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Sanae Takaichi Set to Become Japan First Female Prime Minister

admin - Latest News - October 4, 2025
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Japan’s governing party has elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, as its new leader. It comes after Japan’s current prime minister announced he would step down after a year in office.



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Oct. 11, 2025, 8:00 AM EDTBy Alicia Victoria LozanoPORTLAND, Ore. — A small group of federal agents in camouflage and face masks watched from atop the immigration processing center Thursday night as a unicorn, peacock, dinosaur and raccoon danced to Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Across the street, the self-proclaimed frog brigade — three adults in inflatable amphibian costumes — posed for photos and bounced around in unison. A small group of counterprotesters nearby shouted, “We love you, ICE!”Similar scenes outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building south of downtown Portland have been playing out for weeks as people protest President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and the deployment of more than 200 National Guard troops to Oregon’s largest city to protect federal property.The absurdity of adults dancing in inflatable costumes during anti-ICE demonstrations is meant to display community joy, protesters say, and helps to dispel the Trump administration’s narrative that Portland is a crime-ridden “war zone,” a characterization local and state leaders say is false.Plus, the costumes provide protection from gas and other toxins deployed by federal agents, protesters say.“If you’re going to make it silly and say that we’re evil, we’re going to make it silly by showing how evil you are,” said Brooks Brown, of Vancouver, Washington, who passed out 30 inflatable costumes Thursday night to anyone who wanted to get it on “Operation Inflation.”A protester in a frog costume in front of federal officers Monday outside the ICE building in Portland.Stephen Lam / San Francisco Chronicle / Getty ImagesNot without its civic challenges, the greater Portland area has some 7,000 homeless residents, and simple assaults have increased 8% from the time last year, but homicides have dropped 50% and aggravated assaults 4% in the same period, according to police and city data, and overall crime has held steady.Protester Jack Dickinson, known locally as the Chicken Man, first donned his chicken costume in June during Trump’s military parade in Washington. He said he wanted to counter the show of force with farce.As immigration raids accelerated across the country and the administration appeared to fixate on Portland’s protests, the chicken costume took on new meaning, he said.“This is an unacceptable betrayal of the American democracy,” Dickinson said, referring to federalized forces deployed in Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. “ICE is kind of the perfect example of the cruelty with which they are implementing their agenda, and it’s just not something we can sit by and let happen.”The costume strategy appears to be working. Demonstrators have attracted attention from international media outlets in France, Australia and England.California Gov. Gavin Newson, a Democrat and a frequent target of Trump’s verbal and online jabs, seized on the movement to mock the administration on social media.“Portland is war ravaged! SEND IN THE CALIFORNIA (???) NATIONAL GUARD!” he posted this week on X with a video of a unicorn, raccoon and dinosaur dancing outside the immigration building.Despite the costumed antics, the Trump administration stuck to its depiction of the protesters on Thursday during a federal appeals court hearing challenging a judge’s order barring the Guard from being sent to Portland. The panel has not made a decision yet.Department of Justice attorney Eric McArthur called protesters “violent people” who hurled rocks at federal agents, lit fires on the street and blocked cars.“The president is entitled to say enough is enough and bring in the National Guard to reinforce the regular forces,” he added.Federal officials pointed to the three-week closing of the ICE building from mid-June to early July because of damage to windows, security cameras and other parts of the building, allegedly caused by protesters.Protesters have blamed the ongoing federal presence for civil unrest, saying the toxins being used against them are causing health concerns in the residential neighborhood.Speaking before a panel of federal judges Thursday, Senior Assistant Oregon Attorney General Stacy Chaffin said the administration’s portrayal of Portland was “untethered from reality.”Protests in Portland outside the ICE facility on Thursday.Alicia Lozano / NBC NewsAs lingering toxins from tear gas lobbed by federal officers caused people to clear their throats and wipe their stinging eyes Thursday night outside the ICE building, protesters said they were skeptical the Trump administration would follow a court order that was not in its favor.Brown and other demonstrators pulled a cart filled with 30 inflatable costumes and began passing them out to protesters, turning the gathering into a kind of night circus as a raccoon, polar bear and axolotl bounded toward the ICE building.Brown said he created an Operation Inflation website in one night this week after seeing federal police confront protester Seth Todd, otherwise known as “Toad” because of the costume he wears. Brown said he immediately began selling inflatable costumes from the site, adding that the operation is not funded or backed by any outside organization.Brown said he grew up learning about the deadly Kent State shooting in 1970, when four unarmed students were killed and another nine wounded by members of the Ohio National Guard. Operation Inflation is his attempt to de-escalate tensions between protesters and federal officers.Protests in Portland outside the ICE facility on Oct. 9.Alicia Lozano / NBC News“People should be able to protest. They should have their voices heard,” he said between coughs from the tainted air.Dressed as Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh,” Portland resident Joy Wilson marveled at the masked agents staring down at her. She said she usually reads a book during demonstrations to highlight the peace and calm of Portland’s resistance movement, and Thursday night marked her first time attending a protest in costume.But after witnessing federal agents pepper spray Todd in the respiratory hole of his inflatable suit on Oct. 4 in an act that was caught on video and posted to social media, Wilson said she decided to show solidarity because the frog has become a symbol of nonviolent protest.“People sometimes wonder, ‘What can I do’” to protest, Wilson said. “This makes it so accessible.”Wilson’s husband, Kevin, who was wearing regular clothes, stood nearby, carefully picking out more costumes to order online for demonstrators. Their teenage daughter and her friends passed out pizza slices to the demonstrators.“Should I go with the unicorn?” he mused before selecting a range of animals, including a lobster, a shark and a bear.“I already ordered a squirrel,” Wilson confessed with a grin.Alicia Victoria LozanoAlicia Victoria Lozano is a California-based reporter for NBC News focusing on climate change, wildfires and the changing politics of drug laws.
November 28, 2025
Nov. 28, 2025, 4:42 AM ESTBy Yuliya TalmazanA top Ukrainian official at the heart of peace talks was thrust Friday into the center of a massive corruption scandal, threatening to further weaken President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a crucial moment in negotiations to end Russia’s war. The home of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, was searched early Friday by investigators with Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau, the NABU, which is leading the $100 million kickback probe involving the country’s energy sector.In a post on Facebook early Friday, NABU said that its investigators, along with those from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, SAPO, were “conducting investigative actions” into the president’s chief of staff. Yermak, a key figure in talks with the United States, confirmed in a statement on Telegram shortly after that corruption investigators were “conducting procedural actions” at his home and that he was fully cooperating. “There are no obstacles for the investigators,” he said. “They were given full access to the apartment, my lawyers are on site, interacting with law enforcement officers. From my side, there is full cooperation.”There was no immediate comment from Zelenskyy. Trump Envoy Witkoff Advises Russian Aide, Transcript Reveals02:16It comes after weeks of mounting pressure on Zelenskyy to fire Yermak, who has been a steady right hand to the Ukrainian president throughout four years of war. Speculation has long swirled that Yermak could be embroiled in the scandal, which has fueled public anger and been seized on by the Kremlin to try to undermine Ukraine’s leadership.Friday’s searches make him the highest-ranked government official to be implicated by NABU so far. Ukraine’s justice minister, German Galushchenko, was suspended amid the probe earlier this month, and former defense minister Rustem Umerov, who has also featured prominently in negotiations with the U.S., has been mentioned by investigators but not faced any charges.The scandal centers on an alleged scheme in which prosecutors said current and former officials, and businesspeople, received benefits and launder money through the country’s state energy company, Energoatom, according to investigators. Yermak has been a constant presence next to Zelenskyy through the ups and downs of the war, and has emerged as one of the few men that the Ukrainian leader appeared to really trust. But critics have said for years that Yermak had accumulated too much power and wielded excessive influence over Zelenskyy. As recently as Thursday, Yermak vowed that Zelenskyy would not agree to give up land in exchange for peace, a key sticking point in negotiations.“Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory,” Yermak said in an interview with The Atlantic.Ukraine is facing immense pressure from the Trump administration to accept a deal to end the war, but Kyiv and its allies in Europe have pushed back against Kremlin demands that it cede key territory it still holds in the east.Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will be going to Moscow next week to discuss the plan with President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought to portray the Ukrainian government as corrupt and weak.Putin has already used the corruption scandal as a way to discredit Zelenskyy’s government and its legitimacy, accusing the president and his officials of sitting on “golden pots” and not caring about ordinary Ukrainians. Putin and his entourage have themselves been subject of numerous corruption investigations in the past. Yuliya TalmazanYuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.
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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleSept. 22, 2025, 12:18 PM EDTBy Daniel ArkinDisney’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show represents a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation,” more than 400 Hollywood celebrities wrote in an open letter released by the American Civil Liberties Union on Monday.“We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech,” the letter says. “Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.” The stars who signed the letter include Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro, Jane Fonda, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep and Kerry Washington.The ACLU released the letter five days after the Disney-owned broadcast network ABC announced it was “indefinitely” pre-empting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” amid criticism of Kimmel’s on-air remarks about the Make America Great Again movement’s response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC.Randy Holmes / DisneyABC pulled the show hours after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who regulates the broadcast television industry, publicly blasted Kimmel and threatened to revoke licenses from ABC affiliate stations. Nexstar, an owner of ABC affiliate stations across the United States, then announced it would pre-empt Kimmel’s show “for the foreseeable future.”The firestorm has thrust Disney into a roiling debate over free speech. Democrats, First Amendment advocates and Kimmel’s defenders have since assailed Disney and ABC for appearing to cave to pressure from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump, who appointed Carr as head of the FCC at the start of his second term, hailed ABC’s move as “Great News for America.” “In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board,” the Hollywood stars wrote in the ACLU’s open letter. “This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.”“We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry,” the celebrities added. “Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression.”In the wake of Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University, teachers and professors across the U.S. have been fired or disciplined over social media posts about the Turning Point USA co-founder that were deemed inappropriate. Vice President JD Vance has encouraged people to report those who celebrate Kirk’s death to their employers.“This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation,” the stars added. “We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.”The letter did not make a specific demand of Disney. In response to Disney’s decision to suspend Kimmel, some in Hollywood have threatened to cut ties with the media conglomerate or urged viewers to opt out of Disney products. “Lost” co-creator Damon Lindelof said he would not work with the company unless Kimmel’s suspension was lifted. (“Lost” aired on ABC for six seasons.) Tatiana Maslany, star of the Disney+ series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” called on her social media followers to “cancel your @disneyplus @hulu @espn subscriptions!” (Disney owns Hulu and ESPN.)The boycott calls appeared to be growing online Monday, with scores of Reddit users pledging to nix their Disney streaming subscriptions. “It’s the only thing they will notice,” the title of the original Reddit post said.The ACLU released the letter shortly after Disney debuted a teaser trailer for the Star Wars movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which is set to premiere in theaters next year. Pedro Pascal, who portrays the Mandalorian on the big and small screens, signed the letter and publicly backed Kimmel on Instagram.“Standing with you @jimmykimmellive Defend #FreeSpeech Defend #DEMOCRACY,” Pascal wrote.The fate of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” remained unclear Monday morning. The show has been on ABC since 2003, airing more than 3,500 episodes across 23 broadcast seasons. In recent years, Kimmel has positioned himself as a vocal critic of Trump and Republican politicians. Trump has slammed Kimmel, too, referring to him a “loser” and calling on ABC to cancel his show.In a monologue last week, Kimmel expressed condolences to the Kirk family but criticized Republicans for their reaction to his killing. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he said. Authorities have charged the suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22, with murder. Officials said Robinson grew up in a conservative household in Utah but later became influenced by “leftist ideology.” Robinson’s mother told investigators that “over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left — becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” according to charging documents.In an interview last week with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, Carr said Kimmel’s remarks were part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people.”Daniel ArkinDaniel Arkin is a national reporter at NBC News.
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