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  • MrBeast: Inside The Scandal Facing King Of YouTube

    MrBeast: Inside The Scandal Facing King Of YouTube

    BBC– Half a billion fans, a multi-million dollar personal fortune and a global business empire.

    It would take a lot to dethrone YouTube’s biggest influencer Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast.

    But a 54-page court document could be his toughest test yet.

    Five female contestants on upcoming Prime Video show Beast Games are launching legal action against his production company MrB2024 and Amazon in Los Angeles.

    Billed as the largest ever reality competition series, 1,000 contestants are set to compete for a $5m (£3.7m) prize when the show airs – or if it airs. The lawsuit has plunged the show into crisis.

    Among many redacted pages, the legal document includes allegations that they “particularly and collectively suffered” in an environment that “systematically fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism”.

    It cuts to the core of MrBeast’s image as one of the nicest guys on the internet.

    I flicked through the document, which includes suggestions that participants were “underfed and overtired”. Meals were provided “sporadically and sparsely” which “endangered the health and welfare” of the contestants, it is claimed.

    In one section where almost all of the claims are redacted from public view, it says the defendants “created, permitted to exist, and fostered a culture and pattern and practice of sexual harassment including in the form of a hostile work environment”.

    Back in August, the New York Times spoke to more than a dozen of the (yet unreleased) show’s participants, and reported there were “several hospitalisations” on the set, with one person telling the paper they had gone over 20 hours without being fed.

    Contestants also alleged they had not received their medication on time.

    The BBC has approached MrBeast and Amazon – he has not yet publicly commented.

    So will these latest allegations hurt the king of YouTube’s popularity?

    Don Arnold/WireImage
    MrBeast has a huge fan base – but is grappling with controversies

    MrBeast is no stranger to controversy this year – and has managed to come out unscathed each time.

    In July, the 26-year-old American said he had hired investigators after his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenager.

    Ava denied the allegations, but has apologised for “past behaviour” which was “not acceptable”.

    MrBeast said he was “disgusted” by the “serious allegations”.

    Later, further allegations about business practices surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a former employee. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims or this person’s identity.

    Some of his philanthropic efforts – such as building wells in Africa, and paying for surgery for people with reduced sight and hearing – have drawn criticisms around exploitation.

    “Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast’s latest piece of inspiration porn,” one person told the Independent last year.

    But his empire continues to grow. The day before the lawsuit emerged on Wednesday, he revealed a team-up with fellow famous faces KSI and Logan Paul – a new food line designed to challenge Lunchables.

    And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric rise last year, he has made his millions through hard work.

    His videos are big budget experiences, with his most popular – viewed 652 million times – recreating the Netflix hit Squid Game in real lifewith a $456,000 (£342,000) prize.

    Most of his philanthropy is less controversial – including giving away houses, cash and cars – which has worked to create an image of him being one of the internet’s good guys.

    According to his website, he has delivered more than 25 million meals to the needy around the world.

    People continue to flock to his social channels. In June, he gained enough subscribers to make his YouTube channel the largest in the world.

    According to stats-checker Socialblade, MrBeast picked up an extra five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone.

    That’s just one metric – we can’t tell how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example.

    What is certain is that the number of people who’ve actively decided to stop watching his videos has been eclipsed by those who’ve decided to subscribe.

    The YouTube apology

     

    He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose popularity holds through controversy – others have faced far more significant storms than MrBeast, with few facing many consequences outside of a public apology.

    Logan Paul faced a massive backlash in 2018 after he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers which showed the body of a person who had apparently taken their own life.

    After removing the original video, he shared a less than two-minute apology titled simply: “So sorry.”

    Now, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and up until August was the WWE United States champion. He’s had quite a few pay-per-view boxing bouts, too.

    Other high-profile YouTubers, including Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star have all had their own controversies, and got on with their careers after uploading apology videos.

    A more modern example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, who admitted he sent messages to “an individual minor” in 2017.

    He stressed that “nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed” and went offline for two months after posting the statement.

    His comeback livestream earlier this month attracted more than three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.

    Dr Disrespect remains the second-most watched streamer in the US this year, according to Streams Charts.

    The point is: YouTubers tend to be forgiven quickly.

    What next for MrBeast?

     

    While MrBeast’s fanbase has continued growing, controversy is swirling once again – and his next move could determine his long-term success.

    James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, says the star is “in an incredibly unique position” with a “multi-faceted” brand spanning many industries.

    “We are indeed in uncharted waters,” he says, and “a proactive approach, addressing the issues transparently and ensuring accountability, could protect his brand”.

    Brand expert Catherine Shuttleworth says the “sheer scale” of MrBeast’s fame may act as a buffer against backlash, but the latest lawsuit could be difficult.

    “When it comes to his business ventures, particularly those targeting families and children – like Feastables chocolate bars or Lunchly – it’s a different story,” she says.

    “Parents, who often hold the purchasing power, tend to be less tolerant of controversies involving safety, fairness, and ethics.”

    Back in August 2023, when writing about MrBeast, I predicted he would soon take the YouTube crown despite him having half as many subscribers then.

    He is now facing extra challenges as his fame rises, and a lot of the internet is eagerly awaiting his reply to what is, so far, one side of a complex story.

  • Israeli Forces Raid, Shut Down Al Jazeera’s Office In Ramallah

    Israeli Forces Raid, Shut Down Al Jazeera’s Office In Ramallah

    Israeli forces raided and closed the office of Al Jazeera in the West Bank city of Ramallah early Sunday, in what has been described as an “arbitrary military decision.”

    The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli authorities ordered the staff to leave the premises before shutting down the office.

    This came amid escalating tensions in the region, with increased scrutiny on media organizations covering the Israeli war on Gaza.

    According to Wafa, the Israeli forces confiscated documents and equipment from the Al Jazeera office. The army also imposed a 45-day ban on the channel’s operations in the area, citing security concerns.

    The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the raid and closure, calling it a “new attack on journalism and media freedom.”

    The syndicate urged international organizations and institutions that advocate for journalists’ rights and safety to take immediate action to denounce the decision and ensure it is overturned.

    The syndicate also expressed solidarity with Al Jazeera and its journalists, offering its headquarters and resources to assist the network’s staff during the enforced closure.

    No official statement has yet been issued by Al Jazeera regarding the raid.

    The raid on Sunday follows a decision by the Israeli government in May, which prohibited Al Jazeera from operating within Israel.

  • ‪Harris Challenges Trump To CNN Debate In October, Trump Refuses‬

    ‪Harris Challenges Trump To CNN Debate In October, Trump Refuses‬

    Kamala Harris on Saturday, September 22, challenged Donald Trump to another debate in the lead-up to the US presidential election, with her campaign saying she had accepted a debate invitation from CNN for October 23.

    “Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.”

    The Republican snubbed the offer, saying it was “too late.” It would have been their second debate, after a September 10 encounter she was widely considered to have won.

    Speaking at a campaign rally in the battleground state of North Carolina, Trump said he would like to debate – calling it “good entertainment value” – but that the start of early voting in some states had taken the air out of the idea. “It’s just too late, voting has already started,” he said. However, in 2020, the last presidential debate between Biden and Trump took place on October 22. In 2016, the third debate between Hillary Clinton and Trump happened on October 19.

    He added, to a large and enthusiastic crowd of supporters, that while CNN had been “very fair” when he debated President Joe Biden in June, “they won’t be fair again” after criticism for the handling of the first debate.

    Vice President Harris replaced her boss at the top of the Democratic ticket after the 81-year-old Biden’s disastrous performance against Trump. His exit from the race left Trump, 78, now the oldest presidential nominee against a much younger Harris, 59.

    Race remains neck-and-neck

    Saturday’s announcement came as some states have already begun early voting in what is an agonizingly close race. On the campaign trail on Friday, Harris cast Trump and his party as “hypocrites” over abortion, blaming the former president for an abortion ban in the battleground state of Georgia that she said had caused the deaths of two women.

    Trump has frequently bragged on the campaign trail that his three Supreme Court picks paved the way for the 2022 overturning of the national right to abortion, turning the decision over to states. At least 20 states have since brought in full or partial restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

    The race remains neck-and-neck, with Trump running with the support of a conservative religious voter base and others, many of whom feel disaffected by the country’s political and economic status quo. Hardline anti-immigrant rhetoric has become a centerpiece of his election campaign.

    The race between Harris and Trump has continued amid a tense atmosphere that was brought to the fore last weekend when a gunman appeared to have tried to assassinate Trump in Florida, the second such threat in as many months. Every vote will count in the race, whose result Trump has once again refused to say he will accept if he loses.

    Trump faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 result, after which his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The result is expected to hinge on just seven battleground states, including North Carolina.

    Trump has sought to lay the blame for any potential loss at the door of Jewish American voters, sparking outrage. “If I don’t win this election… in my opinion the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss,” Trump told an anti-Semitism event on Thursday, repeating his grievance that Jewish voters have historically leaned Democratic.

  • Mexican President Blames The US For Bloodshed In Sinaloa As Cartel Violence Surges

    Mexican President Blames The US For Bloodshed In Sinaloa As Cartel Violence Surges

    CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the United States in part on Thursday for the surge in cartel violence terrorizing the northern state of Sinaloa which has left at least 30 people dead in the past week.

    Two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the state capital of Culiacan in what appears to be a fight for power since two of its leaders were arrested in the United States in late July. Teams of gunmen have shot at each other and the security forces.

    Meanwhile, dead bodies continued to pop up around the city. On one busy street corner, cars drove by pools of the blood leading to a body in a car mechanic shop, while heavily armed police in black masks loaded up another body stretched out on a side street of the Sinaloan city.

    Asked at his morning briefing if the U.S. government was “jointly responsible” for this violence in Sinaloa, the president said, “Yes, of course … for having carried out this operation.”

    Forensic investigators remove a body from the street in La Costerita, Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

    The recent surge in cartel warfare had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas on July 25 in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

    Zambada was the cartel’s elder figure and reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the U.S. against his will.

    On Thursday afternoon, another military operation covered the north of Culiacan with military and circling helicopters.

    Traffic was heavy in Culiacan and most schools were open, even though parents were still not sending their children to classes. Businesses continue to close early and few people venture out after dark. While the city has slowly reopened and soldiers patrol the streets, many families continue to hide away, with parents and teachers fearing they’ll be caught in the crossfire.

    “Where is the security for our children, for ourselves too, for all citizens? It’s so dangerous here, you don’t want to go outside,” one Culiacan mother told the Associated Press.

    Police watch forensics remove bodies from a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo)

    The mother, who didn’t want to share her name out of fear of the cartels, said that while some schools have recently reopened, she hasn’t allowed her daughter to go for two weeks. She said she was scared to do so after armed men stopped a taxi they were traveling in on their way home, terrifying her child.

    During his morning news briefing, López Obrador had claimed American authorities “carried out that operation” to capture Zambada and that “it was totally illegal, and agents from the Department of Justice were waiting for Mr. Mayo.”

    “If we are now facing instability and clashes in Sinaloa, it is because they (the American government) made that decision,” he said.

    He added that there “cannot be a cooperative relationship if they take unilateral decisions” like this. Mexican prosecutors have said they were considering bringing treason charges against those involved in the plan to nab Zambada.

    He was echoed by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who said later in the day that “we can never accept that there is no communication or collaboration.”

    It’s the latest escalation of tensions in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Last month, the Mexican president said he was putting relations with the U.S. and Canadian embassies “on pause” after ambassadors criticized his controversial plan to overhaul Mexico’s judiciary by requiring all judges to stand for election.

    Still, the Zambada capture has fueled criticisms of López Obrador, who has throughout his administration refused to confront cartels in a strategy he refers to as “hugs not bullets.” On previous occasions, he falsely stated that cartels respect Mexican citizens and largely fight amongst themselves.

    While the president, who is set to leave office at the end of the month, has promised his plan would reduce cartel violence, such clashes continue to plague Mexico. Cartels employ an increasing array of tactics, including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, home-made armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones.

    Last week, López Obrador publicly asked Sinaloa’s warring factions to act “responsibly”and noted that he believed the cartels would listen to him.

    But the bloodshed has only continued.

  • Divers Discover Body Of Final Missing Person From Sunken Superyacht

    Divers Discover Body Of Final Missing Person From Sunken Superyacht

    Tributes have been paid to 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, after divers recovered what is believed to be her body in the wreckage of a luxury yacht which sank off Sicily.

    Hannah was the last person unaccounted for after the luxury yacht Bayesian foundered during a freak storm off the Italian fishing village of Porticello, east of Palermo, claiming seven lives in total.

    Friends have described her as a “warm and beautiful soul”, while teachers praised her “sky-high intellectual ability”.

    The body of her father, tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was recovered from the shipwreck earlier this week.

    The family released a picture of the two on Friday.

    A total of 15 people survived, including a one-year-old child and Hannah’s mother, Angela Bacares.

    Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and the boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas all died in the disaster.

    Rescuers described the operation, which has been ongoing since Monday, as “complex”, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

    After reports emerged that the final body had been found, a coastguard vessel which had been at the site of the shipwreck for hours could be seen back in the port.

    Meanwhile, a helicopter landed nearby as divers took off their orange suits on the quayside.

    A decision on whether to raise the sunken yacht from the seabed is “not on the agenda” but will be in the future, a spokesperson from the Italian Coastguard has said.

    The ship was “practically intact” on the seabed, according to divers on the search and rescue team.

    Hannah Lynch had recently finished her A-levels and had been offered a place to study English at the University of Oxford, according to the Times.

    “We are all incredibly shocked by the news,” a spokesperson for London’s Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, where Hannah was a former pupil, said.

    “Our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved,” they added.

  • Kamala Harris Formally Accepts Democratic Nomination For US President

    Kamala Harris Formally Accepts Democratic Nomination For US President

    US Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday evening, vowing to be a “president of all Americans.”

    “I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” Harris said during her speech on the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois.

    “A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical and has common sense and always fights for the American people,” she said.

    “From the courthouse to the White House, that has always been my life’s work,” she added.

    She noted that the November presidential elections are “one of the most important in the life of our nation.”

    Harris calls Trump ‘unserious man’

    Harris later went on to say that her Republican rival, Donald Trump, is an “unserious man” and the consequences of putting Trump back in the White House are “extremely serious.”

    “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers,” she said, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021 US Capitol riot.

    “For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse,” she added.

    Harris later criticized Trump for his stance on abortion and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had protected the rights of women to seek abortions, saying that too many women in the US are not able to make their own decisions about their own lives.

    “I’ve traveled across our country. And women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs. Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children. All because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients,” she said.

    ‘I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself’

    Harris said she and President Joe Biden are “working around the clock” to get a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal “done.”

    “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the war that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7,” she said.

    “At the same time,” she continued, “what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again,” she said.

    Harris said the scale of suffering in Gaza is “heartbreaking,” adding: “President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

    She said the US must also be “steadfast” in advancing its security and values abroad.

    “I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world,” she said, while noting that her rival Trump “threatened to abandon NATO.”

  • Andrew Tate Placed Under House Arrest As New Human Trafficking Allegations Emerge Involving Minors

    Andrew Tate Placed Under House Arrest As New Human Trafficking Allegations Emerge Involving Minors

    A court in Romania’s capital Thursday placed the divisive internet influencer Andrew Tate under house arrest for 30 days, as prosecutors investigate a sprawling new case that involves allegations of human trafficking of minors and sex with a minor.

    The Bucharest Tribunal’s decision comes a day after prosecutors detained six people including Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate, 36, after masked police raided four homes in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county. Prosecutors had asked the court to remand the brothers in custody for 30 days. Tristan has been placed under judicial control, which typically involves geographical restrictions and reporting periodically to the police.

    The brothers’ spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, responded to the decision by saying the judge denied prosecutors’ request due to the brothers’ “exemplary behavior” while previously under preventative arrest measures in a separate case, and that they firmly deny all of the allegations against them and “remain steadfast in proving their innocence.”

    The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers and dual British-U.S. citizens, are already awaiting trial in Romania in a separate human trafficking case along with two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four last year.

    In the new case, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said it is investigating allegations of human trafficking, including the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, forming an organized criminal group, money laundering, and influencing statements. The alleged crimes date between 2014 and 2024.

    DIICOT said the defendants used the coercive “loverboy” method to exploit 34 vulnerable victims who were forced to produce pornographic materials for a fee online, and that more than $2.8 million (2.5 million euros) it generated was kept by the defendants.

    An unnamed foreign man also sexually exploited a 17-year-old foreigner, DIICOT alleges, and said he kept all of the $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) made from the criminal activity. The same man “repeatedly had sexual relations and acts” with a 15-year-old, the agency alleges.

    Outside the court after the judge issued his house arrest measure, Andrew Tate told reporters that many of the alleged victims in the new case have statements in the Tate brother’s defense. “This is a set-up, it’s absolutely disgusting, fair play to that judge who saw through the bullshit and let us free,” he said.

    Andrew Tate, who has 9.9 million followers on the social media platform X, is known for expressing misogynistic views online and has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He was previously banned from various social media platforms for misogynistic views and hate speech.

    “During the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence,” DIICOT said.

    During the police raids on Wednesday, which also involved scouring the Tate brothers’ large property near Bucharest, authorities seized 16 luxury vehicles, a motorbike, laptops, thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches, and data storage drives.

    The latest case against the Tates adds to a litany of legal woes against them.

    After the Tate brothers’ arrest in December 2022, they were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest. They were later restricted to Bucharest municipality and nearby Ilfov county, and then to Romania.

    In April, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled in that case that prosecutors’ case file against them met the legal criteria and that a trial could start but did not set a date for it to begin.

    Last month, a court overturned an earlier decision that allowed the Tate brothers to leave Romania as they await trial. The earlier court ruled on July 5 that they could leave the country as long as they remained within the 27-member European Union. The decision was final.

    In March, the Tate brothers also appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case, after British authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case dating back to 2012-2015. The appeals court granted the British request to extradite the the Tates to the U.K., but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.

  • Barack Obama Casts Harris As His Heir In Convention Speech

    Barack Obama Casts Harris As His Heir In Convention Speech

    Barack and Michelle Obama closed out the Democratic National Convention’s second night by pitching Kamala Harris as an heir to their political legacy. And they derided Donald Trump as a “racist” egomaniac who’d squandered his own presidency, and needed to be kept out of power.

    “This convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible,” the former president said in his closing remarks, an echo to the convention address that launched his national career 20 years ago. Harris’s parents had “crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America,” evoking the story he’d told Democrats in that same 2004 speech about his Kenyan father coming to a “magical place.”

    “I’m fired up!” Obama told the crowd, setting up one of the signature chants of his 2008 and 2012 campaigns..

    Appearing on stage not long after his wife, the former president made a tribute to Joe Biden, his one-time vice president, and said “one of my best” decisions as the party’s nominee in 2008 was picking Biden, before hailing Biden’s own achievements as president.

    But Obama quickly pivoted to attack Trump, breaking out the Democrats’ favorite new refrain— ”weird” — to say he had a “weird obsession with crowd sizes.” He glanced quickly at his hands, a joke about masculinity and a reminder that Democrats were no longer worried that anti-Trump ridicule might backfire.

    “America is ready for a new chapter,” he said, “We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”

    Obama ran through Harris’ record as a prosecutor, adding that she had “pushed me and my administration hard,” after the subprime mortgage crisis to help people who lost their homes in the fallout, later saying that Harris would work to bolster the middle class as president.

    On Tim Walz, Obama said “he knows who he is, and he knows what’s important.” Together, he said, they had a vision to ensure all Americans could “get along with each other,” and deliver for everyone.

    “Yes she can!” Obama said, sparking an immediate chant in the crowd — another echo to 2008.

    “We will build a country that is more secure, more just, more equal, and more free,” he said, leaving to a standing ovation.

    Speaking immediately before his speech, Michelle Obama was welcomed by her own standing ovation and rapturous applause from the audience in Chicago, the Obamas’ hometown. Her speech recalled the same spirit of 2008, starting with a declaration that “hope is making a comeback!” But she also gave voice to the collective “mourning” Democrats had been feeling, an oblique nod to how far the party’s fortunes — and optimism — appear to have changed since Biden left the race.

    The former first lady also drew many links between her own life and Kamala’s history: “Her story is your story. It’s my story. It’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.”

    “There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” she said, painting a picture of Harris as the polar opposite to Donald Trump, while also warning that he could revisit many of the same tactics he used to attack the Obamas in the past. She threw out a quip about how the presidency was a “Black job,” recalling Trump’s terminology, which came up in a contentious interview at the National Association of Black Journalists earlier this summer.

    Above all, she urged Democrats to channel their emotions into action.

    “Michelle Obama is asking, no I’m telling you all, to do something!” she said at one point.

    Ultimately, the major theme of the primetime speeches was drawing a contrast between the future that Harris offered as opposed to Trump, and, aside from a tribute by Obama, brief or no references to Biden by name.

    Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke of Harris’ ability to take America forward: “America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your family’s future. I trusted Kamala with our family’s future. It was the best decision I ever made.”

    Also speaking on stage Tuesday were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham, and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

    Appearing early in the evening, Schumer set up an immediate contrast between “Trump’s American carnage” and the future Harris might offer. To deliver it, Schumer said, a Democratic majority in the Senate would be crucial: Democrats currently hold a two-seat majority and 34 seats are up for election in November, 23 of which are held by Democrats or Independents.

    Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, applauded Harris’ economic agenda, calling it a plan for “an economy that works for all of us,” before repeatedly using the term “radical,” a word often used to attack the left by Republicans, to describe Trump and the GOP’s policies.

    It was a big tent at the convention. While Sanders, a socialist and icon among the party’s progressive wing, denounced the “billionaire class,” Pritzker, heir to a massive family fortune, followed that speech by using his wealth to poke fun at Trump.

    “Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity,” the Illinois governor said.

  • Harris Leads or Ties Trump In 6 of 7 Key Battleground States: Poll

    Harris Leads or Ties Trump In 6 of 7 Key Battleground States: Poll

    US Vice President Kamala Harris is leading or tied with former President Donald Trump in six of seven key swing states, according to a poll on Wednesday.

    According to the Cook Political Report Swing State Project, Democratic presidential candidate Harris leads Republican candidate Trump in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Arizona and is tied with Trump in Georgia, while Trump leads in Nevada.

    Overall, Harris holds a narrow lead of 48% to 47% in those states in the head-to-head with Trump. Five percent of respondents said they are undecided or would not vote.

    Trump is tied with Harris in Georgia with 48% of support, according to the poll.

    The poll found that Harris gained ground on Trump since the last survey was conducted in May, when President Joe Biden was the presumptive Democratic nominee for the Nov. 5 presidential election.

    Last month, Biden announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 race for the White House, ending his bid for reelection after a poor debate performance with Trump.

    After offering his “full support and endorsement” for Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee, she officially launched her presidential campaign. Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate in the race.

  • Columbia University President Quits Months After Gaza Protests On Campus

    Columbia University President Quits Months After Gaza Protests On Campus

    Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced her resignation Wednesday after months of criticism over her handling of campus protests against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

    “I have had the honor and privilege to lead this incredible institution, and I believe that — working together — we have made progress in a number of important areas,” she said in a letter addressed to the Columbia community.

    “However, it has also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community. This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community.”

    Shafik said she has tried to navigate a path that upholds academic principles and treats everyone with “fairness and compassion.”

    “It has been distressing—for the community, for me as president and on a personal level—to find myself, colleagues, and students the subject of threats and abuse,” she added.

    The university announced that Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will take over as interim president for the upcoming academic year, which begins in less than a month.

    Columbia’s protests began in April and have served as a flashpoint for the wider anti-war movement after Shafik asked the New York Police Department (NYPD) to deploy to the school’s campus on April 18, when over 100 people were taken into custody in an attempt to clear an encampment.

    Demonstrators quickly adapted, however, and opened a new sit-in on another university lawn.

    Shafik again requested the NYPD come to campus on April 30 to break up another protest site and clear students from an administrative building they had been occupying. In all, 112 people were taken into police custody.

    This time around, Shafik requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on Columbia’s campus until at least May 17 – the day after the school’s multi-day graduation concluded – “to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.”​​​​​​​

    US House speaker welcomes Columbia University president’s resignation

    “I stood in President Shafik’s office in April and told her to resign, and while it is long overdue, we welcome today’s news. Jewish students at Columbia beginning this school year should breathe a sigh of relief,” Johnson said in a statement.

    His remarks came right after Shafik announced that she was stepping down after months of criticism over her handling of campus protests against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

    “As a result of President Shafik’s refusal to protect Jewish students and maintain order on campus, Columbia University became the epicenter for virulent antisemitism that has plagued many American university campuses since Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel last fall,” Johnson said.

    The speaker added that he hopes “Shafik’s resignation serves as an example to university administrators across the country that tolerating or protecting antisemites is unacceptable and will have consequences.”

    The university announced that Katrina Armstrong, CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, will take over as the interim president for the upcoming academic year, which begins in less than a month.

    Student-led protests demanding universities condemn Israel’s war on Gaza and divest from Israeli firms began in April and have served as a flashpoint for the wider anti-war movement after Shafik asked the New York Police Department (NYPD) to deploy to the school’s campus on April 18, when over 100 people were taken into custody in an attempt to clear an encampment.

    Demonstrators quickly adapted, however, and opened a new sit-in on another university lawn.

    Shafik again requested the NYPD come to campus on April 30 to break up another protest site and clear students from an administrative building they had been occupying. In all, 112 people were taken into police custody.

    This time around, Shafik requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on Columbia’s campus until at least May 17 – the day after the school’s multi-day graduation concluded – “to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.”​​​​​​​

  • Ten Things You Need To Know About Grave’s Disease, The Medical Condition That Vybz Cartel Has

    Ten Things You Need To Know About Grave’s Disease, The Medical Condition That Vybz Cartel Has

    You must have come across a photo of dancehall artiste Vybz Cartel that clearly shows his face swollen. While many mistook it as being overweight, but it is actually an autoimmune condition that affects thyroid immune system. This is what you need to know about a condition that affects about 20 to 30 people in every 100,000 people.

    1. Also known as toxic diffuse goiter

    Graves’ disease also known as toxic diffuse goiter or Basedow’s disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects majorly the thyroid gland, as it produces excessive hormones and often results in an enlarged thyroid. This means that the immune system of the affected person dysfunctions and starts to attack the healthy cells of the body.

    When the thyroid is underactive, it doesn’t produce enough hormones to regulate various bodily functions, leading to a buildup of certain substances in the skin, including extra fluid. This is also called water retention or oedema, which then leads to puffiness, particularly around the eyes, lips, and cheeks, resulting to swollen body.

    2. More common in women

    Researchers are yet figure out the causes of autoimmune diseases including the Graves’ disease. There are some environmental factors in combination with having a genetic predisposition that may increase chances of getting this disease. The disease is typically more common among people aged between 30 to 50 years, but it can also affect children and older adults.

    Also, women are at a higher risk of getting the disease, mainly due to their immune system. Experts say women have vigorous immune response compared to men, which unfortunately makes them more prone to autoimmune diseases, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease which are leading causes of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Further, people who have a family history of thyroid disease are also at a higher risk.

    3. Increased appetite

    The symptoms often take several weeks or months to appear. Since hyperthyroidism increases the speed of body functions, symptoms such as increased heartbeats and excessive sweating are common. There is also increased appetite and difficulty in sleeping. In addition to having an enlarged goiter, one can also get thin, moist and warm skin. One may get frequent diarrheas which with time may lead to significant weight loss that can make one to feel shaky and nervous, in addition to muscle weakness. Since this disease has many symptoms, one may experience few of them, while other people may experience all the symptoms at the same time. On rare occasions, people with Graves’ disease may develop a lumpy reddish thickening of the skin on their shins called Graves’ dermopathy. It’s usually painless and mild but it can be painful for some people.

    4. Diagnosis involves blood testing

    Graves’ disease is diagnosed through questions, physical exams and tests. Responding to questions on ones’ symptoms and their family medical history with the thyroid diseases is one way a healthcare provider can pre-determine on whether its Grave disease and send the patient for further testing or not. The tests include the thyroid blood test to check the level of thyroid hormone in the blood as well as the thyroid antibody blood test to help identify the type of the autoimmune thyroid condition. Thyroid uptake and scan uses radioactive iodine while doppler blood flow measurement is used in case one is pregnant or breastfeeding and radioactive iodine is not a good option.

    5. Treatment options include surgery

    Although Graves’ disease doesn’t have cure, there are some treatments that can be used to help manage the condition as they keep the thyroid hormone levels in check.

    Use of beta blockers can be used to regulate heart rate and protect the heart until further hyperthyroidism treatments take effect. Antithyroid medication can also be be used to block further production of the thyroid hormones. There is also a form of therapy which involves taking one dose of radioactive iodine in pill or liquid form. After few months, the radiation lowers the production of thyroid hormones and also slows down destruction of the thyroid gland cells. The radiation does not affect any other part of the body.

    Lastly, a surgery process called thyroidectomy which involves surgically removing all or part of the thyroid gland helps to control production of the thyroid hormones and may lead to low hormones and patients may need to take thyroid hormone replacements all their lives.

    6. Risky to pregnant women

    Graves’ disease during pregnancy can
    be harmful to both the mother and the fetus. This is because thyroid hormones plays a key role in the development of a fetus’ brain and nervous system. Too much production of thyroid hormone can increase the risk of low birth weight, miscarriage, preeclampsia, premature labor, infant hyperthyroidism and congestive heart failure on the pregnant person.

    7. Causes eye irritation

    A third of the people with Graves’ disease are likely to develop thyroid eye disease which is also referred as Graves’ ophthalmopathy or orbitopathy. It is associated with gritty and eye irritation. The eyes become puffy and bulgy because of the swelling of the tissues around the eyes. The eyes may become more sensitive to light and they may also experience pressure and pain in the eyes, paired with double or blurred vision.

    8. Patients prone to other diseases

    Untreated Grave’s disease may lead to heart problems such as arrhythmia which is characterised with irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of
    other heart conditions such as stroke and heart failure. It can also lead to osteoporosis which is abnormal thinning and weakening of bones, making the patient susceptible to bone fractures. It can also lead to a thyroid storm which is characterised by rapid heart rate and high fever which can be life threatening. In the case of the thyroid eye disease, one can end up with severe damage of the optic nerve which can lead to vision loss.

    9. Eat protein filled foods

    Diet and lifestyle can help manage Graves’ disease. Since the disease mainly causes weakening of cells including muscles and bones, eating foods that
    are rich in protein and calcium can help strengthen one’s muscles and bones respectively. Also, consumption of foods low in fat and sugar is highly advisable as patients are at a higher risk of getting heart conditions and diabetes. Experts advices against consuming too much iodine as it may worsen the situation.

    10. When to see a doctor

    People are advised to seek medical attention immediately they start experiencing some signs linked to the disease such as feeling nervous and irritable, having a slight tremor on the hands or fingers, being sensitive to heat with an increase in sweating or warm and moist skin, losing weight despite wanting to eat more, having an enlarged thyroid gland which is also called goiter, having changes in menstrual cycles, having bowel movements often, having bulging eyes, having thick and discolored skin mostly on the shins or tops of the feet, having fast or irregular heartbeat as well as not sleeping well. For men, if you start experiencing inabilities to get or sustain an erection or having less desire for sex, then its time to see your doctor.

  • WHO Declares Mpox A Global Public Health Emergency

    WHO Declares Mpox A Global Public Health Emergency

    The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.

    An emergency committee met earlier on Wednesday to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on whether the disease outbreak constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern,” or PHEIC.

    PHEIC status is WHO’s highest level of alert and aims to accelerate research, funding and international public health measures and cooperation to contain a disease.

    “It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said Tedros.

    Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.

    The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. But a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact.

    It has spread from Congo to neighbouring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, triggering the action from the WHO.

    “The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighbouring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” Tedros added.

    Tedros said on Wednesday that WHO had released $1.5 million in contingency funds and plans to release more in the coming days. WHO’s response plan would require an initial $15 million, and the agency plans to appeal to donors for funding.

    Earlier this week, Africa’s top public health bodydeclared an mpox emergency for the continent after warning that the viral infection was spreading at an alarming rate, with more than 17,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths this year, mainly among children in Congo.

    Professor Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO’s mpox emergency committee, said all members unanimously agreed that the current upsurge of cases is an “extraordinary event,” with a record number of cases in Congo.

    Vaccines and behaviour change helped stop the spread when a different strain of mpox spread globally, primarily among men who have sex with men, and WHO declared an emergency in 2022.

    In Congo, the transmission routes need further study, WHO said. No vaccines are yet available, although efforts are underway to change that and work out who best to target. The agency also appealed to countries with stockpiles to donate shots.

  • Hamas Names Yahya Sinwar, Mastermind Of The Oct. 7 Attacks, As Its New Leader

    Hamas Names Yahya Sinwar, Mastermind Of The Oct. 7 Attacks, As Its New Leader

    Hamas on Tuesday named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, as its new leader in a dramatic sign of the power of the Palestinian militant group’s hardline wing after his predecessor was killed in a presumed Israeli strike in Iran.

    The selection of Sinwar, a secretive figure close to Iran who worked for years to build up Hamas’ military strength, was a defiant signal that the group is prepared to keep fighting after 10 months of destruction from Israel’s campaign in Gaza and after the assassination of Sinwar’s predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh.

    It is also likely to provoke Israel, which has put him at the top of its kill list after the Oct. 7 attack, in which militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took about 250 as hostages.

    The announcement comes at volatile moment. Fears are high of an escalation into a wider regional war, with Iran vowing revenge against Israel over Haniyeh’s killing and Lebanon’s Hezbollah threatening to retaliate over Israel’s killing of one of its top commanders in an airstrike in Beirut last week. American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are trying to salvage negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza, shaken by Haniyeh’ killing.

    Hamas said in a statement it named Sinwar as the new head of its political bureau to replace Haniyeh, who was killed in a blast that Iran and Hamas blamed on Israel. Israel has not confirmed or denied responsibility. Also last week, Israel said it had confirmed the death of the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, in a July airstrike in Gaza. Hamas has not confirmed his death.

    In reaction to the appointment, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya televsion, “There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Mohammed Deif and the rest of the October 7th terrorists. That is the only place we’re preparing and intending for him.”

    Israel’s killings of multiple senior officials in Hamas over recent months left Sinwar as the most prominent figure in the group. His selection signals that the leadership on the ground in Gaza — particularly the armed wing known as the Qassam Brigades — has taken over from the leadership in exile, which has traditionally maintained the position of the overall leadership to navigate relations with foreign allies and diplomacy.

    Haniyeh, who had lived in self-imposed exile in Qatar since 2019, had played a direct role in negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza through U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators — though he and other Hamas officials always ran proposals and positions by Sinwar.

    Speaking to Al-Jazeera television after the announcement, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said Sinwar would continue the cease-fire negotiations.

    “The problem in negotiations is not the change in Hamas,” he said, blaming Israel and its ally the United States for the failure to seal a deal.

    But he said said Sinwar’s selection was a sign the group’s will had not been broken. Hamas “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics,” he said. “The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”

    Hamas’ allies Iran and Hezbollah issued statements praising Sinwar’s appointment.

    Hamas’ representative in Iran, Khaled Kaddoumi, called Sinwar a “consensus choice” popular among all factions and involved in the group’s decision-making throughout, including in negotiations. In a voice message to the AP, he said Sinwar knows the political aspirations of the Palestinians for a state and the return of refugees but he is also a “fierce fighter on the battlefield.”

    Mediators have been struggling to push through a U.S.-backed outline for a deal, but talks have hit obstacles, particularly over its centerpiece terms — a release of all of Hamas’ remaining hostages in return for an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

    Hamas has demanded guarantees from mediators that an initial cease-fire will continue until terms for that exchange are worked out. Israeli leaders have threatened to resume fighting to eliminate Hamas after an initial partial hostage release.

    In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the cease-fire.”

    He said Sinwar must “decide whether to move forward with a cease-fire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire … It really is on him.”

    As Hamas’ leader inside Gaza since 2017, Sinwar rarely appeared in public but kept an iron grip on Hamas’ rule over the territory. Close to Deif and Qassam Brigades, he worked to build up the group’s military capabilities.

    In one of his few appearances, Sinwar ended a public speech in Gaza by inviting Israel to assassinate him, proclaiming, “I will walk back home after this meeting.” He then did so, shaking hands and taking selfies with people in the streets.

    He has been in deep hiding since the Oct. 7 attacks, which triggered Israel’s campaign of bombardment and offensives aimed at destroying Hamas. The death toll among Palestinians is now nearing 40,000, most of the population of 2.3 million has been driven from their homes, and large swaths of Gaza’s towns and cities have been destroyed. In May, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant against Sinwar on charges of war crimes over the Oct. 7 attack, as well as against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister for war crimes.

    Hugh Lovatt, an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the European Council on Foreign Relations. said the elimination of other top figures cleared the way for Sinwar. “Two weeks ago, few would have expected Sinwar to be the group’s next leader despite the strong influence he exerts from Gaza,” he said.

    The killing of Haniyeh, a relative moderate, “not only opened the path for Sinwar to claim full control of Hamas, but also appears to have tipped the group into a more hardline direction,” he said.

  • ‪Bangladesh PM Resigns And Flees Country As Protesters Occupies Palace, Ending 15-Year Rule

    ‪Bangladesh PM Resigns And Flees Country As Protesters Occupies Palace, Ending 15-Year Rule

    Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday, ending 15 years in power as thousands of protesters defied a military curfew and stormed her official residence.

    Shortly after local media showed the embattled leader boarding a military helicopter with her sister, Bangladesh’s military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman announced plans to seek the president’s guidance on forming interim government.

    He promised that the military would stand down, and to launch an investigation into the deadly crackdowns that fueled outrage against the government, and asked citizens for time to restore peace.

    “Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible,” he said. “I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing.”

    “Now, the students’ duty is to stay calm and help us,” he added.

    The protests began peacefully as frustrated students demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs, but the demonstrations have since morphed into an unprecedented challenge and uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party.

    The government attempted to quell the violence with force, leaving nearly 300 people dead and fueling further outrage and calls for Hasina to step down.

    At least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in clashes in the capital on Sunday, according to the country’s leading Bengali-language daily newspaper, Prothom Alo. Hundreds more were injured in the violence.

    At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks. The unrest has also resulted in the closure of schools and universities across the country, and authorities at one point imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew.

    Over the weekend, protesters called for a “non-cooperation” effort, urging people not to pay taxes or utility bills and not to show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to their jobs.

    Hasina offered to talk with student leaders on Saturday, but a coordinator refused and announced a one-point demand for her resignation. Hasina repeated her pledges to investigate the deaths and punish those responsible for the violence. She said she was ready to sit down whenever the protesters want.

    Authorities shut off mobile internet on Sunday in an attempt to quell the unrest, while the broadband internet was cut off briefly Monday morning. It was the second internet blackout in the country after the protests turned deadly in July.

    On Monday, after three hours of suspension of broadband services, both broadband and mobile internet returned.

    Hasina had said protesters who engaged in “sabotage” and destruction were no longer students but criminals, and she said the people should deal with them with iron hands.

    The 76-year-old was elected for a fourth consecutive term in a January vote that was boycotted by her main opponents, triggering questions over how free and fair the vote was. Thousands of opposition members were jailed in the lead-up to the polls, which the government defended as democratically held.

    Today, she is the longest-serving leader in the history of Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim nation of over 160 million people strategically located between India and Myanmar.

    Her political opponents have previously accused her of growing increasingly autocratic and called her a threat to the country’s democracy, and many now say the unrest is a result of her authoritarian streak and hunger for control at all costs.

  • Sinaloa Cartel: How El Chapo’s Son Helped U.S. Arrest Fabled Narco Chief “El Mayo”

    Sinaloa Cartel: How El Chapo’s Son Helped U.S. Arrest Fabled Narco Chief “El Mayo”

    (Reuters) – As a propeller plane on Thursday whirred towards the U.S.-Mexico border to cross illegally, U.S. agents raced to meet it at a small municipal airport near El Paso, Texas, and arrest two men who were part of Mexican drug trafficking royalty.

    The son of jailed former Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman planned to give himself up upon landing. The other passenger – legendary septuagenarian trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada – did not and was duped into getting on the plane by the younger man, according to two current and two former U.S. officials familiar with the situation.

    Zambada’s arrest followed lengthy surrender talks between U.S. authorities and El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the sources said. But many American officials had given up hope on Joaquin turning himself in, and were caught unaware when he sent a last-minute message that he would arrive with a kingpin U.S. authorities had been chasing for four decades.

    “El Mayo was the cherry on top,” said one U.S. official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the arrests. “It wasn’t expected at all.”

    Guzman Lopez had convinced Zambada to board the plane by telling him that they were flying to see real estate in northern Mexico, according to the two current and one former U.S. officials.

    Reuters was the first news organization to report the arrests, ahead of a Department of Justice statement on Thursday evening that confirmed the two men had been detained in El Paso. The news agency spoke to current and former officials to piece together a detailed account of the operation.

    The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the two agencies who carried out the operation, scrambled agents from their local El Paso offices and barely reached the airport by the time the private plane was landing, according to a fifth source, a U.S. official who declined to give further details on the arrests.

    One worker at the Dona Ana County International Jetport, near El Paso, told Reuters he saw a Beechcraft King Air plane land on Thursday afternoon on the runway, where federal agents were already waiting.
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    “Two individuals got off the plane … and were calmly taken into custody,” said the man, who declined to share his name out of concern for his safety.

    The unexpected arrest of El Mayo, in his late 70s, and the way he appears to have been betrayed by Guzman Lopez, who is about 38 years old, has jolted the Mexican drug trafficking world, triggering fears of a bloody fissure in the Sinaloa Cartel between the two families that control the group’s biggest power bases.

    Zambada is accused of being one of the most consequential traffickers in Mexico’s history, having co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with “El Chapo” Guzman, who was extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

    Reuters could not determine why Guzman Lopez betrayed his father’s long-time partner, though the four current and former sources said it was likely due to his desire to obtain a more favourable plea bargain deal from U.S. authorities and help his brother, Ovidio, who was arrested and extradited to the United States in 2023.

    U.S. authorities have made drug bosses key targets, frequently striking plea bargain deals with them in exchange for information that leads to the capture of other high-ranking cartel figures.

    The back-channel communication between American officials and Guzman Lopez was carried out through lawyers, the first official said. Jeffrey Lichtman, who represents both Guzman brothers, declined to comment.

    Zambada, who was in a wheelchair, pleaded not guilty on Friday in a Texas courtroom to drug charges, including continuing criminal enterprise, narcotics importation conspiracy and money laundering. His lawyer, Frank Perez, said Zambada did not come to the U.S. voluntarily.

    Guzman Lopez is due to appear in court next week in Chicago, where he was first indicted on drugs charges around 6 years ago.

    Guzman Lopez is one of four sons of El Chapo – known as Los Chapitos, or Little Chapos – who inherited their father’s faction of the cartel. Joaquin and Ovidio have the same mother, while the other two siblings – Ivan and Jesus Alfredo – hail from El Chapo’s first marriage.

    The brothers have in recent years come under ferocious pressure from U.S. authorities, who have made them their main anti-narcotics targets, portraying them and the Sinaloa Cartel as the biggest traffickers of fentanyl into the United States. Fentanyl overdoses have surged to become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

    Ray Donovan, a former high-ranking U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official, said the defeats suffered by key Sinaloa Cartel bosses in recent past are mainly down to their embrace of fentanyl, which has risen up the political agenda in Washington as the death told has mounted on U.S. streets.

    “The number of Americans dying has put a lot more pressure,” Donovan said. “Fentanyl brought them down.”

    On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden heralded the arrests and vowed to continue combating “the scourge of fentanyl”.

    NEW GENERATION OF NARCOS

    El Chapo’s sons are known to be more violent and hot-headed than Zambada, who had a reputation as a shrewd operator that liked to stay in the shadows. Guzman Lopez was also seen as less important than his other three brothers.

    The U.S. authorities had a $15 million reward for the capture of Zambada, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel in the late 1980s with El Chapo. Guzman Lopez had a $5 million bounty on his head. Both men face multiple indictments in the United States.

    The first U.S. official cautioned that there are still many questions unanswered about how or why Zambada, an ultra-cautious and experienced cartel chieftain, found himself on that plane.

    Mexican Security Minister Rosa Rodriguez said that Mexico was informed of the detentions by the U.S. government, but that Mexican authorities did not participate in the operation.

    Outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has taken a cautious approach to tackling the powerful cartels, curbing security cooperation with U.S. authorities on fears that the previous U.S.-Mexico strategy of targeting powerful kingpins was triggering more nationwide violence.

    In Oct. 2019, Mexico’s military arrested Ovidio but were forced to release him after hundreds of Sinaloa Cartel foot soldiers blocked roads and fought running gun battles with soldiers as they to lay siege to the city of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. The military arrested Ovidio again in Jan. 2023 and he was extradited in September last year.

    Matthew Allen, a former Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Arizona division that built indictments against Guzman Lopez and other Sinaloa Cartel figures, said both Zambada and Guzman Lopez had had periodic conversations with U.S. officials about surrendering over the years.

    Allen, who maintains regular contact with former colleagues at HSI, said many traffickers, especially those from the younger generation, realize that giving themselves up, serving some time in jail and then spending their wealth is a better option than risking death from rivals in Mexico or capture by authorities that can lead to lifelong prison terms. Some informants are allowed to enter witness protection programs.

    “They’re seeing that this way you can do your time and do not have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life,” he said.

  • Trump Edges Out Harris In New Wall Street Journal Poll Following Biden’s Exit

    Trump Edges Out Harris In New Wall Street Journal Poll Following Biden’s Exit

    Former US President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris by 2 points in the latest Wall Street Journal poll conducted after President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race.

    Trump received 49% support among 1,000 registered voters, while Harris garnered 47%, according to the poll.

    Published on Friday, the polls suggest Kamala Harris’s performance marked a significant improvement over Biden’s, who trailed Trump by six points in a Wall Street Journal poll earlier this month.

    That poll followed Biden’s poor debate performance, which led to increased calls for him to withdraw from the race.

    Biden ended his campaign last weekend after weeks of internal party debates about his age, mental fitness, and ability to win the White House in November.

    The poll also revealed a sharp increase in Harris’s favorability among registered voters, rising from 35% earlier this month to 46%, an 11-point jump. In contrast, Trump’s favorability stood at 47%, while Biden’s was at 39%.

    After Biden suspended his campaign, Harris quickly gained key endorsements from party members. She also experienced a surge in fundraising and secured commitments from enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

    The Wall Street Journal poll, conducted from July 23-25, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1% points, according to the Journal’s article.

  • Trump Touts Warm Ties To Israel’s Netanyahu, Blasts Harris

    Trump Touts Warm Ties To Israel’s Netanyahu, Blasts Harris

    Former U.S. President Donald Trump touted his close relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu when he hosted the Israeli prime minister on Friday and accused U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris of making “disrespectful” comments about the Gaza war.

    Netanyahu met Trump, the Republican nominee in the 2024 U.S. presidential race, a day after talks with Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against Trump in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

    Trump greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort, and criticized Harris, who had voiced concern after meeting the Israeli leader about the toll on Palestinian civilians from Israel’s 9-month-old campaign in Gaza.

    “I think her remarks were disrespectful,” Trump said.

    Netanyahu said he hoped his U.S. trip would lead to a quicker ceasefire deal.

    “I hope so. But I think time will tell,” he told reporters. He said he thought there had been movement in efforts to forge a ceasefire because of Israeli military pressure and said he would dispatch a team to talks in Rome.

    Netanyahu had angered Trump when he congratulated Biden on his victory over Trump in the 2020 election. Trump falsely claims the election was stolen from him by voter fraud.

    Trump more recently criticized Netanyahu for Israeli security failures that enabled Hamas to carry out the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

    Trump dismissed any suggestion of tensions with Netanyahu.

    “We have a very good relationship,” he said, noting policy changes during his presidency including moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and pulling the United States out of the international nuclear deal with Iran.

    Opinion polls put Harris and Trump in a close race for the White House, prompting world leaders like Netanyahu, traditionally more aligned with Trump’s Republicans than Biden’s Democrats, to strike a balance in dealings with the U.S.

    HUMANITARIAN SITUATION A ‘SERIOUS CONCERN,’ HARRIS SAYS

    Harris had pressed Netanyahu on the suffering of Palestinians in the enclave in talks on Thursday that were watched for signs of how she might shift American policy if she becomes president.

    “I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there,” Harris said. “I will not be silent.”

    “Israel has a right to defend itself. And how it does so matters,” she said.

    Members of Netanyahu’s delegation were disappointed by some of Harris’ remarks in private and in public out of concern that it showed “daylight” between the governments and could signal how relations would develop if she wins the presidency, according to a person familiar with the matter.

    Netanyahu heads a far-right-leaning coalition government opposed to Palestinian statehood, a policy at odds with U.S. support for a two-state solution to ending decades of conflict.

    In defiant remarks to Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu defended Israel’s military and dismissed criticism of a campaign which has devastated Gaza and killed more than 39,000 people, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave.

    Dozens of Democrats boycotted Netanyahu’s speech, voicing dismay over the thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza, destruction of its infrastructure and displacement of most of its 2.3 million people.

    In Wednesday’s speech, Netanyahu praised Biden’s support for Israel.

    But to cheers from Republicans, he touched on Trump’s pro-Israel record as president. He praised Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a long-held goal of conservatives that infuriated Palestinians.

    He also cited the Abraham Accords, landmark U.S.-brokered agreements signed during Trump’s White House years that normalized bilateral relations between Israel and both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

    Hamas and its allies killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostage in the Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies. Some 115 hostages are still being held though Israel believes one in three are dead.

    Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed or taken prisoner out of a force they estimated to number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.

  • Barack And Michelle Obama Endorse Kamala Harris

    Barack And Michelle Obama Endorse Kamala Harris

    Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats.

    The endorsement, announced Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple, comes as Harris continues to build momentum as the party’s likely nominee after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse his second-in-command against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

    It also highlights the friendship and potentially historic link between the nation’s first Black president and the first woman, first Black woman and first person of Asian descent to serve as vice president, who is now vying to break those same barriers at the presidential rank.

    “We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” the former president told Harris, who is shown taking the call as she walks backstage at an event, trailed by a Secret Service agent.

    Said Michelle Obama, “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you.

    “This is going to be historic,” she added.

    Harris, who has known the Obamas since before his election in 2008, thanked them for their friendship and said she looks forward to “getting there, being on the road” with them in the three-month blitz before Election Day on Nov. 5.

    “We’re gonna have some fun with this too, aren’t we?” Harris said.

    The Obamas are perhaps the last major party figures to endorse Harris formally — a reflection of the former president’s desire to remain, at least publicly, a party elder operating above the fray. The Obamas remain prodigious fundraising draws and popular surrogates at large campaign events for Democratic candidates.

  • ‪Sinaloa Cartel: US Arrests Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Mayo’ Along With El Chapo’s Son In Texas‬

    ‪Sinaloa Cartel: US Arrests Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Mayo’ Along With El Chapo’s Son In Texas‬

    One of the world’s most powerful drug lords, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, has been arrested by US federal agents in El Paso, Texas.

    Zambada, 76, founded the criminal organisation with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently jailed in the US.

    Arrested with Zambada on Thursday was Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, said the US justice department.

    In February, Zambada was charged by US prosecutors with a conspiracy to make and distribute fentanyl, a drug more powerful than heroin that has been blamed for the US opioid crisis.

    Details of the arrests of the two men remain unclear, but it appears they flew into the United States.

    Citing Mexican and US officials, the Wall Street Journal reports that Zambada was tricked into boarding the plane by a high-ranking Sinaloa member following a months-long operation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

    The paper added that Zambada believed he was going to inspect clandestine airfields in Mexico.

    Officials said Zambada was “lured” onto a private plane under “false pretences” by Guzman Lopez, the New York Times reports.

    Zambada believed the plane would fly south in Mexico but instead it flew north and landed in El Paso, said Fox News Correspondent Bryan Llenas citing law enforcement sources.

    Guzman Lopez surrendered to US authorities and turned on Zambada because he “blamed Mayo for the capture of his father”, Mr Llenas added.

    In a written statement on Thursday evening, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the two men lead “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organisations in the world”.

    “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” he added.

    American prosecutors say the Sinaloa cartel is the biggest supplier of drugs to the US.

    US authorities have previously noted that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.

    The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had been offering a reward of up to $15m (£12m) for Zambada’s capture.

    During Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s trial in 2019, his lawyers accused Zambada of bribing the “entire” Mexican government in exchange for living openly without fear of prosecution.

    “In truth [Guzman] controlled nothing,” Guzman’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told jurors. “Mayo Zambada did,” he claimed.

    According to the US state department, Zambada is also the owner of several legitimate businesses in Mexico, including “a large milk company, a bus line and a hotel”, as well as real estate assets.

    Alongside fentanyl charges, he is also facing charges in the US ranging from drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, money laundering and organised crime.

    Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada

    In May, Zambada’s nephew – Eliseo Imperial Castro, who was known as “Cheyo Antrax” – was killed in an ambush in Mexico. He was also wanted by US authorities.

    Zambada is arguably the biggest drug lord in the world and certainly the most influential in the Americas.

    He had evaded authorities for decades, and as such, his arrest has come as a shock in Mexico.

    In a statement, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the Sinaloa cartel “pioneered the manufacture of fentanyl and has for years trafficked it into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans and devastating countless communities”.

    FBI director Chris Wray said the arrests are “an example of the FBI’s and our partners’ commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organisations like the Sinaloa Cartel,” he said.

    As more information emerges, Zambada’s arrest will no doubt be heralded by President Joe Biden’s administration as one of the most significant operations by the DEA in years.

    Zambada co-founded the Sinaloa cartel in the wake of the collapse of the Guadalajara cartel at the end of the 1980s.

    While Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was the public face of the organisation and the most notorious of the two men, many believed it was in fact El Mayo who was its real leader.

    Not only ruthless, he was also innovative, creating and maintaining some of the earliest links with Colombian cartels to flood the US with cocaine and heroin.

    And more latterly, fentanyl.

    His leadership of the criminal empire has endured in the face of changing presidents in Mexico and the US, amid repeated anti-drug offensives from successive governments and constant efforts by his enemies in other drug-trafficking organisations to bring him down.

    That is no mean feat in the violent, dangerous and treacherous underworld in which he has operated as an unassailable kingpin for many years.

    Yet that extraordinary resilience appears to have run out in El Paso, Texas – a city blighted by the influx of the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, much of which was smuggled in by his organisation.

  • 200,000 Condoms And Lubricants Distributed At The Paris Olympics Village

    200,000 Condoms And Lubricants Distributed At The Paris Olympics Village

    All athletes need protection.

    The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris officially kicks off on Friday, July 26, and the athletes in the Olympic Village will be provided with a place to sleep, food and, of course, condoms.

    As the 14,500 athletes and staff begin to arrive in the City of Love, room tours are popping up on social media, showing off the infamous anti-sex beds and a huge supply of Olympic-branded condoms in every room.

    The bright and colorful condoms given to the athletes have images of the official mascots of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, the Phryges, and have little messages on each packet.

    Messages on the condoms include: “On the field of love, play fair. Ask for consent,” “Don’t share more than victory, protect yourself against STDs,” “Score a win: Yes to consent, no to STDs,” and “No need to be a gold medalist to wear it!”

    200,000 male condoms, 20,000 female condoms and 10,000 oral dams will be available in the Olympic Village. Maja Hitij/Getty Images

    Condoms are usually provided to athletes — even during the unofficial “intimacy ban” of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where organizers ordered 160,000 condoms to be handed out, according to NPR.

    This year, Laurent Dalard, who will coordinate first aid and health services for the Paris Games, previously said in a news conference that 200,000 male condoms, 20,000 female condoms and 10,000 oral dams will be available in the Olympic Village.

    That’s about 230,000 protection options, and if you do the math, that’s about 20 condoms per person for each of the 10,500 athletes. However Olympic organizers don’t actually expect those in the Village to use their entire supply of condoms.

    In fact, it appears that they might even try to deter athletes from getting busy outside of the Games — thanks to the “anti-sex beds.”

    According to Inside the Games, sustainability is cited as the primary reason why Olympic officials opted for the beds this year — not preventing wild sex from occurring among Olympic athletes.

    The twin-size beds discourage people from snuggling up with another competitor, and though the polyethylene mattresses and cardboard bed frames are 100% recyclable, they likely aren’t going to immediately attract horny Olympians.

    But the 16,000 modular mattresses made by Japanese company Airweave are safe for sex regardless of size and material.

    Airweave US’ Chief Operating Officer Brett Thornton has said that the cardboard frames are actually “designed far sturdier than typical wooden bed frames,” meaning athletes are safe to take advantage of the condom supply.

    Besides, athletes don’t need beds to get kinky.

    Over the years, there have been plenty of stories about Olympians’ wild sexcapades in the media — and they take place anywhere and everywhere.

    One athlete had sex on a balcony at the 2004 Games in Athens, while others have seen people “getting down and dirty” out in the open on the grass or between buildings — and there’s even been a reported orgy in a hot tub.

    Safe to say, horny Olympians who want to take full advantage of their provided condoms will have no logistical issues doing so.