The former CEO of Italy’s main highway operator has been given 12 years in prison over the collapse of a motorway bridge in Genoa that killed 43 people in 2018. Families say the verdict against Giovanni Castellucci confirmed the disaster was preventable.
US President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official, Jay Clayton, evaded directly stating that Trump lost the 2020 election. During his Senate confirmation hearing Clayton said only that Biden had been ‘certified’ as president, adding ‘I am not an election denier’.
Ljubiša Karovi was almost sucked out of the aircraft after a window smashed
15:47, 15 Jul 2026Updated 16:24, 15 Jul 2026
The damage to the ‘dislodged window’ (Image: -)
Ryanair’s chief executive has said an official investigation will determine what went wrong on a flight that saw a passenger almost sucked out of a shattered window.
The shocking incident happened on a service from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen, Germany, on a plane operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary. Ljubiša Karovi, 61, was reportedly pulled from his seat and had to be held in by his legs and seatbelt when the cabin suddenly depressurised.
His wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, held onto his legs during the chaos as the plane made an emergency return to Greece. Passengers described hearing a loud bang while the aircraft was over North Macedonia, after which the pilot turned the Boeing 737-800 back towards Thessaloniki.
Maksimović has claimed debris struck the aircraft and damaged the window after what she thinks was an engine failure. In an interview with RTÉ News, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said photographs showed visible damage to one of the engines but insisted it would be wrong to draw conclusions before investigators complete their work.
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“Anyone who’s looked at the photographs can see… clearly there’s damage to the engine,” he said. “But I’m not going to speculate on that. That aircraft will be investigated through the Greek authorities. We understand then we will put that out to the NTSB, which are the American investigators.”
The US National Transportation Safety Board is expected to be involved because the aircraft is American-built. Wilson said the incident was serious and that Ryanair would act on any findings or safety recommendations that follow.
Maksimović said her 61-year-old husband was “seriously injured and in shock”, and they did not know if they would ever fly again following the ordeal.
Another passenger, Sofia, told Radio Thessaloniki: “We thought the plane was going down. The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn’t breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock.”
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Pressed on whether passengers could feel confident flying with the airline over the summer, Wilson pointed to the carrier’s flight volume and maintenance regime, saying aircraft are checked regularly and that “the best-trained crews” were on display during the Thessaloniki diversion. “Aircraft are maintained every night,” he said, adding that Ryanair follows schedules set by regulators.
Ryanair, in a statement, said the flight returned “shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight”. The airline said the aircraft landed normally, passengers were taken back to the terminal, and one person requested and received medical assistance on the ground.
Although the cause has not been confirmed by authorities, the BBC reported that a technical advisor appointed by the family believes the sequence began with a problem affecting the aircraft’s right engine, with debris then striking and shattering a cabin window, triggering the rapid loss of pressure.
Research shows there are six different personalities which make up a group trip, including the ‘Chief Vacation Officer’ (CVO) – but which one are you?
Vicky Pattison teams up with Samsung
Almost half of Brits consider themselves the ‘Chief Vacation Officer’ (CVO) in their circle of friends – the person who actually gets holiday plans moving beyond the group chat.
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed there are six distinct personalities that makeup a group holiday, including the ‘Busy Bee’ who’s never available, the ‘Ghost’ who vanishes until appearing at the departure gates, and the ‘Snap Happy One’ who can’t let a single moment pass without taking a photo.
Then there’s the ‘Fluent-ish Friend’, who confidently dives into the local language, and the ‘Window Shoppers’, who trawl social media for recommendations and share them with the group, but never actually get round to booking anything.
The study, commissioned by Samsung to spotlight the Galaxy Z Fold7 as the ultimate travel command centre thanks to its Multi Window functionality, discovered that 64% believe no trip would ever get off the ground without a CVO at the helm.
From kicking off the conversation to selecting destinations, 53% said the CVO plays an underappreciated role in making holidays actually happen.
To celebrate their unsung efforts, Samsung has teamed up with Vicky Pattison, a self-confessed Chief Vacation Officer, to examine how travel planning has transformed from a straightforward booking task into a complex juggling act across multiple apps.
Vicky Pattison said: “It’s safe to say I love a holiday, and in my friendship group I am absolutely the lead booker and honestly, I thrive from the challenge.
“What starts as a simple ‘we should all go away’ somehow turns into you sorting dates, comparing hotels, collecting passport details and reminding people to pay you back and I secretly get a kick out of it.
“Everyone loves the holiday once it’s booked, but very few people see what goes into making it happen.”
The study revealed that mobile phones have become an increasingly vital tool for today’s CVOs, with 67% depending on them to help coordinate trips, from using social media to scout out new destinations (40%) to AI platforms for crafting the ideal itinerary (42%).
Despite this, 46% still find it difficult to keep on top of group chats, bookings, and everyone’s individual preferences in one place.
This organisational balancing act is no longer limited to laptops or kitchen tables either, with Gen Z transforming everyday idle moments into personal admin sessions, as 24% admit to planning a holiday during their lunch break or daily commute.
The greatest holiday planning headaches for those embarking on group trips included deciding where to stay (27%), gathering everyone’s passport details (11%) and pinning down dates that suit the whole group (42%).
When asked what would make the process simpler, 37% said they’d value being able to view flights, hotels, and messages alongside one another.
Others highlighted being able to see multiple apps simultaneously (38%), effortless multitasking between chats, bookings and itineraries (34%), and a larger screen for comparing options more conveniently (32%) as the device features they’d find most beneficial when organising a group getaway.
Over a third (37%) of those surveyed agreed that having improved tools to assist with holiday planning would motivate them to arrange more trips overseas.
TOP 10 HOLIDAY PLANNING CHALLENGES:
Finding dates that work for everyone
Agreeing on a budget everyone is happy with
Choosing where to stay
Making decisions when no one else will commit
Dealing with people changing their mind repeatedly
Getting everyone to reply in the group chat
Chasing people for payments or deposits
Comparing too many destination options
Aligning on activities so everyone feels the trip is worth it
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (R) talks with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac (C) during the National Fiscal Strategy Meeting, chaired by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 13 July 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
July 13 (Asia Today) — South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back is facing mounting pressure from an allegation that he deserted his military post four decades ago and growing opposition to his plan to consolidate the country’s three service academies.
The two controversies have converged, raising questions about whether the Lee Jae Myung administration can maintain momentum behind its broader military reform agenda.
Complaint filed over parliamentary testimony
Kim Young-soo, head of the Korea Institute for Military Rights and a former Navy major, filed a police complaint against Ahn on June 27. The complaint alleges Ahn violated a law governing testimony and evidence before the National Assembly.
At a news conference at the National Assembly on Monday, Kim claimed Ahn left his post without authorization for about seven months while serving as a supplementary-duty soldier with an Army unit in Gochang County in 1984.
Kim also alleged that military police arrested Ahn and detained him for 30 days.
The complaint argues that Ahn gave false testimony during his confirmation hearing in July 2025 when he denied that such incidents had occurred.
The case is being investigated by Yongsan Police Station in Seoul. Police are scheduled to question Kim as the complainant Thursday.
The allegations have not been substantiated and remain under investigation.
Ministry calls allegation “clearly false”
The Defense Ministry rejected the desertion allegation Friday, calling it “clearly false.”
According to Ahn and the ministry, he completed his required service and was discharged from supplementary duty in January 1985. He returned to Sungkyunkwan University in March but was told in June that he was required to perform additional service.
The ministry said the issue arose after Ahn’s mother served lunch to active-duty soldiers at the request of his company commander. The period during which the incident was internally reviewed was mistakenly omitted from the administrative process when Ahn was initially released from duty, leading to his recall in August.
The ministry said Ahn was never detained or subjected to disciplinary action.
It has declined to publicly release his military service record, however, arguing that disclosing an incorrect 40-year-old document could create further misunderstanding regardless of the underlying facts.
Ahn has said he will seek to have the record corrected after leaving office.
SBS reported Sunday that a small number of ruling-party officials had examined the military records and said they contained no entries related to desertion or detention.
Military academy announcement abruptly postponed
Amid the dispute, the ministry abruptly postponed the scheduled release of its basic plan for establishing a unified armed forces academy. The announcement was canceled about 100 minutes before a briefing Monday.
The proposal calls for jointly selecting cadets for the Army, Navy and Air Force academies. Cadets would receive common instruction during their first two years and service-specific education during their third and fourth years.
The government has also reportedly considered relocating the Korea Military Academy from its current campus in northeastern Seoul to South Jeolla Province.
The ministry attributed the postponement to Ahn’s attendance at a presidential meeting and his schedule accompanying President Lee to a NATO summit.
The decision was widely interpreted, however, as a response to strong opposition from retired military organizations and alumni associations.
Academy alumni stage first joint protest
The alumni associations of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies held a rally outside the National Assembly on Wednesday opposing the consolidation plan and the proposed relocation of the Army academy.
It was the first time the three associations had jointly mobilized over the issue.
People Power Party Reps. Han Ki-ho and Lim Jong-deuk, both graduates of the Korea Military Academy, attended the demonstration. They described the proposal as a deterioration of national defense rather than genuine reform and called for it to be reconsidered from the beginning.
Twelve former commanders of the Army Training and Doctrine Command also issued a statement calling for a review of the plan.
The opposition People Power Party has linked the military service allegation with the academy consolidation proposal and called for Ahn’s resignation.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has also demanded that Ahn release his military service record.
A public petition seeking Ahn’s impeachment had received more than 310,000 signatures as of Sunday.
Thursday’s police questioning of the complainant is expected to become the first major turning point in the dispute over Ahn’s service history.
The policy battle, however, is unlikely to disappear regardless of the investigation’s outcome.
Opposition to consolidating the academies and dismantling the Defense Counterintelligence Command has already developed independently of the allegation against Ahn. The unprecedented joint protest by the three academy alumni associations demonstrates the extent of that resistance.
The ministry’s continued refusal to release Ahn’s service record is also prolonging the controversy. Its decision to postpone correction procedures until after Ahn leaves office risks allowing the dispute to remain a source of political conflict.
At the same time, treating the military service allegation and the academy reform proposal as a single political issue could undermine a substantive national security debate.
Defense experts familiar with the controversy say the allegation should be investigated according to the law, while the merits of military reform should be debated separately according to the national interest.
Justice Roh Kyung-pil delivers his inaugural remarks at the Supreme Court in Seoul on Aug. 2, 2024. Photo by Asia Today / Joint Press Corps
July 10 (Asia Today) — South Korean Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae appointed Justice Roh Kyung-pil as the new head of the National Court Administration, filling a vacancy that had lasted about four months.
The Supreme Court announced Friday that Roh, 62, will begin his term Tuesday.
The head of the National Court Administration oversees personnel and budgets for courts nationwide. The chief justice appoints the official from among sitting Supreme Court justices, and the justice does not handle trials while serving in the post.
Roh, a native of Haenam, South Jeolla Province, began his judicial career as a judge at the Seoul District Court in 1997. He later served as a Supreme Court research judge, Seoul High Court judge, presiding judge at the Gwangju High Court, and presiding judge and senior presiding judge at the Suwon High Court. He was appointed to the Supreme Court on Aug. 2, 2024.
The Supreme Court said Roh is qualified for the post because of his “leadership of listening and inclusion,” saying he is suited to strengthen public trust in the judiciary by communicating with court members and broader society and working to build a swift and fair judicial system for the public.
The post had been vacant since Justice Park Young-jae tendered his resignation as head of the National Court Administration on Feb. 27. Ki Woo-jong, deputy head of the administration, had served as acting chief.
With the vacancy resolved, attention is turning to whether stalled Supreme Court justice nominations will gain momentum.
The Supreme Court justice candidate recommendation committee in January recommended four candidates to succeed former Justice Roh Tae-ak: Seoul High Court judges Kim Min-ki and Park Soon-young, Daegu District Court Presiding Judge Son Bong-gi and Seoul High Court Presiding Judge Yoon Seong-sik. No final recommendation has been made.
The selection process is also underway for a successor to Justice Lee Heung-gu, who is scheduled to retire in September.
The Supreme Court on July 3 completed its review of public comments on 28 recommended candidates who agreed to be screened by the recommendation committee. If the committee recommends at least three candidates this month, Cho will select a final nominee and recommend the candidate to President Lee Jae Myung for appointment. The nominee would then go through a National Assembly confirmation hearing before final appointment.
The National Court Administration is also tied to one of the ruling party’s major judicial reform agendas. After legislation on three judicial reform measures, including criminalizing distorted application of the law, allowing constitutional complaints against court rulings and expanding the number of Supreme Court justices, a separate bill has been introduced to revise the Court Organization Act and abolish the National Court Administration.
Lee Yong-cheol, chief of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, attends a ceremony at the Navy submarine command in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, 25 March 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
July 7 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s defense acquisition chief apologized Tuesday for failing to win Canada’s next-generation submarine project, saying alliance interoperability was the decisive factor in Ottawa’s decision.
Lee Yong-cheol, head of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said South Korea’s submarine proposal was competitive on performance, delivery schedule and maintenance, but Canada placed greater weight on its long-standing NATO defense network.
“I am sorry that we were unable to achieve the expected result despite strong public interest and all-out support from the Industry Ministry, Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Navy and other government agencies,” Lee told reporters at the Defense Ministry press room. “The failure to secure the result was due to my lack of ability.”
Canada selected Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the preferred bidder for its Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, which aims to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s aging submarine fleet.
Lee said Canada appeared to consider several factors, including fuel cell-based air-independent propulsion technology, battery performance, Germany’s record of supplying submarines to more than one-third of NATO members, alliance interoperability, crew sharing, joint training, maintenance, parts supply and industrial benefits tied to jobs and maintenance facilities.
“In terms of submarine performance, early delivery and regional benefits such as maintenance, repair and overhaul, I do not believe there was a meaningful gap with our proposal,” Lee said. “In delivery schedule, even considering Norway’s production slot, we were faster.”
“The decisive difference appears to have been NATO interoperability and cooperation that allows crew sharing,” he said.
A defense acquisition official said South Korea’s submarines should not be seen as inferior in operational capability.
“Submarines, for which stealth is most important, do not operate by constantly exchanging wireless communications,” the official said. “We do not believe our submarine had weaker operational capability. Canada appears to have judged that sharing future operating systems and parts would be relatively easier with Germany.”
The official said Canada’s geography and Arctic security concerns likely shaped the decision.
“Canada stretches across both ends of the North American continent and must cover both the Atlantic and Pacific,” the official said. “Personally, I think the difference in Arctic security priorities also played a major role. For South Korea, the Arctic is more of a conceptual issue, but for Canada it is a real security concern.”
The official said Canada’s Indo-Pacific defense cooperation with South Korea is still developing, while its Atlantic alliance structure has been operating for more than 70 years.
“Training among those allies is routine, to the point where they can discuss sharing submarine crew members,” the official said. “South Korea has only recently begun joint exercises with Canada. Canada chose to strengthen an existing alliance framework, and I think that strategic choice should be respected.”
The agency said the failed bid still produced meaningful results for South Korea’s defense industry.
Lee cited South Korea’s previous loss in Norway’s K2 tank procurement, saying the tank passed performance testing in harsh winter conditions but narrowly failed to win the contract.
“Poland took close note of that performance and moved aggressively to sign a contract,” Lee said. “This challenge may also lead to another reversal.”
Elyas Abu Safia says his father can barely breathe or speak after more than 555 days in Israeli prison.
Published On 5 Jul 20265 Jul 2026
The son of a prominent Palestinian doctor abducted and held by Israel without charge has issued an urgent appeal for his father’s release, warning that his health has sharply deteriorated after more than 555 days in prison, as a rights group warned that his life was in danger.
Elyas Abu Safia, the son of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, said in a video message on Sunday that his father, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, showed signs of severe abuse after Israeli authorities transferred him to solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison.
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“The day before yesterday, the lawyer Nasser Odeh managed to visit my father, where he told us painful details about this visit,” said Elyas, who is also a doctor.
“My father was unable to breathe. My father was unable to speak,” he said, adding: “His face was disfigured from the marks of torture and pain, and the blood he endured inside the prison, especially after the last court session held in Jerusalem.”
Israeli forces arrested Abu Safia at work on December 27, 2024, as they intensified their attacks on northern Gaza’s healthcare system as part of the genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. Two months earlier, an Israeli drone attack killed another of his sons, Ibrahim, at the entrance of the hospital where he worked.
Elyas accused Arab and Muslim leaders of abandoning his father.
“You deprived us even of your voices, your solidarity and your support, which should have been there from the start of the detention,” he said.
“But sadly, your silence is a betrayal and a crime, and complicity in torturing my father and the hostages inside Israeli prisons,” he added.
‘The most shocking testimony’
Physicians for Human Rights Israel warned that Abu Safiya’s life is in immediate danger after his transfer to the Rakefet section of Nitzan prison.
The group said lawyer Nasser Odeh visited Abu Safia on July 2 and documented severe injuries, signs of assault, difficulty breathing and repeated loss of consciousness. It said guards brought him into the visit with his hands and feet bound and surrounded him with masked officers.
Odeh also saw fresh bruises and injuries on Abu Safiya’s head, around his eyes, ears and neck. The wounds were so severe that the lawyer struggled to recognise him, the group said.
“The information we received raises serious and immediate concerns for Abu Safiya’s life. The lawyer’s testimony is among the most shocking we have heard since the beginning of the war: a man detained without charge tells his lawyer that he believes they will kill him, after he arrived for the visit injured, suffering from difficulty breathing, and on the verge of losing consciousness,” Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights, told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Israeli authorities have not filed charges against Abu Safia. They classified him as an “unlawful combatant”, a designation Israel has used to hold Palestinians for prolonged periods without trial.
Physicians for Human Rights has demanded his release, along with other imprisoned Palestinian doctors. In March, United Nations experts also called on Israel to free Abu Safia immediately and ensure he receives medical care.
He is one of 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza currently held by Israel without charge.
WASHINGTON — Former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations that he says are targeting him for “phantom criminal conduct.”
Brennan said in the lawsuit that the records would be essential for him to mount a defense on vindictive prosecution grounds in the event of an indictment brought by the administration. Such a defense, his lawyers said, would be supported by the more than 100 verbal or written statements that President Trump has made since 2017 lambasting Brennan and by the Republican president’s directives to his Department of Justice to initiate cases “without regard to factual or legal justification.”
“To fully consider those motions, the reviewing judge would need to scrutinize the motivations of the Justice Department officials who directed, oversaw, or undertook those actions to determine whether they violated Director Brennan’s rights, and specifically whether they were motivated by a desire to vindictively prosecute him as an act of retribution,” Brennan’s lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington.
The lawsuit names as defendants Trump and other top law enforcement officials from his administration, including acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and the prosecutors in Florida who have been overseeing investigations related to Brennan and other perceived Trump adversaries.
The lawsuit says Brennan is facing separate investigations in Florida, including one examining whether he made a false statement to Congress related to an assessment by intelligence agencies documenting Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, in which Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton. The other investigation aims to determine whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired to undermine Trump, including during the course of the Russian interference investigation.
No charges have been brought. The Department of Justice has denied claims of weaponization.
The just-approved state budget strips authority from the elected state superintendent of public instruction, transferring power in January to an appointee of the governor, dramatically changing the oversight and management of a public school system serving more than 6 million students from preschool through 12th grade.
The change was pushed through by Gov. Gavin Newsom at the urging of academics and education reformers who have long criticized how the state’s $149 billion public education system is governed.
In essence, the change consolidates increased power within the governor’s office — streamlining and largely replacing a diffuse system in which the state superintendent has significant influence, but no direct control over budget and policy.
Supporters hail the move as bringing accountability and coherence — through the governor — to all the departments and agenices involved in education.
“The approval of education governance reform, over a century in the making, is a monumental victory for California’s students that finally establishes a sensible system to best support them,” said Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, an Oakland-based research and advocacy organization. “We commend Governor Newsom for his leadership in making this much needed change a reality.”
Critics called the change an unjustified, undemocratic side-stepping of the state constitution and the will of voters.
“California’s constitutional architecture deliberately established an independent schools chief to ensure that public education answers directly to the voters,” wrote a labor coalition that included the two largest statewide teacher unions. “Replacing an elected constitutional officer with a partisan bureaucrat serving strictly at the pleasure of the executive branch breaks that model, permanently muting the public voice when democratic transparency matters most.”
The critics noted that voters have defeated every attempt to eliminate the elected state superintendent.
The latest effort bypasses the ballot box by keeping the elected position, but stripping most of its powers. The bill did not go through the typically lengthy legislative process; it was instead folded as a trailer bill into the state budget.
School district management groups, such as the one representing county superintendents, were more supportive of the changes.
The Legislature passes laws related to education. The governor chooses which to sign. The governor also proposes what to pay for in education through his budget plan. The Legislature can amend the plan and has the responsibility to approve it.
The elected state superintendent runs the state Department of Education and serves as the administrative lead for the state Board of Education, whose members have been appointed by the governor to four-year terms. The superintendent does not have a vote on the board and must follow board authority in some areas but not others.
The board approves state education policy and curriculum.
“The current state system of support and accountability for local districts is uneven,” resulting in “islands of high quality surrounded by deserts where nothing much has improved,” said former State Board of Education President Michael Kirst, an emeritus Stanford professor of education. Instruction across the entire state was “unlikely to improve” under the status quo, he said.
How the office will change
All of the state superintendent’s authority will transfer to the education commissioner, who will be named by the governor and then approved by the state Senate.
That means the next governor will gain direct control or control through appointees over developing and spending the education budget — including state and federal grants — and developing education policies.
Under the old system, the state superintendent has overseen grants while also interpreting state education law and making sure schools complied.
The new law sets out the superintendent’s role instead as the “independently elected nonpartisan voice for the public interest in the governance of the state’s educational systems.” This role includes reporting to the Legislature “on the condition of education based on statewide engagement and travel to identify significant trends, challenges, and emerging issues.”
Critics worry that amounts to a whole lot of nothing.
That may be literally the case initially, as the new law gives governor’s new education commissioner until Oct. 1, 2027 to propose further reforms including “the future role and staffing” of the elected superintendent.
Until then, the new law provides for the superintendent to have several deputies and a skeleton clerical staff.
The superintendent also becomes one of 11 members of the state Board of Education and one of 19 members of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
Change opposed by candidates for the office
The overhaul occurs as two candidates vie to become the elected superintendent in November. Both have strongly opposed the change.
The race pits Republican Sonja Shaw, who finished first in the primary, against Democrat Richard Barrera.
Shaw, who decried the change as a “blatant power grab” that “silences voters,” said she had a game plan for how she intended to use the previous powers of the office if elected.
Sonja Shaw candidate for state superintendent
(Photo courtesy of Sonja Shaw)
“An outsider serving as state superintendent who refuses to simply defer to Sacramento could use the office’s authority over grants, contracts, federal programs, accountability systems, fiscal standards, parent resources, and administrative functions to prioritize results over ideology,” Shaw said.
“In practice, that could mean focusing resources on proven reading and math instruction, increasing transparency, fostering increased parental involvement, protecting fairness and safety for girls in sports,” she said.
If elected, Barrera said he hopes to work immediately to fill in the blanks with a meaningful role for the superintendent and to bring in important education voices that he said have been left out so far.
Richard Barrera, a candidate for state schools superintendent
(Sam Hodgson/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“The whole purpose of this restructuring is bringing people into alignment, with the focus on goals for student learning, and I’d say we have a long way to go,” Barrera said.
Both candidates said there was potential grounds for a legal challenge to the rewritten duties.
California Teachers Assn. President David Goldberg also was among the opposing voices.
“There’s always tons of issues going on for a governor, and education issues are likely to be put on the back burner.” State voters, he added, “have really wanted an independent voice around public education,” someone willing at times to stand up to the governor.
Supporters of the change counter that the governor — who has to answer to a broad base of interests — would be less susceptible to education special-interest groups, including teacher unions.
The central tenets of the new framework are based on a December 2025 report from Policy Analysis for California Education, a nonpartisan center that brings together researchers from Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis and USC.
“I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”
He added: “There wasn’t a single team that we had to spend more time dealing with than Iran.”
Iran were only permitted to enter the US the day before their first two matches and had to leave on the same day as the game, under the terms of their visas.
Those restrictions were eased for their final group game in Seattle, allowing them to arrive two days early, but they again had to return to Tijuana after Saturday’s match.
Iran coach Ghalenoei said that the US, co-hosts of the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, had “treated us very unfairly” and that his squad had been given “less than half” the training window it needed to prepare.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi added: “This kind of tension undermines the joy of the World Cup. I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived.”
June 30 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has nominated Keith Sonderling to be the U.S. secretary of labor, a position the attorney has held on the interim basis since Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April.
Trump announced his nomination of Sonderling to the post permanently on Monday in a statement, describing Sonderling as a man who has throughout his career “proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role.”
Sonderling served as deputy and acting administrator of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division during Trump’s first term, and as deputy secretary — the department’s chief operating officer — during Trump’s second.
The 43-year-old was made interim head of the department on April 20, replacing Chavez-DeRemer, who had resigned as she faced a series of allegations of professional misconduct.
She stepped down as a Labor Department inspector general’s investigation was examining allegations that she kept a stash of alcohol in her office, maintained a relationship with a member of her security team and used agency resources for a variety of personal activities.
In a statement Monday, Sonderling said he was “deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence.”
“Serving in both President Trump’s administrations has been the greatest honor of my life,” he said on social media.
“If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing that service as secretary of labor and advancing the president’s agenda on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions and job creators.”
Following Trump’s announcement, a number of Republicans congratulated Sonderling on his nomination.
“Congratulations to Keith Sonderling on his nomination to be secretary of labor,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said online.
“He is the kind of pro-worker leader that Americans deserve.”
The president’s son said he did not believe in a free press as military personnel were deployed to the media offices.
Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026
The chief of Uganda’s military says he has ordered the closure of two of the country’s biggest media outlets.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba said on Sunday that the Daily Monitor, the country’s largest independent daily newspaper, and NTV Uganda, one of the largest private broadcasters, were being shut down and would not reopen without his permission.
“In Uganda, I do not believe in a free press!” Kainerugaba, who is the president’s son, wrote on X.
“From now on ALL bad stories about Uganda have to be cleared by my office!” he said in one of a series of posts, adding that all media in Uganda would follow the rules, going forward.
Military personnel deployed
Both the Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda are owned by the Nation Media Group (NMG) conglomerate. The Daily Monitor said armed security personnel were outside NMG Uganda’s headquarters in Namuwongo, Kampala and its Serena Hotel location, with staff reporting “no one was being allowed to enter or leave.”
NTV Uganda, Spark TV and other TV and radio broadcasters owned by NMG were down in the country on Sunday, the Reuters news agency reported.
According to Kainerugaba, he has had the power to shut down any media outlet since 2017, when his father, President Yoweri Museveni, granted him this ability.
Kainerugaba is seen as the likely successor to his father, who has ruled Uganda since 1986 and is also known to write controversial social media posts.
His government shut down the Daily Monitor for 10 days in 2013, and in 2007, NTV Uganda was taken off air months after its launch, following government criticism of its coverage.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police Force and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) are yet to release a statement on the operation.
Uganda’s National Association of Broadcasters said it was closely monitoring the situation, adding that it was “deeply concerned about this action and its impact on the media ecosystem” and the rights enshrined in the constitution.
Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (L) and South Korea’s Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (R) attend their meeting at the headquarters of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Yokosuka District, south of Tokyo, Japan. Photo by EUGENE HOSHIKO / EPA
June 26 (Asia Today) — South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back will meet Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Seoul on Sunday morning, the ministry said Friday.
Koizumi will visit South Korea as part of reciprocal ministerial diplomacy following Ahn’s trip to Japan in January.
During the visit, the ministers are scheduled to inspect aircraft operated by the South Korean Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatic team, hold bilateral talks and take part in a security dialogue with young people from both countries.
They will also discuss ways to strengthen defense exchanges and cooperation between South Korea and Japan.
The meeting will come about one month after Ahn and Koizumi held bilateral talks on May 30 on the sidelines of the 23rd IISS Asia Security Summit, commonly known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore.
It will be the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese defense minister specifically for bilateral talks since 2015, according to the ministry.
Koizumi is also scheduled to pay his respects at Seoul National Cemetery during the trip. He is expected to meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Sunday.
Deaths of immigrants held in US detention centres have surged during Donald Trump’s second term.
Published On 26 Jun 202626 Jun 2026
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called for an independent investigation into the severe uptick in deaths in migrant detention centres during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
In a statement on Friday, Turk expressed concern over the lack of transparency over those deaths, at least 19 of which have occurred so far this year, according to US government statistics.
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“Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld,” the UN rights chief said.
Deaths in immigrant detention centres have surged during Trump’s second term in office, a by-product of what rights groups and immigration lawyers have depicted as systematic neglect, inhumane conditions and abuses.
The Trump administration has sought to rapidly expand the network of immigrant detention centres, some operated by private contractors, as it seeks to carry out the mass deportation of immigrants in the US.
Trump stated in a social media post on Friday that his administration has the “Highest Average Daily Arrest Rate by ICE and CBP, including Total Detention, with Final Orders of Removal, than any other president, by far!”
The reported death of a Georgian man, Mamuka Artmeladze, in a detention facility in Louisiana on June 4 increased the number of fatalities so far this year to 19, compared to 33 last year and 11 in 2024.
“The mortality rate of deaths in ICE custody is at its highest level in over a decade and has more than doubled since Trump’s second term began,” the watchdog group Human Rights Watch wrote in a report on detention deaths earlier this month. “The rate is nearly four times that of the Biden administration and more than two and a half times as high as that of the first Trump administration.”
That report said the 52 people who have died in detention during Trump’s second term ranged in age from 19 to 75 and came from 20 different nationalities.
Turk wrote on Friday that there have been “concerning allegations regarding the use of force” at such facilities and that five of the deaths recorded in 2026 were classified as suicides.
He also expressed concern over the reported use of solitary confinement, which is associated with a heightened risk of suicide and considered a form of torture by the UN after a period of 15 days.
“All these factors exacerbate vulnerability and raise serious concerns as to whether some of these deaths in ICE custody could have been prevented,” he said.
NEW YORK — A chief of staff to former New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with accepting more than $100,000 in bribes to steer a lucrative migrant shelter contract to a Queens hotel, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Frank Carone’s arrest Wednesday was the latest in a string of corruption allegations that have rocked the one-term mayor and his inner circle. And it came the same day federal authorities executed search warrants related to a separate bribery investigation involving high-ranking police officials under Adams, the latest sign that prosecutors are continuing to hone in on the previous administration.
In the indictment, returned June 12, prosecutors accused Carone of leveraging his position as Adams’ chief of staff to commit multiple acts of bribery, wire fraud and money laundering. His brother, Anthony Carone, as well as the Queens hotel owner, Yan Po Zhu, and Crystal Chen, an employee of the hotel, were also charged.
They were expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors said Carone accepted a series of bribes from Zhu and Chen in order to steer a multimillion dollar shelter contract to their hotel, which city officials had said was smaller than two other proposed hotels and could house fewer migrants. The contract was awarded amid an influx of migrants to New York that overwhelmed the city’s homeless shelters.
Frank Carone’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, called the new indictment “not worth the paper upon which it is printed.”
“Today’s indictment is a sad day for our criminal justice system,” Aidala said in a statement. “It epitomizes the government first finding a target and then spending three years and enormous taxpayer resources to find a crime.”
Frank Carone known for link to Sabrina Carpenter church controversy
Carone, a longtime Brooklyn power broker, is widely credited as one of the architects of Adams’ political rise. Among the wider public, he is perhaps most notorious for his role in an episode that led to a Brooklyn pastor being stripped of his duties partly for allowing pop star Sabrina Carpenter to film scenes for a provocative music video at his Roman Catholic church.
The church was later subpoenaed by federal investigators seeking information about business dealings between Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, who approved the video, and Carone.
Adams himself was indicted on bribery charges in 2024 for allegedly accepting illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials and others in exchange for political favors. The case was tossed by the Justice Department, which said it was distracting Adams from assisting in President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Adams has denied wrongdoing but abandoned his campaign for a second term last year.
The former mayor was not accused of wrongdoing in Carone’s indictment.
A lawyer for Zhu, Stephen Scaring, said the hotel owner “will be entering a plea of not guilty and is anxious to establish his innocence.”
Chen’s lawyer declined to comment. Messages were left for Anthony Carone’s lawyer.
Hotel at center of alleged bribery had been rejected by city
In total, Frank Carone was paid around $120,000 by Zhu and Che for the emergency shelter contract, prosecutors said. The money was passed through a law firm owned by his brother, Anthony Carone, according to the indictment.
The city’s Social Services Department had initially rejected the hotel’s application to house migrants due to growing resistance to the high number of shelters already operating in the neighborhood, the indictment said.
Carone then interceded on the hotel’s behalf, prosecutors allege. In one text exchange in September 2022, Zhu wrote: “Thank you my big guy,” according to the indictment.
The Carones and Zhu socialized frequently and attended gatherings at Zhu’s Long Island home, the indictment said.
In a separate statement, Todd Shapiro, a spokesperson for Adams, said Frank Carone “dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession, and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York.”
Carone played a key role in Adams’ campaign for mayor in 2021 and served as Adams’ chief of staff in 2022. In 2023, he formed a political consulting firm. He also was a one-time lawyer for the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
Separately Wednesday, federal agents searched the homes of current and former New York Police Department leaders as part of a bribery investigation that grew out of an inquiry into Jeffrey Maddrey, the chief of department under Adams, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the searches.
As part of that inquiry, the FBI and the NYPD executed warrants on the home of NYPD Chief of Manhattan South James McCarthy and former Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard, according to the person, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
Maddrey’s home was also searched by federal agents, the person said.
The searches were not related to the arrest of Frank Carone, according to another person familiar with the matter who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case. There is no public indication of any arrests as part of those searches.
Once the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the department, Maddrey resigned in late 2024 over allegations that he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay.
An inquiry to his attorney was not immediately returned. Attorney information for Sheppard and McCarthy was not immediately available.
Collins, Offenhartz, Sisak and Richer write for the Associated Press. Collins reported from Hartford, Conn., and Richer reported from Washington.
June 23 (UPI) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for AI companies to disclose what the environmental impact of data centers will be by 2030 during a speech Tuesday at London Climate Action Week.
Guterres said that the AI boom and the world’s dependence on oil are driving the climate crisis and laid out plans to curb the damage.
“These crises may seem separate but they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels,” Guterres said. “And they demand the same answer: a fast, fair transition to clean energy and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm.”
The United Nations’ seven-point plan for energy independence includes quickly cutting emissions to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This would mean the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere are balanced out by the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere.
The plan also calls for an acceleration of developing and adopting clean energy, transparency from AI firms on their environmental impact by 2030, ensuring the transition to clean energy is equitable in its job creation and community support, investment in early warning systems, expanding funding for developing countries and combatting climate disinformation.
The United Nations said scientists it supports are warning that average annual temperatures are likely to exceed the 1.5-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels target set out by the Paris Climate Accords adopted in 2016. It notes that the United States withdrew from the agreement for the second time under President Donald Trump.
“Every fraction of a degree matters,” Guterres said.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power CEO Kim Hoe-chun (R4) inspects facilities at Doosan Skoda Power in Plzen on Thursday. He visited the Czech Republic to review progress on a project to build two nuclear reactors in the European country. Photo by KHNP
June 19 (UPI) — Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, or KHNP, said Thursday that its CEO Kim Hoe-chun has traveled to the Czech Republic to review progress on the construction of two nuclear reactors in the European country.
The state-backed utility noted that Kim took part in a meeting of the Dukovany Steering Committee in Prague alongside South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan and Czech Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek.
Kim’s visit is timed with the first anniversary of the signing of an $18 billion contract to build two 1,000-megawatt reactors in Dukovany, located around 120 miles southeast of the Czech capital.
Groundbreaking is targeted for 2029, with commercial completion expected by 2037. The South Korean consortium includes such industrial partners as Daewoo E&C and Doosan Enerbility.
The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral nuclear cooperation, while companies from the two countries signed an engineering support agreement related to the project, according to KHNP.
Kim also toured the manufacturing facilities of Doosan Skoda Power in Plzen, situated roughly 55 miles west of Prague. The Czech turbine manufacturer owned by the Doosan Group is expected to play a key role in the Dukovany program.
“The Dukovany project is a monumental endeavor that symbolizes the strategic partnership between South Korea and the Czech Republic,” Kim said in a statement.
“We will work closely with the Czech government, the project owner, local communities, and Czech companies to make this project a model for the safest and most successful nuclear power plant construction in the world,” he added.
Trump says plan to keep controversial acting DNI head, Bill Pulte, in role as he pushes for surveillance, voter ID law.
United States President Donald Trump has delayed the confirmation of his nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI), while calling for lawmakers to pass legislation on surveillance and voter identification requirements.
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, saying he planned to keep acting DNI Bill Pulte in the role and postpone the confirmation of his nominee, Jay Clayton.
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Clayton had been scheduled to appear for a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday afternoon before Trump forced the delay by directing him to not appear.
The president cited his desire to pressure Democrats to pass a controversial surveillance law and a measure requiring voter identification, as well as his wish not to remove Clayton from his post as federal prosecutor until his replacement was confirmed.
“In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump said.
The US president’s nomination last week of Clayton had been a welcome relief to many lawmakers, including prominent Republicans, who raised concerns about Pulte and his lack of experience.
A Trump loyalist and housing official, Pulte had never held intelligence or military positions. The DNI oversees Washington’s 18-agency intelligence community.
Clayton, in contrast, currently serves in what is considered one of the Department of Justice’s most prestigious posts: He works as the US attorney for the southern district of New York in Manhattan.
The DNI vacancy emerged after Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation in May, citing her husband’s cancer treatment.
FISA and voter identification
Clayton’s confirmation was meant to be fast-tracked to win Democrats’ support for a controversial provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is currently up for renewal.
Section 702 of the law allows spy agencies to collect the communications of targeted foreigners located outside the US without first acquiring a warrant. Civil rights advocates have condemned the tool, saying it exposes US citizens to the government indirectly collecting their data.
Democrats had pledged not to renew the provision if Pulte remained in his role.
In his post, Trump maintained that Clayton could be confirmed before the vote on FISA, giving Democrats the opportunity to change their position.
Trump also added another condition, saying he would not approve FISA without lawmakers also passing a law requiring voter IDs in US elections. The legislation has been a key priority for Trump in advance of the midterm elections in November, but he has not been able to overcome a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.
“Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,” Trump said in his Truth Social post.
Despite the statements, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, initially said he would proceed with Clayton’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday unless Trump withdrew his nomination or ordered him not to appear.
Trump ultimately did direct Clayton to skip the hearing. That, in turn, forced Cotton to postpone the hearing. Afterwards, the senator issued a statement expressing regret at the circumstances.
“It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” Cotton said in a statement.
“Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.”
Democrats, meanwhile, described the situation as chaotic.
“At every turn, the president has injected more uncertainty into a process that should be focused on one thing: keeping the American people safe,” Senator Mark Warner said in a statement.
“The president’s latest intervention only underscores a simple reality: the biggest obstacle to resolving these issues has not been Senate Democrats or Senate Republicans. It has been the chaos and confusion coming from the White House itself.”
WASHINGTON — The interim chief of the Capitol Police apologized Tuesday for failing to prepare for what became a violent insurrection despite having warnings that white supremacists and far-right groups would target Congress.
Yogananda Pittman, in prepared testimony before Congress, said the Capitol Police “failed to meet its own high standards as well as yours.” She listed several missteps: not having enough manpower or supplies on hand, not following through with a lockdown order she issued during the siege, and not having a sufficient communications plan for a crisis.
“We knew that militia groups and white supremacists organizations would be attending,” Pittman wrote. “We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target.”
Her admissions come as U.S. law enforcement investigates a number of threats aimed at members of Congress and as the second impeachment trial of former President Trump gets underway. A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that authorities have detected ominous chatter about killing legislators or attacking them outside the Capitol.
Trump supporters tore down fences and broke through doors and windows after an event in which the now-former president called on them to “fight” and “stop the steal.”
Inside the building, Congress was certifying the victory of President Biden. Five people died, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher. A sixth person, another Capitol Police officer, later died by suicide.
The day after the riot, then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said his force “had a robust plan established to address anticipated 1st Amendment activities.” Sund has since resigned, as have the sergeants at arms for the House and Senate.
Officers who have spoken to the AP described being overrun by insurrectionists who in many cases were more armed than they were. The officers said they were given next to no plan beforehand or communication during the riot.
There are conflicting accounts of why the Capitol Police did not have more backup. Pittman’s statement provoked a new round of finger-pointing.
In her testimony, Pittman said Sund asked the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the department, to declare a state of emergency and allow him to request National Guard support, but the board declined. The Defense Department has said it asked the Capitol Police if it needed the Guard, but the request was denied.
A member of the Capitol Police Board denied Pittman’s claim after her testimony was released. J. Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, said that Sund didn’t ask him for help and that there was “no record of a request for an emergency declaration.”
Several law enforcement and congressional reviews are underway.
Both Pittman and Timothy Blodgett, the acting House sergeant at arms, told Congress on Tuesday that they need stronger communications and more fortifications around the Capitol building. Blodgett called on Congress to prepare for future emergencies and offered training for any offices that requested it.
“You want people to have some level of access to the government,” said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). But he noted that it’s also important that lawmakers feel protected and positioned to respond quickly to anything that might happen.
Jibril Rajoub is in Mexico awaiting a US visa to attend the World Cup 2026.
Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026
The head of the Palestinian Football Association says he is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States to attend the FIFA World Cup with other federation heads.
Jibril Rajoub attended the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday, but he has now joined several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been denied visas or have yet to receive them from the US.
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“I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend,” the veteran Palestinian political figure told The Associated Press news agency.
The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA typically invites the heads of football associations from around the world to the event every four years, which it frames as a celebration of global unity.
“Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year. We are working exactly for that,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last year.
The US, however, has refused entry to delegates from several countries, including a referee from Somalia and a photographer travelling with Iraq’s team.
Infantino said this week that FIFA had been trying to resolve visa issues but could not overrule the US government.
“We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
The US Department of State had no immediate comment on Rajoub’s visa, but last year implemented new restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, including on anyone who had been employed by the Palestinian Authority.
It revoked a visa to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to the United Nations General Assembly last September.
Rajoub and other Palestinian football officials have long argued that Israel violates statutes by allowing teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank to play in Israel’s national league.
They have pushed FIFA to sanction Israel, highlighting restrictions on the movement of Palestinian players and how Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has damaged or destroyed 80 percent of sports facilities and killed at least 565 players there, according to the association.
Last month, Rajoub refused to shake hands with the head of Israel’s football federation at Infantino’s behest because he said the gesture would not heal wounds but instead whitewash Israel’s actions.
Rajoub pointed out that when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, it did not implement comparable visa restrictions for people who were invited to the tournament.
Interim ODNI chief Bill Pulte has been slammed by Democrats as a Trump loyalist with no intelligence background.
Published On 10 Jun 202610 Jun 2026
United States President Donald Trump has directed Bill Pulte to cut staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as soon as he takes up his role as acting intelligence chief.
The order came in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, in which Trump doubled down on his choice of Pulte, a controversial pick.
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“I have named William Pulte to be Acting Director of National Intelligence, who will take over on June 19th, and have asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies,” Trump wrote.
Pulte’s appointment has sparked bipartisan pushback, with Democrats especially questioning his qualifications.
A businessman with ties to construction and private equity, Pulte has no intelligence or military background, and critics see him as a Trump loyalist who has attacked the president’s critics.
In Wednesday’s post, Trump did emphasise he was already searching for Pulte’s successor. “I am looking for a permanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security,” he wrote.
But Pulte’s short-term appointment has become a flashpoint in Congress, with Democrats refusing to renew a controversial surveillance measure until a permanent pick is selected.
When he takes up his interim role next week, Pulte will succeed former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down last month after her husband was diagnosed with cancer.
But Congress members like Democrat Mark Warner, a key figure on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, have decried Pulte as “grossly unqualified”.
Warner and other leaders have also warned that Pulte’s appointment would complicate negotiations to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows warrantless surveillance of communications involving foreigners.
That measure is divisive on both sides of the aisle, as it has also resulted in the surveillance of US citizens. It allows intelligence agencies to collect emails, texts and phone data without warrants, if the communications in question are believed to involve individuals outside the US.
Warner said naming Pulte to head the ODNI was like “throwing a live hand grenade” into Congress’s efforts to reauthorise Section 702.
Last week, all but one Senate Democrat and seven Republicans voted against a three-year extension of Section 702, citing concerns about Pulte. Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman was the only Democrat to break party ranks in that 52-47 vote.
But Trump has called on Congress to pass a temporary extension of Section 702, denouncing Democrats for blocking the bill.
“Just like they did on Border Funding, the Radical Left Dumocrats [sic] are trying to take our National Security hostage because of unrelated issues,” Trump wrote on Wednesday. “They should stop playing politics with the safety of our Great Country.”
Still, Trump has faced backlash from within his Republican Party, with congressional leaders calling on the president to select a permanent intelligence chief to put the matter to bed.
“We don’t need a weaponised DNI [director of national intelligence],” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters. “We need professionals here.”
Critics have questioned whether Pulte would use US intelligence capabilities to persecute Trump’s perceived political enemies.
Currently, the 38-year-old Pulte serves as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
In that position, Pulte has accused several of Trump’s adversaries of mortgage fraud. They include Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, all of whom Trump has personally attacked.
Democrats have accused the 38-year-old Pulte of weaponising his government role for political aims.
