Author: Buzzo

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was one of three Republicans to vote on Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary in the new Trump administration.The other Republican “no” votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to break the 50-50 tie to confirm President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon.”The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense,” McConnell wrote, explaining his opposition to Hegseth. “In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is…

Fairtrade could help tackle exploitation in UK factories and farms – as well as those in developing countries – the incoming boss of the ethical trade body has said.Eleanor Harrison, who in March takes the reins of the group behind the Fairtrade mark which appears on products in shops, has said it could “offer solutions” in advising the UK government on protecting workers.“The UK government needs to grow productivity, we read that maybe too often in the press. Fairtrade can enable them to do that as exploitation in the supply chain has moved from a myriad of developing countries, closer…

Bankers are reportedly gearing up to offload debt used to fund Elon Musk’s social network, for which he paid $44 million in 2022 including $13 billion in financing. Morgan Stanley is leading the charge, hoping to sell senior debt at between 90 and 95 cents on the dollar, reports the WSJ.  As notes the outlet, bankers typically don’t hold debt for years, but volatile periods can impact those plans, and volatility has defined X since Musk’s takeover, with advertisers skedaddling over concerns that extreme content on the platform could damage their brands. Though Journal sources say that X’s financials are…

WHEN SAM ALTMAN, boss of OpenAI, posted a gnomic tweet this month saying “There is no wall,” his followers on X, a social-media site, had a blast. “Trump will build it,” said one. “No paywall for ChatGPT?” quipped another. It has since morphed from an in-joke among nerds into a serious business matter.

The medical student was showering near his dormitory in the jungles of eastern Myanmar when he heard military jets flying overhead. Wearing only undershorts, he raced to a bomb shelter. But there, he faced another danger: a black snake. Grabbing a stick, he killed it before it could bite him.“It was terrifying,” said Khuu Nay Reh Win, 21, who was inspired to become a surgeon after working as a rebel army medic. “The fear of dying from a snakebite is as real as the fear of bombs.”Such is student life at Karenni Medical College, a school founded two years ago…

Rep. Fallon to New USSS Director: Make Swift Reforms

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who has been convicted in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks case, has lost his last legal option in the US to avoid extradition to India. The Supreme Court in the US approved Rana’s extradition on Saturday as it dismissed the terror convict’s review request against his conviction. This clears the way for India to extradite the terror mastermind and bring him to justice.Besides Rana, India is trying to bring back several other offenders who had turned fugitive to escape the laws back home. The government said last month that of all the fugitives, one-third are hiding in…

Amie LiebowitzIt doesn’t matter how much you prepare for it. It still takes you by surprise. As the great-granddaughter of a woman who was murdered in Auschwitz, I am meeting the granddaughter of a man who drove Jews to their death. I’m lost for words.I never got to meet my grandfather Ludvig, who survived the Holocaust, or his mother Rachel. They were put onto a cattle cart to the Auschwitz death camp in 1944. Ludvig, who was about 15 at the time, was separated from his mother and sent to another concentration camp. But Rachel was tortured, gassed and murdered.I…

The nomination of Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., to be the next Homeland Security secretary defeated a key hurdle in the confirmation process on Friday night, advancing to a final vote later this weekend. Her confirmation vote is expected to take place early Sunday morning. PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is sworn in during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on her nomination to be Secretary of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Getty Images)If confirmed, Noem will become the fourth of…

1. He is immersed in extremist far-right Christianity, and has the tattoos to prove itIn a series of podcasts, Hegseth appeared to endorse the theocratic and authoritarian doctrine of “sphere sovereignty”, a worldview derived from the extremist beliefs of Christian reconstructionism and espoused by churches aligned with far-right Idaho pastor Douglas Wilson.In the interviews, Hegseth expresses agreement with the principle of sphere sovereignty, which envisions a subordination of “civil government” to Old Testament law, capital punishment for infringements of that law such as homosexuality, and rigidly patriarchal families and churches.Extremism experts have sounded the alarm over his nomination, also pointing…