01 Trending

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Says James Comey Indictment Built on 11 Months of Evidence– wltreport.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Former FBI Director James Comey. Official FBI portrait.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche went on national television Sunday and made a simple point: the federal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey was the product of an 11-month investigation, and reducing the case to a single deleted Instagram photo misrepresents what prosecutors actually have.

Blanche appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on May 3 and addressed the widespread criticism that Comey was charged over a beach photo showing seashells arranged as “86 47.” Critics of President Donald Trump interpreted the post as a harmless political statement. Supporters of the president viewed it as a veiled threat against the 47th president of the United States. Comey deleted the image.

Blanche said investigators developed a far broader evidentiary record than a screenshot.

Thinking About Smartphone Bans in Schools | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

America’s war on student smartphones is intensifying. Roughly two-thirds of US states have moved to restrict phone use in schools. The educational logic is straightforward enough. If these devices distract our kids, lock the gadgets away and learning will naturally improve—a strong prima facie case, to be sure. Yet new nationwide evidence suggests the story is more complicated than this basic common parental and teacher intuition.

A fresh NBER working paper by Stanford University’s Hunt Allcott and co-authors, “The Effects of School Phone Bans: National Evidence from Lockable Pouches,” examines one of the most stringent approaches—lockable phone pouches that physically prevent access during the school day. Using a dataset spanning thousands of schools, the researchers take advantage of a kind of natural experiment by comparing outcomes before and after adoption against similar schools that didn’t adopt the policy.

If the goal is to keep kids off their phones while at school, mission accomplished. On those terms, the policy works. Phone use plunges with pouches—fewer GPS pings on campus and far less in-class use, according to teachers.

South Carolina Rated Fast-Growing As Staggering Population Declines Persist In America’s Urban Centers– dailycaller.com

pgnewser May 5, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

South Carolina came out as the fastest-growing state in the country, even as Democrat-led cities on both coasts continue hemorrhaging residents at striking rates.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, 66,622 more Americans relocated to South Carolina than left it, driving a 1.5% population increase that outpaced every other state, , Fox News reported.

Federal data reinforces the scale of the shift. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that national population growth slowed to just 0.5% during the same window, the weakest annual increase since the pandemic era. Five states actually shrank: California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia. Idaho and North Carolina trailed South Carolina at 1.4% and 1.3% growth, respectively.

US Iran War Live Iran Tanker ‘Silly City’ Slips Past US Blockade Despite Warning: Report– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:
An Iranian tanker called “Silly City” successfully reached the country’s waters despite a naval blockade and threats from a US Navy task force. According to reports from local media, the vessel reached a southern Iranian port overnight after passing through the Arabian Sea with full security and operational support from Iran’s navy.

“Despite numerous warnings and threats from the US Navy Fleet Group, the Iranian oil tanker Silly City, with the operational support of the Iranian Navy and in full safety, entered Iran’s territorial waters last night after crossing the Arabian Sea,” the Iranian military said in a statement on Tuesday.

Shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd’s List reported that more than 20 Iranian so-called “shadow vessels” had transited past the US blockade

The Strait of Hormuz in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to the site.

NATO intercepts Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

ŠIAULIAI AIR BASE, Lithuania — NATO intercepted Russian strategic bombers and fighter jets that flew over the Baltic Sea on Monday, a muscular display of air power on the alliance’s eastern flank away from the spotlight on the Middle East.

French Rafale fighters were deployed from a Lithuanian air base where they are stationed as part of a decades-long NATO air-policing effort. The fighters armed with air-to-air missiles joined jets from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Romania. They all took to the skies to inspect and keep watch on the Russian flight, the French detachment said.

The Russian mission included two supersonic Tu-22M3s, as well as about 10 fighters — both SU-30s and SU-35s — that took turns escorting the larger strategic bombers, according to the statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the long-range bombers’ flight was scheduled and occurred in airspace over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. The flight took more than four hours, the ministry said Monday on Telegram.

Gunman at Mexico’s Teotihuacán pyramids kills Canadian tourist, injures at least 13 people– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

A Canadian tourist was shot and killed Monday while visiting the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico, according to local authorities.

Mexico’s security officials said a gunman opened fire at the popular tourist spot, killing a Canadian woman and injuring at least 13 people, including six Americans. The shooter later took his own life, the Security Cabinet said.

In a video posted on X, verified by CBS News, a man with a gun is seen pacing near the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. In another video, gunshots can be heard as visitors of the archeological site are seen walking at the bottom of the pyramid.

At least seven people suffered gunshot wounds and at least two people were injured from falls, officials said. Two of the people who were shot, a 29-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman, were Americans. Eight people were still hospitalized as of Monday night, Mexico’s Interior Ministry said.

Iran brutally trolls JD Vance as Vice President dealt yet another humiliation | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser April 21, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Iran has brutally mocked JD Vance ahead of crunch peace talks on Tuesday. Iranian channels have reporrtedly shared images of JD Vance edited using Mr Bean meme showing him waiting for the conversation.

Vice President JD Vance and other top Trump officials are expected to travel to Pakistan today for a second round of intense negotiations. The US President has previously said it is “highly unlikely” he would extend the ceasefire deadline further than tomorrow evening.

However, Iranian state media said: “None of the Iranian delegation has arrived or even flown to Islamabad for negotiations with the US at the moment”

Meanwhile, the US President shared a new update on extending the US ceasefire with Iran past its new deadline of tomorrow evening.

Donald Trump ‘planning shock nuclear retreat’ to end conflict with Iran– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Donald Trump may be considering a deal to allow Iran to continue nuclear enrichment in 10 years(Image: Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock)

Donald Trump is reported to be weighing up an option allowing Iran to resume uranium enrichment in a decade.

The US president has offered shifting reasons for the war in Iran but has consistently said a primary objective is ensuring the country will “never have a nuclear weapon”.

Iran has 440.9kg of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency.

Anchor babies account for nearly 10% of US births: report | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Data released by Pew Research shows that 9 percent of all US births in 2023 were to those that were here in the US illegally, or in the country temporarily.

Children born to illegal immigrant parents in the US were nearly 10 percent of all new births in the US in 2023, according to new data. The figures were published about data that came during the Biden administration, which had lax border policies.

New data released by Pew Research shows that 9 percent of all US births in 2023 were to those who were here in the US illegally, or in the country temporarily. The Supreme Court is currently considering the legality of an order from President Donald Trump that would restrict birthright citizenship from some of those born to foreign nationals in the US.

8 children killed in mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, police say – CBS News– news.google.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. 8 children killed in mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, police say  CBS News
  2. Shreveport shooting: Louisiana gunman was father of 7 of the 8 children he killed, police say  CNN
  3. What we know about suspect in Louisiana shooting that killed 8 children  USA Today
  4. Suspect dead after 8 children killed, 2 women wounded in Louisiana shooting  Yahoo
  5. Eight children killed in Louisiana shooting, police say  BBC

Sweden warns Russia could launch land grab to seize Baltic Sea island– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Sweden is bracing itself for a potential Russian operation to seize the island of Gotland, according to the country’s military chief.

Swedish Chief of Defence Michael Claesson warned that Moscow could execute a land grab “at any time” in order to put NATO’s determination to the test.

“It doesn’t have to be particularly extensive at all, but more to make a point and wait to see what might happen politically,” Claesson said.

NATO military exercises have traditionally centred on a potential Russian land assault along the alliance’s eastern flank, however focus is now turning towards the Baltic Sea.

War games have simulated possible Russian landings on strategically vital islands such as Gotland in Sweden, Bornholm in Denmark, and Hiiumaa and Saaremaa in Estonia.

Swedish military intelligence has cautioned that Russia is capable of broadening its conflict in the years ahead.

Obama and Mamdani read and sing with New York preschoolers in first meeting | Barack Obama– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Barack Obama met with Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a childcare center where the former Democratic US president and mayor of New York City read to preschoolers and led a sing-along.

The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week earlier, is also trying to build a working relationship with Donald Trump – Obama’s Republican presidential successor.

Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book Alone and Together to the children – and leading a sing-along of The Wheels on the Bus.

Obama, a standard-bearer for the Democratic party, has offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, 34. Mamdani’s star power, youth and progressive agenda has made him stand out in Democratic politics.

Iran-US war latest: Tehran threatens attacks on US after seizure of tanker and rejects new round of peace talks– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

A senior Iranian source has been talking to Reuters news agency about the gaps in negotiating position between Washington and Tehran.

There are still significant differences regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, the source said.

It comes amid hopes that Iran and the US will resume peace talks after they failed in Islamabad earlier this month.

The senior Iranian source said that Tehran’s “defensive capabilities”, including its missile programme, are not open to negotiation with the US

“Continuation of the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz undermines the peace talks,” they added.

Los Angeles woman arrested on Iranian arms trafficking charge– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors said a 44-year-old Los Angeles woman was arrested Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of helping Iran traffic weapons to Sudan, which is in its fourth year of a bloody civil war.

Shamim Mafi will face charges that she brokered the sale of “drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition” between Iran and the Sudanese Armed Forces, First U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Sunday on social media.

A phone number for Mafi could not be located and it wasn’t known Sunday if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

Essayli posted a photo of someone in an FBI jacket escorting a woman into the back of a sedan outside a terminal at LAX.

Mafi is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016, Essayli said.

The US backs a South Africa project to extract rare earths despite a diplomatic clash– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

PHALABORWA, South Africa — Two enormous sandlike dunes at an old chemical processing plant in South Africa are at the center of an exploratory U.S.-backed project to extract highly sought-after rare earth elements from industrial mining waste.

The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project has U.S. support through a $50 million equity investment by the government’s International Development Finance Corporation and is part of accelerated U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on economic rival China for the minerals crucial for making electronic devices, robotics, defense systems, electric vehicles and other high-tech products.

Countries have identified dozens of minerals, including copper, cobalt, lithium and nickel, as critical because they are essential for new technologies. The 17 rare earth elements are a subset of them.

President Donald Trump has made expanding U.S. access to critical minerals, including rare earth elements, a central policy to counter China. The Trump administration said this year it will deploy nearly $12 billion to create its own strategic reserve.

Migrants rush to apply under Spain’s new mass legalization program– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

MADRID — Migrants in Spain began applying to legalize their status Monday after the Southern European nation launched a mass legalization measure that could affect hundreds of thousands of foreigners living and working in the country without authorization.

Spain’s approach sharply differs from prevailing attitudes elsewhere in Europe, where many governments have been trying to curb arrivals and step up deportations. The Spanish government has defended the measure as an economic one that has the support of business owners and unions.

With an aging population, the government has said Spain needs more workers to maintain its growing economy, pay taxes and contribute to social security.

The amnesty program was announced in January and finalized this month. It offers immigrants without legal status a one-year, renewable residence permit if they have spent five months living in the country and have a clean criminal record. They have until the end of June to apply.

Ministers rally around Keir Starmer as leadership questions grow over Mandelson saga – UK politics live | Politics– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has indicated Keir Starmer’s mishandling of the economy and the Peter Mandelson saga risks leading Nigel Farage to become prime minister.

Davey told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that Starmer should “move aside” if he wants the Labour party to succeed.

He said: “The thing that I think Labour MPs should think about quite carefully now is their Government has been a bit of a failure, frankly, on the economy, on so much, and it’s in chaos, in the way that Conservatives were in chaos, in perpetual crisis, and I don’t think they can get out of that unless Keir Starmer moves aside.

“And if they don’t, there’s a real danger they’re handing the keys to Number 10 to Nigel Farage, who can benefit from this chaos.

“So I would really say to Labour MPs, who in many ways, have the future of the prime minister in their hands, that they really now have to accept, the prime minister is a big part of their own problem and in the context of the threat that Nigel Farage poses to our democracy and to our country with his divisive Trump-like politics, I think the Labour party has to realise they have to move on.”

Stanford’s AI Index for 2026 Shows the State of AI– spectrum.ieee.org

pgnewser April 20, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

The capabilities of leading AI models continue to accelerate, and the largest AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are hurtling toward IPOs later this year. Yet resentment toward AI continues to simmer, and in some cases has boiled over, especially in the United States, where local governments are beginning to embrace restrictions or outright bans on new data center development.

It’s a lot to keep track of, but the 2026 edition of the AI Index from Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence center pulls it off. The report, which comes in at over 400 pages, includes dozens of data points and graphs that approach the topic from multiple angles, from benchmark scores to investment and public perception.

As in prior years (see our coverage from 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025), we’ve read the report and identified the trends that encapsulate the state of AI in 2026.