Category: Security

Brad Pitt’s representatives have responded to reports about a French woman allegedly being scammed out of more than $800,000 by a person pretending to be the Oscar winner online.

“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” a spokesperson for the “Fight Club” star said Friday in a statement to The Times.

The woman, identified as an interior designer named Anne, told French media that scammers led her to believe that she was involved with the “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” Oscar winner for a year and a half and persuaded her to loan him money to help pay for medical expenses, the BBC reported. Her interview aired in prime time on Sunday on French TV’s TF1, but the segment has since been removed from the news outlet’s website following an onslaught of ridicule.

“I just got played, I admit it, and that’s why I came forward, because I am not the only one,” she said on a popular French YouTube show, per the BBC.

Anne, who said she was new to social media, said she first downloaded Instagram in February 2023. The scammers immediately contacted her, first posing as Pitt’s mother, Jane Etta, then as the star a day later. She said she was told that Pitt had kidney cancer, was financially strapped because of his recent divorce agreement and needed help paying bills. The scammers also sent her multiple AI-generated images of Pitt appearing to be in a hospital bed, and she complied.

“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” she told TF1. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”

They duped the woman, a cancer survivor, into sending the purported Pitt her life’s savings, including a divorce settlement from her marriage to a wealthy entrepreneur.

Anne said that nearly every time she cast doubt on Pitt’s authenticity, the scammers would send her something to dissipate her doubts, at one point AI-generating a fake news report about their relationship ahead of the actor going public with girlfriend Ines de Ramon in June 2024. Pitt and De Ramon’s relationship confirmation is ultimately what led Anne to end her romance with the person she believed to be Pitt. Shortly thereafter, scammers contacted her posing as “Special FBI Agent John Smith,” prompting her to contact the police. The BBC reported that an investigation is now underway.

Anne told TF1 that she has tried to take her own life three times since the scam came to light, the BBC reported, and is now living in a small room with a friend surrounded by what she has left stored in a few boxes.

Her viral story and the AI-generated images of Pitt have taken on a life of their own online, ultimately prompting TF1 to pull the segment.

“The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness,” the news magazine program, “Sept à Huit,” said Tuesday on X. “For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms.”

Meanwhile, this is the second time in recent months that Pitt’s team has made a statement relating to scams involving the actor’s celebrity.

Spanish authorities announced in September that five people were arrested during an investigation into a “criminal organization” that defrauded two women out of $350,000 after they posed online as the actor and promised women potential romantic relationships, People reported. His representatives released a similar statement at the time reminding fans “to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”

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© 2025 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Six patients from a New Year’s fireworks explosion in Aliamanu are still fighting for their lives in intensive care at a specialized burn center in Arizona.

The six severely injured patients, who earlier this month were transferred from Hawaii to the Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center—Valleywise Health, are still intubated and sedated, according to director Dr. Kevin Foster.

That is not unusual for patients with severe burns, he said.

“Generally, we keep people intubated, sedated, sleepy and forgetful until we get most of their burn covered, and none of these patients are even close to that period yet, ” he said during a media update Friday morning. But “everybody’s on course ” in the recovery process, and reconstruction and skin grafting efforts have begun, he said.

The Arizona Burn Foundation, meanwhile, is assisting patients’ families with lodging and transportation needs, as well as guidance on what to expect in the months ahead, with the support of donors.

Rex Albright, president and CEO of the foundation, said it is working with about 20 family members, each with their own visitation plans.

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“We do have hotel partners, ” he said. “We have partners that are letting us use some Airbnb housing. We have other options that we’re looking into for future housing needs. We do know this is a long-term impact for these families, and we’re trying to make their stay as comfortable as possible.”

The Arizona Burn Center took five patients transferred from The Queen’s Medical Center and one from Straub Benioff Medical Center on Oahu the first weekend of January.

The six patients on Jan. 4 were transported by a C-17 military jet from Joint Base Pearl-Harbor-Hickam on Oahu to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona. They were met by the Phoenix Fire Department and transported by ambulance to the burn center.

Foster said all six, described as in their 20s and 30s, experienced burns on 50 % or more of their bodies, and are looking at at least three or four months of recovery, plus additional time for rehabilitation and reconstructive surgery. Additionally, these patients had “significant, traumatic injuries ” in the form of puncture wounds from flying particles and debris.

When asked about treatment costs, Foster said patients’ insurance plans will be billed, and can be worked out later. He said the top priority now is to care for the patients.

Straub officials, meanwhile, said it was able to discharge one patient from the Aliamanu incident.

“We continue to care for some of the most serious and critically injured patients from the Aliamanu fireworks tragedy, ” said Travis Clegg, Straub chief operating officer, in a statement. “We were able to discharge one patient. A few will require several surgeries in their road to recovery. Our Burn Care Unit is also managing very complex wound care that requires specialized equipment and constant monitoring to prevent infections. We are truly thankful for our burn care team’s commitment to serve these patients and their families during this difficult time.”

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(c) 2025 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

As the smoke clears from devastating Los Angeles wildfires, efforts to clean up the affected areas are being complicated by burnt-out electric and hybrid vehicles and home-battery storage systems.

Lithium batteries from Tesla Inc., along with those from other carmakers, have added to the mix of toxic materials requiring specialized removal in the wake of the fires, delaying the fire victims’ return to their properties.

“A lot of the cars in the evacuation area were lithium batteries,” said Jacqui Irwin, a state assembly member representing the Pacific Palisades, one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the fires. “We’ve heard from firefighters that those lithium batteries burned fires near homes – like those with power walls – for much longer.”

The LA wildfires, which began Jan. 7, have taken at least 27 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. While the dry, dangerous winds are forecast to end — a lack of rain and another possible round of winds next week has kept officials concerned that the danger is not over.

Estimates for insurance losses from the fires have rapidly jumped to as high as $40 billion and BlackRock Inc. Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink has warned it could take a decade to rebuild the city. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already allocated $100 million to the cleanup effort.

There were over 431,000 Teslas in operation in the Los Angeles area as of October 2024, according to data from S&P Global Mobility. Based on new registrations, their market share locally was three times that of the rest of the nation. The Tesla Model Y was the biggest-selling vehicle in the state through September, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.

Fires in lithium batteries can require large amounts of water to put out with automakers publishing guides for first responders detailing how to respond.

In some Palisades and Eaton fire areas, residents who had been under evacuation orders were allowed to return to their homes Thursday. But others whose homes were destroyed or are in areas of heavy fire damage will have to wait until utilities and structures are inspected and determined to be safe before they’re allowed to look for personal items or inspect damage themselves.

At a briefing Wednesday, county Deputy Public Works Director Cid Tesoro urged residents allowed into areas burned by the Eaton fire not to try to clean up debris, which can contain sharp objects and toxic materials, including asbestos, lead, mercury and other chemicals.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also aware of the complications. In an executive order this week, he said the state is “still adapting to newer technologies” like lithium-ion batteries, which can pose distinct risks when exposed to high heat from fires. Two years ago, Newsom signed an executive order requiring all vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035, while the state has become a leader when it comes to battery storage.

San Diego firefighter Robert Rezende, a specialist in lithium-battery hazards who’ll be assisting in the cleanup effort, said protocols developed during the 2023 fires in Maui will be used in Los Angeles. But the scale of this event, and the hazards, are magnitudes larger.

“The state has seen other fires, but nothing this urban, with so many neighborhoods and structures where you’d expect to see more electric vehicles and other energy storage systems,” Rezende said. “We’re anticipating a pretty big lift.”

In Maui, the Environmental Protection Agency shipped more than 30 tons of lithium batteries from over 1,400 properties for recycling.

The initial phase of cleanup involves the removal of materials most at risk to public health, according to Tara Fitzgerald, an incident commander with the agency. That includes pesticides, batteries or fuels and other products that would normally be considered hazardous household waste.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued an order Wednesday prohibiting unsafe removal of fire debris, warning of “substantial” risks to human health and the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed. Independent removal of debris is prohibited without an inspection from approved agencies, including the EPA and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

“The combustion of building materials such as siding, roofing tiles, and insulation result in dangerous ash that may contain asbestos, heavy metals and other hazardous substances,” the health department said. “Household and business hazardous substances such as paint, gasoline, cleaning products, pesticides, compressed gas cylinders and chemicals may have been stored in business locations, homes, garages or sheds that may have burned or released in the fire.”

The Palisades fire did substantial damage to the neighboring city of Malibu. Mayor Doug Stewart said in an interview that the state is taking responsibility for debris removal, and that it did a good job managing the cleanup after the Woolsey fire there in 2018. That conflagration destroyed 1,600 structures, while the Palisades fire has destroyed or damaged more than twice that.

The rebuilding process will take a long time. Six years after the Woolsey fire, only 182 of 363 single-family homes approved for rebuilding have been completed.

Much of the city is still under evacuation orders and lacking power. Building inspectors are conducting rapid visual assessments of damaged properties and are 35% complete, according to Malibu’s website. Stewart is worried that toxins from burned homes will pollute the beaches and ocean when rains start.

“We’ve got a responsibility to the environment,” he said. “A beautiful day in Malibu is what draws us here and makes life so idyllic. That’s what we have to protect.”

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© 2025 Bloomberg L.P

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The UnitedHealth Group leader whose murder in December unleashed a torrent of public frustration and dissatisfaction with the U.S. health care system was pushing for some of the very improvements that critics have been seeking.

Andrew Witty, CEO of the Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based health care giant, made the comments Thursday during a conference call with investors that he opened by acknowledging condolences many have offered since the fatal ambush of Brian Thompson, 50, of Maple Grove.

Thompson, the chief executive of the UnitedHealthcare health insurance division, was gunned down Dec. 4 while he walked on a public sidewalk in New York City, about to enter a company meeting with stock analysts.

Witty said Thompson worked on improvements to prior authorization rules that are part of a broader system for claims processing that can frustrate patients and health care providers, even as it plays a role in UnitedHealth Group’s vision for how to lower costs and improve quality. The work to improve the prior authorization continues, he added.

The country’s system for health care offers the most advanced clinical care in the world, Witty said, and remains a global destination for patients in part because it’s been tailored to meet individual needs. At the same time, industrywide fixes are needed for handling medical claims, he said, and the experience for consumers suffers from too much confusion and complexity.

“America faces the same fundamental health care dynamic as the rest of the world: The resources available to pay for health care are limited, while demand for health care is unlimited,” he said.

The commentary came as UnitedHealth Group released financial results showing the company beat estimates for fourth quarter earnings by posting a profit of $5.54 billion during the final three months of 2024.

Despite the earnings, the company’s stock price fell 6% Thursday as UnitedHealthcare reported a surprisingly high ratio of medical costs to premium revenue.

“There may be some investors that may be taking a wait-and-see attitude, to see how cost trends unfold over the course of the year,” said John Boylan, an analyst with Edward Jones.

In the aftermath of Thompson’s killing, some took to social media to celebrate accused shooter Luigi Mangione, saying he exacted a measure of justice on a health care system that leaves too many patients feeling powerless, particularly when health insurers deny coverage for care.

Mangione did not have coverage through UnitedHealthcare. Yet the company’s status as the nation’s largest health insurer, and one of the biggest corporations in the U.S. overall, puts it in the middle of questions about the need for systemic change.

Last week, a group representing faith-based shareholders petitioned UnitedHealth Group to develop a report on the human and economic toll stemming from limits and delays to accessing health care paid for by UnitedHealthcare. The company says critics have spread misinformation about its track record denying health insurance claims.

During the conference call Thursday, one stock analyst asked Witty to comment on the sources of dissatisfaction with the U.S. health care system, and how UnitedHealth Group could respond.

Witty said one set of problems involves claims processing, since patients and health care providers get frustrated with the time required for insurers to pay for services. There’s also confusion, he said, about the process that insurers use when asked to pay these bills.

Less than half of 1% of all claims are denied for clinical reasons, Witty said, such as an insurer’s determination that health care providers are recommending unsafe or less-effective treatment options.

Many other claims are held up much earlier in the process because they’re sent to the wrong company or lack information, he said, adding that sometimes patients just don’t have benefits that cover the service.

On prior authorization, Witty said: “We already have advanced plans … to use standardization and technology to speed up turnaround times for approval of procedures and services for Medicare Advantage patients and to materially reduce the overall number of prior authorizations used for certain MA services.”

Procedure and prescription costs are higher in the U.S. than many other countries, Witty said. Controlling expenses is controversial, since doing so hits revenue for other industry players.

Witty singled out drug manufacturers, asserting that his company’s pharmacy benefit manager — Optum Rx — is helping control drug costs, contrary to the assertion of critics who say the company and other PBMs benefit financially from drug price inflation.

Witty pledged that Optum Rx by 2028 would pass through all rebates it negotiates with drug companies to the governments and employers who hire the business.

“Last year, our PBM passed through more than 98% of the rebate discounts we negotiate with drug companies to our clients,” he said. “While we offer customers 100% pass-through options, a small number have historically elected other models.”

Witty added: “We will continue to encourage all of our clients to fully pass these (rebate) savings directly to patients.”

UnitedHealth Group offers a path forward, the CEO argued, through a concept called “value-based care,” which includes changing the way health care is paid for to promote quality and prevent illness while discouraging waste and inefficiency.

At the same time, he acknowledged that Americans are frustrated by a health care system that’s more difficult to interact with than banks, retailers, streaming services and other sectors of the economy.

UnitedHealth Group continues to invest in technology to close the gap for consumers, the CEO said. But he stressed how fixes in health care aren’t easy.

“The core fact is that price, more than utilization, drives system costs higher,” he said.

UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest companies in the country, with about 400,000 workers overall, including about 19,000 in Minnesota.

At the end of December, about 49.3 million people in the U.S. had coverage from UnitedHealthcare, up slightly from the total at the end of September.

The company also runs Optum, a division for health care services ranging from outpatient medical centers to pharmacy benefits management. It served about 100 million consumers during the fourth quarter.

On Thursday, UnitedHealth Group reported adjusted earnings per share of $6.81, which was 7 cents better than expected among analysts surveyed by LSEG Data and Analytics.

Quarterly revenue of $100.8 billion trailed analyst expectations for sales of $101.7 billion.

The fourth quarter results released Thursday were better than year-ago quarterly earnings of $5.46 billion on $94.4 billion in revenue.

The company this year expects an adjusted profit of about $27.1 billion to $27.7 billion on revenue of $450 billion to $455 billion.

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© 2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The nation’s largest automotive lobby said Friday it’s suing the Biden administration over a new automatic emergency braking rule adopted last year.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents all major U.S. automakers except for Tesla Inc., filed the petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit against the U.S. Transportation Department. It takes issue with a standard in the rules that requires all new cars by 2029 be able to stop and avoid contact with a vehicle in front of them at up to 62 miles per hour. Auto Innovators CEO John Bozzella last year called the requirement “practically impossible.”

“This litigation by Alliance for Automotive Innovation should not be interpreted as opposition to AEB, a lack of confidence in the technology, or an objection to AEB’s widest possible deployment across the U.S. vehicle fleet,” the organization wrote in a news release. “Rather, this litigation is about ensuring a rule that maximizes driver and pedestrian safety and is technologically feasible.”

The industry has invested more than $1 billion developing automatic emergency braking, which helps detect potential collisions with vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. AEB provides a warning to a driver and automatically engages the braking system should the driver not respond.

In 2016, major automakers agreed to roll out AEB on every new vehicle by 2025, which Auto Innovators says has happened.

But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration formalized a rule concerning the technology last April that included the no-contact requirement. In June, Auto Innovators petitioned for reconsideration, with Bozzella noting in a letter to Congress at the time that NHTSA’s data showed one tested vehicle met the stopping distance requirements in the final rule. The agency denied the request in November.

In a statement, NHTSA said it generally doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

In the final AEB rule, the agency wrote: “NHTSA believes that lowering the performance requirement to one that allows for contact would fail to treat safety as the preeminent factor for this final rule and otherwise be inconsistent with the goals of the Safety Act.”

Several stakeholders did support the no-contact requirements. In a statement, product testing nonprofit Consumer Reports said many AEB systems don’t reliably perform at higher speeds or operate effectively to protect pedestrians at night.

“It is profoundly disappointing that automakers are suing to block this lifesaving automatic emergency braking rule,” William Wallace, Consume Reports’ safety advocacy director, said in a statement. “AEB performance among new vehicle models is uneven. This rule is needed because everyone on our roads should be able to benefit from automatic emergency braking systems that meet reasonable minimum standards.

“People should be able to trust that if their car has AEB,” Wallace continued, “it will work reliably at various speeds, during the day and at night, and when it detects a pedestrian. NHTSA already has shown it is feasible today to meet this baseline, yet the agency still gave automakers five full years of lead time to bring lower-performing AEB systems into compliance.”

Additionally, Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, added in a statement that as autonomous vehicle technology progresses, vehicles must have the capability to be able to brake at all speeds and in all kinds of conditions.

“The AEB Rule is the most impactful regulation for roadway safety issued in years,” she said, adding that with the size and wealth of the auto industry, “it is remarkable that it would be unable to meet the requirements in the AEB Rule by September 2029.”

Auto Innovators in the news release noted that it believes it is the prerogative of the incoming Trump administration to repeal or revise the AEB rule.

The Transportation Department has 40 days to submit the administrative record to the D.C. Circuit. The court will then set a briefing schedule.

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© 2025 www.detroitnews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the commander of Bahrain’s National Guard, participated in the Pakistan Day celebrations held on Sunday in Islamabad.

The public holiday celebrated on March 23 each year commemorates the day in 1956 when Pakistan adopted its first constitution and became the world’s first Islamic republic.

Sheikh Mohammed conveyed greetings from King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to the Pakistani leadership, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

Senior Pakistani political and military officials attended the Pakistan Day celebrations at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad on Sunday, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and various foreign delegations.

Sheikh Mohammed expressed his wishes for Pakistan’s continued progress, prosperity, and stability, according to BNA.

He has been on an official visit to Pakistan since last week, where he met senior military and political officials, including Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber, the country’s air force chief, and Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the chairperson of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

On Sunday, the Saudi leadership sent separate cables of congratulations to President Zardari on his country’s National Day, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wished Zardari continued good health and happiness and the people of Pakistan steady progress and prosperity.

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© 2025 the Arab News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

When the Woodhaven Police Department got wind that March 13 was National K-9 Veterans Day, officers couldn’t let it go by without saluting their former police dogs that served and protected the city over the years.

First there was Steele, then came Jax, Bruno was next, and the last police dog was Nova.

For the most part, K-9 officers have been in place in Woodhaven since 1997.

Retired Police Chief Vince Price was the handler for K-9 Officer Steele from 1997 to 2005.

Lt. David Toler was the handler for Jax.

Sergeant Dean Vann was the handler for Bruno and Officer Jennifer Ratliff spent two years as Nova’s handler, the shortest amount of time a police dog has served the city.

Lt. Toler said it was the Woodhaven Animal Hospital, which had a good relationship with the dogs, that publicly recognized the day first.

The hospital called the day an, “annual recognition of the incredible contributions of military and law enforcement service dogs who serve and protect us.”

Nova is the only living K-9 officer of the four.

Toler said all of their police dogs have had a significant impact, and not just in Woodhaven, but also in assisting with other local and federal agencies.

The K-9 program shined especially bright in 2018 when Vann and Bruno received national attention as recipients of the National Narcotics Detection Team of the Year Award.

Bruno was certified in obedience, tracking, narcotics detection, evidence recovery, area and building search, and handler protection.

The department has been without a police dog since Nova was retired in 2023.

According to Toler, another police dog is scheduled to be brought on board with the department in April for training.

Two officers were looking to be named as the handler for the incoming K-9 officer.

Toler said Officer Cameron Poslaiko has been selected for the job.

The lieutenant said he had never heard of K-9 Veterans Day before and believes the department didn’t want their police dogs to be ignored.

The K-9 program has always been fully embraced by the community during functions.

Toler said the dogs have played a big role in school demonstrations as well.

“Our K-9s have been an exceptional value and are an important tool for law enforcement to utilize,” Toler said.

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© 2025 The News Herald

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Israel’s parliament approved the state budget for this year, boosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after days of market turmoil related to the conflict in Gaza and the government trying to fire top officials.

A majority of 66 members of the Knesset signed off on the bill versus 52 who objected. If the budget had failed to pass, the government would have collapsed under Israeli law.

The approval — which had looked in doubt at times this year due to wrangling within the coalition — shores up Netanyahu’s power base as tens of thousands of protesters regularly take to the streets to demonstrate against his rule.

The government’s recent decisions to remove the attorney general and internal security chief are seen by many Israelis as undermining democracy. A large proportion also object to Israel’s return to fighting in Gaza against Hamas after a ceasefire of around two months.

“The budget incorporates everything needed for victory,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said ahead of the vote. “We’ve promoted measures that will support growth and allow the economy to maintain strength and prosperity.”

Others disagree, saying the spending plan prioritizes religious and other causes championed by far-right coalition members at the expense of the economy, which has been strained by the country’s multi-front conflict since October 2023.

Yair Lapid, a former prime minister and the leader of the opposition, said the budget is the “greatest robbery in the nation’s history.”

“You’re stealing the money and the future of the Israeli middle class, of the public that works, pays taxes and serves in the military,” he said.

Some opposition politicians held up photos of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, chanting the word “shame” as the budget vote was taking place.

The Knesset’s speaker said protesters had blocked access to parliament and called for them to be detained.

Israeli assets have come under pressure in the past month, due to the break down of the Gaza truce and rising tension between Netanyahu’s government and key officials. The shekel was one of the world’s worst performers last week and the country’s credit-default swaps, a gauge of risk premium, rose.

The likelihood of the budget passing has helped the currency partly recover this week. It’s up around 1.2% against the dollar.

The 2025 budget totals 620 billion shekels ($166 billion), about 20% higher than the prewar amount allocated for last year, though that was revised upward multiple times once fighting started. The target deficit is 4.7% of gross domestic product, slightly higher than the original proposal brought to the Cabinet in November.

The ceiling could be increased to as much as 4.9% for the purpose of funding “significant military activities.”

Defense is the single largest item, amounting to 110 billion shekels, about 60% higher than before the war against Hamas started in October 2023.

Israel’s government hasn’t disclosed a breakdown of the defense element. Yet Yuli Edelstein, who heads a parliamentary committee that signed off on military spending, said millions of shekels have been allocated to boosting security along Israel’s eastern border that’s shared mostly with Jordan. Israel says the boundary has become a target of Iran-backed weapon smugglers aiming to arm militants in the West Bank.

Israel’s debt to GDP ratio surged to 69% last year, its highest since 2010. The budget includes a 35-billion-shekel fiscal-adjustment package aimed at taming the deficit. It mostly involves tax increases as well as some spending cuts.

Some have criticized the budget for lacking vision.

Central bank Gov. Amir Yaron, who is also the government’s economic adviser, said it should do more to “include growth engines, steps to improve labor productivity.”

Israel’s economy expanded at its slowest pace in over two decades last year, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic, underlining the toll of wars fought in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Gross domestic product expanded 0.9%. The government’s borrowing surged and its credit ratings have been downgraded several times.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are designated terrorist organizations by the United States and other countries.

Turbulent Week

The budget vote came after a turbulent past week during which Netanyahu’s government fired Shin Bet’s chief, Ronen Bar, and launched an attempt to oust the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara.

The government also plans to pass a controversial bill that will change the composition of the Judge Selection Committee, giving the executive branch more power over the appointment of Supreme Court justices.

Israeli business and high-tech leaders, as well the country’s largest workers’ union, threatened to bring the economy to a standstill if the government doesn’t respect a court order suspending Bar’s firing until a hearing on April 8.

The budget will fail to satisfy markets, according to some government critics.

“This is a bad budget from a social and moral perspective,” said opposition member Vladimir Beliak. “Rating agencies are watching and considering lowering Israel’s credit score again.”

From a political standpoint, passing the budget represents a success for Netanyahu due to obstacles within his ruling coalition. His Jewish Orthodox political allies had threatened to reject the bill and collapse the government over a debate around military service for the very religious, but most of them folded.

Far-right figurehead Itamar Ben Gvir’s return to the coalition last week bolstered Netanyahu’s majority. The national security minister quit in protest against the Gaza ceasefire in mid-January, though returned swiftly once fighting resumed. The timing of his comeback raised questions among Netanyahu’s opponents, given the crucial budget vote was just days away.

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© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The white supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs of a Florida man accused of plotting to destroy Baltimore’s power grid are not up for debate in federal court over the next two weeks, a prosecutor and defense attorney agreed at the outset of his trial Tuesday.

Instead, jurors will decide whether Brandon Clint Russell, 29, participated in a conspiracy to damage an energy facility — the lone federal charge looming over him. The offense carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.

“The defendant was a man of action. He prided himself on action,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Aubin said in his opening statement while displaying pictures of Russell performing a Nazi salute and screenshots of messages in which Russell described his desire to act on his beliefs.

But defense attorney Ian J. Goldstein said jurors would not see a “scintilla of evidence” that his client intended to partake in the shooting of five Baltimore Gas & Electric substations alongside his co-defendant, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, and a confidential informant who worked with the FBI.

“He is asking you to look at the evidence and not convict him because you do not like what he believes,” Goldstein told the jury, arguing that FBI agents entrapped Russell.

Federal authorities arrested Russell and Clendaniel, of Catonsville, in February 2023 after an extensive investigation into their alleged plot to destroy electrical substations around Baltimore to further their extremist agenda.

Both believe in “accelerationism,” an ideology that posits that speeding up the collapse of society is the only way to achieve white supremacy.

Clendaniel, 36, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to damage an electrical facility and illegally possessing a firearm. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar, who is presiding over Russell’s trial, sentenced her to 18 years in federal prison, determining that the conspiracy she participated in was “terrifying” and that she “presents as dangerous.”

At Clendaniel’s sentencing, Bredar said he was not punishing Clendaniel because of her beliefs, even though he found them to be “reprehensible” but because of what she was convicted of doing.

Seeking to narrow down a pool of more than 70 potential jurors to a smaller group from which the attorneys could choose a panel of 12 and four alternates, Bredar read from a questionnaire probing respondents about their feelings about white supremacy and neo-Nazism.

He asked the prospective jurors if they belonged to groups affiliated with or denouncing such beliefs.

“Jurors are required to listen to the evidence presented with an open mind,” Bredar said, reading from the questionnaire. “Do you hold such strong views for or against the ideologies known as neo-Nazism and white supremacy that it would be difficult for you to be a fair and impartial juror in this case?”

After jurors filled out the questionnaire, Bredar followed up with them one at a time in a courtroom away from their peers. Several raised concerns about their ability to be impartial in the context of such beliefs.

“I am strongly against Neo-Nazism, any sort of fascist ideologies,” a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher told Bredar. “I would like to think I could be impartial, but if I’m being honest, I’m not sure that I could.”

Bredar excused the prospective juror. He did the same to a Jewish woman who emigrated to America from Russia who became emotional discussing how Nazis tore her and her husband’s families apart during World War II and a man who said, “If you think you’re better than someone else because of the color of your skin, that’s ridiculous.”

Jury selection took a day and a half.

Federal authorities say Russell is the founder of Atomwaffen Division, a violent neo-Nazi hate group that authorities have tied to five murders.

He exploded onto law enforcement’s radar in May 2017, when one of his roommates in Tampa, Florida, killed two others while Russell was out of the house, according to court documents. The man convicted of murder in the others’ deaths told federal agents he killed them because they bullied him for converting to Islam from the belief system of the white supremacist group Russell founded.

When authorities searched the residence, they found Neo-Nazi paraphernalia, a picture of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and several explosive devices, according to court documents. Russell allegedly admitted the explosives belonged to him.

Russell is currently on supervised release after pleading guilty in federal court in Florida to possessing the explosives and being sentenced in 2018 to five years in prison.

Russell and Clendaniel developed a romantic and ideological relationship while writing to each other from separate prisons, authorities said. Once they were released, they eventually began plotting to destroy electrical substations in Maryland. They discussed their beliefs and brainstormed what type of rifle could fire a bullet that would pierce thick metal.

Investigators learned about their plot in part by relying on information from a confidential informant who engaged with Russell and Clendaniel online, according to court records. Russell went by “Homunculus” online and Clendaniel by “Nythra88,” court records show.

According to court records, Russell suggested shooting Maryland substations in the winter to create the greatest strain on the electrical grid, telling the confidential informant in an online message, “i think you should wait until like a week after it starts snowing for that other thing we talked about.”

In court Tuesday, Aubin said Russell’s participation amounted to “more than just telling them to do something,” but “providing them insight, conducting research.” He showed jurors an online map Russell sent Clendaniel and the informant of Maryland’s electrical grid.

“He was active and plotting,” Aubin said.

Goldstein countered that the map of substations, along with other material his client provided, was publicly available. He said Russell remained in Florida during the entire alleged conspiracy, suggesting he never intended to participate.

“The two of them planned to draw this attack together. Just the two of them,” Goldstein said of Clendaniel and the confidential informant.

He told jurors that law enforcement coached the informant to elicit incriminating statements from his client. “This was set up from the beginning,” Goldstein said.

Aubin showed jurors a message in which Russell wrote “Never forget. This is a war for our very existence. This is not a game. This is not a hobby.”

Aubin said the government would call expert witnesses to testify about accelerationism, military-grade ballistics and valuation of electrical substations. Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum for Clendaniel that a BGE expert determined it would have cost at least $75 million to replace the power stations, describing the calculation as an “extremely conservative estimate.”

Aubin also said the FBI covert agent who infiltrated the defendants’ white supremacist chats would take the witness stand.

Goldstein said during jury selection that he didn’t intend to call any witnesses unless Russell decided to testify.

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© 2025 Baltimore Sun

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Beyoncé made history Sunday night when she won best country album at the 67th Grammy Awards for “Cowboy Carter,” becoming the first Black singer to win the award.

It marked the 34th Grammy award of the singer’s career. She is also the most-nominated artist in the show’s history, after notching 11 more nominations this year for a total of 99.

The award was presented by Taylor Swift, who herself won the same honor in 2010 for “Fearless.”

“They say you never forget where you came from and I will never forget standing here, right on this spot, almost exactly 15 years ago accepting the Grammy Award for best country album,” Swift said.

“It’s an honor that has gone to artists that I admire so much like the Chicks, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, Faith Hill, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss and Shania Twain,” she added.

After announcing the winner, a visibly shocked Beyoncé walked to the stage to a standing ovation and hugged Swift.

“Wow, I really was not expecting this,” Beyoncé said “I want to thank God that I am able to still do what I love after so many years. Oh my God.”

“I’d like to thank all the incredible country artists that accepted this album,” Beyoncé continued. “I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they are passionate about and to stay persistent.”

“Cowboy Carter” is nominated for album of the year as well. “Texas Hold ‘Em,” one of the album’s hits, is nominated for record and song of the year.

It was the singer’s second win of the night after she took home the best country duo/group performance for “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus.

She became the first Black woman to win a country-related Grammy since The Pointer Sisters won for best country vocal performance by a duo or group for the song “Fairytale” in 1974.

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© 2025 New York Daily News

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