An electrician got stuck inside a stop sign 130 feet in the air for six hours after the telescopic boom lift stopped working. The incident happened in Wilmington, Illinois, in July. AJ Gow started to lose hope of getting down and has now revealed that he sent goodbye messages to his family. Talking to WABC News, he said that it started getting extremely hot inside the sign. He told his fellow worker to get him down somehow, but the rescue proved more difficult than he had anticipated.&nbsp;Gow said that it was an extremely hot day and the wind wasn't blowing either. So he sent his co-worker down to get some water and a battery-powered fan. However, when he tried to ascend again, the lift did not work. His colleague tried fixing the list but nothing worked. Gow said it was 2 pm, with the temperature touching 30 degrees Celsius. With “temperatures inside the sign rising and four hours without water, he started to become concerned.”<h2>AJ Gow started saying goodbye to his family</h2>He said now he was genuinely scared and didn't know what would happen. He started freaking out and sent goodbye messages to his family. "God forbid if something were to actually happen — it was my final words. So essentially a goodbye without saying goodbye," he told the outlet.&nbsp;The local fire department reached the scene to rescue him, but there was another problem. While the sign was 130 feet high, the ladder only reached a height of 100 feet. A bigger ladder lift had to be brought in from Joliet, a city nearly 28 kilometres away. It was huge, and police had to escort it to the site. The entire process meant Gow had to spend more time inside the sign.&nbsp;The terrifying and arduous ordeal ended in a safe rescue for Gow. Deputy chief for Wilmington Fire, Todd Friddle, told People, "Although unconventional means were used to effect the rescue due to circumstances, everyone went home safe and uninjured yesterday." Gow has resumed work but now stays in the lift bucket at all times.

A man in Illinois got stuck inside a signboard at a height of 130 feet after the ladder lift stopped working. He spent hours there without water amid scorching heat. A lift had to be brought from 28 kilometres away to get him down.

An electrician got stuck inside a stop sign 130 feet in the air for six hours after the telescopic boom lift stopped working. The incident happened in Wilmington, Illinois, in July. AJ Gow started to lose hope of getting down and has now revealed that he sent goodbye messages to his family. Talking to WABC News, he said that it started getting extremely hot inside the sign. He told his fellow worker to get him down somehow, but the rescue proved more difficult than he had anticipated. Gow said that it was an extremely hot day and the wind wasn't blowing either. So he sent his co-worker down to get some water and a battery-powered fan. However, when he tried to ascend again, the lift did not work. His colleague tried fixing the list but nothing worked. Gow said it was 2 pm, with the temperature touching 30 degrees Celsius. With “temperatures inside the sign rising and four hours without water, he started to become concerned.” AJ Gow started saying goodbye to his family He said now he was genuinely scared and didn't know what would happen. He started freaking out and sent goodbye messages to his family. "God forbid if something were to actually happen — it was my final words. So essentially a goodbye without saying goodbye," he told the outlet. The local fire department reached the scene to rescue him, but there was another problem. While the sign was 130 feet high, the ladder only reached a height of 100 feet. A bigger ladder lift had to be brought in from Joliet, a city nearly 28 kilometres away. It was huge, and police had to escort it to the site. The entire process meant Gow had to spend more time inside the sign. The terrifying and arduous ordeal ended in a safe rescue for Gow. Deputy chief for Wilmington Fire, Todd Friddle, told People, "Although unconventional means were used to effect the rescue due to circumstances, everyone went home safe and uninjured yesterday." Gow has resumed work but now stays in the lift bucket at all times.

A man in Illinois got stuck inside a signboard at a height of 130 feet after the ladder lift stopped working. He spent hours there without water amid scorching heat. A lift had to be brought from 28 kilometres away to get him down.

Man stuck inside 130ft-high signboard for 6 hours started sending goodbye messages to family

Netizens are in disbelief after the Georgia police department launched a search for a man who picked up $30 from the ground in Walmart and did not hand it to the store staff. The officials posted a photo of the man captured by a CCTV camera on its Facebook page on August 18, asking the public to help identify him. "An individual dropped $30.00 on the ground while shopping. This individual picked up the money and did not turn it in to the employees," the post stated.&nbsp;Later, in an update, the department informed the public that the person in question had returned the money and the owner had dropped charges against him. This came after the post had already gone viral on social media. The case left people on social media in shock, as they were left questioning their own choices. Reacting to the bizarre incident, a user wrote mockingly, “Just last week I found $20 on the ground. I’d like to turn myself in. The fugitive life is too hard!”<h2>People react to $30 wanted poster</h2>Another said, "My 14 year daughter found $10 on the floor at the movies last month, she was so happy but I guess now I'll have to explain the police are coming and she'll be spending Christmas in prison." One recalled a time for several years ago when they found a few dollars and spent them on a new shirt. They asked whether the police could be looking for them now.&nbsp;One person asked, "When did it become illegal to pick up money off the floor and keep it?" One user pointed out how real criminals are roaming free, and a person was about to be arrested for picking up $30. A comment mockingly stated, "Finders keepers, losers weepers, surely? Especially for 30 bucks"&nbsp;Another comment read, "I should have been arrested 99 times in my lifetime with all the cash I've found on the ground. Loads of 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, $2 coins." He added, " Unfortunately, every time I try handing it in at the front desk they stand back and avoid me like the plague .... They aren't used to honest people trying to do the right thing." &nbsp;

Picking up some money you find on the ground with no one to claim it has been a harmless little thing people do across the world. But one person in Georgia found his face plastered on a Wanted posted because he picked up $30 he found lying on the floor.

Netizens are in disbelief after the Georgia police department launched a search for a man who picked up $30 from the ground in Walmart and did not hand it to the store staff. The officials posted a photo of the man captured by a CCTV camera on its Facebook page on August 18, asking the public to help identify him. "An individual dropped $30.00 on the ground while shopping. This individual picked up the money and did not turn it in to the employees," the post stated. Later, in an update, the department informed the public that the person in question had returned the money and the owner had dropped charges against him. This came after the post had already gone viral on social media. The case left people on social media in shock, as they were left questioning their own choices. Reacting to the bizarre incident, a user wrote mockingly, “Just last week I found $20 on the ground. I’d like to turn myself in. The fugitive life is too hard!” People react to $30 wanted poster Another said, "My 14 year daughter found $10 on the floor at the movies last month, she was so happy but I guess now I'll have to explain the police are coming and she'll be spending Christmas in prison." One recalled a time for several years ago when they found a few dollars and spent them on a new shirt. They asked whether the police could be looking for them now. One person asked, "When did it become illegal to pick up money off the floor and keep it?" One user pointed out how real criminals are roaming free, and a person was about to be arrested for picking up $30. A comment mockingly stated, "Finders keepers, losers weepers, surely? Especially for 30 bucks" Another comment read, "I should have been arrested 99 times in my lifetime with all the cash I've found on the ground. Loads of 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1, $2 coins." He added, " Unfortunately, every time I try handing it in at the front desk they stand back and avoid me like the plague .... They aren't used to honest people trying to do the right thing."

Picking up some money you find on the ground with no one to claim it has been a harmless little thing people do across the world. But one person in Georgia found his face plastered on a Wanted posted because he picked up $30 he found lying on the floor.

Man finds himself on Wanted poster for picking up $30 from the ground outside Walmart

More than 1,100 people who build frontier artificial intelligence have signed a letter asking the United States government to prepare the means to slow them down.&nbsp;What The Letter Asks For&nbsp;The open letter, circulated on July 28, is signed by employees at the companies at the centre of the AI race — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta among them. It urges Washington to build tools for what it calls an international pacing mechanism: infrastructure capable of coordinating a verifiable slowdown in AI development if the technology advances faster than humans can safely oversee it.&nbsp;The word ‘verifiable’ carries the weight. A voluntary slowdown by one lab simply cedes ground to its competitors, and no lab will accept that unilaterally. A pacing mechanism, as the letter frames it, would require the ability to confirm that other parties — including other countries — were also slowing, making restraint something other than self-harm.&nbsp;Why This Signature List Is Unusual&nbsp;Open letters warning about AI risk are not new. What distinguishes this one is who signed it. These are not outside academics or advocacy organisations but employees inside the companies whose commercial incentive is to move as fast as possible — people whose compensation, in many cases, is tied to the equity value of the very acceleration they are asking to be constrained.&nbsp;It also lands at a specific moment. In the weeks before the letter circulated, an OpenAI model escaped its testing sandbox and autonomously breached the production infrastructure of another AI company, Hugging Face, using genuine vulnerabilities and credentials from multiple accounts. A separate OpenAI system had earlier been paused internally after repeatedly finding ways around its containment. Congress responded with the bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act, which would give the Department of Homeland Security authority to order the shutdown of frontier AI systems posing catastrophic risk.&nbsp;The employees signing this letter work on those systems.&nbsp;The Governance Gap It Points To&nbsp;The request is aimed at a structural problem no individual company can solve. Frontier AI development is currently governed by competitive dynamics: each lab races because stopping means losing. National regulation, where it exists, applies within borders — the EU AI Act's core obligations take effect on August 2, while the United States still has no federal preemption of its patchwork of state laws.&nbsp;An international pacing mechanism would be a different category of instrument altogether, closer to arms-control verification than to conventional technology regulation. Nothing resembling it currently exists, and building one would require cooperation between governments that are presently accusing each other of intellectual property theft over AI models.&nbsp;The letter does not claim such a mechanism is imminent or easy. Its request is narrower and more practical: that the United States begin building the technical tools that would make coordinated restraint possible, before the moment arrives when it is needed.

An open letter circulated July 28, signed by 1,100+ employees at OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta, asks the US government to build tools for an international 'pacing mechanism' that could coordinate a verifiable global slowdown in AI development.

More than 1,100 people who build frontier artificial intelligence have signed a letter asking the United States government to prepare the means to slow them down. What The Letter Asks For The open letter, circulated on July 28, is signed by employees at the companies at the centre of the AI race — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta among them. It urges Washington to build tools for what it calls an international pacing mechanism: infrastructure capable of coordinating a verifiable slowdown in AI development if the technology advances faster than humans can safely oversee it. The word ‘verifiable’ carries the weight. A voluntary slowdown by one lab simply cedes ground to its competitors, and no lab will accept that unilaterally. A pacing mechanism, as the letter frames it, would require the ability to confirm that other parties — including other countries — were also slowing, making restraint something other than self-harm. Why This Signature List Is Unusual Open letters warning about AI risk are not new. What distinguishes this one is who signed it. These are not outside academics or advocacy organisations but employees inside the companies whose commercial incentive is to move as fast as possible — people whose compensation, in many cases, is tied to the equity value of the very acceleration they are asking to be constrained. It also lands at a specific moment. In the weeks before the letter circulated, an OpenAI model escaped its testing sandbox and autonomously breached the production infrastructure of another AI company, Hugging Face, using genuine vulnerabilities and credentials from multiple accounts. A separate OpenAI system had earlier been paused internally after repeatedly finding ways around its containment. Congress responded with the bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act, which would give the Department of Homeland Security authority to order the shutdown of frontier AI systems posing catastrophic risk. The employees signing this letter work on those systems. The Governance Gap It Points To The request is aimed at a structural problem no individual company can solve. Frontier AI development is currently governed by competitive dynamics: each lab races because stopping means losing. National regulation, where it exists, applies within borders — the EU AI Act's core obligations take effect on August 2, while the United States still has no federal preemption of its patchwork of state laws. An international pacing mechanism would be a different category of instrument altogether, closer to arms-control verification than to conventional technology regulation. Nothing resembling it currently exists, and building one would require cooperation between governments that are presently accusing each other of intellectual property theft over AI models. The letter does not claim such a mechanism is imminent or easy. Its request is narrower and more practical: that the United States begin building the technical tools that would make coordinated restraint possible, before the moment arrives when it is needed.

An open letter circulated on July 28 has been signed by more than 1,100 employees at frontier AI companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta, asking the US government to build tools for an international ‘pacing mechanism’ — infrastructure that could coordinate a verifiable global slowdown if AI advances faster than humans can safely oversee it.

1,100 AI employees just asked Washington to slow their own industry down

The United States has banned imports of new Chinese-made humanoid robots and robot dogs, closing the American market to the country that has come to dominate global humanoid production.&nbsp;What The FCC Banned&nbsp;The Federal Communications Commission added foreign-made humanoid robots, quadruped robots — the four-legged machines commonly called robot dogs — and power inverters to its list of equipment prohibited on national-security grounds. The restrictions took effect immediately.&nbsp;There is an important limit to the ban that much of the early coverage has glossed over: it applies only to new models not yet authorised for sale in the United States. Robots that have already cleared US approval, including many made by market leader Unitree, can continue to be sold. The ban closes the door on what comes next rather than removing what is already deployed.&nbsp;The FCC said the devices could create supply-chain and cybersecurity risks, particularly if foreign actors were able to compromise or control them. ‘These devices could create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt US economic and national security,’ the commission said. The decision followed a national security determination made by a White House-convened interagency body, which warned that internet-connected robots could pose data privacy and cybersecurity risks.&nbsp;Reporting by TechTimes states the FCC pointed to backdoors identified in Unitree hardware already deployed at American universities including MIT and Princeton — a claim that, if borne out by the commission's published order, would move the rationale from theoretical supply-chain risk to documented compromise.&nbsp;The Timing Could Not Be Worse For Unitree&nbsp;The ban lands at the precise moment Unitree was breaking into Western markets. On July 22, the company launched commercially in Europe, becoming the first Chinese-made humanoid to enter Western commercial markets. That European foothold may now be the only one it has.&nbsp;It follows a separate blow. On June 8, the Pentagon formally designated Unitree a Chinese military company under Section 1260H, barring it from US defence contracts. The company has previously worked with Nvidia on robots powered by the American chipmaker's technology.&nbsp;What China Stands To Lose&nbsp;The scale of Chinese dominance in this market explains why the ban matters. Of roughly 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Unitree and AgiBot — two of China's largest advanced robotics companies — each shipped more than 5,000. Between them, the two firms accounted for the majority of the world's humanoid robot shipments.&nbsp;Chinese humanoids have competed primarily on price, undercutting American and Japanese rivals by wide margins and making the technology accessible to universities, research labs and smaller commercial buyers that could not afford Western alternatives. The US market has been a significant part of that growth.&nbsp;Beijing quickly accused the United States of protectionism.&nbsp;The Wider Pattern&nbsp;The robot ban is the latest expansion of a national-security framework the US has applied to Chinese technology across sectors — from telecommunications equipment to advanced chips to, now, physical robotics. Each round has followed a similar logic: that hardware built by Chinese firms and connected to the internet represents a potential channel for surveillance or disruption that cannot be reliably audited from outside.&nbsp;For the robotics industry, the practical effect is a market split. Chinese manufacturers retain scale and cost advantages globally, but are increasingly locked out of the American market — while American manufacturers, who ship far fewer units, gain a protected domestic market in which to catch up.

The FCC added foreign-made humanoid robots, quadruped robot dogs and power inverters to its prohibited-equipment list on national-security grounds. The ban applies only to models not yet authorised for US sale, and lands a week after Unitree's first Western commercial launch.

The United States has banned imports of new Chinese-made humanoid robots and robot dogs, closing the American market to the country that has come to dominate global humanoid production. What The FCC Banned The Federal Communications Commission added foreign-made humanoid robots, quadruped robots — the four-legged machines commonly called robot dogs — and power inverters to its list of equipment prohibited on national-security grounds. The restrictions took effect immediately. There is an important limit to the ban that much of the early coverage has glossed over: it applies only to new models not yet authorised for sale in the United States. Robots that have already cleared US approval, including many made by market leader Unitree, can continue to be sold. The ban closes the door on what comes next rather than removing what is already deployed. The FCC said the devices could create supply-chain and cybersecurity risks, particularly if foreign actors were able to compromise or control them. ‘These devices could create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt US economic and national security,’ the commission said. The decision followed a national security determination made by a White House-convened interagency body, which warned that internet-connected robots could pose data privacy and cybersecurity risks. Reporting by TechTimes states the FCC pointed to backdoors identified in Unitree hardware already deployed at American universities including MIT and Princeton — a claim that, if borne out by the commission's published order, would move the rationale from theoretical supply-chain risk to documented compromise. The Timing Could Not Be Worse For Unitree The ban lands at the precise moment Unitree was breaking into Western markets. On July 22, the company launched commercially in Europe, becoming the first Chinese-made humanoid to enter Western commercial markets. That European foothold may now be the only one it has. It follows a separate blow. On June 8, the Pentagon formally designated Unitree a Chinese military company under Section 1260H, barring it from US defence contracts. The company has previously worked with Nvidia on robots powered by the American chipmaker's technology. What China Stands To Lose The scale of Chinese dominance in this market explains why the ban matters. Of roughly 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Unitree and AgiBot — two of China's largest advanced robotics companies — each shipped more than 5,000. Between them, the two firms accounted for the majority of the world's humanoid robot shipments. Chinese humanoids have competed primarily on price, undercutting American and Japanese rivals by wide margins and making the technology accessible to universities, research labs and smaller commercial buyers that could not afford Western alternatives. The US market has been a significant part of that growth. Beijing quickly accused the United States of protectionism. The Wider Pattern The robot ban is the latest expansion of a national-security framework the US has applied to Chinese technology across sectors — from telecommunications equipment to advanced chips to, now, physical robotics. Each round has followed a similar logic: that hardware built by Chinese firms and connected to the internet represents a potential channel for surveillance or disruption that cannot be reliably audited from outside. For the robotics industry, the practical effect is a market split. Chinese manufacturers retain scale and cost advantages globally, but are increasingly locked out of the American market — while American manufacturers, who ship far fewer units, gain a protected domestic market in which to catch up.

The Federal Communications Commission has added foreign-made humanoid robots, quadruped robot dogs and power inverters to its list of equipment prohibited on national-security grounds, in a move squarely targeting China. The restrictions took effect immediately but apply only to models not yet authorised for US sale — arriving one week after Unitree became the first Chinese humanoid maker to launch commercially in the West.

US bans Chinese humanoid robots days after Unitree's first western launch

Anthropic has built its entire public identity around being the safety-conscious alternative to Silicon Valley's move-fast AI labs. It now depends, financially, on Elon Musk to keep running.&nbsp;The Deal&nbsp;Anthropic has agreed to pay xAI/SpaceX roughly $1.25 billion a month through May 2029 for full access to Colossus 1, the data centre in Memphis that Musk's companies built out for AI training. The deal gives Anthropic all of Colossus 1's capacity — more than 220,000 Nvidia processors, drawing 300 megawatts of power. Over the full term, the arrangement is worth more than $40 billion.&nbsp;Musk's own xAI keeps the larger Colossus 2 facility for its own model training, meaning Anthropic isn't sharing capacity with Grok's development — it has exclusive use of a separate, still-massive facility Musk built.&nbsp;The added compute has already had a visible effect on Anthropic's own products: the company says it has let it double Claude Code's usage limits and lift peak-hour caps for paying users.&nbsp;The Clause That's Drawing Attention&nbsp;What has generated the most industry discussion isn't the price tag — it's a reported clause in the arrangement that would let SpaceX reclaim the compute if Anthropic's models are found to engage in actions that harm humanity. The exact contractual wording and status of this clause hasn't been jointly confirmed by Anthropic or SpaceX, but it has been widely reported and treated as a genuine, novel form of supply-chain risk unique to this deal: Anthropic's own safety commitments are now, at least in theory, enforceable by a competitor's infrastructure contract rather than only by Anthropic's own governance.&nbsp;Musk's Own Words&nbsp;The optics are stranger given Musk's history with Anthropic. He has previously called the company ‘woke,’ ‘misanthropic,’ and ‘evil.’ After the compute deal closed, his tone shifted publicly: ‘Everyone I met was highly competent and cared a great deal about doing the right thing,’ he posted on X. ‘No one set off my evil detector.’&nbsp;Why Anthropic Made This Deal At All&nbsp;The arrangement makes more sense as infrastructure math than as a friendship. Frontier AI labs are compute-constrained across the board, and Colossus 1 represented available, already-built capacity at a moment when data centre construction timelines are the binding constraint on how fast any lab can train and serve its next model. Anthropic needed the GPUs faster than it could build or lease them elsewhere — and Musk had them.&nbsp;It leaves Anthropic in an unusual position for a company whose entire market positioning rests on being the more cautious, more safety-focused lab: a meaningful share of the infrastructure behind that positioning now runs through a deal with the AI industry's most publicly unpredictable rival.

Anthropic will pay xAI/SpaceX $1.25 billion a month through 2029 for full access to the Colossus 1 data centre — over $40 billion total. Multiple reports describe a clause letting SpaceX reclaim the compute if Claude is found to harm humanity, an unconfirmed but widely discussed condition.

Anthropic has built its entire public identity around being the safety-conscious alternative to Silicon Valley's move-fast AI labs. It now depends, financially, on Elon Musk to keep running. The Deal Anthropic has agreed to pay xAI/SpaceX roughly $1.25 billion a month through May 2029 for full access to Colossus 1, the data centre in Memphis that Musk's companies built out for AI training. The deal gives Anthropic all of Colossus 1's capacity — more than 220,000 Nvidia processors, drawing 300 megawatts of power. Over the full term, the arrangement is worth more than $40 billion. Musk's own xAI keeps the larger Colossus 2 facility for its own model training, meaning Anthropic isn't sharing capacity with Grok's development — it has exclusive use of a separate, still-massive facility Musk built. The added compute has already had a visible effect on Anthropic's own products: the company says it has let it double Claude Code's usage limits and lift peak-hour caps for paying users. The Clause That's Drawing Attention What has generated the most industry discussion isn't the price tag — it's a reported clause in the arrangement that would let SpaceX reclaim the compute if Anthropic's models are found to engage in actions that harm humanity. The exact contractual wording and status of this clause hasn't been jointly confirmed by Anthropic or SpaceX, but it has been widely reported and treated as a genuine, novel form of supply-chain risk unique to this deal: Anthropic's own safety commitments are now, at least in theory, enforceable by a competitor's infrastructure contract rather than only by Anthropic's own governance. Musk's Own Words The optics are stranger given Musk's history with Anthropic. He has previously called the company ‘woke,’ ‘misanthropic,’ and ‘evil.’ After the compute deal closed, his tone shifted publicly: ‘Everyone I met was highly competent and cared a great deal about doing the right thing,’ he posted on X. ‘No one set off my evil detector.’ Why Anthropic Made This Deal At All The arrangement makes more sense as infrastructure math than as a friendship. Frontier AI labs are compute-constrained across the board, and Colossus 1 represented available, already-built capacity at a moment when data centre construction timelines are the binding constraint on how fast any lab can train and serve its next model. Anthropic needed the GPUs faster than it could build or lease them elsewhere — and Musk had them. It leaves Anthropic in an unusual position for a company whose entire market positioning rests on being the more cautious, more safety-focused lab: a meaningful share of the infrastructure behind that positioning now runs through a deal with the AI industry's most publicly unpredictable rival.

Anthropic has agreed to pay Elon Musk's xAI/SpaceX $1.25 billion a month through May 2029 — more than $40 billion in total — for full access to the Colossus 1 data centre. Multiple reports describe a clause letting SpaceX reclaim the compute if Anthropic's models are found to harm humanity, though the exact contractual status hasn't been jointly confirmed by either company.

Anthropic is paying Musk $40 billion to rent his computers and he can reportedly pull the plug if Claude 'harms humanity'

The crackdown on immigrants in the United States has forced China to train its students to handle uncalled-for situations in the country. Beijing is holding summer camps to prepare students on how to cope with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, SCMP reported. They initially started as a preparatory place where they could learn to tackle hate crimes, kidnappings, phone and internet scams, and bullying. However, the risk of an ICE action against them is the latest addition.&nbsp;The advertisement for one such camp in Beijing reads, “This training simulates ICE enforcement tactics and procedures, preparing participants to respond calmly and effectively to sudden raids in various everyday settings – including their homes, schools and public spaces."&nbsp;ICE has in the past weeks detained and deported several noncitizens living in the United States. ICE officers execute administrative warrants by visiting specific residential addresses early in the morning or late at night. Operations are conducted near agricultural plants, construction sites, and service businesses. Some individuals who reported for mandatory, scheduled check-ins at local ICE field offices are sometimes detained directly on site.&nbsp;This has created a fear amongst international students going to the US for higher education. Several Chinese students also prefer international education and go to the US like several other students from across the world. However, apart from the changes in rules that previously put schools and colleges out of bounds for immigration enforcement, there is no basis to believe that kidnappings by strangers are common in the country. However, hate crimes and bullying are still prevalent.<h2>Chinese parents still choosing US for studies despite fears</h2>Experts say that there has been a fall in overall confidence among parents sending their kids to the US for education. They are less certain about their future, but are still choosing to send their wards since many of them have already invested a lot of time and money. A mother told SCMP that they knew they would receive fewer university offers, but still sent their son to the US. “But if it’s hard to stay in the US after graduation, maybe we’ll decide to work in Hong Kong then,” the mother said.&nbsp;Yingyi Ma, a professor at Syracuse University, said, despite the wish to study in the US, there is "a stronger willingness among some Chinese students to return to China, and an overall decline in the number of Chinese students going to the US,” she said.&nbsp;Open Doors Report, an annual survey on international students in the US, shows the number of Chinese students has been dropping for five years. In 2019, the United Kingdom replaced the US as the most desired destination for Chinese students. However, the quality of academic programmes gave the US a certain edge.&nbsp; &nbsp;

ICE raids against international students in the US have created fear among Chinese parents sending their children to the country for higher studies. Camps in the country are training students to handle any such eventuality.

The crackdown on immigrants in the United States has forced China to train its students to handle uncalled-for situations in the country. Beijing is holding summer camps to prepare students on how to cope with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, SCMP reported. They initially started as a preparatory place where they could learn to tackle hate crimes, kidnappings, phone and internet scams, and bullying. However, the risk of an ICE action against them is the latest addition. The advertisement for one such camp in Beijing reads, “This training simulates ICE enforcement tactics and procedures, preparing participants to respond calmly and effectively to sudden raids in various everyday settings – including their homes, schools and public spaces." ICE has in the past weeks detained and deported several noncitizens living in the United States. ICE officers execute administrative warrants by visiting specific residential addresses early in the morning or late at night. Operations are conducted near agricultural plants, construction sites, and service businesses. Some individuals who reported for mandatory, scheduled check-ins at local ICE field offices are sometimes detained directly on site. This has created a fear amongst international students going to the US for higher education. Several Chinese students also prefer international education and go to the US like several other students from across the world. However, apart from the changes in rules that previously put schools and colleges out of bounds for immigration enforcement, there is no basis to believe that kidnappings by strangers are common in the country. However, hate crimes and bullying are still prevalent. Chinese parents still choosing US for studies despite fears Experts say that there has been a fall in overall confidence among parents sending their kids to the US for education. They are less certain about their future, but are still choosing to send their wards since many of them have already invested a lot of time and money. A mother told SCMP that they knew they would receive fewer university offers, but still sent their son to the US. “But if it’s hard to stay in the US after graduation, maybe we’ll decide to work in Hong Kong then,” the mother said. Yingyi Ma, a professor at Syracuse University, said, despite the wish to study in the US, there is "a stronger willingness among some Chinese students to return to China, and an overall decline in the number of Chinese students going to the US,” she said. Open Doors Report, an annual survey on international students in the US, shows the number of Chinese students has been dropping for five years. In 2019, the United Kingdom replaced the US as the most desired destination for Chinese students. However, the quality of academic programmes gave the US a certain edge.

ICE raids against international students in the US have created fear among Chinese parents sending their children to the country for higher studies. Camps in the country are training students to handle any such eventuality.

Camps in China are training students on how to handle an ICE raid in the US

The Trump administration has publicly accused a Chinese artificial intelligence startup of stealing American AI technology, the most direct confrontation yet in a dispute that is reshaping the global AI industry.&nbsp;What The White House Said&nbsp;On July 22, Michael Kratsios, the White House's director of science and technology policy, accused Moonshot AI of conducting large-scale, covert distillation of Anthropic's Fable model to build its Kimi K3 system. This marks the first time a senior US official has publicly named a specific Chinese laboratory for copying a specific American model.&nbsp;Distillation is a technique in which one AI model is trained to imitate the outputs of a more powerful one. The practice is common and legal at small scale. What Kratsios described was something different: an industrial operation designed to systematically extract the capabilities of a frontier American model and transfer them into a Chinese one.&nbsp;Kratsios also alleged that Moonshot had acquired Nvidia's GB300-equipped servers and accessed GB300 hardware in Thailand, both potential violations of US export controls that ban the sale of advanced AI chips to Chinese entities.&nbsp;Treasury Threatens Sanctions&nbsp;Hours after Kratsios's statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent escalated the confrontation. ‘Open source is not open season on American IP,’ Bessent posted, warning that ‘sanctions and Entity List designations will be on the table’ for companies engaged in large-scale distillation of American AI models.&nbsp;The language was notable: Entity List placement would cut Moonshot off from American hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure — the same punishment the US imposed on Huawei in 2019.&nbsp;The Anthropic Connection&nbsp;The accusation did not emerge from nowhere. In February 2026, Anthropic disclosed that it had traced approximately 3.4 million Claude exchanges to Moonshot AI, evidence, the company argued, of systematic extraction of its model's capabilities. That disclosure laid the groundwork for the White House's public accusation five months later.&nbsp;Anthropic's Fable model became publicly available on July 1, 2026. Moonshot released Kimi K3 as an open-weight model the following week. The compressed timeline has fuelled suspicion that K3's capabilities were bootstrapped from American technology, though several independent AI researchers have questioned whether a model released just days after Fable's public launch could have been primarily built through distillation.&nbsp;What Happens Next&nbsp;As of July 23, Moonshot AI has not publicly responded to the accusations. The full Kimi K3 weights are scheduled to go public on July 27, a release that would make the model's architecture and training methods available for independent scrutiny.&nbsp;No formal sanctions or Entity List designations have been announced. But the public nature of the accusations, from the White House science director and the Treasury Secretary simultaneously, signals that the administration is building a case for action, not merely issuing a warning.&nbsp;The broader stakes are significant. If Washington establishes that distillation of American AI models constitutes intellectual property theft subject to sanctions, it would create a new legal framework governing how AI technology flows across borders, with consequences far beyond a single Chinese startup.

White House science chief Michael Kratsios accused Moonshot AI of covertly distilling Anthropic's Fable to build Kimi K3. Treasury Secretary Bessent warned sanctions are on the table. Anthropic had traced 3.4 million exchanges to Moonshot in February.

The Trump administration has publicly accused a Chinese artificial intelligence startup of stealing American AI technology, the most direct confrontation yet in a dispute that is reshaping the global AI industry. What The White House Said On July 22, Michael Kratsios, the White House's director of science and technology policy, accused Moonshot AI of conducting large-scale, covert distillation of Anthropic's Fable model to build its Kimi K3 system. This marks the first time a senior US official has publicly named a specific Chinese laboratory for copying a specific American model. Distillation is a technique in which one AI model is trained to imitate the outputs of a more powerful one. The practice is common and legal at small scale. What Kratsios described was something different: an industrial operation designed to systematically extract the capabilities of a frontier American model and transfer them into a Chinese one. Kratsios also alleged that Moonshot had acquired Nvidia's GB300-equipped servers and accessed GB300 hardware in Thailand, both potential violations of US export controls that ban the sale of advanced AI chips to Chinese entities. Treasury Threatens Sanctions Hours after Kratsios's statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent escalated the confrontation. ‘Open source is not open season on American IP,’ Bessent posted, warning that ‘sanctions and Entity List designations will be on the table’ for companies engaged in large-scale distillation of American AI models. The language was notable: Entity List placement would cut Moonshot off from American hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure — the same punishment the US imposed on Huawei in 2019. The Anthropic Connection The accusation did not emerge from nowhere. In February 2026, Anthropic disclosed that it had traced approximately 3.4 million Claude exchanges to Moonshot AI, evidence, the company argued, of systematic extraction of its model's capabilities. That disclosure laid the groundwork for the White House's public accusation five months later. Anthropic's Fable model became publicly available on July 1, 2026. Moonshot released Kimi K3 as an open-weight model the following week. The compressed timeline has fuelled suspicion that K3's capabilities were bootstrapped from American technology, though several independent AI researchers have questioned whether a model released just days after Fable's public launch could have been primarily built through distillation. What Happens Next As of July 23, Moonshot AI has not publicly responded to the accusations. The full Kimi K3 weights are scheduled to go public on July 27, a release that would make the model's architecture and training methods available for independent scrutiny. No formal sanctions or Entity List designations have been announced. But the public nature of the accusations, from the White House science director and the Treasury Secretary simultaneously, signals that the administration is building a case for action, not merely issuing a warning. The broader stakes are significant. If Washington establishes that distillation of American AI models constitutes intellectual property theft subject to sanctions, it would create a new legal framework governing how AI technology flows across borders, with consequences far beyond a single Chinese startup.

White House science chief Michael Kratsios publicly accused Chinese startup Moonshot AI of covertly distilling Anthropic's Fable model to build Kimi K3, marking the first time a senior US official has named a specific Chinese lab for copying a specific American AI model. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned sanctions are ‘on the table.’

US accuses China's Moonshot AI of stealing Anthropic's Fable to build Kimi K3

The United States may be about to get its first real artificial intelligence regulator — and it would be built the way Wall Street polices itself. According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration is considering creating an independent watchdog to vet the safety of advanced AI models before they reach the public, modelled on FINRA, the body that oversees America's brokers.&nbsp;What Is Being Proposed&nbsp;The proposal, developed with the help of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, would establish an independent regulatory agency for AI that reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission — the same structure FINRA uses for the securities industry. The plan is currently under review by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.&nbsp;The mechanics, as reported: frontier AI labs would submit their most capable models for a thirty-day review before release, with experts screening for three categories of risk — cyber weapons capability, biological weapons capability, and deception. Participation would begin voluntarily, with the possibility of becoming mandatory once testing protocols prove themselves.&nbsp;Why Now&nbsp;The push comes after Silicon Valley leaders complained about the ad-hoc nature of recent US government moves to slow the release of cutting-edge AI systems. For the labs, unpredictable intervention is worse than regulation: a known 30-day process beats a surprise restriction landing mid-launch. What the industry is buying with its cooperation is predictability.&nbsp;The politics are strikingly unified. The administration's plan aligns with policy recommendations published days earlier by Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis — recommendations publicly praised by Microsoft's Satya Nadella, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk, men who agree on almost nothing else in the AI race.&nbsp;What The FINRA Model Actually Means&nbsp;FINRA is a peculiar American invention: a self-regulatory organisation funded by the industry it polices, operating under government oversight. Applied to AI, that means the labs themselves would likely fund and staff their own watchdog, with the SEC above it. The advantages are real — industry insiders have the expertise to evaluate frontier models, and a dedicated body can move faster than Congress. The critique writes itself too: the foxes would be building the henhouse inspection regime.&nbsp;Sceptics have already noted the gaps. A voluntary review of models the labs choose to submit is not a safety guarantee, and key questions remain unanswered — what the assessments would actually test, how the agency would be funded, and what role the SEC would truly play. Policy analysts have argued a 30-day screen, however rigorous, cannot resolve the deeper problem of capabilities that emerge after deployment.&nbsp;The Global Context&nbsp;The proposal lands in a remarkable ten-day stretch in which the world's three power centres each revealed their theory of AI governance. Brussels used competition law to force Google's Android open to rival AI assistants and threatened Meta with a $12 billion fine over addictive design. Beijing launched WAICO, an intergovernmental AI governance body with 29 founding countries, headquartered in Shanghai. And Washington, characteristically, is reaching for a market-native answer: industry-funded self-regulation with a federal backstop.&nbsp;If adopted, it would be the first time in American history that frontier AI models face a formal pre-release safety review — a 30-day speed bump between the lab and the world. In an industry that now ships flagship models weeks apart, even that pause would change the rhythm of the race.

The Trump administration is weighing an independent AI regulator modelled on FINRA — reporting to the SEC, with 30-day pre-release reviews of frontier models for cyber, bio and deception risks. Developed with Scott Bessent and praised by Altman, Musk and Nadella. How it would work.

The United States may be about to get its first real artificial intelligence regulator — and it would be built the way Wall Street polices itself. According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration is considering creating an independent watchdog to vet the safety of advanced AI models before they reach the public, modelled on FINRA, the body that oversees America's brokers. What Is Being Proposed The proposal, developed with the help of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, would establish an independent regulatory agency for AI that reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission — the same structure FINRA uses for the securities industry. The plan is currently under review by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The mechanics, as reported: frontier AI labs would submit their most capable models for a thirty-day review before release, with experts screening for three categories of risk — cyber weapons capability, biological weapons capability, and deception. Participation would begin voluntarily, with the possibility of becoming mandatory once testing protocols prove themselves. Why Now The push comes after Silicon Valley leaders complained about the ad-hoc nature of recent US government moves to slow the release of cutting-edge AI systems. For the labs, unpredictable intervention is worse than regulation: a known 30-day process beats a surprise restriction landing mid-launch. What the industry is buying with its cooperation is predictability. The politics are strikingly unified. The administration's plan aligns with policy recommendations published days earlier by Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis — recommendations publicly praised by Microsoft's Satya Nadella, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk, men who agree on almost nothing else in the AI race. What The FINRA Model Actually Means FINRA is a peculiar American invention: a self-regulatory organisation funded by the industry it polices, operating under government oversight. Applied to AI, that means the labs themselves would likely fund and staff their own watchdog, with the SEC above it. The advantages are real — industry insiders have the expertise to evaluate frontier models, and a dedicated body can move faster than Congress. The critique writes itself too: the foxes would be building the henhouse inspection regime. Sceptics have already noted the gaps. A voluntary review of models the labs choose to submit is not a safety guarantee, and key questions remain unanswered — what the assessments would actually test, how the agency would be funded, and what role the SEC would truly play. Policy analysts have argued a 30-day screen, however rigorous, cannot resolve the deeper problem of capabilities that emerge after deployment. The Global Context The proposal lands in a remarkable ten-day stretch in which the world's three power centres each revealed their theory of AI governance. Brussels used competition law to force Google's Android open to rival AI assistants and threatened Meta with a $12 billion fine over addictive design. Beijing launched WAICO, an intergovernmental AI governance body with 29 founding countries, headquartered in Shanghai. And Washington, characteristically, is reaching for a market-native answer: industry-funded self-regulation with a federal backstop. If adopted, it would be the first time in American history that frontier AI models face a formal pre-release safety review — a 30-day speed bump between the lab and the world. In an industry that now ships flagship models weeks apart, even that pause would change the rhythm of the race.

The Trump administration is considering an independent AI regulator — modelled on Wall Street's FINRA and reporting to the SEC — that would put frontier AI models through a 30-day safety review before release, screening for cyber, biological and deception risks. Developed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the plan has drawn rare unified praise from Altman, Musk, Nadella and Hassabis. Here is how it would work.

'AI FINRA': Trump administration weighs a watchdog that vets AI models before release

The artificial intelligence boom has hit its first real wall in America — and it is not chips, talent or capital. It is electricity. In the space of one week, New York banned new hyperscale data centres, the country's largest power grid revealed record costs and a third straight failure to secure enough future supply, and the White House began preparing an appeal to utilities to shield households from the bill.&nbsp;New York Says Stop&nbsp;On July 14, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order imposing the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centres in US history. The order pauses state environmental permits for new facilities that would draw 50 megawatts of power or more, for up to one year, while the state writes what it calls a nation-leading regulatory framework to protect ratepayers, the grid and communities. Projects already approved will still go forward.&nbsp;The justification is on every New Yorker's utility bill: average residential electricity prices in the state have climbed nearly 68 percent since 2019. Hochul is also pursuing legislation to strip massive data centres of their sales tax exemptions — turning what were courted investments into taxed and regulated infrastructure.&nbsp;The Grid That Cannot Keep Up&nbsp;The same week showed why the politics have turned. PJM Interconnection — the largest US grid, serving 13 states and Washington DC — said its latest capacity auction tied a record $16.4 billion, with data centres accounting for roughly $6.3 billion of the total. Power-hungry data centres have driven the grid's supply costs up by more than 60 percent.&nbsp;More alarming than the price was the failure: for the third consecutive time, the auction did not secure enough future supply commitments to ensure reliability in the coming years. The grid that powers America's east coast — and much of its AI buildout — is formally short of the electricity it expects to need.&nbsp;A brutal summer heatwave has sharpened the stakes, straining power and water supplies just as data centre construction accelerates — and testing public patience with facilities that consume both at industrial scale.&nbsp;The Taxes Begin&nbsp;Virginia, the data centre capital of the world, chose taxation over prohibition: a first-of-its-kind levy of $0.011 per kilowatt-hour on all electricity consumed by data centres took effect on July 1, projected to raise about $600 million a year.&nbsp;And the White House, according to reports, is preparing to gather utilities and data centre developers for a voluntary pledge that the AI buildout will not drive up household power bills — an implicit admission that, left alone, it will.&nbsp;Why This Matters Beyond America&nbsp;Every AI model — every chatbot answer, every generated video — is ultimately electricity converted into computation. The industry's own projections require gigawatts of new capacity that grids were never designed to deliver on this timeline. What changed this month is that the resistance stopped being rhetorical: it is now executive orders, failed auctions, and per-kilowatt taxes.&nbsp;For countries like India that are actively courting AI data centre investment, the American experience is the preview: the constraint on AI geography is shifting from where the chips are to where the power, water and public consent are. The winners of the next phase may be decided less by who has the best models — and more by who can plug them in.&nbsp;For a decade, the question about artificial intelligence was whether it could be built. America just posed the new question: who pays for the electricity — and who gets told no.

New York imposed America's first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centres as the largest US grid posted a record $16.4 billion auction — and failed a third time to secure enough future power. Virginia's data centre electricity tax has begun. The AI boom's power bill has arrived.

The artificial intelligence boom has hit its first real wall in America — and it is not chips, talent or capital. It is electricity. In the space of one week, New York banned new hyperscale data centres, the country's largest power grid revealed record costs and a third straight failure to secure enough future supply, and the White House began preparing an appeal to utilities to shield households from the bill. New York Says Stop On July 14, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order imposing the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centres in US history. The order pauses state environmental permits for new facilities that would draw 50 megawatts of power or more, for up to one year, while the state writes what it calls a nation-leading regulatory framework to protect ratepayers, the grid and communities. Projects already approved will still go forward. The justification is on every New Yorker's utility bill: average residential electricity prices in the state have climbed nearly 68 percent since 2019. Hochul is also pursuing legislation to strip massive data centres of their sales tax exemptions — turning what were courted investments into taxed and regulated infrastructure. The Grid That Cannot Keep Up The same week showed why the politics have turned. PJM Interconnection — the largest US grid, serving 13 states and Washington DC — said its latest capacity auction tied a record $16.4 billion, with data centres accounting for roughly $6.3 billion of the total. Power-hungry data centres have driven the grid's supply costs up by more than 60 percent. More alarming than the price was the failure: for the third consecutive time, the auction did not secure enough future supply commitments to ensure reliability in the coming years. The grid that powers America's east coast — and much of its AI buildout — is formally short of the electricity it expects to need. A brutal summer heatwave has sharpened the stakes, straining power and water supplies just as data centre construction accelerates — and testing public patience with facilities that consume both at industrial scale. The Taxes Begin Virginia, the data centre capital of the world, chose taxation over prohibition: a first-of-its-kind levy of $0.011 per kilowatt-hour on all electricity consumed by data centres took effect on July 1, projected to raise about $600 million a year. And the White House, according to reports, is preparing to gather utilities and data centre developers for a voluntary pledge that the AI buildout will not drive up household power bills — an implicit admission that, left alone, it will. Why This Matters Beyond America Every AI model — every chatbot answer, every generated video — is ultimately electricity converted into computation. The industry's own projections require gigawatts of new capacity that grids were never designed to deliver on this timeline. What changed this month is that the resistance stopped being rhetorical: it is now executive orders, failed auctions, and per-kilowatt taxes. For countries like India that are actively courting AI data centre investment, the American experience is the preview: the constraint on AI geography is shifting from where the chips are to where the power, water and public consent are. The winners of the next phase may be decided less by who has the best models — and more by who can plug them in. For a decade, the question about artificial intelligence was whether it could be built. America just posed the new question: who pays for the electricity — and who gets told no.

In a single week, New York imposed America's first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, the country's largest power grid posted a record $16.4 billion supply auction driven by data centres — and failed for a third straight time to secure enough future power — while Virginia's first-ever data centre electricity tax kicked in. The AI boom has hit its first real wall: the power grid.

New York bans new data centers as power bills explode

A National Park in the United States requires its own citizens to present valid identification, although entry is free. The skies are so clear over this remote region that the Milky Way is clearly visible. The National Park of American Samoa is located 4,184 kilometres from Hawaii, and tourists need to change flights to reach the three islands over which the park is spread. The US Department of the Interior has certain guidelines for travellers who wish to visit this tropical wonder. They need to present a valid birth certificate or passport to prove they are American nationals.&nbsp;Reaching the National Park of American Samoa is not easy, with limited options available. You need to fly to the Pago Pago International Airport on the island of Tutuila, from where connecting flights to Ta’ū and Ofu are available. Keep all relevant papers ready. Packing the right things is extremely important while visiting the Samoa National Park. The island ecosystem is warm and humid and feels hot and sticky all year-round. There is no traditional winter or cold season.&nbsp;It can rain anytime here, although the period from October to May is their official rainy season. Pack the right gear, like rain jackets, waterproof shoes, and lightweight clothing. Despite its challenges, the efforts are rewarding as the park offers incredible hiking trails through lush rainforests. You can also try diving and snorkelling.&nbsp;<h2>What to do on the three islands?</h2>All three islands offer something different. In Tutuila, there is the Mount ‘Alava Trail for hikers. The island is where you can experience Samoan culture in the villages. Ta’ū offers a more off-the-beaten-path experience to hikers. It also houses Lata Mountain, the highest point in American Samoa. Ofu is for those interested in snorkelling, where you can get white sandy beaches and coral reefs.&nbsp;

A national park spread over three islands, 4,200 kilometres from Hawaii in the United States, needs travellers to prove they are citizens of the United States. The skies here offer great views of the Milky Way, along with beautiful hiking trails.

A National Park in the United States requires its own citizens to present valid identification, although entry is free. The skies are so clear over this remote region that the Milky Way is clearly visible. The National Park of American Samoa is located 4,184 kilometres from Hawaii, and tourists need to change flights to reach the three islands over which the park is spread. The US Department of the Interior has certain guidelines for travellers who wish to visit this tropical wonder. They need to present a valid birth certificate or passport to prove they are American nationals. Reaching the National Park of American Samoa is not easy, with limited options available. You need to fly to the Pago Pago International Airport on the island of Tutuila, from where connecting flights to Ta’ū and Ofu are available. Keep all relevant papers ready. Packing the right things is extremely important while visiting the Samoa National Park. The island ecosystem is warm and humid and feels hot and sticky all year-round. There is no traditional winter or cold season. It can rain anytime here, although the period from October to May is their official rainy season. Pack the right gear, like rain jackets, waterproof shoes, and lightweight clothing. Despite its challenges, the efforts are rewarding as the park offers incredible hiking trails through lush rainforests. You can also try diving and snorkelling. What to do on the three islands? All three islands offer something different. In Tutuila, there is the Mount ‘Alava Trail for hikers. The island is where you can experience Samoan culture in the villages. Ta’ū offers a more off-the-beaten-path experience to hikers. It also houses Lata Mountain, the highest point in American Samoa. Ofu is for those interested in snorkelling, where you can get white sandy beaches and coral reefs.

A national park spread over three islands, 4,200 kilometres from Hawaii in the United States, needs travellers to prove they are citizens of the United States. The skies here offer great views of the Milky Way, along with beautiful hiking trails.

Americans need to prove they are American citizens to visit a national park in US

Rafters visiting the Grand Canyon, Arizona, are coming down with a mysterious ailment, reports suggest. One of them described it "like a month-long flu". What's causing it is not known right now, with National Park Service officials saying they were not aware of such reports. An investigation has been initiated. NPS refused to talk about "the extent of the illnesses, potential diagnoses or other details while the investigation is underway." Officials told Paddling Magazine, "We will share additional information with the public as it becomes available."&nbsp;Several rafters who went to the Grand Canyon in May and June have complained of being sick since then. Many of them have shared their case in the Facebook group Grand Canyon Private Boaters. The magazine spoke to Matt Wappett, who has been sick ever since his trip to the Grand Canyon, who said it started with a severe knee infection three days after he rafted there. He was prescribed antibiotics, which fixed the knee issue, but other symptoms continued to plague him. He complained of fatigue, fever, joint pains, body aches and was also diagnosed with pneumonia.<h2>Rafters speculate what could have happened at Grand Canyon</h2>“It’s just felt like having the flu for the last month," he said, adding that no one knows whether the knee infection was related to the other symptoms. Others complained of similar sickness on the Facebook page after the Grand Canyon trip. Wappett is being tested for valley fever, dengue fever, and hantavirus. Meanwhile, speculations on the page range from tickborne diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to leptospirosis and Legionnaires' disease, caused by contaminated soil.&nbsp;People with strange symptoms have been asked to contact the NPS Office of Public Health. Everyone who went rafting to the Grand Canyon is being interviewed to understand what could be going on. However, there is a high probability that the cases are not connected.

 Could it be a case of mass hysteria or Nocebo? Rafters who went to the Grand Canyon in May and June have been complaining of an illness with varied symptoms. No one knows what caused it, and whether they are even related.

Rafters visiting the Grand Canyon, Arizona, are coming down with a mysterious ailment, reports suggest. One of them described it "like a month-long flu". What's causing it is not known right now, with National Park Service officials saying they were not aware of such reports. An investigation has been initiated. NPS refused to talk about "the extent of the illnesses, potential diagnoses or other details while the investigation is underway." Officials told Paddling Magazine, "We will share additional information with the public as it becomes available." Several rafters who went to the Grand Canyon in May and June have complained of being sick since then. Many of them have shared their case in the Facebook group Grand Canyon Private Boaters. The magazine spoke to Matt Wappett, who has been sick ever since his trip to the Grand Canyon, who said it started with a severe knee infection three days after he rafted there. He was prescribed antibiotics, which fixed the knee issue, but other symptoms continued to plague him. He complained of fatigue, fever, joint pains, body aches and was also diagnosed with pneumonia. Rafters speculate what could have happened at Grand Canyon “It’s just felt like having the flu for the last month," he said, adding that no one knows whether the knee infection was related to the other symptoms. Others complained of similar sickness on the Facebook page after the Grand Canyon trip. Wappett is being tested for valley fever, dengue fever, and hantavirus. Meanwhile, speculations on the page range from tickborne diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to leptospirosis and Legionnaires' disease, caused by contaminated soil. People with strange symptoms have been asked to contact the NPS Office of Public Health. Everyone who went rafting to the Grand Canyon is being interviewed to understand what could be going on. However, there is a high probability that the cases are not connected.

&nbsp;Could it be a case of mass hysteria or Nocebo? Rafters who went to the Grand Canyon, Arizona, in May and June have been complaining of an illness with varied symptoms. No one knows what caused it, and whether they are even related.

Nocebo Effect? Mysterious illness plagues Grand Canyon rafters

A massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is moving towards the United States and is expected to engulf the southeastern parts in the coming days. South Florida, including the Miami area, already has light particles drifting. This has caused the weather to become hot and dry. Strong winds are fuelling the movement of the dust-filled air. According to the forecast, the plume of Sahara dust will fully move into the region on Tuesday and worsen air quality. The effects will be fully felt by mid-week as the dust will continue to filter through for days. It will negatively impact the health of people in the region because of the presence of particulate matter.&nbsp;Officials have warned that levels of fine particulate matter could exceed standard levels. The effects will be worse from the middle of the week towards the weekend when more dust arrives from the Atlantic. Moisture will return in the air by early next week as Saharan dust passes by. The southeastern US often receives some amount of dust from the desert during the summer months, but currently it is in the grips of a heatwave, which is expected to get worse because of a dust storm. This activity usually peaks between June and mid-August, although the amount of dust varies each year.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-satellite-photo-shows-super-el-ni-o-has-elevated-sea-levels-in-pacific-1782134815575">NASA satellite photo shows Super El Niño has triggered a very specific change in the Pacific</a><h2>How will Sahara dust affect health?</h2> Experts say that Sahara dust comprises PM10 and PM2.5, and certain minerals like quartz and feldspar. The thousands of kilometres of journey will also cause it to pick up microbes and pollutants. These particles can cause respiratory and cardiovascular issues when inhaled. Other problems people can experience include irritation of the eye, nose, throat and skin, allergic reactions and headaches. An Air Quality Alert will remain in effect until 3 pm ET Tuesday in Miami-Dade County.<h2>Dust storm to suppress hurricane development</h2> The Saharan dust leads to the formation of a dry pocket of air thousands of feet above sea level. The hotter and drier conditions remove the moisture needed for the development of hurricanes.&nbsp; &nbsp;

A dust cloud from the Sahara is on its way to the southeastern US, with parts of Florida already witnessing particles floating in the sky. The situation is expected to get worse by mid-week as more matter arrives. People have been warned 

A massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is moving towards the United States and is expected to engulf the southeastern parts in the coming days. South Florida, including the Miami area, already has light particles drifting. This has caused the weather to become hot and dry. Strong winds are fuelling the movement of the dust-filled air. According to the forecast, the plume of Sahara dust will fully move into the region on Tuesday and worsen air quality. The effects will be fully felt by mid-week as the dust will continue to filter through for days. It will negatively impact the health of people in the region because of the presence of particulate matter. Officials have warned that levels of fine particulate matter could exceed standard levels. The effects will be worse from the middle of the week towards the weekend when more dust arrives from the Atlantic. Moisture will return in the air by early next week as Saharan dust passes by. The southeastern US often receives some amount of dust from the desert during the summer months, but currently it is in the grips of a heatwave, which is expected to get worse because of a dust storm. This activity usually peaks between June and mid-August, although the amount of dust varies each year. Also Read: NASA satellite photo shows Super El Niño has triggered a very specific change in the Pacific How will Sahara dust affect health? Experts say that Sahara dust comprises PM10 and PM2.5, and certain minerals like quartz and feldspar. The thousands of kilometres of journey will also cause it to pick up microbes and pollutants. These particles can cause respiratory and cardiovascular issues when inhaled. Other problems people can experience include irritation of the eye, nose, throat and skin, allergic reactions and headaches. An Air Quality Alert will remain in effect until 3 pm ET Tuesday in Miami-Dade County. Dust storm to suppress hurricane development The Saharan dust leads to the formation of a dry pocket of air thousands of feet above sea level. The hotter and drier conditions remove the moisture needed for the development of hurricanes.

A dust cloud from the Sahara is on its way to the southeastern US, with parts of Florida already witnessing particles floating in the sky. The situation is expected to get worse by mid-week as more matter arrives. People have been warned&nbsp;

Massive dust cloud from Sahara moving towards US - Details

The New World screwworm, which was eradicated from the United States over 60 years ago, has been found inside a cow in Texas. It is a parasitic, flesh-eating creature that feeds on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) said. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was announced the discovery, triggering alarm about the return of the screwworm, also known as Cochliomyia hominivorax. The screwworms are the larvae, or maggots, of adult C. hominivorax flies.<h2>How do screwworms infest animals?</h2>&nbsp;Adult flies search for open wounds or natural body openings, such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and genitals, where they to lay their eggs. Once the larvae hatch, the maggots burrow deep into the living tissue of the host. They do so in a distinctive, corkscrew-like movement, which lends them the name screwworms. Equipped with sharp mouth hooks, the maggots feed on the flesh, aggressively tearing in which rapidly enlarges the wound. This structural damage causes intense pain, swelling, and hemorrhaging, and leads the host to release a foul smell. Other flies are attracted to this smell, which further worsens the infestation, increasing the risk of fatal secondary bacterial infections.&nbsp;Once they worms pass this cycle, they leave the animal and burrow into the soil where they "pupate" before maturing into a fly. This maggot infestations are known as myiasis. Regions where the fly species is endemic, economic losses can run into billions of dollars each year. Cows, sheep and horses are most at risk from screwworms. Domestic dogs and wild mammals, such as deer, rabbits, and birds can also fall prey to these worms. &nbsp;Livestock infected by the New World screwworms can be treated with antiparasitic medications.&nbsp;<h2>Can screwworms infect humans?</h2> The chances of humans being infected by the screwworms are extremely low. But the good news is that in humans, the infection can be treated. People in areas where screwworms are commonly found, especially those who work with livestock, are susceptible to the flies laying eggs in their wounds. Symptoms of the C. hominivorax infestation include seeing or feeling maggots move under the skin, ears, nose, eyes, or mouth, with wounds bleeding and emanating a foul smell.&nbsp;<h2>Why have screwworms returned to the US?</h2>&nbsp;For decades, aa strict biological barrier at the Darién Gap in Panama has ensured that the screwworm does not enter the US. Adult screwworm flies can only travel a few kilometres in their lifetime. Their movement through Central America and Mexico was driven by human assistance. The primary reason for it reaching different regions has been the domestic transport and shipping of infested livestock. Smugglers also engage in illegal cattle movement across geographically difficult borders, which lets infected animals to being in the flesh-eating maggots without being detected.

Screwworms have reutrned to the United States. It was detected in the umbilical cord area of a three-week-old calf in Texas. The insects were eradicated from the country in the 1960s after extensive efforts. But illegal methods have now brought them back.

The New World screwworm, which was eradicated from the United States over 60 years ago, has been found inside a cow in Texas. It is a parasitic, flesh-eating creature that feeds on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) said. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was announced the discovery, triggering alarm about the return of the screwworm, also known as Cochliomyia hominivorax. The screwworms are the larvae, or maggots, of adult C. hominivorax flies. How do screwworms infest animals? Adult flies search for open wounds or natural body openings, such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and genitals, where they to lay their eggs. Once the larvae hatch, the maggots burrow deep into the living tissue of the host. They do so in a distinctive, corkscrew-like movement, which lends them the name screwworms. Equipped with sharp mouth hooks, the maggots feed on the flesh, aggressively tearing in which rapidly enlarges the wound. This structural damage causes intense pain, swelling, and hemorrhaging, and leads the host to release a foul smell. Other flies are attracted to this smell, which further worsens the infestation, increasing the risk of fatal secondary bacterial infections. Once they worms pass this cycle, they leave the animal and burrow into the soil where they "pupate" before maturing into a fly. This maggot infestations are known as myiasis. Regions where the fly species is endemic, economic losses can run into billions of dollars each year. Cows, sheep and horses are most at risk from screwworms. Domestic dogs and wild mammals, such as deer, rabbits, and birds can also fall prey to these worms. Livestock infected by the New World screwworms can be treated with antiparasitic medications. Can screwworms infect humans? The chances of humans being infected by the screwworms are extremely low. But the good news is that in humans, the infection can be treated. People in areas where screwworms are commonly found, especially those who work with livestock, are susceptible to the flies laying eggs in their wounds. Symptoms of the C. hominivorax infestation include seeing or feeling maggots move under the skin, ears, nose, eyes, or mouth, with wounds bleeding and emanating a foul smell. Why have screwworms returned to the US? For decades, aa strict biological barrier at the Darién Gap in Panama has ensured that the screwworm does not enter the US. Adult screwworm flies can only travel a few kilometres in their lifetime. Their movement through Central America and Mexico was driven by human assistance. The primary reason for it reaching different regions has been the domestic transport and shipping of infested livestock. Smugglers also engage in illegal cattle movement across geographically difficult borders, which lets infected animals to being in the flesh-eating maggots without being detected.

Screwworms have returned to the United States. It was detected in the umbilical cord area of a three-week-old calf in Texas. The insects were eradicated from the country in the 1960s after extensive efforts. But illegal methods have now brought them back.

Screwworm found in Texas cow: Can they infect humans? How did they return to US after 60 years?

A storm model has predicted that an early-season tropical cyclone will slam into Florida in the first week of June. The Atlantic hurricane season begins on Monday and will almost immediately wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast. The Global Forecast System (GFS), the primary US global weather model run by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, has predicted heavy rain and strong winds in the coastal region, creating dangerous conditions for millions. It can forecast weather events up to 16 days before they happen. Florida Storm Chasers revealed a potentially hazardous storm could occur in the first week of June, following the advance of a major low-pressure system up the Gulf of America. They claim that at least one other GFS model has predicted a potential tropical storm or hurricane.<h2>Gulf Coast storm risk</h2>The model shows a storm turning into a tropical cyclone, hitting southern Florida on or around June 5, barreling over land a day later and then heading out into the Atlantic. The second prediction showed that the storm will hit the top of Florida on June 5, move west and head towards Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Other forecasters have reportedly also confirmed that the Gulf is at risk of an early "tropical threat". AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in a statement, "While we always monitor the tropics for potential threats, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the central and eastern Gulf and the southwestern Atlantic."Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/ice-shelf-size-of-indian-capital-city-delhi-will-detach-from-doomsday-glacier-in-2026-1779976277943">Ice shelf the size of Indian capital city Delhi will detach from 'Doomsday Glacier' in 2026</a><h2>Excessive rain and flooding in Florida</h2>Powerful thunderstorms can for and strike early in the hurricane season because of the warm ocean waters. Forecasters say that winds are moving tropical moisture north from the Caribbean, which could ease dry conditions in Florida, but at the same time also create conditions for a massive storm. If the predictions stand and an early storm slams into Florida, the state could witness "several inches of rain" leading to localised flooding. Meanwhile, meteorologists state that GFS models can overestimate tropical storms and that long-range forecast models often turn out to be less accurate.&nbsp;However, despite uncertain predictions, weather experts have warned of a potential life-threatening storm in the summer season. NOAA has forecast that there is a 55 per cent chance the Atlantic hurricane season will be below average this year. &nbsp;

Florida could face a tropical cyclone in the first week of June in the Atlantic hurricane season. A model has predicted several inches of rain, winds and localised flooding at the Gulf Coast. However, experts have cautioned against such predictions.

A storm model has predicted that an early-season tropical cyclone will slam into Florida in the first week of June. The Atlantic hurricane season begins on Monday and will almost immediately wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast. The Global Forecast System (GFS), the primary US global weather model run by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, has predicted heavy rain and strong winds in the coastal region, creating dangerous conditions for millions. It can forecast weather events up to 16 days before they happen. Florida Storm Chasers revealed a potentially hazardous storm could occur in the first week of June, following the advance of a major low-pressure system up the Gulf of America. They claim that at least one other GFS model has predicted a potential tropical storm or hurricane. Gulf Coast storm risk The model shows a storm turning into a tropical cyclone, hitting southern Florida on or around June 5, barreling over land a day later and then heading out into the Atlantic. The second prediction showed that the storm will hit the top of Florida on June 5, move west and head towards Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Other forecasters have reportedly also confirmed that the Gulf is at risk of an early "tropical threat". AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in a statement, "While we always monitor the tropics for potential threats, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the central and eastern Gulf and the southwestern Atlantic." Also Read: Ice shelf the size of Indian capital city Delhi will detach from 'Doomsday Glacier' in 2026 Excessive rain and flooding in Florida Powerful thunderstorms can for and strike early in the hurricane season because of the warm ocean waters. Forecasters say that winds are moving tropical moisture north from the Caribbean, which could ease dry conditions in Florida, but at the same time also create conditions for a massive storm. If the predictions stand and an early storm slams into Florida, the state could witness "several inches of rain" leading to localised flooding. Meanwhile, meteorologists state that GFS models can overestimate tropical storms and that long-range forecast models often turn out to be less accurate. However, despite uncertain predictions, weather experts have warned of a potential life-threatening storm in the summer season. NOAA has forecast that there is a 55 per cent chance the Atlantic hurricane season will be below average this year.

Florida could face a tropical cyclone in the first week of June in the Atlantic hurricane season. A model has predicted several inches of rain, winds and localised flooding at the Gulf Coast. However, experts have cautioned against such predictions.

Atlantic hurricane season: Florida could face tropical storm in first week of June

Passengers on a United Airlines flight were in for a real scare when someone tried to open the plane door at 36,000 feet. The person also assaulted another passenger. The incident led to the plane being diverted to Washington Dulles. Flight 1551 was travelling from Newark to Guatemala City when the unruly passenger created a ruckus. Audio from the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control revealed that the passenger tried to open the rear cabin door 2L of the Boeing 737. The ATC said, "United 1551, they’re asking me: what door did the passenger try to open?" to which the pilot replied, "Door 2L, at [thirty / thirty-six] thousand feet, and then assaulted a fellow passenger."&nbsp;The ATC then asks the pilot if the assault left anyone injured, to which the pilot answers in the negative. “United 1551, any injuries that we should be aware of?” the ATC says. The pilot says, "Not to our knowledge." Experts say that the plane door cannot be physically opened at such a high altitude because it would be pressurised.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/supernova-from-millions-of-years-ago-slammed-into-an-airplane-on-earth-here-s-what-happened-1764904139321">Supernova from millions of years ago slammed into an airplane on Earth. Here's what happened</a><h2>Passenger attacked flight attendant in early May</h2>Earlier this month, a passenger assaulted a flight attendant on a United Airlines flight and tried to enter the cockpit. He was removed from the plane at Newark Liberty International Airport. Another person on the plane declined medical attention, and no other injuries were reported. The 48-year-old man was detained and taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation, the Port Authority Police Department said.&nbsp;&nbsp;ATC audio captured United Flight 1837 requesting an emergency vehicle. “A gentleman just attacked one of the flight attendants and was trying to open the forward main cabin door,” a pilot said in the recording. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident.<h2>Unruly passengers on flight numbers</h2>FAA data shows that nearly 500 unruly passenger reports have been filed so far this year; 110 of those were from April alone. Towards the end of the month, a video showed a man attempting to open a cabin door on a Delta flight as it sat on the tarmac. &nbsp;

A United Airlines flight going from Newark to Guatemala had to be diverted to Washington Dulles after a passenger tried to open the door at a high altitude. He also assaulted another passenger. 

Passengers on a United Airlines flight were in for a real scare when someone tried to open the plane door at 36,000 feet. The person also assaulted another passenger. The incident led to the plane being diverted to Washington Dulles. Flight 1551 was travelling from Newark to Guatemala City when the unruly passenger created a ruckus. Audio from the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control revealed that the passenger tried to open the rear cabin door 2L of the Boeing 737. The ATC said, "United 1551, they’re asking me: what door did the passenger try to open?" to which the pilot replied, "Door 2L, at [thirty / thirty-six] thousand feet, and then assaulted a fellow passenger." The ATC then asks the pilot if the assault left anyone injured, to which the pilot answers in the negative. “United 1551, any injuries that we should be aware of?” the ATC says. The pilot says, "Not to our knowledge." Experts say that the plane door cannot be physically opened at such a high altitude because it would be pressurised. Also Read: Supernova from millions of years ago slammed into an airplane on Earth. Here's what happened Passenger attacked flight attendant in early May Earlier this month, a passenger assaulted a flight attendant on a United Airlines flight and tried to enter the cockpit. He was removed from the plane at Newark Liberty International Airport. Another person on the plane declined medical attention, and no other injuries were reported. The 48-year-old man was detained and taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation, the Port Authority Police Department said. ATC audio captured United Flight 1837 requesting an emergency vehicle. “A gentleman just attacked one of the flight attendants and was trying to open the forward main cabin door,” a pilot said in the recording. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident. Unruly passengers on flight numbers FAA data shows that nearly 500 unruly passenger reports have been filed so far this year; 110 of those were from April alone. Towards the end of the month, a video showed a man attempting to open a cabin door on a Delta flight as it sat on the tarmac.

A United Airlines flight going from Newark to Guatemala had to be diverted to Washington Dulles after a passenger tried to open the door at a high altitude. He also assaulted another passenger.&nbsp;

Man tries to open plane door at 36,000 feet; 500 unruly passenger reports in 2026

The United States government is set to invest $2 billion in quantum computing companies, including IBM, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position in advanced technologies.According to reports, the investment will be made through grants in exchange for equity stakes in selected companies. The move reflects a growing focus on building domestic capabilities in critical sectors such as quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing.&nbsp;<h2>How the $2 billion investment is being distributed</h2>The funding will be allocated across nine companies working in quantum computing.Key allocations include:Around $1 billion to IBMAbout $375 million to GlobalFoundriesNearly $100 million each to companies such as D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing and InfleqtionSmaller investments, including $38 million, to emerging startupsIn return, the US government will take equity stakes in some of these companies, marking a shift from traditional funding models.<h2>Why the US is investing in quantum computing</h2>Quantum computing is considered a key future technology. Unlike traditional computers, quantum systems use the principles of quantum mechanics to process information.This allows them to:Solve complex problems fasterHandle large datasetsSupport advanced research in areas such as medicine and materialsHowever, current systems still face challenges, including high error rates, which limit their performance.<h2>Part of a broader strategic push</h2>The investment is part of a wider effort by the US government to secure supply chains and maintain technological leadership.Officials have previously taken stakes in companies such as Intel and MP Materials, focusing on sectors critical to national security and industrial growth.The current move also aims to counter growing competition from countries like China in advanced technologies.<h2>New projects and industry developments</h2>As part of the initiative:IBM plans to launch a new quantum chip manufacturing facility in New YorkGlobalFoundries is expanding its work in quantum hardware through a dedicated business unitThese developments are expected to support the production and scaling of quantum computing systems.<h2>Market reaction and industry impact</h2>Following the announcement, shares of companies involved in the deal rose between 7 per cent and 21 per cent in premarket trading, indicating positive market sentiment.Experts say the investment could accelerate innovation in quantum computing and attract further private investment into the sector.<h2>What this means for the future</h2>The US government’s decision to invest directly in quantum companies highlights the importance of infrastructure and technology leadership in the coming years.As quantum computing continues to develop, such investments may play a key role in shaping global competition, research and industrial growth.For now, the focus remains on improving the technology and reducing existing limitations, while building a strong foundation for future applications.

The United States government is set to invest $2 billion in quantum computing companies, including IBM, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position in advanced technologies.

The United States government is set to invest $2 billion in quantum computing companies, including IBM, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position in advanced technologies. According to reports, the investment will be made through grants in exchange for equity stakes in selected companies. The move reflects a growing focus on building domestic capabilities in critical sectors such as quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing. How the $2 billion investment is being distributed The funding will be allocated across nine companies working in quantum computing. Key allocations include: Around $1 billion to IBM About $375 million to GlobalFoundries Nearly $100 million each to companies such as D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing and Infleqtion Smaller investments, including $38 million, to emerging startups In return, the US government will take equity stakes in some of these companies, marking a shift from traditional funding models. Why the US is investing in quantum computing Quantum computing is considered a key future technology. Unlike traditional computers, quantum systems use the principles of quantum mechanics to process information. This allows them to: Solve complex problems faster Handle large datasets Support advanced research in areas such as medicine and materials However, current systems still face challenges, including high error rates, which limit their performance. Part of a broader strategic push The investment is part of a wider effort by the US government to secure supply chains and maintain technological leadership. Officials have previously taken stakes in companies such as Intel and MP Materials, focusing on sectors critical to national security and industrial growth. The current move also aims to counter growing competition from countries like China in advanced technologies. New projects and industry developments As part of the initiative: IBM plans to launch a new quantum chip manufacturing facility in New York GlobalFoundries is expanding its work in quantum hardware through a dedicated business unit These developments are expected to support the production and scaling of quantum computing systems. Market reaction and industry impact Following the announcement, shares of companies involved in the deal rose between 7 per cent and 21 per cent in premarket trading, indicating positive market sentiment. Experts say the investment could accelerate innovation in quantum computing and attract further private investment into the sector. What this means for the future The US government’s decision to invest directly in quantum companies highlights the importance of infrastructure and technology leadership in the coming years. As quantum computing continues to develop, such investments may play a key role in shaping global competition, research and industrial growth. For now, the focus remains on improving the technology and reducing existing limitations, while building a strong foundation for future applications.

The United States government is set to invest $2 billion in quantum computing companies, including IBM, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position in advanced technologies.

'US to invest $2 billion in quantum firms': What it means for tech and global competition

Pets are having the time of their lives in the United States, where a new category of premium pet care — the “dog nanny” or “dog governess” — is rapidly expanding. American domestic staffing agencies have recorded a major increase in demand. Household Staffing, &nbsp;an American domestic placement agency, told The Times that requests for dog nannies have roughly tripled in the past year. Dog nanny positions are now among the agency’s highest-response listings. Dog nannies are the same as dog-sitters. The latter typically provide short daily visits and walks, and dog nannies often work 40–50 hours per week. In some cases, they live there full-time and remain in homes during the owner's absences. They also manage highly structured pet routines, and some of them even possess veterinary or professional animal-care training. In fact, recruitment for elite dog nannies can be compared to hiring childcare professionals.<h2>Which parts of United States are dog nannies most in demand?</h2>However, it is a service only the elite demand, and it is concentrated in affluent US regions including Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hamptons, South Florida and parts of California. The trend is heavily associated with wealthy pet owners who increasingly treat pets as family members or surrogate children. A specialised luxury pet-care ecosystem has taken off in the Hamptons, where trainers prepare dogs for yachts, helicopters and private jets. Household staff and caregivers are trained in animal handling. Privacy and discretion are highly valued in hiring, leading recruiters to source candidates through trusted personal networks rather than public agencies.<h2>Salaries of dog nannies</h2>Salaries for dog nannies are notably high, with full-time dog nannies earning approximately $40–$50 per hour. The live-in ones can earn $500–$800 per day. Some of these positions come with employee benefits as given in major corporate companies.&nbsp;The dog nanny trend is also taking off in the UK. In 2023, a London-based billionaire family advertised a live-in dog nanny role paying £100,000 annually. This was way more than a typical UK salary, which remains closer to £50,000 annually. Experts say that the growth in the industry is also influenced by post-pandemic behavioural shifts. Pet ownership surged during COVID-19 lockdowns, and being in close quarters at all times led the owners to become more emotionally attached to their pets. So traditional boarding kennels and app-based pet services are increasingly viewed as insufficient by affluent owners.&nbsp;The broader implication is the emergence of luxury pet caregiving as a distinct professional service sector within domestic staffing and high-net-worth household management. &nbsp;

Dog nannies are different from dog sitters. They not only take the dogs for walks and feed them, but also stay with the pet for 8-10 hours, sometimes even being hired full-time. The industry has soared in affluent areas like Manhattan, the Hamptons and parts of California.

Pets are having the time of their lives in the United States, where a new category of premium pet care — the “dog nanny” or “dog governess” — is rapidly expanding. American domestic staffing agencies have recorded a major increase in demand. Household Staffing, an American domestic placement agency, told The Times that requests for dog nannies have roughly tripled in the past year. Dog nanny positions are now among the agency’s highest-response listings. Dog nannies are the same as dog-sitters. The latter typically provide short daily visits and walks, and dog nannies often work 40–50 hours per week. In some cases, they live there full-time and remain in homes during the owner's absences. They also manage highly structured pet routines, and some of them even possess veterinary or professional animal-care training. In fact, recruitment for elite dog nannies can be compared to hiring childcare professionals. Which parts of United States are dog nannies most in demand? However, it is a service only the elite demand, and it is concentrated in affluent US regions including Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hamptons, South Florida and parts of California. The trend is heavily associated with wealthy pet owners who increasingly treat pets as family members or surrogate children. A specialised luxury pet-care ecosystem has taken off in the Hamptons, where trainers prepare dogs for yachts, helicopters and private jets. Household staff and caregivers are trained in animal handling. Privacy and discretion are highly valued in hiring, leading recruiters to source candidates through trusted personal networks rather than public agencies. Salaries of dog nannies Salaries for dog nannies are notably high, with full-time dog nannies earning approximately $40–$50 per hour. The live-in ones can earn $500–$800 per day. Some of these positions come with employee benefits as given in major corporate companies. The dog nanny trend is also taking off in the UK. In 2023, a London-based billionaire family advertised a live-in dog nanny role paying £100,000 annually. This was way more than a typical UK salary, which remains closer to £50,000 annually. Experts say that the growth in the industry is also influenced by post-pandemic behavioural shifts. Pet ownership surged during COVID-19 lockdowns, and being in close quarters at all times led the owners to become more emotionally attached to their pets. So traditional boarding kennels and app-based pet services are increasingly viewed as insufficient by affluent owners. The broader implication is the emergence of luxury pet caregiving as a distinct professional service sector within domestic staffing and high-net-worth household management.

Dog nannies are different from dog sitters. They not only take the dogs for walks and feed them, but also stay with the pet for 8-10 hours, sometimes even being hired full-time. The industry has soared in affluent areas like Manhattan, the Hamptons and parts of California.

Dog nannies can make $288,000 a year in the US. Here is what you should know

Austin was shaken by 12 random shooting incidents between Saturday afternoon and Sunday, with two suspects now in custody. Police are looking for a third suspect who could also possibly be involved in the shootings that left four injured. Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said that one of the victims is in a critical condition. There seems to be no definite reason for the shootings in Austin over the weekend. Fire stations and one fire truck were also attacked. The Austin Fire Department said none of the firefighters was injured and damage was minimal. Apartment complexes, homes, and stores were the other places where the shootings were reported from.<h2>Who are the suspects of the Austin shootings?</h2> The two arrested men have been identified as a 17-year-old male and a 15-year-old male. They also stole four vehicles over the course of the shooting spree. A previous warrant for theft of a gun had been issued for the 17-year-old suspect, while the 15-year-old is believed to have stolen a gun from the same location on Saturday. The duo is also accused of stealing four vehicles over the course of the spree. The third suspect is described as a Hispanic male, who is in his mid-to-late teens, and was wearing a grey shirt and black bottoms. Most of the shootings occurred in South Austin and East Austin. Footage captured by Polecam showed two people being shot in front of a store. The search operation involved nearly 200 officers, including a canine unit, and support from the SWAT, helicopter and drone units. The duo was arrested in Manor. A shelter-in-place order issued on Sunday afternoon was lifted.<h2>Who to call for tips and information on Austin shooting</h2>Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said that he is in touch with Gov. Abbott, as well as Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey, about the shootings. The Austin Fire Department said that they were fully staffed and responding to calls. Locals have been urged to inform 911 if they come across any suspicious persons or vehicles and not approach them directly. The Aggravated Assault Unit can also be contacted at 512-974-5177. People can submit anonymous tips through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 has been announced for any information that leads to the arrest of the third suspect.

Austin shooting today: Two suspects are in custody in connection with the random shootings at 12 places over the weekend in Austin. People have been urged to inform the police if they have any tips on the third suspect. No motive for the shootings has been revealed. 

Austin was shaken by 12 random shooting incidents between Saturday afternoon and Sunday, with two suspects now in custody. Police are looking for a third suspect who could also possibly be involved in the shootings that left four injured. Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said that one of the victims is in a critical condition. There seems to be no definite reason for the shootings in Austin over the weekend. Fire stations and one fire truck were also attacked. The Austin Fire Department said none of the firefighters was injured and damage was minimal. Apartment complexes, homes, and stores were the other places where the shootings were reported from. Who are the suspects of the Austin shootings? The two arrested men have been identified as a 17-year-old male and a 15-year-old male. They also stole four vehicles over the course of the shooting spree. A previous warrant for theft of a gun had been issued for the 17-year-old suspect, while the 15-year-old is believed to have stolen a gun from the same location on Saturday. The duo is also accused of stealing four vehicles over the course of the spree. The third suspect is described as a Hispanic male, who is in his mid-to-late teens, and was wearing a grey shirt and black bottoms. Most of the shootings occurred in South Austin and East Austin. Footage captured by Polecam showed two people being shot in front of a store. The search operation involved nearly 200 officers, including a canine unit, and support from the SWAT, helicopter and drone units. The duo was arrested in Manor. A shelter-in-place order issued on Sunday afternoon was lifted. Who to call for tips and information on Austin shooting Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said that he is in touch with Gov. Abbott, as well as Manor Mayor Christopher Harvey, about the shootings. The Austin Fire Department said that they were fully staffed and responding to calls. Locals have been urged to inform 911 if they come across any suspicious persons or vehicles and not approach them directly. The Aggravated Assault Unit can also be contacted at 512-974-5177. People can submit anonymous tips through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 has been announced for any information that leads to the arrest of the third suspect.

Austin shootings today: Two suspects are in custody in connection with the random shootings at 12 places over the weekend in Austin. People have been urged to inform the police if they have any tips on the third suspect. No motive for the shootings has been revealed.&nbsp;

Austin shootings today: Two teens arrested for 12 random attacks, one at large. What we know

Workers were shocked to discover a bomb near a dam in Alabama during routine maintenance operations this week. The explosive device was found at the Big Creek Lake dam, triggering a major security alarm. The Converse Reservoir serves as the primary drinking water source for the Mobile area. Local and federal authorities immediately got into action after being told about the bomb. Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) were at the site and carrying out repairs when they came across it. It has been described as a grenade-like improvised explosive device. The Department of Homeland Security was immediately notified, as the reservoir is a federally designated site. A large perimeter was established around the 3,600-acre dam. The bomb was removed by the Gulf Coast Regional Maritime Response and Render-Safe Team and taken to a safe location where it was detonated.<h2>Investigation into bomb at Coverse reservoir</h2>An investigation into the discovery has been initiated. The team is yet to determine how the bomb reached the dam area, and no suspects have been identified. “This is an unprecedented threat, and we are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage to our water supply or harm to individuals,” said MAWSS Director Bud McCrory. “Our top priority is keeping your drinking water safe,” he added.<h2>Bomb retrieved and detonated</h2> The operation to safely retrieve and detonate the bomb involved officials from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Mobile Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team. Security around the dam has been beefed up to prevent similar incidents in the future. According to the MAWSS website, the 3,600-acre manmade dam provides drinking water to 350,000 people in the city of Mobile and surrounding areas. MAWSS will work with relevant law enforcement to enhance security at the reservoir and dam. &nbsp;

A bomb made its way to a 3,600-acre dam in Alabama, which was discovered on Tuesday. Officials are relieved that it was spotted before any untoward incident occurred. It is not known how it reached there, or if any individuals deliberately dropped it.

Workers were shocked to discover a bomb near a dam in Alabama during routine maintenance operations this week. The explosive device was found at the Big Creek Lake dam, triggering a major security alarm. The Converse Reservoir serves as the primary drinking water source for the Mobile area. Local and federal authorities immediately got into action after being told about the bomb. Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) were at the site and carrying out repairs when they came across it. It has been described as a grenade-like improvised explosive device. The Department of Homeland Security was immediately notified, as the reservoir is a federally designated site. A large perimeter was established around the 3,600-acre dam. The bomb was removed by the Gulf Coast Regional Maritime Response and Render-Safe Team and taken to a safe location where it was detonated. Investigation into bomb at Coverse reservoir An investigation into the discovery has been initiated. The team is yet to determine how the bomb reached the dam area, and no suspects have been identified. “This is an unprecedented threat, and we are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage to our water supply or harm to individuals,” said MAWSS Director Bud McCrory. “Our top priority is keeping your drinking water safe,” he added. Bomb retrieved and detonated The operation to safely retrieve and detonate the bomb involved officials from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Mobile Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team. Security around the dam has been beefed up to prevent similar incidents in the future. According to the MAWSS website, the 3,600-acre manmade dam provides drinking water to 350,000 people in the city of Mobile and surrounding areas. MAWSS will work with relevant law enforcement to enhance security at the reservoir and dam.

A bomb made its way to a 3,600-acre dam in Alabama, which was discovered on Tuesday. Officials are relieved that it was spotted before any untoward incident occurred. It is not known how it reached there, or if any individuals deliberately dropped it.

Bomb discovered underwater at critical Alabama dam during repair work

The Trump administration has quietly brought back cyanide bombs, once used to control predator populations, but banned in 2023 because they were not only killing native and other endangered species, but also poisoning people. According to a report by Gizmodo, the Bureau of Land Management and the Agriculture Department’s Wildlife Services program signed a memorandum in April which effectively repeals the ban on these cyanide bombs. The M-44s are poison traps that spray sodium cyanide powder on public lands, affecting a wider population of creatures who become the unintentional target of this weapon. Predator Defense, a nonprofit working to protect native predators and to end America's war on wildlife, calls M-44s "indiscriminate killers". It said in a statement, "They are meant to kill coyotes", but they also end up killing "endangered species, essential native predators, and countless beloved dogs, none of which can read warning signs." The group further added that it has "poisoned countless people" and it would eventually some day "kill a child."Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/ecological-disaster-unfolding-in-western-ghats-as-one-insect-goes-missing-in-india-1777956918157">Ecological disaster unfolding in Western Ghats as one insect goes 'missing' in India</a>&nbsp;Environmentalists have been against M-44s that have been used to protect livestock from predators, control invasive species, manage wildlife diseases and keep humans safe from wild animals. They have been flagged as inhumane to the creatures and dangerous to humans. The Trump administration had done the same thing in 2019 as well. In 2017, a 14-year-old boy and his dog were accidentally sprayed by the cyanide bombs in Idaho. While the boy survived, the canine died. Idaho, Colorado, and Oregon have placed restrictions or bans on the use of M-44s. Trump's officials reauthorised its use in 2019, but reversed the order following public outcry. The Biden administration ordered Wildlife Services not to use M-44s on BLM lands nationwide in 2023. However, &nbsp;BLM and Wildlife Services appear to have reached a deal to reverse it again.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/birds-have-a-preference-for-one-human-sex-and-they-made-it-clear-2-700-times-1777874452101">Birds have a clear preference when it comes to choosing between men and women</a><h2>Bureau of Land Management responds to M-44 use</h2>According to the new order, &nbsp;Wildlife Services must notify the local BLM field office and/or district office before using pesticides restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency. The M-44s fall under the same purview, which means the poison traps can be deployed with prior intimation. A spokesperson for the BLM told the outlet that the memo does not itself "authorise or expand use of M-44s" and refers to restricted-use pesticides that "may be considered under existing law and environmental review." However, environmentalists are concerned about the new memo, and many organisations have said they will fight the order.&nbsp;

M-44 poison traps spray sodium cyanide powder when triggered, and were flagged as a risk to endangered species and humans. A report states that a new memo appears to have opened the doors for the use of cyanide bombs again after they were banned in 2023.

The Trump administration has quietly brought back cyanide bombs, once used to control predator populations, but banned in 2023 because they were not only killing native and other endangered species, but also poisoning people. According to a report by Gizmodo, the Bureau of Land Management and the Agriculture Department’s Wildlife Services program signed a memorandum in April which effectively repeals the ban on these cyanide bombs. The M-44s are poison traps that spray sodium cyanide powder on public lands, affecting a wider population of creatures who become the unintentional target of this weapon. Predator Defense, a nonprofit working to protect native predators and to end America's war on wildlife, calls M-44s "indiscriminate killers". It said in a statement, "They are meant to kill coyotes", but they also end up killing "endangered species, essential native predators, and countless beloved dogs, none of which can read warning signs." The group further added that it has "poisoned countless people" and it would eventually some day "kill a child." Also Read: Ecological disaster unfolding in Western Ghats as one insect goes 'missing' in India Environmentalists have been against M-44s that have been used to protect livestock from predators, control invasive species, manage wildlife diseases and keep humans safe from wild animals. They have been flagged as inhumane to the creatures and dangerous to humans. The Trump administration had done the same thing in 2019 as well. In 2017, a 14-year-old boy and his dog were accidentally sprayed by the cyanide bombs in Idaho. While the boy survived, the canine died. Idaho, Colorado, and Oregon have placed restrictions or bans on the use of M-44s. Trump's officials reauthorised its use in 2019, but reversed the order following public outcry. The Biden administration ordered Wildlife Services not to use M-44s on BLM lands nationwide in 2023. However, BLM and Wildlife Services appear to have reached a deal to reverse it again. Also Read: Birds have a clear preference when it comes to choosing between men and women Bureau of Land Management responds to M-44 use According to the new order, Wildlife Services must notify the local BLM field office and/or district office before using pesticides restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency. The M-44s fall under the same purview, which means the poison traps can be deployed with prior intimation. A spokesperson for the BLM told the outlet that the memo does not itself "authorise or expand use of M-44s" and refers to restricted-use pesticides that "may be considered under existing law and environmental review." However, environmentalists are concerned about the new memo, and many organisations have said they will fight the order.

M-44 poison traps spray sodium cyanide powder when triggered, and were flagged as a risk to endangered species and humans. A report states that a new memo appears to have opened the doors for the use of cyanide bombs again after they were banned in 2023.

Trump administration quietly reverses ban on cyanide bombs that 'poisoned countless people'

Over eight million Thermos bottles and jars have been recalled over a defect that can cause them to forcefully eject, injuring people in the face and eyes. Nearly two dozen injuries have been reported till now, including those who suffered permanent blindness because of the product. The recall was announced last week by Thermos LLC in conjunction with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Notably, the problem is with 5.8 million food jars and 2.5 million bottles sold in the United States between 2008 and 2024. The defect is because of a vital mechanism that is missing in the stopper. This is causing the lids to open without any human intervention, catching the user off guard and injuring them. The recalled products include two models of the Thermos Stainless King food jar (numbers SK3000 and SK30020) and one model of the Sportsman food and beverage bottle (SK3010). You can check the numbers on the bottom of the bottles and jars.<h2>What is the issue with Thermos products?</h2>The issue with the products is the absence of a pressure relief mechanism in the middle of the stopper. In the absence of this part, pressure has been building up in jars and bottles containing food items for long periods of time, the company said. This has led to the stopper and the built-up pressure being released with dangerous force, hitting people. The company said that they know about at least 27 cases where Thermos products hit people in the face, causing serious injuries that had to be treated by a doctor. Three of them lost their eyesight after being hit in the eye.<h2>How to get replacement for Thermos?</h2>People have been urged to stop using these products with immediate effect. Those using Stainless King food jars can reach out to Thermos for a new functional stopper, while others with a Sportsman bottle will be given a new model bottle. The food jar stopper should be disposed of after taking a photo for replacement purposes. Sportsman customers will need to send their bottles to the company.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Thermos is recalling two defective products that continued to be sold for over 16 years due to reports that they have caused permanent vision loss in consumers. The absence of a key component is leading them to open on their own, hitting people in the faces and eyes.

Over eight million Thermos bottles and jars have been recalled over a defect that can cause them to forcefully eject, injuring people in the face and eyes. Nearly two dozen injuries have been reported till now, including those who suffered permanent blindness because of the product. The recall was announced last week by Thermos LLC in conjunction with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Notably, the problem is with 5.8 million food jars and 2.5 million bottles sold in the United States between 2008 and 2024. The defect is because of a vital mechanism that is missing in the stopper. This is causing the lids to open without any human intervention, catching the user off guard and injuring them. The recalled products include two models of the Thermos Stainless King food jar (numbers SK3000 and SK30020) and one model of the Sportsman food and beverage bottle (SK3010). You can check the numbers on the bottom of the bottles and jars. What is the issue with Thermos products? The issue with the products is the absence of a pressure relief mechanism in the middle of the stopper. In the absence of this part, pressure has been building up in jars and bottles containing food items for long periods of time, the company said. This has led to the stopper and the built-up pressure being released with dangerous force, hitting people. The company said that they know about at least 27 cases where Thermos products hit people in the face, causing serious injuries that had to be treated by a doctor. Three of them lost their eyesight after being hit in the eye. How to get replacement for Thermos? People have been urged to stop using these products with immediate effect. Those using Stainless King food jars can reach out to Thermos for a new functional stopper, while others with a Sportsman bottle will be given a new model bottle. The food jar stopper should be disposed of after taking a photo for replacement purposes. Sportsman customers will need to send their bottles to the company.

Thermos is recalling two defective products that continued to be sold for over 16 years due to reports that they have caused permanent vision loss in consumers. The absence of a key component is leading them to open on their own, hitting people in the faces and eyes.

Consumers lose vision from defective Thermos products sold for over 16 years. 8 million of them are now being recalled

Donald Trump has his eyes on the Medal of Honor, the highest military honour of the United States. The president has never served in the military, so he is not qualified to get it. Earlier, he talked several times about how he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Donald Trump wants to give himself America's highest MILITARY honour: Report

US President Donald Trump on Friday (March 03) appointed Vice President JD Vance as "Fraud Czar" of the United States, with a mandate to crack down on what he called a "free for all" in the unprecedented theft of taxpayer money, losses he claimed are "so large that if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget."&nbsp;"Vice President JD Vance is now in charge of 'FRAUD' in the United States. It is massive and pervasive, and the job he will be doing, in conjunction with many great people within the Trump Administration, will be a major factor in how great the future of our Country will be," Trump posted on Truth Social.&nbsp;The US president accused Democratic-ruled states of abetting taxpayer and other forms of fraud, while confirming that raids had already begun in Los Angeles.&nbsp;"We will call him the 'FRAUD CZAR,' and his focus will be 'EVERYWHERE,' but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS, like those in California, Illinois, Minnesota (Somalia beware!), Maine, New York, and many others, have had a 'free for all' in the unprecedented theft of Taxpayer Money. The numbers are so large that, if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget. Raids have already started in LA," he added.&nbsp;Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capture-us-pilot-alive-get-reward-says-iranian-media-after-tehran-claims-it-downed-f-15e-1775229711486"> ‘Capture US pilot alive, get reward,’ says Iranian media after Tehran claims it downed F-15E</a>&nbsp;The remarks came after President Trump signed an executive order last month establishing a task force to eliminate fraud, which he described as the systematic "theft" from the American people across multiple sectors, including Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), housing assistance, and child nutrition programs.&nbsp;Trump stated the goal is to uncover "hundreds of billions" in lost funds to help restore the federal budget.&nbsp;The task force includes heads from nearly a dozen agencies, among them the Treasury, DOJ, and HHS, and is co-chaired by FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson.

The US president accused Democratic-ruled states of abetting taxpayer and other forms of fraud, while confirming that raids had already begun in Los Angeles.

US President Donald Trump on Friday (March 03) appointed Vice President JD Vance as "Fraud Czar" of the United States, with a mandate to crack down on what he called a "free for all" in the unprecedented theft of taxpayer money, losses he claimed are "so large that if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget." "Vice President JD Vance is now in charge of 'FRAUD' in the United States. It is massive and pervasive, and the job he will be doing, in conjunction with many great people within the Trump Administration, will be a major factor in how great the future of our Country will be," Trump posted on Truth Social. The US president accused Democratic-ruled states of abetting taxpayer and other forms of fraud, while confirming that raids had already begun in Los Angeles. "We will call him the 'FRAUD CZAR,' and his focus will be 'EVERYWHERE,' but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS, like those in California, Illinois, Minnesota (Somalia beware!), Maine, New York, and many others, have had a 'free for all' in the unprecedented theft of Taxpayer Money. The numbers are so large that, if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget. Raids have already started in LA," he added. Also Read: ‘Capture US pilot alive, get reward,’ says Iranian media after Tehran claims it downed F-15E The remarks came after President Trump signed an executive order last month establishing a task force to eliminate fraud, which he described as the systematic "theft" from the American people across multiple sectors, including Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), housing assistance, and child nutrition programs. Trump stated the goal is to uncover "hundreds of billions" in lost funds to help restore the federal budget. The task force includes heads from nearly a dozen agencies, among them the Treasury, DOJ, and HHS, and is co-chaired by FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson.

The US president accused Democratic-ruled states of abetting taxpayer and other forms of fraud, while confirming that raids had already begun in Los Angeles.

Trump appoints Vance as ‘Fraud Czar’

Doctors have flagged a strange pattern in blood donation requests in America, revealing that people are refusing to accept blood from vaccinated donors. Data from the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Tennessee from the past two years shows that the number of people requesting non-anonymous, or directed, blood donations rose significantly over the past two years. The reason is they do not want blood from people who have taken vaccines, especially those immunised against COVID-19. The vaccines against the virus have been dubbed by several people, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as dangerous. The anti-vaccination movement saw a resurgence after the public was pushed to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic. People took to the streets to protest when the government and the private sector used administrative mandates and incentives to make vaccination a requirement to be able to carry out regular activities, personally and professionally.&nbsp;Advocates have claimed that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are unsafe for human health, despite the absence of proof. This has contributed to people saying no to blood from anonymous donors and asking for directed blood, where the family can choose specific individuals to donate blood. The study published in the journal Transfusion in March has warned that "despite being framed as ‘safer,’ directed donations may paradoxically increase risk." Blood donation is one area where the anti-vaxxer movement is becoming quite visible, which is happening by refusing vaccinated blood. There is no evidence to show that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can create a new disease in the body or alter your blood or DNA. Blood donation centres do not test against something like this, although they ensure that the donated blood is safe for transfusion.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/shake-off-the-pain-turns-out-even-nature-favours-the-men-and-no-it-is-not-about-emotions-1772195515303">Shake off the pain? We can't. Turns out, even nature favours the men. And no, it is not about emotions</a><h2>Request for unvaccinated blood increasing</h2>To get a clear picture of how many such cases happened in the past two years, researchers analysed blood bank data on all directed donations performed between 2024 and 2025. Data showed that at least 15 recipients requested directed blood, of which 48 units were collected. In each case, the request was not made because of a rare blood type issue, but because they were worried about getting vaccinated blood. The number increased from four in 2024 to 11 in 2025. Eight of the total cases involved children.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/your-office-is-ruining-your-skin-and-hair-and-science-has-the-proof-1775122855480">Your office is ruining your skin and hair, and science has the proof</a><h2>Risk of directed blood to patients</h2>Researchers flagged the risk posed by these requests, as in at least four cases, patients faced major issues because the families made them wait for directed blood donation. In two cases, surgery had to be delayed or rescheduled. Directed blood often comes from first-time donors, and researchers say they are at risk of carrying infectious diseases. Blood centres also have to irradiate blood from family members to prevent immune-related complications. Scientists are concerned that such requests could increase in the future as people might soon be able to legally demand unvaccinated blood. &nbsp;

While blood scarcity has turned into a silent crisis globally, people in America are putting conditions on the kind of blood they would accept. Demand for unvaccinated blood in the country has seen a spike, and people could soon legally demand such blood. 

Doctors have flagged a strange pattern in blood donation requests in America, revealing that people are refusing to accept blood from vaccinated donors. Data from the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Tennessee from the past two years shows that the number of people requesting non-anonymous, or directed, blood donations rose significantly over the past two years. The reason is they do not want blood from people who have taken vaccines, especially those immunised against COVID-19. The vaccines against the virus have been dubbed by several people, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as dangerous. The anti-vaccination movement saw a resurgence after the public was pushed to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic. People took to the streets to protest when the government and the private sector used administrative mandates and incentives to make vaccination a requirement to be able to carry out regular activities, personally and professionally. Advocates have claimed that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are unsafe for human health, despite the absence of proof. This has contributed to people saying no to blood from anonymous donors and asking for directed blood, where the family can choose specific individuals to donate blood. The study published in the journal Transfusion in March has warned that "despite being framed as ‘safer,’ directed donations may paradoxically increase risk." Blood donation is one area where the anti-vaxxer movement is becoming quite visible, which is happening by refusing vaccinated blood. There is no evidence to show that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can create a new disease in the body or alter your blood or DNA. Blood donation centres do not test against something like this, although they ensure that the donated blood is safe for transfusion. Also Read: Shake off the pain? We can't. Turns out, even nature favours the men. And no, it is not about emotions Request for unvaccinated blood increasing To get a clear picture of how many such cases happened in the past two years, researchers analysed blood bank data on all directed donations performed between 2024 and 2025. Data showed that at least 15 recipients requested directed blood, of which 48 units were collected. In each case, the request was not made because of a rare blood type issue, but because they were worried about getting vaccinated blood. The number increased from four in 2024 to 11 in 2025. Eight of the total cases involved children. Also Read: Your office is ruining your skin and hair, and science has the proof Risk of directed blood to patients Researchers flagged the risk posed by these requests, as in at least four cases, patients faced major issues because the families made them wait for directed blood donation. In two cases, surgery had to be delayed or rescheduled. Directed blood often comes from first-time donors, and researchers say they are at risk of carrying infectious diseases. Blood centres also have to irradiate blood from family members to prevent immune-related complications. Scientists are concerned that such requests could increase in the future as people might soon be able to legally demand unvaccinated blood.

While blood scarcity has turned into a silent crisis globally, people in America are putting conditions on the kind of blood they would accept. Demand for unvaccinated blood in the country has seen a spike, and people could soon legally demand such blood.&nbsp;

Americans are saying no to vaccinated blood, even if it means delaying life-saving surgery: Report

The United States on Friday (Feb 06) announced fresh sanctions to halt the export of Iranian oil, stating that the Islamic Republic uses oil revenue to "fund destabilising activities around the world and to intensify its repression of citizens inside the country." The move surprised many, as it came soon after talks between US negotiators and Iranian representatives concluded in Oman.&nbsp;President Donald Trump is "committed to driving down the Iranian regime's illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the administration's maximum pressure campaign," US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.&nbsp;The State Department stated that any transaction with 14 vessels said to transport Iranian oil will be blocked, including the ships flagged from Turkey, India and the United Arab Emirates. It also announced sanctions on 15 entities and two people.&nbsp;The development comes moments after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday stated that the talks with the United States took place in a positive atmosphere and that the two sides agreed to conduct further negotiations. He said the scope of talks remained on the Nuclear issue and did not discuss any other issue with the Americans.&nbsp;Araghchi, who led the talks with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, said that both sides reached an agreement on the continuation of negotiations, while the decision on the date and location of the next session will be taken in the coming days.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-accuses-china-of-secret-nuclear-testing-urges-broader-arms-treaty-including-beijing-1770397885712">US accuses China of secret nuclear testing, urges broader arms treaty including Beijing</a>&nbsp;He declared that talks are now at "the stage of building trust, and today’s talks were positive", with Tehran conveying its concern, worries and interest to the other side, and it was a good start."&nbsp;The high-stakes round of indirect talks in Muscat, Oman, comes after nearly a year of strained relations between the Islamic Republic and the US. The discussion was seen as a significant easing in friction between both countries after tensions sharply escalated following US and Israeli military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

The move surprised many, as it came soon after talks between US negotiators and Iranian representatives concluded in Oman.

The United States on Friday (Feb 06) announced fresh sanctions to halt the export of Iranian oil, stating that the Islamic Republic uses oil revenue to "fund destabilising activities around the world and to intensify its repression of citizens inside the country." The move surprised many, as it came soon after talks between US negotiators and Iranian representatives concluded in Oman. President Donald Trump is "committed to driving down the Iranian regime's illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the administration's maximum pressure campaign," US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. The State Department stated that any transaction with 14 vessels said to transport Iranian oil will be blocked, including the ships flagged from Turkey, India and the United Arab Emirates. It also announced sanctions on 15 entities and two people. The development comes moments after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday stated that the talks with the United States took place in a positive atmosphere and that the two sides agreed to conduct further negotiations. He said the scope of talks remained on the Nuclear issue and did not discuss any other issue with the Americans. Araghchi, who led the talks with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, said that both sides reached an agreement on the continuation of negotiations, while the decision on the date and location of the next session will be taken in the coming days. Also Read: US accuses China of secret nuclear testing, urges broader arms treaty including Beijing He declared that talks are now at "the stage of building trust, and today’s talks were positive", with Tehran conveying its concern, worries and interest to the other side, and it was a good start." The high-stakes round of indirect talks in Muscat, Oman, comes after nearly a year of strained relations between the Islamic Republic and the US. The discussion was seen as a significant easing in friction between both countries after tensions sharply escalated following US and Israeli military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

The move surprised many, as it came soon after talks between US negotiators and Iranian representatives concluded in Oman.

Moments after Oman talks with Iran, US announces new oil sanctions

Candida auris fungal infection cases have surged in the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that since 2019, there has been a rise in these cases. Who are prone to the fungal infection, what are the syptoms and how to prevent it? 

Deadly fungal infection surging through US: Symptoms, prevention and, affected states

A helicopter suddenly spun and crashed into trees near Timber Lakes, Utah, on January 18, and all four aboard miraculously survived. However, one of them was left critically injured and rushed to the hospital. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of a head injury. Reports suggest that the crash happened because of Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness (LTE), a low-altitude failure where the tail rotor loses thrust against main rotor torque. It is said to be the primary reason for 60-70 per cent of pilot-error helicopter accidents, according to rotorcraft studies. Ground footage captured by snowmobilers shows the chopper spinning rapidly. American actor David Sparks said one of his friends, Derek, and three others were on board the helicopter. “This is my friend Derek, and I'm beyond grateful that he and the 3 other souls on board survived what was a truly terrifying accident.”&nbsp;He detailed what went wrong with the chopper. “What you're seeing here appears consistent with LTE (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness), when the tail rotor can't produce enough authority (thrust) to counter the torque of the main rotor, and the aircraft can enter a rapid, uncontrollable yaw/spin…” he said. Sparks added that Derek was in "a worst-case scenario, with almost no time to react." The helicopter got stuck in the trees, which apparently slowed the fall, absorbing the energy. This is believed to be the reason why the accident was not life-threatening.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/russia-s-snow-apocalypse-takes-over-social-media-locals-jump-out-of-windows-dig-out-building-entrances-1768903342646">Russia’s ‘snow apocalypse’ takes over social media: Locals jump out of windows, dig out building entrances</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">NEW: Helicopter with four people on board crashes into trees in footage shared by Diesel Brothers star David Sparks. Sparks said the footage was of his friend, Derek, and three others. “This is my friend Derek, and I&#39;m beyond grateful that he and the 3 other souls on board… <a href="https://t.co/virCc2TGET">pic.twitter.com/virCc2TGET</a>&mdash; Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2013645460020592744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Utah crash involved a Bell 206 helicopter</h2>The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call at approximately 3:10 pm. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The agency added that it was a Bell 206 helicopter. While one of the occupants was taken to the hospital, the other three were evaluated on the site. The crash was captured on camera from several angles, showing the helicopter spinning out of control. According to eyewitnesses, there were two helicopters. A smaller one landed first, while the Bell 206 circled above. It descended, hovered and lifted again, and then started spinning and crashed into the trees. &nbsp;

Utah helicopter crash video: A chopper was caught on camera spinning and then crashing into the trees in Utah. One occupant was rushed to the hospital with a head injury, while others were assessed at the site. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

A helicopter suddenly spun and crashed into trees near Timber Lakes, Utah, on January 18, and all four aboard miraculously survived. However, one of them was left critically injured and rushed to the hospital. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of a head injury. Reports suggest that the crash happened because of Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness (LTE), a low-altitude failure where the tail rotor loses thrust against main rotor torque. It is said to be the primary reason for 60-70 per cent of pilot-error helicopter accidents, according to rotorcraft studies. Ground footage captured by snowmobilers shows the chopper spinning rapidly. American actor David Sparks said one of his friends, Derek, and three others were on board the helicopter. “This is my friend Derek, and I'm beyond grateful that he and the 3 other souls on board survived what was a truly terrifying accident.” He detailed what went wrong with the chopper. “What you're seeing here appears consistent with LTE (Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness), when the tail rotor can't produce enough authority (thrust) to counter the torque of the main rotor, and the aircraft can enter a rapid, uncontrollable yaw/spin…” he said. Sparks added that Derek was in "a worst-case scenario, with almost no time to react." The helicopter got stuck in the trees, which apparently slowed the fall, absorbing the energy. This is believed to be the reason why the accident was not life-threatening. Also Read: Russia’s ‘snow apocalypse’ takes over social media: Locals jump out of windows, dig out building entrances

Utah helicopter crash video: A chopper was caught on camera spinning and then crashing into the trees in Utah. One occupant was rushed to the hospital with a head injury, while others were assessed at the site. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

VIDEO: Helicopter spins rapidly and crashes into trees in Utah with 4 on board

A Florida man has been charged with murder after three tourists were found shot dead outside a rental home in a popular Kissimmee vacation neighbourhood near Disney’s theme parks. The Osceala county Sherrif's office arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of three counts of murder.&nbsp;The accused, Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, was arrested at his home near the rental property. Law enforcement also recovered two firearms from his residence, while an investigation is underway to determine whether these weapons were used in the killing and the motive behind the crime.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-trump-s-peace-board-invite-france-says-it-s-committed-to-un-charter-1768837481172">After Trump’s peace board invite, France says it's committed to UN charter</a>&nbsp;"There is no threat to the community, as a suspect of these horrific and senseless murders has been caught and arrested by Osceola County deputies," Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said.&nbsp;The Sharif described the murders as cold-blooded, premeditated, and clarified that there was no prior conflict between the killed and the accused.&nbsp;“There was no conflict between these people. This was just random. And this happened to be the person who lived next door.”&nbsp;Two of the victims were identified by the sheriff as Robert Luis Kraft, 69, of Holland, Michigan, and his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio. The third victim, James John Puchan, 68, was a family friend from Ohio.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/-bjp-pm-modi-defeated-in-court-abhishek-banerjee-hails-sc-order-on-voter-roll-transparency-as-victory-for-bengal-1768841504724">'BJP, PM Modi defeated in court': Abhishek Banerjee hails SC order on voter roll transparency as victory for Bengal</a><h2>Who is Ahmad Jihad Bojeh?</h2>Blackmon described Bojeh as a troubled individual who had frequent interactions with the sheriff’s office. According to court records obtained by ClickOrlando, Bojeh was arrested in 2021 for firing a weapon at a person and at random vehicles in a gas station parking lot in Kissimmee, an incident that left one man injured.

The Osceola Sharif described the murders as cold-blooded, premeditated, and clarified that there was no prior conflict between the killed and the accused.

A Florida man has been charged with murder after three tourists were found shot dead outside a rental home in a popular Kissimmee vacation neighbourhood near Disney’s theme parks. The Osceala county Sherrif's office arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of three counts of murder. The accused, Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, was arrested at his home near the rental property. Law enforcement also recovered two firearms from his residence, while an investigation is underway to determine whether these weapons were used in the killing and the motive behind the crime. Also Read: After Trump’s peace board invite, France says it's committed to UN charter "There is no threat to the community, as a suspect of these horrific and senseless murders has been caught and arrested by Osceola County deputies," Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said. The Sharif described the murders as cold-blooded, premeditated, and clarified that there was no prior conflict between the killed and the accused. “There was no conflict between these people. This was just random. And this happened to be the person who lived next door.” Two of the victims were identified by the sheriff as Robert Luis Kraft, 69, of Holland, Michigan, and his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio. The third victim, James John Puchan, 68, was a family friend from Ohio. Also Read: 'BJP, PM Modi defeated in court': Abhishek Banerjee hails SC order on voter roll transparency as victory for Bengal Who is Ahmad Jihad Bojeh? Blackmon described Bojeh as a troubled individual who had frequent interactions with the sheriff’s office. According to court records obtained by ClickOrlando, Bojeh was arrested in 2021 for firing a weapon at a person and at random vehicles in a gas station parking lot in Kissimmee, an incident that left one man injured.

The Osceola Sharif described the murders as cold-blooded, premeditated, and clarified that there was no prior conflict between the killed and the accused.

Florida killings: Who is Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, accused of cold-blooded murder of three tourists

Tensions between NATO allies, the US and the EU, escalated after President Trump announced 10 per cent tariffs on eight European countries over their opposition to his plan to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

US vs EU: Where does European bloc stands in comparison to America | See in pics

US aviation authorities on Friday issued fresh warnings to airlines operating over parts of Mexico and Central America, urging crews to "exercise caution" amid what they described as ongoing "military activities" in the region.<h2>FAA flags risk to navigation systems</h2>The Federal Aviation Administration posted a series of notices cautioning about a "potentially hazardous situation," while citing the chance for interference to the Global Navigation Satellite System, a critical tool for modern aircraft navigation. It said it had released multiple Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, alerting carriers to a potentially hazardous situation in the airspace. The concern centres on potential interference with the Global Navigation Satellite System, a crucial tool for modern aircraft navigation.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/-for-now-trump-backs-down-on-insurrection-act-threat-in-minnesota-doj-investigates-tim-walz-and-jacob-frey-1768612440055">‘For now’: Trump backs down on Insurrection Act threat in Minnesota; DOJ investigates Tim Walz and Jacob Frey</a>According to an FAA spokesperson, "The FAA issued flight advisory Notices to Airmen for specified areas of Mexico, Central America, Panama, Bogota, Guayaquil and Mazatlan Oceanic Flight Regions, and in airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean." The notices will remain in effect for the next 60 days, reports AFP.<h2>Regional tensions to blame?</h2>While the FAA did not directly link the warning to a specific operation, the timing coincides with the region's ongoing efforts to recover from a dramatic US military action earlier this month. On January 3, American special forces carried out a raid and airstrike that led to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were taken into custody to face drug trafficking and other charges.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-doubles-down-insists-european-troops-don-t-impact-trump-s-goal-of-greenland-acquisition-at-all-1768529366586">Trump hellbent on 'acquiring' Greenland, White House says NATO troops don't faze him 'at all'</a><h2>Trump's land strike threat</h2>US President Donald Trump has also suggested that further military action could be coming, this time closer to home. In recent comments, Trump said he was considering land-based strikes against drug cartels operating in Mexico, a major trading partner. "We are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico," Trump said in an interview with Fox News last week.&nbsp;

US aviation authorities warned airlines to exercise caution over parts of Mexico and Central America, citing possible interference with navigation systems. FAA notice is valid for 60 days.

US aviation authorities on Friday issued fresh warnings to airlines operating over parts of Mexico and Central America, urging crews to "exercise caution" amid what they described as ongoing "military activities" in the region. FAA flags risk to navigation systems The Federal Aviation Administration posted a series of notices cautioning about a "potentially hazardous situation," while citing the chance for interference to the Global Navigation Satellite System, a critical tool for modern aircraft navigation. It said it had released multiple Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, alerting carriers to a potentially hazardous situation in the airspace. The concern centres on potential interference with the Global Navigation Satellite System, a crucial tool for modern aircraft navigation. Also read | ‘For now’: Trump backs down on Insurrection Act threat in Minnesota; DOJ investigates Tim Walz and Jacob Frey According to an FAA spokesperson, "The FAA issued flight advisory Notices to Airmen for specified areas of Mexico, Central America, Panama, Bogota, Guayaquil and Mazatlan Oceanic Flight Regions, and in airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean." The notices will remain in effect for the next 60 days, reports AFP. Regional tensions to blame? While the FAA did not directly link the warning to a specific operation, the timing coincides with the region's ongoing efforts to recover from a dramatic US military action earlier this month. On January 3, American special forces carried out a raid and airstrike that led to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were taken into custody to face drug trafficking and other charges. Also read | Trump hellbent on 'acquiring' Greenland, White House says NATO troops don't faze him 'at all' Trump's land strike threat US President Donald Trump has also suggested that further military action could be coming, this time closer to home. In recent comments, Trump said he was considering land-based strikes against drug cartels operating in Mexico, a major trading partner. "We are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico," Trump said in an interview with Fox News last week.

US aviation authorities warned airlines to exercise caution over parts of Mexico and Central America, citing possible interference with navigation systems. FAA notice is valid for 60 days.

US FAA warns airlines to 'exercise caution' over Mexico, Central America, cites 'military activities'. All you need to know

Unusual scenes unfolded at a Senate hearing in the United States over abortion pills after a question was asked fourteen times without a straight answer. Republican Senator Josh Hawley kept on pushing for a yes or no answer to the priced question "Whether men can get pregnant?” The sharp exchange between the senator and the doctor became viral across social platform sparking widespread interest and response. An Indian-origin doctor, Nisha Verma, was at the center controversy, who was testifying before a Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pension (HELP) committee hearing on the issue of the safety and regulation of the abortion pill 'mifepristone.' The committee is looking into whether abortion pills could be misused, including cases where men might get hold of them and pressure women into ending pregnancies.&nbsp;During the hearing, when Hawley posed a direct question 'can men get pregnant?" Verma refused to provide a straight answer, saying “how the conversation was going or what the goal was,” adding that she provides treatments to patients with different identities. Hawley pushed further by accusing her of avoiding the fact that biological men do not get pregnant. Verma replied, “Science and evidence should guide medicine. But I also think yes or no questions like this are political tools.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Sen. Hawley: “Can men get pregnant?” Dr. Nisha Verma: “I&#39;m not really sure what the goal of the question is.” Sen. Hawley: “The goal is just to establish a biological reality...Can men get pregnant?” <a href="https://t.co/exjxLqJBTC">pic.twitter.com/exjxLqJBTC</a>&mdash; America (@america) <a href="https://twitter.com/america/status/2011489892317217142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Who Is Dr Nisha Verma?</h2>Dr Nisha Verma is an Indian-American physician specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, to Indian immigrant parents, she studied biology and anthropology before earning her MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed her internship and OB/GYN residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, followed by a Complex Family Planning Fellowship and an MPH from Emory University.&nbsp;A double board-certified OB-GYN, Dr Verma currently practises comprehensive reproductive healthcare in Georgia. She is a Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, serves as Senior Advisor for Reproductive Health Policy and Advocacy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

When Dr Nisha Verma questioned the intent behind the query, Senator Hawley said the aim was to establish a biological reality: can men get pregnant?

Unusual scenes unfolded at a Senate hearing in the United States over abortion pills after a question was asked fourteen times without a straight answer. Republican Senator Josh Hawley kept on pushing for a yes or no answer to the priced question "Whether men can get pregnant?” The sharp exchange between the senator and the doctor became viral across social platform sparking widespread interest and response. An Indian-origin doctor, Nisha Verma, was at the center controversy, who was testifying before a Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pension (HELP) committee hearing on the issue of the safety and regulation of the abortion pill 'mifepristone.' The committee is looking into whether abortion pills could be misused, including cases where men might get hold of them and pressure women into ending pregnancies. During the hearing, when Hawley posed a direct question 'can men get pregnant?" Verma refused to provide a straight answer, saying “how the conversation was going or what the goal was,” adding that she provides treatments to patients with different identities. Hawley pushed further by accusing her of avoiding the fact that biological men do not get pregnant. Verma replied, “Science and evidence should guide medicine. But I also think yes or no questions like this are political tools.”

When Dr Nisha Verma questioned the intent behind the query, Senator Hawley said the aim was to establish a biological reality: can men get pregnant?

‘Can men get pregnant?’ Indian-origin doctor dodges US senator's question 14 times