-
Cluster drone strike kills at least 13 in Russia as Thames Water pays £1m signing bonus
TalkFuse briefing: a deadly Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Tatarstan region and Thames Water’s controversial £1m payout to its new CFO lead the news, alongside Sheffield’s Trippets Lounge closure, FIFA row and tributes to Dukes of Hazzard star Ben Jones.
-
Allison Janney on Playing the President in ‘The Diplomat,’ Her Broadway ‘Seven-Year Itch’ and the One Genre She’s Never Tried
Allison Janney has spoken to Variety about playing Grace Penn, a US president, in Netflix’s political thriller “The Diplomat,” a role she says came as a genuine surprise as her character rose from vice president to commander-in-chief over the course of the show. The interview coincides with her seventh Emmy nomination, this time for supporting…
-
Ben Jones, ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ actor and former congressman, dead at 84
Ben Jones, the actor best known for playing mechanic Cooter Davenport in the television series “The Dukes of Hazzard,” has died at the age of 84. He appeared in the show, which followed the escapades of the Duke family in the fictional Hazzard County, from 1979 until 1985, becoming one of its most recognisable cast…
-
El-Sayed disavows Hasan Piker’s 9/11 comments but decries ‘cancel culture’
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed distanced himself from far-left streamer Hasan Piker’s comments about the 9/11 attacks, but complained about “cancel culture” when pressed on his continued association with him. The exchange highlights growing tension within the Democratic Party over how mainstream candidates should handle ties to controversial progressive media figures, with the row drawing…
-
Senate Democrats unveil cybersecurity bill after attacks on water infrastructure
Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) unveiled a new cybersecurity bill dubbed the Water Cyber Shield Act on Monday in an effort to prevent attacks on water infrastructure. The legislation would increase the drinking water and clean water state revolving funds by $300 million annually for cybersecurity improvements, and it would allow…
-
Blanche formally sworn in as attorney general
President Trump’s former personal attorney Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general on Monday, making him the second official to hold the top law enforcement position during the second Trump administration. Trump’s aide Margo Martin posted a video of Blanche’s swearing in from the Oval Office on Monday afternoon. The Senate confirmed Blanche in…
-
Trump extends Jones Act waiver, with limits, in bid to tamp down energy prices
The Trump administration is once again waiving U.S. shipping rules as part of an effort to keep gasoline and other fuel costs down, the White House said Monday. In particular, it issued another 90-day waiver of the Jones Act, a 100-year-old law that requires shipping between U.S. ports to be conducted by American ships. “Today,…
-
Now UN expert berates Green MSP Q Manivannan and insists ’rape is not a spectrum’
A United Nations special rapporteur has publicly criticised Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan after they suggested rape and sexual offences exist on a “spectrum” of severity, with the expert firmly rejecting that characterisation. The intervention adds international weight to a domestic row that has already drawn criticism from women’s rights campaigners and political opponents, who…
-
Trump bets economic pressure can squeeze Iran as regime’s own failures deepen the pain
President Donald Trump is signalling a preference for sustained economic pressure over immediate military escalation against Iran, betting that the country’s crumbling economy will force concessions without further US strikes. Speaking to Axios in a phone interview, Trump said the US was “only semi-negotiating” with Tehran, pointing to Iran’s soaring inflation and depleted finances as…
-
Trump admits ‘contractor error’ with Reflecting Pool renovation as former Olympian threatens to SUE him for ‘harassment’
Donald Trump has acknowledged a “contractor error” during renovation work on the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool, amid a wider row involving a former Olympic athlete who is threatening to sue him over alleged harassment. The admission comes as the president faces scrutiny over infrastructure works being carried out around Washington DC landmarks, adding another awkward…