raises

A new Bitcoin Layer-2 project is going viral with a bold claim: sub-second transactions at a fraction of today’s fees.

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) has already raised over $1.5 million during its presale, with demand increasing daily.

Could this be the catalyst that finally unlocks Bitcoin’s full potential?

What Is Bitcoin Hyper & What Does It Actually Do?

It’s a Layer-2 network that makes BTC usable for everyday tasks – payments, apps, and more.

Instead of waiting around for minutes and paying several dollars per transfer on Bitcoin’s main chain, you can send wrapped BTC on Hyper in under a second.

Here’s how it works: you lock your BTC on Bitcoin’s base layer through something called the “Canonical Bridge” smart contract.

This triggers the creation of an equal amount of wrapped BTC (wBTC) on Hyper.

From there, you can trade, spend, or use that wBTC in apps just like you would on Solana – because Bitcoin Hyper uses the Solana Virtual Machine.

Every batch of transactions on Hyper is bundled, verified using zero-knowledge technology, and then anchored back to Bitcoin for final settlement.

That means no middlemen and no compromise on decentralization.

Analyst Umar Khan from 99Bitcoins called it one of the “best crypto presales to buy” for this exact reason.

HYPER Token Presale Ramps Up as Staking Rewards Draw Attention

The Bitcoin Hyper presale is picking up momentum, rolling past $1.5 million just weeks after going live.

Currently, HYPER tokens are priced at $0.012 each – but that won’t last.

The presale uses a stage-based model, where each funding milestone triggers an automatic price bump.

You can buy HYPER using BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, or even a debit card.

And the team recommends using Best Wallet for smoother purchasing and staking.

Presale investors can even stake their HYPER tokens immediately and earn yields of 504% per year.

That’s far higher than the market average, although the yield will naturally drop as more people stake and the reward pool becomes more widely distributed.

Looking ahead, Bitcoin Hyper’s roadmap shows the mainnet going live in Q3, followed by the Token Generation Event and DEX listing.

CEX listings are planned for Q4, with complete DAO governance handover targeted for early 2026.

Why Bitcoin Hyper Could Transform Bitcoin Forever

Bitcoin moves billions of dollars in value daily, but it’s still limited to processing just 3-5 transactions per second with ten-minute block times.

That’s perfectly fine for storing value – Bitcoin’s “digital gold” reputation isn’t going anywhere.

But if BTC wants to power DeFi, gaming, or everyday payments, it needs an infrastructure upgrade.

Layer-2 solutions like Bitcoin Hyper tackle this issue head-on.

By shifting heavy computational tasks off-chain, it can clear up Bitcoin’s bottlenecks.

Transactions are processed in parallel on a high-speed Layer-2 network using Solana’s proven tech stack.

This allows for sub-second confirmations, virtually zero fees, and room for developers to build real-world dApps on Bitcoin.

What’s great is that none of this sacrifices what makes Bitcoin so popular.

The Canonical Bridge locks real BTC, creates a 1:1 wrapped version on Hyper, and allows users to move back at any time.

Transactions on Bitcoin Hyper get bundled, validated with zero-knowledge proofs, and posted back to Bitcoin’s base chain for final confirmation.

Compare this to the Lightning Network, which lacks smart contracts, or Stacks, which has slow block times, and Bitcoin Hyper’s value proposition becomes clear.

It’s aiming for the sweet spot: matching Solana’s speed and flexibility while keeping the trust and security that Bitcoin users want.

If this approach gains traction, we could see HYPER explode after listing.

Visit Bitcoin Hyper Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Bitcoin has hit $105,000 less than 48 hours after tapping $98,900, reflecting a growing sense of optimism among investors today.

The market rally comes as Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and crypto prices have risen across the board as a result.

As Bitcoin surges, a new Bitcoin-themed meme coin called BTC Bull Token (BTCBULL) is gaining momentum in its presale, having raised over $7.3 million so far.

With less than a week to go in the presale, BTCBULL is shaping up to be one of 2025’s hottest new coins. The project will release Bitcoin airdrops when BTC hits new all time highs, fueling excitement among investors.

Bitcoin Rallies 3.8% on Ceasefire Announcement, Rate Cut Hopes

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller says that rate cuts could be implemented in July to address the US’s weakening labor market. He also cited that inflation is under control, which is what the Fed has been holding off on thus far.

Lower interest rates have historically been beneficial for risk markets, prompting investors to shift away from risk-off assets, such as treasuries, and into risk-on assets, like stocks, commodities, and digital assets.

Coupled with what appears to be cooling tensions in the Middle East, this creates a favorable environment for the growth of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin currently trades at $105,300 and is up 3.8% today. It remains down 0.5% this week, 1.8% this month, and 5.95% from its May 2025 all-time high (ATH).

There has been a 7% surge in Bitcoin’s trading volume today, taking it to $67.2 billion.

Analyst Says Bitcoin to Reclaim M2 Trajectory

Considering its strength in recent days, this certainly can’t be ruled out. However, as Bitcoin shows promising potential, analysts have pointed to the new Bitcoin-themed meme coin, BTC Bull Token, as an alternative for those seeking to maximize their gains.

Viral Presale $BTCBULL Raises $7.3M as Analyst Forecasts 10X ROI

BTC Bull Token is a Bitcoin-themed meme coin that will airdrop its holders real Bitcoin at key price milestones.

The first airdrop will occur when Bitcoin hits $150,000, and another will follow at $200,000. There’ll also be a $BTCBULL airdrop when Bitcoin reaches $250,000.

This airdrop mechanism directly ties BTC Bull Token to Bitcoin’s performance. And not only that, but it also creates an environment in which there will be minimal willing sellers.

As such, incoming demand will be concentrated in a small pool of tokens, which could cause the $BTCBULL price to skyrocket.

Analyst Jacob Bury recently said it could give 10x gains and that it might even be the best cryptocurrency to buy now.

The project is currently undergoing a presale. It has raised $7.3 million to date, demonstrating strong market appeal.

However, the presale will end in just six days, leaving investors with limited time to secure the current fixed and discounted price.

Visit BTC Bull Token Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Los Angeles County’s looming agreement with its biggest labor union is expected to cost a little more than $2 billion over three years — the latest hit to a budget besieged by financial woes.

The cost estimate, provided to The Times on Monday by the county chief executive office, will necessitate more belt-tightening for a government that’s running out of notches.

The deadly January wildfires are expected to cost the county $2 billion. The Trump administration has threatened cuts that would ravage the county’s public health budget. The L.A. County supervisors agreed this year to a historic $4 billion sex abuse settlement — the largest of its kind in U.S. history — and required most departments to make 3% cuts to help pay for it.

The cuts aren’t done, Chief Executive Fesia Davenport warned the supervisors Monday as she walked them through the latest version of the county’s sprawling $49-billion budget.

To pay for salary bumps and bonuses for county workers in the tentative labor agreement, the updated budget slashes $50.5 million, cutting funding for parks, swimming pools and violence prevention, among other programs. Soon, each department will need to make an additional 5.5% cut, said Davenport, whose office drafts the budget and leads labor negotiations.

“We are taking this extraordinary step because we simply have no alternative,” she said.

The supervisors unanimously approved the recommended budget Monday, which included an initial round of cuts to pay for some of the expected labor costs and the multibillion-dollar sex abuse settlement.

Despite their unanimous vote, the supervisors had little nice to say Monday about the plan.

“While the budget may look like it’s healthy, it’s a sick patient,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis.

As a result of the cuts, two probation offices are expected to shutter. County swimming pools will shut down earlier. Regional parks will now close two days a week.

“Like every other Angeleno, I’m mad too,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who noted a petition she had seen on Nextdoor that morning protesting the two-day-a-week closure of Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in her district.

The county announced last week that it had reached a tentative agreement with SEIU 721, which represents 55,000 county workers. The agreement, which still needs to be ratified by the union membership and the supervisors, includes a $5,000 bonus in the first year, followed by a 2% cost of living adjustment and $2,000 bonus in the second year and a 5% salary increase the third year.

The county is in negotiations with 16 smaller unions. The $2.1-billion price tag assumes that those unions will adopt similar salary increases and bonuses as SEIU 721.

To pay for the new labor costs, the chief executive office said the county will dip into its general fund for $778 million. The remaining $1.2 billion or so will come from federal and state funds meant for staffing costs.

David Green, the head of SEIU 721, said his members were “thrilled” with the tentative contract — the fruit of months of negotiations and a two-day strike this spring.

Last year, the city of Los Angeles agreed to contracts covering 33,000 union workers, many of whom would receive a pay increase of 24% over the next five years. The contracts, which the city estimated would add $3.5 billion in costs over five years, were a contributing factor in a massive budget shortfall that the City Council closed with layoffs and other spending cuts.

Green, who negotiated with both the city and county, said comparing the two was like “apples and oranges.”

“The economic climate has gotten worse in a lot of ways,” he said. “I think you felt a little bit of that in L.A. county bargaining.”

County supervisors appeared supportive of the agreement in Monday’s meeting, though quick to pan the overall financial picture.

“This is a budget I don’t like — I don’t think anyone does,” said Hahn.

But it could be worse, she noted.

“I know this is a budget … that won’t put us in the hole,” she said.

THE HAGUE — Whether the United States launches a broader war against Iran after bombing its nuclear facilities may come down to President Trump’s meetings with NATO partners this week at a summit of the alliance, a gathering long scheduled in the Netherlands now carrying far higher stakes.

So far, Washington’s transatlantic partners have praised the U.S. operation, which supplemented an ongoing Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, air defenses and military leadership. But European officials told The Times their hope is to pull Trump back from any flirtation with regime change in Iran, a prospect that Trump and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have openly discussed in recent days.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in The Hague on Tuesday morning for two days of meetings, now expected to focus on the nascent crisis, as U.S. intelligence and military officials continue to assess the outcome of U.S. strikes over the weekend against Iran’s main nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

NATO was directly involved in the last two U.S. wars in the Middle East, taking part in a U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks and helping to train and advise security forces in Iraq. And while not a member of NATO, Israel coordinates with the security bloc through a process called the Mediterranean Dialogue, which includes work against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

At the Mauritshuis on Monday evening, overlooking The Hague’s historic court pond and under the gaze of Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” NATO officials, European military leaders and U.S. senators discussed the obvious: A summit that had been seen as an opportunity to show Trump that Europe is willing to pay more for its defense — with NATO members now committing to spend 5% of their GDP on military essentials and expenditures — will now be consumed instead with the possibility of a new war.

As the event was ending, Iran struck the U.S. military base in Qatar, its largest in the Middle East. But the Iranians gave Doha advance notice of the strike in an effort to avert casualties, the New York Times reported, indicating Tehran might be looking for an off-ramp from continuing escalation with Washington.

While the Pentagon said the U.S. bombing run, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, American and Israeli officials acknowledged to The Times that it is not entirely clear how much equipment and fissile material Tehran was able to salvage before the attacks began.

And as concerns emerge that Iran may have been able to preserve a breakout capability, Israel’s target list across Iran seemed to broaden on Monday to reflect military ambitions beyond Iran’s nuclear program, including the headquarters of the Basij militia and a clock in downtown Tehran counting down to Israel’s destruction.

“Trump spoke too soon,” said Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and Iran expert at the American Enterprise Institute, of the president’s declaration that the United States had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capacity with its weekend strikes.

“We may have simply waited too long with our hand-wringing, and given the Iranians time to evacuate their enriched stockpiles. If so, that represents a failure of leadership,” he added, noting reports that trucks could be seen at the Fordo site leading up to the U.S. attack. “If they then scattered and the U.S. intelligence community lost track of where they went, then that is an intelligence failure that could potentially be as costly as the one that preceded the Iraq war.”

European powers, particularly France, Germany and the United Kingdom, have been careful to praise Trump for ordering the strikes. But they have also urged an immediate return to negotiations, and expressed concern that Israel has begun targeting sites tangential and unrelated to Iran’s nuclear program.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, warning of “volatility” in the region, encouraged Iran “to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.” And Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, questioned whether Tehran’s nuclear knowledge could be bombed away. “No one thinks it’s a good thing to keep fighting,” he told local media.

“I called for deescalation and for Iran to exercise the utmost restraint in this dangerous context, to allow a return to diplomacy,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “Engaging in dialogue and securing a clear commitment from Iran to renounce nuclear weapons are essential to avoid the worst for the entire region. There is no alternative.”

Later Monday, after Israel had struck Iran’s notorious Evin prison, where foreign nationals are held, France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, issued a more scathing rebuke. “All strikes must now stop,” he said.

One European official said that efforts would be made once Trump arrives to underscore his military successes, noting the example he has made — using military force to deter an authoritarian foe — could still be applied to Russia in its war against Ukraine. Now that Trump has demonstrated peace through strength, the official said, it is time to give diplomacy another chance.

But it’s unclear if Iran would be receptive to pleas for a diplomatic breakthrough.

In a post on X on Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, noted that Israel’s attacks last week and the U.S. strikes this week coincided with negotiations, torpedoing any chance for talks to succeed.

“Last week, we were in negotiations with the U.S. when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/E.U. when the U.S. decided to blow up that diplomacy,” he wrote, adding that European calls to bring Iran to negotiations were misplaced. The E3 represents France, Germany and Italy.

“How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?” he added.

On Monday, before its strikes against the U.S. base in Qatar, Iranian military leaders vowed vengeance against the United States for the strikes.

The retaliation “will impose severe, regret-inducing, and unpredictable consequences on you,” said Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, head of the Iranian military’s central command headquarters, in a video statement on Iranian broadcaster Press TV. He added that the U.S. attack “will expand the range of legitimate and diverse targets for Iran’s armed forces.”

Times staff writer Nabih Bulos in Beirut contributed to this report.

Bitcoin has struggled with speed and functionality issues for over 10 years. Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is the new layer 2 blockchain that addresses these problems.

The project is currently undergoing a presale, where it has raised a whopping $1.3 million in just two weeks, demonstrating clear market appeal. And it’s not just attracting the attention of profit-hungry traders; leading crypto analysts are backing the project. One well-known analyst even said Bitcoin Hyper is primed for 100x gains.

Currently, investors can buy $HYPER at a fixed and discounted presale rate of $0.011925. However, this price will rise throughout the ICO, with the next increase happening later today.

How Bitcoin Hyper fixes Bitcoin’s speed problem

Since its inception, Bitcoin’s goal has been to deliver a peer-to-peer global cash system, not just offer a Store-of-Value.

It has only been framed as a Store-of-Value due to its speed restrictions. Bitcoin can process 7 transactions per second (TPS), a long way from the requirements to enable frequent global transactions.

Developers have addressed this issue through various means, one being building layer 2 blockchains.

The Lightning Network is the most well-known, allowing users to create microchannels that enable scalable transactions. However, the complexities of setting up these channels aren’t just a burden; they’re a deterrent for everyone but the most avid Bitcoin enthusiasts.

There are also other Bitcoin layer 2s built using optimistic rollups, but withdrawal times on these networks are painstakingly long, sometimes days or weeks.

Many of these earlier layer 2s also lack the performance capabilities needed for modern use cases. DeFi, meme coins, and RWAs all need sub-second transactions.

Bitcoin Hyper is the new Bitcoin layer 2 blockchain that offers just that. Sub-second transactions for a new golden age in Bitcoin development.

It’s built using the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), which brings Solana’s speed and programmability to Bitcoin.

Moreover, Bitcoin Hyper’s Canonical Bridge maintains Bitcoin security and also enables speedy network withdrawals. It’s addressing the major issues of earlier layer 2s, but doesn’t stop there.

Since it’s built using SVM, Solana-based apps and tokens can easily migrate to Bitcoin Hyper, where they’ll be able to tap into a portion of Bitcoin’s $2 trillion liquidity. That’s the bedrock for a vibrant ecosystem.

The network is also interoperable with Ethereum, allowing developers and users to transfer Ethereum-based assets to the network.

Ultimately, Bitcoin Hyper is at the intersection of crypto’s three hottest ecosystems.

Analyst calls for 100x gain as $HYPER presale claims $1.3 million

ClayBro and many other top analysts anticipate Bitcoin to rally on the back of this institutional demand. However, ClayBro tips Bitcoin Hyper as the best way to capitalize, noting that it can “improve Bitcoin utility.”

Last chance to buy $HYPER before price increase

With price increases occurring throughout the Bitcoin Hyper presale, those seeking to maximize their upside potential should act fast.

Presale participants can also stake their tokens and currently earn a 553% APY. However, this APY will decrease as the staking pool grows.

With Bitcoin’s bright outlook, analyst support, and Bitcoin Hyper’s market-leading approach to scaling and implementing Bitcoin utility, it appears that $HYPER is primed for significant gains this year.

Potential investors can also rest assured that Bitcoin Hyper is safe and secure. It has received smart contract audits from Coinsult and Spywolf, and neither found any issues with the project’s code.

Follow the project on X or join its Telegram for the latest updates. Alternatively, visit its website to buy and stake tokens.

Visit Bitcoin Hyper Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Pepe has dipped 3% today and 20% this week. Things aren’t looking great for the frog-themed meme coin, but a new alternative called Snorter ($SNORT) is gaining real traction.

Unlike Pepe, Snorter is built on real utility. It offers a multichain trading bot that helps users identify promising trading opportunities on autopilot. The chains it supports are Solana, Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and BSC.

The project is undergoing a presale and has raised over $1 million in its opening three weeks, showing considerable demand among investors.

Currently, traders can buy $SNORT at a discounted price of $0.0955, but this will increase as the presale advances. The next uptick will occur in just one day.

Pepe folds to market-wide bearish momentum

Down 20% this week, Pepe is now teetering on a crucial support level of $0.00001. If it falls below this level, things could get ugly.

Pepe’s bearish momentum is due to a broader market selloff, with Bitcoin down 4.1%, and Ethereum down 8.5% this week.

This is due to rising tensions in the Middle East, with escalations in the Iran-Israel conflict and U.S. President Donald Trump insinuated that the U.S. may increase its involvement.

But despite all that, BlackRock continues to buy Bitcoin via its IBIT Bitcoin ETF – a clear sign that smart money anticipates a crypto market recovery.

It made an additional $412 million buy on Tuesday, marking the sixth consecutive day of capital inflows.

But while most cryptos are down this week, Snorter is experiencing a notable surge in buys. Its presale raise has surged around $400K in the past week, going from $600K to over $1 million.

Its strength at a time when the broader market is struggling suggests that it could see huge gains once things start to recover.

But why is Snorter performing so well?

Snorter is the new bot that can find 1,000x opportunities

Snorter isn’t just a meme coin; it’s a next generation trading bot that will help users find opportunities in the fast piece meme coin sector.

Thousands of new cryptocurrencies launch every day, so finding ones with the most potential is far from easy. In fact, without insider knowledge or advanced tooling, it’s almost impossible.

Snorter offers a range of innovative features that make monitoring the market and making trades much easier.

It has an automated sniping feature which allows users to input trading parameters and then the bot automatically executes on said criteria.

Another important feature is copy trading, enabling users to mimic the moves of the most profitable on-chain wallets.

But Snorter isn’t just about catching opportunities; it’s about protecting against losses.

The Snorter app has a rug pull detection feature that has caught 85% of scam tokens in its beta testing phase. And it also has a dynamic stop loss feature so users can automatically close positions if they don’t go their way, minimizing damage.

It’s a setup that could help users find the next 1,000x trade while executing proper risk management.

As a result, expectations are high about how far Snorter could go. For example, the Cryptonews YouTube channel said $SNORT could give 100x gains.

Investors could potentially earn even more from the project thanks to its staking mechanism which is live in the presale and offering a 283% APY. However, this will decrease as the staking pool grows.

Just 1 day until $SNORT presale price increases

With presale price increases taking place throughout the campaign, those seeking to buy $SNORT shouldn’t wait to get involved.

Pepe and many other cryptocurrencies are down this week, but BlackRock’s continued Bitcoin interest suggests a swift recovery may be on the horizon. The fact that Snorter has pushed forth unfazed by external conditions indicates that it could be among the biggest winners as prices regain strength.

Follow the project on X or Instagram to catch the latest updates. Alternatively, visit its website to buy tokens.

Visit Snorter Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Islamabad, Pakistan – In January 2024, Pakistan and Iran fired missiles into each other’s territory in a brief military escalation between the neighbours.

Yet 17 months later, after Israel attacked Iran with strikes on the latter’s nuclear facilities, and assassinated multiple Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, Pakistan was quick to condemn the Israeli action.

Islamabad described the Israeli strikes as violations of Iran’s territorial sovereignty and labelled them “blatant provocations”.

“The international community and the United Nations bear responsibility to uphold international law, stop this aggression immediately and hold the aggressor accountable for its actions,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on June 13.

As Israeli attacks on Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, enter their sixth day, the deepening conflict is sparking fears in Islamabad, say analysts, rooted in its complex ties with Tehran and the even greater unease at the prospect of the Israeli military’s aerial influence extending close to the Pakistani border.

The human toll from the spiralling Israel-Iran conflict is growing. Israel’s attacks on Iran have already led to more than 220 deaths, with more than a thousand people injured. In retaliation, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles into Israeli territory, resulting in more than 20 deaths and extensive property damage.

While Pakistan, which shares a 905km (562-mile) border with Iran via its southwestern province of Balochistan, has voiced staunch support for Tehran, it has also closed five border crossings in Balochistan from June 15.

More than 500 Pakistani nationals, mainly pilgrims and students, have returned from Iran in recent days.

“On Monday, we had 45 students who were pursuing degrees in various Iranian institutions return to Pakistan. Almost 500 pilgrims also came back via the Taftan border crossing,” the assistant commissioner for Taftan, Naeem Ahmed, told Al Jazeera.

Taftan is a border town neighbouring Iran, situated in the Chaghi district in Balochistan, which is famous for its hills where Pakistan conducted its nuclear tests in 1998, as well as the Reko Diq and Saindak mines known for their gold and copper deposits.

At the heart of the decision to try to effectively seal the border is Pakistan’s worry about security in Balochistan, which, in turn, is influenced by its ties with Iran, say experts.

A complex history

Pakistan and Iran have both accused each other of harbouring armed groups responsible for cross-border attacks on their territories.

The most recent flare-up occurred in January 2024, when Iran launched missile strikes into Pakistan’s Balochistan province, claiming to target the separatist group Jaish al-Adl.

Pakistan retaliated within 24 hours, striking what it said were hideouts of Baloch separatists inside Iranian territory.

The neighbours patched up after that brief escalation, and during Pakistan’s brief military conflict with India in May, Iran studiously avoided taking sides.

On Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar addressed Parliament, emphasising how Pakistan had been speaking with Iran and suggesting that Islamabad was willing to play a diplomatic role to help broker an end to the military hostilities between Iran and Israel.

“Iran’s foreign minister [Abbas Araghchi] told me that if Israel does not carry out another attack, they are prepared to return to the negotiating table,” Dar said. “We have conveyed this message to other countries, that there is still time to stop Israel and bring Iran back to talks.”.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Al Jazeera that other nations needed to do more to push for a ceasefire.

“We believe we are playing our role, but the world must also do its duty. Syria, Libya, Iraq – wars devastated them. It even led to the rise of ISIS [ISIL]. We hope this is not repeated,” he added.

Fahd Humayun, assistant professor of political science at Tufts University and a visiting research scholar at Stanford, said that any Pakistani bid to diplomatically push for peace would be helped by the fact that the administration of President Donald Trump in the United States is also, officially at least, arguing for negotiations rather than war.

But Umer Karim, a Middle East researcher at the University of Birmingham, suggested that for all the public rhetoric, Pakistan would be cautious about enmeshing itself too deeply in the conflict at a time when it is trying to rebuild bridges with the US, Israel’s closest ally.

“I doubt Pakistan has the capacity or the will to mediate in this conflict, but it definitely wants it to wind down as soon as possible,” he said.

Balochistan and security concerns

Pakistan’s greatest concern, according to observers, is the potential fallout in Balochistan, a resource-rich but restive province. Rich in oil, gas, coal, gold and copper, Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area but smallest by population, home to about 15 million people.

Since 1947, Balochistan has experienced at least five rebellion movements, the latest beginning in the early 2000s. Rebel groups have demanded a greater share of local resources or outright independence, prompting decades of military crackdowns.

The province also hosts the strategic Gwadar port, central to the $62bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), linking western China to the Arabian Sea.

Baloch nationalists accuse the state of exploiting resources while neglecting local development, heightening secessionist and separatist sentiments. Baloch secessionist groups on both sides of the border, particularly the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLA), have been waging a rebellion in Pakistan to seek independence.

“There is a major concern within Pakistan that in case the war escalates, members of armed groups such as BLA and BLF, many of whom live in Iran’s border areas, might try and seek protection inside Pakistan by crossing the very porous boundaries shared by the two countries,” Abdul Basit, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told Al Jazeera.

“Thus, Pakistan had to shut down the crossing in an attempt to control the influx. It remains to be seen whether they can successfully do that, but at least this is their objective.”

Worries about an Afghanistan redux

Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, waves of Afghan refugees have sought shelter in Pakistan. The latest mass entry occurred after the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021. At their peak, there were close to 4 million Afghans living in the country.

In 2023, however, Pakistan launched a campaign to send the refugees back to Afghanistan. According to government estimates, close to a million of them have been expelled so far. Pakistan has cited rising incidents of armed violence in the country, which it blames on groups that it says find shelter in Afghanistan, as a key justification for its decision. The Taliban reject the suggestion that they allow anti-Pakistan armed groups sanctuary on Afghan territory.

Basit said Pakistan would likely want to avoid any repeat of what happened with Afghan refugees.

“With such a long border [with Iran], and a history of deep connection between people of both sides, it is not out of realm of possibility that it was this factor which factored in Pakistan’s decision to close the border,” he added.

Fears of Israeli aerial superiority

Baloch armed groups and the prospect of a refugee influx are not the only concerns likely worrying Pakistan, say experts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that his air force has control over Tehran’s skies. And while both Israel and Iran continue to strike each other’s territory, Pakistan, which does not recognise Israel and views it as a sworn enemy, will not want Israeli influence over the Iranian airspace to grow and creep towards the Iran-Pakistan border.

“Pakistan is also averse to Israel achieving complete air superiority and control of Iranian airspace, as it would upend the current security status quo on Pakistan’s western flank,” Karim, the University of Birmingham scholar, told Al Jazeera.

Break from the past

Security analyst Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, based in Islamabad, noted that Pakistan has historically sided with the US in regional wars, including in Afghanistan, but may hesitate this time.

A majority Sunni nation, Pakistan still boasts a significant Shia population – more than 15 percent of its population of 250 million.

“Pakistan has already dealt with sectarian issues, and openly supporting military action against [Shia-majority] Iran could spark serious blowback,” he said.

The emerging Web3 project Snorter Bot (SNORT) has successfully accumulated over $1 million through its ongoing crypto presale campaign, positioning itself as a potential game-changer within the Solana ecosystem.

This innovative meme token combines a familiar animal-themed branding approach with practical trading bot functionality, presenting users with advanced tools for navigating the volatile crypto market.

The project’s unique approach has attracted whale investors and retail buyers alike, making the Snorter Token presale one of the most promising crypto investment options in 2025.

Advanced Trading Bot Technology Powers Snorter’s Competitive Edge

Snorter distinguishes itself from conventional meme crypto projects by delivering genuine utility through its sophisticated Telegram-based trading platform. The Snorter Bot protocol provides users with lightning-fast transaction capabilities, automated token discovery for new launches, portfolio management tools, and copy trading features.

These comprehensive functionalities are designed to give traders a decisive advantage in the fast-paced cryptocurrency environment.

The platform also incorporates cutting-edge MEV protection and intelligent anti-scam detection systems, addressing critical security concerns in the meme coin sector. Snorter Token holders benefit from reduced trading fees, paying only 0.85% compared to the industry-standard 1.5% rate.

This competitive fee structure, combined with the bot’s high-performance capabilities, creates compelling value for active traders seeking efficient execution tools.

Impressive Presale Performance Reflects Strong Market Demand

The Snorter Bot project has also attracted endorsements from notable crypto influencers, including ClayBro (136,000 YouTube subscribers), who highlighted Snorter’s combination of meme culture and real-world trading utility.

Early participants can access substantial staking rewards of approximately 462% APY, creating additional incentives for long-term holders.

Multi-Chain Expansion Plans Position Snorter for Widespread Adoption

Furthermore, Snorter Bot’s robust security measures will tackle the rampant scam epidemic affecting countless investors – with testing phases demonstrating an 85% chance that Snorter will identify fraudulent projects.

Snorter’s flexible infrastructure will eventually span numerous blockchain networks (including BNB Chain, Ethereum, and Base as well as Solana), offering unmatched versatility for modern crypto traders.

The next SNORT price increase is scheduled to take place in a matter of hours, but the tokens are currently priced at just $0.0951.

Visit Snorter Token Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Chatter of 100x gains is amplifying as Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) cruises past the $1 million raised mark in its opening week of presale.

The project is building a Bitcoin layer 2 network. It’s poised to take the market-leading cryptocurrency to new heights, offering deep scalability, multichain interoperability, and smart contract support. It’s built on the Solana Virtual Machine, which means it’s interconnecting Bitcoin with the most vibrant blockchain ecosystem in the world.

Currently, investors can buy $HYPER at $0.01185, but this price will rise throughout the campaign. The next increase will occur in just over one day, leaving those yet to buy with limited time to get involved.

Presale investors also have the added advantage of increased staking rewards. Currently, there’s a 689% staking APY on offer, but this will decrease as the staking pool grows. In multiple ways, the earliest adopters of Bitcoin Hyper are rewarded the most.

A crypto whale invests $56,000 in the $HYPER presale

We can already see the project generating smart money interest – one whale invested $56,000 into the presale on Monday.

Obviously, people with this kind of wealth don’t just gamble it away; they make calculated bets when they believe there’s an undervalued opportunity.

Investing in Bitcoin Hyper at a $1 million raise, when it could unlock billions or trillions of dollars in value in the years ahead, certainly could prove to be one of those lucrative opportunities.

Bringing low-cost transactions to Bitcoin

At its core, Bitcoin Hyper aims to address Bitcoin’s speed problem. Ever since its inception, users have had high hopes that Bitcoin would achieve “mass adoption.” This means different things to different people, but to many, it signifies that Bitcoin is utilized as a global payment network.

Think, buying coffee with Bitcoin, or settling your Netflix monthly account with it.

But capable of just seven transactions per second, Bitcoin isn’t remotely close to achieving that yet.

For Bitcoin to support global payments, or more, it needs massively enhanced scalability, and that’s what Bitcoin Hyper offers. The network delivers sub-second transaction finality and charges minimal fees, making it ideal for high-frequency transacting.

The prospect of blistering-fast Bitcoin transactions has experts excited. For instance, Crypto Boy told his 61K followers in a recent video that Bitcoin Hyper is the best crypto to buy now and that it has 100x potential.

Bitcoin as a settlement layer for digital transactions

Beyond scalability, Bitcoin Hyper brings something else that could change Bitcoin forever: smart contract functionality.

It’s built on the Solana Virtual Machine, which not only unlocks heightened speeds but also introduces smart contract functionality.

Now, developers can launch apps using Solana code, and transactions will settle on the Bitcoin L1. Imagine Solana-grade buildability and scalability, blended with the robust security of Bitcoin. That’s Bitcoin Hyper.

Payments. Meme Coins. dApps. It’s all possible on the Bitcoin Hyper network. We could even see a Bitcoin Hyper version of Pump.fun, allowing everyday degens to launch meme coins and tap into Bitcoin’s $2 trillion market.

That could prove the biggest wealth creation event in meme coin history.

Just one day left to buy $HYPER at $0.01185

Prospective buyers can get involved by visiting the Bitcoin Hyper website, connecting their wallet, selecting the cryptocurrency they wish to pay with, and specifying the amount of tokens they want to buy.

The presale accepts both crypto and bank card payment methods.

Follow Bitcoin Hyper on X or join its Telegram for updates. Alternatively, visit its website to buy and stake tokens.

Visit Bitcoin Hyper Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles threw a glitzy bash at the institution’s Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo Saturday, raising $3.1 million and honoring architect Frank Gehry, artist Theaster Gates and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi — a surprise guest — showed up to pay tribute to Gehry, while Ava DuVernay celebrated Gates and Jane Fonda honored Schmidt.

The special program honoring “visionaries” who helped shaped the museum’s trajectory is part of a new gala tradition called MOCA Legends, which will continue with new honorees next year.

The night began with cocktails in the plaza and private access to the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, “OPEN.” The Japanese American drumming group TAIKOPROJECT played while guests found their seats for dinner.

MOCA director Johanna Burton welcomed attendees with a speech about the power of art and its ability to bring communities together.

“As we celebrate our annual gala, we are not just honoring individual achievements, but reaffirming our collective belief in the power of art to connect and challenge; uplift and endure,” Burton said, according to a news release about the event.

After Pelosi’s introduction of Gehry, which included mention of his 1983 renovation of the Geffen Contemporary, the 96-year-old legend noted how much the museum has meant to him over the years.

“Artists brought me into their club — it’s where I wanted to be, and they opened my eyes to another world,” Gehry said.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and I’m here for all the celebrations of art and artists — the more the better. Here’s your weekend rundown of arts news.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Noah Davis at work in Los Angeles in 2009.

(Patrick O’Brien-Smith)

Noah Davis
A collection of more than 50 figurative paintings made by the late Los Angeles artist, who died at 32 in 2015, just as Davis’ career was beginning to attract wide attention, arrives after stops in Potsdam, Germany, and London. Davis’ paintings, often built around found photographs, regularly balance on a knife-edge between daily life and dream. The exhibition represents the first institutional survey of Davis’ work.
Sunday-Aug. 31. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. hammer.ucla.edu

Hong Yoo, on the daegeum, performs at the L.A. Phil’s “Seoul Festival” on June 3.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Seoul Festival
The L.A. Phil turns to the South Korean capital this week for a follow-up to its revelatory Reykjavik and Mexico City festivals. Unsuk Chin, today’s best-known Korean composer, is the curator. Despite a seeming wealth of renowned performers, Korea remains a musically mysterious land. The mostly youngish composers and performers in the first festival event, an exceptional concert of new music on Tuesday night, were all discoveries. The festival continues with weekend orchestra concerts featuring different mixes of four more new Korean scores commissioned by the L.A. Phil, Chin’s 2014 Clarinet Concerto and a pair of Brahms concertos. A chamber music concert with works by Schumann and Brahms played by Korean musicians is the closing event Tuesday.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Emily Yetter and Jack Stehlin in “Lear Redux” at the Odyssey Theatre.

(John Dlugolecki Photography)

‘Lear Redux’
While Center Theatre Group reworks Shakepeare’s “Hamlet” at the Mark Taper Forum (see item below), across town, Odyssey Theatre renews its collaboration with theater artist John Farmanesh-Bocca for a madcap adaptation of the Bard’s “King Lear,” another entry in the director-playwright’s Redux series. Veteran stage actor Jack Stehlin stars as the titular monarch in the production, which Stage Raw’s Deborah Klugman described as “wildly idiosyncratic.” In 2016, Times’ contributor Philip Brandes made Farmanesh-Bocca’s “Tempest Redux” at the Odyssey (also starring Stehlin) a Critic’s Choice, writing that the work “boldly transposes Shakespeare’s play to a darker, more unsettling key, but the inventive staging and solid command of source text make for a memorable re-imagining.”
Wednesday-Sunday, through July 13. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com

Dispatch: ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’

George Clooney in “Good Night and Good Luck” on Broadway.

(Emilio Madrid)

When CNN broadcasts a live performance of “Good Night, and Good Luck” from the Winter Garden in New York City on Saturday (4 p.m. PDT), it’s apparently the first time a Broadway play will be shown live on television, and the timing could not be better.

An adaptation of George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s 2005 film, which chronicled CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow’s heroic crusade against Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s communist witch hunts, the broodingly elegant production, sharply directed by David Cromer and starring a quietly committed Clooney in the role of Murrow (played in the film by David Strathairn), was not only one of the most stirring offerings of the Broadway season but also one of the most necessary.

As media companies face a campaign of intimidation from the Trump administration, the figure of Murrow, standing tall in the face of demagogic adversity, is the courageous example we need right now.

I don’t know how different the experience will be watching at home, but “Good Night, and Good Luck” made me reflect on what theatergoing might have been like in ancient Greece. Athenian citizens would gather at an open-air theater as a democratic privilege and responsibility. Playwrights addressed the polis not by dramatizing current events but by recasting tales from the mythological and historic past to sharpen critical thinking on contemporary concerns.

Clooney and Heslov aren’t writing dramatic poetry. Their more straightforward approach is closer to documentary drama, but the effect is not so disparate. We are affirmed in the knowledge that we are the body politic.

— Charles McNulty

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Gina Torres from “Suits” and Patrick Ball from “The Pitt” pose for a portrait as they rehearse for “Hamlet” at the Mark Taper Forum.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Director and playwright Robert O’Hara’s world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” opened Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum starring Patrick Ball from “The Pitt” and Gina Torres from “Suits.” The Times sat down with the trio of creatives for an interview about how the show came together — as well as the many novel ways it diverges from the traditional script. O’Hara presents a modern-day vision that questions whether Hamlet is a tragic hero or a murderous psychopath. The mystery is solved “CSI“-style and the tone is very L.A. noir. For his part, Ball can’t believe any of this is really happening, having been a relative unknown before “The Pitt” premiered in January.

Domingo Hindoyan was named the new music director of L.A. Opera.

(Chris Christoloudou)

L.A. Opera announced Domingo Hindoyan as its new music director. Hindoyan — chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic — will replace outgoing music director James Conlon when he steps down at the end of the 2026 season. When Hindoyan, a native of Venezuela, made his L.A. Opera debut last November with “Roméo et Juliette,” Times classical music critic Mark Swed speculated he might be in the running for the coveted position. Turns out he was right.

“Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of an Era 1850-1950” by Arnold Hylen with Nathan Marsak.

(Angel City Press at the Los Angeles Public Library)

Times contributor Nick Owchar talks with architectural historian Nathan Marsak about the Angel City Press reissue of photographer Arnold Hylen’s book of mid-20th century photos, “Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of an Era 1850-1950.” Marsak curated and expanded the new edition, which details a fascinating world of lost streets, civic buildings, shops and restaurants.

Heidi Zuckerman at the construction site of the Orange County Museum of Art in 2021.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Orange County Museum of Art executive director Heidi Zuckerman — who announced she will step down in December — has launched a new online platform called “About Art.” It’s home to her “Why Art Matters” newsletter and “About Art” podcast, as well as a number of lifestyle offerings including an entry on Zuckerman’s love of matcha and how to prepare the perfect cup. In a news release about the venture, Zuckerman notes that her work has gathered a community of 40,000 art enthusiasts.

The summer Hollywood Bowl season is upon us, and with it comes the complimentary Market Tasting Series with wine picks by chef Caroline Styne. The fun begins with the Roots Picnic this Sunday in the Plaza Marketplace near the box office. Tastings start an hour before doors open, and you can meet with vintners and reps from Habit Wines, Skurnik Wines, Grapevine Wine Company, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Elevage Wines and more. The final tasting will take place before the John Legend concert on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Guests enjoy wine and friendship at the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation’s weekly wine tasting.

(Photo by Janna Ireland; courtesy of Barnsdall Art Park Foundation)

Speaking of wine, Barnsdall Art Park Foundation is back — beginning tonight at 5:30 p.m. — with its 16th annual Barnsdall Fridays wine tasting fundraiser (the first two Fridays are already sold out). Proceeds from the events, scheduled to run through Sept. 26, support cultural programming at the park. The popular summer series comes as proposed city budget cuts imperil the park’s finances. Guests are invited to relax on Olive Hill, as well as the west lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House — the only existing UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of Los Angeles. Wines come courtesy of Silverlake Wine, and there are always a variety of local food trucks onsite, as well as a DJ. While there, visitors can check out exhibitions and artist-led presentations at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and Barnsdall Junior Arts Center Gallery.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

I’m happy to report that I’ve been to 14 of the 17 eateries on The Times Food section’s list of L.A.’s oldest restaurants. Some, like Musso & Frank Grill, I’ve ambled into many times (that martini!), and others, like Mijares Mexican Restaurant, I’ve stumbled upon while walking around town. I’ll spend this weekend visiting the remaining three.

SEOUL, June 6 (UPI) — North Korea righted a capsized 5,000-ton warship and moored it at a pier in the Chongjin Shipyard on the country’s east coast, state-run media reported, two weeks after a failed launch that leader Kim Jong Un condemned as a “criminal act.”

“After restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the [restoration] team moored it at the pier by safely conducting its end launching on Thursday afternoon,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

“The team will start the next-stage restoration after the reexamination of a group of experts into the overall hull of the destroyer,” KCNA said

The article corresponds with commercial satellite imagery analyzed by North Korea-focused website 38 North, which reported Thursday that the North had managed to launch the ship after returning it to an upright position earlier this week. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also confirmed the ship had been righted in a press briefing Thursday.

The next phase of the repair will take place at Rajin Dockyard over the next seven to ten days, the KCNA report said.

Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from the ruling Workers’ Party, was quoted as saying that the “perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail” before a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party central committee in late June.

Kim Jong Un demanded that the warship be restored by the start of the party congress and warned of serious consequences for those found responsible for the launch mishap.

Kim was in attendance at the destroyer’s botched launch on May 21, and called it a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which is out of the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated.”

At least four officials have been arrested so far, including vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department Ri Hyong Son, according to state media.

South Korea’s military assessed that the North had attempted to “side-launch” the vessel by sliding it into the water sideways rather than launching it from a drydock, a technique analysts believe Pyongyang had never used before.

The destroyer was the second warship introduced by North Korea in recent weeks, following the launch of its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer at the Nampo Shipyard on April 25. That vessel is armed with a wide range of weapons, including supersonic cruise missiles and strategic cruise missiles, according to North Korean reports.

Photos released by the North showed that the Choe Hyon’s missile and radar systems resemble those found on Russian vessels, prompting speculation that Pyongyang received technical assistance from Moscow in its development.

North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs.

On Thursday, Kim Jong Un told Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu that Pyongyang would continue to “unconditionally support” Moscow, according to KCNA.

Full restoration of the North Korean navy destroyer is expected before a major communist party meeting later this month.

North Korea has raised a capsized warship and moored it at a port in the country’s northeast for repair, after the vessel was damaged during a failed inaugural launch in May, the country’s state news media reports.

KCNA reported that “after restoring the balance of the destroyer early in June, the team moored it at the pier” in the city of Chongjin on Thursday.

The report on Friday aligns with South Korea’s military assessments and recent commercial satellite images, which indicated that the 5,000-tonne destroyer has been restored to an upright position following the “serious accident” on May 21, when it suffered damage to its hull after a transport cradle detached prematurely during a launch ceremony.

The failed side-launch of the ship, which was witnessed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also left the vessel partially capsized in a port.

Kim described the incident as a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness”. As part of a probe into the accident, four officials were arrested and accused of tarnishing North Korea’s national dignity, according to KCNA.

Experts will now examine the warship’s hull for the next stage of restorations, to be carried out at Rajin Dockyard over the coming week to 10 days, KCNA said. The ship’s full restoration is expected to be completed before a ruling party meeting later this month.

Jo Chun Ryong, a senior official from North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, was quoted by KCNA as saying that the “perfect restoration of the destroyer will be completed without fail” before the deadline set by the country’s ruler, Kim.

The damaged warship is North Korea’s second known destroyer and is seen as a crucial asset in Kim’s goal of modernising his country’s naval forces.

The South Korean military estimates, based on its size and scale, that the new warship is similarly equipped to the 5,000-tonne destroyer-class vessel Choe Hyon, which North Korea also unveiled last month.

Pyongyang has said the Choe Hyon is equipped with the “most powerful weapons”, and that it would “enter into operation early next year”.

South Korea’s military said the Choe Hyon could have been developed with Russian assistance, possibly in exchange for Pyongyang deploying thousands of soldiers to help Moscow fight Ukraine.

Kim has framed the modernisation of his military as a response to threats from the US and South Korea, who are key allies and regularly conduct military drills together.

The North Korean leader has also said that the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be the next step in strengthening his country’s navy.

On Wednesday, Kim met with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang in the latest sign of the countries’ deepening ties, which were elevated when they signed a mutual defence pact in June last year that obliges them to provide immediate military assistance to each other using “all means” necessary if either faces “aggression”.

Washington, DC – There were shackles at her wrists. Her waist. Her ankles.

The memory of being bound still haunts 19-year-old Ximena Arias Cristobal even after her release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Nearly a month after her arrest, the Georgia college student said she is still grappling with how her life has been transformed. One day in early May, she was pulled over for a minor traffic stop: turning right on a red light. The next thing she knew, she was in a detention centre, facing a court date for her deportation.

“That experience is something I’ll never forget. It left a mark on me, emotionally and mentally,” Arias Cristobal said during a news conference on Tuesday, recounting her time at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.

“What hurts more,” she added, “is knowing that millions of others have gone through and are still going through the same kind of pain”.

Rights advocates say her story has become emblematic of a “dragnet” deportation policy in the United States, one that targets immigrants of all backgrounds, regardless of whether they have a criminal record.

President Donald Trump had campaigned for a second term on the pledge that he would expel “criminals” who were in the country “illegally”.

But as he ramps up his “mass deportation” campaign from the White House, critics say immigration agents are targeting immigrants from a variety of backgrounds — no matter how little risk they pose.

“The quotas that they are pushing for [are] creating this situation on the ground where ICE is literally just trying to go after anybody that they can catch,” said Vanessa Cardenas, the executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy group.

She explained that young, undocumented immigrants, known as Dreamers, are among the most vulnerable populations.

“In the dragnet, we’re getting long-established, deeply rooted Dreamers and other folks that have been in the United States for a long time,” Cardenas explained.

A vulnerable group

An avid runner who studies finance and economics at Dalton State College, Arias Cristobal is one of the 3.6 million people known as Dreamers. Many were sent to the US as children, sometimes accompanied by family members, others alone.

For decades, the US government has struggled with how to handle those young, undocumented arrivals to the country.

In 2012, then-President Barack Obama announced a new executive policy, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). It provided temporary protection from deportation for younger immigrants who had lived in the US since June 2007.

About 530,000 Dreamers are protected by their DACA status. But Gaby Pacheco, the leader of the immigration group TheDream.US, said that number represents a small proportion of the total population of young immigrants facing possible deportation.

Some arrived after the cut-off date of June 15, 2007, while others have been unable to apply: Processing for new applications has been paused in recent years. Legal challenges over DACA also continue to wind their way through the federal court system.

“Sadly, in recent months multiple Dream.US scholars and alumni have either been arrested, detained and even deported,” Pacheco said.

She noted that 90 percent of the Dreamers that her organisation is supporting during their first year of higher education have no protections under DACA or other programmes.

All told, she said, the last few months have revealed a “painful truth”: that “Dreamers are under attack”.

Setting quotas

But advocates like Pacheco warn that the first months of the Trump administration may be only a harbinger of what is to come.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller informed ICE agents that the Trump administration had increased its daily quota for immigration arrests, from 1,000 per day to 3,000.

The current draft of Trump’s budget legislation — known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — would also surge an estimated $150bn in government funds towards deportation and other immigration-related activities. The bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives and is likely to be taken up in the Senate in the coming weeks.

Both actions could mean a significant scale-up in immigration enforcement, even as advocates argue that Trump’s portrayal of the US as a country overrun with foreign criminals is starkly out of step with reality.

Studies have repeatedly shown that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes — including violent crimes — than US-born citizens.

Available data also calls into question Trump’s claims that there are large numbers of undocumented criminal offenders in the country.

The rate of arrests and deportations has remained more or less the same as when Trump’s predecessor, former President Joe Biden, was in office, according to a report by the TRAC research project.

From January 26 to May 3, during the first four months of Trump’s second term, his administration made an average of 778 immigration arrests per day. That is just 2 percent higher than the average during the final months of Biden’s presidency, which numbered about 759.

The number of daily removals or deportations under Trump was actually 1 percentage point lower than Biden’s daily rate.

‘More and more pushback’

All told, Pacheco and Cardenas warned that the pressure to increase arrests and deportations could lead to increasingly desperate tactics.

The administration has already rolled back a policy prohibiting immigration enforcement in sensitive areas, like churches and schools. It has also sought to use a 1798 wartime law to swiftly deport alleged gang members without due process, and revoked temporary protections that allowed some foreign nationals to remain in the country legally.

In an effort to increase immigration arrests, the Trump administration has also pressured local officials to coordinate with ICE. Drawing on section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the administration has even delegated certain immigration powers to local law enforcement, including the right to make immigration arrests and screen people for deportation.

In one instance in early May, the Tennessee Highway Patrol coordinated with ICE in a sweep of traffic stops that led to nearly 100 immigration arrests. Another large-scale operation in Massachusetts in early June saw ICE make 1,500 arrests.

Swept up in that mass arrest was Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, an 18-year-old high school student on his way to volleyball practice. His arrest sparked protest and condemnation in Gomes Da Silva’s hometown of Milford, Massachusetts.

Cardenas pointed to those demonstrations, as well as the outpouring of support for Arias Cristobal, as evidence of a growing rejection of Trump’s immigration policies.

“I think we are going to see more and more pushback from Americans,” she said.

“Having said that, it is my belief that this administration has all the intention to implement their plans… And if Congress gives them more money, they’re going to go after our communities.”

It feels like something big is brewing in the Pepe world right now. Donald Trump just posted a Pepe meme on his social media site, Truth Social. Could it be that the US president is planning a market-moving Pepe buy?

Pepe’s recent growth has also seen interest in the MIND of Pepe presale grow significantly. This AI meme coin has raised over $11 million and will list on exchanges imminently, with just 24 hours to go in the presale.

Donald Trump used the Pepe meme in his 2016 presidential campaign, then it became a hate symbol. That’s the background that mainstream media is using to frame Trump’s recent post.

They’re pointing to certain “alt-right” groups adopting the Pepe meme, only later acknowledging that it depends on the context. For crypto users, and likely for Trump, Pepe is a symbol of community, resistance, and laughter, not hate.

Trump posted on Truth Social a picture of him walking in the street with Pepe the Frog watching from on a sidewalk a few metres behind. It was captioned “HE’S ON A MISSION FROM GOD,” a reference to a famous line from 1980s movie The Blues Brothers.

While media outlets attempted to portray the post negatively, the fact that the US president is posting about Pepe at all is a huge win for the meme coin community.

Moreover, the media headlines often mention the post’s positive impact on Pepe coin’s price. This increases the project’s visibility and could attract more investors, regardless of the seemingly biased headlines.

Trump posted the meme at a time when the crypto market was taking a breather, so Pepe’s gains were marginal. But a few weeks earlier, it might have sent the price skyrocketing.

However, the stunt signals that Trump may, once again, begin using Pepe in his public communication efforts, and that’d be a big tailwind for $PEPE to rally.

An even better outcome would be that Trump buys Pepe. It wouldn’t be out of character. It’s no secret that Trump launched his own meme coin OFFICIAL TRUMP this year, but most people are unaware that Trump-backed World Liberty Financial just bought a meme coin called BUILDon this week. Could Pepe be next on the project’s shopping list?

Either way, Pepe’s future looks bright. But how far can it go in the months ahead?

Analyst Says Pepe Poised to Hit $0.00005 by September

Looking further ahead, Professor Moriarty predicts that Pepe could veer to new highs by September, peaking at $0.00005. This would result in a market cap of just over $20 billion.

Elon Musk pushed Dogecoin to an $80 billion market cap in 2021, so there’s every chance the US president takes Pepe to $20 billion this cycle.

But as Pepe shows potential, smart investors are seeking related tokens which could ride the bullish wave but provide more gains. One of the most popular alternatives currently available is MIND of Pepe, an AI agent that’s undergoing a blistering hot presale.

MIND of Pepe Tipped For 10x Gain as Presale Enters Final Day

MIND of Pepe is one one of the most successful crypto presales on the market and has raised a whopping $11.3 million so far. However the presale is going to end in just one day. This marks the final opportunity for investors to buy MIND of Pepe at a fixed and discounted price before its exchange debut.

MIND of Pepe is a Pepe-themed AI agent that will scan the market to identify trading opportunities. It has a public X account where it offers market commentary, hot takes, and even replies to followers.

But the real innovation is only available for $MIND holders. The project boasts a data insights terminal that shares trading signals, in-depth technical analysis, risk-to-reward ratio analysis, and curated X posts.

It can also launch its own crypto projects, and $MIND holders will get insider access before the agent promotes them on social media.

MIND of Pepe is more than a meme coin; it’s a powerful AI tool designed to make its community money.

With that, it’s unsurprising that analysts expect big gains. For example, Umar Khan from 99Bitcoins recently said the project holds 100x potential.

With a strong use case, hard-wired token utility, and analyst support, MIND of Pepe appears firmly positioned to capitalize on the growth of Pepe coin.

But as mentioned, the presale will end in one day. For investors seeking to buy $MIND at its fixed presale rate of $0.0037515, this is the last opportunity.

Visit MIND of Pepe Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

May 30 (UPI) — Nearly 100 million Mexicans are set to take part in an unprecedented election on June 1 that will reshape the country’s judiciary.

Voters will elect 881 judicial officials, including Supreme Court justices, electoral magistrates, district judges and circuit court magistrates, under a sweeping reform originally pushed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and backed by current President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Initially presented in 2014 as a step toward democratizing justice and combating corruption, the reform has drawn mounting criticism from legal experts, academics and civil society organizations. Many warn it could erode judicial independence, increase political interference, and weaken the rule of law.

An analysis by Stanford Law School’s Rule of Law Impact Lab and the Mexican Bar Association warns that electing judges by popular vote compromises their independence and impartiality by aligning judicial decisions with public opinion rather than strictly with the law.

It also highlights the risk that judicial rulings will be influenced by judicial election campaign donors.

Academics, legal experts and civil society organizations have raised concerns about the complexity of the electoral process, highlighting several key issues.

First, the proposed reform has been criticized for a lack of clear criteria to assess candidates’ qualifications.

Candidates are only required to hold a law degree, have at least five years of professional experience, no criminal record, and a good reputation. Candidates are also asked to submit a legal essay and letters of recommendation.

Studies show that the selected candidates have, on average, 20 fewer years of experience than the judges they are replacing under the reform. Many of the candidates also come from outside the judiciary and lack the training and background needed to carry out judicial duties effectively.

Second, voters in Mexico have received limited information despite the complexity of the process, which includes six ballots and more than 7,000 candidates competing for 2,600 local and federal judicial seats.

The Judicial Electoral Observatory, or OEJ, has warned that voters are not receiving adequate information, compromising electoral fairness. One factor is that the National Electoral Institute, or INE, received 52% less funding than it requested, limiting its ability to provide outreach and education.

The OEJ also criticized the ballot design and inconsistent selection standards across the evaluation committees, saying these issues undermine the legitimacy of the process and make it difficult for voters to make informed choices.

Third, the judicial reform has raised serious concerns about the influence of political actors and power groups in the process. The complexity of the changes and the short, eight-month timeline to organize the election may have created openings for political parties to assert control in parts of the country.

Organizations including México Evalúa, the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics, or CIDE, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM, have warned that the system could allow political, economic or criminal interests to infiltrate the judiciary, especially in regions where organized crime is strong.

Many of the candidates have ties to the ruling party, said Luis F. Fernández, executive director of Practica: Laboratorio para la Democracia, in an interview with CNN en Español.

“We’ve identified others linked to the country’s 10 wealthiest businessmen, and more than 15 candidates connected to drug trafficking,” he said.

The popular election of judges is rare internationally and, where it exists, is usually limited to local or mid-level courts.

In most democratic countries, judges are appointed by technical committees, the judiciary or the executive branch with legislative approval. The goal is to preserve judicial independence and prevent politicization.

Mexico’s proposed model — a direct, large-scale, nationwide election of judges at all levels, including the Supreme Court — is unprecedented.

A new Telegram trading bot has arrived and it’s going viral on day one. Snorter ($SNORT) is the cheapest and most-advanced way to trade on Solana, helping users maximize their bull market wins.

The project launched a presale one day ago and has already raised over $150K, illustrating strong market appeal from the get-go.

Snorter won’t be the first Telegram trading bot – the market is already worth $41 billion; but it will be the cheapest. And that’s one of the many benefits positioning Snorter for huge success in the coming months.

Currently, investors can buy $SNORT at its lowest presale price of $0.0935. However, this price will rise throughout the campaign, with the next uptick in just one day. For those seeking the most value for money, now is the time to act.

Cut trading fees from 1.5% to 0.85% with $SNORT

One of Snorter’s many competitive advantages is its fee structure, with token holders receiving a discount that slashes trading fees from 1.5% to 0.85%. This makes Snorter cheaper than Bonk Bot, Maestro, Trojan, Banana Gun, SOL Trading Bot, and the rest.

The crypto industry is moving faster than ever. There are countless launchpads for developers to create new projects on. There are endless informational streams for investors to discover new projects. And there are thousands of cryptocurrencies emerging daily.

It’s an information overload. Manual research and trading is no longer viable to catch high-growth opportunities. Automated trading tools can’t be an afterthought; they’re a must-have. That’s why the crypto trading bot market is projected to reach a $154 billion valuation by 2033.

But as the newest market emergent with better fees than its competitors, Snorter is uniquely positioned to benefit from the sector’s growing demand. But that’s far from its only advantage.

Snorter’s premium trading features unlock explosive opportunities

Move over, web-based browser bots. Snorter’s Telegram app is easy to use, featuring an integrated UI for swaps, snipes, copy-trading, limit orders, and portfolio commands.

The app features an institutional-grade dashboard that displays real-time updates on PnL, portfolio size, and cost basis. It all happens inside the Telegram app, making on-chain trading as easy as sending a text message.

However, it’s not just about catching trading opportunities easily; the Snorter bot also features stop-loss integration, allowing users to dynamically manage risk.

So far, it appears that instant sniping will be the main feature; after all, getting in early is where most of the money will be made.

And here’s where Snorter’s sniping bot stands out: the project has built-in scam and honeypot detection features, meaning that users are less likely to buy duds and more likely to catch real runners.

Beta tests for the rugpull protection feature reportedly catch 85% of scam tokens, significantly bolstering the platform’s safety and security.

Something else that helps differentiate Snorter is that the bot will operate on multiple blockchains. While its journey begins on Solana, it will also be available on Ethereum, BNB, Polygon, and Base. It means that users can capitalize on the hottest trading opportunities regardless of where they occur.

Let’s face it, investors buy meme coins to make profits, not friends. If we strip everything back, 99% of investors care far more about money than community. Yet, there’s no doubt that memetic branding helps projects go viral and attracts attention. That’s the reason meme coin prices can be so explosive.

Snorter is a project that fulfils investors’ appetite for gains, while retaining the virality of a meme coin. By design, the real utility and a meme coin allure – it’s the best of both worlds.

As mentioned, the crypto trading bot market is expected to reach a $154 billion valuation by 2033, growing at a 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

However, the AI-driven crypto trading bot sector (which Snorter falls into) is forecasted to hit $985 billion by 2034 with a 37.2% CAGR, reflecting even bigger potential.

With a meme coin allure and a position at the forefront of a rapidly expanding technology domain, Snorter appears firmly set for strong growth in the years ahead, both as an application and an investment opportunity.

With apps like Pump.fun, Believe, and LaunchLab making it easy for anyone to create meme coins; the bar has been raised, and simple joke tokens no longer cut it. Now, investors are shifting to meme coins with real utility.

Eye-catching artwork, cultural resonance, and a profitable business model underneath; that’s the holy grail trifecta for new meme coins – and that’s precisely what Snorter offers.

In terms of utility, holding $SNORT unlocks access to the trading bot and also broadens investors’ opportunities to earn. Notably, holders can lock up their tokens in the project’s staking contract and currently earn a 1,901% APY.

However, the staking yield is variable and will decrease as the staking pool grows. This means that investors seeking to maximize their gains should not wait around.

How to buy $SNORT at presale

Investing in the $SNORT presale is easy. Simply visit the project’s website, connect your wallet, choose the crypto you want to pay with, and the amount of tokens you want to buy.

The presale accepts payments on the Ethereum and Solana networks, and investors can even use bank card. This means there’s seamless accessibility for everyone.

With a use case that blurs the lines between light-hearted meme coin and industry-leading trading bot, Snorter is uniquely positioned for growth. The $SNORT token is the centerpiece of the ecosystem, meaning its price will rise alongside the platform’s adoption.

There are over one billion users on Telegram, who now all have instant, low-cost access to identify explosive crypto trading opportunities using Snorter.

The project’s presale offers a rare chance for investors to capitalize, and that could lead to substantial gains. However, with price hikes occurring throughout the presale, prospective investors should not wait to get involved.

Follow Snorter on X or Instagram for updates. Alternatively, visit its website to buy and stake tokens.

Visit Snorter Presale

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Thousands of right-wing Israelis have marched through occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 following the Six-Day War.

They made their way through Palestinian neighbourhoods, chanting “death to Arabs” and anti-Islamic slogans.

Police forces were dispatched in advance, as the settlers regularly assault and harass Palestinians in the Muslim quarter.

Right-wing Israelis also stormed the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

Last year’s procession, held during the first year of the Gaza war, saw ultranationalist Israelis attack a Palestinian journalist in the Old City and call for violence against Palestinians. Four years ago, the march contributed to the outbreak of an 11-day war in Gaza.

WASHINGTON — A multifront assault by the Trump administration against the nation’s oldest university intensified on Friday when Harvard sued to block the government from barring international student enrollment, and a judge issued an immediate order to halt the ban.

The rapid-fire legal action is the latest in Trump administration attacks against the university as it claims Harvard failed to adhere to its demands to combat antisemitism.

But the whiplash felt by Harvard international students is reverberating far beyond Cambridge, Mass., as university leaders and foreign students across the United States and California watch with growing alarm over how federal actions will affect the nation’s 1.1-million foreign student population — 6% of American higher education enrollment.

Campuses have been on alert since last month, when the Homeland Security and State departments canceled thousands of enrollment certifications and visas at dozens of U.S. colleges, including UCLA, for individuals who often had minor infractions such as traffic tickets. The government, seeing losses in court, later reversed those cancellations and was further blocked from undertaking them when an Oakland-based federal judge issued an injunction Thursday.

“The current mindset of the international community is uncertainty,” said Syed Tamim Ahmad, a junior at UCLA who is from India and recently completed his term as the student government’s international student representative.

Ahmad, who recently took the MCAT and plans to apply to medical school, said he was reconsidering whether continuing his studies in the United States is a safe option.

“We do not know what to expect or what to come next,” he said. “Every student saw what happened at Harvard and was absolutely shocked. We wonder, what if it happens at UCLA or any other university?”

UCLA senior Adam Tfayli, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen who grew up in Beirut, had a different view. “My friends at Harvard are very concerned right now,” said Tfayli, who finished his term this week as the Undergraduate Student Assn. Council President. “At UCLA, it’s tense just because it has been on college campuses for months under this administration, but doesn’t feel as bad as it did when people’s visas were being revoked last month.”

In a statement, UCLA Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications Mary Osako said that “international Bruins are an essential part of our community.”

“We recognize that recent developments at other universities have created a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety, and we remain committed to supporting all Bruins’ ability to work, learn, teach and thrive here at UCLA,” Osako said.

USC, home to 17,000 international students — the most of any California school — declined to respond to events at Harvard, and pointed The Times to statements on its Office of International Services website about foreign students. “New restrictions could be implemented with little notice. The decision to travel internationally should be made carefully,” said a letter this month.

Like at Harvard, government officials have also scrutinized USC for its enrollment of Chinese students, who they have suggested may be a security threat — an accusation that also arose at California colleges during the first Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has accused Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests, accused the university on Thursday of “coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”

In March, a House commitee wrote to USC to request data on Chinese nationals and their “involvement in federally funded research and the security of sensitive technologies developed on campus.”

USC said in a statement Friday that it is “cooperating with the select committee’s inquiries and are following all applicable privacy laws and other legal protections.”

Speaking on Fox News on Thursday, Noem said the actions against Harvard were a “warning” to universities nationwide.

“This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together,” she said. “Get your act together.”

The case amplifies an increasingly existential fight for Harvard, one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher education. The Trump administration has launched multiple investigations into the university, moved to freeze nearly $3 billion in federal funding and pushed to end its tax-exempt status. Taken together, the federal actions raise fundamental questions over Harvard’s ability to sustain its international standards.

Harvard alleged in its suit Friday that the Trump administration’s moves mark “the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.”

The administration’s “pernicious” actions, Harvard alleged, would prevent some of the world’s greatest minds from pursuing research and degrees at the university. Already, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has offered “unconditional” acceptance of international students forced to depart the Boston area due to Trump’s policies.

U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs, appointed by former President Obama, granted an immediate restraining order, agreeing with Harvard’s argument that the Trump directive would cause “immediate and irreparable harm” to the institution.

In a statement to The Times, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, dismissed the judicial injunction out of Massachusetts.

“The American people elected President Trump — not random local judges with their own liberal agenda — to run the country,” Jackson said. “These unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy.”

The Trump administration’s assault on higher education has not focused solely on Harvard, but on much of the Ivy League and other elite campuses, including Columbia University, several UC campuses, USC and Stanford. Columbia and UCLA in particular became a focal point last year when protests against Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza roiled campuses.

A Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism established by Trump sent Harvard a letter last month demanding the university police ideology on campus and expel students it deems are “anti-American.”Harvard has sued over those demands, as well, calling them a violation of free speech.

Discussing the legal fight with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump noted that “billions of dollars have been paid to Harvard.”

“How ridiculous is that?” he asked. “Harvard’s going to have to change its ways.”

The same task force has also similarly singled out UCLA, USC and UC Berkeley. While the campuses have been subject to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant cancellations that have affected a wide swath of American academia, they have not seen the targeted federal funding clawbacks that took place at Harvard and Columbia.

Still, the California universities — anticipating less federal support overall — have recently instituted hiring freezes and budget cuts. They’ve also vowed to address campus antisemitism allegations and faced criticism that they have given unequal treatment to allegations of bias against Muslim and Arab American student activists.

Bitcoin just hit a new all-time high (ATH), but Solana is setting the pace among crypto majors with a 6.8% gain today. Can it rally to $200 this month?

Meanwhile, the new Solana layer 2 Solaxy displays incredible strength in its presale, raising $39 million. Will this follow Solana’s lead and explode once it hits exchanges?

Solana Outpaces Peers as Ecosystem Explodes

The market is euphoric right now, with Bitcoin trading above $110,000 and altcoins green across the board.

But amidst this excitement, Solana leads the way among large-cap cryptos. With a 6.8% gain in the past 24 hours, it has just tapped the $180 level.

This makes it the best-performing top five crypto by market cap today, underlining that investors are eager to get involved as market conditions show positive signs.

But this momentum extends beyond $SOL and into its ecosystem tokens. Solana-based meme coin SPX6900 is the biggest gainer among the top 100 cryptos by market cap today, with a 24% gain. It’s followed by fellow Solana meme coins Fartcoin and Dogwifhat, up 21% and 20%, respectively.

It’s no surprise that Solana leads the way in terms of daily active users among all blockchains, with 4.5 million people interacting with it today alone. This figure stretches to a staggering 82 million users over the last month, almost double the next-most-active blockchain, Near Protocol, with 42 million daily active users.

Solana’s vibrant ecosystem is the reason it’s performing so well today, and judging by its on-chain activity, there’s no sign that it will slow down anytime soon. With that in mind, Solana looks poised for an uptrend continuation, but what does its chart say?

Expert Says Solana to Break $200 Within 1 Month

ATLANTA — The case of a pregnant woman in Georgia who was declared brain-dead and has been kept on life support for three months has given rise to complicated questions about abortion law and differing views about whether a fetus is a person.

Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about two months pregnant on Feb. 19 when she was declared brain-dead, according to an online fundraising page started by her mother. Doctors said Georgia’s strict antiabortion law requires that she remain on life support until the fetus has developed enough to be delivered, her mother wrote.

The law, one of a wave of measures enacted in conservative states after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022, restricts abortion once cardiac activity is detected and gives personhood rights to a fetus.

Smith’s mother says the law has left her family without a say in a difficult situation, and with her due date still months away, the family is left wondering whether the baby will be born with disabilities or can even survive. Some activists, many of them Black women like Smith, say it raises issues of racial equity.

What does the law say?

Emory Healthcare, which runs the hospital, has not explained how doctors decided to keep Smith on life support except to say in a statement that it considered “Georgia’s abortion laws and all other applicable laws.”

The state adopted a law in 2019 to ban abortion after cardiac activity can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy, that came into effect after Roe was overturned.

That law does not explicitly address Smith’s situation, but allows abortion to preserve the life or physical health of the pregnant woman. Three other states have similar bans that kick in around the six-week mark, and 12 bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy.

David S. Cohen, a professor at Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia, said the hospital might be most concerned about part of the law that gives fetuses legal rights as “members of the species Homo sapiens.”

Cohen said that Emory may therefore consider Smith and the fetus as two patients and that once Smith was on life support, the hospital had a legal obligation to keep the fetus alive, even after Smith was considered brain-dead.

“These are the kind of cases that law professors have been talking about for a long time when they talk about fetal personhood,” he said.

State Rep. Nabilah Islam Parkes, an Atlanta-area Democrat, said Friday that she sent a letter to state Atty. Gen. Chris Carr asking for a legal opinion on how Georgia’s abortion law applies when a pregnant woman is brain-dead.

Divide within antiabortion movement

Antiabortion groups are divided over whether they should support personhood provisions, which are on the books in at least 17 states, according to the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice.

Some argue that fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses should be considered people with the same rights as babies after birth. This personhood concept seeks to give them rights under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which says a state can’t “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process or law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Some saw personhood as politically impractical, especially after personhood amendments to state constitutions were rejected by voters in Colorado, Mississippi and North Dakota between 2008 and 2014. Those who steered away sought laws and restrictions on abortion that stopped short of personhood, although they were often informed by the concept.

Personhood proponents argue this lacks moral clarity. Some personhood proponents have been sidelined in national antiabortion groups; the National Right to Life Committee cut ties with its Georgia Right to Life affiliate in 2014 after the state wing opposed bills that restricted abortion but allowed exceptions for rape and incest.

Unequal access to care for Black women

The Associated Press has not been able to reach Smith’s mother, April Newkirk. But Newkirk told Atlanta TV station WXIA that her daughter went to a hospital complaining of headaches and was given medication and released. Then, her boyfriend awoke to her gasping for air and called 911. Emory University Hospital determined she had blood clots in her brain and she was declared brain-dead.

It’s not clear what Smith said when she went to the hospital or whether the care she was given was standard for her symptoms. But Black women often report that their pain isn’t taken seriously, and an Associated Press investigation found that health outcomes for Black women are worse because of circumstances linked to racism and unequal access to care.

Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s abortion law, said: “Black women must be trusted when it comes to our healthcare decisions.”

“Like so many Black women, Adriana spoke up for herself. She expressed what she felt in her body, and as a healthcare provider, she knew how to navigate the medical system,” Simpson said, noting that by the time Smith was diagnosed “it was already too late.”

It’s unclear whether the clots in Smith’s brain were related to her pregnancy.

But her situation is undoubtedly alarming for those seeking solutions to disparities in the maternal mortality rate among Black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women had a mortality rate of 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023. That’s more than three times the rate for white women, and it is higher than the rates for Latino and Asian women.

What is Smith’s current situation?

While Smith is on a ventilator and probably other life-support devices, being declared brain-dead means she is dead.

Some experts refer to “life support” as “maintenance measures,” “organ support” or “somatic support,” which relates to the body as distinct from the mind.

Emory has not made public what is being done to allow Smith’s fetus to continue to develop.

In another case in Florida, doctors successfully delivered the baby of a 31-year-old woman who was declared brain-dead while 22 weeks pregnant, but not without weeks of sustained monitoring, testing and medical care. The woman’s family wanted to keep the fetus, physicians with the University of Florida College of Medicine said in a 2023 paper.

On her first day of admission, doctors administered hormones to raise her blood pressure and placed a feeding tube. After she was transferred to an intensive care unit, an obstetric nurse stayed by her bedside continuously to monitor the fetus’ heart rate and movements.

She was on a ventilator, regularly received steroids and hormones, and needed multiple antibiotics to treat pneumonia. Her medical team encompassed multiple specialties: obstetrics, neonatology, radiology and endocrinology.

Doctors performed surgery to remove the fetus at 33 weeks when its heart rate fell, and the baby appeared to be in good health at birth.

“We don’t have great science to guide clinical decision-making in these cases,” said Dr. Kavita Arora, an obstetrician and gynecologist in North Carolina who raised concerns about the effect of prolonged ventilator use on a fetus. “There simply aren’t a lot of cases like this.”

The 2023 paper warned that “costs should not be underestimated.”

It is not clear whether Smith, whose mother said she was a nurse at Emory University Hospital, had health insurance. But JoAnn Volk, a professor, founder and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, said that for people with health insurance, it’s generally up to the insurer to determine whether care is medically necessary and covered under the plan.

While it is unclear how much it will cost to keep Smith on life support until the fetus can be delivered, or who will be responsible for that cost, her mother’s GoFundMe page mentions Smith’s 7-year-old son and notes that the baby could have significant disabilities as the effort aims to raise $275,000.

Associated Press writers Brumback and Thanawala reported from Atlanta and Mulvihill from Cherry Hill, N.J. AP writer Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.