USA - President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Dinner after a shooter opened fire. DC's biggest night of the year was plunged into chaos after shots rang out in the lobby of the Washington Hilton at around 8.15 pm. The President and First Lady were immediately taken to safety, followed by members of the cabinet who were hauled over barriers by the Secret Service. The president has since confirmed that a Secret Service agent wearing a protective vest was shot, but is in 'great shape.' It was not immediately clear what happened. A law enforcement official confirmed there was a shooter but no further details were immediately available.

UK - British centers will start selling “lunch-hour abortions.” kill your baby and go back to work. The Government has announced plans to financially incentivize abortion clinics to provide ‘lunch-hour’ or ‘same-day’ abortions. The changes were announced last week as part of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England. Under the current NHS Payment Scheme, abortion clinics are typically paid separately for each part of the abortion pathway – the consultation, scan, and procedure. This encourages abortion providers not to rush the process in one day and also gives women more time to consider their decision before the actual abortion procedure happens. Under the Government’s new approach, abortion clinics will now be paid a bundled payment for providing all stages of the process – and the Government has made it clear they are doing this to financially incentivize clinics to provide abortion “consultations, scans and procedures on the same day”. In what was described as a “cattle market culture”, staff felt “encouraged” to ensure women went through with abortions. Staff described this as a “very target-driven culture”.

USA - The case of yet another top NASA nuclear engineer turning up dead in a fiery crash has hit the headlines, adding to the dark and mysterious pattern of experts tied to advanced propulsion and space secrets apparently being targeted. Joshua LeBlanc, 29, a team lead on NASA’s most cutting-edge nuclear thermal propulsion projects, was found charred beyond recognition inside his burned Tesla after vanishing from his Huntsville, Alabama home. His family immediately feared abduction. He left his phone and wallet behind — an act they called completely uncharacteristic. Tesla Sentry Mode data later showed the vehicle sat motionless at Huntsville International Airport for four hours the morning of July 22, 2025. The car was discovered that afternoon after colliding with a guardrail, slamming into trees, and erupting in flames. Authorities confirmed his identity days later through forensic examination.

CHINA - According to a report from Newsweek, Chinese researchers working in critical military and technological fields have suffered a series of untimely deaths, raising parallels to similar cases under investigation in the United States. At least nine prominent scientists in sensitive areas such as military AI, hypersonics, and space defense have died in circumstances often described as accidents or left unexplained, prompting speculation about a possible “silent scientist war.” One case that has drawn particular scrutiny involves Feng Yanghe, a 38-year-old professor at China’s National University of Defense Technology and a leading figure in artificial intelligence for defense applications. These incidents mirror US concerns over 11 cases of missing or deceased scientists in comparable fields, which Washington is actively probing. No definitive links or evidence of targeted campaigns have been established, but the pattern has fueled debate among analysts about potential efforts to disrupt technological progress in a fiercely competitive global landscape.

UK - Scientists have warned that the world could be on track for a so-called 'super El Niño', which could push global temperatures to record highs. El Niño years form part of a natural cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, and are marked by sustained warm temperatures across the Pacific Ocean. Where this ocean surface warming exceeds 2C (3.6F), the event is often referred to as a 'super El Niño', although scientists themselves don't use the term. Now, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warns that the return of strong or super El Niño conditions is likely as early as May or June. Current measurements show that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific are rising faster than at any other time this century. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a natural climate pattern which cycles between a hot El Niño and a cool La Niña phase every two to seven years. During the El Niño part of the cycle, warm waters that build up in the Pacific spread out and raise the Earth's average surface temperature. This heat ends up escaping into the atmosphere, raising the planet's temperature for months.

USA - An alarm has erupted after 15 powerful agricultural spray drones were stolen in a suspected coordinated heist in New Jersey last month. A report from The High Side claimed the FBI is investigating the theft amid fears the machines could be used to disperse dangerous materials. Agricultural drones are built for precision and designed to disperse large amounts of liquid over targeted areas using programmed GPS routes. That same capability has troubled counterterrorism officials since the post-9/11 years, when fears centered on crop-duster planes flown by a lone pilot. Experts told The Hide Side that there could be 'ridiculously bad' consequences and 'a potential nightmare scenario' if terrorists get their hands on the machines. Steve Lazarus, a retired FBI agent, told The High Side: 'The bureau is freaked out for a good reason. These aren't hobby drones with cameras. They're industrial sprayers designed to carry and disperse significant amounts of liquid quickly and with precision.'

USA - An internal Pentagon email outlines options for the United States to punish NATO allies it believes failed to support US operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing the US position on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands, a US official told Reuters. The policy options are detailed in a note expressing frustration at some allies' perceived reluctance or refusal to grant the United States access, basing and overflight right, known as ABO, for the Iran war, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the email. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro responded to the reports, saying that "we [Spain] do not work off of emails, we work from official documents and positions."

POLAND - Polish PM warns EU must be 'real alliance'. Tusk spoke on the occasion of an informal EU summit in Cyprus where EU leaders will also discuss the war in the Middle East and energy measures in response and the Union's next long-term budget. Europe's "biggest, most important question" is whether the United States is ready to be a loyal NATO partner in case of a Russian attack, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the Financial Times. He also called for the European Union to become a "real alliance" in protecting the continent, reflecting growing worries about US President Donald Trump's unpredictable policies and threats towards his European partners. "My obsession now and my mission is to reintegrate Europe. It means common defense... a common effort to protect our eastern borders."

UK - A total of 25 people have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police and Counter Terrorism Policing. Eight of them have been charged, one convicted, and the rest remain under investigation. British law enforcement made a series of sweeping arrests of arsonists and conspirators in the spate of attacks against UK Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident sites this week, and while the arrests and preemptive actions are welcome, these efforts are only treatments for the symptoms rather than the underlying disease.

MIDDLE EAST - The Strait of Hormuz continues to confound the US as it seeks to secure a deal with Iran. The Hormuz closure has become the proverbial Pandora’s Box, and many issues have emerged from this crisis that were neither expected nor part of previous discussions about a deal. The big question going into the weekend is whether the US might consider walking away from the ceasefire and resuming strikes, or whether it could ratchet up pressure in other ways. The White House continues to appear like it would like to secure a deal, but the Hormuz issue has expanded the American goals. Iran wants Hormuz, Lebanon, and other issues to be included in any deal. The US was initially focused on Iran’s enriched uranium and its ballistic-missile program. Those are two issues that matter greatly to Israel. This enables a lot of leverage for Iran. The notion of a Pandora’s box is taken from a Greek myth about a kind of jar or urn that when opened, all sorts of maladies and evil came out of it. The concept is that one thing can produce a number of unforeseen and negative consequences.