TV News LIES

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving the Trump administration, the White House announced on April 20.

She is the third Cabinet member to depart this year. All are women. Her exit comes amid allegations of misconduct and after multiple outlets reported that an investigation into her leadership was well underway.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in an X post that Chavez-DeRemer would be leaving the administration to take a job in the private sector. He did not say where.

"She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives," Cheung wrote.

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Slush funds of anonymous unregulated money are now the dominant institutions in American politics, converting our elections into auctions – and transforming the legislative process into a donor bidding war.

In the last election, independent expenditure groups spent more money than the total amount spent by all congressional candidates combined. One in every $5 flowing through a Super Pac came from organizations that do not disclose their donors. In all, $2bn of “independent” spending was dark money, meaning the public cannot see who is buying elections – even though politicians know exactly who they owe once they are in office.

The current election cycle promises to be even worse: Super Pacs have already spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, fueled by donors in the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency industries demanding policy favors from Washington. Again, much of it is anonymous cash: for example, new campaign finance filings show the second-largest donors to House and Senate Republicans’ Super Pacs are dark money groups.

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An image showing an Israeli soldier using a jackhammer to smash a statue of Jesus on a cross in southern Lebanon went viral on social media on Sunday.

Israel has occupied several areas in southern Lebanon since launching its war on the country on March 2.  A ceasefire came into effect on Friday.

Members of the Christian community say the statue is in the village of Debel, a Maronite Christian town about six kilometres northwest of Ain Ebel and roughly five kilometres from the Israeli border community of Shtula.

The image sparked immediate outrage online, including among some former allies of US President Donald Trump.

Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted mockingly on X under the image: “'Our greatest ally' that takes billions of our tax dollars and weapons every year.”

Greene, once a Trump ally, has since turned on the US president over the Epstein files and his decision to follow Israel into a war on Iran, which she has condemned.

Similarly, Matt Gaetz, a former Republican congressman, described the image as “horrific”.

The backlash from figures within the MAGA movement is likely to further damage Israel’s image among one of its strongest support bases in the US - evangelical Christians.

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The U.S. has seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz after firing on its engine room, President Trump said in a post on social media.

Trump wrote that the U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska in the Gulf of Oman.

The U.S. Navy "gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He said U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel and that it is "under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity."

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The 13th Khartia Brigade has become one of the most visible and fastest-growing formations within Ukraine’s National Guard. What began as a volunteer unit defending Kharkiv in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion has since expanded into a corps, operating along some of the most contested sections, including Bakhmut in 2023 and, more recently, the battles around Kupyansk, where it helped retake roughly 90 percent of the city.

Just a short drive beyond Kharkiv, the war reveals itself in fragments: in positions, in improvised workshops, in training grounds, and in the people moving between them.

On a large parking lot in Saltivka, the northeasternmost district of Kharkiv, a white van pulls up. The sliding door opens. Inside are Titan, the driver, Kit and Cat. With a slight smile, I check once more if I heard correctly. Cat is my contact with the Khartia Brigade, an operational unit with a high degree of autonomy, bringing together infantry, artillery and drone systems under one structure. Based here in the city, its presence is hard to miss – its tags and symbols appear on walls, bus and tram stops across Kharkiv and beyond.

We head further north, passing one high-rise after another, long rows of Soviet-era panel buildings. Saltivka is among the areas most frequently hit by Russian drones and missiles. Facades are torn open, entire sections are missing, and some floors are exposed. Almost every block has windows boarded up with plywood.

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Two U.S. Embassy officials died in a car crash on Sunday alongside one Mexican official and an officer in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. 

The group had worked earlier to shut down a drug lab in the municipality of Morelos, according to Reuters.

“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and U.S. officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson wrote in a statement on the social platform X.

“It strengthens our resolve to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice, to protect our people,” he added.

The State Department did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for the names ofhttps://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/whatsapp-image-2026-04-18-at-12-34-25.jpg?c=original&q=w_860,c_fill/f_avif the two embassy officials who were killed.

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Eddie Murphy proved to be the undisputed king of comedy as the latest recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award on Saturday, April 18.

An all-star comedy slate of Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Martin Lawrence, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, "Coming to America" costar Arsenio Hall, "Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson and Bill Burr paid respects to Murphy, 65, at the Dolby Theatre honors. Mike Myers appeared in green "Shrek" face makeup and ears to honor Murphy, the famed voice of the beloved Donkey in the animated movies.

Jennifer Hudson belted songs from "Dreamgirls," the 2006 musical which featured Murphy in an Oscar-nominated performance.

Even Stevie Wonder, famously imitated by Murphy in his "SNL" days, made a surprise appearance to share his love for his longtime friend.

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A senior State Department delegation traveled to Cuba on April 10 for talks with the government, a State Department official confirmed to USA TODAY. A senior State Department official also had a separate meeting with former Cuban leader Raul Castro's grandson during the visit, the person said.

It was the first time that a U.S. government plane had landed in Cuba since 2016. Axios was the first news outlet to report that the meetings took place.

The officials told the Cuban government that the island's economy is in free fall and its ruling elites had a narrow window to make reforms before circumstances irreversibly worsen, the State Department official said. The person said that Trump is committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution, if one is possible, but will not let allow the island to collapse into what he views as a major national security threat, if Cuba’s leaders are unwilling or unable to act.

At the meeting, the U.S. proposed to bring Starlink's high-speed internet services to Cuba. But the officials said Havana needs to enact reforms that will make Cuba's economy more competitive and attractive to foreign investment. They also pushed for compensation of Americans and American-owned businesses that had their property confiscated and a lifting of constraints on political freedoms.

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