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Snow falls in Wellington for the first time in 15 years while snow blanketed Dunedin and Christchurch on the country’s south islandTemperatures have plummeted across New Zealand as an Antarctic cold snap hovers over the country, delighting the capital, Wellington, which experienced snow for the first time in 15 years, while giving a southern city’s residents a chance to ski through the streets.The front moved in on Tuesday, with much of the country waking to freezing conditions, frosts, snowfall, hail and bitingly cold wind. Continue reading...

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was stumped cold when comedian Jon Stewart pressed him on where he draws the line for political support.Fetterman appeared on Stewart's podcast, "The Weekly Show," for an interview that hasn't been released yet, but in a clip previewing the episode, Stewart repeatedly asked Fetterman to explain why he has increasingly embraced MAGA-friendly positions while feuding with his own party over issues like opposition to Israel."For you, you could agree with them 90 percent of the time, but Israel is the red line," Stewart said, seeking clarification from Fetterman on where he draws the line for his support. "Absolutely," Fetterman said. "Israel, for me, like, I can't ever turn my back on Israel."The interview focused on Israel as Stewart asked Fetterman about his opposition to Democratic Socialists who have won congressional seats and others running for office while criticizing Israel. Fetterman has said he would leave the Democratic Party if it "officially" became "anti-Israel," according to reports.However, Stewart seemed baffled by why Fetterman draws that line."I mean no disrespect on this," Stewart told Fetterman. "But that is not our country," Stewart said, referring to Israel. Fetterman reacted to the statement by throwing his head to the side, seeming to be frustrated."You're saying that these candidates may have great ideas for our economy; they may want to do the exact same thing you want to do in terms of getting money out of politics; they may want to increase the social safety net; they may want to change the balance of power from capital back to labor," Stewart continued. "But if they don't agree with you on Israel, you don't want them in your party.""I don't know who you're referencing specifically," Fetterman said. Stewart shot back, "I'm referencing what you just said."Fetterman shook his head and said, "Name one."Stewart threw out names like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Abdul El-Sayed, and Bernie Sanders. Fetterman responded by saying that DSA members should "run under your own banner" and "Why not have a DSA party?" Stewart explained, "We have a two-party system," and said it didn't make sense to throw them out because they don't support Israel but agree with Fetterman on most other issues."You're literally saying we can all have discussions except when it comes to Israel, which is not America," Stewart said. "It seems like a weird line to draw."Fetterman stammered and said, "I don't think that's weird," because historically the Jewish community suffers "when people or a government or people turn their back" on them."The Jewish community and Israel are not the same thing, brother man!" Stewart responded.Jon is joined by U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) for discussion on the Democratic Party, Israel, and the issues that continue to shape his politics. New podcast out tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/QAmZazHzOQ— The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart (@weeklyshowpod) August 4, 2026

A former Republican strategist warned on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's Iran conflict is the beginning of a "larger war."Steve Schmidt, co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, outlined how Trump's ongoing military "quagmire," the "corrupt charade" of his attacks on American citizen David Hearn — which failed in court — and Trump's rage "at the Westchester wino" Jeanine Pirro have all revealed what could come next."She'll be gone soon, just like the Secretary of War, so-called, who's lost the war to Iran," Schmidt said, suggesting both Pirro and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be replaced.Schmidt also discussed how Trump would continue to blame others for his own failures."He made the world so much more dangerous and sentenced some score of tens of thousands of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines to death in a larger war that's coming to clean up this disaster, whether it be five years, or 10 years, or 15 years from now. Donald Trump has lit the fuse," Schmidt said. "The economy is unraveling. The debt bubble surrounding these AI companies is expanding to its explosive terminal point. And all of it is Donald Trump's fault."He asked his audience to consider why Trump's attacks on Hearn were something Americans should think deeply about."And all of it is coming at a time when an innocent man, an American Olympian, was finally freed from the clutches of a government that tried to lock him up for touching a Reflecting Pool that Donald Trump poisoned," he added.

Stalled ships near the Strait of Hormuz amid President Donald Trump's Iran war threaten more than just oil markets as scientists warn idling vessels could trigger an invasive species "super-spreader event," according to reports on Tuesday.More than 1,500 ships have sat idle in the trade channel since the conflict began on Feb. 28 and experts revealed that organisms growing on hulls and hitchhiking on the vessels could devastate global ecosystems once trade resumes, USA Today reported."If you had to sort of design a worst-case scenario, it would look a lot like this," Mario Tamburri, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the study’s lead author, told USA Today. "It’s a perfect storm."When ships don't move for days or weeks, microbes, algae and other marine organisms can colonize the submerged parts of the vessel. Experts warned that after 10 days these organisms can hit the "rapid growth phase.""These organisms, when introduced to other ecosystems, can cause a wide array of consequences, from outcompeting native species to damaging infrastructure to introducing pathogens harmful to marine life and, sometimes, humans," according to USA Today.Tamburri called the situation unprecedented, adding that the high number of ships, estimated at about 1,500 vessels sitting along the trade route, could harbor "organisms that thrive in the Middle East waters, such as the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf."The organisms can adapt to areas that see extreme seasonal changes. Areas most at-risk for spreading these colonizers are near the strait and with similar high salinity and high temperature conditions, including ports in Southeast Asia and India. These are at higher risk compared to other locations, Tamburri said. He cautioned Singapore, an international hub for commercial shipping, could be a high risk."Those organisms can withstand extremes," Tamburri said. "They’re tolerant organisms, which makes them good candidates for invasions when they go to a new location."

The White House used a Bad Bunny song to promote its deportations and harsh immigration agenda — and Tik Tok was not happy about it, TMZ reported on Friday.A TikTok posted Thursday shows ICE agents handcuffing and hauling off detainees to Bad Bunny's "LA MuDANZA," according to TMZ.In the video, the White House took the original lyrics "un aplauso pa mami y papi porque en verdad rompieron," meaning "a round of applause for mom and dad, because they really crushed it" — and changed them.The video instead had: "A round of applause for Donald J. Trump because he really crushed it." The post was captioned "We're making America great again."Bad Bunny hasn't commented on the White House move yet, according to TMZ.The Puerto Rican rapper Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has been a critic of the Trump administration and its policies. The international star performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in February, sending a message of pride to the Latino and immigrant community.Tik Tok commenters were outraged. Nearly 3,000 people responded to the video, the top comments were mostly condemnations."Do not disrespect Bad Bunny like that," wrote one. Said another, "This is just disgusting." @whitehouse We’re making America great again ♬ original sound - The White House

President Donald Trump has been yelling at his White House staffers as he deals with a lingering frustration, an author revealed.In a recent episode of Inside Trump's Head, Trump biographer Michael Wolff explained to co-host Joanna Coles why the president has resorted to "yelling at people" to resolve his frustrations with the war in Iran. Trump's recent yelling about the Iran war has been reported in The Wall Street Journal and NBC News."He's stuck, he's stuck, he's stuck. He can't do anything," Wolff said. "He can retreat. He can admit defeat, which also he doesn't want to do. So he's yelling at people, 'Solve the problem! There must be something we can do.'"According to reports by the Journal and NBC News, Trump started shouting expletives and yelling at a meeting with his top national security officials over frustrations with the Iran war."He has been told over and over again — because there's effectively nothing left to tell him — that we have exhausted all military solutions," Wolff said. "We are running out of missiles. We will run out of missiles if we keep up the pace. We have done everything that an air campaign can do. There's nowhere to go. There is nothing more we can do except invade."Wolff framed Trump's 2024 campaign posture as Trump touting himself as "The 'No Forever Wars' president," which complicates his option of getting deeper into the war in Iran. However, "if he retreats, and even if he claims victory and says it's all marvelous, the Iranians still control now the Strait of Hormuz," Coles said."Trump is the Hormuz president," he concluded.

President Donald Trump proclaimed on his Truth Social platform Thursday that he has reached a solution for the Gaza war."Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza," said Trump. "This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY." He called the agreement a "critical step" toward "Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people," while ensuring Israel's security."This is a major milestone in the implementation of the Trump 20-Point Plan," Trump continued. "The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.""One year ago there was a violent raging war, humanitarian crisis and hostages kept in brutal captivity," the president continued. "We have made historic progress and there is still much work to do ... the threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild! Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON THIS AMAZING DEVELOPMENT, THAT EVERYBODY SAID COULD NEVER BE ACHIEVED!"Trump has been trying to resolve the Israeli occupation of Gaza since taking office.He came into the conflict fully on the side of Israel, and still largely wants a solution that gives Israel everything it wants while making bombastic threats against Hamas, but has recently grown more frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With Ohio’s Haitian refugees losing their protected status Monday, Springfield’s large population has begun being terminated from their jobs, a pastor who works with the community said on Tuesday.Without legal status, their work permits become invalid. They also face being forced to return to a nation that the International Rescue Committee says is “in the grip of an overwhelming humanitarian crisis.”Right now, gangs control Haiti. Kidnapping, murder, and rape are rampant. And the pastor, Carl Ruby, said one Springfield 12-year-old faces having to return to a place where he saw animals feeding on murdered corpses when he was just five.‘Thousands of people are now going to die violent deaths,’ says attorney for Ohio Haitian community“They’re just terrified for their physical safety,” Ruby said during a virtual press conference. “Many of them have already been traumatized… Some of them have been in prison. Some of them have been tortured. Some have been beaten. Some had been raped. Nearly all of them have seen friends or family members killed.”And some of those families — those who have had children since coming to the United States — face an excruciating choice: whether to take their children with them into the violent chaos that is Haiti or leave them behind in a relatively peaceful, prosperous place where their children’s citizenship gives them the right to stay.More than 330,000 Haitians have received temporary-protected status since an earthquake devastated the impoverished Caribbean country in 2010. Once in the United States, their status has been renewed as conditions in Haiti continued to deteriorate.Early last year, Ohio’s then-Attorney General Dave Yost and 27 other Republican state AGs wrote a letter to the Trump administration stressing the word “temporary” in temporary protected status.They claimed without evidence that it was safe for some with protected status to return to those home countries and urged a review.Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in November announced that she was terminating protected status for Haitians who had qualified, including about 45,000 in Ohio and roughly 15,000 in Springfield.Lawyers for the Haitians sued, arguing that Noem had failed to follow the 1990 law creating temporary protected status. It requires that the government conduct a mandatory review of conditions in a group’s home country to certify that it’s safe to return before forcing them to go.Lower courts blocked the termination.But in June, in a 6-3 ruling the U.S. Supreme Court reversed them, ruling that the TPS law itself barred most court challenges to the way its provisions were or were not applied.Attempt to halt imminent deportations of Haitians and Syrians blocked in US SenateThe court didn’t bar constitutional challenges, however, and SCOTUS Blog on Tuesday reported that some of those are in the works.But for Haitians in Ohio, that might seem a thin reed on which to lean. They and many others are bracing for a mass-deportation such as those conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in other regions. Ruby, the Springfield pastor, said no such operation has happened yet.“It could happen as soon as this week,” he said. “What we’re hearing from other reporting is that they’re planning on deporting them directly back to Haiti. There have been cases in the community where they have been picked up one day. Sent to a detention center the next day. And on the third or the fourth day they’re back in Haiti. It’s obviously not safe for them to go there.”The pastor added that jobs and support services are almost nonexistent when deportees get to Haiti.In addition to terror over what might happen in Haiti are worries about what’s next for Springfield.Ruby said that he and his colleagues have been working for the past 18 months to build “a very large coalition of faith leaders not only here in Springfield, but across the state of Ohio and across the nation who will stand with us if we have anything like what took place in Minneapolis.”He was referring to a mass-enforcement operation last winter in which masked ICE officers shot and killed two protestors, both of them citizens. Analysis of videos taken at the scene showed that neither protester posed the threat that Trump administration officials claimed after the shootings.Ruby stressed that he and other faith leaders want any protests of ICE enforcement actions to be peaceful, and that protesters have to be ready for the possible consequences of civil disobedience, such as going to jail.Gov. Mike DeWine has criticized some of his Republican colleagues for falsely demonizing Springfield’s Haitian immigrants.On Tuesday, his spokesman reiterated a statement DeWine issued last month when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling that effectively revoked their protected status.“Today’s decision is a legal decision,” DeWine said. “As I have stated in the past, the policy to remove these individuals from this country is a mistake.”DeWine later added, “The situation in Haiti could hardly be much worse. The violent gangs run most of the country. The government barely functions. And, the economy is in shambles.”Lynn Tramonte, founder of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, questioned whether DeWine would instruct the Ohio Highway Patrol not to assist ICE in enforcement operations.In the past, the Highway Patrol has worked with U.S. Border Patrol to apprehend undocumented immigrants, the American Immigration Council reports.Dan Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary, didn’t answer directly when asked if the Highway Patrol would assist ICE with enforcement operations in Springfield.Tramonte said DeWine could do more to help Haitians who suddenly find themselves without status.“The governor might claim he is powerless to do anything in the face of federal agents invading our state to take our people, but here are two things he can do,” Tramonte said in a text message.“He can instruct the Highway Patrol not to assist ICE in the enforcement of civil immigration laws. That’s not their job and they shouldn’t have to get involved. He can also underscore the same point for local police who often seem to think they should be on the hunt for immigrants instead of focusing on crime.”