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Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman got into a heated exchange with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday, which culminated in the New Jersey Democrat declaring Kennedy’s ‘legitimacy’ as a health official has ‘expired.’

‘The impact of reorganization is something that I shall continually ask you to show me,’ Watson Coleman said as she grilled Kennedy about overhauls at the agency that have affected programs related to minority and low-income health. ‘So please let me warn you now. And I don’t want rhetoric, I want numbers.’

‘I welcome those inquiries,’ Kennedy responded. 

‘The other thing that really troubles me, sir, is LIHEAP [Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program],’ she continued. ‘It is a program specifically to address the needs of low-income and minority families as it relates to heating and even air conditioning. Why, why, why, why and what is your rationale for eliminating that program specifically? Why, why, why?’ 

Kennedy attempted to respond, saying: ‘I’m very committed to LIHEAP. My brother ran a ….’

‘I don’t care about your past,’ Watson Coleman said. ‘I care about your functioning in this department and this administration, right now, in response to this question.’ 

‘My time has expired,’ Kennedy responded. 

‘Well, then so has your legitimacy,’ Watson Coleman shot back. ‘I yield back.’

Watson Coleman was grilling Kennedy in the House Appropriations subcommittee Wednesday morning regarding staff cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which assists low-income families to power their homes. 

Kennedy responded to her question after their five-minute exchange expired, explaining that the Trump administration’s energy policies will lower costs across the board, including for low-income families. 

‘I’m very conscious of the importance of LIHEAP to poor people all across this country,’ Kennedy said. ‘My brother ran a low-cost, nonprofit fuel company for most of his life that provides low-cost fuel in New England. I’ve had many, many people come up to me and said, ‘My life was saved because that.’ I talked about Buu Van Nygren, who’s the president of the Navajo Nation, when I visited about three months ago, and he said cuts to LIHEAP will end up killing people. So I understand the importance of this.’ 

The Office of Management and Budget’s rationale ‘was that President Trump’s energy policy is going to reduce dramatically the costs of energy in this country,’ he said. ‘And if that happens, then LIHEAP is just another subsidy to the oil industry. If it doesn’t happen, then Congress is welcome, and they should, appropriate the money for LIHEAP and I will spend it.’ 

Earlier in the pair’s five-minute exchange, the New Jersey lawmaker accused the Trump administration of carrying out ‘racist attacks.’ 

‘Few things enrage me more than the racist attacks I see this administration carrying out by embarking on an ignorant crusade to rid the government of any programs that are working to improve the lives of Black Americans,’ she said, as she railed against the administration overhauling federal policies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory initiatives. ‘The administration has moved to ban the words Black, race, bias, minority, oppression, prejudice, discrimination, disparity and racism.’ 

‘Any grant application on federal programs that include these words had them immediately stripped,’ she claimed, adding that such policies worsens the health care system for Black Americans. ‘It is painfully clear to me that this, in doing this, this administration that you work with and work for is attempting to legitimize racial discrimination. And that, sir, is a moral disgrace.’ 

Kennedy shot back that President Donald Trump shares the same vision for the nation as Martin Luther King Jr. 

‘Congressman, President Trump’s vision of this country is the same as Martin Luther King’s, that we should have a colorblind administration,’ he said. ‘President Trump is deeply concerned about the maternal health crisis and the fact that Black mothers, are more likely to die in childbirth 2.6 times, 260% likely to die.’ 

Watson Coleman responded,I don’t need this rhetoric about Donald Trump and the lie that he cares about me and Black people.’

Kennedy will head to the Senate side of Congress later Wednesday afternoon, when he will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee regarding HHS’ budget and recent staff cuts. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard moved the Presidential Daily Brief staff from the CIA to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Fox News Digital confirmed. 

A senior intelligence source told Fox News Digital that the director of National Intelligence ‘has always controlled’ the presidential daily brief (PDB) and that Gabbard ‘is just moving it physically to ODNI from CIA in a streamlining effort and a continuity of workforce.’ 

The President’s Daily Brief (PDB), according to the intelligence community, is a daily summary of high-level, all-source information and analysis on national security issues produced for the president and key cabinet members and advisers. It is coordinated and delivered by the ODNI with contributions from the CIA as well as other elements from the intelligence community. It has been presented to the president since 1946.

The move comes after Gabbard, on Tuesday, also moved the National Intelligence Council from the CIA to ODNI. NIC, according to senior intelligence officials, has always been a DNI component.’ 

‘It makes sense for them to be physically located at DNI,’ a CIA official told Fox News Digital. 

Another senior intelligence official pointed to Gabbard’s confirmation hearing, in which she said her ‘priority was to deliver timely, accurate and actionable intelligence as the President’s principal intelligence advisor.’ 

‘The PDB staff and the NIC are the primary apparatus that feeds her this advisory material, so moving them physically closer gives her the best support,’ the official said. ‘In other words, having them in closer proximity gives her less lag time and faster responsiveness to fill that role as principal intelligence advisor.’ 

The official added: ‘Both moves are about providing the President more timely and actionable intelligence.’ 

The moves come as Gabbard has taken steps to root out leakers and alleged ‘deep state holdovers’ who officials say are politicizing intelligence analysis and ‘trying to sabotage President Trump’s agenda.’ 

So far, Gabbard has referred three intelligence community professionals to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution over alleged leaks of classified information. Fox News Digital first reported on those criminal referrals in April. 

An ODNI official at that time told Fox News Digital that the intelligence community professionals allegedly leaked classified information to the Washington Post and The New York Times. 

Fox News Digital, on Tuesday, exclusively reported that Gabbard had fired the top officials leading National Intelligence Council, whom whistleblowers described as ‘radically opposed to Trump.’

Gabbard fired Mike Collins, who was serving as the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, Tuesday, senior intelligence officials told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out Langan-Riekhof for comment and did not immediately hear back, and couldn’t immediately find contact information for Collins. 

Collins also has whistleblower complaints against him for political bias and ‘deliberately undermining the incoming Trump administration,’ officials said. 

They added that Collins was closely associated with Michael Morrell, the former deputy director of the CIA who worked to write a public letter in 2020 claiming that Hunter Biden’s laptop had ‘all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,’ and to get signatures from top ex-intelligence officials. 

As for Langan-Reikhof, officials said she has been a ‘key advocate’ for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and is someone who whistleblowers allege is ‘radically opposed to Trump.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

It’s hard enough to know what you want. It’s even harder to know what others want. But what if what you want hinges on what somebody else wants…and they aren’t sure what they want?

Hence the conundrum now facing Congressional Republicans as they try to approve the ‘big, beautiful bill.’

GOPers are waiting for President Trump to push for very specific items to be in the bill – or fall by the wayside.

Congressional Republicans are aligned closely with the President and willing to bend to his wishes. But it complicates things when Trump calls for what he termed a ‘tiny’ tax increase for the super wealthy.

‘People would love to do it. Rich people. I would love to do it, frankly. Giving us something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets [have] more. So, it’s really a redistribution,’ said the president.

First, President Trump suggested a form of rations, limiting how many pencils kids need or how many dolls a little girl should have. That puzzled free marketeers in the GOP.

Now, to use his phrase, ‘redistribution.’

You understand how much heartburn this gives capitalists in Congress. But what’s worse is the mixed messaging.

When writing on Truth Social about creating a higher tax bracket for the wealthy, the president muddled his instructions for lawmakers:

‘Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!’ declared President Trump.

This exasperated Congressional Republicans who oppose raising any taxes – a long-held tenet of the Republican Party. 

In another political universe, taxing the wealthy would be – at best – a trial balloon. So, most Congressional Republicans decided it was time for this to pop.

‘No, we are not going to do tax increases,’ said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on Fox Business.

‘We don’t want to raise taxes on anybody. I mean, we’re about lowering taxes on Americans,’ said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Fox.

But President Trump’s Republican Party is very different from the Reagan Republican Party. The GOP shifts to where Trump wants it. Just consider the approach to tariffs compared to free trade.

President Trump broadened the party’s base in the last election. The GOP is no longer dominated by big business, titans of commerce and the well-to-do. Part of the president’s appeal was the blue-collar coalition he cobbled together. And his fundamental economic message on taxes resonated with millions of voters. That’s why his top advisers say Trump is sticking to campaign promises.

‘President Trump has made it clear that he has his priorities, like no tax on tips. No tax on overtime. No tax on Social Security,’ said National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Fox.

However, revenue generated from new taxes on the wealthy could help cover the cost of spending cuts.

‘We need to see what we need to do with the math to make sure that we are doing the country well fiscally and that we don’t just add to the debt,’ said Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb.

But Republicans are frustrated after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shrank the size of the tax cuts and spending reductions.

The tax breaks were supposed to be around $4.5 trillion at one point. They dwindled to $4 trillion. They were angling to lock in $2 trillion in tax cuts. They’re scaled back to $1.5 trillion.

‘Republicans talk a big game in campaigns,’ lamented House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. ‘If we’re not able to bend the curve on mandatory spending, then we will send a very bad signal to the bond markets.’

But regardless of what’s in the package, the White House is expecting Congressional Republicans to ultimately vote yes on the ‘big, beautiful bill.’

‘The president has great political instincts. That’s why he’s back in the Oval Office,’ said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

But that’s what Congressional Republicans found so vexing. The president may have great political instincts. But the marching orders were far from clear.

Trump conceded that a tax hike may be controversial politically.

Congressional Republicans suffer from political PTSD. They remember another Republican President who made one of the most famous political promises of all time. And then broke it.

‘No new taxes,’ intoned the late President George H.W. Bush in his address to a Joint Session of Congress in 1989.

But Bush famously reversed himself as part of a 1990 budget pact. That was not necessarily the reason ‘Bush 41’ lost reelection in 1992 to former President Clinton. And President Trump was sure enough to point that out on social media.

‘The Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election. NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election!’ wrote Trump.

The ‘Perot Effect’ certainly deprived George H.W. Bush of a second term more than breaking the ‘no new taxes’ promise. But that doesn’t mean that Republicans aren’t skittish about voting for tax increases.

And regardless, the legislative product that emerged from the Ways and Means Committee markup this week lacked the type of tax hike dangled by President Trump.

That said, Congressional Republicans certainly have their opinions about what they think of the developing ‘big, beautiful bill.’

‘A growing number of us, we don’t want smoke and mirrors. We want real cuts,’ said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. ‘$2 trillion (in cuts) is really a teardrop in the ocean.’

‘You’ve got front-loaded tax [cuts]. Backloaded spending restraint,’ groused Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. ‘Medicaid reforms and work requirements don’t kick in for four years.’

‘It’ll be ironic and sad in a way that conservatives will be voting for the largest increase in the debt ceiling,’ mused Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. ‘I have a feeling it’s going to be wimpy on the spending cuts and maybe a little wimpy on the taxes, too.’

So, at least some Republicans grasp what they want in the bill. And they’re willing to take direction from the president. That’s why clear direction from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. will be key next week as the House tries to pass the measure.

Members will say they can’t vote for the bill because it has this or excludes that. But they just might be able to vote yea if President Trump knows what he wants – and makes that clear to lawmakers.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

American Eagle on Tuesday said it is writing off $75 million in spring and summer merchandise and withdrawing its full-year guidance as it contends with slow sales, steep discounting and an uncertain economy.

The apparel retailer said it expects revenue in the first quarter, which ended in early May, to be around $1.1 billion, a decline of about 5% compared to the prior-year period. American Eagle anticipates comparable sales will drop 3%, led by an expected 4% decline at intimates brand Aerie. American Eagle previously expected first-quarter sales to be down by a mid-single-digit percentage and anticipated full-year sales would drop by a low single-digit percentage. 

Shares plunged more than 17% in extended trading. 

When it reported fiscal fourth-quarter results in March, American Eagle warned that the first quarter was off to a “slower than expected” start, due to weak demand and cold weather. Conditions evidently worsened as the quarter progressed, and the retailer turned to steep discounts to move inventory.

As a result, American Eagle is expecting to see an operating loss of around $85 million and an adjusted operating loss, which cuts out one-time charges related to its restructuring, of about $68 million for the quarter. That loss reflects “higher than planned” discounting and a $75 million inventory charge related to a write-down of spring and summer merchandise, the company said. 

“We are clearly disappointed with our execution in the first quarter. Merchandising strategies did not drive the results we anticipated, leading to higher promotions and excess inventory. As a result, we have taken an inventory write down on spring and summer goods,” said CEO Jay Schottenstein.

“We have entered the second quarter in a better position, with inventory more aligned to sales trends,” he said. “Additionally, we are actively evaluating our forward plans. Our teams continue to work with urgency to strengthen product performance, while improving our buying principles.” 

The company added it is withdrawing its fiscal 2025 guidance “due to macro uncertainty and as management reviews forward plans in the context of first quarter results.” It is unclear if recent tariff policy changes had an effect on American Eagle.

Some companies bought inventory earlier than usual to plan for higher duties, but American Eagle repeatedly said in March that it was in a solid inventory position and was able to go after trends as customer preferences shifted. 

At the start of the first quarter, the company said it had some inventory outages and needed to supplement stock in a few key categories, particularly at Aerie, one of its primary growth drivers. 

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Several family members of Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán have entered the United States as part of negotiations in a case against one of his sons, Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch told the Mexican network Radio Fórmula on Tuesday.

El Chapo’s son Ovidio Guzmán López is facing drug trafficking charges in the US over his alleged role in the Sinaloa Cartel, which his father co-founded. Ovidio was extradited to the US in September 2023, several months after Mexican authorities arrested him in a large-scale operation that resulted in at least 29 deaths.

“It’s clear that with his family going to the United States, it’s connected to this negotiation or plea deal opportunity provided by the (US) Department of Justice itself,” García Harfuch told Radio Fórmula.

García Harfuch added that the relatives who left the country were not wanted by Mexican authorities.

‘Los Chapitos’

Ovidio is one of four sons of El Chapo who have been charged in the US with various crimes over their alleged roles in the Sinaloa Cartel.

Collectively known as “Los Chapitos,” the brothers are thought to have been brought into the cartel as teenagers to learn the ins and outs of the organization, according to the think tank InSight Crime. Their roles became more prominent around the mid-2010s, roughly when their father was captured and extradited to the United States.

Another son of El Chapo, Joaquín Guzmán López, is also in US custody. He was arrested in July 2024 when he flew into the United States on a private plane from Mexico alongside Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of the cartel who the brothers had been at odds with.

Mexico Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez said in August that Joaquín had reached an agreement with his brother Ovidio “so that they would go to the United States to surrender.”

Two other sons of El Chapo, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, are still at large. The US has accused them of leading large-scale drug trafficking operations for the cartel and has issued $10 million bounties for information leading to each of their arrests.

Mexican forces had previously arrested Ovidio in a 2019 operation that ended in failure. Shortly after he was detained in October of that year, the cartel quickly mobilized dozens of gunmen to battle Mexican authorities and try to free him.

Ovidio was eventually released on the orders of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to stop the violence. He then went into hiding until his second arrest and eventual extradition in 2023.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Israel struck a hospital in Gaza early Tuesday, a day after briefly pausing military activity for the release of Israeli-American Edan Alexander by Hamas.

The Israeli military resumed strikes in Gaza about an hour after Alexander left the territory, hitting the Al Daraj neighborhood in northern Gaza on Monday evening, before striking the Nasser medical complex in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to hospital officials.

The IDF strike targeted the surgical ward on the hospital’s third floor, which is now “completely out of service,” killing two patients and wounding medical staff, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said.

The target of the strike appeared to be Hassan Eslaiah, a prominent Gaza photojournalist. He was being treated at the hospital after being wounded in an earlier targeted Israeli airstrike in April.

The IDF claimed at the time of the April strike that Eslaiah had taken part in the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and belonged to Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, although it did not provide evidence to support the claim. It asserted that he worked “under the guise of a journalist and owns a press company.” On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it “precisely struck significant Hamas terrorists” at Nasser hospital, but did not name Eslaiah.

Eslaiah crossed into Israel on October 7, 2023, documenting the attacks in photographs that were published by multiple major news organizations. He had previously said he had no forewarning of the attacks and rushed to the scene to document a major news event alongside other photojournalists.

Eslaiah said from his hospital bed in April that he faced “false allegations” from the IDF and that he was “not fighting or anything.”

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Journalists Protection Center condemned Eslaiah’s killing, demanding an international investigation into what they described as a “heinous assassination.” The center called Eslaiah’s killing the “deliberate targeting of the voice of truth.”

The Nasser hospital strike on Tuesday is the latest example of deliberate Israeli attacks on medical facilities in Gaza, for which Israel has been accused of violating international law.

Hospitals are entitled to special protections during armed conflict under international humanitarian law and can only be targeted under extremely limited circumstances, such as if they are being used to actively commit “an act harmful to the enemy,” according to the Geneva Conventions.

The latest attack on Nasser hospital “totally destroyed” two patient rooms, partially damaged three others and a nursing station, according to MAP’s medical activity coordinator who is based at Nasser Hospital.

“The extension of the intensive care unit, which contains three ICU beds, was also affected – its electrical and oxygen systems were damaged in the strike – rendering the entire section non-operational,” the coordinator said in a statement provided by MAP.

The strike adds to an already rapidly deteriorating situation for Gaza’s medical facilities.

Nasser hospital’s medical director Dr. Atef Al-Hout said the hospital is rapidly running out of fuel to power its generators amid Israel’s now 10-week blockade of the strip.

Following the release of Alexander, the Israeli American hostage, the United States is renewing its push for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

An Israeli delegation was set to fly to Qatar on Tuesday to resume negotiations, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed those talks will continue “under fire,” with no slowdown in Israeli strikes expected without a deal.

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Israel has targeted Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday evening, according to a senior Israeli official and two sources familiar with the matter.

He became the militant group’s de facto leader after the Israeli military killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar, last October.

Tuesday’s strike killed six Palestinians and wounded at least 40 more, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a strike on the European hospital in Khan Younis, targeting “Hamas terrorists in a command and control center” in underground infrastructure beneath the hospital. The IDF did not identify the target of the strike.

Multiple airstrikes hit the yard of the hospital, according to Dr. Saleh Al Hams, the head of nursing. Some people are buried under the rubble, he said, calling it “a catastrophe.” Medical teams tried to move patients to safe units inside the hospital.

Video from the scene showed towering pillars of smoke and dust from what appeared to be some of the largest strikes in Gaza in recent weeks.

Hamas rejected any Israeli claims about Sinwar, saying in a statement, “The Palestinian resistance alone, through its official platforms, is the authority authorized to confirm or deny what is published.”

On Tuesday night, the IDF said it intercepted two rockets fired from Gaza, in what appears to be the first launch from the besieged territory in a month. A third rocket landed in an open area. The military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they fired at Israeli cities near Gaza.

A short time later, Israel issued evacuation warnings for the Jabalya refugee camp and nearby areas in northern Gaza, saying the IDF will “strike and operate in every location from which rockets are fired.”

The targeting of Sinwar comes one day after Hamas released Israeli American Edan Alexander in what was a goodwill gesture to the United States. The deal for a single hostage’s release sidelined Israel, as Hamas communicated with the Trump administration.

The US expressed some optimism about negotiations set to take place in Qatar with President Donald Trump and his envoy Steve Witkoff in the Middle East. Before leaving Israel, Witkoff promised the families of the hostages that he “will be relentless on that pursuit.”

But with negotiations about to start in Doha – and with an Israeli team en route – the targeting of Sinwar means Israel has just attempted to kill Hamas’ key decision maker needed to seal any potential agreement.

Israeli officials considered Mohammed Sinwar just as hardline as his brother, Yahya, but much more experienced militarily. According to the IDF, he commanded the Khan Younis Brigade until 2016. Like Yahya, he is believed to be one of the main planners of the October 7 terror attack on Israel.

Since the start of the war, he has remained hidden, along with many of Hamas’ senior leaders in Gaza. In December 2023, the IDF released video of what they said was Mohammed Sinwar driving through a tunnel in Gaza. In February 2024, the IDF said they had located his office in western Khan Younis.

But even if Sinwar is dead, it could take some time before Israel says officially that it has killed him, and even longer for Hamas to acknowledge his death. In mid-July, Israel said it had targeted Mohammed Deif in a strike on a designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. It took until August, more than two weeks later, for the IDF to declare it had indeed killed Deif. Hamas did not confirm his death until the end of January, nearly six months later.

Second Sinwar targeted

Before October, it was primarily Yahya Sinwar who was in the crosshairs of the Israeli military. Imprisoned for four life sentences in 1988, Yahya became fluent in Hebrew and said he spent his years studying his enemy. He was released in 2011 as part of the deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for five years. His release has been attributed to the fact that his brother Mohammed was one of Shalit’s kidnappers and insisted on Yahya’s inclusion in the deal.

Back in Gaza, Yahya quickly rose through the ranks of the militant organization, ultimately becoming its leader

After October 7, Yahya became Israel’s most wanted man, and the IDF searched for him in the tiny coastal enclave. US officials believed Israel had come close to Yahya more than once, flushing him out of underground hiding places.

But Yahya moved undetected in the tunnels under Gaza, rarely coming above ground and avoiding detection by Israel’s electronic surveillance. Ultimately, it was a routine Israeli patrol in Gaza which engaged in a firefight in Rafah in southern Gaza that discovered Yahya’s body in Rafah.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new cabinet at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, saying that his ministry will have a “primary focus” on the country’s economy after a whirlwind election catalyzed by tariffs and annexation threats from the United States.

“Canadians elected this new government with a strong mandate to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build a stronger economy, to reduce the cost of living, and to keep our communities safe,” Carney’s office said in a statement soon after the cabinet was sworn in.

The group of 28 ministers features a few notable shuffles, including Anita Anand replacing Mélanie Joly as minister of foreign relations. Joly was made minister of industry.

“We have to address and come to a new arrangement with the Americans,” Carney said at a press conference after the swearing-in ceremony. “But our primary focus is on the economy, and our primary focus is on the Canadian economy.”

“We are at the start of an industrial transformation, the transformation of this economy, and Madame Joly, as minister of industry, is going to help lead that, in concert with the other members of the cabinet and myself,” Carney continued.

As for Canada’s changing relationship with the US, Carney said at the press conference that he would “take ultimate responsibility” for all diplomacy with Washington, assisted by five other ministers: foreign affairs, finance, public safety, defense and Canada-US trade.

That last portfolio is now led by Dominic LeBlanc, the former minister of international trade, now minister “for Canada-US trade, intergovernmental affairs, and one Canadian economy.”

During the campaign, Carney spoke often about creating “one economy out of 13 (provinces and territories)” in the face of tariffs from the US and Canada’s own federal levies on interprovincial commerce. Again on Tuesday, Carney pledged that his new cabinet would fast-track legislation “to eliminate all remaining federal barriers to internal trade as our contribution to building one Canadian economy out of 13.”

Some ministers kept their portfolios. Chrystia Freeland, Carney’s former rival for the Liberal Party leadership race, will stay on as minister of transport. François-Philippe Champagne, who was part of the initial Canadian delegation to Washington during the first negotiations on US tariffs, remains minister of finance.

Several of the ministers previously served in the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a fact quickly pointed out by the Liberals’ political rivals.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre argued in a press conference Tuesday that the presence of Trudeau-era figures in Carney’s cabinet indicates that the Liberals will only offer “more of the same” for Canadians.

“In all, 14 Trudeau ministers are now in Carney’s cabinet,” said Poilievre. “It’s more of the same when Canada needs real change.”

The Conservative politician, who lost his seat in Parliament in April, offered the same critique after Carney’s first cabinet was unveiled in March.

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Uruguay’s former President José Mujica, a leftist icon known for his progressive social reforms, died on Tuesday at the age of 89.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica,” Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi announced on X.

The folksy, former guerrilla is remembered for his modest lifestyle during his presidential term – famously shunning the presidential palace to carry out his duties from his rural farm.

He had been battling cancer for more than a year prior to his death, telling reporters in 2024 that he would fight on for as long as he could.

“I’ll continue to fight alongside my comrades, faithful to my way of thinking, and entertaining myself with my vegetables and my chickens,” he said. “For the rest, I am grateful, and after all, you can’t take away what I’ve had.”

A humble leader

“Pepe” Mujica, as he is more widely known, burst into the national scene in the 1960s as a leader of the leftist militant group Tupamaros, which waged an armed insurgency against the government in the 60s and 70s after being inspired by the Cuban Revolution.

The uprising was put down by government forces during Uruguay’s military dictatorship, and Mujica was subsequently imprisoned for nearly 15 years, enduring many forms of torture.

Mujica spoke of the horror of that period in 2020. “Being tied up with wire with my hands behind my back for six months; being thrown out of the truck for two or three days; going two years without being taken to the bathroom, having to bathe with a jar, a cup of water, and a handkerchief,” he said.

He was released from prison in 1985 after democracy was restored to the country. Four years later, he and other members of Tupamaros founded the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP), a party under which he won several legislative elections.

In 2009, he launched his bid for president, winning in a runoff with more than 50% of the vote.

Under his watch, between 2010 and 2015, Uruguay’s economy expanded, and he implemented several progressive reforms. Uruguay legalized abortion, gay marriage, and allowed the recreational use of cannabis, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

Mujica’s supporters regarded him as one of the humblest leaders the country has ever had, pointing to his decision to forgo the presidential palace and live in a rural farmhouse during his term.

His modest life led many to refer to him as the “world’s poorest president,” a moniker he took issue with.

In April 2024, Mujica announced he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his esophagus. After months of treatment, his doctor said in August that the cancer in his esophagus appeared to be in remission, but that he had developed a “kidney disease” due to radiation therapy to treat the tumor.

In January, he said the cancer had spread to his liver, telling the Uruguayan media outlet Búsqueda that he was “dying.” He chose to forgo additional treatment and asked to be left alone in the twilight of his life.

“I’m doomed, brother. This is as far as I go,” he said.

Latin America in mourning

Leaders across Latin America mourned the former president, saying the region had lost a beacon of hope and humility.

Alberto Fernández, former president of neighboring Argentina, praised Mujica’s modesty, calling him “an example of austerity in a society that rewards those who amass fortunes.”

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, a fellow leftist leader who was in office roughly around the same time as Mujica, called him a “brother” full of wisdom whose teachings would continue to live on.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric echoed those sentiments, saying, “If you left us anything, it was the unquenchable hope that things can be done better – ‘step by step, so as not to go off the rails,’ as you used to say.”

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A man who spent nearly four decades in a British prison in the killing of a barmaid said he was not angry or bitter Tuesday as his murder conviction was overturned and he was released after being exonerated by DNA evidence.

Peter Sullivan put his hand over his mouth and wept as the Court of Appeal in London quashed his conviction and ordered his freedom after he had spent years fighting to prove his innocence.

Sullivan, who watched the hearing by video from Wakefield prison in northern England, said through his lawyer that he was not resentful and was anxious to see his loved ones.

“As god is my witness, it is said the truth shall take you free,” attorney Sarah Myatt read from a statement outside court. “It is unfortunate that it does not give a timescale as we advance towards resolving the wrongs done to me. I am not angry, I am not bitter.”

He was the longest-serving victim of a wrongful conviction in the U.K., Myatt said.

Sullivan, 68, was convicted in 1987 of killing Diane Sindall in Bebington, near Liverpool in northwest England. He was behind bars for 38 years.

Sindall, 21, a florist who was engaged to be married, was returning home from a part-time job at a pub on a Friday night in August 1986 when her van ran out of fuel, police said. She was last seen walking along the road after midnight.

Her body was found about 12 hours later in an alley. She had been sexually assaulted and badly beaten.

Sexual fluid found on Sindall’s body could not be scientifically analyzed until recently. A test in 2024 revealed it wasn’t Sullivan, defense attorney Jason Pitter said.

“The prosecution case is that it was one person. It was one person who carried out a sexual assault on the victim,” Pitter said. “The evidence here is now that one person was not the defendant.”

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson did not challenge the appeal and said that if the DNA evidence had been available at the time of the investigation it was inconceivable that Sullivan would have been prosecuted.

Merseyside Police said it reopened the investigation as the appeal was underway and was “committed to doing everything” to find the killer.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which examines possible wrongful convictions, declined to refer Sullivan’s case to the appeals court in 2008 because it said testing at the time was unlikely to produce a DNA profile.

A commission spokesperson said that while it made the correct decision based on the evidence at the time, it regretted not identifying the potential miscarriage of justice in its first review.

Sullivan appealed in 2019 without the CCRC’s help and the court turned down his bid in 2021.

But the commission took up the case later that year and was able to use scientific techniques that hadn’t been available during the earlier review to find the DNA that set Sullivan free.

“In the light of that evidence, it is impossible to regard the appellant’s conviction as safe,” Justice Timothy Holroyde said.

Police said the DNA found in the subsequent investigation does not match anyone in a national database. They’ve ruled out as suspects Sindall’s fiancé, members of her family and more than 260 men who have been screened since they reopened the investigation.

Sullivan’s sister, Kim Smith, reflected outside the court on the toll the case had taken on two families.

“We lost Peter for 39 years and at the end of the day it’s not just us,” Smith said. “Peter hasn’t won and neither has the Sindall family. They’ve lost their daughter, they are not going to get her back. We’ve got Peter back and now we’ve got to try and build a life around him again.”

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