Latest news with #spectacularly
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. LaMonica McIver charged with assault after Newark mayor's arrest outside ICE facility
The Brief Rep. McIver is charged with assaulting or interfering with federal officers during a Newark ICE protest The charge stems from a tense incident outside the Delaney Hall detention center Charges against Mayor Ras Baraka were dropped; McIver's attorney says she did nothing wrong NEW YORK - Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, who represents Newark and parts of Essex County, is now facing a federal assault charge after what prosecutors call a physical confrontation with law enforcement officers outside an immigration detention center. The incident unfolded during the high-profile arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who had attempted to join McIver and other congressional leaders on an oversight visit. While the charge against Baraka was dropped Monday, McIver was charged with assaulting, impeding, or interfering with officers, according to an announcement posted by Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba on social media. The case is already drawing strong reactions in New Jersey political circles. The backstory The incident occurred outside Delaney Hall, an ICE-contracted detention facility in Newark, where McIver and fellow New Jersey Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. had planned a visit. Baraka reportedly attempted to join them but was stopped and ultimately arrested by federal agents. In a clip released by the Department of Homeland Security, McIver can be seen on the facility side of a chain-link fence before crossing through the gate and joining a crowd shouting "surround the mayor." Video shows McIver pressing forward in the crowd, with her elbows making contact with a federal officer. Homeland Security said the charge followed a "thorough review" of the footage and an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. The other side Habba said in a statement that dismissing the misdemeanor case against Mayor Baraka was "for the sake of moving forward." She added that her office has invited Baraka to tour Delaney Hall and committed to joining him. However, McIver's attorney, Paul Fishman—a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey—called the decision to charge the congresswoman "spectacularly inappropriate." "She went to Delaney Hall to do her job," Fishman said. "Rather than facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos." What they're saying "There's no video that supports me body slamming anyone," McIver told a national outlet in a recent interview. "We were simply there to do our job… They created that confrontation." McIver and her congressional colleagues have maintained that the situation was escalated by federal agents and that their actions were consistent with their oversight authority. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, stood by the charge, saying federal agents must be protected from interference. "Assaults on federal law enforcement will not be tolerated," added Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a post on X. Local perspective McIver, 38, is a Newark native who joined Congress after winning a special election in September 2024 to fill the seat of the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. She was elected to a full term in November 2024. Before coming to Washington, McIver served as president of the Newark City Council and previously worked in Newark's public school system. She has deep local ties and is viewed as a rising figure in the city's political landscape. The Source This article is based on official statements from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Department of Homeland Security, and legal representatives for Rep. McIver. Additional background was provided by McIver's congressional biography and verified video footage released by DHS.
Metro
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Metro
Red Bull on verge of sacking Christian Horner as F1 team identify replacement
Red Bull could sensationally sack Christian Horner following this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, according to reports. Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they joined the Formula 1 grid in 2005 and helped transform them into serial champions. Over the past 20 years, they've won six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles through Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. Things aren't going well in 2025 however, as McLaren have won five of the first six grand prix, with the title race set to be between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen did triumph in Japan, but the Dutchman has been very vocal about the difficulties of driving the RB21, while his manager Raymond Vermeulen was furious following a poor showing in Bahrain. Horner also backed the decision to axe Sergio Perez for Liam Lawson but this backfired spectacularly and the Kiwi was dropped after just two races – not that replacement Yuki Tsunoda has fared much better. It is said Red Bull's owners have always been divided over Horner and now, according to reports from Austria, they are strongly considering sacking him after two very successful decades at the helm. A decision could even be made as soon as next week, depending on the performance at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the team bringing a significant upgrade package to the Imola circuit in Italy. The last year has proven incredibly difficult for the team principal, husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, both on and off the track. The 51-year-old faced pressure to resign after being accused of 'inappropriate and coercive behaviour' by a female employee of Red Bull, allegations that were eventually dismissed after an investigation. Drivers: Oscar Piastri – 131pts Lando Norris – 115pts Max Verstappen – 99pts George Russell – 93pts Constructors: McLaren – 246pts Mercedes – 141pts Red Bull – 105pts Ferrari – 94pts The saga seemed to increase tensions between Horner and Verstappen's father Jos, and the team were further shaken when design genius Adrian Newey left to join Aston Martin. Newey's departure coincided with rival cars catching up and combined with the disastrous form of Perez, whom Horner had handed a new contract to, Red Bull collapsed to third in the constructors' standings. Red Bull have already identified two potential replacements for Horner, one being Oliver Oakes, who resigned as Alpine boss last week after just 10 months in charge. The other is Franz Tost, who ran Red Bull's sister-team Racing Bulls for 18 years before leaving at the end of 2023 amid rumours of a rift with Horner. More Trending All this comes amid increasing speculation that Verstappen could trigger the release clause in his contract and leave the team he's raced for his entire F1 career. Aston Martin, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, are prepared to offer the 27-year-old a package worth £226million. Former F1 race engineer Julien Simon-Chautemps, who worked with 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, thinks Horner is not safe from the sack, telling OLBG: 'Nothing is impossible. He's the longest-standing team principal in the pit lane at the moment. But last year, it was very difficult for him. He was in a very dangerous situation. 'As long as he has the support from the shareholders at Red Bull, he will be in a safe position. But again, this is F1, everyone has contracts, but they mean as much as the job security implies. 'It wouldn't surprise me if Horner left. Formula 1 is a fast-moving environment, and a lot can happen very quickly. We'll have to wait and see.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Max Verstappen fumes at Red Bull over pit-lane crash in Miami sprint MORE: Will Max Verstappen race in Miami Grand Prix after announcing birth of baby girl? MORE: Lewis Hamilton slammed by F1 rival over 'dangerous' driving at Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
NDTV
10-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
What Operation Sindoor Has Taught Us About War And 'Information'
Learning lessons from Operation Sindoor is important, and that requires a degree of openness. In defence, there is no finality. The morning of Day 4 of Operation Sindoor suggests that the conflict has widened, taking into its scope all of eastern Pakistan and north-western India. The conflict now stands poised at a crossroads. It can either die down, or begin climbing an escalatory ladder. After penetrating the fog of war and disinformation, we can determine that Day 2 and 3 saw drone strikes between India and Pakistan. Yet, the remarkable thing is that no casualties were reported from India, except from among the hapless civilians living near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, which is experiencing intense shelling. On Thursday evening, Pakistani drones attempted to strike three Indian military bases - Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, but were foiled. Advertisement - Scroll to continue Another feature is that the two air forces continue their operations without crossing the international border, using long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. And yet, both seem to have hit the other side in terms of damaged facilities and aircraft shot down. Why The Escalation One reason for the intensification of the conflict is that on Day 1, India did not strike military targets. But though the Indian aircraft launched their missiles from the Indian side, they were attacked by a barrage of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles from across the border, which reportedly downed a number of aircraft on the Indian side. Thereafter, on Wednesday night, Pakistan launched its drone assault on India, targeting several air bases and air defence facilities in north-western India. The deliberate targeting of military facilities was an escalation. It was at this point that India decided that it had to do what it should have done first - knock out the Pakistani air defence system. And it did so spectacularly, taking out an HQ-9 air defence missile site outside Lahore. According to a state press release on Thursday, India targeted Pakistani air defence radars and systems at a number of other locations in Pakistan as well. While the release does not say so, these are likely to have been done largely through drones. The release says that on the night of May 7, Pakistan 'attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India... using drones and missiles'; it listed several cities and towns, many of which correspond to Indian air bases. The release said that the Indian Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence system neutralised them. This could indicate that the attacking craft were primarily drones. 'The debris of the attacks is now being recovered,' the release noted. The Drones On Both Sides Tellingly, the release said that the 'Indian response has been in the same domain and with the same intensity as Pakistan'. This suggests that the domain is indeed Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and also that neither side swarmed the other. However, reports that India used Harpy drones to attack air defence targets. NDTV, citing ANI, said that the S-400 system was used to neutralise 15 missiles fired at India. It also noted that Israeli Harpy and Harop drones were thereafter used to disable Pakistani air defence systems. The numbers of drones employed by both sides do not seem to be too high. India has a little over 100 highly capable Harpies and Harops - which are effectively missiles - in its arsenal, and many of them would have been used in Operation Sindoor. India does have a few Israeli-origin attack drones, too, and is acquiring American MQ-9s. On the other hand, Pakistan has over 100 Chinese-made Wing Loong II and CH-4, which can carry munitions, as well as a few Turkish attack drones and a larger number of smaller short-range drones made in Pakistan. Neither country is really ready for the intense kind of drone war that the Russians and Ukrainians are fighting currently. Beyond the onset of drone warfare across the India-Pakistan borders, there are other issues that we need to consider. There is so much misinformation in the news and on social media that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. But confronting reality is the best way to learn from it. If the news about Indian aircraft being downed is true, it is important to know the circumstances. The China Factor What is also intriguing is a picture circulating online of a booster of a Chinese P-15 air-to-air missile used by Pakistan, which is an export version of its P-10. According to Bloomberg, Chinese defence stocks jumped up 36% after Operation Sindoor. They were reportedly buoyed by the performance of Chinese defence equipment, such as J-10C fighters in the clashes. All this suggests that learning lessons from Operation Sindoor is important, and that requires a degree of openness. In defence, there is no finality. Countries are constantly improving their systems and sub-systems and given the hostile environment that we live in, there is always room to improve. Eventually, our primary adversary in the region is China, which has made enormous investments in its science and technology field, as well as in defence. Chinese equipment was generally known to be inferior to Russian ones — which they were largely copied from. But those days have gone. The J-10C that Pakistan has is, for example, inferior to the Su-30MKI that India has. But it possesses an AESA radar that enables it to track multiple targets. Pakistan also uses Chinese JF-17s, and both aircraft use the PL-15 long-range missile (145 km). Some Questions In essence, Operation Sindoor did what it had to - strike Pakistan terror bases, including the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba (Muridke, near Lahore) and the Jaish-e-Muhammad (Bhawalpur). The operations was strategically restrained and its roll out was perfectly crafted with the closing of the sluice gates of Baglihar to dry out the Chenab and set alarm bells ringing down river. At the same time, it was timed with the Operation Abhyas mock-drill across the country, which unfolded on the very day that the news of the Operation Sindoor hit the country. But, the alleged crashes raise questions among the public. Considering India planned to use missiles like the SCALP, with a 300 km range, and the Brahmos, with a 500 km range, were they doing so too close to the India-Pakistan border? A second major question is as to whether the Air Force should have also struck Pakistani air defence systems first and then hit the terror sites. But that would have spoiled the key messaging from the Indian side, that they were only responding to the Pahalgam terror attack. The Pakistanis have chosen to escalate and now the conflict stands poised at a cross-roads. Which direction it takes is still too difficult to discern. (The writer is a Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi) Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Share Sign up to read this article FREE! Exclusive Stories: Dive into content reserved just for members. Fewer Ads: A cleaner, more enjoyable reading experience. Enhanced Interface: Tailored just for you. Join Now – It's Free!
Herald Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
60 second guide to 2025 federal election campaign
The federal election campaign has been quite a wild ride … often for matters away from Australian shores. From the death of a Pope to the birth of tariffs, from stage falls to the cost of eggs, this is your 60-second guide to the 2025 election. 1. Tariff-gate America's 10 per cent tariff on Australian goods was not based in any logic, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared – yet damage was already done during the election campaign. Donald Trump's trade war turbocharged the campaign, with Albo fighting back and Peter Dutton vowing it to take it to the US President. 2. Albo falls off a stage … or did he? Anthony Albanese spectacularly backtracked on an admission that he fell off a stage in the first week of the election campaign – just hours after making the remarks. Speaking at a WA leadership breakfast the Prime Minister revealed that 'probably falling off the stage' was the worst moment of the campaign so far. But Mr Albanese later became shirty during a press conference, where he was grilled about the awkward incident. 'It was a joke,' Mr Albanese said. 'Chill out … I didn't fall.' 3. Dutton backflips, twists and double-pikes on WFH Peter Dutton ditched his plan to make Canberra public servants work from the office five days a week after the policy proved unpopular with voters, particularly among women who want work flexibility, telling Australians 'we have listened'. Mr Dutton admitted he was asking for forgiveness from female voters, saying it was a 'mistake' to stop Canberra public servants working from home. 4. Albo's goes nuclear on Dutton's $600bn dream Anthony Albanese trolled Peter Dutton and his nuclear plan by visiting the town of Collie in WA – one of seven locations where the Opposition Leader plans to build a power plant. 'Peter Dutton has not been anywhere near any of the nuclear power plants that he proposes,' the Prime Minister said amid a string of ad campaign slamming the nuclear proposal. 'He hasn't been here. He hasn't been to Liddell. He hasn't been to Callide. Yesterday he was in Orange. He could have dropped by to Lithgow, deliberately went to Orange rather than Lithgow.' 5. Four debates, 12 eggs, no winners Peter Dutton left the audience of the final leaders' debate gobsmacked when he could not answer how much a dozen eggs cost – though Albo did marginally better with his guess. During a quickfire round on the Seven Network's Final Showdown, both Anthony Albanese and Mr Dutton were asked about the cost of a dozen eggs. The Opposition Leader left audience members stunned by his answer of 'about $4.20,' with some audibly laughing at his guess. The Prime Minister's answer was closer to the mark, with moderator Mark Riley declaring a dozen eggs would set a shopper back $8.80 from Coles and $8.50 from Woolworths. 6. Cost of living descends into battle of tax cuts Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton spent their election campaigns spruiking their cost of living measures to voters. RedBridge polling showed cost of living measures are one of the most important factors in how Australians are choosing to vote. In April 2025 Mr Albanese, who has previously said 'my word is my bond', conceded he did break his word on stage 3 tax cuts. 7. Polling blows and blow-ups Polls have consistently pointed towards Labor being able to cobble together a minority government or a skinny majority, with the party remaining ahead of the Coalition on a slim margin. In what could deliver the Greens and independents key control, a minority government is on the cards, much to the chagrin of many voters. 8. Russia comes knocking next door Did Albo lie, or simply hide the truth? When and how much Anthony Albanese knew about a Russian request to use a military base off Papua, just 1300km from Australia, for its own aircraft caused much debate. Beyond fears of a Russian invasion came serious question marks over the honesty of the PM. 9. So much energy spent on ... energy Anybody who predicts the direction of power prices now is 'making a punt,' Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said, in a stunning reversal compared to Labor's position prior to the 2022 poll when it vowed to slash household costs. The cost of enegery bills has remained a topsy turvy affair which has got us talking and politicians sweating. 10. Much ado about Harry Peter Dutton took the extraordinary step of rolling out son Harry to explain just how tough it is for young Aussies to afford a house. The problem? His dad reportedly made $30 million worth of property transactions involving 26 pieces of real estate and was standing right next to him. The Opposition Leader also receives a taxpayer-funded salary of $432,000. 11. Prop of green and gold terror Anthony Albanese announced a new free, nationwide 24/7 health advice line and after hours GP telehealth service called 1800 MEDICARE as his last big political gamble of the election. That continued weeks of a 'Mediscare' campaign in which Labor claimed Peter Dutton would slash Medicare. 12. The kiss that wasn't a kiss When Anthony Albanese awkwardly snubbed Tanya Plibersek's attempt at a hug at his official campaign launch, no one inside the Labor machinery was surprised. The pair's mutual dislike is well known by their colleagues and has been on full display in the final months of Labor's first term – but has a long and rich history dating back years. 13. Campaign's biggest moment wasn't a campaign moment Both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader paid tribute to Pope Francis after the pontiff's death, calling him a 'devoted champion and loving father' to Australian Catholics, and a man who 'served God with the utmost devotion'. 'He urged us to remember all we hold in common, and he asked the world to hear the cry of the Earth, our common home,' Albanese said.
Bloomberg
21-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
A Critical Metal Jumps 500% After Xi Replies to Trump Tariffs
Bismuth — a niche metal used in industries from paints to defense — has rallied spectacularly since early February, when Beijing triggered export curbs in response to US President Donald Trump's trade offensive. The metal was among five materials that were added to China's list of controlled exports after Trump slapped an initial 10% import tariff on Chinese goods. Exports of bismuth from China then plunged in February, tightening the global market and sparking a near-500% surge in prices.
