⚡️ US Secretary of State Blinken: I had an open and candid chat with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

Blinken claims he "pressed" Russia to accept proposal for release of detained Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner

⚡️ Lavrov and Blinken discussed Ukraine

Months after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars for a joke about his wife, Jada, Will Smith shared a YouTube video in which he apologized to everyone he may have hurt with this "unacceptable behavior" and responded to the most frequently asked questions about the incident

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⚡️ 'No speculations or fake news': speaking with Blinken, Lavrov suggested returning to "quiet diplomacy" when it comes to prisoner exchange, the Russia foreign ministry says

Chinese social media has exploded after the People's Liberation Army shared a post reading “Preparing for war!” that garnered over 300,000 likes within 12 hours on Friday. It was published ahead of the 95th anniversary of the PLA's founding and amid escalating tensions with the US over Taiwan.

Many users supported the PLA, with veterans even saying they would always be ready to return to the army if and when the country needs them

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In an exclusive comment for Sputnik, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the accusations by Bulgaria’s soon-to-be ex-Prime Minister Kiril Petkov about Moscow's “meddling” in Sofia’s affairs are a sure sign of a politician singing his swan song.

Russia has never interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, “just as it will never allow any country to try to impose its opinion on us,” Zakharova added.

🗣 “Speculation around the ‘Russian threat’ for domestic political or other selfish purposes is a sure sign of political death-throes,” she said

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California aims to make its own insulin brand to lower price

A vial of insulin cost $25 in 1995, nearly three decades later, that same vial of insulin costs more than $300. Health care advocates have bemoaned for years that insulin is held hostage by a US health care system stubbornly resistant to reforms as companies monopolize and maximize profits.

Now, with several insulin patents nearing their expiration dates, California is looking to disrupt that market by making its own insulin and selling it for a much cheaper price. State lawmakers approved $100 million for the project, with $50 million dedicated to developing three types of insulin and the rest set aside to invest in a manufacturing facility.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said he hopes a state as large as California making its own insulin would significantly diminish the role of pharmacy benefit managers in insulin pricing.

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🗣 West Virginia could become 1st to pass new anti-abortion bill

A bill banning abortions except in case of rape or incest is up for a final vote Friday in West Virginia’s Senate, which could make the state the first to pass new legislation restricting access to abortions since the US Supreme Court’s ruling last month removing its protected status as a constitutional right. The state’s only abortion clinic initially stopped offering abortions after the latest ruling but resumed this month as it mounted a court challenge on whether the old ban applied. 

Eighteen Republicans ultimately joined 10 Democrats in voting to keep rape and incest exceptions in the proposal. The bill also provides other exceptions for an ectopic pregnancy, a “nonmedically viable fetus” or a medical emergency that could kill or cause a substantial and irreversible injury. A final vote there is expected Saturday.

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JetBlue agrees to buy Spirit for $3.8 billion, in a deal that would create the 5th-biggest US airline

The agreement comes hours after Spirit Airlines ended the merger agreement with Frontier Airlines it announced in February this year. It marks the end of months-long competition between the two low-cost airlines for Spirit.

The acquisition would make it the fifth-biggest carrier in the US. The combined airline, which will be based in New York and led by Hayes, would have a fleet of 458 aircraft. The airlines will continue to operate independently until after the transaction closes.

The deal still needs the required regulatory approvals and approval from Spirit’s stockholders. The companies expect to conclude the regulatory process and close the transaction no later than the first half of 2024.

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💉 US rules out summer COVID boosters to focus on fall campaign

US regulators said Friday they are no longer considering authorizing a second COVID-19 booster shot for all adults under 50 this summer, focusing instead on revamped vaccines for the fall that will target the newest viral subvariants.

Pfizer and Moderna expect to have updated versions of their shots available as early as September, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. That would set the stage for a fall booster campaign to strengthen protection against the latest versions of omicron.

Two omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, are even more contagious than their predecessors and have pushed new daily cases above 125,000 and hospitalizations to 6,300. The government contracts include options to purchase 300 million doses, but reaching that total will require more funding from Congress.

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‼️Trump Says ‘Crazy Nancy’ Involvement With China, Taiwan Will Make Things Worse

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should not get involved in the situation around China and Taiwan because she will only make it worse, former President Donald Trump said in a statement.

"Why is Nancy Pelosi getting involved with China and Taiwan other than to make trouble and more money," Trump said via his Truth Social platform on Friday. "The China mess is the last thing she should be involved in - she will only make it worse. Crazy Nancy just inserts herself and causes great friction and hatred."

Amidst reports that Pelosi will be traveling to Taiwan in August, tensions have risen between China and the US.

Beijing promised to take decisive measures, including military actions, to protect its territorial sovereignty, adding they will hold Washington responsible for any further degradation of the situation and bilateral relations.

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🚫 House passes bill banning certain semi-automatic guns

The House passed legislation Friday to revive a ban on certain semi-automatic guns, the first vote of its kind in years and a direct response to the firearms often used in the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide. The bill would make it unlawful to import, sell or manufacture a long list of semi-automatic weapons.

The new law also frees up federal funding to the states, including for “red flag” laws that enable authorities to remove guns from those who would harm themselves or others. Pelosi said the House will revisit the public safety bills in August when lawmakers are expected to return briefly to Washington to handle other remaining legislation, including Biden’s priority inflation-fighting package of health care and climate change strategies making its way in the Senate.

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🚇 Passenger rail returns to Vermont city

After a nearly 70-year absence, a passenger train running from Vermont’s revitalized Burlington train station to New York City headed south Friday as part of a nationwide renewal of interest in rail travel.

Last November, President Joe Biden, who famously rode Amtrak between Washington and his Delaware home during his 36 years in the Senate, signed legislation that includes $102 billion for passenger and freight rail investment that will help Amtrak improve and expand its services over time.

Vermont’s new Burlington rail expansion caps a nearly 30-year-long effort that saw about $117 million spent on rail infrastructure and comes a year after Amtrak announced a $75 billion, 15-year-plan to expand passenger rail around the country.

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📺 Roku plunges 27% as the streaming service flags 'recessionary fears' alongside shortfall in quarterly results and weak outlook

Roku shares lost nearly a third of their value on Friday after the entertainment streaming service warned of weaker-than-expected revenue as consumers and advertisers alike pull back on spending. 

"We are in an economic environment defined by recessionary fears, inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, and ongoing supply chain disruptions," Roku's CEO Anthony Wood and CFO Steve Louden said.

The company said it experienced a "significant slowdown" in TV advertising spending in the second quarter that pressured its platform revenue growth. Platform revenue increased 26% to $673 million from a year ago, but Roku said that growth was lower than expected. 

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LIVE UPDATES: Gazprom Cuts Off All Gas Supplies to Latvia For Non-Payment in Rubles

Photos of Ivana Trump's final resting place appeared online for the first time after she was buried next to the first hole on a private lawn on the Trump family plot at a golf club in New Jersey.

There is nothing whimsical about Ivana's burial place: former President Trump has wanted to build a cemetery for himself and his family on the golf course since 2007. New Jersey state officials finally approved the cemetery's license in 2014

⚡️⚡️Iraqi protesters storm parliament building for second time in 72 hours

⚡️⚡️ All political, criminal and moral responsibility for the carnage against Ukrainians falls on Zelensky personally, his criminal regime and Washington that supports them, the Russian MoD has said in a statement on the missile attack on the pre-trial detention center with Ukrainian prisoners near Elenovka in Donbass