Category: Uncategorized

A new Banksy statue has appeared in London

This post was originally published on NBC News.

Roman Lavrynovych, Petro Pochynok and Stanislav Carpiuc are accused of targeting two properties and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer.

Source: BBC.

The Trump administration is appealing a judge’s order as it tries to cut the number of vaccines recommended for every child in the United States

Source: ABC News

The driver hit a parked car and veered off the road into the river – about 12 miles south of Paris – early on Thursday.

Source: BBC.

Coventry boss Frank Lampard is attracting interest from Premier League clubs – but talks with the Sky Blues are key to his future.

Source: BBC.

Former FBI Director James Comey made an initial court appearance on Wednesday.

Source: ABC News

From The Hill

We can and should continue to criticize judicial decisions that undercut core freedoms. But we must recommit to a form of more principled disagreement, which does not threaten the integrity of our courts or the security of our frontline judicial personnel.

From The Hill

A conservative TV host pressed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Thursday about rising fuel prices across the U.S. as the war in Iran stretches past 60 days. The average cost of gas has skyrocketed amid the ongoing conflict, hitting the highest level in four years on Tuesday. The national average as of Thursday morning…

This post was originally published on Politico.

Louisiana is preparing to delay its House primaries after the Supreme Court struck down its current map.

In a statement posted to social media, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said the court’s decision bars the state from holding elections using its current congressional maps. State officials “are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s office to develop a path forward” for its May 16 primaries, he said.

Absentee and military ballots have already been mailed out and early voting is set to begin on Saturday. It’s unclear whether the delay would only apply to House elections and if

The list of questions surrounding the war with Iran is not short, but one of the nagging lines of inquiry involves its price tag: What exactly is this war of choice costing American taxpayers?

Roughly a week after Donald Trump launched combat operations, congressional sources with knowledge of the matter said the war was costing the United States an estimated $1 billion a day. A week later, a congressional source told MS NOW that the administration, during a private briefing for lawmakers, revised that number to $1.6 billion a day.

In the weeks that followed, the White House decided it no longer wanted to talk about the financial costs and refused to offer even vague answers.

More than two months after Donald Trump approved the military offensive, the Republican administration finally gave the public a dollar amount. MS NOW reported, as part of Wednesday’s live blog coverage:

Jules Hurst III, the chief financial officer of the Defense Department, said Trump’s war on Iran has cost the United States “about $25 billion” so far, most of which has been spent on munitions.

Hurst said the Pentagon will submit a supplemental funding request to Congress “once we have the full assessment of the cost of the conflict.”

Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the panel’s ranking member, responded, “I’m glad you answered that question, because we’ve been asking for a hell of a long time. No one’s given us the number.”

It was a step in a constructive direction. But before moving forward with that stated dollar amount, it’s worth pausing to assess Hurst’s answer fully.

To state the obvious, fair-minded observers would agree the most important cost in any war is the human cost, and this avoidable conflict has already taken a brutal toll. But given the role of political leaders in shaping the war’s future, it’s also important to acknowledge that this is an election year and that many congressional Democrats have already seized on the growing financial costs of the unpopular war as a campaign issue.

With this in mind, spending $25 billion in two months for an unnecessary war is extraordinary — it’s more than double what the country spends per year on the FBI, for example — and the price tag can only grow as the conflict continues.

A related question, meanwhile, hangs overhead: Is $25 billion a reliable figure, especially given the early daily estimates?

MS NOW’s Chris Hayes noted during Wednesday’s hearing that it seems “a near-certainty” that the estimate “is way, way too low.”

Soon after, a CNN report based on three sources noted that the $25 billion estimate “is a lowball figure that does not include the cost of repairing extensive damage suffered by US bases in the region.”

During the hearing, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California voiced skepticism of the stated price tag, calling the estimate “totally off.” Put another way, it’s probably best to take the $25 billion figure with a grain of salt as the debate continues.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

The post The problem(s) with Team Trump’s new price tag for the war with Iran appeared first on MS NOW.

From MS Now.

From The Hill

The House on Thursday passed a major bill reauthorizing agricultural and food programs for the next five years, overcoming GOP infighting that delayed and threatened to derail the legislation this week. The lower chamber voted 224-200 to pass the measure, with 209 Republicans, 14 Democrats and one independent voting to support it. Three Republicans and…

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry intends to postpone the six congressional primaries scheduled for May 16 so the state legislature can implement a new congressional map, four people with knowledge of the matter told MS NOW.

Landry could announce the decision as early as this week, two of the people said. The last-minute suspension follows a Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, unlawfully discriminated by race when it formed a second Black congressional district. Republicans stand to gain up to two House seats following the ruling.

The Washington Post first reported Landry’s plans, citing conversations the governor had with Republican House candidates.

It was unclear Thursday morning whether the governor would also try to move the Senate primaries and whether a postponement would affect Louisiana’s closed-primary system, which is new this cycle.

Landry’s press office did not respond to a request for comment. But on Thursday, he and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill released a joint statement in reaction to the Supreme Court ruling, teeing up the governor for his announcement.

“Yesterday’s historic Supreme Court victory for Louisiana has an immediate consequence for the State,” said the statement, which was posted on X. “Accordingly, the State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map. We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s office to develop a path forward.”

The timing of the Supreme Court’s ruling presents complications for Louisiana officials: With the primary just over two weeks away, election officials have already sent ballots to overseas voters.

The post Louisiana governor intends to delay House primaries after Supreme Court ruling appeared first on MS NOW.

From MS Now.