It's Been Reported

U.S. Sanctions Cuban President As Trump Turns Up Heat On Island's Leadership (Wash Examinaer) — The State Department has sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, along with four other individuals and five entities within the island nation's communist government. The sanctions are "part of the Trump Administration’s comprehensive push to end the Cuban regime’s decades-long campaign of political, ideological, and institutional warfare against the United States and to hold accountable those who sustain its operations and profit from the Cuban people’s oppression," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. "The Cuban regime continues to demonstrate that it prioritizes the exportation of radical left-wing violence through its malign influence networks and the enrichment of the regime over the well-being of the Cuban people," the spokesperson added. The department warned that any foreign banks and companies providing services to the designated parties "are at risk of sanctions and should freeze those activities." See full story	Trump Administration Invokes Human Rights In Latest Bid To Restore ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs (Just the News) — The Trump administration is charting a course to restore its signature "Liberation Day" tariffs by invoking human rights, specifically concerns over the use of forced labor, to impose new duties. This week, the U.S. Trade Representative proposed a new baseline tariff of 10% on at least 60 countries that were deemed to be failing in their duties to prohibit importing goods that were produced with forced labor. Those 60 countries are the source of 99.4% of all goods imported to the United States, the agency said. A blanket duty at this rate would restore the minimum level tariffs President Donald Trump imposed last year under an interpretation of an emergency authority that the Supreme Court later ruled he did not have. Since that court ruling, the president has sought alternative authorities with which to maintain his signature tariff policies, which he says are geared toward rebalancing trade with the world and reviving domestic manufacturing. See full story
Spencer Pratt Fires Back At Jimmy Kimmel's Mockery By Resurfacing Host's Blackface Controversy (Fox News) — Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt on Wednesday night’s show, and the former reality TV star responded by bringing up one of Kimmel’s most embarrassing controversies. Pratt is one of the contenders attempting to replace incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Pratt, 42, has been a vocal champion for LA residents since losing his home during the deadly 2025 Palisades wildfire. He launched his mayoral campaign in January with a focus on ousting Bass due to her alleged mishandling of the LA fires. "It could take a while for Democrats here in Los Angeles to figure out which of their friends secretly voted for Spencer Pratt," Kimmel quipped, riffing on California taking a long time to tally votes in recent elections. "Barring a late ballot buzzer-beater, it appears Mayor Karen Bass will advance to a runoff against the former reality show villain." "Sixty percent of the vote has been counted. If that holds, it means in November Los Angelenos are going to have to choose between a woman named Karen and a man who is one," he said, referencing the "Karen" slur for a demanding, middle-class White woman. See full story	Nurse Who Broke The Bones Of 9 Infants May Walk Out Of Prison In Less Than 3 Years (Law & Crime) — The Virginia nurse convicted of injuring nine premature babies who suffered "unexplained fractures" while under her care in a hospital's intensive care unit will walk out of prison in three years or less. Erin Strotman, 27, was accused of causing fractures to the limbs of at least nine infants at Henrico Doctors' Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. As Law&Crime previously reported, Strotman was charged in January 2025 with malicious wounding and felony child abuse in connection with an incident that occurred in November 2024, and further investigation revealed that she was responsible for harm to additional children... According to court records reviewed by Law&Crime, she was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison – the statutory maximum of five years per child under Virginia law. Pursuant to the plea agreement between Strotman and local prosecutors, local CBS affiliate WTVR reported, she will serve only three years total, as the judge suspended all but four months of each sentence. See full story
FBI Charges 35 In West Virginia Drug And Firearms Operation, Launches Nationwide Summer Crime Initiative (Fox News) — The FBI on Tuesday said 35 people had been charged for narcotics and firearms offenses stemming from a yearlong federal operation in West Virginia while also unveiling a new nationwide summer crime-fighting initiative. The bureau said FBI Pittsburgh and FBI Baltimore launched Operation Turf War in early 2025 alongside the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force. The operation resulted in the seizure of illegal firearms and narcotics, along with the forfeiture of proceeds allegedly used to fund violent criminal activity, according to the FBI. "Operation Turf War was this FBI answering the call of a community that needed it the most," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "This was a massively successful operation right in West Virginia with nearly three dozen individuals arrested using sophisticated techniques, confidential informants, and precise collaboration across the entire FBI enterprise with our partners," he continued. See full story	Pentagon Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religions List (Fox News) — The Department of War has officially removed 180 faiths from its list of recognized religions, acting on a change previously announced by War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The U.S. Military Chaplain Corps previously recognized over 200 faith codes that servicemembers could claim affiliation with. That number now sits at just 31 as of a Thursday memo from Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata, according to Military.com. Tata's memo says the change will "streamline the DoW collection of religious preferences for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy." "The new list will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of service members and to provide religious support activities that align with service members’ personal faith and practices," he added. See full story
Hiker Discovers Body Of Missing New Mexico Nuclear Lab Worker (Fox News) — One of the bodies of the 11 mysteriously missing persons that had potential ties to U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology has been discovered by a hiker in a New Mexico national forest. Police have identified the remains of Melissa Casias, 54, a missing Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) worker. Her disappearance became part of a wider swirl of speculation over scientists and lab-linked employees who vanished or died under unclear circumstances that spurred President Donald Trump's attention and a House Oversight Committee investigation. The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was informed Thursday that the hiker found Casias in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest with a handgun alongside her remains, according to a NMSPBI Facebook post late Saturday night. "The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined," according to police, which noted the Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) identified the remains as those of Casias and are conducting "further anthropological examination." See full story	Transit Terror: Random Attacker Stabs Rider 20 Times Aboard Atlanta Train (Amer Wire News) — Saturday, aboard a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) train, a second stabbing within two weeks left a regular rider dead. According to the arrest warrant for John Elijah Matthews, 25, the suspect allegedly approached Margaret Swan, grabbed her head, slit her throat, and then proceeded to stab her approximately 20 times as she called for help. Detailing the warrant that relied on as yet unreleased CCTV footage, 11Alive explained that the suspect approached the victim, who was seated alone and was “seen walking up to [Swan] and standing just to her right.” Within seconds, he was said to have pulled a knife from a pocket, cut the throat of Swan, and proceeded to stab her before “throwing [Swan] to the floor and standing near her until the train arrived at the Oakland City Station,” within two minutes. It was at that point that the suspect exited the train with the knife still in hand and, according to MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher, “went over to the platform, and just sat down. See full story
Rubio Torches Democrat After Bizarre Hearing Questions About His Shoes: 'Is This A Circus?' (Fox News) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Wednesday's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing "a circus" after Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., questioned him about a pair of shoes he received as a gift from President Donald Trump. The exchange came after Jacobs criticized Rubio's testimony regarding the recent conflict with Iran, arguing that he was unwilling to acknowledge facts. "Mr. Secretary, it seems like you have an issue admitting facts… You couldn’t admit the shoes the president bought you were too big," she said. Rubio appeared puzzled by the remark. "I don’t know about the shoes. I mean, [Trump] gave me some Florsheim shoes that are actually pretty good, they fit fine, I don’t know what she’s talking about," he said. Jacobs then returned to the topic moments later, complimenting Rubio's footwear. "Your shoes look very nice today, Mr. Secretary," she told him. See full story	Australian Cockroach Kingpin Caught With 100,000 Illegal Insects In Record Bug Bust WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than 100,000 live cockroaches illegal to keep in Australia were confiscated from a single breeder in the country’s largest-ever seizure of exotic invertebrates, officials said Friday. The haul of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, worth 200,000 Australian dollars ($142,000), was seized in May from a commercial breeder in the city of Bathurst in New South Wales state, according to Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water. The Madagascar hissing species is one of the world’s biggest cockroaches, measuring 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) in length. Photos released by the department showed a shiny, brown invertebrate larger than a person’s finger. It’s much bigger than the country’s common Australian cockroach, which measures between 0.9 and 1.4 inches (2.3 and 3.6 centimeters) long. Cockroaches flourish in Australia due to its sub-tropical climates and the country is home to hundreds of species. See full story