Ex-counterterrorism chief warns of ‘major problem’ that could force US ‘back into the war on Iran’s terms’
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent claimed that by having military assets in the vicinity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the U.S. is at risk of being compelled “back into the war on Iran’s terms.” “A major problem w/ the status quo of having our forces within reach of the Iranians is that we could easily be forced back into the war on Iran’s terms,” Kent asserted in a Thursday post on X. “If we withdraw now we retain the ability to strike from a distance & take away Iran’s ability to draw us back into the war. Thankfully it appears that we didn’t take casualties, we won’t always be so fortunate,” he added. IRAN CLAIMS URANIUM ENRICHMENT AS ‘RED LINE’ IN TALKS WITH TRUMP AS US DOWNS DRONES OVER HORMUZ Kent, who quit the counterterrorism post in March because of his opposition to the Iran war, made the comments when sharing a post issued by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). “At 10:17 p.m. ET on May 27, Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces. This egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime occurred hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz. All drones were successfully intercepted by U.S. forces which also prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas,” CENTCOM’s Thursday post noted. TRUMP SAYS IRAN IS ‘NEGOTIATING ON FUMES,’ BELIEVES REGIME THOUGHT THEY COULD OUTWAIT HIM “U.S. Central Command and regional partners remain vigilant and measured as we continue to defend our forces and interests from unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM added. Kent has suggested that it would be in America’s interests to withdraw its forces from the area. TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN “Operation Midnight Hammer proved we can strike inside Iran from the U.S. without relying on our bases in the region. Operation Epic Fury proved that our bases in the region are a liability not an asset. Our bases give Iran easy to reach targets. Pulling out now works in our favor, not Iran’s,” he wrote in a post.
Dems in Maine’s Trump-friendly district back Platner despite party backlash
Democrats running to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden in Maine’s Trump-friendly 2nd Congressional District are lining up behind controversial Senate candidate Graham Platner despite mounting backlash from centrists within their own party. After Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, exited the Senate race in late April, the three leading Democratic contenders vying for the open House seat backed Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee, ahead of the June 9 primary. Unlike the Democrats seeking to replace him, Golden has not publicly backed Platner and indicated to the Portland Press Herald that he does not plan to get involved in the Senate race. Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap and former congressional aide Jordan Wood explicitly endorsed Platner’s campaign. State Sen. Joe Baldacci, a Democrat with establishment support, also signaled support in a statement criticizing former Gov. Paul LePage, R-Maine, who is running unopposed for the GOP nomination in the 2nd District. DEMOCRATS BREAK WITH SCANDAL-PLAGUED GRAHAM PLATNER, WARN OF ‘CIVIL WAR’ IN PARTY But the candidates have been largely silent on Platner’s inflammatory social media posts and controversy over his covered-up tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol — issues that have fueled backlash from some elected Democrats. Fox News Digital reached out to Baldacci, Wood and Dunlap’s campaigns and did not hear back. Their alignment with Platner could complicate Democrats’ already difficult path to holding the swing seat vacated by Golden, who won re-election in 2024 by fewer than 3,000 votes, despite the district’s Republican tilt. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the open House race “Likely Republican,” citing the rural district’s red hue and Golden’s decision not to seek re-election. Dunlap, who is seeking to occupy the contest’s progressive lane, is scheduled to appear with Platner at a get-out-the-vote rally next week. The event is being headlined by left-wing populist Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has endorsed both Dunlap and Platner. “With Graham Platner now the clear choice, I am prepared to rally behind his candidacy,” Dunlap wrote on social media. “He will be a phenomenal United States senator.” BERNIE SANDERS DEFENDS MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR REDDIT COMMENTS “He is the kind of leader Maine has been waiting for, as demonstrated by the strong support he has generated,” he continued. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans’ campaign arm, is seeking to exploit the candidates’ ties to Platner in one of the reddest districts held by a Democrat in the country. “By continuing to embrace Graham Platner, Matt Dunlap and Joe Baldacci have shown a stunning lack of judgment that Mainers will not overlook,” NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told Fox News Digital. Their support for Platner stands in stark contrast to centrist Democrats, such as Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who have sharply rebuked Platner’s campaign. Auchincloss, a Jewish Democrat, has argued that Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo and his remarks defending it are “personally disqualifying.” Meanwhile, senior Democrats in Washington have largely declined to comment on Platner’s slate of controversies or distance themselves from the Senate hopeful. Melissa DeRosa, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chief of staff, told Fox News’ Bret Baier earlier this week that disagreement over Platner’s candidacy among Democrats is indicative of a burgeoning rift within the party. “The Maine race really demonstrates the civil war that’s happening within the Democratic Party, and there are a lot of Democrats, moderate Democrats like myself, who will not cry tears should we lose Maine,” DeRosa said. “I mean, that would be a pickup to begin with.”
GOP lawmakers urge Treasury to press ahead with probe of Hasan Piker over Cuba trip
Republican lawmakers are cheering on the Treasury Department’s investigation into whether Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker broke any laws on his recent trip to Cuba, while a Jewish advocacy group asked the Justice Department to probe the Twitch streamer for allegedly serving as an unregistered agent for the communist nation. Piker faces a federal administrative subpoena from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, a probe that Piker says stems from a broader investigation into Americn-born, Shanghai-based tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham and the pro-communist nonprofit network he bankrolls. In Washington, D.C., many lawmakers, all of them GOP, cheered the investigation. “It’s no mystery why the man who said America deserved 9-11 has rocketed to stardom as the voice of the Democrat left — and openly discussed the money and strategy that makes up the progressive protest industrial complex,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. REP ILHAN OMAR’S DAUGHTER STRIKES HARD-CORE COMMUNIST POSE AS MOM BATTLES CLAIMS SHE IS RICH “There’s no way Congress will look away from what we’re learning about financing from Neville Singham or a scandal that’s now hiding in plain sight,” Issa added. Over the weekend, Fox News Digital reported that the Treasury Department subpoenaed Piker and CodePink co-founder Susan Medea Benjamin as part of a wider investigation into whether U.S. organizations and leaders violated U.S. laws and sanctions in supporting Cuba’s communist regime. CodePink, an organization co-founded by Singham’s wife and funded by Singham himself, sponsored a trip to Cuba for far-left influencers in March. Minnesota Democratic Rep.Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, also went on the trip, though officials from Omar’s office told Fox News Digital that her daughter paid for the trip herself and didn’t stay at a five-star hotel with other political activists. PROGRESSIVE STREAMER BACKING MAMDANI SAYS CUBANS ARE ‘PARTYING IN THE F—— STREETS’ AMID ENERGY CRISIS During a livestream on Monday, Piker directed investigators to Singham as a target, saying Singham’s “operation” in the U.S. includes the openly Marxist ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, known as PSL. “I think that ultimately the target is probably Singham and his operation from PSL to ANSWER Coalition to CodePink — like anything that he has ever financed,” Piker said. “Not sure how much money he has now, but he’s been a funding vehicle for a lot of political movements in the country, like a lot of activism, and they hate that s—, so they’re trying to jam them up.” REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham has pumped $285 million into six organizations: $22.44 million to the People’s Forum, a hub for communist organizing in New York City; $1.33 million to CodePink; $68.7 million to Justice and Education Fund Inc., a nonprofit that funnels money to anonymous projects overseas; $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media, a propaganda arm; and $16.76 million to Tricontinental Ltd., a pro-communist think tank. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition share office space at the People’s Forum and share leadership with the People’s Forum. The Treasury Department is seeking financial, logistical and communications information surrounding the trips to Cuba via “Requests for Information,” or “RFIs.” “Good,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., posted in response to news of the subpoena. “Hasan Piker and Code Pink went to Cuba, stayed in five star hotels, cozied up with thugs in the communist regime, and completely IGNORED the innocent political prisoners being starved and tortured,”. ‘CHEERLEADING FOR TERRORISM’: TWITCH STAR CALLED FOR NEW 9/11, DISMISSED HORROR OF OCT 7 “They should be thoroughly investigated and held accountable for ANY laws broken in doing so,” Scott added. Scott and Piker have clashed before. When describing the GOP targeting of fraud from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, Piker said, “If you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.” Piker’s radical views and increasingly popular base are part of a growing radicalism in the Democratic Party, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. DAVID MARCUS: RISE OF MARXISM IS A HYRDRA DEMOCRATS CREATED BUT CAN’T CONTROL Fine said Piker’s influence on the Democratic Party has changed the Congress he saw more than 30 years ago while serving as a page in Washington, D.C. “The parties had different views about how to make America great, but both parties wanted to make America great,” Fine said. “Democrats, 35 years ago, loved America. They just wanted to get there differently than Republicans did. And everyone wanted a successful America.” “Times are changing. When I look across the aisle, I see people who I serve with who are in Congress to destroy the country,” Fine added. TOP GOP SENATOR CALLS OUT CODE PINK, THE PEOPLE’S FORUM ALLEGEDLY PUSHING CCP PROPAGANDA IN US Questions have risen as to whether Piker should have to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The National Jewish Advocacy Center told Fox News Digital the organization called on the Justice Department to investigate Piker over FARA rules on Thursday. Last week, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., who was born to parents exiled from Cuba, told Fox News Digital that he shared the concern over political activists supporting communist regimes without registering as foreign agents. “How they’re not registered under FARA is hard to understand because they’re very consistent. I mean, let’s at least give them credit for that,” he said. FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: WHO IS HASAN PIKER AND WHY CAN’T DEMOCRATS CONDEMN HIM? “It should be no surprise that folks associated with the Communist Party of China or, frankly, other anti-American groups, would be funding these groups in the United States [These groups’] sole role is pretty evident, to protect, defend and support anti-Americans,” he added. “Whether it is terrorist groups [or] terrorist regimes like the one in Iran or the one in Cuba.” So far, a lone Democratic member, Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Ill., posted to X following Fox
Judge hands Trump mail-ballot win for now as Democrats’ next move looms
A federal judge declined Thursday to block President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting mail ballots, delivering a blow to Democrats who claim the order could disenfranchise millions of voters. The executive order, signed March 31, directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of all adult U.S. citizens living in each state and would direct USPS to deliver mail ballots only to individuals appearing on the lists. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, ruled that the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction against the order came too early. “Given that the Executive Order does not command Plaintiffs to do anything, and that no agency has yet acted pursuant to the Order in a way that could harm Plaintiffs, they have not suffered any harm at present,” Nichols wrote. “For the foregoing reasons, the Court denies Plaintiffs’ Motions for a Preliminary Injunction.” WITHIN MINUTES OF TRUMP SIGNING VOTER DATABASE ORDER, DEM STATES THREATEN LAWSUITS Democrats and voting rights groups argued that, under the Constitution, state legislatures and Congress are responsible for regulating federal elections, not the president. The order, according to the plaintiffs, could also force USPS to make rules about elections that go beyond its authority. Trump’s executive order, meanwhile, frames itself as an attempt to enforce federal voting laws, which the president says the executive branch is obligated to do under Article II of the Constitution. Though Democratic plaintiffs claimed in court that the order could infringe on the constitutional rights of states to regulate their own elections, Nichols ruled the claim too speculative at the current moment. The judge, however, did not rule on the merits of the Democratic arguments and said they could demand an injunction again once the federal government begins the process of actually implementing the executive order. REPUBLICAN SENATORS BLAST DEMOCRATS FOR ‘FEAR-MONGERING’ OVER ELECTION SECURITY SAVE ACT “The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur. Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted,” he added. POSTAL SERVICE THRUST INTO MAIL-IN BALLOT FIGHT AS TRUMP ORDER GETS TIED UP IN COURT One of the primary concerns raised by Democrats is that the executive order directs DHS to use Social Security Administration data, which they claim contains errors and could therefore deprive eligible voters of ballots. Trump’s order requires that the citizenship lists be transmitted to states within 60 days of federal elections and provides opportunities for individuals and states to correct the lists as necessary in order to address concerns about data inaccuracies. Trump has long claimed mail voting is vulnerable to widespread fraud, while election officials and voting experts have said such fraud is rare. Large numbers of voters identifying with both major parties have reported voting by mail, but Democrats do so more often. The White House did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Clarence Thomas puts Dems on clock as Alabama GOP emergency map bid stalled
Justice Clarence Thomas declined to immediately hand Alabama Republicans a win Wednesday, but ordered their voting rights challengers to quickly defend a court-drawn congressional map that helped Democrats flip a deep-red state House seat. Alabama’s Republican attorney general requested emergency relief, asking the Supreme Court to immediately revive the state’s 2023 legislature-drawn congressional map after a lower court blocked it, ruling that the state must continue using a special-master map approved by the courts that created a second Black-opportunity district and helped elect Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in 2024. On Wednesday, Thomas, who is assigned to the 11th Circuit, declined to immediately restore the 2023 congressional map but also ordered the case’s voting rights plaintiffs to provide an explanation by Monday on why that legislature-drawn map should not be used. Thomas’ ruling is the latest in a years-long redistricting saga that was given new life following an April Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the interpretation of a provision in the Voting Rights Act used by Democrats in their redistricting fights. Prior to the April ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a challenge to the state’s 2020 census-drawn map and a court-approved special-master map preferred by Democrats was implemented, which reshaped the state’s 2nd District and flipped a solidly GOP-held seat that gave Democrats another House seat. CNN COMMENTATOR SNAPS AT KEVIN O’LEARY TO NOT ‘BE A D—‘ DURING HEATED DEBATE OVER SUPREME COURT RULING In its emergency application, Alabama argued an immediate stay was needed because the lower-court ruling “defies Callais, manipulates the Purcell principle, and offends the Constitution’s promise of equal protection for all.” Alabama is leaning on the Supreme Court’s recent April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which gave Republicans a new weapon against maps from left-wing voting rights activists by making it harder for them to force additional primarily minority districts under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision from the Supreme Court ultimately fueled a wave of fresh redistricting efforts in GOP-led states, including Alabama, which used the Callais ruling to ask the justices to revisit the lower-court orders blocking the 2023 legislature-drawn map. JACKSON PROTESTS AS SUPREME COURT USES LOUISIANA GERRYMANDERING RULING TO INSTRUCT LOWER COURTS In response to the Louisiana case’s ruling, the Supreme Court ruled on May 11 that the lower court’s judgment blocking Alabama’s 2023 map should be vacated and sent back for another look. However, on Tuesday, the three-judge federal district court blocked the 2023 map and ordered the court-approved special master map to continue to be used, leading to Alabama’s request for emergency relief on Wednesday that was ruled on by Thomas. The timing of Thomas’ order comes as Alabama officials have already tried to prepare for a rapid switch back to the 2023 map. After the Supreme Court’s May 11 order sent the case back to the lower court, Gov. Kay Ivey called Aug. 11 special primaries for the affected 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts, saying the state was ready to move forward with its Alabama legislature-drawn map. Fox News Digital reached out to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and the American Civil Liberties Union, which is acting as counsel for the left-wing voting rights plaintiffs in the case, but did not receive a response from either party in time for publication.
Federal government’s landlord joins Vance fraud crackdown as White House widens hunt: ‘Critical force’
FIRST ON FOX: The federal agency that oversees more than $126 billion in federal contracts is joining Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, expanding the White House crackdown into the federal government’s contracting system. The General Services Administration (GSA) calls itself the “engine of government” and serves as the federal government’s central contracting and real estate agency, overseeing the buildings, services and goods agencies rely on to operate. By joining the task force, GSA gives one of the Trump administration’s highest-profile accountability efforts access to its procurement data, acquisition expertise and cross-agency reach as the White House seeks to root out fraud in public programs. “GSA sits at the center of the federal acquisition and contracting ecosystem, making us a critical force in the fight against fraud,” GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital. VANCE-LED TASK FORCE CUTS OFF $1.4B FROM HOME HEALTH, HOSPICE PROVIDERS SUSPECTED OF FRAUD “We are proud to join Vice President Vance and this Task Force to aggressively identify abuse, strengthen oversight and protect the integrity of federal procurement. GSA will bring advanced analytical capabilities, investigative support and cross-government coordination to help expose high-risk fraud patterns and stop bad actors from exploiting taxpayer-funded systems,” Forst continued. The White House’s task force is a coalition of federal agencies created by President Donald Trump through an executive order to coordinate efforts to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in federal programs. Chaired by Vance, the task force focuses on improving eligibility verification, strengthening payment controls, sharing data across agencies and helping law enforcement disrupt fraud schemes. DOGE ERA OVERHAUL: GSA TOUTS $60B IN SAVINGS AS TRUMP SHRINKS GOV’T FOOTPRINT: ‘RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES’ The GSA has historically had some problems with improper payments. In February, for instance, the agency’s Office of Inspector General released a report finding that “federal customer agencies relying on GSA pricing on schedule contracts are at risk of overpaying” due to failures from government contracting officers or inaccurate information submitted by contractors. JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The White House fraud task force was established in March, and has racked up a few early wins in the weeks since. Law enforcement, working in conjunction with the task force, arrested eight people in California on suspicion of defrauding public healthcare services out of more than $50 million. The task force also withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers suspected of defrauding the government. “GSA’s participation reinforces a whole-of-government strategy focused on restoring accountability, strengthening operational integrity and ensuring federal programs deliver results for the American people,” the press release reads. “By combining the Task Force’s investigative mission with GSA’s government-wide infrastructure and procurement expertise, the administration is accelerating efforts to increase transparency, improve efficiency, and reinforce public trust in federal operations.”
Pentagon slashes NATO combat commitments as Trump pushes Europe to defend itself
The Pentagon recently informed European allies it plans to reduce some U.S. military capabilities available to NATO during a crisis as part of a broader push to shift more of the alliance’s conventional defense burden onto Europe. The Trump administration plans to reduce certain available capabilities by roughly one-third to one half, officials confirmed to Fox News Digital, including strategic bomber planes, fighter jets and some naval assets. Pentagon official Alexander Velez-Green informed officials of the coming changes at the NATO Defense Policy Directors’ meeting in Brussels Friday, according to two officials familiar with the matter. The Pentagon declined to confirm details about the changes, but chief spokesman Sean Parnell acknowledged the shift in a statement to Fox News Digital, framing it as part of a broader effort to pressure allies to assume greater responsibility for Europe’s defense. PENTAGON OFFICIAL FLAGS RETURN OF ‘COLD WAR MENTALITY,’ AS TRUMP ADMIN RESHAPES NATO ALLIANCE “The Department of War announced changes to U.S. contributions to the NATO Force Model at the Defense Policy Directors’ meeting in Brussels,” he said. “These changes represent an opportunity for allies to demonstrate that they have heard President Trump’s call for them to step up and take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.” “Spending more on defense is one thing — and our allies must do so as quickly as possible, consistent with their Hague Summit pledge. It is vitally important, however, for our NATO allies to focus increased defense spending on the combat-credible capabilities most required for Europe’s defense. The Department of War’s announcement offers allies an opportunity to do exactly that.” The move comes ahead of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July, where President Donald Trump is expected to intensify pressure on allies to shoulder more of Europe’s defense burden while Washington shifts military focus toward the Indo-Pacific. RUBIO ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS FOR NATO TALKS AMID UNEASE OVER TRUMP’S AGENDA While European officials largely have avoided publicly criticizing the changes, several have expressed concern to Fox News Digital about the pace and clarity of the administration’s evolving Europe posture plans. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to reassure allies in recent days, saying any adjustments would occur “over time, in a structured way” and insisting “the U.S. will stay involved in Europe.” NATO foreign ministers meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, also grappled with uncertainty surrounding recent U.S. troop announcements in Europe. Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard described the situation as “confusing indeed,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “it is well understood in the alliance that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted.” Regional officials told Fox News Digital they are still seeking clarity on whether future U.S. troop movements in Poland would expand the current American footprint, replace paused rotations, or involve repositioning forces from elsewhere in Europe. PENTAGON CUTS BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMS IN EUROPE AS TRUMP PRESSURES NATO ON SPENDING Defense officials increasingly describe the broader shift as part of a post-Ukraine-war restructuring of NATO focused on territorial defense, rapid mobilization and greater European burden-sharing, while the U.S. redirects more military resources toward Asia. The U.S. currently maintains its largest European troop presence in Germany, where roughly 36,000 American troops are stationed, along with approximately 12,000 troops in Italy, 10,000 in the United Kingdom and an estimated 10,000 in Poland. The Pentagon in 2025 withdrew an armored brigade combat team from Romania following a temporary deployment tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, part of a broader effort to rebalance the U.S. military footprint in Europe. More recently, the Trump administration announced plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany throughout the next year as part of its ongoing Europe posture review, raising new questions among allies about the future scale of the American military presence on the continent.
Parisians defy swimming ban to cool off as record heat hits Europe
NewsFeed Parisians cooled off in the city’s Saint-Martin canal as an unprecedented heatwave pushed temperatures across Europe far above seasonal norms. Swimmers ignored long-standing bans, swimming outside designated bathing sites. Published On 28 May 202628 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Google employee charged with insider trading over Polymarket bets
Michele Spagnuolo allegedly used insider information to profit from bets on people on Google’s most-searched list. Published On 28 May 202628 May 2026 A Google software engineer has been charged with fraud by US authorities after allegedly using insider information to win more than $1.2m in bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket. Michele Spagnuolo, an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland, is accused of using confidential information to wager on the results of Google’s annual most-searched list, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list US prosecutors accuse Spagnuolo of using an account named “AlphaRaccoon” to make trades on various markets linked to the results of Google’s 2025 Year in Search. The total sum of the bets was approximately $2.75m, according to the complaint, filed in federal court in New York. Among the bets, Spagnuolo successfully predicted that indie pop musician d4vd would top the list for the most-searched for person last year, hours after accessing confidential data at Google, according to prosecutors. Spagnuolo, 36, faces charges of commodities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. “Today’s charges reinforce a decades-old message: corporate insiders cannot use confidential business information to turn a profit in our markets,” US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement. “Insider trading compromises the integrity of our markets, and the American people want this greed-driven conduct investigated and prosecuted,” Clayton added. Bets on Maduro’s capture Google said in a statement that it is working with law enforcement and that using confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of company policy. Advertisement Spagnuolo has been placed on leave, according to a Google spokesperson. A Polymarket spokesperson said the company had worked closely with the US Attorney’s Office on the investigation and that the firm “is the only prediction platform to date whose cooperation has led to insider trading charges in the United States”. “We are committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets as well as enforcing our rules and working with our regulators and law enforcement,” the spokesperson added. Last month, a US soldier was charged with using classified military information to place bets on Polymarket regarding the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Prosecutors accuse Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, of cashing in on the US operation against Maduro, to the tune of more than $400,000. Adblock test (Why?)
Aid cuts and climate change drive deadly malaria surge in Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe – Precious Mvundura woke up with joint pain, a high fever and a pounding headache on a chilly autumn morning in eastern Zimbabwe. The 37-year-old initially thought it was just the flu. But when the headache persisted for three days, she became worried. Her five-year-old son had also fallen ill and was sweating heavily. In early May, the pair sought help from a village health worker in Chishakwe, a rural farming community outside Zimbabwe’s third-largest city, Mutare. Both tested positive for malaria. “I felt relieved,” Mvundura told Al Jazeera. “From the moment I took that medication, I started getting better.” Her son has also recovered and is back in school. Their ordeal comes as malaria cases and deaths surge across Zimbabwe after US funding cuts disrupted key malaria control programmes. Shortly after returning to office for a second term in 2025, US President Donald Trump slashed foreign aid funding, including programmes backed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In Zimbabwe, the cuts disrupted tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria research, prevention and treatment programmes. Among the affected initiatives were the Zimbabwe Entomological Support Programme in Malaria (ZENTO) at Africa University in Mutare, which provided scientific research to support the country’s National Malaria Control Programme, and the Zimbabwe Assistance Programme in Malaria II (ZAPIM II), which helped strengthen malaria diagnosis, treatment and prevention in high-burden districts. Advertisement USAID had disbursed $270m for health and agriculture programmes in Zimbabwe in 2024. Malaria cases jumped to 65,399 between January and April 2026, up from 36,000 recorded during the same period in 2025 and 17,000 in 2024, according to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health National Malaria Control Programme weekly surveillance report. Deaths have also risen sharply, reaching 174 between January and April 2026, compared with 85 during the same period last year and 34 in 2024. Mvundura and her son survived because they sought treatment early. In many other cases, the disease has been fatal. Shortages of mosquito nets, test kits Thomas Chuchu, the health programme lead at Save the Children Zimbabwe, said several malaria elimination activities previously supported by ZAPIM II had been disrupted. “In practice, elimination has continued through government and other partners, but with weaker operational capacity and slower implementation,” Chuchu told Al Jazeera. Zimbabwe’s dependence on donor funding for essential medicines, diagnostic kits and mosquito-control supplies has left the country vulnerable [Farai Shawn Matiashe/Al Jazeera] The ZAPIM II programme ran through Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health system in 11 districts across the provinces of Central and East Mashonaland and the province of Matabeleland North. Before falling ill, Mvundura said she had not been using mosquito nets or repellents. “I only started using a mosquito net a friend shared when I fell sick,” she said. In December 2025, Caroline Mawombedzi was diagnosed with malaria while living in Burma Valley, a farming community about an hour’s drive from Mutare. She had last contracted the disease in the late 2000s while still a child. In mid-May, her five-year-old daughter was also diagnosed with malaria by a village health worker in Chishakwe after suffering severe headaches and stomach problems. Although her daughter received treatment, Mawombedzi said she could not afford preventive measures such as mosquito nets. “I am unemployed. I cannot afford to buy a mosquito net. We have not been sleeping under a mosquito net for years,” she said. Virginia Chakandinakira, a village health worker serving Chishakwe, said malaria diagnostic kits and drugs are now in short supply. “I used to get plenty of malaria test kits and drugs. But in 2025, they did not give me. I referred everyone showing malaria to a nearby Chitakatira clinic,” she said. Chitakatira is a rural settlement about an hour’s drive from Chishakwe. “I only received test kits and drugs in February. However, the supplies are limited. The authorities told us they were only distributing them to hotspot communities.” Advertisement Research programmes crippled Professor Sungano Mharakurwa, the director of Africa University’s Malaria Institute, said the abrupt withdrawal of US support had worsened the malaria outbreak by affecting the programme. ZENTO was contributing data from the surveillance of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which guided strategies employed by the National Malaria Control Programme to control malaria transmission, he said. The Trump administration’s funding cuts have also effectively put a stop to the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), launched in 2005 by former President George W Bush to control and eliminate malaria worldwide. Mharakurwa said the PMI had played a major role in funding malaria medications, and communities had been left exposed without it. He said the Malaria Institute later secured funding from the United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministry, but it fell far short of previous US assistance. Zimbabwe’s dependence on donor funding for essential medicines, diagnostic kits and mosquito-control supplies has left the country vulnerable. Itai Rusike, the director of Zimbabwe’s Community Working Group on Health, said the government needed to strengthen domestic health financing to reduce dependence on foreign donors. “It is risky for a country to depend substantially on external partners, as donors can withdraw financial support anytime should their interests shift,” he said. Climate change fuels spread Experts say climate change is also driving the spread of malaria and other vector-borne diseases across Africa. Rising temperatures are allowing malaria to spread into higher-altitude areas, which were once less vulnerable to outbreaks. Zimbabwe experienced El Niño between 2023 and 2024, a climate phenomenon marked by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which typically disrupts rainfall patterns across Southern Africa. Heavy rainfall followed in 2025 and 2026, creating ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. Chuchu, from Save the Children Zimbabwe, said that the current spike in malaria cases was closely linked to the heavy rains during the 2025–2026 season. “The rains created favourable breeding conditions for mosquitoes, particularly in already endemic provinces such as Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West,” he said. Health workers say malaria diagnostic kits and medicines are now in short supply in rural Zimbabwe [Farai Shawn Matiashe/Al Jazeera] “The