News From Around the Web
#1 James Comey Indicted Over 2025 Social Media Post Allegedly Threatening Trump - Perry Stein for The Washington Post, Nick Sortor, Catherine Herridge, The SCIF, Eric Daugherty, and Svetland Lokhova
Former FBI director James B. Comey has been indicted on allegations that a photo he posted on social media in 2025 constituted a dangerous threat to the president. The indictment by a federal grand jury in North Carolina marks the second time the Justice Department has pursued a criminal prosecution against Comey and is the law enforcement agency’s latest attempt to criminally charge one of President Donald Trump’s longtime political foes. The two charges stem from a photo that Comey posted online showing seashells on a beach that were arranged to write out “86 47.” Trump is the 47th president; “86” can mean banning or removing someone, but it can also be slang for killing a person. Comey quickly removed the post after receiving criticism that the phrase could be used to communicate...
#2 Ex-Adviser at Fauci’s NIAID Indicted for Allegedly Attempting to Hide Records During COVID-19 Pandemic - Melissa Quinn for CBS News, Nick Sortor, Craig Kelly: Foundation for Economic Education, Sean Spicer, Libs of TikTok, and James Woods/R A W A L E R T S on X
A former senior adviser at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is facing charges over an alleged scheme to hide federal records during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Justice Department said Tuesday. Dr. David Morens, 78, was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month and charged with five counts, including conspiracy, destruction of records in federal investigations, and concealment of records. He made his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge Monday and is set to be arraigned next week. Morens served as a senior adviser to NIAID's Office of the Director from 2006 through 2022. Dr. Anthony Fauci led the institute for nearly 40 years, serving under seven presidents, and retired in 2022 during then-President Joe Biden's administration...
#3 California Governor Candidates Talk Over One Another in Rapid-Fire Debate - Los Angeles Times, Jo Reitkopp, Libertarian Party, Joel Pollak, The Black Chronicle, and CBS Sacramento on X
#4 Jimmy Kimmel Backlash Intensifies as FCC Orders ABC to Renew Broadcast Licenses Early - Caitlin Hornik and Kevin E G Perry for Independent, Sen. Bernie Sanders/Willow, Glenn Beck/Benny Johnson/Sirrena Airis, Victoria/Landon, FOX 29, and Coltauto45 on X
The FCC has told ABC that it must apply to renew its broadcast licenses by May 28, as the network deals with the fallout of Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial joke about Melania Trump. The licenses were not due to expire until 2028. A filing indicated that the early renewal request is related to a previous investigation into the company’s DEI practices. But the decision also comes after the FCC received a complaint against Kimmel following his joke last week, suggesting that the First Lady had the glow of an “expectant widow.” Days after the sketch aired, a gunman attempted to storm Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner...
#5 GOP Rising Star Demands Abortion Advocate Name ‘Favorite’ Method in Hearing Clash - Leo Briceno for Fox News, Scott Hendricks - An Old Man with a Pen, Mike Lee/Walker64, CICNEWS4YOU (Conservative, Trump, Freedom), CatholicMamaof10/CatholicVote, and Jenny Pooh on X
A judiciary hearing in the House of Representatives grew tense on Tuesday when Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, pressed an American University scholar in graphic detail on which abortion procedure she would list as her favorite. "What’s your favorite type of abortion?" Gill asked Jessica Waters, a senior scholar at the American University School of Public Affairs. Waters, whose research focuses on "reproductive rights law," "abortion regulation," and "state control of reproductive decision-making," refused to answer...
#6 Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s Court Battle Over the Future of OpenAI - Elizabeth Lopatto and Hayden Field for The Verge, Elora Akpotosevbe, Singularity Mage/Autism Capital, Mohammad Aamir, Riyaz N., and Nicholas Mugalli on X
Sam Altman and Elon Musk are facing off in a high-stakes trial that could alter the future of OpenAI and its most well-known product, ChatGPT. In 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding mission of developing AI to benefit humanity and shifting focus to boosting profits instead. The trial began with jury selection on April 27th, before Elon Musk took the stand on Tuesday as the first witness called, portraying his interest in founding OpenAI as an effort to help save humanity. Musk was a cofounder of OpenAI and claims that Altman and cofounder Greg Brockman tricked him into giving the company money, only to turn their backs on their original goal. However, OpenAI says that “This lawsuit has always been a baseless and jealous bid to derail a competitor” in a bid to boost Musk’s own SpaceX/xAI/X companies, which have launched Grok as a competitor to ChatGPT...
#7 Fashion, Billionaires and Jokes: Inside the White House State Dinner for the King and Queen - Sareen Habeshian for BBC, Per Second News, Lutomia Goddy, Gustav O'Neale, Shahidul I. Chowdhury, and Pat Evans on X
Shades of pink set the tone for the evening as US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House, with a foyer draped in cherry blossoms creating the ceremonial backdrop. Champagne flutes clinked as the president and the King raised toasts to one another, celebrating the deep-rooted ties and shared history between the countries. The state dinner honored the enduring relationship between the US and the UK, coinciding with Americans marking 250 years of independence. In his remarks, Trump described the bond with the UK as a "friendship unlike any other on Earth."#8 Supreme Court Weighs Trump’s Effort to End Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, Syrians - Nina Totenberg, Caroline Ramsey-Hamilton, Amandasatiro, D. R. Couric,
TRUMPonwd2v, and Eye on Syria on X
President Trump could move forward with mass deportations of people who have been living legally in the U.S., many of them for more than a decade, if he prevails in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. At issue is the temporary protected status program, which permits eligible individuals to live and work in the United States if they cannot return to their home countries because of natural disasters, armed conflicts, and other "extraordinary or temporary conditions." Congress enacted the TPS program in 1990 to establish criteria for selecting, processing, and registering people fleeing such turmoil...
#9 South Korean Court Sentences Ex-President Yoon to 7 Years for Charges Including Resisting Arrest - Associated Press/NBC News, Son steven, Seoin, xalfeed, New York Post/God Bless Korea, and The Korea JoongAng Daily on X
The conviction for obstruction of justice and other charges comes on top of a life sentence he has already received on rebellion charges stemming from his baffling authoritarian push, which triggered the most serious crisis for the country’s democracy in decades. Judge Yoon Sung-sik of the Seoul High Court said the conservative former president sidestepped a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law, falsified documents to conceal the lapse, and deployed security officials “like a private army” to resist law enforcement efforts to arrest him in the weeks following his impeachment. Former President Yoon stood quietly as the verdict was delivered and made no comment. Yoo Jeong-hwa, one of Yoon’s lawyers, called the verdict “very disappointing” and said the legal team would appeal to the Supreme Court. Yoon has also appealed his life sentence. A lower court in January sentenced Yoon to five years in prison but partially cleared him of abuse-of-power charges tied to the Cabinet meeting ahead of the martial law declaration, finding he was not responsible for the failure to attend of two members who were invited...
#10 Fed Expected to Hold Interest Rates Steady - Max Zahn for ABC News, OutcomeX, Supreme Ai Intelligence of Bastiches/JustDario, David Kass, Predictivemoney, and Zac_Decrypt
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will issue its latest announcement on interest rates as gasoline prices in the U.S. reach their highest level in four years. The move marks what may be the central bank's final decision on borrowing costs under the leadership of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The policy announcement is set to arrive at an uneasy moment for the central bank. The Iran war set off a rapid acceleration of price increases, posing a challenge for policymakers bedeviled by elevated inflation and sluggish hiring. Investors overwhelmingly expect the Fed to leave rates unchanged on Wednesday, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of market sentiment...
