US man pleads guilty to defrauding music streamers out of millions using AI

• The US is deploying 2,200 Marines and thousands of sailors aboard three Navy warships, including the USS Boxer, from San Diego to the Middle East to support operations in the Iran conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. • President Trump announced the US is 'getting very close' to meeting objectives in Iran and considering 'winding down' military efforts, while claiming to have decimated Iran's navy, air force, and anti-aircraft capabilities. • Despite Trump's signals, Iran continues firing missiles at Israel and tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz, driving global oil prices higher and causing US stock market declines; death toll exceeds 1,300 in Iran and 1,000 in Lebanon.

• Law enforcement warns of 'significant threat to public safety and national security' after swarms of high-tech drones entered airspace over a US base housing B-52 bombers and Air Force nuclear command. • The incident heightens tensions amid US military deployments to the Middle East and ongoing Iran conflict, raising fears of escalation or related threats. • This comes as Trump weighs de-escalation in Iran while oil prices surge, potentially linked to broader geopolitical risks affecting US homeland security.

• UK Cabinet ministers confirmed agreement allowing US use of British bases for defensive operations to degrade Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. • The decision supports collective self-defense amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes against Iranian threats to regional shipping lanes critical for global oil supply. • This bolsters US efforts in the fourth-week war, where Trump claims near-victory but deploys more forces, impacting oil prices and international alliances.

Mark Robinson, who ran for North Carolina governor in 2024, tells podcast he had ‘obsession’ with porn and sexThe former Republican North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson has admitted he misled voters during his unsuccessful 2024 gubernatorial campaign when he denied posting racist and offensive comments on a pornography website – suggesting he did so to protect Donald Trump’s successful presidential run.Robinson, who worked in furniture manufacturing before entering politics in 2020, told the After the Call podcast on Thursday: “I won’t say that I completely lied. Some of the things about the whole story – some of it — there’s some truth to it.” Continue reading...

Videos of Labour’s Al Carns include him talking about his time as a marine and challenging a firefighter to pull-up contestLabour minister Al Carns has claimed thousands of pounds on parliamentary expenses for promotional videos including one showing him doing pull-ups at a fire station in competition with a firefighter.The veterans minister and former Royal Marine, who is tipped by some MPs as a leadership hopeful, claimed about £3,000, approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), for the production of 17 videos that show him interacting with local businesses. Continue reading...

Footage shows US musician struggling with field sobriety tests he calls ‘really hard’ before his 2024 arrest in New YorkJustin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after the pop star was pulled over in New York’s Hamptons in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to video footage released on Friday.Timberlake tells officers at one point, “these are like really hard tests.” Continue reading...

Joe Kent, who left Trump administration over Iran war, tells Megyn Kelly ‘facts are on my side’ amid FBI investigationSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe counter-terrorism official who resigned from Donald Trump’s administration over the US and Israel’s war against Iran has said he is bracing for political retribution – but would do it all again anyway.Asked by conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly if he was concerned about a pre-existing FBI search investigating him for leaking classified information, Kent said he was ambivalent. Continue reading...

Anthropic fought against the government’s misuse of its technology, but authorities are buying Americans’ data, enabling them to surveil citizens at scaleThe FBI declares it can conduct mass surveillance without AI, despite Anthropic’s protest.A central part of the standoff between Anthropic and the Department of Defense has revolved around the artificial intelligence firm’s refusal to allow its technology to be used for mass domestic surveillance. Yet even without the cooperation of AI firms, remarks this week from Kash Patel, FBI director, show how authorities are by any reasonable measure already operating a system that can surveil citizens at scale. Continue reading...

Autopsy reveals James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey’s injuries consistent with repeatedly hitting breakwater’s rocks, Spanish media reportA University of Alabama student who was found dead in Barcelona after going missing while vacationing evidently fell into the sea on accident in view of surveillance cameras – and an autopsy revealed injuries on his body that were consistent with having repeatedly struck a breakwater’s rocks.Such details about James “Jimmy” Gracey surfaced in the Spanish media as a spokesperson for police in Barcelona told the Associated Press that “all signs point” to the 20-year-old’s death as having been an accident. Continue reading...

Venezuelan-born dancer posts emotional video saying she plans to take on new projects in other areasStrictly Come Dancing’s longest-serving female professional dancer, Karen Hauer, has quit the show after 14 years.In a video posted on Instagram, Hauer said it was “the right time to close this chapter and take on new projects in other areas I’m passionate about”. Continue reading...

The SA election result is devastating for the Liberals, but there are warning signs for Labor too in One Nation’s startling rise, which has rocked Australian politicsLabor secures overwhelming victory in SA electionRarely – perhaps never – has the winner of an election felt more like a subplot to a bigger and more consequential narrative than in South Australia on Saturday night.The ABC called the result for Peter Malinauskas and his Labor government less than 90 minutes after the polls closed, validating the opinion polls that had long forecast a landslide victory. Continue reading...