Ayoola Atitebi

House Republicans have narrowly passed a comprehensive multi-trillion-dollar tax package, delivering a victory for President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson following extensive negotiations with conservative holdouts. The legislation passed by a razor-thin margin of 215-214, with two Republicans joining Democrats in opposition and one member voting present. The bill now advances to the Senate for consideration. Trump and his Capitol Hill allies have hailed the passage as a significant achievement, with Johnson declaring it "gets Americans back to winning again." The package extends tax cuts from Trump's 2017 legislation that were set to expire, while providing increased funding for defense spending and the president's immigration enforcement initiatives. It also temporarily eliminates taxes on overtime work and tips, fulfilling key campaign promises from Trump's 2024 presidential run. "What we're going to do here this morning is truly historic, and […]

US President Donald Trump has announced the selection of a design for the new "Golden Dome" missile defense system, stating it will be operational before his term ends. Trump revealed plans for the system shortly after his January return to the White House. The system aims to counter "next-generation" aerial threats including ballistic and cruise missiles. An initial $25bn (£18.7bn) has been allocated in a new budget bill, though government estimates suggest total costs could reach $500bn over decades. Questions remain about the feasibility of developing a comprehensive defense system for the country's vast territory. Officials note that current systems have failed to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated weapons developed by potential adversaries. The Defense Intelligence Agency recently warned that missile threats "will expand in scale and sophistication," with China and Russia designing systems "to exploit gaps" in US defenses. […]

Former President Joe Biden had not been diagnosed with prostate cancer before last week and received his "last known" prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test more than a decade ago, according to a statement from his office on Tuesday. This clarification comes amid skepticism about the timing of the diagnosis, with President Donald Trump and others questioning whether Biden concealed health issues during his presidency. "President Biden's last known PSA was in 2014," the statement said. "Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer." On Monday, Trump expressed surprise about the late notification. "Why did it take so long? This takes a long time. It can take years to get this level of danger," Trump told reporters, referring to the advanced nature of Biden's cancer. "Somebody is not telling the facts, and that's a big problem." Biden's office […]

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed American demands to stop uranium enrichment as ongoing negotiations between the two nations remain uncertain. "Saying things like 'We will not allow Iran to enrich uranium' is nonsense. No one [in Iran] is waiting for others' permission," Khamenei stated in a speech reported by the country's semi-official Mehr News Agency on Tuesday. He expressed doubt about whether the talks would "bring results." Since mid-April, Washington and Tehran have engaged in four rounds of Omani-mediated discussions aimed at restricting Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, continuing disputes have cast doubt on the next negotiation round, which Reuters reported was scheduled for Rome this weekend. During his previous term, US President Donald Trump abandoned the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that Iran had signed with world powers. Since returning to […]

Billionaire Elon Musk has indicated plans to reduce his political donations, marking a significant shift for the major contributor to President Donald Trump's successful 2024 campaign. Speaking at an economic conference in Qatar, Musk, who invested over $250 million supporting Trump, stated he intended to do "a lot less" political spending moving forward. He also affirmed his commitment to remain at Tesla's helm for another five years. These statements follow his recent decision to step back from leading the controversial White House federal spending reduction initiative, commonly known as Doge. When questioned about continuing large-scale political contributions, Musk told conference attendees he felt he had "done enough." "If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it," he said. "I do not currently see a reason." Musk largely avoided politics until last year, and […]

President Donald Trump has signed legislation criminalizing "revenge porn" at the federal level, including artificially generated images. The Take It Down Act, which received nearly unanimous congressional support, makes publishing intimate images without consent a federal crime and requires social media platforms to remove such content within 48 hours when victims request removal. The law covers both authentic photos and AI-created "deepfakes." "With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deepfakes and other explicit images distributed against their will. This is … wrong … just so horribly wrong," Trump stated during the White House signing ceremony. "It's a very abusive situation … And today we're making it totally illegal." First Lady Melania Trump, who advocated for the legislation following her husband's return to office, described it as a "powerful step forward in our efforts to […]