Former President Trump’s campaign confirmed to Fox News on Saturday that some of its internal communications were hacked, following an inquiry from Politico, which had started receiving internal Trump documents. “These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” said Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump campaign. Cheung also referenced a recent Microsoft report, stating, “On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers broke into the account of a ‘high ranking official’ on the U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the close timing of President Trump’s selection of a Vice Presidential nominee.” He further connected the alleged Iranian hack to an earlier incident, noting, “The hack allegedly by Iran came after recent reports of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump around the same time as the Butler, PA tragedy.” Cheung warned that, “The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House. Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want.” The documents received by Politico included a 271-page dossier on Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, which dated back to February. The dossier highlighted Vance’s past positions, statements, and criticisms of Trump under a section labeled “POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES.” The Trump campaign did not disclose whether they had contacted law enforcement regarding the hacking. It also remains unclear if Politico utilized any of the hacked materials in its reporting. Fox News Digital reached out to Politico, which referred back to its original story. Politico reported that it began receiving emails from an individual identifying as “Robert” using an anonymous AOL account on July 22, just days after the Republican National Convention ended and Trump announced Vance as his running mate. When questioned by reporters about the source of the documents, “Robert” reportedly responded, “I suggest you don’t be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
On Saturday morning, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency carried out an airstrike on a Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad command center located within the Taba’een school complex in Gaza City. The IDF later announced that the strike successfully eliminated 19 operatives from the two terror groups. The Hamas-run civil defense in Gaza reported over 90 fatalities in the strike, describing it as a “horrific massacre.” The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from Western diplomats, Egyptian and Qatari mediators involved in ceasefire talks, and numerous Muslim nations. The White House expressed deep concern over the high civilian death toll in the ongoing conflict and called for more details about the strike. According to the IDF, the operation targeted a command room embedded within a mosque at the school complex using three precision munitions. The military released footage showing that the surrounding buildings suffered minimal damage and stated that the reported casualties from the Gaza government’s media office could not have been caused by the strike. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari noted that there is a “high probability” that Ashraf Juda, the commander of Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade, was present at the time of the strike, although it remains unclear if he was killed. Hagari accused Hamas of increasingly using civilian buildings, including schools, as military facilities and emphasized that the IDF took significant precautions to avoid civilian casualties during the operation. However, Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses reported that many civilians, including women and children, were among the dead. The Wall Street Journal quoted a local resident describing the aftermath, with bodies and body parts scattered throughout the area. Israel’s military also disputed the toll, saying the “precise munitions” used “cannot cause the amount of damage that is being reported” by the Hamas-run government. It said the steps it took to limit the risk to civilians included the use of a “small warhead,” aerial surveillance and intelligence information. Walls were blown out on the ground level of the large building. Concrete chunks and twisted metal lay on the blood-soaked floor. Bodies, some in bloodstained shrouds, were placed shoulder to shoulder in makeshift graves, making room for more. Fadel Naeem, director of the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, told The Associated Press that it received 70 bodies along with the body parts of at least 10 others. Gaza’s Health Ministry said that another 47 people were wounded. The U.S. said it was deeply concerned about reports of civilians killed. “Far too many civilians continue to be killed and wounded,” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement. The strike came as U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators renewed their push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Egypt, which borders Gaza, said that the strike on the school showed that Israel had no intention of reaching a cease-fire deal. Neighboring Jordan condemned the attack as a “blatant violation” of international law. Qatar demanded an international investigation, calling it a “heinous crime” against civilians. Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking to reporters traveling with her in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, said of the Israeli strike in Gaza: “Yet again, far […]
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Mortgage rates haven’t been this attractive in more than a year, good news for homeowners eager to refinance. Many homeowners have already jumped at the opportunity to lower their monthly payment, spurring a surge in mortgage refinancing applications. And that was before the average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell this week to 6.47%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. As recently as May, the rate averaged 7.22%. It’s now at a 14-month low. The rush to refinance makes sense, as even a slight drop in mortgage rates can translate into significant savings over the long run. For a home with the median U.S. listing price of $440,000, a buyer who makes a 20% down payment at today’s average mortgage rate would save over $300 a month compared to what it would have cost to buy the same home in October, when the average rate hit a 23-year high of 7.79%. Still, there’s more to consider than the mortgage rate. It can cost thousands of dollars to refinance, and not all the fees can always be rolled into the new loan. Breaking even on the costs of refinancing may take months or years, depending on the difference between your current rate and your new rate. So refinancing may not make sense if you’re planning to sell the home before that happens. Here are some key factors to consider as you weigh whether now is the right time to refinance your home loan: Are rates attractive enough to make refinancing worthwhile? While mortgage rates have come down, the average rate on a 30-year home loan is still more than double what it was just three years ago. Some 86% of all outstanding home mortgages have an interest rate below 6%, and more than three quarters have a rate 5% or lower, according to Realtor.com. If your mortgage rate falls within that range, you’ll want to make sure you can refinance to a significantly lower rate than you have now. One rule of thumb to consider is whether you can reduce your rate by half to three-quarters of a percentage point, said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. “That’s when it’s time to start thinking about it,” he said. Someone with a 30-year mortgage at 7.5% or 8%, for example, should be looking for rates to be in the low 6% range. Homeowners with an adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, that’s set to adjust to a higher rate may also want to consider refinancing while rates head lower. How long will it take you to break even on the costs of refinancing? The break-even period on a mortgage refinance will be shorter the more significant your savings are. For example, if you’re refinancing from a rate of 8% down to 6%, the break-even period is going to be far shorter than if you refinance from 6.75% down to 6.25%. So, it’s important to factor in how long you plan to live in the home, to make sure you’re going to make up the cost of refinancing. Consider the overall and upfront costs Charges and fees can shortchange refinancers who are focused only on the potential savings. And just because you can typically roll over many or most of the costs into a new loan doesn’t mean that loan is free. If you’re rolling over […]
The United States is speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of nuclear reactors to supply carbon-free electricity. Faster development is one thing Congress and the administration agree on. President Joe Biden signed legislation in July to modernize the licensing of new reactor technologies so they can be built faster. Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate environment and House energy committees praised the enactment. The U.S. is pursuing small modular reactors and advanced reactors. Some designs use something other than water for cooling, such as liquid metal, helium or liquid salt. Developers say the advanced coolants allow the reactors to run at low pressure, making them safer than traditional designs. Russia and China are the only countries that are already operating advanced reactors. The United States is trying to boost the new technology; the Energy Department announced $900 million in funding in June. Bill Gates’ company, TerraPower, is the first in the U.S. to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a construction permit for an advanced reactor that would operate as a commercial nuclear power plant. Readers had questions for The Associated Press about evolving nuclear. They wonder how the next generation of reactors can be a climate solution, where the radioactive waste would go, and above all, whether these new reactor designs are safe. The AP turned to White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi and experts at the Energy Department and Nuclear Regulatory Commission to help answer those questions. Q: Elizabeth M. from Bisbee, Arizona said advanced nuclear seems like a compromise that, despite drawbacks, is the most practical and clean solution for America’s big energy appetite. We asked Zaidi for his take on how these new reactors can be a climate solution. Zaidi said the world has to feed future energy needs “in a way that doesn’t add to the problem of climate change.” Nuclear energy is one tool that can do that, he said. “As we are finding ourselves in the middle of the climate crisis in the decisive decade for climate action, it’s incumbent on us to pull every tool off of the sidelines and help harness these technologies in the race for the future,” Zaidi said. Nuclear power plants don’t emit the planet-warming greenhouse gases that come from power plants that burn fossil fuels. Q: At least one reader wondered about the timeline for these reactors to come online, lamenting how long it takes for older plants to get running. Zaidi said the U.S. is working hard to make it happen “in this decade.” And he said the goal is “a massive ramp-up and scale-up of this technology” over the next 10 to 15 years. The project furthest along, from Gates’ TerraPower, applied for its construction permit in March. The company has said it wants to start operating commercially in Wyoming in 2030. The NRC has a 27-month goal for its technical review. If NRC approves the project along that timeline, TerraPower could be spinning up electricity in the early 2030s if it takes about three years to gets its plant built and obtain an operating license. But that’s not certain. Other first-of-their-kind nuclear projects frequently faced delays and cost overruns. Q: Lots of readers — including Jim M. from Manheim, Pennsylvania — wanted to know what would happen […]
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