TV News LIES

A surprise visit to Ukraine by actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie drew scrutiny of her companions, with multiple sources claiming a member of her entourage was unexpectedly drafted into the Ukrainian military.

The Tomb Raider star, traveling in her role as a UNICEF ambassador, visited the city of Kherson on the front line of Ukraine’s defense against Russia on Tuesday.

It was her second time in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. She previously visited the city of Lviv.

A top Ukrainian official told POLITICO that a member of Jolie’s traveling party had an incident with local military recruiters at a checkpoint, but that the UkrainMore...ian authorities are still trying to figure out what has exactly happened. The official also told POLITICO that Jolie had not informed the Ukrainian government about her intention to visit the country, and that she entered on foot.

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A deadly listeria outbreak connected to prepared pasta meals sold at grocery chains nationwide is worsening, federal health officials say.

As of late October, the outbreak has killed six people and sickened 27, all but two of whom were hospitalized, according to last week's update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One of those affected was a pregnant mother, resulting in a fetal loss.

Cases have been reported in 18 states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

"Since the last CDC case count update on September 25, 2025, a total of 7 new illnesses from 3 states have been reported, with 2 additional deaths reported," the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

That list has grown in recent months. The outbreak started in June, when listeria concerns prompted recalls of several brands of ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo mealsmade by FreshRealm Inc. and sold under the Home Chef brand at Kroger and the Marketside brand at Walmart.

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Unionized Starbucks baristas voted to authorize an open-ended strike ahead of Starbucks’s high-traffic holiday season, announced Starbucks Workers United on Wednesday.

The union said workers are prepared to strike if a contract is not finalized by 13 November, which is the company’s Red Cup Day, and strike actions could hit more than 25 cities and escalate if there is a lack of progress.

Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 9,000 workers out of Starbucks’s over 200,000 baristas, has filed more than 1,000 charges against Starbucks for alleged unfair labor practices to the National Labor Relations Board, the union said.

Michelle Eisen, a spokesperson for the union who left Starbucks after a 15-year career at the company, said in a statement: “If Starbucks keeps stonewalling, they should expect to see their business grind to a halt. The ball is in Starbucks’ court.”

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The US supreme court appeared skeptical of the legal basis of the Trump administration’s sweeping global tariff regime on Wednesday after justices questioned the president’s authority to impose the levies.

Justices heard oral arguments on Wednesday morning on the legality of Donald Trump’s tariffs , a crucial legal test of his controversial economic strategy – and power.

Even conservative justices sounded doubtful of the strength of the Trump administration’s position. “The vehicle is the imposition of taxes on Americans, and that has always been a core power of Congress,” said Chief Justice John Roberts.

In a series of executive orders issued earlier this year, Donald Trump cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, a 1977 law which in some circumstances grants the president authority to regulate or prohibit international transactions during a national emergency, as he slapped steep duties on imports into the US.

The supreme court – controlled by a rightwing supermajority crafted by Trump – is reviewing whether IEEPA grants the president the authority to levy a tariff, a word not mentioned in the law. Congress is granted sole authority under the constitution to levy taxes. The court has until the end of its term, in July 2026, to issue a ruling on the case.

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Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration began taking shape on Wednesday as the New York City mayor-elect announced a transition team to help enact what he called the city’s most ambitious policy platform in a generation, vowing to get right to work when he takes office on 1 January.

Speaking at a morning press conference in Queens, the 34-year-old democratic socialist revealed an all-female transition team led by Elana Leopold as executive director. It also includes co-chairs Maria Torres-Springer, the former first deputy mayor; Lina Khan, the former federal trade commission chair; the United Way’s president and CEO, Grace Bonilla; and the former deputy mayor for health and human services Melanie Hartzog.

“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani told reporters. “We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”

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A high-ranking Russian lawmaker claims his government recently sent Venezuela air defense systems and could provide ballistic and cruise missiles in the future. The comments, to an official Russian media outlet, are a response to the ongoing buildup of U.S. forces in the region aimed at narco-traffickers and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is now in the Atlantic, heading for the Caribbean, which you can read more about later in this story. You can catch up with our latest coverage of the Caribbean situation in our story here.

“Russian Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems were just recently delivered to Caracas by Il-76 transport aircraft,” Alexei Zhuravlev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, told Gazeta.Ru earlier this week.

“Russia is actually one of Venezuela’s key military-technical partners; we supply the country with virtually the entire range of weapons, from small arms to aircraft,” Zhuravlev added. “Russian Su-30MK2 fighters are the backbone of the Venezuelan Air Force, making it one of the most powerful air powers in the region. The delivery of several S-300VM (Antey-2500) battalions has significantly strengthened the country’s ability to protect important installations from air attacks.”

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A common solution to sleeplessness may have adverse health effects.

Consistently taking melatonin supplements, which are commonly used to promote sleep and address insomnia, was associated with a higher risk of heart failure diagnosis, heart failure hospitalization and death from any cause in chronic insomnia, according to a preliminary study that will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in November.

Among more than 100,000 adults diagnosed with insomnia, those with consistent melatonin use had a 90% higher chance of incident heart failure over five years compared with non-users. Melatonin users were nearly 3 1/2 times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure compared to those not taking the supplement. The study cautions there isn't yet a direct connection between melatonin and heart disease.

But “,elatonin supplements may not be as harmless as commonly assumed. If our study is confirmed, this could affect how doctors counsel patients about sleep aids,” said Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, lead author of the study and chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, New York.

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California voters approved Proposition 50, according to the Associated Press.

Prop. 50 asked voters to approve a temporary redistricting plan that would redraw the state’s congressional map to make it more favorable for Democrats. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the proposition, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, is a way to counter Texas Republicans’ efforts to redraw their congressional map, targeting seats held by Democrats.

In San Diego, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa represents the 48th Congressional District, which covers much of East and North County. Issa has represented parts of the region through multiple redistricting cycles, but the balance of registered voters in his district will change a lot in favor of Democrats since Prop. 50 passed.

Four other Republican-held districts in the state — in Tahoe, the Central Valley, Riverside County and the Bay Area — are targeted by Prop 50.

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