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The battle over what counts as money — and who gets to control it — just took a dramatic turn. China’s biggest banks are shutting down retail paper gold trading just as gold has pulled back sharply from record highs, signaling that the fight over gold is no longer only about price. It is about market structure, settlement power, and the future of money itself. In June, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China IDCBF -7.31% ▼ , one of the largest banks in the world, said it would stop offering intermediary services for individual precious-metals trading linked to the Shanghai...

California’s homicide rate fell to a record low in 2025 as every major statewide crime category declined from the previous year, according to new data released Wednesday by the California Department of Justice. The newly released statistics show California recorded its lowest homicide rate since statewide crime reporting began in 1966. Officials also reported year-over-year declines in robbery, violent crime, property crime and motor vehicle theft.

Russia’s top banker has called on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, warning that the four-year-old conflict is dragging the country into economic collapse. German Gref, head of the state-controlled Sberbank, said ordinary Russians are increasingly feeling the economic effects of the war, which are being worsened by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s oil refineries. “I think we are all worried about the same thing. I don’t believe there is anyone in this country whose primary concern is anything other than an end to military hostilities as soon as possible,” Gref told state TV on Tuesday, as reported...

SNIP China wants the fighting in Eastern Europe to stop right now. Beijing is issuing a clear, uncompromising command to both Russia and Ukraine. The message came directly from the United Nations floor. Sun Lei serves as China’s deputy representative, and he delivered his remarks during a recent Security Council gathering. The Moscow Times reported that China is firmly demanding an immediate return to the negotiating table. Beijing claims it wants to guide the political process. Lei held nothing back when addressing the packed room. “We strongly urge you to end the conflict as soon as possible. We also strongly...

An outdated tax code forces dual-income couples to pay a premium. Two years ago, my fiancé and I attended the wedding of friends in Atlanta. At the reception, the newlyweds confided that they were not getting legally married. When we asked why, they gave a simple answer: taxes. ­ We laughed. Everyone knows marriage saves you money on taxes. Or so we thought.Then we got married. After filing our first joint return this year, we understood.The first surprise was that married couples must either both itemize or both take the standard deduction even if they file separately. My husband owns...

We are one step closer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland becoming the Islamic Republic of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. King Charles III has a new description in his role as monarch to that end. In an annual review published for 2025-2026 reported by the U.K.’s Telegraph on Friday, the king was previously the “Head of Nation” and “Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith.” This year the language has changed, reading, “His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith...

Some CD4 T cells infected with HIV can take on the characteristics of CD8 cells, according to a study published in Science. The researchers found that this transformed population of induced CD8 cells can still harbor latent HIV and contributes to the viral reservoir, which has implications for functional cure strategies. Antiretroviral therapy can keep HIV suppressed indefinitely, but the virus inserts its genetic blueprints into host cells and establishes a long-lasting viral reservoir that is impervious to the drugs and usually invisible to the immune system, making a true cure nearly impossible.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pressed President Trump earlier to cripple Iran. But as Iran asserted its power, the prince urged a cease-fire, and is now pursuing his security priorities.President Trump and his military commanders were in a bind.They had announced the start of a new mission to help guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had effectively closed early in the war. U.S. naval and air power would ward off any Iranian attacks during a tentative cease-fire, the commanders said.But U.S. Central Command was caught by surprise when officials from Saudi Arabia said American forces could...

... She heard the word “retirement” and just assumed that it was Alito? The explanation is so shocking that social media has plenty of Alito retirement “Truthers” who contend the justice is planning to announce his retirement soon and Totenberg simply erred by reporting it too early; but that theory doesn’t make sense, because if that were the case, she would simply clarify her story. Some others wonder if this was Alito trying to sniff out the Supreme Court employee who leaked the Dobbs decision. (Back in April 2023, Alito sat down for an interview with the Wall Street Journal...

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was found “unconscious” and may have suffered a heart attack at his DC residence before being rushed to a local hospital last month, according to a District Fire and EMS dispatch call made public Wednesday. The June 14 call referenced medical personnel in an ALS, or Advanced Life Support, ambulance being sent to the home shortly before 9 a.m. and mentioned there was “CPR in progress” for a “cardiac arrest.” Punchbowl News first reported on the EMS radio traffic.

Todd Blanche to target tourists and migrants despite such births accounting for less than 1% of US babies born yearly gle A day after the US supreme court upheld the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, has said federal prosecutors and law enforcement officers will focus on combating so-called “birth tourism” – the process of tourists, temporary visitors and undocumented immigrants traveling to the US and giving birth. “There’s other things that [the Department if Homeland Security] can do, and the federal government can do in the visa process, and the application process, to try...

A grooming gang ringleader who was convicted of 30 child rapes reportedly cannot be deported - despite being stripped of his British citizenship. A clause protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 from removal. Instead, he will be allowed to live in the community under a number of curfews and exclusion zones. Ahmed was jailed in 2012 for concurrent sentences of 22 and 19 years. He was one of nine men convicted of sexual offences against multiple children, who they groomed at two takeaway restaurants in Rochdale. Prosecutors identified Ahmed as one of the ringleaders. After 14...

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The sleek, handset-like prototype was designed to integrate AI technology from SpaceX’s xAIElon Musk’s SpaceX SPCX -7.80% has developed a prototype for a handset-like device designed to reshape how humans interact with artificial intelligence that SpaceX has shown investors recently. The rocket and AI company showed the prototype, which features a sleek design that is slimmer than an iPhone, to some investors and other stakeholders ahead of the company’s mega initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter. The prototype was designed to run on a proprietary operating system and integrate AI technology from SpaceX’s xAI, some of...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump’s national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party.With vastly different backgrounds and policy experience, they have moved along separate paths to stake out territory: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants with a long history in the Senate and major interest in Latin America, and Vance, a child of the Midwest and Marine Corps veteran who served in the Senate for only two years before being...

SummaryUS denies extension of US-Mexico-Canada Agreement for 16 years without changes USMCA remains in place for 10 years with annual review before expiring More US-Mexico negotiations scheduled the week of July 20 Mexico's Sheinbaum says work on USMCA will continue, 'today is not a deadline' WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Wednesday declined to extend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, starting a decade-long clock to wind down the trade deal as it seeks changes to try ‌to reshore manufacturing jobs and reduce U.S. trade deficits with its North American neighbors. The decision, revealed after a six-year review of the...

The case could settle the long-simmering issue of whether the Second Amendment covers commonly owned but politically disfavored rifles.Last year, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's "assault weapon" ban, which covers some of the most popular rifles sold in the United States, including the AR-15. "Given that millions of Americans own AR–15s and that a significant majority of the States allow possession of those rifles," Justice Brett Kavanaugh said at the time, "petitioners have a strong argument that AR–15s are in 'common use' by law-abiding citizens and therefore are protected by the Second Amendment." Although Kavanaugh...

Jessica Gorman delivered emotional testimony during a heated House hearing on sanctuary city policies, recounting the death of her daughter and criticizing Democratic lawmakers over immigration and public safety. Her remarks sparked a tense exchange as lawmakers debated border security, crime, and accountability in cities with sanctuary policies. Watch the full Capitol Hill hearing and the most emotional moments from the high-profile immigration debate.

This sexy sightseer was in for a nude awakening. Edda Elisa, a fetching fitness influencer from Germany, was denied entry on a Lufthansa flight after a gate agent allegedly accused her of being “naked” as a “catastrophic” heatwave plagues Europe. And the blond bombshell is heated about harassment. “What the f---?,” griped Elisa, a reality TV personality and content creator, detailing the ordeal to her over 641,000 virtual fans. Airing out her grievances from the airport, the siren, sporting a sporty athleisure two-piece, made complete with a pair of black biker shorts and a V-cut sports bra, claimed the Lufthansa...

Josh Howerton@howertonjosh·Jun 30I'm going to read the FIRST prayer delivered to the Continental Congress and it's going to blow your mind.Why have they fought so hard to erase this part of our history. I'm glad you asked TRANSCRIPT BEGINS~~~Josh Howerton: For listeners, this is going to blow your mind. You have no idea how much Christian...ah...sort of standards...were written into...you know all the ...many of the founding documents. All I'm going to do right here is read the prayer of the first of the Continental Congress. "O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of...