeavor. He never hesitated to help countless organizations and individuals live better lives. Music was one of Jim’s passions and the ability to share his band and collection with millions of people across the world brought him tremendous joy. Simply put, he wanted to make the world a better place and that philosophy never wavered all the way up to his passing. Jim will be deeply missed by his family, the Colts organization, and fans everywhere, but we remain inspired by his caring and unique spirit.”

Irsay spent recent years grooming his daughters to take the Colts’ reins. Irsay-Gordon ran the team during her father’s absence in 2014 and is expected to assume his role moving forward. However no formal succession plan has yet been revealed.

This story has been updated with new information.

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Trump has not directed admin to declassify Biden docs on health ‘cover-up’

President Donald Trump has not directed his administration to declassify documents related to former President Joe Biden’s health and an alleged ‘cover-up’ of the 46th president’s slipping mental acuity while commander-in-chief, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday. 

‘The president can declassify anything that he wants. Has he looked to see if there are any records here that would contradict what we’ve been told about Joe Biden’s decline?’ Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Leavitt during the Thursday press briefing. 

‘He has not directed anyone, to my knowledge, to look into that,’ Leavitt responded. ‘But surely, I can ask him if he intends to.’ 

Biden’s health is back under the national spotlight after audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur were released Friday. The recordings showed the former president tripping over his words, slurring sentences, taking long pauses between answers and struggling to remember key moments in his life, including the year his son Beau Biden died of cancer. 

Hur led an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents following his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. Hur announced in February 2024 that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, citing that Biden is ‘a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.’

Biden’s office revealed Sunday that the former president was suffering from ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer that had metastasized. 

Following the election cycle, a handful of books documenting the 2024 election cycle and Biden’s apparent health decline have hit store shelves claiming that Biden staffers were aware of and fretted about the president’s mental decline, but publicly promoted him as physically and mentally fit to serve as president. Fox News Digital has extensively covered concerns surround Biden’s mental acuity and health stretching back to the 2020 election cycle. 

‘I think the president has spoken on this pretty extensively,’ Leavitt continued in the press conference. ‘And I have spoken about it extensively from this podium as well, how it was truly one of the worst political scandals this country has ever seen, that the previous administration covered up the decline in the former president’s mental and physical ability. And it’s now all coming out. But the American people knew the truth, and that’s one of the many reasons why President Trump won the election on November 5th.’ 

Doocy asked Leavitt specifically about the Biden administration’s use of an autopen, which Trump has argued was used by Biden staffers to sign official White House documents without Biden’s approval. 

‘Specifically, (Trump) talks about the autopen. He thinks that staffers were using this autopen. Is there some kind of like a badge that you have to swipe to use an autopen? Is there a record of that?’ Doocy asked. 

‘I can tell you here at this White House, the president signs any document that has legal implications,’ Leavitt responded. ‘The president signs every executive order. He signs every proclamation. He signs pretty much every document that is needed for the president’s signature, with the exception of maybe some letters to children. From what we have heard and seen, that was not the case in the previous administration. And the president is raising good questions that are worth looking into.’ 

Autopen signatures are automatically produced by a machine, as opposed to an authentic, handwritten signature. 

The conservative Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project first investigated the Biden administration’s use of an autopen earlier this year and found that the same signature was on a bevvy of executive orders and other official documents, while Biden’s signature on the document announcing his departure from the 2024 race varied from the apparent machine-produced signature.

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House GOP leadership takes victory lap after passing Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’

House Republicans took a victory lap Thursday morning after passing President Donald Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill.’ 

‘It’s finally morning in America again,’ House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed 215 to 214. All Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against the bill. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted ‘present.’

‘Today, the House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation to reduce spending and permanently lower taxes for families and job creators, secure the border, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength and make government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans,’ Johnson added. 

The bill is a victory for Trump and House Republicans, who overcame policy disagreements to deliver on Trump’s key campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security. 

‘We look forward to the Senate’s timely consideration of this once-in-a-generation legislation. We stand ready to continue our work together to deliver on the one big, beautiful bill, as President Trump named it himself. We’re going to send that to his desk. We’re going to get there by Independence Day, on July 4th, and we are going to celebrate a new golden age in America,’ Johnson said. 

House leaders took turns Thursday thanking Republicans for rallying together to pass the bill. 

‘Democrats made it very clear they didn’t want to have any part in helping get America back on track again, but we were never fettered when this bill could have failed 10 times over. We said we were going to get this done, and failure is not an option. And we meant it,’ said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.

Trump celebrated his victory on Thursday in a Truth Social post. 

‘Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! There is no time to waste,’ Trump wrote. 

The multitrillion-dollar bill includes provisions to advance Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda by lowering taxes, securing the border, increasing national defense, reforming Medicaid and slashing Biden-era energy policies. 

The bill aims to make a dent in the federal government’s spending trajectory by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending elsewhere. The U.S. government is still more than $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department.

‘Take this as a lesson. Don’t bet against the House Republicans. We’ve shown, time and time again, that we deliver for the American people, especially when it matters most. By taking hold of this historic opportunity, I truly believe we’ve unlocked the opportunities for generations to come,’ House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said. 

Republicans on Thursday slammed their House Democratic colleagues for delaying the bill’s passage — down to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ 30-minute ‘magic minute’ before House votes. 

‘Democrats voted to put Americans last, and it’s a shame. But thank God for House Republicans, and thank God for our president, Donald J. Trump,’ said GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich.

But the ‘big, beautiful bill’ still has a big hurdle ahead. The Senate is tasked with passing its own version of the bill, and Republican leaders are hoping to send the bill to Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July. 

Senate Republicans have already signaled they expect to make changes to the bill when it reaches the upper chamber, despite House GOP leaders publicly urging them to amend as little as possible.

A significant number of senators have voiced concern over the extent of Medicaid and SNAP cuts proposed by the House. Meanwhile, raising the SALT deduction cap could face resistance in the Senate, where no Republicans represent blue states — unlike in the House, where districts in New York and California are key to the GOP majority.

And Senate Democrats are already piling on the criticism of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

‘This is not one big, beautiful bill. It’s ugly. There’s nothing beautiful about stripping away people’s healthcare, forcing kids to go hungry, denying communities the resources they need, and increasing poverty,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Thursday. 

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Armenian organized crime rings charged with stealing $83 million in Amazon cargo

Department of Justice officials on Tuesday charged members or associates of an Armenian organized crime ring with stealing more than $83 million worth of cargo from Amazon by posing as legitimate truck drivers and siphoning off goods destined for the company’s warehouses.

Since at least 2021, at least four people linked to the crime ring carried out a scheme across California to steal truckloads of merchandise, ranging from smart TVs and GE icemakers to SharkNinja vacuums and air fryers, the DOJ alleged.

“At present, Amazon is plagued by recurring thefts of its shipments, which is commonly referred to as ‘cargo theft,’” the complaint says.

Amazon has ramped up its efforts to track and shut down fraudulent, deceptive and illegal activities on its sprawling online store. Eliminating stolen goods is particularly challenging. CNBC reported in 2023 that Amazon suspended dozens of third-party merchants it alleged were selling stolen goods, though many of those sellers claimed they were unknowingly caught in the scheme, putting their businesses at risk of survival.

Amazon isn’t the only retailer afflicted by cargo theft. Experts told CNBC cargo theft-related losses are estimated at close to $1 billion or more a year.

In its complaint, the DOJ said the alleged fraudsters operated four transport carriers — AK Transportation, NBA Holdings, Belman Transport and Markos Transportation — that would obtain contracted freight routes from Amazon Relay, an application used by truckers to obtain work, also referred to as loads.

Each trucker is assigned a load for pickup from a manufacturer’s warehouse to be dropped off at an Amazon facility. Instead, the groups would divert from their designated routes, take a portion of the goods off the trucks and resell them or gift them to associates, prosecutors allege.

In some cases, the “self-styled carriers” would complete their deliveries at an Amazon warehouse several days after they were expected to show up, according to the complaint.

DOJ officials seized the alleged fraudsters’ iPhones and found photos and videos of warehouses lined with boxes of crockpots, Keurig coffee machines, keratin shampoo, Weber grills and other goods.

Amazon teams cooperated with DOJ officials in their investigation, including sharing information about the stolen goods, and details of the alleged fraudsters’ accounts on its online marketplace.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that the company has “zero tolerance” for cargo theft and other forms of organized retail crime. Amazon relies on a mix of internal teams and technologies to prevent ORC schemes. The company has also referred “thousands” of ORC bad actors to law enforcement officials.

“These referrals have resulted in arrests, product seizures and recoveries, and the dismantling of ORC networks in the U.S. and around the world,” they said in a statement.

DOJ officials linked the defendants to a litany of other alleged crimes, including attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession and health-care fraud. Several of the 13 defendants are expected to appear in a Los Angeles district court on Tuesday and Wednesday, while one of the defendants appeared in a court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday and was detained.

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Burger King targets families through movie partnerships in latest stage of turnaround

As Burger King enters the next phase of its turnaround efforts, the fast-food chain is trying to lure families back to its restaurants with colored Whopper buns and kid-friendly movie partnerships.

Starting Tuesday, the Restaurant Brands International chain will sell new menu items inspired by the “live action” remake of “How to Train Your Dragon.” The collaboration is more than just a one-time partnership — it’s part of Burger King’s broader strategy to lift U.S. sales.

“Where we’re really starting to lean in now that we’ve made some progress in both operations and in our restaurants is on a family-first marketing strategy,” Burger King U.S. and Canada President Tom Curtis told CNBC.

Burger King’s U.S. business has been in turnaround mode for more than 2½ years. After falling behind burger rivals McDonald’s and Wendy’s, the company announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a comeback strategy to renovate its restaurants, improve its operations and spend on advertising. The chain even bought its largest U.S. franchisee with the goal of accelerating its restaurant remodels.

“We’re finding that there will be chapters to this as we go through time, and right now is this family strategy chapter, where we’ve done enough work and transformed our restaurant operations to the extent that we’re proud of,” Curtis said. “We’re inviting families back in, and we’re finding that we’re getting better retention when they do come back in.”

Curtis said focusing on families gives Burger King the opportunity to attract customers across age cohorts, from millennials to Generation Alpha, which is roughly defined as people born between 2010 and 2025. Plus, parents’ avid use of social media means that word spreads quickly, giving the approach a leg up compared with targeting a single demographic that isn’t as enthusiastic online.

The limited-time themed menu items include the Dragon Flame-Grilled Whopper, with a red and orange marbled bun; Fiery Dragon Mozzarella Fries, made with Calabrian chili pepper breading; Soaring Strawberry Lemonade; and the Viking’s Chocolate Sundae, with Hershey’s syrup and black and green cookie crumbles.

Movie collaborations aren’t anything new for fast food — or Burger King. It was one of the first fast-food chains to lean into movie tie-ins. In 1977, the chain sold “Star Wars” drinking glasses ahead of the film’s release.

McDonald’s wasn’t far behind, following with a Star Trek-themed Happy Meal two years later, kicking off decades of movie, TV and toy tie-ins aimed at kids. More recently, the Golden Arches’ collaboration with “A Minecraft Movie” across more than 100 markets sold out within two weeks in the U.S., about half the time earmarked for the promotion.

In Burger King’s more recent past, under Curtis’ leadership, the chain has had two major partnerships: one with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” two years ago and another with the Addams Family franchise, timed for Halloween last year.

Both of those menus featured Whoppers with thematic, colored buns, dyed using natural colorants, like beet juice or ube.

“Not having artificial dyes and colors is something that’s been important to us for a while,” Curtis said.

Burger King use of natural dyes comes as artificial food dyes have come under fire from health-concerned parents. Following a push from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration recently announced plans to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in food and drinks.

The two previous collaborations also were Burger King’s top-selling Whopper innovations, based on the number sold, according to Curtis.

“What we found in the Addams Family promotion specifically was, as we dug into the property, traffic was fairly flat, but sales were up,” he said, attributing the sales growth to families, which have a higher average check than a solo diner or a couple.

The expected sales lift from the “How to Train Your Dragon” menu comes at a crucial time for Burger King.

In its most recent quarter, the company’s comeback stumbled. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales slid 1.1%, mirroring an industrywide slump as fears about the economy and bad weather kept diners at home.

But Curtis is confident that Burger King is on the right track, pointing to the chain’s relative outperformance compared with its two biggest competitors: McDonald’s and Wendy’s.

“I know that they’re scrambling, and sometimes, frankly, copying some of the things that we do, which, you know, plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery,” he said. “When we see them doing that, it gives us more conviction to stay on course.”

When the live-action version of “How to Train Your Dragon” hits theaters on June 13, it’s expected to be one of the summer’s big blockbusters. After all, the animated trilogy has grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide.

Burger King has similar expectations for its menu tie-in.

The past success of the Spider-Verse and Addams Family menu items pushed Burger King to “dramatically” up its forecast for the “How to Train Your Dragon” menu, according to Curtis. And Burger King is also planning on changing its advertising strategy, which could drastically increase demand for the Dragon Flamed-Grilled Whoppers.

“In the past, we would just kind of associate ourselves with the movie property, but we wouldn’t necessarily advertise the association — you’d just see it and hear about it in social media,” Curtis said.

The promotion is supposed to run through early July, but in case Burger King burns through its supply in just three weeks, the chain is prepared to monitor what locations have run out of the menu items. That’s a lesson it learned during its Spider-Verse promotion, when it had to launch a tracker on its website to help customers find the coveted Whopper.

As it learns from every experience, Burger King is planning to dive deeper into franchise partnerships, betting that the extra effort will drive long-term loyalty for the brand.

“We’re doing a couple more of them than we have in the past,” Curtis said. “We’ve got one toward the end of the year that we’re very, very excited about … and we’re getting some lined up for next year as well. In every one of those, we’ll go all in.”

Disclosure: Comcast owns CNBC and Universal Studios, the producer and distributor of “How to Train Your Dragon.”

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