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Modelling from US CDC shows Ebola spread could be on ‘dangerous trajectory’, but experts warn outbreaks can be very hard to predictCentral Africa’s Ebola outbreak could spread to be similar in scale to the worst outbreak in history, west Africa’s 2014-2016 outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people, according to a new analysis by US health officials.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday published a range of scenarios generated by computer models, from 10,000 cases to more than 20,000. In the west Africa outbreak, more than 28,000 cases were reported. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump's Iran envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner made an unannounced trip to visit the nation's top nuclear experts at the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, according to an Axios report on Friday.A deal to end the Iran war has not yet been reached, and many of the conditions were still under consideration, but the ongoing negotiations and secret meeting at the energy department facilities on Thursday signaled the experts "could play a role in nuclear negotiations with Iran," Axios reported. "This meeting in Oak Ridge doesn't mean that a deal is going to happen, but it is a sign that the negotiations are in a very serious phase and that there is a good chance to get it done and we want to be prepared," a U.S. official told the outlet."Some of the country's foremost experts in uranium processing and centrifuge technology are based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex. In the past, nuclear materials and equipment — including from Kazakhstan and Libya — were routed through Tennessee," according to Axios. The Trump administration and the National Nuclear Security Administration have not commented on the meeting.The White House has indicated 'positive indications' of a potential finalized deal; however, internal divides among Iranian leaders have continued."If the negotiations advance to the second phase, the team of experts that met with Witkoff and Kushner would have to develop a plan for the disposal of Iran's nuclear material, how to limit the enrichment program further, and how to verify compliance," Axios reported.

President Donald Trump has instructed Bill Pulte, the controversial new acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), to execute sweeping personnel cuts across the nation's 18 federal intelligence agencies and units before a permanent successor is confirmed.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump revealed his explicit mandate to Pulte, who lacks the necessary security clearances, to dramatically reduce the size of an agency he views as "unnecessary and/or too big.""I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there," Trump admitted to The Journal, specifically targeting career officials from the Biden and Obama administrations. When asked directly if he was ordering firings, Trump confirmed the instruction. "I want him to 'start the process,'" Trump said, adding that his eventual permanent nominee should continue the purge once confirmed.Trump bluntly framed Pulte's temporary status as an operational advantage rather than a limitation. "You're less shackled," Trump said of the acting designation. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time."The president outlined a calculated strategy to complete major structural changes before his permanent appointee takes office, allowing the future ODNI to inherit a smaller, ideologically aligned agency rather than managing the cuts themselves."Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come," Trump explained. "Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me…and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in…he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn't have to saddle somebody that goes in."The approach reflects Trump's broader effort to reshape the intelligence community according to his preferences, The Journal reported. Pulte, who has no prior intelligence experience and has been highly critical of the FBI and other agencies, is widely viewed as unlikely to survive Senate confirmation despite his acting appointment.Pulte and ODNI representatives declined to comment to The Journal on the directives.

A Justice Department lawyer told a federal appeals court Friday that the Trump administration could demolish the Statue of Liberty before anyone could sue to stop him — and that would simply be the end of it.The stunning exchange came during oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit over President Donald Trump's controversial $400 million White House ballroom project, built on the site of the demolished East Wing.Judge Patricia Millett pressed the government's lawyer directly. "If the govt decides very quickly to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty, the people whose ancestors — that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the govt moved too fast — nothing can be done?" she asked, according to Politico's Kyle Cheney, who was in the courtroom.The DOJ lawyer's response: "I think that's right, yes."The administration has argued throughout the ballroom litigation that no one has legal standing to challenge the project once demolition is complete. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in March that "no statute comes close to giving the President" the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval. The appellate panel — Millett alongside Trump-appointee Neomi Rao and Biden-appointee Brad Garcia — is now weighing whether to reinstate his injunction.The ballroom fight is far from Trump's only unilateral remaking of American landmarks. Federal judges have also been asked to weigh in on his effort to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool "American flag" blue — the subject of a lawsuit accusing the administration of bypassing required congressional notice. A separate judge blocked Trump's move to rename the Kennedy Center in his honor. And the administration has drawn up plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial.Trump has defended the ballroom as a national security necessity, posting AI-generated renderings of a "DronePort" on the roof and warning that Judge Leon would be held responsible for any attack on the president.The appellate panel has allowed construction to continue during the legal fight. Trump has said the ballroom is scheduled to open around September 2028.

Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is facing a firestorm from within her own movement after speaking at a Kremlin-backed forum in St. Petersburg alongside sanctioned Russian officials — and the backlash from the right has been savage.Radio host Mark Levin fired the opening shot Wednesday, calling Owens a "Woke Reich traitor" on X. Far-right activist Laura Loomer went further, demanding a federal investigation into whether Owens violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act — and suggesting she may be "auditioning to be the female Edward Snowden so she can avoid all accountability…" Loomer also took personal shots at Owens, appearing to mock a possible pregnancy and making an unverified allegation about her husband, George Farmer, and drunk driving.When Russian state media outlet RT responded by posting a video about Loomer herself, Loomer accused Owens of having Russian state media "do her bidding" — calling it "not normal."Conservative podcast duo Chicks on the Right piled on, with host Miriam Weaver calling Owens "the quintessential useful idiot to the Russian regime." Co-host Amy Jo Clark questioned whether Owens' trip was truly self-funded. "It's not like you really think they're using their own money to just go on vacation to Russia?" Clark said. "Come on."The criticism extended to Tucker Carlson's brother, Buckley Carlson, who drew condemnation after posting that Americans should "embrace Russia as America's ally and reject the anti-Christian globo-homo agenda our government and the State Department have been pushing for more than a generation." Weaver called him "a piece of s--."Owens had initially framed the trip as a family sightseeing vacation, but Raw Story reported she appeared on a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum alongside Alexander Zharov — a Putin appointee under U.S. sanctions — and Anna Kuznetsova, a Russian parliamentarian sanctioned by the U.S. and European Union for her role in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.Russian state media promoted the appearance. RT posted a slideshow of Owens' photos. Alexander Dugin, the Kremlin-aligned philosopher, retweeted her on X.The Free Press reported that Owens told them: "Grow up. No one is buying the propaganda against Moscow anymore." A spokesperson added she has never taken money or in-kind services from anyone working on behalf of Russia.Hannah Gais, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told Raw Story the appearance serves Kremlin interests regardless. "Candace Owens is following in a long line of right-wingers who have gone to Russia and see it as an ally in a conflict that they see as civilizational and existential in the West against liberalism," Gais said.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) said he thinks progressive influencer Hasan Piker should be banned from the United States after the United Kingdom blocked his visit with fellow commentator and his uncle, Cenk Uygur, TMZ reported on Wednesday.The MAGA lawmaker was walking on Capitol Hill when a TMZ reporter asked Fine to comment on Piker's entry to the country being revoked over the weekend. The two were scheduled to speak at the SXSW London Festival but were turned away "because of their criticism of Israel," The BBC reported."Well I don't think he should be allowed into America, so I think that's a good start," Fine said. The TMZ reporter responded and asked Fine, "What about freedom of speech?""People have freedom of speech but I think when you're a terrorist you should be held responsible for that," Fine said. "And I think he's clearly a supporter of terror. He's a walking billboard for the problem of birth tourism. He was brought here by his Turkish family, they had him, then they took him home, made him hate America, then sent him in to torment us. The guy's a horrible human being and I wouldn't let him into my country if it was up to me, so I don't blame them."Piker, who is an American citizen, has condemned Islamophobia and been an outspoken critic of MAGA and the Trump administration. He has a large social media following, primarily through streaming on Twitch and weighing in on political topics. He frequently discusses social issues and engages in debates with commentators across the political spectrum.The reporter pushed back again and suggested that "banning him from a country is [a] pretty crazy step for someone who is expressing his opinion.""And by the way, they're allowed to do that," Fine said.When the reporter pressed the Republican again on freedom of speech, he repeated his talking point."He promotes Muslim terror, so I think they're making the right decision," said Fine, making the unsubstantiated claim. "I'm surprised they did it but I think they did the right thing."Rep. Randy Fine tells @hicharliecotton that Hasan Piker should not only be banned in the UK... but also in the U.S. ???? pic.twitter.com/G5nvjz0C9R— TMZ (@TMZ) June 3, 2026

Actor Richard Gere described how America was facing a dark time in history and called President Donald Trump a "maniac," according to reports on Wednesday.Gere was speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway with Thor Halvorssen, a Venezuelan-Norwegian human rights activist, and discussed politics, history and freedom, The Daily Beast reported. The actor, who has criticized Trump in the past, revealed a dark parallel between the current United States and the past."We’re living in the darkest moment that I’ve experienced on this planet," Gere told the audience.“How is this even possible? Because we went to sleep. We didn’t care. We didn’t vote. We didn’t really listen,” Gere said.He believes he also "didn’t do enough work to skillfully convince people around me, close to me, not close to me, that this was insane to elect this person as president of the United States."And in his comments, Gere described how on the "first day, this guy dismantled almost everything that was good about the U.S. government and the U.S. people."He warned that people must act — before it's too late.“We have to see the cues, this dictatorship of the monsters, how quickly it happens," Gere said. "We have to be vigilant."He referenced a trip to Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp in Germany, and what he walked away thinking about after the visit and seeing an exhibit that showed "the transformation of German society and German government and how quickly it happened there.""Good people turned into monsters," said the Golden Globe-winning performer."But you see how quickly our world can be taken from us if we fall asleep. And we have to see the cues," he added, saying that people must be aware of how fast "this dictatorship of the monsters" can happen."We can’t sit back and go, ‘Ah, life is good. I’m fine. You know, I’ve got food. I got money. Blah blah blah. I got my house. I got another car. I’m thinking about this. I’m OK. I know he’s a bad guy, but it’s OK,'" Gere explained."But it’s not OK. It’s not OK. It’s never OK," he said.Richard Gere with a word.. pic.twitter.com/joMqYz3ETe— Loni Love (@LoniLove) June 3, 2026

Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is scheduled to appear at a panel alongside Russian media figures and politicians under U.S. and European Union sanctions for supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine at a major event in St. Petersburg on Thursday.The right-wing conspiracy theorist, who has seen her popularity rise as she’s openly feuded with other conservative luminaries such as Erika Kirk and Laura Loomer, has lavished praise on Russia in X posts over the past week for its “Christian heritage and expression” and “family-friendly” amenities. Owens is scheduled to appear on a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum entitled, “A Big Family, A Big Reach: New Demographics and Narratives for Media Leaders.”The appearance puts her on the same stage as Alexander Zharov, who was directly appointed by President Vladimir Putin to lead the Russian state’s mass media arm and is currently under U.S. sanctions as an official of the Russian government, and Anna Kuznetsova, a deputy chair of the Duma, a house of the Russian parliament, who is also on the State Department’s sanctions list.“By speaking at this forum, she’s actively aligning herself with an event that exists to push the interests of the Russian state,” said Hannah Gais, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center who monitors Russia and the far right.The panel, which features “influential figures with large families” who produce “content that focuses on family values,” highlights a longstanding obsession in Russia with population collapse, Gais said, noting that the theme has long attracted far-right actors from the United States and Europe.Gais told Raw Story that Owens’ presence helps the Russian state show that it can build bridges with the U.S far right.“An aspect of any kind of soft-power effort, so to speak, would be to push your own messaging, whether it be Russia as a partner in the ‘war on wokeness,’ which is one framing that certain reactionaries or partners in protecting Christian civilization like to emphasize — those are talking points that would serve the interests of the Kremlin,” Gais said.Russian state media reported Owens' participation in the panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, but she has not publicly announced it. Requests for comment submitted by Raw Story through the contact form on Owens' website were not returned.Meanwhile, the British-American manosphere influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, sparking speculation that they too will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which begins Wednesday.Owens’ social media posts have largely presented her visit to Russia as a family sight-seeing trip, but on Sunday Vladimir R. Legoyda, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, posted photos on his Instagram account of a media interview with Owens for Spas TV. The outlet is currently under sanction by the European Union for “spreading disinformation and propaganda in support of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.”The interview has not yet been broadcast, but Owens confirmed her participation in a reply to a detractor on X, writing, “Please share a link when it drops in case I miss it! Was a great discussion.”Owens has vocally criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza and ongoing bombardment of Lebanon — including resharing a post as recently as May 30 showing Israeli aerial attacks in Lebanon — but has remained largely silent on Russia’s war in Ukraine and targeted attacks on civilians.Other Russian panelists scheduled to share the stage with her who are under sanctions for spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine and praising Putin include Yuliya Baranovska, a television presenter, who was sanctioned by the European Union for, among other things, “publicly promoting Russian war crimes such as the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.”Kuznetsova, the deputy at the Duma, is similarly under sanction by the European Union, along with the U.S. Treasury Department, while a 2024 Voice of America report flagged her playing an instrumental role in a propaganda campaign to falsely accuse Ukrainian medical teams of harvesting organs from children. The conspiracy theory has been used by Russia to deflect from its responsibility for relocating at least 20,000 children in what the U.S. State Department under former President Joe Biden described as “systematic efforts to suppress Ukraine’s identity, history and culture.”The Russian intelligence service, known by its acronym FSB, has long courted foreign media figures in an effort to generate positive news stories, often using the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as an arena for cultivating potential assets.Nomma Zarubina, a 35-year-old woman who pleaded guilty in February to lying to the FBI about her role as a Russian spy, worked with an FSB handler who encouraged her to cultivate contacts with American journalists, according to a federal court documents. Zarubina’s handler instructed her to attend the 2021 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, “and asked her to find journalists who would be willing to publish positive stories about the event and Russia.”A screenshot retrieved from her phone by the FBI revealed the results of her efforts: contact information for a German public broadcasting journalist.Owens has thumbed her nose at critics, such as her former boss, Ben Shapiro who accused her in a piece at the Daily Wire of going to Russia “to visit her friends, ideological handlers, and sponsors.”Whether Russian intelligence services directly engage Owens or not, her pro-Russia messaging already appears to align with Kremlin interests. Posting about a cat she ostensibly planned to adopt, Owens wrote: “Deep down I know she will never be loyal to me and she will always report back to the Kremlin, but I will love her nonetheless.”Whether there’s an espionage connection or not, Gais said Owens represents a segment of the U.S. far right that already shares overlapping interests with the Kremlin.“This has been an ongoing trend on the far right, from Tucker Carlson to the alt-right,” Gais said. “Candace Owens is following in a long line of right-wingers who have gone to Russia and see it as an ally in a conflict that they see as civilizational and existential in the West against liberalism.”