Ex-FBI director Comey appears in court over Trump threat charge

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war.

"The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service, although the number is now believed to be higher with German media saying it's nearer 50,000.

During both of his terms in office, Trump has made a number of threats to slash US troop numbers in Germany and other European allies as part of his criticism of the NATO alliance.

But Washington now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the US-Israeli war in Iran or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Hours before Trump's post about troop numbers in Germany, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

Rubio and Wadephul discussed Iran and the importance of securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

Merz has become a target of Trump's ire after saying earlier this week that Iran is "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table.

Trump said on Tuesday that Merz "thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn't know what he's talking about!" 

The German leader played down the row on Wednesday, insisting they were still on good terms.

"From my point of view, the personal relationship between the American president and myself remains just as good as before," Merz told a press conference in Berlin.

The German leader said he had expressed doubts about the US-Israeli war on Iran from the start, adding: "We in Germany and in Europe are suffering considerably from the consequences."

Washington appears to be considering other retaliatory measures against Western allies who have not helped against Iran 

Last week a report said that the United States was considering trying to suspend Spain from NATO, and that it could review its position on Britain's control of the Falkland Islands.

Washington later reiterated its neutrality over the contested sovereignty of the Falkland Islands between Argentina and Britain, which fought a short but bloody war over the archipelago in 1982 that Britain won.

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Brazil's Central Bank on Wednesday announced a second consecutive cut to its benchmark interest rate, one of the world's highest, in a boost for left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as he courts a fourth term.

The bank lowered the key rate, known as the Selic, to 14.50 from 14.75 percent.

Lula, who is seeking a fourth term in October elections, has persistently railed against high interest rates, arguing that they stifle growth.

Despite cutting the Selic, the Central Bank said the uncertainty generated by the conflicts in the Middle East created "higher than usual" inflationary risks.

"In the current scenario characterized by a strong increase in uncertainty, the Copom (the bank's economic policy committee) reaffirms serenity and caution in the conduct of monetary policy," it said.

Global oil prices surged after the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in late February.

Lula has implemented measures to cushion the impact on Brazil's economy, notably suspending taxes on diesel, which truckers rely on to get goods to market.

Inflation nonetheless accelerated to 4.14 percent in March, driven by the fuel price hikes.

But Latin America's biggest economy is growing and unemployment is at historic lows.

Brazil, a net crude exporter according to the IEA, is relatively more insulated to exteral petroleum price shocks compared to countries that rely on imports.

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Air quality in Europe is improving but more effort is needed to reach the European Union's 2030 targets, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said in its annual report on Thursday.

"EU standards were mostly met in most regions across Europe for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)," the EEA said in a statement.

However, in up to 20 percent of monitoring stations, "air pollution is still above current EU air quality standards, especially for smaller particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns (µm) or less (PM10), ground level ozone (O3) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)," it said.

The EEA report covers 39 European countries, comprising the 27 EU member states and 12 countries associated to the agency, including Switzerland, Norway and Turkey.

According to the EEA, EU member states will have to implement their roadmaps if they are to meet the 2030 air quality limits, set in 2024.

"For most pollutants the distance to the 2030 target is significant and will likely require additional measures," the report said, stressing the need for efforts on fine particulate matter. 

It can be politically difficult to gain acceptance for such efforts, as illustrated by France's recent rollback of low-emission zones (LEZs) targeting polluting vehicles. 

Moreover, the EU's 2030 targets still fall well short of the World Health Organization's recommendations, updated in 2021. 

The European agency also emphasised the lack of significant progress on ground-level ozone levels, which "have not decreased significantly", and which caused 63,000 premature deaths in the EU in 2023. 

"Climate change is expected to worsen ozone pollution in Europe because of increased frequency and intensity of heat-related meteorological conditions that enhance ozone formation," the EEA said.

It warned that action at local and national levels "may not be sufficient", since ozone and its precursors can travel over long distances. 

"Effective mitigation also depends on stronger European and international cooperation to tackle transboundary air pollution," the agency said.

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(The Center Square) – A California member of Congress opposes what he calls the "gerrymandering war" that has broken out across the country.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon during a media call, U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin, said gerrymandering is wrong in blue or red states.

“I have opposed these mid-decade redraws in every state where they've occurred, whether that's Texas; whether it's California; whether it's Indiana, which ultimately rejected it; now Virginia and Florida,” said Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans.

“I think it's very odd that you see the same politicians who condemn gerrymandering in one state are suddenly celebrating it in another state," Kiley said during a video conference with reporters.

'This whole thing has been incredibly damaging for democracy and representation” in the United States, Kiley said.

“I think this is the time for Congress to take responsibility for its own elections,” the representative continued. “We need legislation to prohibit mid-decade redistricting, and I'm working on legislation for Congress to assure that voters in all states have fair representation by putting congressional districts into the hands of independent commissions going forward, modeled on the system that we did have in California.”

Kiley was a Republican member of the House until March, when he announced he would be changing to an independent.

News reports at the time said that congressional redistricting was a factor in that decision. Kiley was one of five Republicans at risk of losing their seats.

The Center Square asked for confirmation of the reason in Wednesday’s call.

“Well, the reason for my change is because I think partisanship has gotten out of control in Congress, and it’s really doing great damage to our country. And, of course, the redistricting war is a very clear manifestation of that,” Kiley told The Center Square. “It has taken partisanship to new levels. It has said we're going to elevate partisanship above everything else in our politics, and so I do think that a good antidote to this plague of gerrymandering is just to say, ‘Let's take partisanship out of the equation.' ”

Kiley also said this reflects the way he has always approached his job, which is to be “an independent voice” for his district to answer to my constituents, not to party leaders in Washington or Sacramento.

Before his election to Congress in 2022, Kiley served in the California State Assembly for six years. Before that, Kiley worked as an English teacher at Manual Arts High School in inner-city Los Angeles.

Former FBI director James Comey surrendered to authorities in Virginia on Wednesday after being charged with threatening President Donald Trump's life with a social media post.

Comey, an outspoken critic of the US president who faced other federal charges that were subsequently thrown out, posted a photo to Instagram in May 2025 of seashells arranged in the shape of the numbers 86 and 47 on a beach in North Carolina.

Trump said this gesture was a coded threat.

Comey faces one count of "willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States" and another of making an interstate threat.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The former FBI director appeared for a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, where he did not enter a plea and was later allowed to leave.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking to reporters, said he did not know when Comey's next court appearance would be.

Blanche defended the indictment when asked if anyone who posted the numbers "8647" would face charges.

"Every threats case is different," he said. "Every time there is a threat against the president it doesn't necessarily lead to an indictment.

"It depends on the investigation. It depends on all kinds of factors," he said.

Comey apologized at the time for the Instagram post and said he "didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence."

"It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down," he said.

In September, Comey was charged with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding in what was widely seen as retribution by the Republican president against a political opponent.

A federal judge threw out that case on the grounds the prosecutor handpicked by Trump who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.

Democrats are viewing this latest indictment in a similar light.

Senator Dick Durbin called the charges "baseless" and "petty retribution."

"This is another case of a weaponized Justice Department lashing out on behalf of a vengeful president," Durbin said in a statement.

Comey served as FBI director from 2013 to 2017. 

During his tenure, he oversaw the investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, among other notable cases.

Comey was fired by Trump in May 2017.

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(The Center Square) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged Wednesday to work with Congress to fix a shortfall in military housing allowances, but the Pentagon's own budget documents show no plan to restore $2.6 billion that was redirected from a housing fund to pay Christmas bonuses to service members.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., had telegraphed the challenge ahead of the hearing. The retiring Air Force brigadier general and longtime advocate for military quality of life pressed Hegseth directly on what happened to the money Congress appropriated to help troops living off base.

"We brought in $2.5 billion to increase housing allowances for people living off base in the reconciliation bill," Bacon said. "The [Department of Defense] took that money and paid the entire force $1,776 in bonuses."

Hegseth acknowledged the problem.

"I think that is precisely the kind of quality of life issue that's been ignored time and time again, oftentimes with good intentions of trying to do some trade-off with something else," he said. "I'm committed to working with you on that to close that gap and ensure that folks can live where they are asked to serve because they can afford housing."

The Pentagon's fiscal year 2027 budget overview – a $1.5 trillion request, a 42% increase over last year – contains no line item to replenish the Basic Allowance for Housing fund. The $21.5 billion housing investment in the budget is targeted entirely at repairing and constructing physical barracks, not the cash entitlement that helps troops living off base pay their rent.

Congress appropriated $2.9 billion for BAH in the One Big Beautiful Bill. A Pentagon official previously confirmed to The Center Square that about $2.6 billion of those funds were used for the one-time "Warrior Dividend" payments – $1,776 checks delivered before Christmas – leaving about $300 million for actual housing allowance needs.

President Donald Trump announced the payments during a Dec. 18 address to the nation, saying they were funded by tariff revenue and the One Big Beautiful Bill. "In honor of our nation's founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776," Trump said.

The IRS subsequently confirmed the payments were tax-free, classifying them in a Jan. 16 news release as "supplemental basic allowance for housing payments" – the same fund Congress had appropriated the money from. The IRS release made no mention of tariff revenue.

Bacon, who previously chaired the HASC Military Quality-of-Life Panel and led a year-long inquiry into military pay, housing, childcare and healthcare, has called on Hegseth to restore the funds.

He announced last year that he would not seek reelection in 2026, making Wednesday's hearing among his final opportunities to press the issue before the full committee.

"This money should be restored," Bacon told The Center Square ahead of the hearing.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about whether Hegseth's commitment on Wednesday extended to restoring the redirected funds.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with US counterpart Donald Trump, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Wednesday, adding the two leaders discussed the Middle East war and Ukraine.

The call lasted more than 90 minutes and was "frank and businesslike", Ushakov told reporters, including from AFP, during a phone briefing.

The presidents "paid particular attention to the situation regarding Iran and in the Persian Gulf", Ushakov said. 

"Vladimir Putin considers Donald Trump's decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran to be the right one, as this should give negotiations a chance and, overall, help to stabilise the situation."

But Putin also "highlighted the inevitable and extremely damaging consequences not only for Iran and its neighbours, but also for the entire international community, should the US and Israel resort to military action once again", Ushakov said.

He added Russia was "firmly committed to providing every possible assistance to diplomatic efforts" on the Middle East war, and said the call was held at Moscow's initiative.

In Washington, Trump told reporters he had had a "very good conversation" with Putin, though he said it had focused more on the Ukraine war than on Iran.

Trump added that Putin wanted to "help" end the US-Israeli war on Iran but that he had told the Russian leader to end the Ukraine invasion first.

- Ukraine ceasefire offer -

Ushakov also briefed journalists on the two leaders' discussion of the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year following Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

"At Trump's request, Vladimir Putin described the current situation along the line of contact, where our troops are holding the strategic initiative and pushing back the enemy's positions," Ushakov told reporters.

"Both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump expressed essentially similar assessments of the behaviour of the Kyiv regime led by (Volodymyr) Zelensky, which, incited and with the support of the Europeans, is pursuing a policy of prolonging the conflict."

Russia's assault on Ukraine has devastated swathes of Ukrainian territory, killed thousands of civilians and forced millions to flee their homes.

Putin said he was ready "to declare a ceasefire for the duration of Victory Day celebrations. Trump actively supported this initiative, noting that the holiday marks our shared victory," Ushakov said.

Russia marks Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, celebrated each year with a military parade in central Moscow.

This year's event will be slimmed-down as a precautionary measure given the threat of Ukrainian retaliatory strikes, the Kremlin said earlier on Wednesday.

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(The Center Square) – Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unsealed charges against the sitting governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state and nine other current and former officials, alleging they took millions of dollars in cartel bribes in exchange for helping flood the United States with fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

The indictment, filed in the Southern District of New York, names Ruben Rocha Moya, 76, the governor of Sinaloa, as the most prominent of the defendants. Prosecutors allege the Sinaloa Cartel's so-called Chapitos faction – the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman – helped rig the 2021 gubernatorial election that put Rocha Moya in office, including by ordering cartel members to steal ballots and kidnap opposition candidates. In exchange, the indictment alleges, Rocha Moya handed the Chapitos effective control over state and local law enforcement.

"As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa Cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.

The case represents an escalation in the Trump administration's campaign against the Mexican cartels, which the administration designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2025. DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, who has called fentanyl a weapon the cartel has used to deliberately increase American drug dependence, said the charges expose an effort to corrupt public institutions.

"No one is above the law," Cole said.

The other defendants span nearly every level of Sinaloa's government and law enforcement apparatus. Enrique Inzunza Cazarez, now a sitting Mexican senator, allegedly served as a go-between for the Chapitos and the governor's office, prosecutors said. Enrique Diaz Vega, the former secretary of administration and finance, allegedly handed cartel leaders the names and home addresses of Rocha Moya's political opponents before the 2021 election so they could be threatened into dropping out, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors accused Damaso Castro Zaavedra, the current deputy attorney general for the Sinaloa State Attorney General's Office, of accepting about $11,000 per month in bribes, with prosecutors alleging he tipped off the Chapitos to planned DEA-backed raids so they could move drugs and destroy evidence before agents arrived. Two successive heads of the state's Investigative Police – Marco Antonio Almanza Aviles and his successor Alberto Jorge Contreras Nunez, known as "Cholo" – allegedly pocketed about $16,000 a month and, in exchange, ordered the release of cartel members who had been arrested for drug trafficking.

The indictment's most serious corruption allegations target Juan Valenzuela Millan, a/k/a "Juanito," a former commander in the Culiacan Municipal Police. Prosecutors allege Millan accepted roughly $41,000 per month in bribes to be distributed among himself and more than 40 other officers on the Chapitos' payroll. In October 2023, the indictment alleges, Millan dispatched officers in a patrol car to stop and kidnap a DEA confidential source named Alexander Meza Leon and a relative. Both were turned over to cartel enforcers, who tortured and killed them. The victims included a 13-year-old boy. Millan faces mandatory life in prison if convicted on the kidnapping counts.

The charges are the latest in a series of indictments out of the Southern District of New York targeting more than 30 Sinaloa Cartel members since 2023. The cartel has been weakened in recent years by the arrest and extradition of several leaders, including Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo's sons, who was extradited in 2023. El Chapo's former co-leader, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, was brought to the United States in July 2024. Prosecutors say the resulting internal war between rival factions has produced escalating violence across Sinaloa.

All 10 defendants are believed to remain in Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Each faces a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison on drug and weapons charges, with Millan facing mandatory life. The charges are allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

(The Center Square) - The U.S. House of Representatives, in a 235-191 vote Wednesday, passed a measure to extend the spy powers of the federal government for another three years. Because of an amendment added to the bill that would prevent the creation of a central bank digital currency, the Senate majority leader said it is dead on arrival in his chamber.

The House passed the three-year extension of FISA Section 702 spy powers after significant debate over its authority. The authority is meant to allow federal intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless electronic surveillance on foreign nationals of suspicion.

Twenty-two Republicans voted against the reauthorization and 42 Democrats voted in favor of it. 

Members of Congress expressed concern that American citizens’ electronic data, including phone calls, emails and text messages, were routinely intercepted.

Many House Republicans and Democrats said the extension would be a violation of Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the FISA extension includes meaningful reforms to the federal government’s spy powers. He pointed to the creation of a position within the office of the Director of National Intelligence that is tasked with conducting monthly reviews of FBI U.S. citizen searches.

“Today, every single U.S. person query conducted by the FBI is audited to ensure compliance with applicable requirements and legal standards,” Jordan said.

Jordan also pointed to reforms in the bill that would impose criminal penalties for individuals who intentionally conduct improper searches. The bill also requires an FBI attorney to approve a search on a U.S. citizen before it is conducted.

“The 702 program is incredibly important for protecting our national security and advancing our interests abroad,” Jordan said.

However, House Democrats said these reforms are not enough to protect American citizens from data surveillance. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called for including a warrant requirement, judicial review, and probable cause requirements when the government conducts searches on American citizens.

He said the FISA extension bill goes against the Fourth Amendment. Raskin said the extension does not provide adequate protections to conduct more in-depth review.

“This three-year blank check to Trump and [FBI Director Kash] Patel and company leaves the executive branch free to conduct these searches with self-reporting and self-policing as the sole protection against their abuse of the Section 702 program,” Raskin said.

House leadership also tacked on an amendment to the FISA reauthorization that would prevent the creation of a central bank digital currency, a provision that would likely fail in the U.S. Senate.

Democrats slammed the blockade on a central bank digital currency and said it was entirely unrelated to the extension of FISA.

“This crypto bill is completely unrelated to the FISA bill and is a non-starter in the Senate,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said. “Republicans are obsessed with random fringe issues instead of doing literally anything to bring down the cost of living.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the addition of the amendment would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate, leading to further delays in the FISA extension, which lapses on Thursday.

The House will send the FISA extension to the Senate for a final vote. The central bank currency will likely not pass in the Senate’s vote.

For those who fear flying, the thriller "Deep Water" reveals a new nightmare: surviving an emergency landing, only to find yourself surrounded by man-eating sharks.

Starring Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley ("Gandhi") and Aaron Eckhart ("Batman: The Dark Knight"), the disaster flick premieres in the US on Thursday and was produced by "Kiss" singer Gene Simmons.

The film blends action with horror -- two genres well known to its director.

Finnish filmmaker Renny Harlin, who has previously helmed hits like "Die Hard 2," "Cliffhanger," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4," said "Deep Water" is actually a human drama. 

"If you took away the plane crash and you took away the sharks...it's all about those people put in an extraordinary situation and seeing who they really are," he told AFP.

The survival thriller marks another aquatic plunge for the 67-year-old director, who was also behind "Deep Blue Sea" (1999), starring Samuel L. Jackson. 

This time, his characters plunge into a new nightmare when the plane taking them from Los Angeles to Shanghai makes an emergency landing in the middle of the ocean, leaving them at the mercy of a school of hungry mako sharks. 

The director, who has worked with screen tough guys like Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone said flying, however commonplace, remains "unnatural" and can be terrifying for many people. 

"When you put characters in a situation that feels dangerous to begin with, and then you take them through something extreme, which is a plane crash...ending up in the water and being surrounded by sharks, then obviously, you have a situation that is scary," he said.

"It's one of those things where you really put yourself into that situation, and imagine what you would do."

The director's involvement attracted Gene Simmons, the make-up wearing bassist and vocalist of "Kiss," to produce the film. 

Simmons said he feels constantly drawn to the creative process that makes the magic of cinema possible.

But the film brought back some less-than-scary memories for the musician, a frequent traveler who toured the world with the "I Was Made For Lovin' You" outfit.

The musician recounted how on one overnight flight to Tokyo, he had got up from his seat to use the facilities, but seemingly forgot to lock the door.

An off-duty flight attendant "had to go too, but she maybe accidentally opened my restroom," the veteran rocker said.

"She decided there was room for two," he added with a grin.

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