Greece expands sunbed-free beach list for 2026

HELENA, Mont. - President Donald Trump is pushing to build a ballroom at the White House had become more urgent because of security concerns following a shooting at the the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend. 

"We looked at...all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say its not....a particular secure building...and uh, I didn't want to say this but uh, this is why we have to have ball with the attributes that we were planning at the White House. It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure it's got -- its storm proof -- its got bullet proof glass -- we need the ballroom. It's why secrete service its why the military are demanding it," Trump said.

The comments came after the Justice Department called on the National Trust for Historic Preservation [link] to drop its lawsuit blocking the construction.

Justice Department officials said the administration would move to dismiss the case if the group did not drop its lawsuit by this morning.

In Montana, Sen. Tim Sheehy announced in a press release that he would introduce legislation and seek unanimous consent to approve construction of the Presidential Ballroom. 

"It is an embarrassment to the strongest nation on earth that we cannot host gatherings in our nation's capital without the threat of violence and attempted assassinations. There is no place for political violence in America," Sheehy said.

A California man accused of storming a gala dinner attended by President Donald Trump was to appear in court Monday over a shooting that marked the latest spasm of political violence in deeply divided America.

Administration officials said the suspect in Saturday night's attack aimed to kill Trump and senior officials at the media dinner in a Washington hotel, in the third attempt on the president's life in two years.

Trump, who was rushed out of the venue by Secret Service agents, posted camera footage of the gunman sprinting past a checkpoint one floor above the ballroom where the dinner was held.

After a brief exchange of gunfire with agents, the suspect was detained at the scene. No one was killed.

In a CBS interview on Sunday evening, Trump was asked if he feared there would be casualties as Washington's government and media elite ducked for cover at the black-tie dinner.

"I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," Trump said.

Cole Allen, 31, is set to make his first appearance in Washington federal court at about 1:00 pm (1700 GMT).

Proceedings will be brief, with Allen expected to be charged with assault on a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Additional charges are likely in future. 

The suspect -- who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives -- was staying at the Washington Hilton hotel where the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner was held.

The New York Post said Allen had written in a message shared with his family shortly before the attack that his targets would be "prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest."

In the seconds after the shooting erupted a floor above, Secret Service agents swarmed into the ballroom, prompting chaotic scenes as attendees dove under tables.

Crowded into the venue were Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, several cabinet members and top lawmakers, and hundreds of guests.

Trump said at a hastily arranged late-night news conference at the White House that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped, before realizing it was gunfire.

He said he hoped the gala would be rescheduled within a month, adding that the hotel venue was "not a particularly secure" facility, as questions swirled about the president's safety protocols.

The hotel has hosted gala dinners for the White House Correspondents Association for decades without incident. The WHCA routinely invites sitting presidents to attend, but Saturday was the first time Trump had accepted.

Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.

A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

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(The Center Square) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down a challenge to Texas' new congressional maps. 

The court reversed Abbott v. LULAC, a case that sought to challenge years-long redistricting practices in state House and Senate races throughout Texas. 

In 2021, a group of Latino voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott challenging district apportionment in the Texas House and Senate. The groups sought to challenge voting maps dating back to the 2010 census. 

"This is as stark a case of racial gerrymandering as one can imagine," lawyers for the Latino groups wrote in a brief to the court. 

However, maps came under new scrutiny in 2025 when the Texas legislature drew new U.S. Congressional maps in a rare mid-decade redistricting campaign aimed at yielding five new seats for the Republican party. After months of legal battling, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the new maps in December. 

The Texas campaign kicked off a nationwide mid-decade redistricting battle for greater representation of either party in Congress across the country. The U.S. Supreme Court went on to affirm California's congressional redistricting maps that favored Democrats. 

Lawyers for Abbott said race was not considered when any of the maps were drawn. The lawyers said Adam Kincaid, exeuctive director of the Republican Redistricting Trust, did not consider race when redrawing the maps. 

"Kincaid never considered racial data. He did not 'have racial data visible' on his computer while drawing the map," lawyers wrote. 

Justices on the court struck down the lawsuit along partisan lines. Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority decision. 

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case over the constitutional authority of federal agencies to handle migrant farmworker disputes. 

The case, Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards, focuses on a New Jersey farm that was accused of violating an employment agreement under the H-2A visa program.

The H-2A visa program is a federally administered work visa system that allows agricultural employers to hire immigrant workers for temporary or seasonal jobs when there are not enough U.S. workers available. 

The Department of Labor accused Sun Valley Orchards of failing to provide adequate housing, meal plans, transportation and work hours for H-2A employees. The department imposed hundreds of thousands of dollars in liabilities for violations at the farm. 

Lawyers for the Department of Labor said employers that use the H-2A program to hire workers must comply with federal guidelines to ensure American citizens are not disadvantaged by the program. 

"Administrative adjudications provide an efficient mechanism for ensuring that employers who participate in that vast program comply with those terms and conditions," the lawyers wrote in a brief to the court. 

Lawyers for Sun Valley Orchards argued that the department violated Article III of the Constitution, which gives power for federal adjudications to the judiciary branch, not the executive.

The lawyers argued the Department of Labor overstepped in its pursuit of adjudicating the claim. 

"There is no precedent or history supporting agency adjudication of such employment-related issues," lawyers for the farm wrote. "The government’s contrary argument would vastly expand the public rights exception for immigration-related claims to encompass myriad issues involving temporary workers."

Justices on the court will decide whether the Department of Labor can adjudicate immigration-related violations in the fall. The court will likely decide the case in 2027. 

(The Center Square) – Dominance in national air power defense would be enhanced through three proposals awaiting action in the Committee on Armed Services, says senators from North Carolina and New Hampshire and some of their colleagues.

Expanded fighter aircraft production, retention of mid-career Air Force aviators, and a program to “correct the most acute pilot manning challenges for the Air Force” have been brought together led by Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Shaheen said getting serious about China’s influence is pivotal; Budd said military superiority is tied to the air.

“The future of American military dominance relies on maintaining our air superiority, and the path forward is clear – rebuild our Defense Industrial Base through restoring our combat aircraft forces and retaining experienced aviators,” Budd said. “We cannot afford to fall behind China, and that is why Senator Shaheen and I have brought forward a robust, bipartisan legislative package that gives the U.S. a fighting chance to preserve our airpower to be the most lethal fighting force in modern warfare, while also retaining our nation’s most elite pilots.”

Introductions of the three bills came Wednesday.

“If the administration truly views China as the pacing challenge to our nation, we need to get serious about curbing their growing global influence – and that includes air dominance,” Shaheen said. “Our commonsense, multi-pronged approach will make an overdue investment in American fighter capacity to help ensure the United States keeps our competitive edge for generations to come.”

The Airpower Acceleration Act, known also as Senate Bill 4374, authorizes multi-year procurement of the F-15EX and F-35 fighter jets. The minimum increase of fighter aircraft would rise from 1,369 in 2030 to 1,558 in 2035.

The F-15EX production would rise to 200, helping the aging F-15E fleet.

The Retention Enhancements for Tactical Aircrew Initiative Act, known also as the RETAIN Act and Senate Bill 4375, has incentives to be offered by the secretary of the Air Force. Not all incentives in the legislation include pay raise; rather, it’s duty location of officer’s preference, assignment and status, and ability to transition indefinitely to a noncombat aviation service career path.

There are monetary incentives elsewhere in the proposal.

The Fighter Aircrew Career Flexibility Act, known also as Senate Bill 4373, permits a one-time career intermission for Air Force fighter crew lasting four months to one year. Aviators can go to the civilian workforce and still be able to return to active duty.

Budd and Shaheen have support on the package from Sens. Angus King, I-Maine; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. All are members of the Committee on Armed Services.

In Budd's North Carolina, the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro has more than 90 F-15E Strike Eagles. In Shaheen's New Hampshire, the 157th Air Refueling Wing is hosted at Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington/Portsmouth.

The primary home of the F-15EX Eagle II is the 142nd Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base. The primary operational home for the F-35A Lightning II within the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings is at Hill Air Force Base between Ogden and Layton in Utah.

Every late April, the tiny Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden votes for local leaders and magistrates in accordance with a tradition dating back to the 15th century: a show of hands in the town square.

This year's Landsgemeinde open-air assembly, held as always on the last Sunday of April, drew several thousand people under the blazing sun in Appenzell, capital of the eponymous German-speaking northeastern canton of 17,000 inhabitants.

After a slow-paced ceremonial march through the town, thousands of citizens crowded into the roped-off voting perimeter inside the Landsgemeindeplatz square.

The tradition dates back to 1403, when only men willing to fight to defend their community had the right to vote.

As per custom, the majority of men carried their swords on Sunday -- still effectively voter ID.

Appenzell Innerrhoden's women have only participated in cantonal voting since 1991 -- more than 20 years after gaining the right to vote in national elections.

Over several hours this April, the citizens voted on the questions put to them, with curious tourists watching on from restaurant terraces.

"Standing together with other people, you can experience politics with all your senses," said centrist lawyer Angela Koller, the Regierende Landammann, or head of the cantonal government -- the first woman to hold the position.

"The issues are explained again, there's discussion, and I think you experience politics in a completely different way."

As it is not a secret ballot, the voting system "isn't perfect", she told AFP.

However, "I believe we have a culture here where people can tolerate that, where they know they have different opinions," the 42-year-old said.

Constitutional, legislative and financial issues are also discussed and voted on.

A revision of policing laws and a project on cycle paths were both approved.

- Passion and democracy -

Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus are the last of Switzerland's 26 cantons to practice this kind of annual direct democracy.

With its cultural heritage rooted in Catholicism and rural life, Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's smallest canton by population, with Glarus not much bigger with 42,000 residents. Zurich and Bern, the two largest, each have over a million.

"Clearly it is no longer possible in the big cantons, but here we see the tradition of democracy and also the tradition surrounding the Landsgemeinde," Switzerland's Defence Minister Martin Pfister, a guest of honour, told AFP.

"There were lots of people who were passionate about the issues.

"That's great. It's what democracy is all about: having a discussion on the issues, then voting, and in a few seconds, it's decided."

Ursulina, a 31-year-old voter, said: "It's really important to take the rights we have and go vote. I think it's nice to have it direct and to talk with people about it and to hear arguments directly."

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A delivery driver who jumped onto a Porsche Cayenne after being startled by dogs is not required to pay for the resulting damage, a Munich court said Monday.

Two Dalmatians and a crossbreed emerged from the front door of a house he was delivering to, leading the unnamed man to climb onto the bonnet of the Porsche parked outside, Munich District Court said in a statement.

The September 2024 incident in Freising north of Munich caused more than 2,700 euros' (about $3,170) worth of damage in scratches and dents to the car bonnet, the complainant said.

The case came to court after the delivery driver and his employer refused to cover the cost of repairs.

Finding in their favour, the court ruled that it was not certain whether the damage came from the startled driver, noting that photos of the damage appeared to have been taken several months after the incident.

The complainant should further have controlled his dogs and known that a delivery driver was due to stop by, the court added.

The dogs were about three to four metres away from the driver and not aggressive, the car owner and a witness said, but the court said this did not excuse man from his duty to control his pets.

Barking and running towards the driver was enough to trigger a flight reflex, the court found.

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(The Center Square) – Kevin Warsh’s path to succeed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has the support of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican said multiple times Sunday.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is being closed. Tillis, staunchly opposed to moving forward while the probe has been active, said since that announcement he’s had a number of discussions with the Department of Justice.

In a network interview, he said in part to Kristen Welker of NBC, “They have made it very clear that the current investigation is completely and fully ended. There may be some confusion because they're moving forward with the appeal, but I have been assured by the Department of Justice that that appeal is simply to challenge the basis for judging on the motion to quash the subpoenas. It would not in any way constitute a basis for reopening the investigation.”

Tillis, later Sunday morning, said he’s been consistently clear. The investigation, he said, was “a serious threat” to independence by the Federal Reserve.

“It needed to end before I could support Kevin Warsh’s confirmation,” Tillis wrote on social media. “I welcome the inspector general’s investigation. This is a necessary and appropriate measure, and I have confidence it will be conducted thoroughly and professionally.

“I take the Department of Justice at its word: the investigation is closed, and any appeal of Judge Boasberg’s ruling will be with respect to legal principles and not for the purpose of reissuing subpoenas. Only a criminal referral from the inspector general would cause a reopening of the investigation.

“With these assurances,” he continued, “I look forward to supporting Kevin Warsh’s confirmation. He is an outstanding nominee, and it is time for the Federal Reserve to move beyond this distraction and return its full attention to its mission.”

Powell’s four-year term ends May 15 and Warsh is the choice to succeed him. A confirmation vote from the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled for Wednesday. A final vote by the full Senate would follow if the panel advances Warsh.

Warsh could begin as the 17th chairman on May 15.

Judge James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, blocked the Justice Department in March and April from probing Powell. He said the investigation had “essentially zero evidence” and felt the initiative was made to manipulate Powell into compliance with second-term Republican President Donald Trump’s request to cut interest rates or resign.

Three weeks after the judge called the case thin and weak came Pirro’s announcement on Friday.

Rates from the Federal Reserve dictate the cost of borrowing money, ranging from mortgages and credit cards to business expansion, employment and inflation.

Benchmark federal funds rates are in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%; the discount window, known as the primary credit rate, is 3.75%; and the effective federal funds rate is 3.64%.

"We'll be putting out a statement," Tillis said in the network interview, confirming he will vote yes on Warsh. "We worked a lot over the weekend to make sure that we were very clear that we had the assurances from the DOJ that I needed to feel like they were not using the DOJ as a weapon to threaten the independence of the Fed."

Asked if he thought Warsh would act independently of the president, Tillis said not only that, "I wouldn't be surprised if the president doesn't get annoyed with him once or twice.

"Look, the Fed body that determines rate hikes, that works on their dual mandate for employment and for inflation, it's a consensus-building body. You have 12 voting members. No one person can actually control it. You have to get a majority of it."

And the outgoing senator whose seat is coveted in November by Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley further endorsed Trump.

"You know, the president's right to just press, and press, and press," Tillis said. "I don't begrudge him for demanding that inflation goes down. We've got to deal with the affordability problem, and this president's trying to do it better than Biden and Obama ever did.

"But you've got to do it by the rules, and you've got to do it within the bounds of the institution so that we maintain this precious, exceptional gift that we have as a nation and the gold standard for a financial system."

China has blocked Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus, the top economic planning body said Monday, after a regulatory review that reportedly also saw Beijing restrict two co-founders from leaving the country.

Facebook owner Meta had agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said in December.

Analysts however had warned then the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The Financial Times reported last month that China had restricted two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

Chief executive Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao, who are usually based in Singapore, were reportedly summoned to a meeting in Beijing in March and told they were not allowed to leave China because of a regulatory review of the Meta acquisition.

Beijing's National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Monday that it will "prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project" and "requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction", without naming Meta.

Meta told AFP in a statement that "the transaction complied fully with applicable law".

"We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry," it added.

Meta said in December that the deal -- the financial details of which were not disclosed -- would "bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products".

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said the purchase was likely aimed at expanding Meta's AI agent task capabilities, and that it could be worth more than $2 billion.

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

- Tech control -

Analysts said this move did not come as a surprise as China has always hoped for greater control over its homegrown technology.

"This is the latest in that trajectory of restrictions," said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

China and the United States "are increasingly looking to separate their tech stacks", he told AFP, adding that places like Singapore would be increasingly unable to "shield firms from such scrutiny".

Beijing is trying to send a clear signal that in areas of "strategic priorities" such as AI, it will increase its scrutiny to prevent talent, tech data and capital leakage, said Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"It shows they are prepared to act and also securitise the AI space," Loh added.

Chinese regulators intend to restrict technology firms from accepting US capital without government approval, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Agencies including the National Development and Reform Commission have told several private firms in recent weeks they should reject capital of US origin in funding rounds unless explicitly approved, Bloomberg said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

"The China government's decision to block the deal is expected and it has already created some chilling effect on other Chinese AI companies who may now need to rethink their going global approach," Chandy Ye, a dual-qualified Hong Kong solicitor and mainland China lawyer, told AFP.

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Hezbollah  rejects talks -

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon's planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a "grave sin" that will destabilise Lebanon.

"We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves," Qassem said in a statement, calling on authorities to "back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability".

- Iran blames US -

Iran's foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.

"The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands," Abbas Araghchi said.

He also said "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue".

- Oil prices rise -

Oil prices rose more than two percent Monday while stocks were mixed with the United States and Iran no closer to ending their eight-week-old war.

- Israeli soldier killed -

The Israeli army said one of its troops was killed "during combat" in south Lebanon, where a ceasefire has been in place since mid-April.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have accused each other of breaching the truce.

- ECB seen holding rates -

The European Central Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady again this week as it waits to see if the inflation spike triggered by the Middle East war will prove temporary or begin to weigh on growth.

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