All posts tagged: blasts

Labour minister blasts MPs over plot to oust Starmer: ‘Give heads a wobble’ | Politics | News

Labour minister blasts MPs over plot to oust Starmer: ‘Give heads a wobble’ | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has warned Keir Starmer’s leadership rivals to avoid turning Labour into a “self-indulgent debating society” in the wake of the local elections. She insisted thatthose pushing for the Prime Minister to “reapply for his job” need to “give their heads a wobble”. Speaking on Sky News, she added that the public would not “thank us if the Labour Party turned into some sort of self-indulgent debating society” by replacing Sir Keir. Ms Alexander urged her party not to “repeat the mistakes that the Conservative government made in churning through prime ministers” and says people thinking of changing the leader “probably do need to give their head a gentle wobble at the moment”. It comes as reports suggest Andy Burnham has a plan to return to Westminster “within weeks” in a bid to challenge Sir Keir. The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester has identified several seats where MPs are prepared to step aside, triggering a by-election which could pave the way for his return to Parliament, The Guardian newspaper said. The newspaper …

Anti-Christian bias task force blasts Biden for targeting ‘traditional Christians’

Anti-Christian bias task force blasts Biden for targeting ‘traditional Christians’

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A new government report accusing President Joe Biden’s administration of fomenting “anti-Christian bias” is being met with mixed reactions from Christian leaders, with some conservatives celebrating the study and others arguing it appears narrowly focused on the concerns of evangelical Christians and obscures President Donald Trump’s own conflicts with faith groups. The report, which was released on Thursday, is one of the first public actions by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, a body created by President Donald Trump in February of last year. Written by a group primarily composed of Trump’s cabinet members, the study concluded that while the Biden administration “generally tolerated religious beliefs that were privately held,” the government under the former president’s leadership nonetheless “zealously pursued actions to limit Christians’ ability to act in accordance with their faith.” The report, which stretches for more than 500 pages, alleges the wide array of incidents it highlights represent clashes between the Biden administration and a “Christian worldview” — particularly among what the report calls “traditional Christians,” who hold conservative-leaning …

Trump Belatedly Blasts Merz Over Pointed Iran War ‘Humiliation’ Remarks 

Trump Belatedly Blasts Merz Over Pointed Iran War ‘Humiliation’ Remarks 

Published by Jenni Sidey

President Trump on Tuesday belatedly hit back at Chancellor Friedrich Merz after on Monday the German leader told students in a talk that the United States is being “humiliated” by Iranian leaders, amid struggling on-and-off negotiations, and as a crisis in the Strait of Hormuz shows no signs of de-escalating. Merz had said he didn’t see “what strategic exit the Americans are now choosing” while simultaneously describing that Tehran’s negotiators are proceeding “very skillfully – or indeed very skillfully not negotiating.” The result, Merz had said, is that an “entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, particularly by these so-called Revolutionary Guards.” The unusually blunt and direct anti-Trump commentary by the German Chancellor was given before a group of students at a secondary school in western Germany on Monday. Throughout Monday, the media expected Trump to quickly lash back out, but that didn’t come quickly. It’s possible that he hadn’t seen the Merz remarks, however. But by Tuesday afternoon, Trump complained on Truth Social that Merz apparently “thinks i’s OK for Iran to have …

Jon Stewart Blasts RFK Jr. For Abandoning Wife During WHCD Shooting

Jon Stewart Blasts RFK Jr. For Abandoning Wife During WHCD Shooting

Published by Daniella Wilson

Jon Stewart tackled the presidential assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show. The comedian’s monologue took the approach of pointing out the litany of absurdities related to the WHCD, including before, during and after the event. “The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is supposed to be an evening of fun and merriment until, like most things in America, it was interrupted by gunfire. This is why we can’t have nice things,” Stewart said. “To be perfectly frank, it’s not even a nice thing. Nobody wanted this dinner in the first place! Nobody needed [this]. We’re so fucked in this country right now. We can’t even pull off a dinner that shouldn’t have existed in the first place. ‘Hey, let’s celebrate the First Amendment with an administration that’s doing everything it can do to destroy it.’ Sounds great!” He continued, “Should we hold the dinner in a secure location? Well, we could. Or you know what, why not just the Hilton? You know what, let’s not hold it in …

Steve Ballmer blasts founder he backed who pleaded guilty to fraud: ‘I was duped and feel silly’

Steve Ballmer blasts founder he backed who pleaded guilty to fraud: ‘I was duped and feel silly’

Published by skeptic

Silicon Valley tends to tolerate a certain amount of founder exaggeration when pitching investors, often dismissing it as part of selling a vision. But some choices cross the line and can lead to jail time for founders and scandal for their investors. A case in point is Joseph Sanberg, whose once high-flying fintech startup Aspiration Partners was backed by a roster of tech celebrities, including former Microsoft CEO and current Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. In August 2025, Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and defrauding multiple investors and lenders, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for Monday, victims were invited to describe their experience with Sanberg to the judge. Ballmer did so, and publicly. Ballmer’s lawyers said in the letter that he has lost money, been vilified, and that the NBA is investigating allegations stemming from the association. Sanberg co-founded green fintech startup Aspiration Partners, which offered what it called sustainable …

Trump Blasts Starmer For ‘Really Bad Pick’ In Mandelson Amid Vetting Scandal

Trump Blasts Starmer For ‘Really Bad Pick’ In Mandelson Amid Vetting Scandal

Published by Sam Flores

The US president said the prime minister had “acknowledged he exercised wrong judgment” in choosing the shamed former peer as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. Posting on Truth Social in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Trump added: “I agree, he was a really bad pick. Plenty of time to recover, however.” It is one of the few comments Trump has made on Mandelson since he was sacked as ambassador by Starmer last September over his links to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The pair initially appeared to get on well, with the president praising Mandelson’s “beautiful accent” in the Oval Office. Starmer has been left fighting for his political life after it emerged last week that Mandelson was initially refused security clearance after he was announced as US ambassador. In a statement to MPs on Monday, the prime minister said it was “staggering” that he was never told about it by Foreign Office civil servants. Olly Robbins, the senior Foreign Office civil servant sacked by Starmer for clearing Mandelson to take up the post, …

Mary J Blige blasts controversial 2012 Burger King ad

Mary J Blige blasts controversial 2012 Burger King ad

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Mary J. Blige has reflected on her controversial Burger King commercial, stating the backlash toward it “deeply affected” her. The 55-year-old singer was a part of a 2012 advertisement for the fast food chain where she sang about the brand’s Crispy Chicken snack wraps, listing the ingredients to the tune of her song, “Don’t Mind.” When a preview of the advertisement was shared on Burger King’s YouTube channel, it was met with immense criticism, including claims that it perpetuated racial stereotypes. Blige looked back on the controversy during a recent interview with TV personality Scott Evans, who asked her: “Are you in a place where you can yet laugh about that Burger King commercial?” “Um, no,” she responded. “I’m not because I would never laugh at that. Because my true, honest fans did not think that s*** was funny. The whole …