Author: Andrew Rogers

The White House has introduced a new policy that limits how journalists can move inside the West Wing. The rule, announced late Thursday, blocks credentialed reporters from entering certain areas without prior approval. Officials say the decision aims to protect sensitive information, but critics view it as another step toward restricting press freedom. According to a memorandum circulated to media outlets, the new rule applies immediately. Reporters will no longer have free access to Room 140, known as “Upper Press.” This area is home to the offices of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and other senior communications officials located near the…

Two federal judges have stopped the Trump administration from cutting off food aid for millions of Americans. The rulings came as the government shutdown reached its fourth week, raising fears that low-income families could lose access to essential nutrition support. A federal court in Rhode Island issued a temporary order on Friday, blocking the government from suspending payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps. The decision followed a lawsuit filed by several U.S. cities, nonprofit groups, and a trade union. Around the same time, another judge in Massachusetts ordered the administration to continue funding…

K-pop group NewJeans has lost its legal battle to leave its record label, Ador. A South Korean court ruled on Tuesday that the group’s contract, which runs until 2029, remains valid. The group’s five members—Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle, and Minji—had announced last year that they were leaving the agency, citing mistreatment and manipulation. Local media reports say the band plans to appeal the ruling. The court decision comes after a year-long standoff between NewJeans and its agency. The group’s announcement in November last year followed a public dispute involving their mentor, Min Hee-ji, Ador, and its parent company, Hybe, South…

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-propelled torpedo-drone. The weapon is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and a radioactive engine, which experts say could trigger a tsunami to make coastal cities uninhabitable. The Poseidon is launched from a submarine like a traditional torpedo but can loiter underwater before delivering its nuclear payload. Putin called the test a “huge success,” claiming its power surpasses Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile. Earlier this week, he also highlighted the Burevestnik missile, described by critics as a “flying Chernobyl” due to its radioactive propulsion. Meanwhile, fighting in eastern…

Israel carried out another airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least two people, following an overnight bombardment that killed at least 104 Palestinians, including children. The attacks have raised questions about the durability of the fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The Israeli military said it targeted military infrastructure in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack. Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City reported receiving two bodies from Wednesday’s strike. Overnight on Tuesday, the strikes killed at least 46 children and 20 women, with 200 others injured, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. These were…

California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa urged voters Wednesday to reject Proposition 50, a measure that would redraw U.S. House districts in the state, saying it represents a partisan power grab. “It’s really a blatant power grab,” LaMalfa said at a press conference in Chico, a city at the southern end of his district in Northern California. Proposition 50 would create new congressional maps outside the usual once-a-decade process handled by an independent commission. Democrats say the measure is needed to counter efforts in Texas to gain additional Republican seats, while Republicans argue it would dilute conservative voting power. Governor Gavin…

Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was among six people indicted last week by a federal grand jury for allegedly obstructing a federal agent during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Chicago. According to documents unsealed Wednesday, Abughazaleh and five others “physically hindered and impeded” a federal agent and a government vehicle on September 26 in Broadview, Illinois. Prosecutors say the vehicle had to move at a “very slow rate of speed” to avoid hitting any of the protesters. The indictment also alleges that the group banged on the government vehicle, wrote the word “PIG”…

The US military conducted a strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing four people, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed. “This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said on X. He noted that US forces were not harmed during the operation. This strike marks the 14th known US military action against alleged drug-smuggling vessels, with a total of 61 people killed across 15 boats. The campaign reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration…

Bill Essayli has made it clear he has no plans to step down after a federal judge ruled that he was illegally serving as Los Angeles’ top prosecutor. The decision, he said, only confirmed the Trump administration’s power to select the attorneys it wants leading major offices. “We’re actually quite relieved,” Essayli said in an interview Wednesday. “The judge has made it clear that regardless of my title, I’m cleared to keep running the office. I’m very happy with the outcome.” U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright, appointed by former President George W. Bush, ruled that Essayli could continue overseeing…

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has instructed the U.S. Defense Department to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing. The move marks a major shift in American defense policy, ending more than three decades of self-imposed restraint on nuclear explosive testing. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, saying the decision was driven by the actions of other nations. “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” he wrote. “That process will begin immediately.” The statement came just hours before Trump’s scheduled…