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7+ min ago (434+ words) Twenty states had challenged the end of the programme, meant to make localities more resilient to natural disasters. By Joseph Stepansky and News Agencies A federal judge has said the administration of United States President Donald Trump acted unlawfully in ending a programme aimed at helping communities become more resilient to natural disasters. The Trump administration had targeted the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) programme as part of a wider effort to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But on Thursday, US District Judge Richard Stearns ruled that the administration lacked the authority to end the grant programme. The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by 20 states, the majority led by Democrats. Stearns said the administration's action amounted to an "unlawful executive encroachment on the prerogative of Congress to appropriate funds for a specific and compelling…...

10+ min ago (196+ words) Rep. Bennie Thompson sharply confronted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a nationally televised hearing over which administration approved the asylum of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in D.C. Noem repeatedly credited the Biden administration's vetting process, frustrating Thompson, who pressed her to acknowledge any Trump-era involvement. When Noem deflected, Thompson turned to National Counterterrorism Center official Joe Kent, highlighting the tense standoff over accountability for a high-profile security failure.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag. DHS Secretary Noem pressed over Trump role in asylum of DC shooter DHS Secretary Noem pressed over Trump role in asylum of DC shooter Rep. Bennie Thompson sharply confronted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a nationally televised hearing over which administration approved the asylum of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in D.C. Noem repeatedly credited…...

30+ min ago (293+ words) Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) did not mince words when asked about the "pardon" that President Donald Trump issued on Thursday night. Writing on Truth Social, the president announced a "full Pardon" for Tina Peters, a Trump supporter and former Mesa County clerk. But Peters was found guilty in state court, which means her conviction is beyond the scope of the president's pardon powers. After the 2020 election, Peters allowed an authorized person to access the county's voting machines and gather county passwords and proprietary information about the machines. Like Trump, Peters peddled conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being rigged against him. Last year, she was sentenced'to nine years in prison after being convicted of tampering with voting machines. "Tina is sitting in a Colorado prison for the "crime' of demanding Honest Elections, the president wrote. "Today I am granting Tina…...

37+ min ago (213+ words) While appearing on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', Lily Collins wore a sheer LBD with Carrie Bradshaw's favorite accessory: the Fendi Baguette. Though I'm personally obsessed with her style ethos, many viewers simply don't get her maximalist ensembles After all, especially compared to her Parisian counterparts, Emily's looks are OTT and typically clashing (She was called "ringarde" for a reason.) Lily Collins, however, Emily's IRL counterpart, has the opposite style narrative She's been a longtime fashion darling embraced by the industry, and it's easy to see why Even when her looks are on the more ostentatious side, the actor is clearly abreast of trends and what looks good on her Case in point: the outfit she wore during her The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon appearance on Tuesday, Dec 9.Lily's See-Through DressAt the late-night talk show " one stop on…...

41+ min ago (345+ words) She's still open to pursuing the sport in some capacity. From starring in the upcoming adaptation of The Housemaid with Amanda Seyfried to returning as the chaotic Cassie Howard in Euphoria Season 3, Sydney Sweeney has been booked and busy. But as she shared in a new interview, she recently pondered a major career pivot. Chatting with Ethan Hawke for Variety's Actors on Actors interview, Sweeney reflected on the process of filming Christy, a biopic about boxer Christy Martin. After growing up kickboxing, she was excited to take on the role. "I loved it. I was able to box again, I was working out twice a day every single day. I put on 35 pounds for it. It was like I came to life," she said. "I was like, I think I might quit acting and start boxing. I loved it." While…...

44+ min ago (205+ words) An author who has written four books about Donald Trump predicted on Thursday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will be the first of Trump's cabinet officials to depart the administration because he broke a cardinal rule of Trump World. "You get fired for two things, maybe only one thing, and that is for getting too much press yourself for taking credit," Wolff said. "For being out front of Donald Trump." Hegseth has come under fire over a September 2 attack against an alleged drug boat near Venezuela, where the military attacked survivors of a previous strike. The incident has come to be known as the "double-tap strike." Experts have warned that the U.S. may have committed a war crime and have called on the Defense Department to publicly release video of the attack. "These people are all sub-competent in their own particular…...

44+ min ago (292+ words) The event was organized by the Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), Women Environmental Programme (WEP International), Women's Major Group at UNEP, Juventud Unida en Accion," and WEP Nigeria, in cooperation with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Zero Mercury Group, Global Mercury Partnership, IPEN, and the UN Environment Assembly. As per XRF screening, this Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene manufactured in March 2024 is laden with 26,710 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, way above the 1 ppm limit. The group collaborates with non-government organizations in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, through IPEN'SEA, to flag dangerous products and urge governments to enforce the ban on mercury use in cosmetics under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive and the Minamata Convention on Mercury,"Peli'o-Golle pointed out. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA-Thailand) banned 12 of the 14 Thailand-made skin lightening products contaminated with…...

47+ min ago (1061+ words) A ban on Australian children under 16 accessing social media came into effect on Wednesday, setting a global precedent for state control of the internet amid rising hostility to inequality, authoritarianism and war. The measure has sparked mass opposition, including from young people already finding ways to circumvent it. This is not merely an Australian issue. The Trump administration has introduced a nearly identical policy to the US Congress, and a host of European powers are moving towards a similar ban. Legislation was rushed through parliament by the Labor government last year, supposedly to protect young people from online harm, particularly to mental health. Those claims are false. Mental health advocacy groups overwhelmingly opposed the ban, warning it will likely intensify children's psychological problems. The Labor government is implementing a program that can only worsen the mental health crisis. It has…...

54+ min ago (347+ words) Celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes spills her beauty forecast. If anyone was going to handpick a lineup of drugstore-priced staples, it's Hughes. The celebrity makeup artist " known for her work with Dua Lipa and affectionately dubbed "the internet's go-to makeup artist" " has built a loyal following on Instagram and TikTok by sharing tutorials and tricks (like pinpoint shading) and reminding everyone that technique matters more than trends. Her Target beauty edit has the same effect. It's packed with products that might nudge you outside your comfort zone or help you double down on the classics " like the Real Techniques brush and sponge set; Prequel's Nourishing Oil Cleanser for the skin care-obsessed; e.l.f.'s viral Halo Glow Blush; and Maybelline's Serum Lipstick in 005, her pick for "the perfect peachy tone." Below, Hughes shares her picks of the buzziest holiday makeup trends…...

1+ hour, 6+ min ago (285+ words) U.S. President Donald Trump makes a sports announcement at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis Jeffrey Blehar " a staff writer for the conservative National Review " praised Indiana Republicans for holding firm on Thursday and refusing President Donald Trump's mid-decade gerrymander that would have given Indiana Republicans a clean sweep of all nine of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. " [A]s a conservative of the older school, I " want to salute the men and women of the Indiana State Senate for finding the steel in their spines today," said Blehar, adding that Republican's refusal did not come without cost and threat. "The Trump administration turned the screws," said Blehar, but the November elections had "provided the entire political world " and elected Republicans especially " with an electrical shock of voter feedback." "Why," asked Blehar, "should Indiana Republicans fritter…...