Swimming world body to banish athletes and supporters of doping-fueled event in Las Vegas
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Swimmers and officials who compete in and support a doping-fueled sports event planned in Las Vegas will be banished from the sport, the governing body World Aquatics said on Tuesday.
Organizers of the Enhanced Games scheduled next May promise $1 million bonuses for athletes who beat world record times over sprint distances in the pool or on the track. Weightlifting also is on the program.
A small group of past Olympic swimmers, including three-time medalist James Magnussen of Australia, are among athletes who signed up for the event that aims to push limits beyond the rules of clean sport.
'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,' its president Husain al-Musallam said in a statement after the decision.
The new rule targets those who 'support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods,' the world swim body said.
'This ineligibility would apply to roles such as athlete, coach, team official, administrator, medical support staff, or government representative.'
Enhanced Games organizers had a launch event last month for the inaugural event at a Vegas resort, with plans for a year-round training base. Athletes are not subject to doping tests though they should have their health monitored.
The project also involves selling personalized programs of supplements and substances to people who pay a refundable $99 deposit. One investment group is backed by Donald Trump Jr.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has criticized the idea first touted in 2023 as dangerous and irresponsible.
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Hamilton Spectator
24 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
New Zealand Parliament suspends 3 Māori Party lawmakers for haka protest
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand legislators voted Thursday to enact record suspensions from Parliament for three lawmakers who performed a Māori haka to protest a proposed law. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days. Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand's Parliament before. The lawmakers from Te Pāti Māori, the Māori Party, performed the haka, a chanting dance of challenge , in November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated , that they said would reverse Indigenous rights. The protest drew global headlines and provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about what the consequences for the lawmakers' actions should be and the place of Māori culture in Parliament. Why the punishment was so strict A committee of the lawmakers' peers in April recommended the lengthy bans. It said the lawmakers were not being punished for the haka, but for striding across the floor of the debating chamber toward their opponents while doing it. Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the lawmakers' behavior was egregious, disruptive and potentially intimidating. Maipi-Clarke, 22, rejected that description Thursday, citing other instances when legislators have left their seats and approached opponents without sanction. The suspended legislators said they are being treated more harshly than others because they are Māori. 'I came into this house to give a voice to the voiceless. Is that the real issue here?' Maipi-Clarke asked Parliament. 'Is that the real intimidation here? Are our voices too loud for this house?' Why this haka was controversial Inside and outside Parliament, the haka has increasingly been welcomed as an important part of New Zealand life. The sacred chant can be a challenge to the viewer but is not violent. As Māori language and culture have become part of mainstream New Zealand in recent years, haka appear in a range of cultural, somber and celebratory settings. They also have rung out in Parliament to welcome the passage of high-profile laws. Some who decried the protest haka in Parliament cited its timing, with Maipi-Clarke beginning the chant as votes were being tallied and causing a brief suspension of proceedings. She has privately apologized for the disruption to Parliament's Speaker, she said Thursday. A few lawmakers urged their peers to consider rewriting rules about what lawmakers could do in Parliament to recognize Māori cultural protocols as accepted forms of protest. One cited changes to allow breastfeeding in the debating chamber as evidence the institution had amended rules before. Who approved the suspensions Normally the parliamentary committee that decides on punishments for errant lawmakers is in agreement on what should happen to them. But panel members were sharply divided over the haka protest and the lengthy punishments were advanced only because the government has more legislators in Parliament than the opposition. One party in the government bloc wanted even longer suspensions and had asked the committee if the Māori party lawmakers could be jailed. Most in opposition rejected any punishment beyond the one-day ban Maipi-Clarke already served. Speaker Gerry Brownlee urged lawmakers last month to negotiate a consensus and ordered a free-ranging debate that would continue until all agreed to put the sanctions to a vote. But no such accord was reached after hours of occasionally emotional speeches in which opposition lawmakers accused the government of undermining democracy by passing such a severe punishment on its opponents. While the bans were certain to pass, even as the debate began Thursday it remained unclear whether opposition lawmakers would filibuster to prevent the suspensions from reaching a vote. By evening, with no one's mind changed, all lawmakers agreed the debate should end. Every government lawmaker voted for the punishments, while all opposition members voted against them. The law that prompted the protest Thursday's debate capped a fraught episode for race relations in New Zealand, beginning with the controversial bill that the Māori Party lawmakers opposed. The measures would have rewritten principles in the country's founding document, a treaty between Māori tribal leaders and representatives of the British Crown signed at the time New Zealand was colonized. The bill's authors were chagrined by moves from Parliament and the courts in recent decades to enshrine the Treaty of Waitangi's promises. Opponents warned of constitutional crisis if the law was passed and tens of thousands of people marched to Parliament last November to oppose it. Despite growing recognition for the treaty, Māori remain disadvantaged on most social and economic metrics compared to non-Māori New Zealanders. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Russian strike kills 5 in Ukraine, including a 1 year old, hours after Trump-Putin call
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At least five people, including a 1-year-old child, his mother and grandmother, were killed Thursday in a nighttime Russian drone strike that hit the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky, officials said. Six drones hit a residential area in the city at 5:30 a.m. local time, according to authorities. The child killed was the grandson of an emergency responder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. 'One of the rescuers arrived to respond to the aftermath right at his own home,' Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. 'It turned out that a Shahed drone hit his house.' The attack came just hours after Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Trump, Putin said 'very strongly' that Russia will retaliate for Ukraine's weekend stunning drone attacks on Russian military airfields. Drones struck across regions Six people were wounded in the Pryluky attack and are in hospital, officials said. Pryluky, which had a prewar population of around 50,000 people, lies about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Kyiv, the capital. The city is far from the front line and does not contain any known military assets. Zelenskyy said a total of 103 drones and one ballistic missile targeted multiple Ukrainian regions overnight, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Kherson. 'This is another massive strike,' Zelenskyy said. 'It is yet another reason to impose the strongest possible sanctions and apply pressure collectively.' US peace effort remains stalled Zelenskyy, who has accepted a U.S. ceasefire proposal and offered to meet with Putin in an attempt to break the stalemate in negotiations, wants more international sanctions on Russia to force it to accept a settlement. Putin has shown no willingness to meet with Zelenskyy, however, and has indicated no readiness to compromise. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the more than 3-year-long war have delivered no significant progress, and the grinding war of attrition has continued unabated. Germany's new leader Friedrich Merz was due to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday as he works to keep the U.S. on board with Western diplomatic and military support for Ukraine. Ukraine's top presidential aide, Andriy Yermak, met with senior American officials in Washington on Wednesday and called for greater U.S. pressure on Russia, accusing the Kremlin of deliberately stalling ceasefire talks and blocking progress toward peace, according to a statement on the presidential website. Yermak, who traveled to the U.S. as part of a Ukrainian delegation, met with senior American officials to bolster support for Ukraine's defense and humanitarian priorities. He said Ukraine urgently needs stronger air defense capabilities. More people wounded in Kharkiv Hours later, seventeen people were injured in a Russian drone strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Those hurt included children, a pregnant woman, and a 93-year-old woman, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram. At around 1:05 a.m., Shahed-type drones struck two apartment buildings in the city's Slobidskyi district, causing fires and destroying several private vehicles. 'By launching attacks while people sleep in their homes, the enemy once again confirms its tactic of insidious terror,' Syniehubov wrote on Telegram. Russian aircraft also dropped four powerful glide bombs on the southern city of Kherson, injuring at least three people, regional authorities said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at Hanna Arhirova And Illia Novikov, The Associated Press
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Is Losing Support With Hispanics
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump is losing support among Hispanic and Latino voters, according to polling. Since at least the 1960s, Hispanic voters in the U.S. have generally supported Democratic candidates. For example, according to Pew Research Center, about 71 percent of Hispanic voters supported Barack Obama in 2012, and 66 percent backed Hillary Clinton in 2016. In 2020, 63 percent chose Joe Biden, according to AP VoteCast. In 2024, however, Trump made significant gains. His support among Hispanic voters rose to 43 percent—an 8-point increase from 2020 and the highest level for a Republican presidential candidate since such data has been tracked. Meanwhile, 55 percent supported Kamala Harris, narrowing the Democratic advantage. Yet recent polling suggests Trump's momentum is fading. Newsweek's analysis of major surveys since April shows his approval among Hispanic and Latino voters has dropped to 40 percent, with 56 percent disapproving—down from March averages of 43 percent approval and 54 percent disapproval. YouGov's data mirrors this trend, showing Trump's net approval plummeting from -12 in January to -32 in May. President Donald Trump speaks during the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington on May 26 in Arlington, Virginia. President Donald Trump speaks during the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington on May 26 in Arlington, Virginia. Jacquelyn Martin/AP While a few surveys show scattered signs of support, the overwhelming majority of polls conducted from late March to mid-May show Trump underperforming with Hispanic and Latino voters. Echelon Insights, which polled from May 8 to May 12, found Trump's approval at 32 percent and disapproval at 67 percent, marking a sharp drop from his earlier approval rating of 42 percent and disapproval of 56 percent. The Marist/NPR/PBS poll from late April also recorded a similar downward trend, with Trump's approval slipping from 44 percent to 32 percent. Fox News polling from mid-April showed Trump's approval dipping slightly from 44 percent to 41 percent, while McLaughlin found a more substantial drop, from 44 percent to 36 percent. Pew Research Center also reported a stark fall in Trump's favorability, with approval plummeting from 35 percent to 27 percent, and disapproval rising from 62 percent to 72 percent. But some other polls have shown Trump's approval rating increasing among Hispanic voters. For instance, the Civiqs poll conducted from May 17 to May 20 shows a notably higher approval rating of 57 percent among Hispanics, an increase from 42 percent earlier in the year. Likewise, Insider Advantage/Trafalgar's mid-May poll reports a 59 percent approval rating, up from 39 percent in April. However, these results contrast with the broader majority of polling data, which has shown that Trump's ratings remain below 40 percent, while disapproval consistently climbs above 50 or even 60 percent. This decline isn't a sudden collapse but a slow erosion of trust and confidence—particularly among a demographic Trump courted heavily in 2024. Experts point to dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy as a key driver of this shift. It comes after Trump introduced his "Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2. The policy move rattled markets, prompting a sharp sell-off before an eventual recovery. It also saw Trump's overall approval ratings take a hit. And his approval marks among Hispanic voters have not been exempt. The latest YouGov/Economist poll shows that only 32 percent of Hispanic voters approve of Trump's performance on the economy, which is down from 40 percent at the end of March, before he introduced the tariffs. And on the issue of inflation, only 28 percent of Hispanic voters said they approve of Trump's performance, down from 39 percent. Similarly, Fox News shows that Trump's approval rating on the economy among Hispanic voters is down to 37 percent, from 43 percent in March. On inflation, Trump's approval rating was down 10 percentage points, to 30. Meanwhile, 80 percent of Hispanics polled said they think it is extremely or very likely that the U.S. economy will plunge into recession this year. Clarissa Martínez De Castro, vice president of the Latino Vote Initiative, told Newsweek that "Latino voters are frustrated that their economic priorities are being ignored and that a key promise made by President Trump during the election is not being kept." As a result, "Sixty percent of Latino voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 70 percent hold President Trump and his administration responsible," she said, citing an April UnidosUS poll. Poll Date Approve Disapprove Civiqs May 17-20 57 43 YouGov/Economist May 23-26 31 61 HarrisX May 14-15 39 52 Echelon Insights May 8-12 32 67 Quantus May 18-20 40 53 YouGov April 25-May 2 33 61 Insider Advantage/Trafalgar May 17-19 59 40 ActiVote April 1-April 30 55 43 Lord Ashcroft Politics April 9-30 40 58 Navigator Research May 15-18 41 55 Emerson College April 25-28 41 44 YouGov/Yahoo May 22-27 26 63 Decision Desk/News Nation April 23-27 40 60 YouGov/CBS April 23-25 40 60 NYT/Sienna April 21-24 36 59 Marist/NPR/PBS April 21-23 32 57 YouGov/Times April 21-23 32 64 Ipsos/ABC/Post April 18-22 32 63 Fox News April 18-21 41 59 McLaughlin April 16-19 36 64 Remington March 15-April 18 55 45 AtlasIntel April 10-14 49 51 Pew April 7-13 27 72 University of Massachusetts/YouGov April 4-9 37 59 Cygnal April 1-3 46 51 Marquette May 5-15 37 63 Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, emphasized that economic discontent played a significant role in Trump's earlier gains but is now undermining his support. "Over half of Hispanic voters feel the economy is worse now than a year ago, and nearly as many believe it will be worse a year from now," she said. "Economic discontent was the most potent driver of increased Latino support for Trump in 2024." Martínez De Castro added, "For many Latinos, inflation, wages, and housing affordability remain top concerns. Sixty percent believe the President and Republicans are not focusing enough on lowering prices, and over half think the economy has worsened and will continue to decline under Trump's policies. The president owns the economy now, and Hispanic voters are not seeing the quick turnaround he promised." Immigration has further dented Trump's standing among Hispanic voters. His aggressive policies, including expanded ICE enforcement and National Guard involvement, have targeted not just criminals but also long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records. From his inauguration on January 20 through February, over 40 percent of deportees had no criminal history. Pew Research Center polling shows that only about one-third of Americans support mass deportations, with most preferring to prioritize violent criminals and showing far less support for deporting those with family ties or brought to the U.S. as children. President Donald Trump is losing support among Hispanic and Latino voters, according to polling. President Donald Trump is losing support among Hispanic and Latino voters, according to polling. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva This sentiment is also shared by Hispanic voters, Martínez De Castro said. She warned: "Eight in ten Hispanic voters support deporting dangerous criminals, but President Trump and congressional Republicans should not target long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records. Latino voters want policies that are firm, fair, and free of cruelty, but that is not what they are witnessing in their communities." Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, echoed these concerns, saying Trump's policies have "vilified our communities and disregarded people's rights." He highlighted the rise in hate crimes, family separations, and the targeting of law-abiding immigrants as consequences of the administration's approach. "Many immigrants who worked hard to secure legal protections, such as TPS and work permits, are having those protections stripped away," he said. Recent polls have shown a broader trend of voters becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Trump's performance on the economy and immigration, which were previously his strongest. His "Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2 rattled markets, prompting a sharp sell-off before an eventual recovery. But public sentiment did not rebound as quickly as the Dow. Polls throughout April showed sliding approval ratings. The president has also seen kinks in the rollout of his aggressive immigration agenda, which has attracted legal scrutiny. One high-profile case involves Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported from Maryland in what the Department of Justice called an "administrative error." The Trump administration labeled Garcia a member of MS-13, now designated a terrorist group, but his family and lawyers deny any connection. Trump's mass deportation plan seeks to remove millions of undocumented immigrants through expanded ICE enforcement and National Guard involvement, focusing not only on criminals but also on many without criminal records. Early in his presidency, ICE arrested over 32,000 people, nearly half with no criminal history, and by February, over 40 percent of deportees had no criminal record. Despite this aggressive approach, public support is limited. An April Pew Research Center poll found only about one-third of Americans support deporting all undocumented immigrants, with most favoring deportation primarily for violent criminals and much less support for deporting those with family ties or who came to the U.S. as children. And such sentiment also exists among Hispanic voters. Martínez De Castro highlighted that while economic concerns helped Trump gain Hispanic support in 2024, the optimism has quickly faded. "Sixty percent of Latino voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 70 percent of them hold President Trump and his administration responsible," she told Newsweek, citing an April UnidosUS poll. "Latino voters are frustrated that their economic priorities are being ignored and that a key promise made by President Trump during the election is not being kept. Economic discontent was the most potent driver in the 2024 election, helping President Trump increase support among Latinos. But over half of Hispanic voters feel the economy is worse now than a year ago and nearly as many believe it will be worse a year from now," Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, said at the time. Martínez De Castro added that for many Latinos, economic issues like inflation, wages and housing affordability remain top priorities, yet "60 percent believe the President and Republicans are not focusing enough on lowering prices," and over half think the economy has worsened and will continue to decline under Trump's policies. Martínez De Castro noted bluntly, "The president owns the economy now, and Hispanic voters are not seeing the quick turnaround the President promised." Miranda also criticized the administration for "actively dismantling the asylum system for some of the most vulnerable and deserving applicants escaping violence and persecution from Latin America," while simultaneously easing restrictions for others. He warned that "Such action is only serving to alienate the Latino community from the Trump administration and driving people who want to care for loved ones into the shadows."
