Folk music icon passes away at 59 after ‘violent assault’ and hospital drama
Todd Snider, the freewheeling American artist known for his sharp wit and decades of genre-blending songwriting, has died.
He was 59.
His record label confirmed the news Saturday, announcing the singer-songwriter died Friday in a message shared on his social media accounts.
“Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?” the statement said.
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The statement described Snider as a musician “always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket” and someone who “could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”
Snider’s final weeks were marked by turbulence and tragedy.
Earlier this month, he canceled his tour after sustaining “severe injuries as the victim of a violent assault” in Utah, his team stated online.
Snider called off his High Lonesome and Then Some Tour after the alleged assault and was treated at Holy Cross Hospital, NBC News reported.
After his hospital stay, the “Just Like Old Times” singer allegedly returned to the medical center and was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, trespassing and making a violent threat, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
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The canceled tour was meant to support his latest album, “High, Lonesome and Then Some,” released in October.
Critics praised the album, describing Snider as “a singer-songwriter with the persona of a fried folkie” and a “stoner troubadour and cosmic comic,” according to The Associated Press.
Snider’s career spanned three decades, and his influence stretched far beyond his own recordings.
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He drew inspiration from — and at times learned directly from — legends like Guy Clark and John Prine. His songs were recorded by the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Jones, and he even co-wrote a track with Loretta Lynn for her 2016 album “Full Circle.”
“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens,” his label shared.
“He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly.”
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Snider’s breakthrough work came in the early 2000s with Prine’s independent label Oh Boy Records, including the acclaimed albums “New Connection,” “Hotel Rooms” and “East Nashville Skyline,” which his fans considered to be some of his best work.
Songs like “I Can’t Complain,” “Beer Run” and “Alright Guy” cemented his reputation as a unique voice in American music.
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Born and raised in Oregon, Snider refined his sound in San Marcos, Texas, before eventually moving to Nashville, where he earned the unofficial title “mayor of East Nashville,” immortalized in his track, “Train Song.”
Even in recent years, he remained deeply connected to the city’s vibrant arts community.
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Snider’s early career was boosted by Jimmy Buffett, who signed him to Margaritaville Records and released his first two albums, “Songs for the Daily Planet” (1994) and “Step Right Up” (1996).
Police officer punished after scolding South Carolina player who scored long touchdown
A Texas state trooper was “relieved of his game-day assignment” Saturday after exchanging words with South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor following a long touchdown.
After Harbor caught and ran for the 80-yard score, he grabbed his right hamstring and continued walking into a tunnel at Kyle Field.
Several of his teammates joined him, and Harbor walked out of the tunnel gingerly.
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But upon walking back, an officer walked in between, and made contact with, Harbor and running back Oscar Adaway III.
The officer then scolded Harbor, who turned back but kept walking toward the field.
The police department announced on X that the officer was relieved of his game-day assignment and sent home.
NBA star LeBron James called for the officer to be suspended.
“That A&M cop needs to suspended! That was premeditated and corny AF!! He went out his way to start some s–t. Do better man,” he posted to X.
The touchdown put the Gamecocks up 27-3, and that lead would increase to 30-3, but the third-ranked Aggies stormed all the way back for a wild 31-30 victory.
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Texas A&M outscored South Carolina 28-0 in the second half to complete its biggest comeback ever.
Marcel Reed threw for a career-high 439 yards and three touchdowns to move the Aggies to 10-0 on the season.
It’s the biggest comeback in school history, eclipsing a 21-point rally by a Johnny Manziel-led team in a 52-48 win in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl over Duke. Entering Saturday, teams were 0-286 in Southeastern Conference play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more.
Reed bounced back from an awful first half, where he was intercepted twice and had a fumble returned for a score, to put the Aggies in a 30-3 hole with a dazzling second half to keep Texas A&M on track for its first trip to the College Football Playoff.
The Aggies took the lead for the first time on a 4-yard run by EJ Smith with about 11 minutes left.
Texas A&M had a first down at the 1 after that, but Jamarion Morrow fumbled on a trick play and the Gamecocks recovered with about three minutes to go.
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Dalton Brooks and Cashius Howell sacked LaNorris Sellers on consecutive plays to bring up fourth-and-16 with about 90 seconds to go. Sellers scrambled on fourth down and he was stopped short of the first down marker to seal the victory.
Sellers threw for 246 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for South Carolina (3-7, 1-7), which lost a fifth straight game.
NFL Hall of Famer mysteriously dies decades after ending career with kidney issues
Former Seattle Seahawks safety Kenny Easley has died at the age of 66, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Saturday.
Easley’s family said he died Friday night and did not provide a cause of death.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Seahawks legend Kenny Easley,” the Seahawks said in a statement. “Kenny embodied what it meant to be a Seahawk through his leadership, toughness, intensity and fearlessness. His intimidating nature and athletic grace made him one of the best players of all time.”
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The Seahawks drafted Easley out of UCLA with the No. 4 overall pick in 1981, and the safety went on to be a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro player across seven seasons in Seattle, where he spent his whole career.
In 1984, Easley led the league with 10 interceptions and was named defensive player of the year by The Associated Press. He was the first player in franchise history to be named defensive player of the year.
However, his career ended after the 1987 season when he was traded, in part because of a kidney ailment that shortened his NFL career, to the Cardinals. But he failed his physical, and never played another down in the NFL.
Easley believed the Seahawks knew of the kidney condition and didn’t disclose it to him. The Seahawks and Easley started to reconcile in 2002 when Paul Allen was the team owner, which coincided with Easley getting inducted into the ring of honor that fall.
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Easley finished his career with 32 interceptions, which is tied for fourth most in franchise history, as well as 11 fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles and eight sacks.
At UCLA, Easley starred at free safety under coach Terry Donahue from 1977-1980. He made an immediate impact for the Bruins, joining the starting lineup as a true freshman and ultimately becoming the first player in Pac-10 history to garner four first-team All-Conference accolades.
He was just the second player in program history to be voted a three-time consensus All-American.
Easley still holds the UCLA school record with 19 career interceptions, including 13 across his first two seasons. He ranks fifth on UCLA’s all-time tackles list with 374, with his 93 stops in 1977 representing the most by a Bruin true freshman.
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Easley totaled 105 tackles during the 1980 campaign, after which he finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. He also returned punts during his time at UCLA. His No. 5 jersey was retired by the university.
He is survived by his wife, Gail, and their three children — son, Kendrick, and daughters Gabrielle Manhertz and Giordanna.
Country star ‘falling apart’ overseas as luxury store treats him ‘like a criminal’
Jelly Roll hit a breaking point on his music tour.
During the Australia leg of his tour, the country star admitted he has reached one of the lowest points he’s faced in years while thousands of miles away from his family and support system.
The 40-year-old singer, born Jason Bradley DeFord, spoke candidly during an appearance on the “No Filter with Kate Langbroek” podcast, sharing that the long-distance trip challenged him in ways he didn’t expect.
“I’m falling apart. It’s a horrible week. I’m doing the worst mentally I’ve done in a long time,” the “I Am Not Okay” crooner shared.
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“I’m really far from home, and it’s really hitting me that I’m really far from home, like in an anxious way. … I’m not having fun, and I want to go home.”
Jelly Roll performed six shows across Australia from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4 — his debut run in the country — before a scheduled final concert in Auckland, New Zealand, Nov. 8.
He canceled the Auckland show at the last minute due to illness, marking a rare instance of him missing a performance.
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On the podcast, Jelly Roll explained that his physical sickness had a domino effect on his mental state as the demanding travel schedule continued.
He said the trip abroad had “f—ed my stomach up,” adding his health issues quickly hurt his overall well-being.
“When my stomach’s not right, nothing’s right. My mind’s not right. Everything. I’m just not thinking clear,” he said.
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Jelly Roll additionally said the logistics of the Australia trip — especially the lack of tour buses — intensified his sense of feeling alone.
“I’m having to be super isolated. I don’t like it,” he revealed. “I’m spending a lot of time in my hotel room by myself, just in my head. I don’t like it. I miss my family a ton.”
He shared that he was using breathing exercises to steady himself and “talking myself through” the illness but admitted that every part of him wanted to return to Tennessee.
“Everybody wants to go home when they’re sick. That’s just in us,” he said. “I just don’t feel good, so I just want to go home.”
The grueling tour also coincided with another tense moment overseas.
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Jelly Roll recently claimed Louis Vuitton employees in Sydney treated him “like a criminal” during a shopping trip, sharing a video on social media describing the experience.
Earlier this month, the Grammy-nominated star said employees looked at him as if he were about to “rob” the store.
“Hey man, the Louis Vuitton in Sydney legitimately just treated us like we were (gonna) come in and rob that place,” the musician, wearing a backward ball cap, said in the clip.
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“I have never been looked at more like a crim … Listen, the last time I was looked at like a criminal this bad … I was an actual criminal this bad.”
The “Save Me” singer has never shied away from discussing the darker chapters of his past, including legal troubles and previous addiction struggles.
In 2023, Jelly Roll said his first major run-in with the law happened when he was a teenager.
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He was 16 when he was arrested and charged as an adult with aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell.
Jelly Roll served more than a year behind bars, followed by seven years of probation.
Foreign car giant invests over $13,000,000,000 in first-of-it’s-kind boon for American state
Toyota announced Wednesday it has officially begun production at its new $13.9 billion battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina, while committing an additional $10 billion to bolster its U.S. manufacturing over the next five years.
The 1,850-acre facility in Liberty, North Carolina, marks the automaker’s first battery plant outside Japan and is expected to create up to 5,100 new American jobs, Toyota said.
“Today’s launch of Toyota’s first U.S. battery plant and additional U.S. investment up to $10 billion marks a pivotal moment in our company’s history,” said Ted Ogawa, CEO of Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota is a pioneer in electrified vehicles, and the company’s significant manufacturing investment in the U.S. and North Carolina further solidifies our commitment to team members, customers, dealers, communities, and suppliers.”
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Alongside the plant’s launch, Toyota announced an additional $10 billion investment in its U.S. operations over the next five years to “support future mobility efforts.”
“This will bring the company’s total U.S. investment to nearly $60 billion since beginning operations here nearly 70 years ago,” the company said.
Once at full capacity, the North Carolina plant will produce 30 gigawatt-hours of lithium-ion batteries annually to power Toyota’s lineup of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric vehicles.
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The facility features 14 production lines, which will create batteries to power the Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, RAV4 HEV and an all-electric three-row battery electric vehicle (BEV) – the first of its kind for Toyota to be built in the U.S., according to Toyota.
Additional production lines are expected to launch by 2030.
Beyond manufacturing, Toyota said the facility will also be a “vibrant community,” offering childcare services, a medical clinic, pharmacy and fitness center for employees.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised Toyota’s announcement, calling it another “show of confidence in this administration’s efforts to reshore manufacturing, generate new, great paying jobs, and inject billions of dollars into the economy.”
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“Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, America is open for business,” Duffy said in a statement.
Sheinbaum turned down Trump’s cartel-fighting aid before violent protests erupted
Thousands of protesters swarmed Mexico City on Saturday, attacking police officers and attempting to breach a security barrier around the National Palace, which houses the federal government’s executive branch.
Plumes of tear gas filled the street as hooded protesters dragged riot police out of formation, beat them with hammers and chains, and threw explosive devices at them, as they were stripped of their shields and communication radios.
Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City announced via social media that at least 60 police officers had minor injuries and 40 officers needed to be taken to the hospital.
Of the 40 officers hospitalized, 36 had contusions, cuts and minor injuries, and four are receiving specialized care for trauma and other injuries that are not life-threatening.
As of Saturday night, at least 20 people were detained and 20 others were referred for administrative offenses.
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The anti-government march, which became violent at Zocalo Square, was organized by members of Gen Z—people born between the late 90s and early 2010s.
Protesters told the Associated Press they were rallying against corruption and safety concerns.
The Secretariat of Citizen Security noted Mexico City Police only carried out containment work and did not repress protesters or respond to the provocations.
Arizbeth Garcia, a 43-year-old physician, told the outlet she was marching for increased security and additional funding for the public health system.
“[Doctors] are also exposed to the insecurity gripping the country, where you can be murdered and nothing happens,” Garcia said.
Another demonstrator, Rosa Maria Avila, 65, of Patzcuaro in Michoacán, told the outlet she was marching in support of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, an anti-crime activist who was assassinated at a public event earlier this month in Michoacán.
“The state is dying,” Avila said. “He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them.”
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Manzo was shot seven times after condemning Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for her alleged lack of effort in combating cartels.
“We need greater determination from the president of Mexico,” Manzo told local media in September. “I do not want to be just another mayor on the list of those who have been executed and had their lives taken away from them. … I am very afraid, but I must face it with courage.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October 2024 as Mexico’s first female president, recently came under fire after a series of high-profile murders.
Critics accuse her of tolerating organized crime and failing to support anti-cartel efforts.
In May, Sheinbaum publicly confirmed she rejected U.S. military assistance from President Donald Trump, who was looking to help the country fight drug trafficking and violent cartels.
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She allegedly told Trump the country will “never accept” the presence of the U.S. Army in its territory.
“No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable,” Sheinbaum previously said. “We can collaborate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.”
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The Heritage Foundation, a top conservative group, claimed Mexico was unlikely to change its stance when Sheinbaum was elected despite the escalating threat from cartels.
MIKE DAVIS: Ex-Judge Mark Wolf brought low by severe Trump Derangement Syndrome
In his iconic dissent in Morrison v. Olson (1988), the late, great Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia brilliantly articulated why the Independent Counsel Statute unconstitutionally intruded upon the executive branch.
This dissent laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court’s current constitutionalist majority to restore sanity to separation-of-powers jurisprudence by returning power to its rightful place: the executive branch, all of whose power is vested in the president of the United States who is elected by all Americans.
Leftists and other anti-democratic big-government types call this view the “unitary executive theory.” In reality, it is just Article II of the United States Constitution. We The People loan executive power to our duly-elected president; we do not divvy it up among unelected, leftist federal bureaucrats.
Scalia’s most famous line in the Morrison dissent was his characterization of the statute as “a wolf in wolf’s clothing,” a play on the idiom of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Scalia was illustrating how the violation of the separation of powers was unambiguous.
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Former U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf of Massachusetts is another wolf in wolf’s clothing despite his effort — aided by the leftist media — to package himself otherwise. Wolf was appointed to the bench by President Reagan in 1985, but he is no judicial conservative. Wolf received the stamp of approval from the most leftist home-state duo in Senate history — Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.
The reason the approval of these radical senators was necessary lies in a century-old Senate tradition called the blue slip. Home-state senators can veto nominations of U.S. district judges, U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals.
Nominees will not move forward without the return of blue slips from both home-state senators. Senators will not relinquish this extraordinary power because they are power-hungry and self-serving. They want to hand-select the federal prosecutor who could indict them, the federal judge who could try them and the federal marshal who could escort them to prison.
Recently, Wolf resigned from his lifetime appointment. He had assumed senior status (a form of semi-retirement) during the Obama administration, allowing Obama — instead of the next Republican president— to appoint a leftist to replace Wolf in full-time judicial service. According to Wolf, President Trump has disregarded the rule of law in innumerable ways. Wolf wants to speak out about it and serve as a self-appointed spokesman for sitting judges who cannot.
Wolf also has blasted the Supreme Court, claiming that the constitutionalist majority has enabled President Trump. Wolf has whined the court has ruled 17 out of 20 times in the Trump administration’s favor on its emergency docket. Wolf has compared this success rate to that of players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during Major League Baseball’s steroid era.
Wolf’s claim is absurd. The administration has succeeded so much at the Supreme Court thanks to its stellar team of legal all-stars, headed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Solicitor General John Sauer. Many other brilliant attorneys also deserve credit for the administration’s sterling Supreme Court performance.
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Moreover, the rulings by Wolf’s fellow activist judges are clearly partisan and lawless. How many cases does Wolf think the administration should have won before the Court? Eight out of 20? Ten? Twelve? His statistical conspiracy gibberish is devoid of even a scintilla of legal analysis. Wolf is only interested in peddling nonsense to bash justices he plainly detests.
Wolf also conveniently ignores the other side of the statistical coin. According to analysis from former top Senate counsel Michael Fragoso, district judges in Massachusetts ruled against the Trump administration on 27 out of 29 temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. Wolf apparently has no issue with this disparity; rather, he seems to view these rulings as coming from beacons of judicial integrity.
Wolf has a history of conspiracy hogwash. For over a decade, he pursued a baseless case against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, history’s greatest justice. According to Wolf, Thomas had willfully failed to make required disclosures. The Judicial Conference categorically rejected Wolf’s theory. Yet, over a decade after the case had been closed, Wolf testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee chaired by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, another partisan and deranged conspiracy theorist.
During one exchange, Wolf told a U.S. senator that former Reagan Solicitor General Rex Lee would have been disturbed by, as Wolf saw it, unethical behavior of Thomas. That senator was Mike Lee of Utah, and Solicitor General Lee was his deceased father. Sen. Lee rightfully erupted at Wolf’s despicable statement.
Sitting judges cannot speak out against President Trump, according to the Code of Conduct for United States Judges.
They cannot use Wolf as their mouthpiece, either. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees need to subpoena Wolf to determine which judges are trashing President Trump through Wolf. If Wolf refuses to divulge the information, he should face contempt of Congress charges just like Trump allies Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro did.
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If the identities of judges who speak through Wolf to bash President Trump become public, every one of those judges must face impeachment proceedings. No matter how difficult conviction by a two-thirds Senate supermajority will be, these rogue judges must suffer through the impeachment process to deter them and other judicial embarrassments from engaging in blatantly unethical behavior. These radical judges are illegally and dangerously subverting the will of American voters.
Wolf is a Sheldon Whitehouse, not a Ronald Reagan. Wolf plans to serve as the vehicle by which sitting judges can attempt to circumvent ethical constraints. He has spouted risible conspiracy tripe to denigrate the Supreme Court in general and Thomas in particular. He even has stooped to the all-time low of bringing up a senator’s deceased father in a pathetic attempt to score a few cheap political points. In short, Wolf is a disgrace to the federal judiciary, and his resignation is welcome news. Good riddance to this wolf in wolf’s clothing.
‘Streateries’ disappearing: Major city joins list of those cracking down on outdoor dining
After five years of pandemic-era freedom, restaurants in Washington, D.C., will soon face steep fees and restrictions on outdoor dining, part of a national trend of cities reclaiming public streets and tightening safety rules.
Starting Dec. 1, restaurants in the nation’s capital will have to pay new fees and meet tougher design and safety standards to keep their “streateries” in place after years of them being rent-free, according to multiple reports.
City officials say the crackdown is about restoring order, safety and aesthetics to public streets.
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“There are some safety concerns,” District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Sharon Kershbaum told The Washington Post in reference to outdoor dining. She said walls create “visibility challenges,” some are too close to crosswalks, intersections and alleys, and others pose accessibility issues.
Restaurant owners, however, say the additional seating kept them alive through COVID-19 and the new DDOT guidelines, fees and permits will probably cost too much to make structures worthwhile or will force them to be largely scaled back, the outlet reported.
Restaurant owners will reportedly have to pay a $260 permit fee plus $20 per square foot each year, provide or rent protective concrete barriers, and cover additional costs for required plans and documents.
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Some restaurant owners and industry association leaders say they are already struggling with soaring food prices and immigration enforcement that has hit their workforce, making it feel like they are “in another pandemic.”
A survey of 33 businesses in the Adams Morgan neighborhood found the annual cost of maintaining an outdoor setup could range from $15,000 to $24,000 a year, FOX 5 DC reported. According to the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District, only three restaurants there expressed interest in keeping them.
The DDOT has stressed that it aims to work with businesses toward compliance and will not begin enforcement until early 2026. It also reportedly noted that it lowered its proposed rates after feedback from business groups.
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The move coincides with President Trump’s repeated pledges to “make Washington, D.C., safe, clean and beautiful” through federal intervention and a task force, according to the White House.
The DDOT says the new rules are in line with what other cities have done, such as Alexandria, Virginia; Boulder, Colorado; New York; and San Francisco. In the years since the pandemic, many have reined in outdoor dining programs, shifting to seasonal permits, dismantling enclosed structures and reclaiming valuable street parking.
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The New York City Council formalized its new outdoor-dining framework in 2023, replacing the emergency-era program. As of early 2025, the city had received about 3,000 applications under the new seasonal program, far fewer than the roughly 12,000 setups during the peak of the pandemic. Only a fraction of those applications were fully approved by spring 2025, according to reports and city officials.
Philadelphia made its program permanent in 2023, adding high fees, strict design standards and multiple agency approvals. As a result, the number of licensed outdoor dining setups plummeted, according to local and city reports, with only an estimated 13 active shacks citywide as of early 2024.
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Some cities, however, still appear to be embracing the al fresco trend.
In Southern California, Los Angeles is moving to make outdoor dining permanent, while Ventura has voted to permanently close part of its downtown to cars, cementing a pedestrian- and dining-friendly atmosphere, Eater reported earlier this year.
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And in Austin, Texas, programs continue to support outdoor cafés, street patios and parking lot dining spaces with active permitting, according to the city. In Dallas, patio dining remains vibrant with many popular outdoor eateries still bustling, according to local reports.
Trump administration mum as Zelenskyy allies caught in massive bribery scandal
The Trump administration has so far remained silent on a widening corruption scandal inside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government and inner circle.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on a $100 million corruption probe announced this week that has already prompted the resignations of senior Ukrainian officials.
Corruption has long been a friction point in U.S.–Ukraine relations. In 2019, the Trump administration paused roughly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, citing concerns about government corruption. At the same time, Trump’s associates sought information on Democratic rival Joe Biden, who served as vice president under Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, Biden’s son Hunter held a $50,000-per-month board seat at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma. As vice president, Joe Biden had threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees unless Ukraine dismissed prosecutor Viktor Shokin, whom Western governments accused of failing to pursue corruption cases.
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Shokin later claimed he was fired because he was investigating Burisma, a claim U.S. and European officials dispute.
President Donald Trump for months has been working to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which the U.S. has provided with around $175 billion in aid since the start of the war in 2022.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) — said they spent 15 months on “Operation Midas,” a probe that included roughly 1,000 hours of wiretaps. Investigators say the inquiry uncovered a kickback scheme in which contractors for the state-owned nuclear company Energoatom paid 10-15% bribes, totaling about $100 million, to keep government contracts.
According to prosecutors, the alleged ringleader was Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Zelenskyy and co-owner of his former production studio, as well as an advisor to Justice Minister German Galushchenko. Authorities say Galushchenko, who served as energy minister until July, helped facilitate the money laundering operation and acted under Mindich’s influence.
Mindich fled Ukraine early Monday, hours before investigators raided his home. Both Galushchenko and his successor, Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk, said they would resign at Zelenskyy’s request. Five suspects have been arrested, and seven others placed under official suspicion, prosecutors said.
In a statement, NABU alleged that the criminal network transferred funds to “an unnamed former deputy prime minister of Ukraine,” identified internally by the codename Che Guevara. Investigators said about $1.2 million was traced to that individual.
“Using their official connections in the ministry and the state-owned company,” the suspects “ensured control over personnel decisions, procurement processes, and financial flows,” Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies said.
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Zelenskyy has not been directly implicated, but the revelations cast a shadow over a president who built his career on promises to root out graft. He publicly backed the investigation, saying Monday night that “any effective action against corruption is very necessary” and that “the inevitability of punishment is necessary.”
Earlier this year, Zelenskyy faced backlash after proposing tighter presidential oversight of Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption agencies, a plan he later withdrew.
Before entering politics, the former comedian often joked about his country’s entrenched corruption.
“Is it possible to become president and not steal?” he once quipped. “It’s a rhetorical question, as no one has tried so far.” His 2019 election campaign centered on dismantling the oligarch-dominated political system and increasing transparency.
Now, nearly seven years later — with no election planned amid wartime conditions — some Ukrainians view him as increasingly reliant on a small inner circle consolidating its own power and wielding it with limited checks.
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Investigators say some of the laundered money had been earmarked for equipment meant to protect energy facilities from Russian missile attacks. Ukraine continues to face rolling blackouts, with many residents limited to five to eight hours of electricity per day as Russian forces target power infrastructure heading into winter.
Last week, the European Commission praised Ukraine’s “significant efforts” to combat corruption but warned that “limited progress” could jeopardize its bid to join the European Union. The commission also cautioned that reports of political pressure on anti-corruption groups “cast doubt on Ukraine’s commitment” and urged Kyiv to “prevent any backsliding on its notable reform achievements.”