Home Blog Page 283

US Senate Passes Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut, Spending Bill, Sending Package to House for Final Approval

admin
-
0
US Senate Passes Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut, Spending Bill, Sending Package to House for Final Approval

WASHINGTON (BN24) — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending legislation, propelling a massive economic package that would permanently enshrine many of his core policy goals while significantly expanding the national debt.

The bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” now heads to the House of Representatives for final passage. Trump has urged lawmakers to place the legislation on his desk before the July 4 holiday, touting it as a transformative win for American families, businesses, and national security.

The 940-page bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate by a razor-thin 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the decisive tie-breaking vote. Only three Republican senators broke ranks to oppose the measure, which includes sweeping tax relief provisions, steep spending increases on border enforcement, and major changes to Medicaid and food assistance programs.

The bill’s passage in the Senate follows months of intraparty wrangling over cost projections, healthcare cuts, and tax policy provisions. While House Republicans are expected to approve the legislation under mounting pressure from the White House, sharp divisions remain within GOP ranks — particularly over the bill’s projected $3.3 trillion impact on the national debt.

“This is not fiscal responsibility. It’s not what we agreed to,” the House Freedom Caucus said in a statement Monday, warning that the Senate’s version of the bill adds $651 billion to the deficit even before interest costs are considered. The group, composed of hardline conservatives, has demanded deeper cuts to government spending.

Moderate House Republicans, meanwhile, have voiced opposition to the steeper Medicaid reductions included in the Senate draft. Representative David Valadao of California warned over the weekend that eliminating key funding streams for hospitals in his district would be unacceptable.

Despite these warnings, Trump’s grip on the party remains strong. Few lawmakers have been willing to challenge the president publicly since his return to office in January. Those who have — including Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of the three GOP senators to vote no — have faced political isolation and exclusion from White House events.

The bill includes provisions to make permanent Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for individuals and businesses, which are set to expire at the end of this year. It also introduces new deductions for tipped wages, overtime income, and senior citizens — measures Trump promised during his 2024 re-election campaign. Additionally, it repeals key elements of former President Joe Biden’s climate legislation and injects tens of billions of dollars into Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement plans.

At the heart of the controversy is the bill’s long-term fiscal impact. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it will add $3.3 trillion to the federal debt, which currently stands at $36.2 trillion. Economists warn that such borrowing could slow economic growth, raise interest rates, and crowd out future investments in infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Republican lawmakers have largely dismissed the CBO analysis, criticizing its methodology and arguing that the bill will generate long-term savings by reforming benefit programs and stimulating growth.

The legislation also raises the government’s borrowing cap by $5 trillion, postponing the threat of a debt ceiling crisis until after the 2026 midterms. This provision alone has prompted concern among global bondholders, some of whom have begun to diversify away from U.S. Treasuries amid widening deficits.

Still, supporters of the bill maintain that it reflects a necessary recalibration of national priorities. “This is a bill that helps working families, helps small businesses, and secures our border,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the bold, decisive action voters demanded when they returned President Trump to office.”

The House is expected to vote on the final version of the bill within days. Trump, who has made the legislation a centerpiece of his second-term agenda, is expected to sign it into law swiftly if it passes.

Reuters

Police in Turkey Detain Satirical Magazine Staff Amid Uproar Over Muhammad Cartoon

admin
-
0
Police in Turkey Detain Satirical Magazine Staff Amid Uproar Over Muhammad Cartoon

ISTANBUL, Turkey (BN24) — Police in Turkey detained three additional employees of a prominent satirical magazine on Tuesday as authorities escalated their response to a cartoon accused of depicting the Prophet Muhammad, a controversy that has ignited protests and fierce debate over free expression.

The detentions bring the total number of LeMan magazine staff taken into custody to four. The cartoon, which appeared in the weekly publication, quickly drew condemnation from Turkish officials and religious groups, who claimed the artwork showed the Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses hovering above a war scene with wings and halos as bombs fell below.

LeMan strongly rejected those allegations. In a statement late Monday, the magazine insisted the illustration portrayed a Muslim man named Muhammad — not the Prophet — and aimed to highlight the suffering of Muslim civilians caught in conflict.

But anger spread rapidly. On Monday night, dozens of demonstrators affiliated with an Islamic group gathered outside LeMan’s Istanbul headquarters, throwing rocks at the building and clashing with police. Video of the protest showed windows shattered and officers forming a barricade to keep crowds back.

Prosecutors wasted little time launching a criminal inquiry into the publication on charges of “publicly insulting religious values.” The cartoon’s creator, Dogan Pehlevan, was the first to be detained Monday after police raided his home. Overnight, Editor-in-Chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu and business manager Ali Yavuz were also taken into custody, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities issued arrest warrants for two other editors believed to have left Turkey.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya shared video footage of Pehlevan and Yavuz being led from their homes in handcuffs, describing the arrests as a necessary step to uphold respect for religion. “These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,” Yerlikaya wrote in a post on X.

Government-aligned media outlets, including the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper, reported that the image was understood by many as a depiction of revered prophets and accused the magazine of deliberate provocation. The independent Birgun newspaper noted that interpretations of the cartoon varied but confirmed the winged figures were widely believed to reference Moses and Muhammad.

LeMan issued an apology late Monday to anyone offended by the drawing but also condemned what it called a targeted smear campaign. Editors said they expected authorities to protect freedom of expression as guaranteed under Turkish law.

The cartoon controversy has intensified a national debate over the boundaries of satire and religious sensitivity in a country where secular traditions coexist with deep Islamic faith. As investigations continue, the detained employees face possible prosecution under laws prohibiting insults against religious values — charges that can carry prison sentences in Turkey.

At Least 36 Dead After Explosion Rips Through Pharmaceutical Factory in Southern India

admin
-
0
At Least 36 Dead After Explosion Rips Through Pharmaceutical Factory in Southern India

HYDERABAD, India (BN24) — A catastrophic explosion and fire tore through a pharmaceutical factory in southern India, killing at least 36 people and leaving dozens more injured, authorities said Tuesday, as emergency crews worked through the mangled wreckage to search for any remaining victims.

The blast erupted Monday inside the spray dryer unit of Sigachi Industries Limited in the Bonthapally industrial area, about 31 miles from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state. Fire services director G.V. Narayana Rao said the force of the explosion brought down the entire factory structure, trapping many workers.

“The whole structure of the factory has collapsed,” Rao told The Associated Press. “Fire has been doused, and we hope to finish removing the debris in the next few hours.”

Firefighters recovered the charred remains of 34 workers from the site. Two more employees who were pulled from the rubble died later in the hospital from severe burns. Nearly three dozen others were admitted to area hospitals with injuries ranging from fractures to critical burns.

Authorities said 108 people were inside the factory at the time of the explosion. The state’s health minister, Damodar Raja Narasimha, confirmed that many of the bodies were badly burned and mutilated, making identification difficult. A special medical team has been deployed to carry out DNA testing.

Witnesses reported hearing a deafening boom that could be felt miles away.

The cause of the disaster has not been disclosed. Sigachi Industries said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange that it was conducting a thorough investigation and that the factory, which produces microcrystalline cellulose used in making medicines, would remain shut for at least 90 days.

In the disclosure, the company called the incident “unfortunate” and said the core manufacturing infrastructure was heavily damaged. The affected plant accounts for more than a fourth of Sigachi’s annual production capacity.

Shares of Sigachi Industries plunged as much as 10% Monday and dropped another 8% in intra-day trading Tuesday amid investor concern over the disaster’s impact on operations.

Industrial accidents are a recurring hazard in India’s booming pharmaceutical sector, which supplies a major share of the world’s generic drugs and vaccines. Safety advocates have long warned that insufficient oversight and lax enforcement of regulations contribute to deadly incidents.

The state government has set up a special committee to investigate what triggered the blast and whether safety lapses played a role.

Sigachi Industries operates five manufacturing facilities across India and subsidiaries in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

As emergency teams continued to sift through the collapsed building, officials said the focus remained on recovering any additional victims and ensuring the safety of other workers in the area.

nbcnews

UK Police Arrest Former Hospital Executives After Lucy Letby Baby Murders

admin
-
0
UK Police Arrest Former Hospital Executives After Lucy Letby Baby Murders

LONDON (BN24) — British police have arrested three former senior executives of the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven infants, as investigators probe whether leadership failures contributed to the deaths that shocked the nation.

Cheshire Constabulary said Tuesday that all three individuals were detained on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the deaths of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016. At the time, Letby worked there as a nurse and was later found guilty of killing seven newborns and attempting to murder seven more.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes confirmed the arrests stemmed from an expanded investigation into potential corporate manslaughter at the hospital, which was launched in October 2023 after Letby’s conviction.

“This is an extremely complex and sensitive inquiry,” Hughes said in a statement. “It is important to note that this does not impact on the convictions of Lucy Letby for multiple offenses of murder and attempted murder.”

Authorities said the probe has widened to examine whether hospital leadership failed in their legal duty to protect vulnerable infants despite mounting evidence of an unusual rise in deaths. All three arrested former leaders were part of the hospital’s executive team during the period when Letby carried out her attacks.

Police said they have been released on bail pending further inquiries. Investigators are also reviewing additional cases of newborn deaths and non-fatal collapses at Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital between 2012 and 2016, including during Letby’s training placements.

Letby, 35, is serving a rare sentence of life without parole — the maximum penalty under English law. But her conviction has become the focus of a growing debate over whether she received a fair trial, and whether the medical evidence used to convict her was flawed.

In February, a group of 14 doctors held a press conference to challenge the scientific basis of the prosecution case. Dr. Shoo Lee, a retired Canadian neonatologist, said the panel concluded the babies likely died of natural causes or inadequate medical care rather than deliberate harm.

“In summary then, ladies and gentlemen, we did not find murders,” Lee said at the time.

Letby has consistently denied all charges. Her defense lawyer, Mark McDonald, has argued that the findings “completely demolished” the prosecution’s claims. He has applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to examine whether her conviction should be referred to the Court of Appeal.

The CCRC has not set a timetable for a decision.

Letby’s case has become one of the most contentious criminal convictions in recent British history, sparking public outrage, parliamentary debate, and international scrutiny over hospital safety and accountability.

Trump Administration Concludes Harvard Violated Civil Rights Over Antisemitism Complaints

admin
-
0
Trump Administration Concludes Harvard Violated Civil Rights Over Antisemitism Complaints

WASHINGTON (BN24) — The Trump administration has determined that Harvard University violated federal civil rights laws by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from persistent harassment and threats, according to a letter obtained by the Wall Street Journal.

The administration’s letter, sent Monday to Harvard President Alan Garber, accused the university of displaying “deliberate indifference” as Jewish and Israeli students were repeatedly targeted on campus. Administration attorneys warned Harvard it risked losing all federal financial support if it did not act immediately to address the findings.

“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” the letter stated.

The decision marks the most serious escalation yet in the Trump administration’s efforts to penalize elite academic institutions it says have ignored antisemitism while promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies at the expense of campus safety.

Harvard, the nation’s oldest university, has emerged as a central target of the administration’s campaign, which has included moves to restrict the school’s tax exemptions and limit its ability to enroll international students.

According to the letter, Harvard allowed antisemitic harassment to persist unchecked for more than two years. Officials described incidents in which Jewish and Israeli students were “assaulted and spit on,” prompting many to hide their identities. The letter also cited antisemitic vandalism, including an Israeli flag defaced with a swastika and imagery showing a Star of David fused with a dollar sign.

The pressure on Harvard intensified after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, which sparked a surge in tensions and protests on American campuses. In April, the university released internal reviews acknowledging that Jewish and Muslim students both felt threatened and describing efforts to ease hostility.

The civil rights finding could lead to a formal lawsuit by the Justice Department or a negotiated settlement. Previous administrations have typically favored voluntary agreements to resolve such complaints.

Even as the Trump administration raised the stakes with Harvard, the president hinted at possible reconciliation. Earlier this month, Trump suggested in a social media post that negotiations were progressing, writing: “We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so. They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations and appear to be committed to doing what is right.”

Harvard has filed its own lawsuit challenging the administration’s threats to funding and tax status, arguing that they violate constitutional protections of free speech and due process.

The administration has taken similar action against other universities. Last week, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan resigned after officials warned that UVA would face steep cuts to research funding, student aid, visas and jobs if he remained in office, according to Sen. Mark Warner.

The standoff underscores Trump’s broader pledge to crack down on what he calls ideological bias and anti-Jewish sentiment in higher education, even as universities warn that the administration’s approach threatens academic freedom.

Trump Floats Deporting Musk, Heads to Florida for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Launch

admin
-
0
Trump Floats Deporting Musk, Heads to Florida for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Launch

WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to rule out the possibility of deporting billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, further escalating his feud with the former head of his own government efficiency office.

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 11: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk joins U.S. President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is to sign an executive order implementing the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) “workforce optimization initiative,” which, according to Trump, will encourage agencies to limit hiring and reduce the size of the federal government. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Speaking to reporters as he prepared to depart for Florida, where he is set to open the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center for migrants, Trump said his administration may consider action against Musk.

Asked directly whether he would look at deporting the South African-born CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Trump responded: “I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look.”

He added that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk once led as a special government employee, could also be tasked with investigating federal subsidies Musk’s companies have received.

Trump has repeatedly claimed Musk’s businesses depend heavily on taxpayer funds, warning in a social media post earlier this month that without them, Musk “would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”

The exchange came as Trump prepared to promote his latest immigration crackdown with the opening of the Florida detention facility, an island center surrounded by swamps the administration has dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Before boarding Air Force One, Trump delivered a typically wide-ranging set of remarks. He mocked Zohran Mamdani, the Democrats’ nominee for mayor of New York City, calling him a “total nutjob” and a “communist.”

Turning to the new detention complex, Trump described how immigrants held at the facility will need to avoid wildlife if they attempt escape.

“Snakes are fast, but alligators—if we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator, if they escape prison…don’t run in a straight line…your chances go up about 1%,” he said.

Trump also returned to his running feud with Musk over the GOP’s sweeping spending package, known as the “big beautiful bill,” which Musk has called fiscally reckless. The president accused Musk of being “very upset” that the administration plans to terminate electric vehicle mandates—a cornerstone of Tesla’s business.

“Not everyone wants an electric car,” Trump said before climbing the steps of the plane, where he briefly slipped but recovered his footing.

Speaking again to reporters after the incident, Trump warned Musk could face further consequences beyond losing clean energy incentives.

“He could lose a lot more than that,” Trump said.

The escalating tensions between the president and Musk follow weeks of public recriminations. Musk has repeatedly condemned the spending bill, vowing to help unseat lawmakers who back it and threatening to launch a new political party.

Meanwhile, Trump’s visit to Florida underscores his broader campaign to shore up support for his immigration agenda and rally conservatives as Congress prepares to vote on amendments to the bill.

Actor John Cusack Says Iran ‘Should Get’ Nuclear Weapons to Deter U.S. and Israel After Trump’s Airstrikes

admin
-
0
Actor John Cusack Says Iran ‘Should Get’ Nuclear Weapons to Deter U.S. and Israel After Trump’s Airstrikes

LOS ANGELES (BN24) — Actor John Cusack sparked controversy over the weekend after declaring that Iran should acquire nuclear weapons to counter what he called unrestrained U.S. and Israeli aggression across the Middle East, remarks that came days after President Donald Trump ordered a major military assault on Iranian targets.

Cusack, known for films including Say Anything and High Fidelity, posted his comments on X last Friday, writing that nuclear weapons are “the only way to deter U.S. and Israel from bombing every country in Middle East.”

“Iran will surely rush to get a nuclear weapon—and they should get one,” Cusack wrote to his nearly 2 million followers, underscoring his support for Tehran’s nuclear ambitions as a counterbalance to American and Israeli power.

The remarks arrived less than a week after Trump announced a wave of airstrikes that targeted three Iranian facilities suspected of developing nuclear weapons. According to the Pentagon, B-2 stealth bombers on June 21 dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on sites across Iran in what the president called “a spectacular military success.”

Cusack has for months been openly critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and recent cross-border clashes with Iran. In a series of posts prior to endorsing an Iranian nuclear arsenal, he accused the United States of aligning itself with what he described as a “genocidal regime” in Israel.

“Blind allegiance for Israel is alliance to a genocidal regeme—it’s a nation state—run [by] a murderous gangster—not some fixed star,” he wrote in another message, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Cusack also condemned Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which Israeli defense officials have said targeted Hezbollah positions in retaliation for rocket attacks.

“Israel bombs Lebanon! Well, they can’t have any days when they are not illegally bombing someone while the US grovels,” he wrote.

The Oscar-nominated actor did not stop at foreign policy. He weighed in on domestic politics as well, praising democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, calling it a “f— you to billionaires, dem establishment, and the genocide in Gaza—the bombing of Iran.”

Cusack’s comments quickly drew backlash from conservative critics who accused him of legitimizing nuclear proliferation and minimizing the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran. But the actor, who has long been outspoken about U.S. military interventions and Middle East policy, did not retract his statements over the weekend.

Neither the White House nor the Israeli government responded publicly to Cusack’s remarks. Trump has repeatedly defended the June 21 strikes as necessary to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, saying Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were a red line for U.S. security.

Foxnews

Elon Musk Brands GOP a ‘Porky Pig Party’ as Rift with Trump Grows Over Record Spending Bill

admin
-
0
Elon Musk Brands GOP a ‘Porky Pig Party’ as Rift with Trump Grows Over Record Spending Bill

WASHINGTON (BN24) — Tech mogul Elon Musk intensified his public break with President Donald Trump and Republican leadership on Monday, slamming the party’s sweeping spending legislation as proof that the United States is ruled by a “Porky Pig Party” and threatening to launch a new political movement in response.

Musk, the former head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), unleashed a barrage of criticism on his social platform X, claiming that the GOP-endorsed bill demonstrates the existence of a “uniparty” more interested in bloated budgets than fiscal discipline. His remarks marked a dramatic escalation in a feud with Trump that has unfolded across social media and drawn increasing attention from both political camps.

“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS, that we live in a one-party country — the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” Musk wrote on X as the Senate debated the House-approved spending package. “Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.”

By Monday evening, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO doubled down, declaring that “if this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day.” Musk claimed the current political order is an illusion of choice. “They just pretend to be two parties… it’s just one uniparty in reality,” he wrote, attaching a graph showing the steadily rising national debt.

The billionaire’s criticism predates his official departure from the Trump administration, where he had been tasked with reducing government waste. Since leaving DOGE earlier this month, Musk has called the GOP’s bill a “disgusting abomination” and accused it of undoing much of the savings his office had achieved. He warned that the legislation would not only add trillions to the national debt but would also jeopardize renewable energy initiatives and job creation.

Despite the mounting tension, President Trump responded with a conciliatory tone in an interview with Fox Business on Sunday, calling Musk “a wonderful guy” but acknowledging their recent differences. “He got a little bit upset, and that wasn’t appropriate,” Trump said, while reiterating that he supports consumer choice over mandates for electric vehicles, a policy seen as a direct challenge to Musk’s core business interests.

Trump added that Musk “campaigned with me” in the past and predicted he would “do well always,” even as their policy views continue to diverge. However, the president also questioned Musk’s motivations, suggesting the fallout may stem from Musk not getting everything he wanted under the administration’s current energy policies.

White House officials declined to comment directly but pointed to remarks made by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R–S.D., who said Musk was mischaracterizing the bill’s impact. Thune explained that the legislation deals primarily with mandatory, not discretionary, spending — the area where Musk’s DOGE office had focused its reform efforts.

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, backed that assessment in an interview with conservative commentator Glenn Beck, noting that any changes to discretionary spending — such as those DOGE targeted — would still need to pass through the standard congressional appropriations process.

Musk’s attacks have struck a nerve within the Republican Party, especially given his past support. He spent nearly $300 million backing Trump’s re-election campaign and played a central role in crafting the administration’s cost-cutting agenda. Now, his open rebellion threatens to sow division ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and complicate efforts to project party unity behind the president’s economic agenda.

Adding to the drama, Musk recently posted — and later deleted — a controversial comment attempting to link Trump to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, a move that fueled further backlash and underscored how bitter the once-close alliance has become.

Still, Musk insists his frustration is rooted in principle, not personality. “Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE,” he wrote Monday night, capping off a day of attacks that suggest his political ambitions are far from over — and his clash with Trump far from resolved.

Source: Foxnews.com

Decapitated Bodies Hung from Bridge as Cartel Violence Leaves 20 Dead in Sinaloa Drug War Fueled by El Chapo’s Sons

admin
-
0
Decapitated Bodies Hung from Bridge as Cartel Violence Leaves 20 Dead in Sinaloa Drug War Fueled by El Chapo’s Sons

CULIACÁN, Mexico (BN24) — A fresh wave of cartel violence struck the Mexican state of Sinaloa on Monday as authorities discovered four decapitated bodies dangling from a freeway bridge in Culiacán, the capital of the western state long regarded as the heart of the nation’s drug trade.

The grisly display underscored the escalating power struggle within the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, where rival factions have been locked in open warfare since last year. Officials said the four corpses were suspended over the main road exiting the city, their severed heads stuffed into a plastic bag discarded nearby.

Elsewhere along the same highway, investigators found 16 additional male bodies crammed into a white van, many bearing gunshot wounds and at least one also decapitated. A note left at the scene, purportedly authored by one of the warring groups, declared ominously: “WELCOME TO THE NEW SINALOA.”

The killings are the latest chapter in a violent struggle for dominance between the factions known as Los Chapitos—led by the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—and their internal rivals in La Mayiza. Once credited with maintaining a relative calm across Sinaloa through near-total control, the cartel has fractured, plunging Culiacán into a state of siege that has become almost routine.

Since the conflict erupted last September, shootouts and ambushes have left homes and businesses bullet-riddled and forced repeated school closures. Heavily armed young men patrol intersections on motorcycles, their faces hidden by masks.

According to Sinaloa state prosecutors, the surge in violence followed the abduction of a faction leader by one of El Chapo’s sons, who allegedly delivered the captive to U.S. authorities aboard a private plane. The dramatic move ignited a bloody feud that has drained resources and upended alliances.

Officials and analysts say Los Chapitos have become so desperate to maintain their grip that they have forged a pact with the Sinaloa Cartel’s historical enemy, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The New York Times reported that in exchange for cash and weapons, Los Chapitos agreed to cede swaths of territory to their longtime rivals—a bargain that could undermine their capacity to control trafficking routes critical to moving drugs from production to export corridors.

One senior Sinaloa Cartel member, speaking anonymously to U.S. media, described the group’s financial collapse under the costs of sustained warfare. “Los Chapitos were gasping for air, they couldn’t take the pressure anymore,” he said. “Imagine how many millions you burn through in a war every day: the fighters, the weapons, the vehicles. The pressure mounted little by little.”

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who specializes in armed groups, warned the ramifications of the internal fracture could reshape criminal markets across the hemisphere. “It’s like if the eastern coast of the U.S. seceded during the Cold War and reached out to the Soviet Union,” she said. “This has global implications for how the conflict will unfold and how criminal markets will reorganize.”

While Sinaloa officials insisted Monday that military and police operations would restore order, many residents believe the government has lost control of the violence. Feliciano Castro, a spokesman for the state government, acknowledged the magnitude of the crisis and said security forces were coordinating efforts to “reestablish total peace in Sinaloa.”

Yet for people in Culiacán, the carnage has become a grim part of daily life—dead bodies turning up with sickening regularity as cartel factions battle for supremacy in the birthplace of Mexico’s most notorious drug dynasty.

Source: dailymail

Trump Urges Government Watchdog, DOGE, to Probe Subsidies for Musk’s Companies Amid Feud Over Spending Bill

admin
-
0
Trump Urges Government Watchdog, DOGE, to Probe Subsidies for Musk’s Companies Amid Feud Over Spending Bill

Washington, DC (BN24) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to scrutinize subsidies received by Elon Musk’s companies, suggesting the move could save taxpayers billions.

The comments came as the bitter clash between Trump and Musk escalated, following the tech billionaire’s renewed attacks on Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more rocket launches, satellites, or electric car production, and our country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

Musk quickly fired back on X: “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.”

The rift underscores how quickly their once-strong alliance has unraveled. Musk spent nearly $300 million backing Trump’s reelection campaign and was appointed to lead DOGE, Trump’s high-profile initiative to slash federal waste and streamline government spending. But the two have turned on each other over the fiscal impact of the tax-and-spending package, which independent analysts estimate will add $3 trillion to the national debt.

Musk argues the legislation undermines the savings achieved by DOGE and betrays Republican promises to rein in deficits. Over the weekend, he called the bill “utterly insane and destructive,” and on Monday escalated his criticism further:

“Lawmakers who campaigned on cutting spending but backed this should hang their heads in shame!” he wrote. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”

He also renewed his call for a new political movement, mocking the current system as “the PORKY PIG PARTY!!”

Trump’s latest salvo threatened to hit Musk’s sprawling business empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla and rocket firm SpaceX. The latter has approximately $22 billion in government contracts through SpaceX and its satellite division Starlink.

Musk’s companies have received substantial government support over the years, from electric vehicle tax credits and renewable energy incentives to lucrative federal contracts. Analysts say unwinding those relationships would be complicated and potentially disruptive to U.S. infrastructure and defense.

The feud has already rattled financial markets. Tesla shares plunged 5% in Frankfurt trading Tuesday, and the company briefly lost $150 billion in market capitalization during the height of the dispute earlier this month before recovering.

Republican strategists are increasingly concerned that the high-profile clash could fracture the party and undermine its prospects heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

Despite Musk’s fiery rhetoric, it remains unclear whether his criticism or calls for primary challenges will have any impact on the bill’s fate in Congress. But the spectacle has spotlighted the uneasy alliance between a president who champions big spending and a billionaire who built his reputation—and part of his fortune—on government contracts while now demanding the end of subsidies for everyone, including himself.

1...282283284...965Page 283 of 965