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Delivery of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s new ground radar for the US system in Alaska intended to track and

Republican Congressman Clay Higgins yanked and shoved an activist who he claimed was mentally disturbed during a press conference outside the US Capitol. Jake Burdett, an activist with leftist political views, was filming and asking questions of the GOP lawmakers present when a man in a suit approached him. The moment, which is captured in Mr Burdett's footage, shows the man in the suit — Mr Higgins — walking up, introducing himself, and telling the activist to back off and that he will answer his questions after the conference. “All I’m asking you to do is just peacefully stand by with your camera and I promise you—look at me—I’ll come talk to you straight up and answer all your questions. Fair enough?” Mr Higgins asks. Mr Burdett stood back, but zeroed in on the lawmakers again when Congresswoman Laura Boebert began to speak. The activist began to ask questions about her recently announced divorce but was intercepted by Mr Higgins. Footage capturing the moment shows Mr Higgins grabbing the activist and shoving him several feet away from the press conference. “Uh-uh. Uh-uh. No. You’re out. You’re out," Mr Higgins can be heard saying in the footage. Mr Burdett can be heard protesting Mr Higgins’s interference, asking: “Aren't you a congressperson, touching me?” He then demanded that he “get off” and said that the lawmaker was hurting him. Mr Higgins continued to grapple Mr Burdett until DC Metropolitan police intervened and split the men up. Mr Burdett was questioned by DC police and was later allowed to leave. He spoke about the experience with The Daily Beast, saying he felt “scared, intimidated, powerless, [and] defenceless”. Mr Burdett said he felt as though he could do nothing to defend himself since Mr Higgins is a member of Congress. “Like, who do I think the cops are going to crack down on, me, or the congressperson?” he said. He believes the incident was an example of a lawmaker thinking of themselves as “untouchable” because of their position. “It’s one thing for anybody to do that,” he said of Higgins’ behaviour. “But for a sitting US congressperson to think that that’s OK—it just shows an extra level of entitlement, that they feel they’re untouchable and the law doesn’t apply to them.” The footage was shared widely on social media, sparking a Change.org petition for the arrest of Mr Higgins. The Independent has reached out to Mr Higgins and Mr Burdett for comment. Mr Higgins responded to the incident in a video response posted to Twitter. Mr Higgins offered a comment to KATC, and said Mr Burdett "was a 103M," which is a police code referring to mentally disturbed individuals. The statement goes on to accuse Mr Burdett of being “threatening”. Mr Burdett told The Daily Beast he was in Washington to attend a Medicare for All rally featuring Senator Bernie Sanders. After that rally, he spotted the Republican press conference setting up in the same spot. He decided to stay and "ask them some tough questions." He said that after the incident he is weighing his options and strongly considering making assault charges against the congressman. “I’m absolutely evaluating my options here, and if it looks like there is a strong case for assault and [there is] an attorney willing to take on the case, I am absolutely prepared to press charges,” he said. Read More The school librarian in the middle of Louisiana’s war on libraries Lauren Boebert denies claim husband flew into rage after being served divorce papers Marjorie Taylor Greene launches racially-loaded attack on Black Democrat after Capitol steps shouting match Lauren Boebert denies claim husband flew into rage after being served divorce papers Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis FACT FOCUS: Who’s to blame for the national debt? It’s more complicated than one culprit

Sam Brinton, the former Department of Energy official who was accused of stealing a Tanzanian fashion designer’s dresses from her airport luggage, has been arrested as a “fugitive from justice” by Maryland police. Brinton was reportedly taken into custody in Rockville, Maryland by police on Wednesday, according to police records. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police, said the arrest was again related to the alleged theft of airport luggage, reported Fox News. It is the third such allegation made against Brinton. “Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police executed a search warrant May 17 in Montgomery County, Maryland, in connection with allegations of stolen property in luggage from Reagan National Airport that was brought to the department’s attention in February 2023,” James Johnson, a spokesperson for the MWAA, said in a statement. They previously oversaw nuclear waste policy at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, but more recently has been battling charges related to luggage theft in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton was charged in October for allegedly stealing a traveller’s bags worth a total of $2,325 from the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport on 16 September. They were charged again in early December by Las Vegas prosecutors with grand larceny of an item with a value between $1,200 and $5,000. Those charges accuse Brinton of stealing a suitcase from the Harry Reid International Airport with an estimated worth of $3,670 on 6 July, 2022. That bag also contained jewellery valued at $1,700, clothing valued at $850, and makeup valued at $500. Brinton faced a combined 15 years in prison for the alleged thefts, but judges in both cases determined jail time was not necessary. Brinton made headlines after Tanzanian fashion designer Asya Khamsin spotted them wearing one of her custom-made dresses packed in her luggage that she reported missing in 2018. “I saw the images. Those were my custom designs, which were lost in that bag in 2018,” she told Fox News at the time, adding that Brinton “wore my clothes, which [were] stolen”. She reported the theft to the Houston police, who then forwarded the complaint to the FBI for investigation. The DOE announced Brinton had left the agency shortly after the second set of luggage theft charges were brought against them. The agency did not provide further detail on why Brinton was no longer working at the DOE. Read More Fashion designer who lost her luggage in 2018 claims embattled US nuclear official has been wearing her clothes US nuclear official fired after being accused of stealing luggage from airport Man accused of stealing ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby-red slippers in 2005 indicted by federal grand jury

Rep Jamaal Bowman (D - New York) criticised Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene for characterising him as threatening when they confronted each other on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday. The two had a heated exchange on the steps of the US Capitol after the House voted to refer the expulsion of Representative George Santos to the House Ethics Committee. At a press conference on Thursday, Ms Greene said criticised Mr Bowman, an outspoken progressive, for confronting her on the steps of the US Capitol on Wednesday, for calling her a white supremacist. Ms Greene later criticised Mr Bowman for calling her a white supremacist. “That is like calling a person of colour the n-word,” she said. “Jamaal Bowman was down there cursing at me, telling me to get the eff out of there, right outside the vehicle I was sitting in.” Mr Bowman confronted Ms Greene in a heated conversation on the steps of the US Capitol on Wednesday following the vote to refer the expulsion of the embattled New York Republican representative to the House Ethics Committee rather than subject his expulsion to a full vote on the House floor. “What is on video is Jamaal Bowman shouting at the top of his lungs, cursing,” she said. “Calling me a white supremacist, which I take great offence to. That is like calling a person of colour the N-word.” Ms Greene accused Mr Bowman of “leading the mob” right outside a vehicle as she was prepared to leave the Capitol. She then noted that he confronted her after the vote. “His physical mannerisms are aggressive,” she said, criticising his recent interaction with Rep Thomas Massie (R - Kentucky) and accusing him of shoving Mr Massie when discussing gun violence. “I am concerned. I feel threatened by him.” The Daily Beast’s Ursula Perano filmed the interaction as Mr Bowman admonished Ms Greene, who has promoted conspiracies such as QAnon, to fix the Republican Party. Eventually, Mr Bowman’s friend Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D - New York) stepped in to tell him of Ms Greene: “She ain’t worth it, bro.” During their back and forth, Mr Bowman told Ms Greene of Mr Santos: “Expel him. Save the party. The party is hanging by a thread.” But Ms Greene deflected, saying: “We got to get rid of Biden to save the country,” before she tried to start a chant of “impeach Biden.” Mr Bowman then said Ms Greene needed to stop promoting conspiracy theories. “No more QAnon,” he said, to which Ms Greene replied: “No more CNN.” “No more debt ceiling nonsense,” he said. “Come on, now. Save the party.” Mr Bowman also called on Ms Greene to do something about guns. “So close the border,” Ms Greene, which led Mr Bowman to scoff. “The border is where Trump left it,” he said. Mr Bowman ultimately moved on following the advice of Ms Ocasio-Cortez. The confrontation came after Mr Bowman and Ms Ocasio-Cortez heckled Mr Santos outside of the Capitol building, imploring him to resign as he spoke to reporters. Last week, Mr Santos was indicted on 13 counts of criminal charges related to wire fraud, money laundering, making false statements to the House of Representatives and theft of public funds. However, on Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to refer the resolution to expel Mr Santos to the House Ethics Committee rather than sent it to a House vote. The charges come months after it was revealed that Mr Santos lied on his resume before being elected to represent New York’s 3rd district. Democrats have been pushing for Mr Santos to resign, citing ethical concerns- including Mr Bowman and Ms Ocasio-Cortez. Read More AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’ Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis Marjorie Taylor Greene files impeachment against Biden, unlikely to pass AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’ Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely claims slain Georgia activist killed police officer at Cop City protest

A massive accounting error by the US Defense Department could allow an extra $3bn in American-made weapons to be delivered to Ukraine’s defence forces in the coming months. Two senior American officials told Reuters on Thursday that the Pentagon had overestimated the value of ammunition, missiles and other military materiel that has already been sent to Kyiv, leaving a $3bn deficit between what was believed to have been delivered and what was actually delivered to arm Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russian invaders. “We’ve discovered inconsistencies in how we value the equipment that we’ve given,” said one of the officials, who added that Congress will soon be officially notified of the bookkeeping screw-up. One defence official also said it’s still possible that the amount by which the US has overvalued the aid packages it has already delivered could grow beyond the current $3bn estimate. The Pentagon officials who spoke to Reuters said the overvaluation was introduced into the process for assigning values to weapons being shipped to Ukraine when the Defense Department erroneously calculated totals using the estimated cost to replace the weapons that were being provided from existing US stockpiles. Instead, the Pentagon should have assigned monetary values based on the original cost of the weapons, minus value subtracted to account for depreciation in the years between the original purchase date and when they were taken out of the US inventory to be sent to Ukraine. The updated — and presumably lower — value of the defence aid packages that have already been provided to the Ukrainian government could give the Biden administration more time before it must ask Congress to authorise additional aid for Kyiv. To date, the Ukrainian government has benefited from approximately $21bn in American defence aid, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, Javelin anti-tank weapons and two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries. Read More Ukraine war – live: Putin launches day-long barrage on Bakhmut but Kyiv ‘repels all’ Ukraine repels Russian forces in Bakhmut after overnight strikes on Kyiv

As negotiations over addressing the debt ceiling continue and the threat of default draws closer, President Joe Biden has resurfaced the controversial idea of using the 14th Amendment as a way to lift the borrowing cap without Congress.

Ecuadorian lawmakers who were ousted when President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly denounced the move Thursday and argued it wasn't legal because the country wasn't facing any urgent crisis. The conservative president, who had sparred with the left-leaning assembly over his pro-business agenda since taking office in 2021, disbanded the chamber Wednesday just as it tried to oust him on mismanagement allegations in an impeachment trial. Lasso was making first use of a 2008 constitutional provision that allows the president to dissolve the assembly during times of political crisis, with the requirement that new elections be held for both lawmakers and the president. However, a lawsuit filed Thursday by the assembly’s former head, Virgilio Saquicela, argues that Lasso’s move violated the constitution because the country was not experiencing any social upheaval. Instead, Lasso’s detractors have argued, the president chose to disband the chamber merely to avoid his own ouster. Saquicela’s lawsuit — and two other challenges filed Wednesday — are before the country’s Constitutional Court, which is known to act slowly. Lawmakers have been urging the panel to act quickly this time. “We require, we demand an immediate pronouncement from the Constitutional Court,” Virgilio Saquicela said in an interview with The Associated Press. Meanwhile, the National Electoral Council is moving forward with setting a date for elections. Council President Diana Atamaint told the Teleamazonas television network that the electoral body has until Wednesday to decide. The tentative date is Aug. 20. If needed, a runoff would take place Oct. 15. The constitution allows the president to dissolve the assembly when it oversteps its mandate under the constitution or during times of “serious political crisis and internal commotion.” Minister of Government Henry Cucalón defended Lasso’s decision during a news conference Thursday, arguing that the constitution makes it clear that the dismissal is up to the president's “judgment, criteria, discretion and reason," and that it does not require approval of any other entity. The president appears to have the support of the armed forces, but faces pushback from critics including a powerful confederation of indigenous group that previously has nearly paralyzed the country with protests. Lasso can now govern for up to six months by means of decrees on economic and administrative issues under the oversight of Ecuador’s Constitutional Court. The National Electoral Council is required to set a date for presidential and legislative elections within seven days from Lasso’s decision. Lawmakers want the court to issue a ruling before the council makes a decision, because after the election date is set “no authority may interfere in the carrying out of the process,” lawyer and electoral analyst Medardo Oleas said. He added that if the Constitutional Court interfered, its members “could be dismissed.” Those elected would finish the terms of Lasso and the lawmakers he ousted, which had been set to end in May 2025. Lasso, a former banker, can choose to run in the election. Lawmakers had accused Lasso of not having intervened to end a contract between the state-owned oil transport company and a private tanker company. They argued Lasso knew the contract was full of irregularities and would cost the state millions in losses. During impeachment proceedings Tuesday, Lasso noted that the contract predated his administration. He also said that the state-owned company experienced losses of $6 million a year before he took office, and that it has seen $180 million in profits under his watch. Lasso had clashed from the start of his four-year term with the opposition-led National Assembly. He accused them Wednesday of focusing “on destabilizing the government.” Saquicela, in an interview with AP, accused Lasso’s government of being “incapable of solving the real problems of Ecuadorians” including health, transportation and security issues. He rejected any shared responsibility for the turmoil affecting the country arguing that the assembly had complied with its constitutional obligation to legislate. “I do not want to justify whether the assembly has been good or bad, what I defend is the constitutional framework,” he said. “However, we believe that as a political class, we fell short in our legislating and oversight duties.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Group plans to put legalization of medical marijuana on Nebraska ballot Explainer: Why Supreme Court tiptoeing past Section 230 helps Big Tech fueled by social media Trial delayed for driver held since 2015 in deadly Las Vegas Strip pedestrian crash

The Walt Disney Company has pulled the plug on a $1bn office complex in Orlando, following a warning from Disney leadership that billions of dollars in projects were on the line after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis escalated his feud with the company. The development scheduled for construction in the Orlando area was set to bring 2,000 jobs to the region, with 1,000 employees expected to be relocated from southern California. In an email to employees on 18 May, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chair Josh D’Amaro pointed to “changing business conditions” for the cancellation of the 60-acre Lake Nona Town Center project, according to The New York Times, which first reported the move. “I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business,” he added, noting that the company has still planned $17bn in projects over the next decade its Disney World campus. “I hope we’re able to,” he said. For years, Florida legislators and the governor’s office enjoyed a close relationship with the state’s largest taxpayers, among the state’s largest employers, which has wielded enormous political influence while bringing in billions of dollars to the state each year. Now, the company and DeSantis allies are suing one another, following a year-long feud over opposition to what opponents have called Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law that boiled over into political and legal battles that could shape the company’s business in the state. Moments after board appointed by Mr DeSantis voted to strip the company’s control of its Florida park, Disney filed a federal lawsuit against the governor and state officials alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” for “expressing a political viewpoint.” The lawsuit follows the governor’s state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, now the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, made up of conservative activists and DeSantis loyalists, a move that followed Florida Republicans’ punitive measures against the company after its public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Days later, the board voted to sue Disney in state court. In March, Disney slammed the governor’s “anti-business” approach to the company, which Mr DeSantis has accused of advancing a “woke agenda” while his administration targets LGBT+ people and their families with sweeping laws to control public school education, healthcare access and speech. The governor dissolved a decades-old municipal district that allowed Disney to control its own land use, zoning rules and public services, without putting a tax burden on Florida residents. In effect, Disney taxed itself to foot the district’s bill for its municipal needs. “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” Disney CEO Bob Iger said on a conference call with analysts last week. A statement from Disney said the company has decided to pull out of the new campus construction “given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions.” The “Parental Rights in Education Act” – what opponents have called “Don’t Say Gay” – prohibits instruction of “sexual orientation or gender identity” from kindergarten through the third grade and any such discussion “that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students” in other grades. The governor recently expanded the law to explicitly extend such restrictions to all grades. Critics have warned that the broadly written law threatens to freeze classroom speech involving LGBT+ people and issues, from civil rights history lessons to discussion of LGBT+ students, school staff and their families. Following passage of the Florida law, lawmakers across the US and in Congress have introduced similar legislation, including more than two dozen measures in current legislative sessions. Read More DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse ‘We will not be erased’: Critics slam Ron DeSantis for unprecedented bills attacking LGBTQ+ people Penguin Random House sues Florida school district over ‘unconstitutional’ book bans Florida teacher under investigation for showing Disney movie with LGBT+ character speaks out

Sales of previously owned US homes fell in April, restrained by limited inventory and high mortgage rates, while

The Biden administration announced new steps Thursday to assist the nations unsheltered population, launching a new initiative accelerating local efforts in six of the nation's most populous cities as part of a larger goal to reduce the country's homelessness by 25% by 2025.

By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) faces an uphill battle in its fight against Amgen

By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Amgen Inc in its bid to revive