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7M Join 'No Kings' Protests Across 2.6K US Cities
Approximately seven million protesters participated in "No Kings" demonstrations against President Donald Trump across more than 2,600 locations throughout the U.S. on Saturday, according to organizers — the second such nationwide protest since June.
The New York Police Department reported that over 100,000 people gathered across all five boroughs of New York City during the protests, adding that no protest-related arrests were made throughout the demonstrations.
Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, characterized the demonstrations as "Hate America" rallies and suggested they were organized by far-left groups, while protesters maintained they were defending democracy.
Left narrative
Trump has weaponized federal power into a tool of authoritarian control, freezing billions in infrastructure funds to punish Democratic cities and deploying troops against American citizens. This isn't governance — it's state-sponsored intimidation designed to crush dissent and democracy itself.
Right narrative
These so-called democracy protests are actually backed by the Communist Party of America and radical Marxist groups seeking to destroy the U.S.' democratic republic. Trump has secured borders, deported criminals and brought peace deals while protesters align with anti-American forces.
Nerd narrative
There's a 1% chance that Donald Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
France: Thieves Rob Louvre's Crown Jewels in 7-Minute Heist
Thieves conducted a robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday morning, around 9:30 a.m. local time, targeting the Apollo Gallery, which houses the French crown jewels, and forcing the world's most visited museum to close for the day.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, the criminals used a truck-mounted basket lift to reach first-floor windows, then employed disc cutters to break through glass panes and access the gallery where construction work was taking place.
Nunez stated the heist lasted seven minutes and involved three or four thieves who stole nine pieces of jewelry with inestimable heritage value from Napoleon and the Empress's collection.
Government-critical narrative
The Louvre heist exposes catastrophic security failures that endanger France's cultural legacy. Years of underfunding and negligence left priceless Napoleonic artifacts vulnerable to brazen thieves who smashed windows with cranes. This embarrassing breach demands accountability as it threatens tourism revenue and invites more crimes.
Pro-government narrative
The Louvre theft highlights a sophisticated criminal conspiracy that required extensive planning and coordination. Authorities are mobilizing total investigative resources to apprehend these organized criminals who attacked France's heritage. The swift response demonstrates the government's commitment to protecting cultural treasures.
Rodrigo Paz Wins Bolivian Presidential Election
Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party secured victory in Bolivia's presidential runoff election on Sunday with 54.5% of the vote, defeating conservative rival Jorge Quiroga, who received 45.4%.
"We must open Bolivia to the world," said Paz during his victory speech from La Paz, after Quiroga conceded defeat. The new president takes office on Nov. 8.
The election marks the end of nearly 20 years of governance by the Movement for Socialism party, which had ruled Bolivia almost continuously since 2006 under former presidents Evo Morales and Luis Arce.
Right narrative
Bolivia finally broke free from two decades of socialist rule as Paz delivered a decisive victory. The center-right candidate successfully united the country around core values of God, family and homeland while promising to restore Bolivia's international standing. This democratic triumph signals winds of change that will prioritize strong institutions, private property rights and pragmatic governance over failed leftist ideology.
Left narrative
Paz won primarily because voters were fed up with economic chaos, not because they embraced right-wing politics. His victory came from attracting disillusioned leftists who weren't ready to support conservative Quiroga's drastic free-market overhauls. Many supporters actually prefer his running mate, Lara, over Paz himself, viewing the wealthy politician's son as out of touch with ordinary Bolivians' struggles.
Report: Rubio Traded MS-13 Informants for El Salvador Prison Access
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on March 13 to return nine MS-13 gang leaders in U.S. custody to El Salvador in exchange for access to the country's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) high-security prison facility, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
According to the report, some of the MS-13 members requested by Bukele were confidential "informants" protected by the U.S. government, requiring Attorney General Pam Bondi to terminate Justice Department cooperation agreements with these individuals.
The deal granted the Trump administration access to El Salvador's CECOT to house alleged Venezuelan members of the Tren de Aragua gang as part of mass deportation efforts, with approximately 250 Venezuelans later transferred to the facility.
Pro-Trump narrative
The deal delivered real results, allowing the Trump administration to successfully remove hardened gang members and violent criminals from American streets, including MS-13 leaders who terrorized communities and Venezuelan gang members who threatened public safety. This diplomatic breakthrough allows the U.S. to send the most despicable criminals far from America's borders, while El Salvador provides secure detention facilities, proving that the Trump administration delivers on its promise to protect American families from foreign criminal gangs.
Anti-Trump narrative
The Trump administration's deal with El Salvador is a dangerous betrayal of American law enforcement and national security. Marco Rubio promised to hand over protected U.S. informants to a foreign dictator, undermining years of critical MS-13 investigations and destroying the credibility of federal prosecutors who rely on informant cooperation. This reckless diplomacy sacrifices the safety of those who risked their lives to help American authorities, all to enable Trump's mass deportation agenda and protect Bukele's authoritarian image.
Nerd narrative
There's a 7% chance that Nayib Bukele will rule El Salvador for life, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
EU Approves Russian Gas Phase-Out by 2028 Despite Opposition
The European Union Council approved a regulation to phase out Russian natural gas imports by Jan. 1, 2028, with initial restrictions beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Hungary and Slovakia reportedly voted against the proposal.
The move, decided upon during a meeting in Luxembourg, allows short-term deals to continue until June 17, 2026. The longer-term ones may remain until prohibition begins on Jan. 1, 2028.
Russian gas currently represents approximately 13% of EU imports in 2025, valued at over 15 billion euros annually, while Hungary imported 393 million euros worth of Russian fossil fuels in September 2025.
Pro-Europe narrative
Europe has drawn a resolute line in the sand. By banning Russian oil and gas, the EU is asserting both moral courage and strategic foresight — refusing to fund the very regime that weaponized energy to blackmail democracies. This decisive step marks the dawn of an energy-sovereign Europe, one that stands firm against coercion, closes loopholes and punishes evasion. No longer a hostage to Kremlin pipelines, Europe is reclaiming its power, its principles and its future.
Pro-Russia narrative
Europe's energy embargo is an act of self-inflicted ruin — an ideological crusade that traded stability for crisis. Moscow's vast energy reserves and OPEC+ alliances have fortified Russia's economy, while Europe reels from soaring costs and industrial decay. The EU's ban is illegal and futile, and Russia vows to keep powering global markets, given that demand — and not politics — will dictate energy's future. Europe's moral grandstanding has only exposed its dependence.
Narrative C
The EU's Russian gas phase-out by 2028 is a crucial step, but it doesn't go nearly far enough to break free from Putin's energy stranglehold. European countries are still importing massive amounts of Russian gas through backdoor deals with Azerbaijan and Turkey, while Russian LNG imports have actually increased by 37.7% since 2021. This half-hearted approach undermines foreign policy goals of ending Russia's war financing and leaves Europe vulnerable to continued energy blackmail.
Nerd narrative
There is a 92% chance that Russia’s GDP (in 2015 USD) will be at least $1.50 trillion in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
British Women Make History Rowing Pacific Ocean Non-Stop
British women Jess Rowe, 28, from Hampshire, and Miriam Payne, 26, from East Yorkshire, have completed a non-stop Pacific Ocean crossing from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia, covering approximately 8,000-8,213 nautical miles (14,816-15,210 km) over more than 160 days.
The duo became the first female team to row across the Pacific Ocean non-stop and unsupported, arriving at Cairns Yacht Club at 6:42 p.m. local time on Saturday in their nine-meter vessel named Velocity.
Their initial attempt in April was abandoned after rudder failure just 300 nautical miles into the journey, requiring them to relaunch from Lima on May 5 with assistance from friend Alex Hughes who towed them back to shore.
Narrative A
These women just proved that extraordinary human achievement comes from pure determination. Facing broken rudders, failed electronics and salt sores, they improvised solutions like using underwear as water filters and still completed their historic 8,mile Pacific crossing. Facing blistering heat, equipment failures and relentless waves, their unbreakable spirit has raised nearly £100,000 for youth empowerment, inspiring global audiences with raw resilience and gender-defying grit. This incredible feat shows what's possible when people refuse to give up on their dreams.
Narrative B
This Pacific crossing highlights the dangerous reality of inadequate preparation and reckless risk-taking disguised as achievement. Running a 'ghost ship' with no navigation equipment, relying on failed solar systems and jury-rigged repairs shows poor planning that endangered lives. Real accomplishment requires proper preparation, not just stubborn persistence through preventable disasters. While they fundraise modestly, this stunt glorifies danger over substance, endangering lives for fleeting fame in a warming ocean.
Amazon Web Services Outage Disrupts Thousands of Sites
Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a major outage Monday morning that began around 3 a.m. Eastern Time, affecting thousands of websites and applications for over two hours, before recovery efforts showed significant progress some time after 6 a.m.
The disruption affected major services, including Snapchat, Fortnite, Coinbase, Venmo, Lloyds Bank and government websites, with over 6.5 million user reports globally, including over 1 million in the U.S. and 400,000 in the U.K., affecting more than 1,000 companies.
The outage originated from Amazon's US-EAST-1 region in Northern Virginia, which houses one of the company's largest and most critical data centers that serves as a default region for many users and supports global internet infrastructure.
Pro-establishment narrative
While such outages are a temporary nuisance, as shown here, they're almost always fixed quickly. AWS, the world's largest cloud provider, resolved a regional gateway issue within hours, restoring services for the world's most popular websites. Despite ripple effects, rapid recovery showcases robust incident response, driven by modern cloud security with AI-driven threat detection and strong identity management.
Establishment-critical narrative
AWS's dominance, controlling a third of the cloud market, creates a single point of failure, as seen in recent outages crashing U.K. banks, Australian universities, and European Ring doorbells. These disruptions, which will happen again and again, expose the web's overreliance on a few giants. Centralized control risks catastrophic failures, threatening global internet users while corporations face no consequences. Decentralization is urgently needed to protect average people.
Nerd narrative
There's an 85% chance that an AI system will self-replicate on the open internet like a computer virus before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Clinical Trial: Electronic Eye Implant Restores Vision in 84% of Patients
A clinical trial involving 38 participants across 17 sites in five countries has shown that the Prima electronic eye implant can help restore vision for patients with geographic atrophy — an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration that affects around five million people worldwide.
The Prima device measures 2mm by 2mm (.08 x .08 inches) with half the thickness of a human hair and is surgically placed under the retina through a procedure lasting under two hours at locations including Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
Patients wear augmented-reality glasses containing a video camera connected to a waistband computer that processes images using artificial intelligence and converts them into electrical signals sent to the brain via the optic nerve.
Techno-optimist narrative
Electronic eye implants signify a revolutionary breakthrough that's transforming lives for the blind. The Prima device has achieved remarkable success, with 84% of patients regaining the ability to read letters and words after losing their sight to macular degeneration. This groundbreaking technology offers hope where none existed before — restoring independence and confidence to those facing incurable blindness.
Techno-skeptic narrative
AI-powered medical devices in ophthalmology face serious risks from biased algorithms and flawed datasets that compromise patient safety. These systems often fail to work accurately across diverse populations due to source and context bias, leading to misdiagnoses and inappropriate treatment decisions. The black-box problem and cybersecurity vulnerabilities make these technologies potentially dangerous without proper oversight.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the first fully autonomous surgery or procedure will be performed on a human by November 2032, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Kushner, Witkoff Meet Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Ceasefire
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law who has advised the president on Middle Eastern matters, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the situation in Gaza.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday as well. The meeting came after Israel launched air strikes in Gaza and stopped aid from entering the strip allegedly in retaliation for a Hamas attack on Israeli forces in Rafah. The meeting was planned before the escalation took place.
Drop Site News claimed that, contrary to Israel's allegations, an Israeli bulldozer ran over unexploded ordnance, causing the deaths of two soldiers. Drop Site added that the White House was aware of this and pushed Israel to resume the ceasefire.
Pro-establishment narrative
Though the future will be challenging, it's essential that both Israel and Hamas stick to the ceasefire. Of course, many aspects of the deal are potentially problematic, but nothing is gained from returning to war. Hamas must follow through with what it agreed to, and, in turn, Israel should not escalate the situation.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though the ceasefire has so far borne fruit, Israel must be prepared to address Hamas' violations. Qatar, Hamas' primary sponsor, is already working to expand its influence in the strip, and Israel must not squander the achievements it made during the last two years of war. For Gaza to have a brighter future, Hamas must put down its guns and leave politics behind.
Pro-Palestine narrative
As always, Israel is doing everything it can to undermine and sabotage the ceasefire so that it can return to its genocidal campaign. Already, Israel has killed scores of Palestinians under false pretenses, and the only reason the situation has not escalated is because Trump pressured Netanyahu to maintain the ceasefire. Israeli forces have violated the ceasefire repeatedly, and it is up to the United States and the international community to prevent further Palestinian bloodshed.
Nerd narrative
There's an 11% chance that the Gaza war will end and significant progress will be made towards a two-state solution before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US, Australia Sign $3B Critical Minerals Deal Amid China Export Controls
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.S. President Donald Trump signed a critical minerals agreement at the White House on Monday, marking their first formal bilateral meeting after previous phone conversations and a brief encounter at the U.N. General Assembly.
The agreement involves joint investment of more than $3 billion over six months, with Australia and the U.S. each contributing $1 billion for immediately available projects, aimed at unlocking an $8.5 billion pipeline of critical minerals projects to reduce dependence on Chinese rare earth supplies.
Australia possesses 43 of the 55 critical minerals and produces an estimated 33% of the world's lithium, while the U.S. sourced approximately 70% of its rare-earth compounds and metal imports from China between 2020 and 2023.
Pro-establishment narrative
The U.S.-Australia critical minerals agreement and AUKUS pact give both nations concrete leverage against China's near-monopoly on rare earths — securing supply chains vital for defense, clean energy and high-tech manufacturing. By combining Australia's resources with U.S. investment and technology, the partnership strengthens regional security, reduces reliance on China, and reinforces the strategic alliance, ensuring both nations are better positioned economically and militarily in the Indo-Pacific.
Pro-China narrative
Australia should carefully reconsider its alignment with the U.S., as the critical minerals deal and AUKUS pact primarily advance American strategic goals. China offers a steadier and more reliable partner, with established control over rare earths, efficient processing capabilities and predictable trade, avoiding the costly militarization and economic risk inherent in Washington's plans. By engaging pragmatically with Beijing, Canberra can maintain sovereignty, secure supply chains and prioritize a self-reliant defense and economic strategy.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that China's share of rare earth production in 2030 will be at least 51.5%, according to the Metaculus prediction community.