Steph Whiteside / NewsNation:
Ramaswamy attack ad ‘backfiring’: GOP strategist — Get fact-based, unbiased political coverage from the NewsNation team ahead of the 2026 elections. Get 24/7 news coverage with the NewsNation app. Not sure how to find NewsNation on your TV? Find your channel here. And remember to sound off in the comments below!
Drop Site News:
The War Tehran Believes Is Coming — Iran believes the U.S. and Israel may strike before the midterms. Top security official Gen. Mohsen Rezaei tells Drop Site Iran has new targets in its sights. … The U.S. and Israel are preparing to resume attacks on Iran, according to senior Iranian officials …
Marc Caputo / Axios:
White House to Politico: Retract stories or face “consequences” — The White House counsel's office warned Politico in a Monday letter that it had 48 hours to retract or correct recent stories about alleged staff drama, or it would suffer unspecified consequences. — That deadline expires Thursday.
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Democrats sue Trump over alleged voter intimidation campaign — Democratic groups sued the Trump administration Tuesday, accusing it of using unfounded voter fraud claims to muscle its way into how states run elections. … - They're asking a judge to declare the administration's actions unlawful and block further interference.
Vanessa Friedman / New York Times:
France Riots Expose the Rage Aimed at Dior, Hermès and Other Luxury Brands — The looting of stores belonging to brands like Dior, Celine and Hermès has exposed a crack in the glossy facade. — Amid all of the images and videos that emerged of the riots that took place …
Astronauts should return to the Apollo 15 landing site on the moon and haul home some of its half-century-old poop and hardware, a panel told NASA on Wednesday.
A crew would land just north of the site at Mons Hadley — far enough away to avoid damaging it. From there, the astronauts would walk over to inspect the rover, lander base, instruments, and power systems the prior crew left behind in 1971.
That equipment has endured decades of space radiation and repeated heating and cooling as lunar days give way to nights. Scientists on Earth could study how the lunar environment impacts the hardware over time. A close look at the urine and feces in a lab could reveal how biological material changes and whether it affects the area around it.
That "would be foundational information [for] how we need to engineer the systems for lunar bases," said Dan Dumbacher, co-chairperson of the committee, "for anything humans take to the surface of the moon."
The mission proposal came from a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee, whom NASA asked to recommend future moon-landing sites away from the lunar south pole, where the agency already intends to build a long-term moon base. In a new report, members of the committee selected four non-polar sites — Bhabha Crater, Mons Hadley, Orientale Basin, and Aristarchus Plateau — where they believe Artemis astronauts should collect samples, make observations, and conduct experiments. They prioritized locations they believed would benefit from human explorers over uncrewed robots.
These so-called "sorties," the term NASA used when tasking the committee, would be short, one-time visits. Because the poles lack the volcanic terrain found elsewhere on the moon, as well as radioactive metals like uranium and thorium, the brief trips would complement the base, not replace it, according to the report.
Each mission would send a pair of astronauts to make one to four moonwalks within 2 kilometers — or 1.2 miles — of their lander. That distance is a previously established "walkback" limit NASA decided long ago that the committee thinks the agency should try to extend. The panel also chose landing sites that offered the most opportunities for geology, biology, human health, and physics research.
The top pick, Bhabha Crater, sits inside what may be the solar system's largest and oldest crater, and its rocks could pin down when that massive impact happened. Situated on the far side of the moon, the crew would have to land farther from home than any humans before, letting NASA test how astronauts cope with isolation.
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The site is also prime for a telescope, said James Day, the other chairperson of the committee.
"It's an almost unmatched location for doing radio astronomy, and the reason for this is because it's in the quiet zone on the far side of the moon. It is shielded from the noise that we produce here on Earth," Day said. "This will give us information on the very early universe before the first stars or galaxies had formed."
At Orientale, the moon's youngest large basin at roughly 3.8 billion years old, astronauts would collect boulders from deep in the crust that could show whether the moon was once entirely molten. They would also set up a detector for gravitational waves — ripples in spacetime. The instrument could alert astronomers months before distant neutron stars collide, the committee leaders said.
Finally, the Aristarchus Plateau, an Apollo destination that NASA never reached, holds volcanic deposits that may yield water. It spans about 60 miles, so crews there would gain the most from the simple open rover the committee thinks NASA should build.
Among its recommendations, the panel said NASA should keep mapping the moon in detail from orbit, build instruments that can run through the lunar night, and set up a communications system that keeps crews in constant contact with Earth, even on the far side.
NASA will decide when and in what order to fly the missions.
"All four of these sites will give us profound knowledge," Day said, "not just of our moon, but of our solar system, and frankly of ourselves."
Irie Sentner / Politico:
Impeachment is back on the menu — Impeachment dominated much of Donald Trump's first presidency. Voters think it should come back for a sequel. — Half of Americans support impeaching Trump and more than two-thirds expect Democrats to try if they flip the House …
Abbie VanSickle / New York Times:
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Border Wall Construction — A lower court judge had halted the administration's plan to erect hundreds of miles of barriers in the Big Bend region of Texas. — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow …
O experiente goleiro Thibaut Courtois afirmou que foi excluído do grupo de WhatsApp do elenco da seleção da Bélgica. O arqueiro anunciou em setembro que não disputaria a Liga das Nações pela equipe nacional.
O goleiro conversou com o técnico Van Bommel e disse que se afastaria por um tempo da seleção. No entanto, deixou em aberto a possibilidade de voltar a ser convocado no futuro, se colocando à disposição para as Eliminatórias da Eurocopa de 2028.
“Fui expulso do grupo de WhatsApp dos jogadores. Esse grupo é usado para comunicar informações, como horários de treino. Há algumas mensagens de vez em quando, mas não muitas”, afirmou o belga em entrevista à “Dazn”.
O treinador da seleção da Bélgica não garantiu a titularidade ao goleiro do Real Madrid caso ele voltasse a ser chamado para defender o time nacional.
“Nunca fui para a seleção esperando jogar automaticamente. Conheço minhas qualidades e sei que posso ser importante para a equipe. Ninguém precisa me garantir uma vaga no time titular”, disparou.
Thibaut Courtois esteve com a Bélgica na última edição da Copa do Mundo. A seleção foi eliminada pela campeã Espanha, nas quartas de final do Mundial.
“Nós estamos muito orgulhosos de tudo o que fizemos até agora. Eu sei que muitas vezes você recebe críticas como ‘a geração de ouro nunca ganhou nada’, mas nós somos a Bélgica, não somos a Inglaterra, não somos a Espanha, não somos a França. Nós somos um pequeno país de quase 12 milhões de pessoas que, em grandes torneios, fez coisas incríveis”, discursou na ocasião.
Veja países que já disputaram a Copa do Mundo e não existem mais
Marc Rod / Jewish Insider:
AIPAC to end candidate endorsements, PAC contributions to allies — AIPAC leaders said that the United Democracy Project super PAC will continue, as the group urges its members to give directly to pro-Israel candidates — AIPAC announced on Wednesday that, after three cycles …
Luke Fountain / CNBC:
AIPAC retreats from candidate endorsements and direct giving as political backlash grows … The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known as AIPAC, plans to stop endorsing candidates, making direct PAC contributions and earmarking contributions to candidates.
New York Times:
Vance Defends Ramaswamy's Ad as Backlash Threatens Ohio Campaign — The vice president backed an advertisement featuring Democrat Amy Acton's mother, who has been estranged from Dr. Acton since her stepfather was charged with child rape. — Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday defended …
Kierra Frazier / CBS News:
Teacher who survived Oregon school shooting recounts being shot, pretending to be dead to survive — Becky Drury, the 54-year-old teacher wounded in the shooting at an Oregon elementary school last week, is sharing a statement about her experience, saying the gunman shot her before she had “any chance to act.”
O Departamento de Estado dos Estados Unidos ordenou que alguns diplomatas e seus familiares deixem suas missões na Arábia Saudita, informaram autoridades norte-americanas à Reuters.
Além disso, o governo de Donald Trump planeja retirar familiares de várias outras missões norte-americanas no Golfo Pérsico, ainda de acordo com as fontes.
O porta-voz do Departamento de Estado, Tommy Pigott, afirmou em uma postagem no X que o departamento ordenou a saída de “funcionários não essenciais do governo dos EUA e seus familiares apenas na Arábia Saudita”, em meio aos ataques dos Houthis, um grupo apoiado pelo Irã, do Iêmen contra alvos civis no país.
O governo Trump havia enviado de volta alguns integrantes do corpo diplomático à região nos últimos meses, depois que muitos haviam sido retirados quando o Irã lançou ataques de retaliação contra instalações norte-americanas após o início da guerra dos EUA e de Israel contra o Irã, no final de fevereiro.
“Os Houthis, apoiados pelo Irã, têm se envolvido cada vez mais em hostilidades contra a Arábia Saudita, incluindo ataques a aeroportos civis e outras infraestruturas críticas, resultando em vítimas civis e graves interrupções nas viagens”, justificou Pigott.
Quatro autoridades norte-americanas disseram à Reuters que as missões dos EUA em outros países do Golfo Pérsico também estariam ordenando que familiares deixassem o local.
Pigott não se pronunciou sobre mudanças em outras missões fora da Arábia Saudita.
A embaixada dos EUA em Riade emitiu um alerta de segurança nesta quarta-feira (21) sobre possíveis novos ataques dos houthis à Arábia Saudita, após recentes ataques mortais, incluindo um ao aeroporto de Riade.
Capitão do Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes disse que seu time não pressionou o suficiente e adotou um “clima de derrota” depois de sofrer um gol cedo na derrota por 4 a 1 para o Como, nesta quarta-feira (21), pela Champions League.
O resultado aumentou a pressão sobre o técnico Michael Carrick. O Como abriu o placar aos 2 minutos, e o United desmoronou. Apenas um gol de honra de Joshua Zirkzee, nos acréscimos, deixou o placar um pouco menos pesado.
“Começamos com o pé errado, e eles marcaram muito cedo”, disse Bruno Fernandes à TNT Sports. “Não houve pressão suficiente sobre a bola, nem muitos bons movimentos sem a bola. Muitas coisas não saíram como queríamos.”
“É uma decisão da comissão técnica não pressionar homem a homem e, às vezes, deixar espaço nas costas e tentar pegar a bola, esperá-los, mas, às vezes, quando você dá espaço a essas equipes, elas ganham confiança”, afirmou.
Questionado se seus comentários significavam uma crítica à tática de Carrick, Fernandes respondeu: “Isso cabe ao técnico e à comissão avaliarem, não a mim.”
“Às vezes você precisa ser mais corajoso sob pressão, assumir o risco de pressionar alto e deixá-los desconfortáveis.”
A situação de Carrick se tornou cada vez mais delicada, já que o United agora está há sete jogos sem vencer.
“Foi mais do que decepcionante”, disse à TNT Sports o técnico de 45 anos. “Acho que todos precisam assumir a responsabilidade. Eu assumo a responsabilidade pelo time e pelo desempenho como um todo, isso para em mim, e estou bem com isso.”
“Mas, como torcedor deste clube, ver uma atuação como essa é inaceitável, preciso dizer.”
Carrick disse que o time não mostrou a intensidade necessária.
“É a motivação, o propósito e a intensidade que você precisa levar para um jogo de futebol. Hoje não levamos isso”, afirmou. “Preciso pedir desculpas pela atuação.”
Fernandes também questionou a mentalidade do United após o revés inicial. “Sofrer cedo faz com que a gente entre no jogo com um clima de derrota”, disse.
O United soma três pontos nas três primeiras partidas da Champions League e recebe a Roma em seu próximo jogo na competição.
Champions: técnico leva garrafada, pede demissão, mas fica no Fenerbahçe
O mercado online de artigos em segunda mão, Vinted, removeu anúncios de produtos franceses saqueados e intensificou a verificação de anúncios “suspeitos”, numa tentativa das autoridades do país de impedir que bens roubados durante os protestos sejam vendidos online.
A Vinted afirma que as equipes tomaram “medidas imediatas para identificar e remover anúncios ligados aos saques”.
“A venda de produtos roubados, ou a solicitação dos mesmos, é estritamente proibida no Vinted, e temos tolerância zero para isso”, afirmou a empresa em comunicado, observando que “intensificou o monitoramento de anúncios suspeitos”.
Contas que violarem as regras poderão ser banidas permanentemente, afirmou a Vinted, acrescentando que está trabalhando com as autoridades policiais e francesas para “detectar e combater riscos emergentes e comportamentos maliciosos”.
A resposta surge num momento em que o governo francês intensifica a fiscalização dos mercados online, após relatos de que bens roubados durante os protestos no fim de semana apareceram a venda na internet.
Serge Papin, ministro francês para as Pequenas Empresas, disse no X que as autoridades convocaram uma reunião com operadores de mercados online e representantes dos ministérios do Interior e da Justiça.
Na terça-feira (20), ele afirmou que o governo obteve o compromisso das plataformas de detectar e remover anúncios de itens saqueados, e que também estava monitorando as vendas, alertando que qualquer pessoa que vender produtos roubados será rastreada e processada.
Grandes varejistas, incluindo grupos de luxo como Louis Vuitton e Rolex, e a varejista de cosméticos Sephora, foram atingidos pela violência, informou a Reuters.
Entenda os protestos estudantis que se espalharam por toda a França
Alexander Hall / New York Post:
Americans who moved to Europe after Trump win now say they regret leaving — Liberal Americans who fled to Europe after President Trump's re-election shared how the grass is not always greener on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. — Wired Magazine released an article Thursday headlined “They Fled Trump's America.
NBC News:
U.S. troops and diplomats evacuating Middle East posts, sources say — The drawdowns are in response to ongoing threats in the region, sources say, and are taking place as President Trump weighs new military action in Iran. — DOHA — The U.S. military has quietly been scaling …
The four debates in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, between incumbent Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson, are over. Early voting is underway. And while Jackson survived the quartet of clashes, the race remains as close as ever.
Debate expectations for Jackson were between middling and low. His down-home style was compared to the senator’s highly polished vibe. He had far less experience in high-profile debates. But ultimately Collins and Jackson both effectively delivered their core messages.
As in previous campaigns, Collins tried to claim the mantle of bipartisanship and argue that only she can deliver for Maine. She shared laundry lists of bills she worked on and specific projects helping towns. (Her campaign also focuses on this in ads; I even received a detailed text to my phone claiming credit for “$59 million for the City of Bangor.”)
“Sen. Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” Jackson said in the first debate.
Jackson took both parts of Collins’ case head on. He again noted Collins’ record of backing Trump 96% of the time, contrary to her assertions of bipartisanship. He contended that Collins’ deliverables are woefully insufficient compared to the cuts she has backed. “Sen. Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” he said in the first debate.
Three debates later, Collins herself helped the case against her bipartisan bonafides. A moderator asked her to identify a time when a vote against Republicans changed the outcome. Collins muffed. She cited opposition she organized to Pete Hegseth’s nomination as defense secretary, which failed after one senator, North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, changed his mind at the last minute. “So that didn’t change the outcome,” one of the moderators replied.
Jackson’s arsonist comparison was not the only memorable image he conjured. After Collins bragged that she stopped Canadian tariffs on road salt, the Democrat replied, “We can’t eat road salt.” Memes proliferated featuring images of a truck carrying road salt labeled as “Meals on Wheels” and Collins pictured as Marie Antoinette saying, “Let them eat road salt.” A Mainer at the Fryeburg Fair confronted Collins with Jackson’s remark.
Beyond its virality online, Jackson’s remark bore real-world heft. Food prices are up and heating oil prices soared 81% since last year. Often using examples about himself and others, Jackson focused on understanding working people, the necessity of a better healthcare system and fighting oligarchic power. He has also challenged Collins’ contention that he would not be able to help Maine like her.
Democrats have often accused the Maine press of catering to Collins, publicizing stories about her securing money for Maine while not covering her contradictions. This year is different.
None of the aforementioned exchanges got the most national attention, though. The one that grabbed out-of-state headlines arose after a protester with a fake press pass interrupted the last forum to rail against the environmental impact of data centers and corporations’ financial power. Collins quickly and without evidence claimed, “So this is obviously one of Troy’s supporters.”
“Oh, shut up. I don’t even know that kid,” Jackson replied.
“Oh, right,” Collins answered.
In a very close race like this election, any moment can matter. But it is striking that, afterward, many Mainers did not find Jackson’s remark problematic. Journalist Kevin Miller of Maine Public Radio wrote that Jackson’s comment was “more flippant than mean-spirited. The two rivals even seemed to exchange snarky smiles before the debate quickly resumed without future disruption.” On a post-debate panel, reporter Rob Caldwell said that, given the negativity of the campaign, the candidates were “going to get ticked off. If they didn’t they wouldn’t be human. … There are a lot of worse things that they could have said.” Callers to a radio show the following day were divided over whether Jackson was rude or had rightly responded with a Maine “shaddup.”
Jackson’s remark was not what the Bangor Daily News highlighted in its front page after the final debate. Instead, the paper focused on Collins saying, “I think our democracy will be just fine,” while Jackson judged American democracy as “at risk” and observed that “Donald Trump is trying every trick in the book to keep power.”
Democrats have often accused the Maine press of catering to Collins, publicizing stories about her securing money for Maine while not covering her contradictions. This year is different. Jackson’s criticisms of Collins’ conflicting votes are getting coverage, and the press is highlighting pay-for-play corruption allegations and examining the dark-money billionaires disproportionately benefiting Collins.
The two campaigns have not been the same and probably will stay that way. Jackson is holding high-profile events with Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Collins’ most high-profile visitor is former Sen. Joe Manchin. Trump has not come and Collins would not want him. While Jackson uses his events to recruit canvassers and grow his field operation, Collins is helped by canvassers paid by Elon Musk.
Maine voters seem sick of the barrage of ads. Jackson’s grassroots operation and earned media look stronger.
Jackson closed with a “who’s on your side” message — the billionaires or the Maine people. Some ads feature past Collins voters who support Jackson now. Some of these voters cite Collins’ vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Collins is defending her Kavanaugh vote by saying that, despite his track record, she could not know he would overturn Roe v. Wade.
National Republicans’ closing message features sharply negative advertising claiming Jackson bullies women, calling him “a creep” and even attacking his relationship with Lana Pelletier, his longtime partner and the mother of his children. (The Collins campaign asked for the ad to be taken down but critics noted that Collins brought up Jackson’s family in a September interview in Politico and Pelletier has spoken out against the personal attack.)
Maine voters seem sick of the barrage of ads. Jackson’s grassroots operation and earned media look stronger, and Republicans are facing the same headwinds in Maine as elsewhere. But it is never easy to defeat an incumbent and Collins’ brand is strong.
Mainers will have to decide if they want to re-elect Collins, who thinks our republic is not threatened by Trump but brings targeted resources to Maine, or if they pick Jackson, a self-described “working-class guy with a funny accent” who pledges to change policies, lift up all Mainers and protect our constitutional order.
The post Troy Jackson survived his debates with Susan Collins. Here’s what to watch for in the final days. appeared first on MS NOW.
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