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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has fueled speculation about whether he's planning to launch a 2028 presidential bid after he was seen DJing at a family wedding and entertaining reporters with rap lyrics, an analyst reported on Saturday. The Atlantic's Matt Viser described how Rubio's disposition and recent activities have raised questions over his future plans while Trump's cabinet manages a series of controversies and challenges, including President Donald Trump's ongoing Iran war, an affordability crisis and concerns over how the GOP will fare in the midterm elections. "It’s a low bar, perhaps, but no one in the Trump administration seems to be having more fun at the moment than Marco Rubio," Viser wrote. "Last weekend, he was acting as a DJ at a family wedding, headphones to his ear with head and hand pumping to the beat. Midweek, the secretary of state was at the podium in the White House briefing room, spitting rap lyrics and cracking jokes. (“Two more questions!” he said, before entertaining seven more.) And toward the end of the week, he was in Vatican City, being escorted through marble hallways by members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard for an audience with Pope Leo XIV, who has been criticized by the president and vice president."Despite the problems ahead for the Trump administration, Rubio "comes across as the happy warrior, not the angry one—the one offering lighthearted jokes more than brash confrontation," Viser explained."But Rubio—the guy who once became a meme because of the way he sat uncomfortably on an Oval Office couch, looking exhausted with his many jobs—suddenly looks joyful and light," Viser wrote. "He seemed to be everywhere all at once this week, followed by a hum and then a buzz of: Hmm, he sure looks like he’s running in 2028."Rubio has not yet confirmed his plans — or what his closed-door conversations with the president or pope were like. "Would there be a phone call between the pope and the president anytime soon? 'Um, I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t know. I mean, it could happen,'" Viser added. "By the end of the week, it was clear: The same could be said about a 2028 presidential run."

‘In just a few weeks homelessness has killed a baby, a young mother and a student,’ head of advocacy group says, calling for more investment in upcoming budgetGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFourteen rough sleepers are dying in public parks or countryside areas each year on average in Australia, an analysis of hidden death reports reveals.The deaths of a young international student sleeping rough in Hyde Park, a young homeless mother who died of sepsis in Western Australia, and a newborn baby at a makeshift homeless camp near Wagga beach have prompted an outpouring of grief and shock in recent weeks. Continue reading...

As the Trump administration tries to fall in the good graces of the first American Pope, an ex-GOP operative is shaking his head at the fact that he employs what he called one big 'anti-Catholic bigot' in particular. "Donald Trump is surrounded by anti-Catholic bigots," ex-GOP political strategist Steve Schmidt said on his podcast on Saturday. "First and foremost by Pete Hegseth." Schmidt and Canadian radio personality Dean Blundell were mocking Secretary of State Marco Rubio's botched visit with Pope Leo earlier in the week when Schmidt turned his ire to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In particular, he called out how Hegseth had "the audacity, the extremism, the license that the guy feels that, 'I'm going to cancel the Catholic Good Friday service at the Pentagon at the chapel." Schmidt was referring to when Hegseth decided to hold Protestant-only services in early April. "Holy sh—!" Schmidt went on. "Donald Trump has started a fight here with an American who is more powerful than Trump because Trump is unable, through his moral blindness, to see what animates the Pope's power."Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Pope Leo XIV, calling him "WEAK on crime" and "terrible for Foreign Policy," and accusing him of "endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people." Trump has also falsely claimed that the pope supports Iran having nuclear weapons, a characterization the Vatican has rejected as a misrepresentation of the Church's long-standing opposition to nuclear weapons and commitment to promoting peace.

Passengers evacuated safely after person jumped perimeter fence and walked on to runway, airport spokesperson saysA Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a person on the runway of Denver’s international airport during takeoff, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate, authorities said.The plane, headed to Los Angeles, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff” at about 11.19pm on Friday, the Denver airport’s official X account wrote. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer set to face challenge as former minister says she will trigger race if no cabinet minister comes forwardMPs from Labour’s left are expected to urge Ed Miliband to consider a leadership bid in the coming days, as Keir Starmer faced the prospect of a definite challenge from his MPs next week.Following grim results for Labour in elections on Thursday, former minister Catherine West said that if no cabinet ministers went public by Monday, she would launch a bid to end the impasse. Continue reading...

Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, guilty of religiously aggravated harassmentTwo men have been convicted of religiously aggravated harassment after filming antisemitic TikTok videos in north London.Officers were called to reports of a hate crime involving a group of men allegedly harassing members of the Jewish community on Clapton Common at about 9pm on Thursday, the Metropolitan police said. Officers arrested five men in Hackney after the incident, it added. Continue reading...

Tyrone Scott, who didn’t think he had a hope in the election, wants to help the Greens rebuild ‘community cohesion’ in HackneyYou would expect most political candidates who pull off a shock win to celebrate their victory, maybe with a glass of bubbly and excitement for the challenges of elected office ahead. But on Friday, as thousands of new councillors celebrated their triumphs, some surprise victors were less than pleased.Green party handlers apologised to one newly elected councillor in Finsbury Park, north London, put down as a “paper candidate”, who pulled off an unexpected win. “You’re going to be great, we’ll support you,” they said, according to the Islington Tribune. Continue reading...

Operation Sindoor was launched last year after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.