16 days ago
Ukraine said it used ground drones in over 16,000 missions in June, up from 7,500 in January.
The 122% increase over the last six months comes as danger zones along the front continue to expand.
Kyiv says it plans to eventually transfer "up to 100%" of supply missions to its ground robots.
Ukraine said on Thursday that its forces had conducted over 16,000 missions with ground drones in June alone, more than double its January tally.
"From logistics to medical evacuation, UGV units are taking over the most dangerous tasks," Ukraine's defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in a social media post on X announcing June's figures.
The 122% increase over the last six months comes as danger zones along the front continue to expand.
Kyiv says it plans to eventually transfer "up to 100%" of supply missions to its ground robots.
Ukraine said on Thursday that its forces had conducted over 16,000 missions with ground drones in June alone, more than double its January tally.
"From logistics to medical evacuation, UGV units are taking over the most dangerous tasks," Ukraine's defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in a social media post on X announcing June's figures.
17 days ago
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are fighting again.
The two AI leaders went at it on social media after an Apple lawsuit against OpenAI became public.
Musk and Altman's troubled relationship dates back to when they cofounded OpenAI in 2015.
It's Altman vs. Musk yet again.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the recent bout of attention he's received from ***** eX CEO Elon Musk must mean his company is doing good work.
The two AI leaders went at it on social media after an Apple lawsuit against OpenAI became public.
Musk and Altman's troubled relationship dates back to when they cofounded OpenAI in 2015.
It's Altman vs. Musk yet again.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the recent bout of attention he's received from ***** eX CEO Elon Musk must mean his company is doing good work.
18 days ago
A Democratic senator on Saturday alleged that whistleblowers have detailed several problems stemming from rushed or improper reconstruction of the Kennedy Center, adding a new layer to the travails of the arts complex as President Donald Trump tried to seize control of it and its name.
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said in a release on Saturday that he had received a whistleblower disclosure from the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower protection group, alleging that "the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President's aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December."
"The Center's subservience to the President's desires and its corner-cutting contracting practices have resulted in steel columns that are rusting through fresh paint, a reflecting pool that may have to be torn out and rebuilt, and a brand-new bathroom floor torn out over an offending tile color," Whitehouse continued. "This is waste, and it treats a national memorial to President Kennedy as if it were a private renovation project."
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump seized control of the arts and culture venue, named after former President John F. Kennedy, at the beginning of his second term. Trump ousted the center's prior leadership and replaced it with a Board of Trustees that named him chairman and added his name to the building.
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said in a release on Saturday that he had received a whistleblower disclosure from the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower protection group, alleging that "the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President's aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series of televised events in December."
"The Center's subservience to the President's desires and its corner-cutting contracting practices have resulted in steel columns that are rusting through fresh paint, a reflecting pool that may have to be torn out and rebuilt, and a brand-new bathroom floor torn out over an offending tile color," Whitehouse continued. "This is waste, and it treats a national memorial to President Kennedy as if it were a private renovation project."
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump seized control of the arts and culture venue, named after former President John F. Kennedy, at the beginning of his second term. Trump ousted the center's prior leadership and replaced it with a Board of Trustees that named him chairman and added his name to the building.
23 days ago
An illegal immigrant truck driver who authorities said remained in the U.S. despite being ordered to leave has been charged in the death of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper who had recently moved home to help care for his mother during her cancer treatment.
The crash is the latest in a series of fatal wrecks involving noncitizen commercial truck drivers that have prompted the Trump administration to tighten commercial driver's license rules.
Michael E. Pahira Jr., 44, was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County on Wednesday morning when another semi-truck left the roadway, struck his marked patrol vehicle and the truck he was inspecting before hitting the trooper, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Both semi-truck caught fire after the crash. Pahira later died at a local hospital.
The driver, identified as 33-year-old Michael Bon, a Haitian national living in Brockton, Massachusetts, was charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving and six additional lesser charges. He is being held at Schuylkill County Prison on $700,000 bail. His next court date is scheduled for July 15.
The Department of Homeland Security has lodged an immigration detainer against him.
The crash is the latest in a series of fatal wrecks involving noncitizen commercial truck drivers that have prompted the Trump administration to tighten commercial driver's license rules.
Michael E. Pahira Jr., 44, was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County on Wednesday morning when another semi-truck left the roadway, struck his marked patrol vehicle and the truck he was inspecting before hitting the trooper, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Both semi-truck caught fire after the crash. Pahira later died at a local hospital.
The driver, identified as 33-year-old Michael Bon, a Haitian national living in Brockton, Massachusetts, was charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving and six additional lesser charges. He is being held at Schuylkill County Prison on $700,000 bail. His next court date is scheduled for July 15.
The Department of Homeland Security has lodged an immigration detainer against him.
28 days ago
Republicans' cash advantage just got a lot more powerful thanks to the Supreme Court — and the Democratic National Committee's fundraising struggles just got a lot more concerning for their party.
Democrats argue that the court's Tuesday decision, which allows political parties to freely coordinate with candidates, will give the GOP the ability to offset Democratic candidates' fundraising lead in battlegrounds.
Republicans have a cash edge with the Senate and House Republican committees. But the starkest cash disparity by far is for the Republican National Committee, which has $125 million in the bank, while the Democratic National Committee has more debt than cash on hand, $18.3 million to $14.8 million.
That disparity was already going to matter for the GOP. But with the Supreme Court decision, they can spend without constraint — and their dollars will go a lot further, erasing Democrats' cash advantage in some battlegrounds while allowing the GOP to level up. That's especially important for expensive campaign advertising: Candidates have long gotten reduced rates, but parties now can get that rate, too.
More than a dozen Democrats working on key midterms races from North Carolina to Maine expressed various levels of concern over the Supreme Court decision Tuesday.
Democrats argue that the court's Tuesday decision, which allows political parties to freely coordinate with candidates, will give the GOP the ability to offset Democratic candidates' fundraising lead in battlegrounds.
Republicans have a cash edge with the Senate and House Republican committees. But the starkest cash disparity by far is for the Republican National Committee, which has $125 million in the bank, while the Democratic National Committee has more debt than cash on hand, $18.3 million to $14.8 million.
That disparity was already going to matter for the GOP. But with the Supreme Court decision, they can spend without constraint — and their dollars will go a lot further, erasing Democrats' cash advantage in some battlegrounds while allowing the GOP to level up. That's especially important for expensive campaign advertising: Candidates have long gotten reduced rates, but parties now can get that rate, too.
More than a dozen Democrats working on key midterms races from North Carolina to Maine expressed various levels of concern over the Supreme Court decision Tuesday.
28 days ago
ABDIN, Syria (AP) — As Israeli troops and vehicles entered the town of Abdin in southern Syria, residents blocked the roads with rocks, and some young men and boys threw stones to push back the military patrol.
Tensions in this part of the country created by a buffer zone occupied by Israeli forces have flared into violence in recent days, leaving residents anxious that more escalation is coming. Residents of Abdin, located near a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops, tried to resist against a military incursion Sunday.
Residents said Israeli troops fired warnings shots at walls and between the angry protesters, before firing artillery rounds at the village. No one was harmed in the exchange, but most residents fled, and most were still too afraid to return on Monday. Many fear that there will now be more intense incursions and raids following the skirmish.
"They come into the village regularly, every few days," said resident Mohammad al-Hassan, standing not far from a group of children looking at an exploded shell. "They come in armored 4x4 vehicles, they roam around the village and search some houses, they knock on doors and if people don't answer the door they break it down and enter the houses. Women and children start screaming, it's a terrifying thing, them coming here."
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar ****** ad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially described the move as temporary to protect their borders from militant groups, but more recently top Israeli officials have said they plan to occupy the buffer zone in Syria indefinitely.
Tensions in this part of the country created by a buffer zone occupied by Israeli forces have flared into violence in recent days, leaving residents anxious that more escalation is coming. Residents of Abdin, located near a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops, tried to resist against a military incursion Sunday.
Residents said Israeli troops fired warnings shots at walls and between the angry protesters, before firing artillery rounds at the village. No one was harmed in the exchange, but most residents fled, and most were still too afraid to return on Monday. Many fear that there will now be more intense incursions and raids following the skirmish.
"They come into the village regularly, every few days," said resident Mohammad al-Hassan, standing not far from a group of children looking at an exploded shell. "They come in armored 4x4 vehicles, they roam around the village and search some houses, they knock on doors and if people don't answer the door they break it down and enter the houses. Women and children start screaming, it's a terrifying thing, them coming here."
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar ****** ad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially described the move as temporary to protect their borders from militant groups, but more recently top Israeli officials have said they plan to occupy the buffer zone in Syria indefinitely.
1 month ago
A US fighter jet pilot rescued by special forces after being shot down over Iran in April described a shocking sight before ejecting from his aircraft: multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident. It immediately set off a firestorm of debate within the US intelligence community that has yet to be resolved.
If the airman really saw what he described — a formation moving in unison — it would be an alarming advance in Iranian drone capabilities.
"Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs," one of the sources familiar with the pilot's witness account told CNN. "Real alien sh*t."
Another source told CNN the pilot described witnessing a "minefield of drones" in the air.
The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident. It immediately set off a firestorm of debate within the US intelligence community that has yet to be resolved.
If the airman really saw what he described — a formation moving in unison — it would be an alarming advance in Iranian drone capabilities.
"Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs," one of the sources familiar with the pilot's witness account told CNN. "Real alien sh*t."
Another source told CNN the pilot described witnessing a "minefield of drones" in the air.
2 months ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will appoint one of his personal lawyers to serve as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, filling a pending vacancy after Trump tapped the man currently in the job to be director of national intelligence.
James M. McDonald, a former federal prosecutor in the office he had been picked to run, served as a financial regulator during Trump's first term and worked in the White House counsel's office in President George W. Bush's administration.
A partner at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald is part of the legal team handling Trump's pending appeal of felony convictions in New York related to hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels as the Republican ran for president in 2016.
Trump said Saturday he would name McDonald to the role of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most influential positions in the Justice Department. He would replace Jay Clayton, whom Trump put forward this week as his pick for the director of national intelligence.
McDonald's perch as U.S. attorney would give him oversight of arguably the most prestigious of the Justice Department's prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.
James M. McDonald, a former federal prosecutor in the office he had been picked to run, served as a financial regulator during Trump's first term and worked in the White House counsel's office in President George W. Bush's administration.
A partner at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, McDonald is part of the legal team handling Trump's pending appeal of felony convictions in New York related to hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels as the Republican ran for president in 2016.
Trump said Saturday he would name McDonald to the role of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most influential positions in the Justice Department. He would replace Jay Clayton, whom Trump put forward this week as his pick for the director of national intelligence.
McDonald's perch as U.S. attorney would give him oversight of arguably the most prestigious of the Justice Department's prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.
2 months ago
A Los Angeles mansion is on the market for $135 million following a $60 million price drop.
It was built by Hyatt heir Tony Pritzker and his then-wife, Jeanne, in 2011, but they split in 2022.
The 50,000-square-foot home — one of the country's largest — has 16 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms, and a cliffside pool.
In the hills of Beverly Crest, a neighborhood in Los Angeles' Westside, looms the Pritzker estate, one of the largest homes in the US.
The 50,000-square-foot megamansion took six years to build and includes 16 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms, a tennis court, a basketball court, a cliffside pool, a detached guest house, a bowling alley, and a private movie theater.
It was built by Hyatt heir Tony Pritzker and his then-wife, Jeanne, in 2011, but they split in 2022.
The 50,000-square-foot home — one of the country's largest — has 16 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms, and a cliffside pool.
In the hills of Beverly Crest, a neighborhood in Los Angeles' Westside, looms the Pritzker estate, one of the largest homes in the US.
The 50,000-square-foot megamansion took six years to build and includes 16 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms, a tennis court, a basketball court, a cliffside pool, a detached guest house, a bowling alley, and a private movie theater.
2 months ago
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Friday called on U.S. banks to detect and report identity theft, payroll fraud and other illicit activities tied to people not authorized to work in the United States, following President Donald Trump's executive order last month directing financial institutions to increase their scrutiny of non-citizens' banking activities.
• A Treasury advisory lists 18 red-flag indicators aimed at identifying "suspicious activity connected to fraud schemes involving the unlawful employment of unlawful aliens"
• Treasury warns of labor brokers, complicit employer schemes, particularly in agriculture, construction, domestic service and hospitality industries
• Regulators urge banks to scrutinize Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs)
• Advisory issued by Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration in coordination with the Internal Revenue Service
• A Treasury advisory lists 18 red-flag indicators aimed at identifying "suspicious activity connected to fraud schemes involving the unlawful employment of unlawful aliens"
• Treasury warns of labor brokers, complicit employer schemes, particularly in agriculture, construction, domestic service and hospitality industries
• Regulators urge banks to scrutinize Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs)
• Advisory issued by Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration in coordination with the Internal Revenue Service
