From The Hill
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has been sticking to his original story that vandals were responsible for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, despite a court filing from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro saying the department had evidence a “botched” installation was to blame. President Trump, who has repeatedly railed against the alleged vandalism and efforts to hinder…
In their efforts to exert influence over the U.S. banking system, President Donald Trump and his two oldest sons have baselessly accused various banks of shutting down their accounts for political reasons after Jan. 6.
Trump has promoted this unfounded allegation while casting himself as a victim, a claim MS NOW’s Stephanie Ruhle helped debunk earlier this year when she laid waste to Trump’s lawsuit against JPMorgan. And some Republican state attorneys general — such as Florida’s James Uthmeier, for example — have pursued separate investigations into similarly baseless allegations.
But Capital One essentially threw down the gauntlet on Friday in a legal filing alleging that the actual reason for the closed accounts was a concern about potential money laundering.
Capital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization’s bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money laundering experts.
The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking — or denying services on religious or political grounds — the Trump Organization.
Reuters said the Trump Organization and Capital One didn’t immediately respond to its requests for comment.
The report continued:
Capital One has never accused the Trump Organization of illegal money laundering. But Friday’s filing argues that “documents and Plaintiffs’ own allegations make clear that Capital One closed Plaintiffs’ accounts for anti-money laundering (“AML”) reasons. The closures were the result of months of analysis and a careful review by Capital One’s AML team in accordance with bank policies and regulatory guidance.”
Capital One gave notice of its plans to close more than 300 Trump-affiliated bank accounts in March 2021.
The claim brings to mind Trump’s past ties to Deutsche Bank, an institution with a history of anti-money laundering failures and one that — according to reports back in 2019 — maintained relationships with Trump-related entities after staffers flagged suspicious activity. (Such flags do not constitute proof of a crime.)
Trump and his family organization, of course, have a history of financial impropriety that could make a bank wary. Two years ago, Trump himself was convicted on felony counts of falsifying business records. (The case remains under appeal.)
Trump, his two oldest sons and Trump Organization entities also were found liable for committing civil fraud in New York, a ruling that they are trying to get overturned.
And back in 2018, a judge finalized a $25 million settlement Trump reached after former students said they had been misled or defrauded by his now-defunct Trump University. This followed his 2016 pronouncement that “I don’t settle cases very easily when I’m right.”
All this is to say: Trump isn’t someone who should be seen as a trustworthy financial partner. So his claims about political debanking ought to be taken with a grain of salt — especially in light of Capital One’s new filing.
The post Capital One says money laundering concerns led to closure of Trump Org accounts, not politics appeared first on MS NOW.
From MS Now.
After a months-long investigation, the ethics committee recommended censure for Edwards because of “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”
(Image credit: Graeme Sloan)
Source: NPR.
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau clearly have no problem with PDA … because they were making out in the South of France in front of everyone on the beach … including photogs. Video shows the “Legendary Lovers” singer and the ex-prime minister of…
From TMZ.
Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.
The United States last month imposed double-digit tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor. The new tariffs took effect just as the clock ran out on temporary tariffs President Donald Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.
“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Joining New York in the lawsuit announced Monday are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Trump, who argues that high tariffs will revive American manufacturing, last year overturned decades of U.S. policy that favored lower tariffs and ever-freer trade. Invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, he imposed double-digit tariffs on imports from almost every country, saying America’s longstanding trade deficit amounted to a national emergency.
But the Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA did not authorize tariffs. The decision forced the administration to send refunds to importers who’d paid the tariffs. Eager to make up the lost revenue, Trump turned to temporary 10% worldwide tariffs. But they expired at midnight July 24.
Now he’s tapping more durable tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the president to impose import taxes and other sanctions against countries found to engage in unfair trade practices. Trump used Section 301 to impose big tariffs on China in his first term, and they survived court challenges.
The administration invoked Section 301 to impose the forced-labor tariffs, which range from 10% to 12.5% and hit countries that provide 99% of American imports.
“The United States is using its lawful authority to obtain the elimination of unreasonable acts, policies, and practices that burden U.S. commerce,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed. Section 301 tariffs have proven to be a legally durable tool since the President’s first term, and they remain so now.”
The states’ lawsuit follows two other lawsuits filed in The Court of International Trade in July by small businesses that also challenged the 301 tariffs.
Both of those lawsuits argue that the government didn’t adequately establish its case against each specific economy or spell how the tariffs will eliminate the specified practice they are being levied for, as required by Section 301.
The post 25 Democratic-led states sue Trump administration over latest round of tariffs appeared first on MS NOW.
From MS Now.
Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
This post was originally published on NBC News.
In 2023, Procter & Gamble acquired Mielle. Immediately after, the beauty community accused founder Monique Rodriguez of changing the formula of the viral Rosemary Mint Oil and even alleged hair loss as a result. But, contrary to popular belief, the formula for the entire 10-product collection has always remained the same. That was, until now.
“Just because people love something doesn’t mean you stop looking for ways to make it even better,” Rodriguez tells ESSENCE exclusively about the new Enriched Rosemary Mint collection. “I’ve always asked myself, ‘How do we find the best?’ That’s been my philosophy since day one.”
Rodriguez has been learning and developing textured hair formulas for over 10 years. Now, with P&G, the haircare brand has access to new ingredients, research, and expertise. While the collection isn’t undergoing a full reformulation, she says these resources are an opportunity to “make an already loved collection even better.”
Since the original Rosemary Mint collection launched in 2018, it’s been all about hair strength and stimulating longer, healthier hair. However, according to its most recent study, almost half of Black women identify breakage as one of their top hair concerns, while more than 80 percent recognize that scalp health promotes stronger, healthier hair.
“When I put myself in the shoes of our consumers, I think about everything they’re asking their hair to do,” she says. “Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and we know women are looking for products that support both.” So, the updated formula began there. With Black women prioritizing their roots now more than ever, “scalp care became such an important part of this evolution,” she says.
Working with higher-quality ingredients independently certified by one of the world’s leading botanical research institutions, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, the new, enriched formula has one key update. Instead of rosemary oil, the collection is enhanced with pure rosemary extract which is richer in antioxidants to make your hair up to 12 times stronger than the original formula.
The extract is joining other pre-existing ingredients, which are now Kew-certified as well, like mint, biotin, castor oil, and vitamin B5, to further support stronger, healthier-looking hair. “We listened to our community, looked at the latest research, worked with experts, and took a really thoughtful look at every formula and every ingredient,” she says.
Making their formula even better for textured hair, the Enriched Rosemary Mint collection is the first, but may not be the only product getting a little facelift. “What excites me most is that we’re just getting started,” Rodriguez says. “As science continues to evolve, so will we, and I’m excited to keep creating products that help women feel confident in every stage of their hair journey.”
The new Enriched Rosemary Mint Collection is available now at mielle.com and will be available mid September at major retailers including Target, Walmart, Ulta Beauty, and CVS.
From The Hill
David Venturella, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sent a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) saying he has divested of his Geo Group stocks and “fully recused himself from all contracts and obligations related to detention.” The letter to Warren, sent Thursday, did not share specifics about ICE’s contracting process. Venturella added that…
TKO Group, the home of UFC and WWE, saw revenue jump 18% to $1.5 billion for the three months ended in June, beating Wall Street estimates. The stock, which has been taking its knocks this year, jumped in late trading after the earnings report, which included higher forecasts for 2026 full-year revenue and adjusted ebidta, […]
Source: Deadline.
From The Hill
Roughly two dozen Democratic-controlled states sued President Trump on Monday over his new global tariffs, calling them “equally unlawful” to the ones the Supreme Court has invalidated. The lawsuit adds to legal challenges launched by small businesses in response to the latest round of tariffs in recent days. The new tariffs, announced last month, add a surcharge…
From The Hill
More than a dozen Republican attorneys general are calling on OpenAI to preserve records on its models’ recent breach of another company, suggesting the AI firm may have violated state or federal laws in the incident. In a letter sent Monday to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 15 attorneys general wrote the ChatGPT-maker may have broken…
It’s hard to keep up with the shape-shifting forms of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Half Democrat, half Trump ally. Half environmental lawyer, half New Age health guru. Here’s a politician with a dead worm in his brain and a dead bear in his car.
Trump’s secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is a strange fish. So it’s no surprise to find him cooking fish, strangely, in a new video series funded by your tax dollars.
Some people have called “The Real Food Show,” which premiered July 30 on YouTube and the HHS website, a cooking show. But Kennedy does far less food prep for it than your regular hosts of NBC’s “Today” show do for theirs.
Kennedy does far less food prep than your regular hosts of NBC’s “Today” show.
Kennedy mostly lectures the poor unsuspecting viewer about his new food pyramid, which prioritizes protein and recommends full-fat dairy. He also goes on about the thinning of cattle herds in the country and what might be good for your microbiome.
Somehow, his HHS team found a chef, Andrew Gruel, to stand alongside him and talk even more. Gruel is also now a politician. The conservative commentator, who is a frequent Fox News guest, was appointed last year to the Huntington Beach, California, City Council.
We could count the ways that this “cooking show” is a waste of the public’s time and money. Never mind the talk about substituting salmon for abalone or adding nutritional yeast to your salmon cakes.
This is plainly not a video series to help struggling Americans prepare healthy and affordable meals for their family.
The videos that were formerly recorded to do that were funded by the federal government and produced by expert partners. They were part of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education, or SNAP-Ed, and made for the lower-income families who receive the assistance popularly known as food stamps.
SNAP-Ed included simple videos for recipes like tilapia with tomato-mango relish, produced by Purdue University as part of its nutrition education program. These programs, which include hands-on teaching in person, have a proven track record over six decades.
Sadly, funding for SNAP-Ed ended in September as part of President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, which cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans and paid for it with cuts to social services.
Why trust a proven program to help make America healthy when you can vandalize the federal government in the name of saving money and then waste money on a YouTube series?
It is hard — no, impossible — to reconcile the idea of making Americans healthy again while cutting funding to teach them how to eat healthfully.
It is hard — no, impossible — to reconcile the idea of making Americans healthy again while cutting funding to teach them how to eat healthfully.
Then again, it’s impossible to figure out how to make Americans healthy while trashing the vaccines that would stop them getting sick from measles. That contradiction hasn’t stopped RFK Jr. from his anti-vaccine crusade, including his dumpster fire of an interview on CNN on Sunday in which he claimed that during the Covid-19 pandemic “the thing that did the most damage to our country was the lockdowns.”
Kennedy would love Americans to believe that he has moved boldly, nay, radically, to flip the food pyramid by telling everyone to eat more protein. But he knows full well that the food guidelines HHS produced don’t change anything in terms of what Americans eat.
The real political power to shape how Americans eat, and how much they pay for their food, lies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds SNAP and, until recently, used to fund SNAP-Ed.
If Kennedy really had juice — or ambition beyond recording internet videos — he would have wrested that power out of the USDA’s hands. That would have been bold, radical and life changing, because for the first time our health guidelines might have lined up with our food subsidies.
Instead, Kennedy is cosplaying at hosting a cooking show that is as unwatchable as his diet is unaffordable to average Americans.
Which prompts the question: What’s his game? Why is he so determined to carve out the time to travel the country making bad videos?
Is there room for a third-party candidate with a love of salmon cakes laced with nutritional yeast?
My guess is that Kennedy, who ran for president in 2024, is thinking about the next presidential election and that he knows the contest is wide open for disruption.
Is there room for a third-party candidate with a love of salmon cakes laced with nutritional yeast? Possibly. Kennedy likely has a higher chance of gaining an audience for another wackadoodle campaign than for his atrocious YouTube series.
But because he’s currently a supporting actor on “The Donald Trump Show,” the health secretary has to hope that his boss doesn’t notice that he’s jockeying to follow him in the Oval Office. Because nobody likes too many cooks in the kitchen, or too many aspiring lead actors in the TV show that is the Trump White House.
The post RFK Jr.’s cooking show taunts Americans with ‘Real Food’ they can scarcely afford appeared first on MS NOW.
From MS Now.