Author: Karen Givens

The Russian Embassy in Rome on Monday blamed Ukraine for a deadly weekend bombing at a Moscow restaurant, calling it an attempt to intimidate the Italian community in Russia and raising fresh concerns about civilian safety and diplomatic fallout. The attack at a Moscow restaurant over the weekend left deaths and injuries and immediately drew a diplomatic statement from the Russian Embassy in Rome. The embassy singled out Ukraine for responsibility and framed the blast as aimed at putting pressure on Italians living or working in Russia. That public accusation shifts the incident from a local tragedy to a matter…

A quick look at a New Hampshire warehouse where mining waste in 1-ton bags sits under a giant American flag, hinting at the domestic stakes around recovering critical elements and rebuilding supply chains. Inside a large New Hampshire warehouse, a giant American flag dominates one wall above rows of heavy white sacks. Those 1-ton bags contain mining waste that holds metals and minerals tied to electronics, clean energy components, and other technologies key to the modern economy. The sight of the flag is more than decoration; it signals the idea that what sits in those bags has national significance. Recovering…

Russian planes dropped eight powerful glide bombs in a span of 90 minutes on residential districts of the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing one person and wounding dozens of others. The attack on Zaporizhzhia was brutal and calculated, striking homes and neighborhoods where civilians live. Eight glide bombs in 90 minutes is not random; it is designed to terrorize and inflict maximum civilian harm. Local emergency services were overwhelmed by damage and casualties, and pictures from the scene showed mangled buildings and frantic rescue efforts. This kind of strike makes clear that the Kremlin continues to use long-range precision…

A crowd of critics and supporters of Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham gathered inside and around the Target Center on Sunday following her public stance on transgender participation in women’s sports. The scene at the Target Center felt charged and disciplined at the same time, with people on both sides making their presence known. Fans, demonstrators and curious onlookers filled lobbies and concourses, talking loudly but mostly staying orderly. Security staff managed entrances and movement without major incident. Sophie Cunningham, identified as an Indiana guard, has become a focal point in an ongoing cultural and sports debate about who should compete…

Democrats in Montana face a simple choice: keep a weak nominee and likely lose, or step aside to give an independent a real shot at the seat. Democrats in Montana are stuck with a nominee who is polling poorly, short on cash, and unlikely to beat Republican incumbent Kurt Alme this November. Independent Seth Bodnar looks competitive in head-to-head surveys, but his path to victory depends on Alani Bankhead leaving the ballot. “If she doesn’t get out, it’s done,” a top Democratic Party operative told The Washington Post. The numbers and the timing have put the party in a tight…

Democratic objections to giving President Trump more tariff authority is slowing Senate consideration of a Russia sanctions bill and preventing a potentially unanimous vote to support Ukraine. The Senate is stuck in a procedural grind because Democrats are tying broader trade authority to a straightforward Russia sanctions measure. Republicans see this as needless obstruction at a moment when unity matters for Ukraine and for confronting Russian aggression. Lawmakers who want to act quickly argue that sanctions and trade policy are separate tools and should not be bundled together for political leverage. For conservatives, the principle is simple: stand with allies…

Ohio Rep. Max Miller announced in a live video on X that he will stay in the race for reelection, rejecting abuse allegations from his ex-wife and noting a Wednesday deadline to replace him on the ballot. Ohio Rep. Max Miller went on X Sunday to tell supporters he will not bow out of his reelection campaign despite recent accusations from his ex-wife. He spoke directly to the audience, framing the moment as one where facts and due process need to matter more than headlines. The announcement arrived with a Wednesday deadline looming for parties to name a replacement candidate…

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a dispute over whether local officials can indefinitely delay zoning decisions to block home prayer meetings, a fight that began when an Ohio homeowner faced a cease-and-desist for holding a Sabbath minyan in his living room. What began as a neighbor complaint about a handful of men gathering quietly on the Sabbath turned into a legal battle that climbed all the way toward the highest court. The key question is not whether the prayers themselves are protected, but whether local authorities can use procedural delay to avoid judicial review. That procedural tactic can…

Iraq and Turkey have agreed to boost oil exports through the pipeline to Ceyhan, and Baghdad is pushing to broaden its export options to avoid overdependence on any single route. Iraq and Turkey signed a deal Saturday to increase oil exports through a pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The agreement aims to expand the flow of crude to a key export terminal, creating additional capacity for shipments headed to global markets. Officials in Baghdad framed the move as part of a larger effort to spread export traffic across more routes and facilities. The deal is meant to…

President Trump signaled he might withdraw Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination temporarily rather than yield to holdout Republican senators, setting up a standoff over a settlement fund and legal protections that has stalled confirmation talks. President Trump floated pulling Todd Blanche’s nomination and resubmitting it after outgoing Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis leave office, saying he has “no objection” to that tactic and insisting Blanche “will remain, in any event, as Acting.” That move would sidestep the two senators rather than meet their demands, and it comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed a planned vote on the nomination.…