The Democratic Senator has eviscerated the president for trying to blame her party for a mess entirely of his own making.
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Newsweek
15 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Threatens 'Stupid' Iran
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 ridiculed Iran's continued pursuit of uranium enrichment following U.S. airstrikes on its key nuclear sites last month, expressing disbelief on Sunday at Tehran's persistence despite what he described as a decisive military blow to its ambitions. "They got the hell knocked out of them and they…I don't think they know it," Trump told reporters at his golf course in the Scottish village of Turnberry. He said Iran's insistence on enrichment was "stupid" and vowed to stop the program outright. Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's Foreign Ministry for comment. Why It Matters Trump's comments marked one of the sharpest threats from Washington since last month's 12-day war, when Israeli and U.S. strikes targeted Iran's nuclear facilities. Despite the losses, Tehran remains defiant on uranium enrichment—a key issue behind decades of U.S.-Iran tensions. The U.S. leader's remarks highlight a growing divide: Iran claims its program is peaceful and scientific, while the U.S. sees enrichment as a path to nuclear weapons—something Trump insists he would never allow. President Donald Trump speaks as he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks as he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo What to Know Following a meeting with EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen, Trump expressed surprise at Iran's ongoing pursuit of uranium enrichment. "They still talk about enrichment," he said. "Who would do that? You just come out of something that's so bad, and they talk about, we want to continue enrichment." He added: "How stupid can you be to say that?" Trump also condemned Iran's rhetoric, saying: "Iran has been very nasty with their words, with their mouth. They got the hell knocked out of them and they…I don't think they know it. I actually don't think they know." Nuclear Damage On June 22, U.S. forces struck Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz, following a 12-day Israeli offensive. In retaliation, Iran launched missile attacks on Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar—the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East—claiming it was a direct response to American aggression. Although Iran reported successful strikes, U.S. and Qatari officials stated that all missiles were intercepted and no casualties or major damage occurred. Portraits of children and teenagers who were killed in the June 13 Israeli airstrike at a residential compound in Tehran, Iran, are displayed with some of their belongings on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Portraits of children and teenagers who were killed in the June 13 Israeli airstrike at a residential compound in Tehran, Iran, are displayed with some of their belongings on Saturday, July 19, 2025. AP Photo National Pride Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently reaffirmed that Iran would not abandon its uranium enrichment program. He called the effort both a scientific success and a patriotic symbol. "Our enrichment is so dear to us," Araghchi said. Meanwhile, Iran has said that it would proceed with nuclear negotiations alongside European powers following "serious, frank and detailed" discussions in Istanbul last week. What People Are Saying U.S. President Donald Trump: "The whole thing's a con job…Iran was beaten up very badly, for good reason. We cannot have them have a nuclear weapon." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: "Obviously we cannot give up our enrichment, because it is an achievement of our own scientists and now more than that, it is a question of national pride." What Happens Next Trump's latest comments indicate the U.S. will continue pressuring Iran diplomatically and militarily to abandon uranium enrichment. While talks with European powers are ongoing following recent meetings in Turkey, no deal has been reached yet, and tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high with the risk of further escalation.
News24
18 minutes ago
- News24
Markets boosted after EU, US strike trade deal
Stock markets rose in Europe and Asia on Monday after the European Union and United States hammered out a deal to avert a potentially damaging trade war. News of the deal, announced by US president Donald Trump and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, followed a series of US trade agreements last week, including with Japan, and comes ahead of a new round of China-US talks. Investors were also gearing up for a busy week of data, central bank decisions and earnings from some of the world's biggest companies. Trump and von der Leyen announced at his golf resort in Scotland that a baseline tariff of 15 percent would be levied on EU exports to the United States. "We've reached a deal. It's a good deal for everybody. This is probably the biggest deal ever reached in any capacity," Trump said, adding that the levies would apply across the board, including for Europe's crucial automobile sector, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Brussels also agreed to purchase "$750 billion worth of energy" from the United States, as well as make $600 billion in additional investments. "It's a good deal," von der Leyen said. "It will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic." Equities built on their recent rally, fanned by relief that countries were reaching deals with Washington. Paris rose one percent, with Frankfurt and London also tracking gains in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington, Taipei and Jakarta. Tokyo fell for a second day, having soared about five percent on Wednesday and Thursday in reaction to Japan's US deal. Singapore, Manila and Mumbai were also lower. The broad gains came after another record day for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq on Wall Street. "The news flow from both the extension with China and the agreement with the EU is clearly market-friendly, and should put further upside potential into the euro... and should also put renewed upside into EU equities," said Chris Weston at Pepperstone. Traders are gearing up for a packed week, with a delegation including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holding fresh trade talks with a Chinese team headed by Vice Premier He Lifeng in Stockholm. While in April both countries imposed tariffs that reached triple-digits, US duties this year have temporarily been lowered to 30 percent and China's countermeasures slashed to 10 percent. The 90-day truce, instituted after talks in Geneva in May, is set to expire on August 12. China said it was seeking "mutual respect and reciprocity" in the talks. Also on the agenda are earnings from tech titans Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft, as well as data on US economic growth and jobs. The Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting is expected to conclude with officials standing pat on interest rates, though investors are keen to see what their views are on the outlook for the rest of the year in light of Trump's tariffs and recent trade deals. "We think the data supports a Fed on hold in July, but absent a significant upside surprise in the upcoming inflation data, September could be a 'live' meeting for a resumption of rate cuts, especially if economic activity data and possibly overwhelming political pressure force the Fed's hand," said Michael Krautzberger at Allianz. The Bank of Japan is also forecast to hold off on any big moves on borrowing costs. By mid-morning, the JSE's All-Share index was flat, with Valterra down more than 2% after releasing its results.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Does this look like a real woman? AI Vogue model raises concerns about beauty standards
There's a new supermodel in town. She's striking, stylish... and not real. In August's print edition of Vogue, a Guess advert features a flawless blonde model showing off a striped maxi dress and a floral playsuit from the brand's summer collection. In small print in one corner, the ad reveals that she was created using AI. While Vogue says the AI model was not an editorial decision, it is the first time an AI-generated person has featured in the magazine. The advert has been met with controversy and raises questions about what this means for real models who have fought for greater diversity, and for consumers - particularly young people - already struggling with unrealistic beauty standards. Seraphinne Vallora is the company behind Guess's controversial advert. Its founders, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, tell the BBC they were approached by Guess's co-founder, Paul Marciano, on Instagram and were asked to create an AI model as part of the brand's summer campaign. "We created 10 draft models for him and he selected one brunette woman and one blonde that we went ahead and developed further," Gonzalez says. She explains there's often a misconception that AI image generation is simple, saying it is actually a complex process. The company has five employees who create AI models, and it can take up to a month from idea inception to the completed product. The pair say they charge anywhere up to low six figures for a client like Guess. 'Disheartening' But Felicity Hayward, a plus-size model who has been in the industry for more than a decade, says using AI models in fashion campaigns "feels lazy and cheap". "Either Guess is doing this to create a talking point and get free publicity or they want to cut costs and don't think about the implications of that." She describes Vogue's decision to include the advert as "very disheartening and quite scary", and worries it could undermine years of work towards more diversity in the industry. The fashion world was making real progress to be more inclusive in the 2010s - the decade saw Valentina Sampaio become the first openly trans model to walk for Victoria's Secret, Halima Aden was the first hijab-wearing model in global campaigns, and brands like Savage x Fenty featured plus-size models on the runway. But in recent years, Hayward believes, the industry has slipped backwards because "these people are just not getting booked any more". And the use of AI models is "another kick in the teeth, and one that will disproportionately affect plus-size models", she warns. Gonzalez and Petrescu are adamant they don't reinforce narrow beauty standards. "We don't create unattainable looks - actually the AI model for Guess looks quite realistic," Petrescu says. "Ultimately, all adverts are created to look perfect and usually have supermodels in, so what we are doing is no different." The pair admit the AI images on their company's Instagram page are lacking in diversity and promote unrealistic beauty standards. They say they have tried to be more inclusive, but it's the users who don't engage much with those posts. "We've posted AI images of women with different skin tones, but people do not respond to them - we don't get any traction or likes," Gonzalez tells the BBC. "At the end of the day, we are a business and use images on Instagram that will create a conversation and bring us clients." The company is yet to experiment with creating plus-size women, claiming "the technology is not advanced enough for that". An ad campaign by Dove in 2024 was designed to highlight the biases in AI. In the advert, an image generator is asked to create the most beautiful woman in the world and produces virtually indistinguishable women who are young, thin and white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The images generated look similar to the Guess AI model. Hayward worries that seeing these unattainable images could have an impact on people's mental health and negatively affect their body image. Concern around unrealistic beauty standards and the damaging effects they can have is nothing new. But unlike traditional airbrushing, which at least began with a real person, these AI models are digitally created to look perfect, free from human flaws, inconsistencies or uniqueness. While some high-profile figures such as Ashley Graham, Jameela Jamil and Bella Thorne have spoken out against image editing and refuse to have their pictures Photoshopped, the use of AI sidesteps such conversations entirely. Vogue's decision to include an AI-generated advert has caused a stir on social media, with one user on X writing: "Wow! As if the beauty expectations weren't unrealistic enough, here comes AI to make them impossible. Even models can't compete." Vanessa Longley, CEO of eating disorder charity Beat, tells the BBC the advert is "worrying". "If people are exposed to images of unrealistic bodies, it can affect their thoughts about their own body, and poor body image increases the risk of developing an eating disorder," she says. 'Exceptionally problematic' Adding to the issue is the lack of transparency - it is not a legal requirement to label AI-generated content in the UK. While Guess labelled its advert as AI-generated, the disclaimer is small and subtle. Readers may overlook it and, at a glance, the image appears entirely lifelike. Sinead Bovell, a former model and now tech entrepreneur, wrote an article for Vogue five years ago about the risks of AI replacing modelling. She tells the BBC that not labelling AI content clearly is "exceptionally problematic" because it could have a detrimental impact on people's mental health. "Beauty standards are already being influenced by AI. There are young girls getting plastic surgery to look like a face in a filter – and now we see people who are entirely artificial," she says. Aside from the impact AI models could have on a consumer, especially if unlabelled, what about the impact of this technology on those working in the fashion industry? Sara Ziff is a former model and founder of Model Alliance, an organisation that aims to advance workers' rights in the fashion industry. She says Guess's AI campaign is "less about innovation and more about desperation and need to cut costs". More broadly, the former model thinks AI in the fashion industry is not inherently exploitative, but can often come at the expense of the people who bring it to life because there are many more staff involved in a photoshoot than just the model and the photographer. "AI can positively impact the industry, but there need to be meaningful protections for workers," she explains. 'Supplement not replace' Seraphinne Vallora rejects the notion that it is putting people out of work, and says its pioneering technology "is supplementary and not meant to replace models". "We're offering companies another choice in how they market a product," Petrescu explains. The pair add that they have created jobs with their company, and part of the process of creating AI models requires them to hire a real model and photographer to see how the product looks on a person in real life. However, its website lists one of the benefits of working with them as being cost-efficient because it "eliminates the need for expensive set-ups, MUA artists, venue rentals, stage setting, photographers, travel expenses, hiring models". Vogue has come under fire for including the advert in its print edition, with one person on X saying the fashion magazine had "lost credibility". Bovell says the magazine is "seen as the supreme court of the fashion industry", so allowing the AI advert to run means they are "in some way ruling it as acceptable". The BBC approached Vogue and Guess for comment. Vogue said it was an advert, not an editorial decision, but declined to respond further. So, what does the future of the modelling industry look like? Gonzalez and Petrescu believe that as their technology improves, they will be even more in demand by brands looking to do things differently. Bovell thinks there will be more AI-generated models in the future, but "we aren't headed to a future where every model is created by AI". She sees positives in the development of AI in the industry - predicting that anybody could "start to see ourselves as the fashion models" because we will be able to create a personal AI avatar to see how clothes look and fit. However, she adds that we may get to the stage of "society opting out, and not being interested in AI models because it's so unattainable and we know it's not real". More Weekend Picks The procedures driving UK's cosmetic surgery rise Women share their bittersweet experience after taking weight-loss drugs Can LED face masks transform your skin? Here's what the experts say Solve the daily Crossword
