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FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles "helped personally orchestrate" an investigation into who leaked information about President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted airplane and its security shortcomings — demanding some officials turn over their phones, according to a new CNN report published Wednesday. Trump was apparently furious that information about the plane, which was meant to be used as Air Force One, went public. Investigators were reportedly seeking information from officials who traveled with the president.A source told CNN that as the investigation was underway, at least one federal agency contacted its employees via email to warn that if they were contacted by outside agencies or groups requesting information or devices, then they should contact their agency's attorneys."The sources said Patel — who had been preparing to travel to Chicago — was diverted to the White House on Friday to take a hands-on role in running the probe, which became public early the next morning when the New York Times reported that the Justice Department had issued subpoenas to four of its journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding the new plane," CNN reported."Patel posted up in an office next to Wiles’ for roughly seven hours, as the two established what one source referred to as a 'war room' in the West Wing," according to CNN.Not all White House officials were asked to turn over their phones. "The effort reflects the extent to which the White House was willing to exert control over a law enforcement investigation — a significant breach of the Justice Department’s historic independence, though one that has become somewhat common in Trump’s administration," CNN reported.

US defense secretary unveils plan that will work to ensure service members have the ‘right testosterone levels’Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Department of Defense will offer testosterone deficiency screening for soldiers 30 and older.The US defense secretary unveiled plans for a new screening program for testosterone deficiency among troops that will work to ensure service members have the “right testosterone levels” to perform at their optimal conditions in a video posted to X. Continue reading...

Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with transforming the ministry, ousted in reshuffle after six months in postVolodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s popular defence minister, despite pleas from foreign partners and civil society for him to keep his job, as part of wide-ranging government reshuffle.In a post on Telegram Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was leaving his position, saying it had been a “great honour” to serve the Ukrainian people. He was widely credited with transforming the defence ministry and reducing corruption. Continue reading...

Trump’s nominee for attorney general – also his former personal defense lawyer – faces questions from senators as he attempts to take the top justice department roleSign up for the Breaking News US emailIn his opening statement before senators today, Todd Blanche, said that he is “pleased to testify again today to tell everybody here that we are doing just that-we are keeping America safe”.The nominee for attorney general, who has been leading the justice department in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi was fired in April. Continue reading...

State department says plan will provide funding to ‘address national sovereignty, migration, censorship and lawfare’Friedrich Merz has warned Donald Trump’s administration against interfering in German elections after the US state department announced a scheme to fund Maga-aligned causes in Europe.The German chancellor was responding to a new US initiative offering grants of up to $3m (£2.2m) for European charities, thinktanks and individuals. Continue reading...

Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait - gateway to the Red Sea - would open a new front in the energy crisis and Iran's overarching conflict with the US.

Chinese users of AI-powered companion bots have bid heart-rending farewells to their virtual buddies as national regulations took effect Wednesday aimed at curbing the risk of emotional dependency.

The match-winning England striker is ‘a good ambassador for young people’, says one contestantAll together now, with arms in the air: One Jude Bellingham, there’s only one Jude Bellingham …Unless, that is, you happened to find yourself in Shoreditch, east London, on Wednesday, where a dozen young men who looked vaguely like the England midfielder gathered for a lookalike contest almost as competitive as the one currently continuing in the US. Continue reading...