Latest news with #Dasha
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Health
- New Straits Times
Babies born in bomb shelters as Ukraine population plummets
DEEP beneath Kyiv, midwives are busy in a bomb shelter-turned-labour ward, where flickering lights cut through the dark to cast long shadows along its cold, concrete halls. But births are few and far between as Ukraine's population plummets after more than three years of conflict and the mass exodus that Russia's invasion triggered. As war drags on without relent, Ukraine faces a quieter — if more existential — crisis: demographic collapse. Since the war began in 2022, the population has shrunk by more than 10 million, or around a quarter. The country now has one of the world's lowest birth rates and one of the highest death rates — 18.6 deaths per 1,000 people, according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The birth rate has simultaneously fallen to about 0.9 children per woman, down from 1.16 before 2022, according to a government official. "The demographic situation is really dark," said Olga Oleinikova, a Ukrainian-born associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She said unless Ukraine reformed its crumbling healthcare system and addressed the trauma caused by war, the death toll would keep climbing — and long after the conflict ends. In the bunker-turned-ward, Alla Lobas, head midwife of Kyiv City Clinical Hospital, works at a place where hope meets fear. "When the women hear explosions and you see the patient who is about to give birth, tears are just streaming down their faces. The mothers are trembling, but when they feel the baby on their chest, it brings a little calm. They feel they must protect their child, and things shift." "The future of Ukraine lies here," she said. Liliya Ozel is part of that future but her story highlights the difficulties facing Ukrainians who want children. In May, she was preparing to give birth at the Kyiv City Maternity Ward, having left her husband and two daughters, aged 4 and 7, in Turkiye where they fled at the start of the war. "My daughter struggled emotionally — the sirens, the alerts. She still wets the bed sometimes." Ozel's husband was allowed to leave because he has Turkish citizenship, but under martial law, Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are banned from going abroad without special permission. Daniil Horobchenko is among them. He married Dasha weeks after the invasion in a wedding celebrated under sirens and blackouts. Today their dream of raising a child is unthinkable. "One of the crucial moments was the electricity blackouts. We saw the hospitals with many pregnant women being shelled," said Dasha. "They also bomb the schools and then all the places where kids can be, even playgrounds." Some mothers take another route. Deep in the forests of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, a group of women stand behind mounted machine guns, eyes fixed on the sky in search of enemy drones. Kuma, a mother of two, once lectured in economics but has now joined the "Women of Bucha" — civilians turned defenders. "I have two small children, aged 10 and 9. They must be protected. Every time I send them to school, I have to be sure that a drone won't come and crash on them," she said. Countless mothers are now sole parents; fathers killed in battle, missing or on the frontlines. The US Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimates 60,000 to 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed. War would haunt children into adulthood without speedy intervention now, said Kyiv-based psychologist Aksana Piseva. "These kids, these teenagers, they were 15 when the war started, now they're 18 ... If we don't give them the tools to survive and heal now, the trauma will shape everything they do." Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Voices of Children Foundation which delivers psychological aid to children in war zones, said all Ukraine's children had been affected. "Some children now believe war is all they'll ever know." Yet in an act of hope and defiance, Rozvadovska is now pregnant with her first child. "You can die any day and at any time and it makes you think — what's really meaningful in life? Your loved ones," she said. "We don't want to lose our country. We have to fight for our next generation with everything we can. So let's have a baby." The writer is from Reuters
Metro
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Russian TikTokkers 'arrested for taking selfies outside oil depot inferno'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A Ukrainian drone strike on an oil depot in Sochi – the Russian resort that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic Games – was captured in a video shared online by two TikTok influencers. Footage circulating online shows two young women posing metres away from the inferno, allegedly caused by drone debris hitting a fuel tank. The pair have since been identified as Dasha Vladimirovna, 21, and Karina Evgenyevna, 19 – who have since been detained for accidentally exposing Vladimir Putin's failures to defend Russia. Flames are seen raging behind the two, with pillars of smoke rising into the sky, after the overnight attack. Dasha and Karina do not appear shocked – in the video, they are rapping to the track Crimson Dawn by singer Endshpil, a famous Russian rapper. Before they were identified, police had issued an appeal to members of the piublic, saying: 'During Internet monitoring, a publication was found of two girls filming a video against the backdrop of a fire in Sochi. 'The police have initiated an investigation, measures are being taken to identify the girls, and their actions will be legally assessed.' It was later confirmed that Dasha and Karina had been detained, and there were calls from pro-war outlets for them to issue a public apology over the stunt close to Sochi Airport. Police have not shared the real reason for their arrest, but it is likely that it is the potential glamourising of a Ukrainian strike on Putin's favourite Black Sea resort. The Kremlin has been taking an increasingly hard line against social media stunts seen as highlighting Ukraine's successes in the war. Ukraine's attack is seen as one of the most symbolically and strategically significant ones – deep within Russian territory since the start of the full-scale invasion. The oil depot sustained a direct hit, causing the explosion of a 2,000 cubic metre fuel reservoir and sparking a fire visible across Sochi. More than 120 firefighters and 35 emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene, and operations at the nearby airport were suspended as a precaution. Despite the official account from the governor of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev, describing the incident as a result of falling drone fragments, widespread footage circulating online paints a starkly different picture. More Trending Videos captured by local residents show towering plumes of black smoke, an orange-glowing night sky, and the sound of drones overhead. In one video, a panicked resident exclaims: 'It's flying, again! Right to the airport!' Moments later, another voice shouts, 'It's a tragedy! Everything's burning!' These images have sharply contrasted with the restrained language used by Russia's regional and federal authorities. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump moves nuclear submarines and threatens Russia over 'foolish' statements MORE: Ukrainian prisoner reveals what helped him survive 860 days in Putin's hellish jails MORE: I've studied tsunamis for 25 years – here are the deadly warning signs one is on its way
Scottish Sun
03-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
Influencers arrested after posting TikTok video posing in front of flaming Russian plant after Ukrainian strike
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TWO influencers have been arrested after posting a TikTok posing in front of a flaming Russian plant following a Ukrainian strike. A drone dramatically exploded the military-linked Rosneft-Kubannefteprodukt oil depot in Sochi. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Russian influencers Dasha, 21, and Karina, 19, filmed rapping in front of burning oil depot hit by a Ukrainian drone in Sochi now face a police probe Credit: East2West 9 The pair posted the video online Credit: East2West 9 A police bulletin circulated in Sochi calls for the public to help locate two young women filmed rapping in front of a burning oil depot Credit: East2West 9 Ukrainian drones hit Rosneft oil depot in Sochi, sparking massive fire and explosions near airport Credit: East2West TikTokers Dasha Vladimirovna, 21, and Karina Evgenyevna, 19, were filmed rapping in front of the burning facility. They are captured in footage glorying in the Ukrainian strike which Putin's air defences failed to prevent. The video was posted to a track Crimson Dawn by singer Endshpil, a Russian rapper. Dasha and Karina were also with a man - but it was unclear if he had been hauled to the police as well. A police "wanted" notice only specified the two women. 'During Internet monitoring, a publication was found showing two girls filming a video against the backdrop of a fire in Sochi,' a police statement said before the influencers were identified. It added: "The police have initiated an investigation, measures are being taken to identify the girls, and their actions will be legally assessed." Later it was confirmed the duo had been detained, and there were calls from pro-war outlets for them to issue a public apology over the stunt close to Sochi airport. Kremlin moral guardian Yekaterina Mizulina, 40, head of Russia's Safe Internet League, said: 'Young people are filming content against the backdrop of drones flying into Sochi at night. 'I wonder what's wrong with the instinct for self-preservation? Defiant Putin bombs key Kherson bridge as Ukraine strikes back with massive drone strike on Russia's biggest resort 'Don't they understand that this is simply dangerous?' But the real reason for their arrest is the potential glamourising of a Ukrainian strike in Russia's largest resort. Moscow takes an increasingly aggressive, extreme stance against social media stunts seen as highlighting Ukraine's successes in the war. A Ukrainian outlet Pravda Gerashchenko mocked: 'Russian zoomers are happy about the burning oil depot in [Sochi] - a new location for selfies. 'Ukrainian defence forces will definitely try to create as many such locations as possible.' The song 'conveys a search for direction, belonging and hope through music and the hip-hop community,' said one source. 'It reflects on life's struggles, yearning for freedom, and finding strength and identity through artistic expression.' Russian forces last night bombed a key bridge used to transport military logistics in the Ukrainian frontline city of Kherson. 9 They are captured in footage glorying in the Ukrainian strike which Putin's air defences failed to prevent Credit: East2West 9 The video was posted to a track Crimson Dawn by singer Endshpil, a Russian rapper Credit: East2West 9 Ukrainian drones hit Rosneft oil depot in Sochi, sparking massive fire and explosions near airport Credit: East2West Footage shows a Russian airstrike destroying the key road crossing on the Dnipro River after dropping two guided bombs. The attack damaged a bridge connecting the city to the Korabel neighbourhood. A few homes and a high-rise residential building were also damaged, officials said. A defiant Vladimir Putin has snubbed peace and is instead steadily increasing his overnight bombing raids - which could soon hit 1,000 a day. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents of the Korabel district to evacuate, citing complications with logistics and infrastructure. He wrote on Telegram: "As a result of the enemy airstrike, logistics have been complicated. "Because of this, it will be difficult to deliver food and other things for the time being." Kherson Oblast, which is just near the Russian-occupied Crimean region, is frequently targeted by the Russians. Kyiv sought revenge by launching a massive drone attack targeting Russia's main resort city of Sochi, where Putin is said to be rebuilding one of his palaces. More than 120 firefighters were trying to extinguish a blaze at an oil depot that was sparked by the drone attack, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said. A massive fuel tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres was on fire, Russia's RIA news agency reported. Some 30 huge explosions led to a massive inferno at the facility close to the main airport often used by the Russian dictator. 9 The moment Putin's army bombs a bridge in Kherson, Ukraine Credit: East2West
The Citizen
29-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
St Teresa's Senior Primary School gymnast makes her school proud
St Teresa's Senior Primary School is elated about the recent outstanding achievements of Dasha Mapamba, who had an exceptional season in the world of acrobatic sport. Dasha, who trains at the Natasha Academy of Dancing (NAD), has shown unwavering dedication and a deep passion for Acrobatic Sport Solo Dance (ASSD). At the regional competitions, Dasha was placed second with a strong score of 9.47 out of 10. She went on to achieve first place at the district level, recording the highest score in her category with an impressive 9.75. Her journey continued at provincial championships, where she once again reached the podium, placing second with a score of 9.80. Also read: St Teresa's Junior Primary turns wild for a day with PTA big walk Crowning her season, the St Teresa's senior learner represented Gauteng province at the Acrobatic Sport South Africa (ASSA) National Championships, where she finished third overall and achieved her personal best score of 9.87. In recognition of her outstanding performances and dedication to the sport, the gymnast was awarded National Federation Colours in Acrobatic Sport Solo Dance. 'We are immensely proud of Dasha, not only for her results, but for the grace, determination and sportsmanship she has shown every step of the way,' said Lianda May, admissions and marketing at the school. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration!
Politico
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Politico
A big, beautiful week
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On the Playbook Podcast this morning, Jack and Dasha discuss the political fallout from the 'big, beautiful bill,' the latest legal dispute over Trump's immigration crackdown … and why it's surprisingly easy to get drunk up a mountain. Tune in. Good Monday morning from Colorado, where Playbook has been camped out at the Aspen Ideas Festival all weekend long. (It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.) This is Jack Blanchard. ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: This newsletter comes to you from an elevation of 8,000 feet, where your intrepid author — along with ace Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns and POLITICO legend Jonathan Martin — have been chairing discussion panels, political interviews and beer-soaked bar room chats at the beautiful Aspen Meadows resort. Dasha's jaw-dropping debate on the future of warfare — featuring retired Gen. David Petraeus, among others — is very much worth your time if you fancy a glimpse of the dystopian future ahead. Video here TikTok you don't stop: Your author's discussion on political TikTok was another eye-opener — at least for pre-Gen Z politicos (like myself) who haven't yet fully immersed themselves in this brave new world. 'Woke teen' sensation Dean Withers — he's actually now 20 — discussed the viral appeal of his political debate videos, which rack up tens of millions of views online; Gen Z podcaster extraordinaire Brad Polumbo picked through the pros and cons of TikTok as information source; Conservateur founder Jayme Franklin put up a strident defense of Gen Z's ability to separate fact from fiction. The whole event is genuinely enlightening if you feel you're less plugged in to next-gen politics than you should be ... Watch back here SPOTTED milling with the crowds at Aspen this week: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … John Dickerson … Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd … Kathleen Sebelius … Sophie Grégoire Trudeau … Ehud Olmert … Charlie Dent … Julie Pace … Gillian Tett … Sylvia Burwell … NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya … Jake Sullivan … Zanny Minton Beddoes … plus a marmet, coyote, some friendly deer, and even — a little further up the mountain — a couple of bears. In today's Playbook … — Vote-a-rama in the Senate as the 'big, beautiful bill' enters its final week. Probably. — CACO? Canada backs down over Trump trade ultimatum. — Another big day in court as Trump's deportation plan hits the Fifth Circuit. DRIVING THE DAY 'RAMA DRAMA: Donald Trump's flagship legislation is — surely? — entering its final, chaotic home stretch this morning as the Senate begins the vote-a-rama process. Democrats will begin laying down amendments at 9 a.m. at the start of another long day on the Senate floor, with proceedings expected to stretch into the evening and perhaps beyond. But the White House remains confident the 'big, beautiful bill' is very much on track and will be back before House Republicans by Wednesday for further votes. Trump wants it on his desk and ready to sign before the July Fourth fireworks on Friday night. Daddy's happy: 'ONE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL is moving along nicely!' Trump wrote on Truth Social early this morning. Thom's bomb: It follows a dramatic weekend of pleas, threats and late-night deals — all in Washington's finest traditions, of course — which saw Trump take a huge step toward passage of his bill, and which culminated in yesterday's stunning announcement from rebel Republican Sen. Thom Tillis that he will not be seeking reelection in North Carolina. That came after a barrage of anger and abuse was directed his way by Trump and the MAGA faithful over his decision to vote against the bill on Saturday night. Tillis unleashed: Tillis' looming departure has instantly injected some fresh buzz into the political conversation in D.C; not least because we now have a second GOP senator (alongside Mitch McConnell) who clearly now gives — to be crude — no shits at all what Trump thinks. Witness Tillis' performance on the Senate floor last night, shredding Trump's flagship legislation before the eyes of the world and even suggesting the president has been duped. The next 18 months in Tillis world may be quite a lot of fun. Equally: His decision to not even try and take on the might of MAGA in a 2026 primary is yet another illustration of the incredible power Trump holds over his party — and serves as a useful warning to any wavering GOP holdouts about what's headed their way if they don't fall into line. Meanwhile in North Carolina … An almighty midterm struggle now awaits. An open seat in a purple state suddenly looks like one of the most interesting Senate races of 2026, especially if each side can nail down one of the high-profile candidates being touted around. For the GOP, none would carry more notoriety than Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, whom Dasha reports is 'taking a serious look' at the seat. There are loads more interesting names in the mix too, the most eye-catching being NRCC Chair Richard Hudson — a guy who's really meant to be focused on getting Republican House members reelected right now. Yikes. And in the blue corner … Dems are still praying that Roy Cooper agrees to enter the fray, believing the former governor's powerful name recognition and local popularity could flip North Carolina blue for the first time in more than a decade. Regardless of candidates, the Cook Report has already flipped its analysis of the seat to 'toss-up' in the wake of Tillis' departure. The Dems, of course, need to flip several tough-looking Republican seats to stand any chance of winning back the Senate. Full story on the race for North Carolina here via POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky and colleagues. Back to the bill: The bitter internal rows over policy that have beset this legislation from the outset are still rumbling on, even as it reaches its climax — POLITICO's Inside Congress newsletter has a useful rundown of the latest sticking points. Today's big battles include a last-minute push for extra Medicaid cuts led by Sen Rick Scott (R-Fla.) — essentially repealing Barack Obama's expansion of Medicaid for new entrants from 2031 — which has the crucial backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune. We'll also see a bid to double bailout funds for rural hospitals led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). As ever, a tweak in either direction risks upsetting either GOP moderates or fiscal hawks — particularly within the House GOP conference, which is readying itself for another tough round of voting from 9 a.m. Wednesday. The House Freedom Caucus on one side, and a bunch of Medicaid moderates on the other, are already making grumpy noises about the changes the Senate has made … Expect plenty more infighting in the days ahead. But let's face it … As far as this meekest of all Congresses is concerned, what Donald Trump wants, Donald Trump ultimately gets. It's hard to see any other outcome than the passage of this bill in the coming days. Looking further ahead … There's a dawning realization on the Hill that the procedural tricks being deployed by GOP leaders to get this thing done may someday come back to bite them. The Republicans' use of the so-called current policy baseline — an accounting trick by which temporary tax cuts are made permanent without any apparent cost in the budget — could in theory be used in equally imaginative ways by a future Dem trifecta to enact high-cost policies like Medicare For All via reconciliation, as NBC's Sahil Kapur notes here. Big question: Could that specter be enough to trigger GOP fiscal hawks to actually block the ruse today? Either way, it plays into a bigger picture of a massive expansion of ruling-party powers under Trump 2.0 that may one day benefit the Dems. The Supreme Court judgment on Friday that federal courts cannot so easily block executive actions looks like another prime example … You can almost hear Future President AOC (or whomever) bowing down in gratitude for that one. TRUMP VS. THE WORLD ELBOWS DOWN: Trump is certainly on a bit of a roll at the moment — as his press secretary Karoline Leavitt will no doubt be keen to tell us in her 1 p.m. press briefing — and last night he notched up another significant win when Canada backed down in the latest trade dispute. ICYMI on Friday, Trump said he was abandoning ongoing talks with Canada over PM Mark Carney's refusal to nix a Digital Services Tax that was poised to clobber big U.S. tech firms like Amazon, Apple and Meta. CACO CARNEY? But at the eleventh hour last night — shortly before the tax was due to come into effect — Carney said he was dropping the whole thing in order to resume trade talks with the U.S. It follows a phone call between Trump and Carney yesterday afternoon in which they agreed to resume working towards a deal by July 21, AP reports. Talking trade: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be on Bloomberg TV and Radio at 9:30 a.m., and we'll likely hear from the president himself either on Truth Social or at an executive order signing session at 2.30 p.m. Away from Canada, other countries are still plodding toward Trump's July 9 deadline — and one reason talks with India and other countries have dragged out is that the U.S. is driving too hard a bargain, POLITICO's Daniel Desrochers and Megan Messerly report. The 'all-sticks-and-no-carrot approach' has made it too hard for foreign governments to swallow deals they can't sell to their electorates, they reckon. SPEAKING OF STICKS AND CARROTS: Trump's promise of talks with Iran this week appears to be dead. Trump posted on social media this morning — in a message randomly aimed at Democratic Sen. Chris Coons — that he is 'not offering Iran ANYTHING … nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities.' So that's that. Lordy, there are tapes: But the debate about the extent of the success of the U.S. air strikes is set to continue, despite the White House's aggressive pushback. WaPo's John Hudson and Warren Strobel scooped yesterday that preliminary U.S. intelligence captured Iranian officials saying the damage wasn't as bad as they'd feared. Leavitt said the Post was 'shameful' for reporting on the intercepted communications. The forgotten conflicts: The Israel-Iran war has distracted from the fact that devastating conflicts are still raging in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan (which has perhaps the highest death toll by some estimates, but has gotten scant attention in D.C.). Ukraine said it suffered the biggest air attack by Russia this weekend since Moscow invaded three years ago — just the latest sign President Vladimir Putin has zero interest in making peace. In the Middle East: Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will be in D.C. today to meet with U.S. officials as the administration ramps up pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the attacks on Iran had opened up more space to rescue hostages held by Hamas — 'a potentially significant change' in his rhetoric, CNN's Oren Liebermann and Tamar Michaelis report. Palestinian officials said Israel had killed scores more people over the weekend. JUDICIARY SQUARE SCOTUS WATCH: More announcements are expected from the Supreme Court at 9:30 a.m., as the justices tee up more cases for the fall. (See the list of cases already lined up for the post-summer period here). And though the court has wrapped up its traditional-docket decisions for the term, observers — including thousands of federal employees — are still waiting on some high-profile emergency appeals. They include whether the Trump administration can proceed with more sweeping layoffs across the government, and further clarification on a previous SCOTUS ruling about deporting immigrants to third-party countries. Today's big hearing: Then at 3 p.m. ET, attention will shift to New Orleans for a crucial appellate court hearing on Trump's use of the 18th century Alien Enemies Act to disappear Venezuelans into a Salvadoran megaprison without due process. After months of back and forth in the courts on the matter, this 'is likely to be the decisive legal battle,' NYT's Alan Feuer previews. That's because the case is probably headed for the Supreme Court to consider the substance of the issue in full for the first time. Today's appeals panel is made up of judges picked by Trump, Joe Biden and George W. Bush. Speaking of immigration: It looks like Trump may head to Florida tomorrow for the opening of a new migrant detention center dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' The Palm Beach Post's Antonio Fins reports. The controversial Everglades facility is already the subject of environmental lawsuits, and opponents have warned that its conditions will be inhumane and unaccountable. It's part of the administration's effort to turbocharge mass deportations — and Florida's eagerness to help. Related read: 'Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations,' by ProPublica's Justin Elliott and colleagues: 'In 2023, while Kristi Noem was governor of South Dakota, she supplemented her income by secretly accepting a cut of the money she raised for a nonprofit that promotes her political career, tax records show … She did not include the income from the dark money group on her disclosure form [to be DHS secretary], which experts called a likely violation of federal ethics requirements.' Noem's lawyer claimed that she 'fully complied with the letter and the spirit of the law' but didn't answer specifics about the $80,000 payment. BEST OF THE REST FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Purple seat summer: The DNC is partnering with the DCCC and ASDC for a summer organizing campaign across 35 battleground districts, trying to resuscitate the party's brand and build volunteer momentum, per POLITICO's Shia Kapos. Notably, the DNC will hold its own voter registration drives rather than farm them out to other groups. And the Dems are focusing on making inroads in hyper-local, nonpolitical spaces like concerts, book clubs, sports arenas — and on social media. More from the wilderness: Ranked-choice results released tomorrow could make official Zohran Mamdani's victory in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary — despite House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' refusal to endorse him yet. But Dems are already poring over the numbers. NYT's Emma Fitzsimmons and colleagues dig into Mamdani's most shocking achievement: actually turning out new and younger voters. (Check out their chart that shows 18- to 34-year-olds outpacing every other age group in the election, in a sea change from the 2021 primary.) What not to do: In New Jersey, Sean Spiller's use of $40 million in teachers union money to earn just fifth place in the Democratic gubernatorial primary has the union's influence now coming under question in Trenton, POLITICO's Daniel Han and Madison Fernandez report. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The resistance: Though Trump has succeeded in firing many Democratic officials at independent federal agencies, some are still hanging on in spite of his efforts, POLITICO's Hassan Ali Kanu reports. They're the exceptions, not the rule — and Trump will likely win in the end — but their refusal to obey 'could end up shaping how courts view crucial, pending questions about the hiring-and-firing powers of the presidency.' PRIMARY COLORS: The White House is eyeing Kentucky state Sen. Aaron Reed as a potential primary challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky and colleagues report. … A new poll by co/efficient finds Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) way out ahead of Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), 64 percent to 8 percent, in an Empire State GOP gubernatorial primary, the NY Post's Carl Campanile scooped. BLEEDING CUTS: ''When is cancer political?' Medical researchers, patients decry Trump admin's layoffs, budget cuts,' by CBS' Ted Koppel TALK OF THE TOWN OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the annual Future Summit, which brought together Gen Z and millennial state legislators of both parties from Wednesday to yesterday in D.C.: Carly Fiorina, Judy Woodruff, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Derek Kilmer, Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Layla Zaidane, Reed Howard, Steven Olikara, Aaron Parnas, Kenny Malone, Simon Greer and Rachel Janfaza. THE BRITISH ARE COMING: Upstart alt-right British TV channel GB News is opening a Washington bureau and offering its services free-to-air in the U.S. for the first time. The MAGA-friendly channel has shaken up Britain's round-the-clock news scene over recent years, offering a stridently conservative take on current affairs … while frequently stretching the boundaries of what's permitted under strict U.K. impartiality laws. TRANSITIONS — Pam Jenkins is now CEO of Shatterproof, a nonprofit focused on the addiction crisis. She previously was chief public health officer and chief public affairs officer at Weber Shandwick. … Shin Inouye is joining Democracy Forward as comms director. He previously was deputy assistant secretary in the office of communications and outreach at the Education Department. … JLK Political Strategies has added Shawn Kakwani as digital media manager, Jacklyn Washington as director of media services and Aubrey Cardona as director of operations. WEDDING — Christine Chun, deputy weekend editor on the national desk at the NYT, and Philip Rosenstein, senior content strategist at Gauntlet, got married May 31 at the New York Botanical Garden. They met working at Law360. Pic by Cly by Chung BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Nick Gulino HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Atlantic's David Frum … Ken Callahan … Blake Nanney of the American Cleaning Institute … Robyn Shapiro … Kyle Plotkin … former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) … Dan Leistikow … Dan Judy of North Star Opinion Research … Paul Cheung … Advoc8's John Legittino … Kara Adame … former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen … Zack Christenson … Eve Sparks of Rep. Jeff Crank's (R-Colo.) office … Robert Mohn … Adam Kennedy … Ward Carroll … Alexandra Acker-Lyons … Norm Sterzenbach … Rachel Gorlin … Verdis' Mills Forni … Stephanie Miliano of Pursuit Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
