spat

SITTING in her ex-fiance’s car, Sydney Sweeney looked a far cry from her usual glamourous self as she screamed during a very heated row.

And now we can reveal that the secret meeting with Jonathan Davino sparked a huge row with her new boyfriend Scooter Braun, who was left feeling “furious” and “disrespected” – and the fallout could have grave consequences.

The 28-year-old Hollywood star had been enjoying dinner with friends and her ex in Santa Monica over the weekend when things appeared to turn sour.

She was later seen in Jonathan’s car and, according to reports from TMZ, she could be heard screaming and telling him: “I don’t believe you. Please leave, leave me alone.”

The unlikely scene raised eyebrows, even more so when just days later Sydney headed out for dinner again – this time with Scooter, putting on a united front after the pair held crisis talks.

“He’s made it clear that he wants her 100%, that she needs to compromise on some things, and that seeing her ex like that crossed a line.”

Scooter Braun insider

An insider close to the couple told us how Scooter, 44, made it clear to the actress that she had ‘crossed a line’.

They explained: “Scooter got really mad. He doesn’t like that kind of behaviour at all, especially knowing the history between her and Jonathan.

“He knows they had a serious relationship, were together for a long time, and even got engaged. So, seeing her with him again — and getting caught on camera getting into his car — really set him off.”

Scooter’s upset is said to stem from just how much he loves the Euphoria star, who we previously revealed he is planning to move in with.

The insider continued: “He’s not controlling, but he wants her to know that he truly cares about her and that his feelings are real.

“He’s deeply in love and serious about building a future together. Scooter’s a man with strong values and morals — and for him, it’s not acceptable for his partner to be seen with other men, especially exes.

“He thought what she did with Jonathan was disrespectful and not cool, and he didn’t want to stay silent about it.

“He was hurt and wanted her to know. What he wants is full transparency between them — and for her to be the same way, but also to act like someone who’s in a committed relationship, not single anymore.

“He’s made it clear that he wants her 100%, that she needs to compromise on some things, and that seeing her ex like that crossed a line.”

Scooter is said to be aware that, given their age difference, he could be considered “old fashioned”.

Our insider says he “does a lot” for the star, stating he’s “present, supportive, and fully committed”.

‘Public humiliation’

Sydney was due to marry businessman Jonathan, 41, earlier this year but called off their engagement after mounting speculation over the state of their relationship.

The pair met in 2018 and got engaged in February 2022.

At the time, the actress spoke at length about their wedding and future before things came to an end.

Our insider added: “It has to be a blow for Jonathan that she has moved on so publicly and seems really ready to settle down this time.

“He feels like he was a huge part of her career to start with, really building up her confidence but now she’s flying without him. It’s painful to see.”

At the time it was reported that they split so she could concentrate on her career.

“He thought what she did with Jonathan was disrespectful and not cool, and he didn’t want to stay silent about it.

Scooter Braun insider

She certainly did that – she’s currently promoting Christy – her new biopic about the female boxing trailblazer Christy Martin – and there’s already been some Oscar buzz round her role.

It hasn’t just been work and no play though… over the summer she was first linked to Scooter – the billionaire businessman and record executive who became public enemy number one for Swifties worldwide in 2019 after he bought pop megastar Taylor Swift’s master recordings.

They started dating back in August after being seen spending time together at Jeff Bezos’s wedding in Italy two months before.

In August they were seen together in public for the first time on a date after having dinner at Jon & Vinny’s restaurant in Los Angeles.

The romance has proved to be more than just a summer fling, and Scooter seems to have well and truly fallen for her charms, even after the public humiliation of her arguing with her ex.

Get the look: Expert tips to swoon like Sweeney

Looking to create that doe-eyed look at home? Here, pro make-up artist Sarah-Jane Froom shares her exclusive top tips on how to achieve Sydney’s signature eyes…

TOP TIPS

• Start with a good primer: This ensures the eye shadow stays in place all day and gives a smooth base for blending.
• Define the crease: Use warm, neutral shades such as soft browns or terracotta to add depth to the crease. This helps enhance the natural shape of the eye without it feeling too heavy.
• Smoky eyes: Sydney often favours a smoky eye, typically with dark eyeliner along the lash line. I recommend blending a dark brown or black shadow into the liner to soften it and create that sultry, lived-in look.
• Lashes are essential: To get Sydney’s eye-popping lashes, I always recommend a volumising mascara. For a more dramatic effect, you can add some natural-looking false lashes that provide length and lift, but without being too over-the-top.
• Highlight the inner corners: This little trick instantly brightens the eyes, making them look more awake and larger – perfect for achieving Sydney’s signature bright-eyed gaze.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

Colombia announced the move after US President Donald Trump called President Gustavo Petro an ‘illegal drug leader’.

Colombia has said it has recalled its ambassador to the United States, after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off aid and made disparaging remarks about the Colombian president over the weekend.

The South American country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Ambassador Daniel Garcia-Pena had already arrived in Bogota to meet with President Gustavo Petro, whom Trump called an “illegal drug leader” on Sunday.

The growing feud between the two countries has centred on US strikes in the Caribbean on vessels that the Trump administration alleges are transporting drugs, mostly from Venezuela. Those strikes, which have killed dozens of people and are widely viewed as a violation of US and international law, have drawn strong criticism from Petro.

In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said aid to Colombia would be cut off and threatened that if Petro did not take more steps to combat the drug trafficking in the country, the US would do the task itself, “and it won’t be done nicely”.

Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti said on Monday that he viewed those remarks as “a threat of invasion or military action against Colombia”.

“I can’t imagine closing down some hectares [of drug production sites] unless it’s in that way, unless it’s by invading,” he added.

The US also announced over the weekend that it had struck a vessel from Colombia on Friday, alleging that it was helmed by a left-wing rebel group involved in the transport of drugs. The Trump administration has not provided evidence regarding those claims.

Petro responded in a series of social media posts, stating that one of those killed in the attack was a Colombian fisherman named Alejandro Carranza, who did not have any ties to drug trafficking.

“US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” he wrote.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters not to “make too much” of the sideline spat between him and star tight end Travis Kelce during the second quarter of the team’s 22-9 win over the New York Giants on “Sunday Night Football.”

NBC’s cameras caught the two men yelling at each other, with Reid at one point appearing to intentionally give Kelce’s shoulder a hard bump with his own shoulder. The Chiefs were up 6-0 at the time, but the offense had just failed to capitalize on a Giants turnover.

Going into halftime, as the confrontation with Kelce played on viewers’ screens, NBC’s Melissa Stark asked Reid what his message was to the team after seeing “a lot of frustration and emotion from your key players, star players on the sideline.”

“That’s OK, we need some juice,” said Reid, whose team had entered the game 0-2. “So that’s good.”

During his postgame news conference, Reid was asked what he had been trying to get across to Kelce during the exchange.

“I love Travis’ passion, and so I’m OK with that. We didn’t have enough of it,” Reid said. “That second quarter wasn’t where we needed to be. So within reason, you know, he knows — he knows when to back off the pedal, and knows when to push it too. So that’s part I love about him, the guy’s all in. Just sometimes I have to be the policeman.”

Reid added: “Listen, he’s an emotional guy. He’s Irish.”

Asked if the exchange was him telling Kelce to back off a bit, Reid answered: “Don’t make too much of it. He’s a passionate guy, and I love that part. So I’ve been through a lot of things with him, so that’s all part of it. I love that he loves to play the game. That’s what I love. And it’s an emotional game. So I’ll take it.”

Kelce wasn’t made available to speak to reporters after the game.

It’s not the first time the two men made contact during a sideline dispute. Early in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 12, 2024, Kelce was seen yelling in his coach’s face, grabbing his arm and bumping into him, which appeared to cause Reid to stumble a bit.

After the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime win in that game, Reid brushed off the incident, telling CBS that Kelce had hugged him and apologized after the incident.

“There’s nobody that I get better than I get him,” said Reid, who was 65 at the time. “He’s a competitive kid and he loves to play.”

Days later, on the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce expressed regret.

“It’s definitely unacceptable,” he said, “and I immediately wished I could take it back.”

On the same podcast, Kelce said: “Unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out where it looks like it’s negativity, but I’m grateful that [Reid] knows that it’s all because I wanna win this thing with him more than anything.”

The Chiefs hadn’t started 0-2 since 2014, which was Kelce’s first year as a starter and Reid’s second as the team’s coach. The team has since played in five Super Bowls and won three.

This season is off to a slow start also for Kelce, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection. He has 10 catches in 17 targets for 134 yards and one touchdown. During the Chiefs’ 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, a pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes bounced out of Kelce’s arms at the goal line and resulted in a game-changing interception by the Eagles’ Patrick Mukuba.

Also during the Philadelphia game, Kelce appeared to point to his crotch as part of a crude gesture aimed toward the opposing sideline after making a 23-yard reception. He was later fined $14,491 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The University of California’s top leader has raised the “distinct possibility” that financial losses due to the Trump administration’s funding cuts could amount to billions of dollars and extend beyond UCLA to the entire 10-campus system, telling state legislators Wednesday that “the stakes are high and the risks are very real.”

In a letter to dozens of lawmakers obtained by The Times, UC President James B. Milliken said the university is facing “one of the gravest threats in UC’s 157-year history” after the Trump administration cut off more than $500 million in grants to UCLA before demanding a $1.2-billion fine over allegations of campus antisemitism.

Milliken outlined the potential losses at the nation’s preeminent public university system under Trump’s higher education agenda in his strongest and most detailed public words since starting the job Aug. 1, days after funding troubles hit UCLA.

UC “receives over $17 billion per year from the federal government — $9.9 billion in Medicare and Medicaid funding, $5.7 billion in research funding, and $1.9 billion in student financial aid per year,” Milliken wrote in the letter addressed to Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. If such funds were lost, Milliken wrote, “we would need at least $4-5 billion per year to minimize the damage.”

“A substantial loss of federal funding would devastate our university and cause enormous harm to our students, our patients, and all Californians. Classes and student services would be reduced, patients would be turned away, tens of thousands of jobs would be lost, and we would see UC’s world-renowned researchers leaving our state for other more seemingly stable opportunities in the US or abroad.”

Milliken, who met with lawmakers in Sacramento last month, penned his message in response to an Aug. 31 letter from Wiener and 33 other legislators, who urged UC leaders to “not to back down in the face of this political shakedown” from President Trump, whose actions the lawmakers said were “an extortion attempt and a page out of the authoritarian playbook.”

In a statement about the letter, a UC spokesperson said the university “is committed to working with leaders in Sacramento and across the country to ensure we have the resources we need to continue generating jobs, life-changing discoveries, and economic opportunity in the face of historic challenges.”

In addition to grant cuts and the $1.2-billion fine demand from UCLA, the Trump administration has also proposed sweeping changes at the Westwood campus. They include the release of detailed admissions data — the government accuses UCLA of illegally considering race when awarding seats — restrictions on protests, and an end to race-related scholarships and diversity hiring programs. The Department of Justice has also called for a ban on gender-affirming care for minors at UCLA healthcare systems.

The Trump administration accuses UCLA of violating civil rights law by not taking antisemitism seriously. Although there have been complaints of antisemitism on campus since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza, a number of influential faculty members, staff and students, including many in the Jewish campus community, have said UCLA has made progress on addressing the campus climate.

“Free speech, academic freedom, scientific research, and democracy are values that have led to Jewish flourishing. These attacks on California, on our immigrant communities, on science, and on LGBTQ people stand in stark contrast to Jewish values,” Wiener wrote in the letter whose signatories included members of California Legislative Jewish Caucus, of which Weiner is co-chair.

Wiener’s letter urged UC leaders to fight the government’s demands as the university negotiates with the DOJ.

“Acceding to these reprehensible demands won’t stabilize the UC system; it will betray our values of protecting and celebrating our most vulnerable communities. Giving in will only encourage further unconstitutional behavior by this administration,” said the letter, addressed to Milliken, the UC Board of Regents and UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk.

“Concessions by UCLA would establish a damaging precedent for extorting public schools in states with leadership that does not bow down to this President,” Wiener and others wrote, who described federal demands as “extortion,” echoing statements by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“We must resist Trump’s extortion to protect public higher education, the economy, our students and California’s values,” the lawmakers wrote.

Although the university has engaged with the Trump administration to restore UCLA funding, no settlement has been reached and there is a wide gulf between the two sides on what terms would be acceptable.

Newsom has called the government’s proposed fine “ransom,” saying he wants UC to sue the administration and not “bend the knee” to Trump.

But the decision over a lawsuit rests with the independent UC Board of Regents. The governor has appointed many but not all of the regents and sits as a voting member on the 24-person board. Newsom can exercise political sway over its moves but, aside from his vote, has no formal power over the body’s decisions.

Gareth Thomas has opened up about some of the horrific abuse he has faced from strangers on the street. 

Back in 2019, the former Welsh rugby captain revealed that he was HIV-positive after a tabloid threatened to out his status.

“Now that you have that information, it makes me extremely vulnerable, but it does not make me weak,” he said in a video uploaded on X/Twitter. “I choose to fight to educate and break the stigma around this subject.”

Since that fateful day, Thomas has fervently used his platform to shatter misconceptions and debunk harmful myths about the condition, earning praise from fans, LGBTQIA+ organisations and other advocacy groups.

But despite his incredible contributions to the rugby world, queer community and HIV/AIDS awareness, the 51-year-old has continued to experience hate from bigoted trolls.

During a recent appearance on Bryony Gordon’s The Life of Bryony podcast, Thomas recalled a harrowing interaction he had with “two young lads” who spat on him on the street.

“I won’t sit here and be big guy and say it doesn’t hurt. So the two young lads who walked past spat at me and called me an AIDS spreader,” he recalled.

However, instead of hurling his own set of insults or getting physical, Thomas killed the two individuals with kindness.

“I just stopped, and I opened up my arms. So they walked past me. One spat at my chest, one spat at my feet. They walked past me, they waited for a reaction, and I just opened up my arms, and it kind of put them off because that was completely different,” he continued.

“And then they started calling me names. I was like, ‘Do you want a hug?’ And they were like, ‘We’re not going to have a hug off you. You got effing AIDS.’ And I’m like, ‘Do you want to hug, boys? Do you want to hug?’”

The talented athlete went on to say that he walked away from the interaction feeling that he had won, adding that they wanted an angry reaction from him.

“They wanted confirmation that I was a bad person. And I refused to give the confirmation that I was a bad person,” he continued. 

Elsewhere in his interview, Thomas opened up about the discrimination his loved ones and friends have faced, simply because they are associated with him.

“[My husband] Steve is HIV negative, but he’s a teacher in college, right? He’s a brilliant teacher. It’s difficult for him at times because he’s afraid of the stigma that might come from the students within the college,” he revealed.

Thomas also revealed that his parents have faced pushback, stating that people once knew them as the parents of ‘Gareth, the Welsh rugby player.” However, now they are known as “the mother and father of the guy who’s got HIV.”

“So, the stigma that comes with the association of being open and wanting to be authentic in a certain way, but thinking that will last. Will that stigma disappear for me the day after I talk about my HIV virus because I got nothing to hide anymore,” he said.

“The reality is the day after is when the shit begins, right? It’s when it starts because you’ve opened yourself up, you’ve made yourself vulnerable.”

In addition to his status, the legendary talent discussed being an ‘agony aunt’ for closeted sports players and gushed about his husband’s longstanding support.

Check out Thomas’ full podcast interview here.

The WNBA is still struggling with a string of sex toy disturbances.

In the past week and a half, sex toys have been thrown on court during games in Atlanta on July 29, Chicago on August 1, Los Angeles on August 5 and Chicago again on Thursday night, with the most recent object hitting the court in the closing seconds of the Atlanta Dream’s victory over the Sky.

The sex toy that landed on the court in Los Angeles nearly hit Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during Indiana’s game against the Sparks. Sex toys were also thrown at games in New York and Phoenix last Tuesday, but didn’t reach the court. Police say another toy was thrown at a game in Atlanta on August 1, although it is unclear if that one reached the court.

The distractions have created unexpected challenges for the league, the teams and the players, but also for arena security. Here’s what to know.

A man was arrested Saturday in College Park, Georgia, after he was accused of throwing a sex toy onto the court during the Atlanta Dream’s July 29 matchup with the Golden State Valkyries, according to a police report. The report said he threw another sex toy during the Dream’s August 1 game against the Phoenix Mercury, but that instance did not seem to result in a delay of play.

He is charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, public indecency and indecent exposure. All four charges are misdemeanours in the state of Georgia, meaning that if he is convicted, the punishment for each can be a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 12 months. A misdemeanour for public indecency and indecent exposure may also require registration on the state’s sex offender list.

The report said the man told police, “This was supposed to be a joke and the joke [was] supposed to go viral.”`

Another man in Phoenix was arrested after police say he threw a sex toy in the crowd at a Mercury game on Tuesday. Police say the 18-year-old pulled the sex toy from his sweater pocket and threw it towards seats in front of him, striking a spectator in the back.

The man later told police it was a prank that had been trending on social media and that he bought the toy a day earlier to take to the game. He was later tackled by a volunteer at the arena who had witnessed the incident and began following him as the man tried to leave the arena.

Police say the man was arrested on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and publicly displaying explicit sexual material.

The New York Liberty told The Associated Press on Thursday night that there is an ongoing investigation into the throwing in New York, and the team is cooperating with law enforcement.

The types of sex toys being thrown onto the court generally do not include metal elements, meaning that arena metal detectors are not able to sense them. When carried on a spectator’s body, they become even more difficult to detect.

ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It’s not funny. never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.

— Isabelle Harrison (@OMG_itsizzyb) August 2, 2025

Arena security teams face challenges in catching these items, according to Ty Richmond, the president of the event services division at Allied Universal Security, a company that provides security services to certain NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB and MLS arenas across the country.

“Not all stadiums are using a screening process that’s consistent and can detect (the sex toys) because of what it would require — pat down searches, opening the bags, prohibiting bags,” he said. “The conflict of expediency, of getting fans into the arena and into the venue, which is an important issue, and security and safety.”

The limits of arena security make legal action one of the strongest deterrents for this kind of behaviour, Richmond said.

“The decision to prosecute and show examples of how people are being handled is very important,” he said. “Without a doubt, I think it will make a difference. The application of it is important, and publicising that is important.”

There have not been any arrests made yet in Los Angeles and Chicago. In a statement to The AP, the Sparks said they are “working with arena personnel to identify the individual responsible and ensure appropriate action is taken”.

The WNBA has said that any spectators throwing objects onto the court will face a minimum one-year ban and prosecution from law enforcement.

As the disturbances pile up, those on the court have become increasingly frustrated.

“Everyone is trying to make sure the W is not a joke and it’s taken seriously, and then that happens,” Cunningham said on her podcast after nearly being hit by one of the sex toys on Tuesday. “I’m like, ‘How are we ever going to get taken seriously?’”

No other professional sports leagues have faced sex toy disturbances like this. It has started a conversation online about the perpetrators’ choices to throw them during games in a women’s league and a league with a high-profile amount of lesbian and queer players.

“This has been going on for centuries, the sexualization of women. This is the latest version of that. It’s not funny. It should not be the butt of jokes,” said Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve on Thursday. “The sexualisation of women is what’s used to hold women down, and this is no different.”

Despite the criminal behaviour leading to arrests, at least one crypto-based predictions market is offering trades essentially allowing users to wager on whether sex toys will be thrown at future WNBA games.

Players have also been sounding off on social media, echoing concerns about arena security protocols.

Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison posted on X last week, saying, “ARENA SECURITY?! Hello??! Please do better. It’s not funny. Never was funny. Throwing ANYTHING on the court is so dangerous.”

Donald Trump has ordered the repositioning of two United States nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions” relative to Russia, as the US president grows frustrated over stalling peace talks aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

On Friday, Trump exchanged heated words with Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow’s military leader and former president.

The day before, Trump had issued an ultimatum to Russia: If it does not agree to a ceasefire by next Friday, August 8, he will impose a package of economic sanctions.

The next day, Medvedev posted on social media, describing Trump’s threat as “a step towards war”. He wrote that Trump was “playing the ultimatum game with Russia”.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump responded: “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

What has Trump done?

On Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had ordered two US “Nuclear Submarines” to be repositioned to “appropriate regions”.

Trump cited what he regarded as threatening comments made by former Russian President  Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council. He called Medvedev’s statements “highly provocative”, adding that his actions were a precaution.

“I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump wrote.

In the run-up to his presidential campaign, Trump promised to end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours; however, several discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin have since not yielded any results.

What do we know about the submarines Trump says he will reposition?

Not much – and we do not know which submarines Trump is referring to. Trump did not say if he had ordered the repositioning of submarines with nuclear engines or submarines carrying nuclear missiles.

Trump did not reveal the location of the submarines, either, as mandated by US military protocol.

However, Trump’s statement is so far being viewed as a rhetorical threat, rather than a military one, as security analysts noted that the US already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia as a deterrent.

What prompted Trump’s submarine move?

Mostly, his frustration over the lack of progress of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. But, in this case, the social media spat with Medvedev seems to have tipped him over into action.

Trump and the Russian military leader have been engaged in mud-slinging on social media platforms for some time.

Earlier, responding to Trump’s new deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Medvedev wrote in a post on X that Trump was playing an “ultimatum game” with Russia.

“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!” Medvedev had said.

Earlier in the week, while announcing trade tariffs for India – along with an extra penalty for buying Russian oil – Trump stated that he did not care if India and Russia “take their dead economies down together”.

In a Telegram post on Thursday, Medvedev wrote that Trump should “revisit his favourite movies about the living dead and recall just how dangerous the mythical ‘Dead Hand’ can be”.

Russia’s “Dead Hand system” is a Cold War-era automatic nuclear retaliation mechanism designed to launch a counterstrike even if the Russian leadership is wiped out in a first strike.

Trump replied: “Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”

Speaking to reporters after his post about the nuclear submarines, Trump said on Friday: “We just have to be careful. And a threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful.

“A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we’re going to protect our people.”

Who has more nuclear power: Russia or the US?

Combined, the US and Russia account for nearly 87 percent of the world’s total nuclear arsenal. The geopolitical rivals control about 83 percent of the nuclear warheads actually deployed or ready for operational use.

Despite significant post-Cold War reductions, global nuclear arsenals remain at a “very high level”, according to a report by the Federation of American Scientists. As of January 2025, just nine countries are estimated to possess a total of approximately 12,241 nuclear warheads.

Today, according to the nonprofit Arms Control Association, the US deploys 1,419 and Russia deploys 1,549 strategic warheads on several hundred bombers and missiles.

The US conducted its first nuclear test explosion in July 1945; the following month, it dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Four years later, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear test explosion.

As of 2025, the US Navy operates 71 submarines, all nuclear‑powered, making it the largest undersea force. This fleet includes 14 Ohio‑class ballistic missile subs (SSBNs), four Ohio‑class converted guided‑missile submarines (SSGNs) loaded with Tomahawk missiles for strikes or special operations, and about 53 fast‑attack submarines designed for intelligence gathering, anti‑submarine warfare and cruise‑missile support.

By comparison, the Russian Navy fields fewer than 30 nuclear‑powered submarines, including approximately 10 strategic SSBNs, a mix of modern Borei and older Delta IV classes, that carry Bulava missiles.

It also operates several strategic‑missile cruise boats and about six Akula‑class attack submarines equipped for anti‑ship and multi‑role missions. Russia is investing in modern fleet expansion through the Yasen‑M class.

Has Russia responded to Trump’s submarine manoeuvre?

No. Neither the Kremlin nor Medvedev has publicly responded to Trump’s order to move two nuclear submarines following their war of words.

Viktor Vodolatsky, a senior Russian lawmaker and deputy chairman of the State Duma’s committee on Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) affairs, however, stated that Russia possesses “significantly more nuclear submarines in the world’s oceans” than the US, claiming US subs have “long been under their control” and, therefore, no specific response is required.

Last month, the US President said he was “disappointed” with Putin.

“We’ll have a great conversation. I’ll say: ‘That’s good, I’ll think we’re close to getting it done,’ and then he’ll knock down a building in Kyiv,” he told the BBC in an interview.

On Friday, in an apparent reference to Trump’s comment, Putin said: “As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule.”

On a ceasefire with Kyiv, Putin said he wants a “lasting and stable peace” in Ukraine; however, he has not given any indication that Russia is willing to achieve it any quicker.

In 2017, during his first term as US president, Trump announced that he had sent two nuclear submarines to the Korean peninsula. Soon afterwards, he held a meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.

Whether this latest move will lead to a new meeting with Putin is yet to be seen, however.

White House Correspondents’ Association condemns White House’s move to exclude newspaper as ‘deeply troubling’.

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has barred The Wall Street Journal from accompanying the president on an upcoming overseas trip amid a spat over the newspaper’s coverage of his links to the notorious financier Jeffrey Epstein.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the Journal would not be among 13 media outlets travelling with Trump on a visit to Scotland this weekend due to its “fake and defamatory conduct”.

“Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible,” Leavitt said in a statement.

The move comes after the Journal last week reported that Trump sent Epstein, who died in jail in 2009 while facing sex trafficking charges, a “bawdy” letter in 2003 to mark the occasion of his 50th birthday.

Trump, who has vigorously denied the report, on Friday filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper and its owners seeking $20bn in damages.

In a statement, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) called the Trump administration’s move “deeply troubling”.

“Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media,” WCHA president Weijia Jiang said.

“We strongly urge the White House to restore the Wall Street Journal to its previous position in the pool and aboard Air Force One for the President’s upcoming trip to Scotland. The WCHA stands ready to work with the administration to find a quick resolution.”

The Trump administration has taken similar action to limit the access of media outlets over their coverage before.

In February, the White House began excluding the Associated Press from news events over its decision to keep using the “Gulf of Mexico” in some cases, despite Trump issuing an executive order to rename the waterway the “Gulf of America”.

Trump has been under pressure to release more information about the government’s investigations into Epstein, particularly from segments of his “Make America Great Again” base, which had expected his administration to confirm their belief in a conspiracy implicating powerful elites in sex crimes against children.

Many MAGA supporters have expressed outrage over the Trump administration’s handling of the so-called “Epstein files” since the release of a law enforcement memo that concluded the well-connected financier died by suicide and there was no credible evidence of him blackmailing powerful figures.

Trump, whom Epstein once described as his “closest friend”, has acknowledged knowing Epstein, but said in 2019 that they had not spoken in 15 years after a “falling out” between the pair.

June 5 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to cut Elon Musk‘s government contracts through Tesla amid his departure from his role cutting government spending and opposition to Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda bill.

Trump threatened to end all government contracts with the Musk-founded Tesla in a post on Truth Social and suggested that would be a fast way to reduce government spending.

“The easiest way to save money in our budget, billions and billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts,” Trump wrote.

Tesla share prices declined by more than 14% on Thursday and shed $152 billion in value from the EV maker.

Trump on Thursday accused Musk of going “crazy” after the president canceled the federal electric vehicle mandate imposed by the Biden administration.

“I took away his EV mandate that forced everyone to buy electric cars that nobody else wanted,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday. “He just went crazy!”

Trump said he asked Musk to leave his advisory position with DOGE, although Musk was scheduled to exit the position at the end of May.

Musk earlier said Trump would not have won the Nov. 5 election without his help.

He contributed an estimated $250 million to Trump’s campaign effort.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk said Thursday morning in a post on X.

Musk has criticized the proposed “one big, beautiful” federal government budget bill as increasing the nation’s debt and negating his work with DOGE.

The entrepreneur opposes the spending bill that the House has passed and is before the Senate because it removed tax credits and subsidies for buying EVs, Trump claimed.

“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done that months ago,” Trump said in a subsequent Truth Social post on Thursday afternoon.

“This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress,” he continued. “It’s a record cut in expenses, $1.6 trillion dollars, and the biggest tax cut ever given.”

If the measure is not passed, Trump said it will trigger a 68% tax increase, “and things far worse than that.”

The president said the “easiest way to save money … is to terminate Elon’s governmental subsidies and contracts” with Tesla.

Later on Thursday, Musk in an X post said it is “time to drop the really big bomb” on the president.

Trump “is in the Epstein files,” Musk said. “That is the real reason they have not been made public.”

Musk did not say in what context Trump allegedly appears in the Epstein files, but ended his post with: “Have a nice day, DJT!”

He made a subsequent post that asks: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”

Trump and Musk often appeared together at high-profile events in the first four months of the administration.

“When it happens, our staff members want to protect each other because it’s a disgusting thing to happen. I wanted to calm the situation down.

“Livingston have been first class, they have CCTV here so they’ll identify who it was and take action.”

County’s chief executive Steven Ferguson echoed his manager’s comments, adding that the Highland club are “not going to accept that”.

Livingston manager David Martindale did not witness the incident but said it would be “disgusting if true”.

“I’m sure the club will get to the bottom of that,” he added. “It’s vile. Disgusting. Really, really disappointing.”

The game ended 1-1 after Ronan Hale’s late penalty cancelled out Danny Wilson’s opener, with the sides meeting in the return leg in Dingwall on Monday to decide which of the two will be in the top flight next season.

Lilongwe, Malawi – Since he was young, Enock Dayton has made a living from bananas. The 30-year-old was born and raised in Molele, in the southern Malawian district of Thyolo, which was at the heart of local banana production until a plant virus devastated crops more than a decade ago.

At his stall at Mchesi market, in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe, Dayton serves customers from the bunches of green bananas that he has. “I started this business when I was young, and we had farms where we were growing bananas and we would take trucks and bring them here and sell them to individuals,” he told Al Jazeera.

But in 2013, the deadly banana bunchy top disease wiped out almost all the crops in the country. Farmers were asked to uproot their banana plants to avoid the spread of the virus; hundreds of thousands of people were affected.

Bananas are Malawi’s fourth biggest staple crop, after maize, rice and cassava, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The United Nations body – which is working with other organisations to help revive banana farming in the country – said in 2023 that with “the right investments and strategic support, the banana sector has the potential to provide greater benefits in food and nutrition security and commercial value for growers, transporters, consumers and food processors”.

But in the meantime, to maintain their businesses in the absence of sufficient local produce, farmers and fruit-sellers like Dayton turned to neighbouring Tanzania to import the crop and complement their own meagre local supplies. In 2023 alone, for instance, Malawi imported more than $491,000 worth of bananas, with the majority of that – 5,564,180kg (12,266,920lb) – coming primarily from Tanzania. The remainder came from South Africa and Mozambique.

But this year, that arrangement came to a sudden halt. In March, Malawi said it was temporarily banning the import of some farm produce, including bananas, from Tanzania and other countries. The government said this was to help support local industries and stabilise the country’s foreign exchange shortage, which has led to challenges that include the inability to import some necessities, like pharmaceuticals.

But Malawi might have underestimated the effect of its bold move, observers say.

In retaliation, in April, Tanzania banned the entry of all agricultural imports from Malawi, responding to what it described as restrictions on some of its exports. That ban also extended to South Africa, which for years prohibited the entry of bananas from Tanzania.

This was bad news for Malawi, observers say, as it is more on the receiving end of trade between the neighbours. According to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), Malawi exports less than $50m worth of products to Tanzania, including soybean meal, soybeans and dried legumes, while it imports hundreds of millions of dollars in the form of mineral fuels, oil, distilled products, soaps, lubricants, cement and glassware, among other products.

In its response, Dar es Salaam went a step further, extending its trade ban to the export of fertiliser from Tanzania to landlocked Malawi. It also threatened to stop goods en route to Malawi from passing through Tanzania.

By land, Malawi depends on Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique for the import of goods. As it lacks direct access to the sea, Malawi utilises seaports in Tanzania and Mozambique. But the instability of the Mozambique route – due to insecurity caused by conflict, recent post-election violence and truck drivers facing harassment – made the deadlock with Tanzania a bigger challenge for industry. Businesses that rely on the import of farm produce started crying foul as their trucks of groundnuts and other produce stood in line at the Songwe border.

Malawi also found itself in a tricky situation as it depends on Tanzania for its harbours to import fuel.

Soon, even Kenya found itself entangled in the conflict as cargo from Malawi, which has to travel through Tanzania, was also stopped en route.

The ensuing row shone a light on Malawi’s precarious geographical location, as well as regional agreements aimed at facilitating trade, the efforts by individual nations to follow the rules, and the macroeconomic imbalances in a nation designated as one of the poorest in the world.

After weeks of tensions, this month, a high-level meeting between Malawi and Tanzania appeared to have brokered the differences, paving the way for the lifting of the bans between the two countries, according to a spokesperson for Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

‘Symptom of a huge challenge’

For Ernest Thindwa, a political commentator based at the University of Malawi, the recent trade dispute does not exist in isolation – and should also be viewed from a political lens.

Both countries are heading for polls this year, first Malawi in September and then Tanzania in November. Within an election environment, the dispute says something about the attempts by both countries’ leaders to display patriotism and a sense of empowerment to their citizens, the analyst said.

“The current administration [in Malawi] wants to be seen to be delivering and they want to be seen to be responding to people’s concerns,” Thindwa told Al Jazeera. “And certainly they need to make sure that local producers are protected, which has become more urgent as we go towards elections.”

Thindwa said that both Malawi and Tanzania are signatories to regional and international trade agreements, the frameworks of which entitle them to take measures to protect their trade interests when they deem necessary.

However, he questioned the timing of these moves, asking why the initiatives by Malawi were not implemented earlier if they were indeed to protect local industries.

Answering his own question, he said, “Because then it might have not been an agent in terms of attracting votes.”

“What you would call subsistence or smallholder producers … would be significant for the government in terms of trying to win votes from such social groups,” he observed.

Meanwhile, in Tanzania, something similar was at play in its decision to retaliate, Thindwa said.

“The incumbent administration in Tanzania wants to be seen to be responding to the needs and interests of its citizens. So the administration in that country, in Tanzania, also wanted to project an image that it cares for its people. That’s why it responded rather quickly.”

Broadly speaking, Thindwa noted that the trade dispute points to overall challenges African countries face – in terms of promoting internal trade, and trading more within Africa than with other continents.

Citing the example of Angola, he said that despite it having oil, countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc continue to import oil from the Middle East.

“There is Angola there,” he said. “Why can’t they put together a regional project, for instance, and invest in the capabilities to make sure that the end product is being produced in Angola and Angola serves the region, to be much cheaper for the region? And it will make sure that the resources of the region remain within the region.”

Such examples show that “in spite of these trade protocols, Africa still struggles to encourage trade between member states”, he said.

“So the case of Tanzania and Malawi is just a symptom of a huge challenge Africa faces in terms of promoting internal trade.”

Tensions eased

In a statement on May 9, Malawi’s Ministry of Trade said Malawi and Tanzania had held bilateral discussions in Tanzania regarding the implementation and resolution of its prohibition order.

After that, a letter from the ministry, addressed to Malawi’s Revenue Authority, read: “In this regard, I wish to advise that you facilitate the clearance of exports and imports of goods between the Republic of Malawi and the Republic of Tanzania. This, however, does not exempt importers from complying with legal and regulatory requirements, including obtaining the relevant licences and certifications from regulatory bodies.”

After the talks, Charles Nkhalamba, Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, told Al Jazeera the neighbours had signed “a joint communique” to resolve the dispute between them.

The “high-level discussions” were a result of “robust diplomatic efforts” by the foreign ministries of both countries, he said in a message on WhatsApp, adding that Tanzania also “acknowledg[ed] the economic circumstances that necessitated the import restrictions”.

During the meeting, both parties agreed in principle on the importance of continuous engagement and communication on all matters impacting their bilateral trade relations, Nkhalamba added.

Weeks earlier, Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture also released a statement acknowledging that Lilongwe had reached out to Dar es Salaam to resolve the problem and stating that “Tanzania is lifting a ban on export and import of agricultural produce to and from Malawi”.

In principle, the trade war between the neighbours appears to have stalled for now.

But experts told Al Jazeera that practically speaking, it will take time for the logistics to be sorted out and for things to return to normal for sellers left in limbo when their supplies dried up.

At the market in Lilongwe, Dayton is eagerly awaiting the trucks of sweet bananas from across the border, so he has enough to sell to his customers.

He is grateful for the cross-border trade, and the arrangement that has over the years helped business people like him make money selling the crop from their neighbours.

But he also had mixed feelings as he reminisced about their lost opportunity to grow their own crops.

“The amount of money we used to have when we grew our own bananas is different from what we’re earning now,” Dayton said. “While we were growing and buying them at a cheap price … we were making a lot of money, apart from the transport [costs]. The ones from Tanzania are quite expensive.

“We need our bananas back.”

A decade ago, Dayton was a casualty of a natural disaster that made his garden back in the village dormant. Now, he feels that he is a casualty of the decisions made by authorities in offices far away.

“What we want is a stable supply of bananas in this market,” he said. “It’s good because it provides for our families and the customers as well.”