Senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake, announced on Tuesday night that the agency has reached a partnership deal with the conservative news outlet OAN. Lake in a press release shared, “United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is excited to announce a partnership with One America News Network (OAN) to provide newsfeed services to USAGM networks, including Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America (VOA). “ The former Republican Senate candidate added, “This idea came about after OCB suggested we explore OAN as a newsfeed option for the Miami-based, U.S. Government-funded news operation broadcasting to Cuba.” OAN is one of the few family-owned American media networks left in the United States. We are grateful for their generosity,” concluded Lake. Kari Lake says USAGM has brokered a content deal with OAN https://t.co/BsIuYM5dVp — Axios (@axios) May 7, 2025 NEW @thenatpulse: Kari Lake Secures OAN Newsfeed Deal for USAGM Networks. PULSE POINTS:What Happened: One Ameri…… READ ON:https://t.co/V974uvkSlE — Raheem. (@RaheemKassam) May 7, 2025 Check out what AZ Central reported: Kari Lake is hoping to extend the reach of conservative media on taxpayer-funded outlets by using programming from the far-right One America News for the shuttered organizations she has helped dismantle. Lake, a senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, announced late on May 6 a partnership between her agency and OAN by boosting a social media post from Laura Loomer, an Islamophobe and conspiracy theorist. OAN is perhaps best known for its unflinching loyalty to President Donald Trump. Lake intends the newsfeed services to be available to the international audiences targeted by the Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and Radio Martí. She acknowledged she doesn’t “have editorial control over the content of VOA and OCB programming, but I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs.” ANNOUNCEMENT “United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is excited to announce a partnership with One America News Network (OAN) to provide newsfeed services to USAGM networks, including Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America (VOA). This… — Kari Lake (@KariLake) May 7, 2025 Per Kari Lake:   “United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is excited to announce a partnership with One America News Network (OAN) to provide newsfeed services to USAGM networks, including Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America (VOA). This idea came about after OCB suggested we explore OAN as a newsfeed option for the Miami-based, U.S. Government-funded news operation broadcasting to Cuba. At their suggestion, I reached out to OAN, and they offered to provide their newsfeed and video service free-of-charge. This is an enormous benefit to the American taxpayer, who is the sole-source of funding for USAGM’s news outlets, which broadcast only to international audiences. In my current role as Senior Advisor to USAGM, I don’t have editorial control over the content of VOA and OCB programming, but I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs. And every day I look for ways to save American taxpayers money. Bringing in OAN as a video/news source does both. OAN is one of the few family-owned American media networks left in the United States. We are grateful for their generosity.”

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has revealed she is now in therapy. In an appearance on the Jay Shetty podcast, Michelle Obama revealed she is currently in therapy to help her navigate the next phase of her life. Michelle shared, “At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?” She continued, “I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I’m an empty nester, my girls are in – you know, they’ve been launched.” Michelle Obama shares that she is in therapy as she transitions. pic.twitter.com/ijIuJ1mVWo — Dissident Media (@DissidentMedia) May 5, 2025 Check out what MSN reported: Michelle Obama has revealed that she is undergoing therapy to help her come to terms with being an empty nester. The wife of Barack Obama and former first lady said she was preparing for the “next phase” of her life, with the sessions including work on dealing with feelings of guilt. “At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?” the mother-of-two told Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. “I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I’m an empty nester, my girls are in – you know, they’ve been launched.” Her daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, were children when their father won the presidency and both now live in Los Angeles.Malia, who graduated from Harvard, is a writer and director whose debut short film The Heart was selected for the Sundance Film Festival last year. Michelle ‘Michael’ Obama says she is transitioning & in therapy She complains about how they had to pay for food & travel for their kids while they were in the White House… Obama’s net worth grew by $70 Million (probably more) while he was in the WH… Cry me a river pic.twitter.com/m3nDESFjMZ — ????? ???????? ?????? (@nomandatesco) May 7, 2025 Per People: Michelle Obama is opening up about returning to therapy as she is “transitioning” into the “next phase” of her life. The former first lady, 61, revealed in an appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast about mental health on April 28 that she is currently in therapy to help navigate her next phase following her public life in the White House with husband Barack Obama, 63. “At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?,” Michelle said of her decision to return to counseling. “I’m 60 years old, I finished a really hard thing in life with my family intact. I’m an empty nester. You know my girls are in — they’ve been launched. And now for the first time, as I’ve said before, every choice I’m making is completely mine.” “I now don’t have the excuse of, ‘Well my kids need this,’ or ‘my husband needs that’ or ‘the country needs that.’ So how do I think about this next phase, and let me get some help,” she added.

Black smoke was spotted from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signaling that the cardinals could not agree on who would be the next pope. The smoke appeared several hours after 133 cardinals of the Catholic Church gathered together to begin the process of selecting a new pope. The smoke signaled after the cardinals could not come to a two-thirds decision, which would be 89 votes. Take a look: #BREAKING: No pope has been selected by the conclave in first round as black smoke can be seen rising pic.twitter.com/FUgGMz4kED — R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 7, 2025 Black smoke. No pope. Conclave continues Thursday. pic.twitter.com/yn6p1ct9ve — CSPAN (@cspan) May 7, 2025 Check out what the BBC reported:   After a lengthy wait, black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney this evening, meaning that the cardinals have not been able to choose a new pontiff. Crowds were gathered in their tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square for the first vote of conclave – the results of which took more than three hours to announce. Because of the secrecy of the process, experts have pointed out that we might never know what caused the delay, and we definitely won’t until after the conclave concludes. But the lack of a new pope means that cardinals will return tomorrow to a closed-door Sistine Chapel for more rounds of voting. Black smoke has emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, indicating that the cardinals have not yet reached a decision on the next pope. Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/byqSq4meu8 — AF Post (@AFpost) May 7, 2025 Per Newsweek: Black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 9 p.m. Wednesday, local time, signaling that no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave convened to choose the next leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke appeared roughly four hours after 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel, took their solemn oaths of secrecy, and formally began the centuries-old process of selecting a successor to Pope Francis to lead the Church’s 1.4 billion members worldwide. Since no candidate received the required two-thirds majority—89 votes—the day concluded without a decision. There is no set time frame for a conclave, with some stretching several years and others mere hours. While traditionally those wanting to find out the news would have had to look for the smoke by being at the Vatican, moderny conclaves gain worldwide attention, with the view being livestreamed for the 2025 selection.

Former President Joe Biden’s campaign to launch a floating pier in Gaza resulted in the death of one U.S. service member, along with 62 being injured, according to a new Pentagon watchdog report released on Tuesday.

Gov. Bob Ferguson ignored pleas from Catholic priests and signed a new law stripping members of the clergy of their ability to hear confessions as “privileged communication.” I may not be a lawyer, but that clearly violates the 1st Amendment. The state legislature passed SB 5375, targeting the confessional and requiring priests and ministers to report any […] The post Washington State Declares War on Religion, Especially Catholics appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Artificial intelligence industry leaders who have openly stated a willingness to work on the emerging technology with China will testify to Congress on Thursday, likely facing a panel of U.S. senators urging them to instead pivot away from the global adversary. At the Senate hearing put together by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), “Winning the AI Race: Strengthening U.S. Capabilities in Computing and Innovation,” China is almost certainly going to be a central topic of discussion. When Cruz announced the hearing, he emphasized the competitive stakes in this global tech competition: “The way to beat China in the AI race is to outrace them in innovation, not saddle AI developers with European-style regulations.” Cruz and his Senate colleagues will have the opportunity to grill industry leaders who are open to working with China, including: Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft Corporation; Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI; and Lisa Su, CEO of semiconductor company AMD. For decades, Microsoft has maintained a “presence” in China, where co-founder Bill Gates once said there was an opportunity to tap into a “deep pool of intellectual talent.” Even after considering the risks of working on powerful technologies in China, the company kept it as a research hub. The New York Times reported last year that, as tensions “mounted” between the United States and China “over which nations will lead the world’s technological future,” Smith and Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella “debated” what to do with an AI lab in Beijing that “became one of the most important … in the world.” Citing people familiar with the situation, the news outlet noted “the hypothetical risks are that China could hack or otherwise infiltrate the lab, or that its researchers could leave Microsoft to join Chinese companies that work closely with the government.” According to the report, there were discussions about shutting down the lab or relocating it. However, four sources told The New York Times that Microsoft’s leadership supported continuing operations in China. Labs in Beijing as well as Shanghai remain listed on the official website for Microsoft Research Asia, as well as locations in Canada and Japan. “We are as committed as ever to the lab and the world-class research of this team,” Peter Lee, president of Microsoft Research, said in a statement reported by the newspaper. “There has been no discussion or advocacy to close Microsoft Research Asia, and we look forward to continuing our research agenda.” In another statement, Smith contended, “The lesson of history is that countries succeed when they learn from the world,” adding, “Guardrails and controls are critical, while engagement remains vital.” OpenAI’s Altman has expressed willingness to collaborate with China on AI development. In an interview with Sky News earlier this year, Altman said he would “like to work with China.” Asked if he believed the U.S. government would let him, Altman added, “Do I know that for sure? No. Should we try as hard as we can? Absolutely, yes. And I think that’s really important.” Su, of AMD, spoke to CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Wednesday about U.S. restrictions on exports of advanced AI technology to China. She emphasized that “probably the most important thing is that the U.S. leads in AI today” while contending that China is an “important” market. “There should be a balance between export controls for national security as well as ensuring that we get the widest possible adoption of our technology because that’s a good thing for U.S. jobs and the U.S. economy,” Su said. Cruz has long been an enemy of China, which even sanctioned him in 2020 over actions he took in the Senate against it. He said earlier this year that he has consistently urged President Donald Trump to keep the pressure on China. “Everything we can do to de-link our economy from China’s economy is good for American national security and economic security,” Cruz said. The Trump administration has called the race for building super computing technology to power artificial intelligence this era’s Manhattan Project.

President Joe Biden’s floating pier — which was touted as a way to get humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza — resulted in the death of one American service member and injuries to 62 more, damaging $31 million worth of military equipment in the process. A new report from the Pentagon Inspector General — which was published on Tuesday — revealed that far more service members had been injured than previously indicated. The report also noted the extent of the damage to military equipment despite the fact that the pier was not even operational for a full three weeks. Biden announced his administration’s plan to build the pier during his 2024 State of the Union Address in March, and as was noted in a review published in August of 2024 by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of the Inspector General, he had ignored warnings from federal aid workers and pushed ahead with the $230 million project anyway. Biden had promised that the pier would allow for the delivery of enough food and supplies to sustain some 1.5 million Palestinian civilians for several months — but before the project was abandoned, less than one-third of that had been delivered. “One of the biggest Biden embarrassments – the half baked Gaza Aid Pier. $230 million. 20 days in use. And now we find out it injured 60+ US soldiers. One soldier died! All to placate terrorists & their sympathizers in the Democratic Party. Insane scandal,” CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings said. One of the biggest Biden embarrassments – the half baked Gaza Aid Pier. $230 million. 20 days in use. And now we find out it injured 60+ US soldiers. One soldier died! All to placate terrorists & their sympathizers in the Democratic Party. Insane scandal. @reuters ? pic.twitter.com/nPlZnVmMmt — Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) May 7, 2025 “This is outrageous,” Adam Milstein added. “Former President Biden spent $230 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars to build a Gaza pier to provide ‘aid’ to Palestinians. Hamas attacked the pier with rockets and the media covered up the fact 60 US troops were injured.” This is outrageous. Former President Biden spent $230 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars to build a Gaza pier to provide “aid” to Palestinians. Hamas attacked the pier with rockets and the media covered up the fact 60 US troops were injured pic.twitter.com/0mPT7POezl — Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) May 7, 2025 “A soldier was killed and dozens injured in Biden’s failed pier mission, which is worse than previously known. The least anyone could do in the Defense Department is try to answer questions. But even then …” The Washington Post’s Alex Horton said. A soldier was killed and dozens injured in Biden’s failed pier mission, which is worse than previously known. The least anyone could do in the Defense Department is try to answer questions. But even then. https://t.co/hTtlsyX4Zv pic.twitter.com/uc6sAA1bKX — Alex Horton (@AlexHortonTX) May 6, 2025

The first day of the conclave to elect the late Pope Francis’ successor closed without a decision. The 133 cardinals sworn to secrecy to take part in the election gathered in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the process to decide the next head of the Catholic Church. Francis’ death just over two weeks ago set the process of choosing his successor in motion. Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday night, signaling to a crowd of tens of thousands of onlookers that the conclave had closed its first day with no decision. The result was expected as the first vote has little chance of resulting in a pope. For the next pope to be elected, he must receive a two-thirds vote from the cardinals in the conclave. The conclave is made up of Catholic cardinals under the age of 80. Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire, said that the first vote, while inconclusive, is an important gauge for the cardinals to see who the viable candidates may be. “For the first time they’re going to sense exactly who are the candidates,” said Barron, according to CNN. “Maybe some people that we’ve all been talking about are not really going to get votes. And then they’ll see, ok, probably someone a little more left, someone a little more right. So, this vote will be an important one, almost certainly indecisive, but it will give a good indication of where the conclave is.” The cardinals will reconvene in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday to resume voting. As many as four votes may be held that day. When a new pope is chosen, white smoke will rise from the chimney in the chapel, a message to the Catholic faithful that the conclave has been successful. A handy graphic. All times are EDT. pic.twitter.com/iDkN8sWZ1C — Father V (@father_rmv) May 7, 2025 This conclave is the largest in history, according to The New York Times. Most of the 133 cardinals involved were handpicked by Francis. In some sense, the election of the next pope may be a referendum on Francis’ papacy. The late pontiff was accused of making confusing statements and ignoring canon law. “I think it was a very conflictual legacy,” Fr. Robert Sirico, founder of the conservative Acton Institute, told The Daily Wire. “I think you had almost opposites in the same person because he would affirm clearly and sometimes in very blunt language the Church’s teaching on the controversial issues, but on the other hand he was sending messages that endeared him to the most progressive elements of the Church, and it’s not clear to me what his strategy was,” said Sirico.