News From Around the Web
#1 Revealed: Pro-Trump Journalist Is Employed by the Defense Department - Matthew Rozsa for AlterNet, Thomas Massie/Konstantin Toropin, Mel, Kaiser von Lohengramm, Karlyn Borysenko, anti-communist cult leader, Chief Trumpster/DataRepublican (small r), and Lara Logan on X
President Donald Trump’s Pentagon has experienced a wide number of controversies, from the budgetary hole created by the Iran War and the appointment of cronies to its failures involving the mental and physical health of soldiers on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Now there is a new problem emerging — namely, that a supposedly neutral reporter has been described as a “special government employee.” Referring to Jennica Pounds, also known as “Data Republican,” AP Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin quoted the Defense Department on Monday as confirming that “Ms. Pounds serves at the Department of War as a Special Government Employee.”#2 Prosecutor: Danish Doctor Expected to Admit to Fraud Involving US Research Funds - MedWatch, Children's Health Defense, Eva Chipiuk, BSc, LLB, LLM/Mikki Willis Official, Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, Chris, and Jessica Rose/SaveTheBif on X
Thorsen administered CDC grants to Danish agencies from 2000 to 2009 but allegedly submitted fake invoices and forged documents to divert funds for personal use. Indicted in 2011, he fled and was extradited from Germany in May 2026; charges focus on wire fraud and money laundering, not data manipulation. Critics question the reliability of his co-authored studies denying vaccine-autism links, though experts note the fraud does not invalidate the peer-reviewed findings cited in safety reviews.#3 Target Issues Statement After Pulling Controversial Halloween Costume: ‘We Got This Wrong' - ABC7 News, rattie/Target News, Pop Base, TASK the Ol’ Nerdy Bastard, CNN, and King Roy on X
Target has issued a statement after pulling a controversial costume from the racks amid consumer backlash. According to PEOPLE, Target has pulled a controversial clown costume that was criticized for evoking blackface, minstrel shows, and racist imagery. Per the report, now-deleted images of the costume, which was called "Kids' Glows under Blacklight Circus Clown," showed a young Black boy standing in a black-and-orange bodysuit and hood with an exaggerated smile and a miniature top hat. The child was made to pose with one leg and arm raised in a waving gesture, which The Cut reported was an affiliation with Jim Crow-era depictions of Black people. After pulling the costumes, Target took to social media to issue a statement regarding the matter, writing, "an apology from us, we removed an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment."
#4 What Trump’s Supreme Court Win Means for Mail Ballots - John Fritze and Gabe Cohen for CNN, Bill Mitchell, David Shepardson, SCOTUS Wire, The Associated Press, and Fox News on X
Center, on June 3, in City of Industry, California. Jae C. Hong/AP/File The Supreme Court on Monday permitted President Donald Trump to move forward with a controversial executive order targeting mail ballots, but the decision will almost certainly not be the final word in whether the administration can actually implement its far-reaching plan. At the center of the dispute is an executive order Trump signed in March that gives the US Postal Service an unprecedented role in deciding whether to send mail ballots — a move that has followed years of the president making baseless claims about illegal voting by mail...#5 More Details About Jed York’s Arrest in a Prostitution Sting Come to Light and Begs Questions About the 49ERS - Armando Salguero for OutKick, Mark Maske, BBC Sport West Yorkshire, New York Post, Front Office Sports, and NinersNationCP on X
More details continue to pour in about the "engaging in prostitution" arrest charges and subsequent conviction on lesser charges of San Francisco 49ers majority owner Jed York. York was arrested in his native Ohio on Sunday on one charge of "engaging in prostitution" and another charge of "possessing criminal tools." And while the more salacious charge was downgraded to "disorderly conduct" in a plea deal with the prosecutor, it is that initial charge on which York was arrested and arraigned that sticks in the minds fans, media, everybody. It's the embarrassing charge that raises eyebrows because York is reportedly worth $500 million and the family fortune is believed to hover around $8.5 billion, but he allegedly tried to enlist the services of a prostitute for $140....
#6 South Carolina Senate Race Between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman Heads to Runoff Today - Kaia Hubbard and Caroline Linton for CBS, Alec Hernández, ABC News, John McCormack/Rob Pyers, Dave Miller, and Shawn/OSZ on X
South Carolina Republicans will decide Tuesday who will replace Sen. Lindsey Graham on the ballot in November's midterm election, after a rushed campaign in the wake of his sudden death in July. Graham's sister, Sen. Darline Graham, faces Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's runoff vote. The two candidates were the top two vote-getters in the special primary election on Aug. 11, with Darline Graham getting nearly 33% of the vote to Norman's almost 25%, after neither won 50% of the vote. The runoff contest comes after Darline Graham was appointed to serve out the remainder of her late brother's term, which ends early next year. The four-term senator had been seeking reelection and had already won the Republican primary in June...
#7 Mystery as U.S. Military Transport Plane Lands in Moscow - Yuliya Talmazan and Matthew Mulligan for NBC News, Armygirl66, Intl Report, benny, Global Banking & Finance Review, and Dylan Malyasov on X
Mystery swirled around a U.S. military transport aircraft that on Tuesday landed in Moscow, according to tracking data. It was not known who was on board the plane and why it was in Russia. When asked, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have information about the aircraft. U.S. military officials, the White House, the U.S. embassy in Moscow and Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to questions about the flight’s mission...
#8 ‘Bully’: Feud Erupts Between Trump and Ontario’s Doug Ford Over US-Canada Trade War - Tom Liddy for ABC News, Meghan Murphy/Matt Drinks, Canada Strong Era, Jill Lawrence, KMG365, and Karl Harrison/Coin Bureau/Arena on X
A war of words between the U.S. and Canada is heating up -- as is the trade war between the longtime allies -- with Ontario's outspoken premier Doug Ford telling President Donald Trump twice he can "kiss my a--." On Monday, Trump pledged to raise the tariff on cars, steel, and other goods to 50% in January. That followed tariffs of 50% on other goods being levied on Saturday after talks over a potential trade deal fell apart. In a post on his social media account Monday morning, Trump said that Canada has been "ripping off the United States of America for years" and announced, "Tariffs on all Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel, will be increased to 50%."
#9 Trump Administration Preparing to Revoke Visas of up to 200K Foreigners in Largest Mass Visa Revocation Ever - Ryan Mancini for The Hill, New York Post, Fox News Politics, WFLA News, NYNanc, and Steve on X
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke business and tourism visas from up to 200,000 migrants who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the U.S. on a rolling basis — a move that would trigger the largest mass visa revocation ever, The Associated Press reported Monday. The State Department is expected to announce the revocation, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of B1 and B2 visas issued since 2016, according to two U.S. officials and department documents obtained by the AP.
#10 Trump Administration Proposes More Than $100K Fee for H-1B Visas - POLITICO, Newser, David J. Bier, CTV News, Meyner and Landis,
The Trump administration has proposed a more than $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications for skilled foreign workers, a policy that the president introduced last year but had been blocked by a federal judge. President Donald Trump first proposed payments of $100,000 as a presidential proclamation in September 2025 in an effort to prioritize American workers and overhaul the H-1B program that allows companies and organizations to hire foreign workers for specialized, high-skill roles.
