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CNN anchor Kasie Hunt was noticeably annoyed by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) during a fiery interview Thursday. Hunt was asking Jordan to comment on the U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran and the Trump administration's objectives and rising gas prices when the conversation got heated. "Well, I don't know for sure but look, we want all the above," Jordan said. "We want low gas prices. We want Iran not to have nuclear capability, and we want this thing resolved as soon as possible. But I think the American people have common sense and they understand to stop this regime that for 47 years has killed Americans, killed Israelis, killed others, and killed a number of their own people to stop them from getting a nuclear weapon is a worthwhile objective. And President Trump is committed to achieving that goal. And if that means prices go up for a short time, I think Americans understand. We can live with that. But in the end, we want all that to happen and we want it all to happen in in as quick as time as it possibly can." Hunt then pushed back on Jordan's claims. "So you say we should be willing to live with higher prices," Hunt said. "Would you say to your constituents in Ohio this is worth sending their sons and daughters to the Middle East potentially to put their lives on the line, to achieve what you just laid out?" Jordan appeared frustrated by Hunt's question. "Do we want this regime and all they have done, the killing of American servicemen over the last 47 years, the killing of Israelis, the killing of others, the taking of thousands of lives of their own? Do we want them to have a nuclear weapon?" Jordan responded. "I think the Americans say that is something we need to stop." Hunt pushed back again, cutting off Jordan and asking if it was necessary to put American troops on the ground in Iran to stop the regime. "We need, again - no one's talking about that," Jordan said. "What they're talking about is, is it reaching the objective of making sure this regime doesn't get nuclear capability?""So how far would you go to achieve that objective?" Hunt asked.

Two deportees sent to Eswatini were from Somalia, one was from Sudan and another was from TanzaniaThe government of Eswatini announced on Thursday it received four more “third country” deportees from the United States, as part of the Trump administration’s multimillion-dollar deal with the small African nation.Now a total of 19 deportees from the US have been sent to Eswatini even as they hail from other countries, amid the Trump administration’s continued anti-immigrant crackdown and changes to immigration policy. Continue reading...

WASHINGTON — A Republican U.S. senator used insulting and sexist language to demand European countries join America and Israel’s war against Iran, saying NATO allies should “take their skirts off, maybe put some boots on and help the rest of the world out.”“I gave up on Europe helping us years ago,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. “They're all talking,” Marshall continued, citing President Donald Trump’s long-held grievance over defense spending levels among the NATO alliance. “They told us they would get to 2 percent of GDP, and they never did. Half of them never did. Now they're probably 5 percent. They're all talk.”While the U.S. clearly contributes most, analysts contest claims that NATO countries don’t pay their fair share, especially after most European nations increased spending since Trump threatened the fate of NATO at the start of his second term in the White House. Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran late last month, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and leaders of other traditional U.S. allies have grappled with how to deal with the Trump administration's demands that they support a war that remains unpopular across the globe.On Thursday, Sen. Marshall reached back into 20th-century history to dismiss the Marshall Plan under which U.S. aid helped revive and rebuild Europe in the aftermath of World War Two. “You know, World War II is over with,” Marshall said. “The Marshall Plan is over with. “It's time for Europe to put some jeans on, take their skirts off, maybe put some boots on and help the rest of the world out.”Marshall’s committee assignments do not include roles on panels dealing with foreign or military affairs.His official Senate website highlights the seven years he served in the Army Reserves, while also painting him as a traditional conservative family man, “a physician, devoted father, [and] grandfather” and OB/GYN who “delivered more than 5,000 babies.”'I was wrong'Marshall already made news this week over errant Iran comments.Appearing on CNN on Tuesday, the senator was asked whether, with seven Americans dead and 140 wounded, and a climbing death toll in Iran, he stood by comments to Fox News last June about U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program.“I think it will take them years to restart their nuclear program,” Marshall said then. “I think that they can’t control their airspace; they don’t have the will to do it. From what I’ve seen, I’m in shock and awe. You know, it’s just, it’s shocking how much damage we did to their facilities.”Back then, Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear program had been obliterated, even as he says new strikes were necessary to stop work on nuclear weapons.Asked if he had seen intelligence to back up the president’s change of tune, Marshall told CNN: “Look, I was wrong. They were restarting their nuclear program.”Marshall also said, “I hate war,” and saluted U.S. service members killed or injured. Pressed on why he had changed his view about the effect of last summer’s strikes, the senator said: “I believe that we obliterated those particular nuclear facilities, but now they were starting nuclear programs in other places. “And just their willingness to do that was just thumbing their nose at us.”

Podcaster Joe Rogan this week described how President Donald Trump's upcoming 80th birthday — making him the oldest American president to date — has revealed something else about him. Rogan, who voted for Trump, was talking to British political commentator Konstantin Kisin on Wednesday for his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" and asked if the now slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would potentially see the president and say 'let's f--- with that guy," The Hill reported."Right, he’s 80, he doesn’t have much to lose. That’s the scary thing about old leaders — it’s like, death is imminent. It’s within a decade, if you’re lucky," Rogan said. "That’s spooky." "You’re making decisions for babies and children and the future of the world, and you’ve got maybe 10 years left on Earth if everything goes great," Rogan said. Trump's health has been called into question throughout his second term. The White House has tiptoed around sharing information about the president's health and has claimed that he has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which can cause swollen ankles. His administration has also stated that the president's frequent handshaking has caused hand bruising.

Viral video of girl being shoved by fellow pedestrian has reignited debate over butsukari – with experts blaming stress and gender dynamicsIt starts out as a heartwarming clip. A young girl, clearly delighted to be in Tokyo, beams as she makes a peace sign to the camera. Seconds later, she is shoved to the ground from behind by a woman wearing a surgical mask. The assailant doesn’t skip a beat, striding out of shot of the clip filmed by the girl’s mother.This was no accidental clash of shoulders in a crowded place, but one of the most visible examples of a spate of butsukari otoko – “bumping man” – shoving incidents in Japan that experts attribute to a combination of gender dynamics and the stresses of modern life. Continue reading...

From fuel caps to four-day work weeks, the Middle East conflict has left the world’s top crude oil importing region desperate to shore up suppliesDonald Trump has scrambled in recent days to reassure the world that the economic impact of his war on Iran can be contained.Sure, one of the most important waterways in global trade has, in effect, been shut for almost two weeks – but it might reopen before long. In the meantime, US oil-related sanctions on “some countries” will be lifted. And besides, the entire conflict could be over soon. Continue reading...

New legislation will require schools to use Mandarin by default, taking priority over minority ethnic languages such as Tibetan, Uyghur and MongolianChina’s National People’s Congress (NPC), the state legislature, will vote on Thursday on a suite of new laws agreed at this year’s annual two sessions gathering, including a piece of legislation that will diminish the role of minority ethnic languages in the education system.NPC delegates are expected to approve a new ethnic unity law, along with a new environmental code and the 15th five-year plan, the economic planning document for 2026-2030. Delegates have spent the last week debating Beijing’s proposed bills, which they are all but certain to approve. The NPC, which is often described as a rubber-stamp parliament, has never rejected an item on its agenda. Continue reading...

Strike in Shukeiri killed schoolgirls, teachers and healthcare workers in latest incident in three-year warAt least 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, were killed on Wednesday when an explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces struck a secondary school and a health care centre.At least 10 people were wounded in the strike in the village of Shukeiri in the White Nile province, according to Dr Musa al-Majeri, director of Douiem hospital, the nearest major medical facility to the village. Continue reading...