International News
Trump Nears Historic Comeback As Republicans Sweep Key Swing States

Following Tuesday’s high-stakes election, former President Donald Trump appears set to return to the White House, with Republicans also on track to secure majorities in both the House and Senate.
Trump’s victories in key battleground states, including Georgia and North Carolina, have moved him closer to the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency.
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As of early Wednesday, his lead continues to grow as ballots are counted and media outlets project his advantage across crucial states.
For the third election in a row, the American electorate remains nearly evenly divided over Trump’s polarizing presence.
The race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed in several pivotal states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
These three states, which were critical in both Trump’s 2016 victory and President Joe Biden’s win in 2020, once again look poised to determine the outcome.
Current vote patterns in the Rust Belt indicate that Trump may be on the verge of flipping these states back into the Republican column.
In 2016, his victories in these industrial regions disrupted the Democratic “Blue Wall” that had held for six consecutive elections from 1992 to 2012, with a razor-thin margin of about 80,000 votes across the three states.
Four years later, Biden reclaimed them for the Democrats by roughly 260,000 votes.
This time, early returns suggest the Rust Belt may swing back to Trump, bolstered by his renewed support in rural and exurban areas where culturally conservative, non-college-educated white voters continue to dominate.
If Trump holds on to his leads in North Carolina and Georgia and secures Arizona, his path to victory becomes all but certain with just one of the three Rust Belt states tipping in his favor.
Should he succeed, he would become only the second president in U.S. history—following Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s—to lose the presidency and regain it in a later election.
Results as of midnight highlight ongoing trends familiar to Trump’s base and Harris’s supporters alike.
Trump is building strong numbers in smaller towns, rural areas, and exurban counties, while Harris has captured significant—albeit, in some places, diminished—support in affluent, diverse suburbs around Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
A new factor this year is Trump’s modest gains among Black and Latino voters, particularly men, according to exit polls from Edison Research.
These shifts are evident in the former “Blue Wall” states as well as in other key regions.
The overall election landscape, despite Trump’s unique role, underscores the historical challenge of retaining the White House when an outgoing president leaves with low approval ratings.
Since World War II, the White House has often flipped to the opposite party in similar situations, as occurred in 1952, 1968, and 2008.
While popular presidents have not always guaranteed a win for their successors, historically unpopular leaders have presented significant barriers to their parties.
International News
Memphis Man Accidentally Shot By His Own Dog

A Memphis man was accidentally shot by his own dog after the pet jumped onto his bed and triggered a loaded firearm, police confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident occurred early Monday morning while the man was asleep alongside his female partner.
According to police reports, the couple’s one-year-old pit bull, Oreo, inadvertently discharged the weapon after getting its paw stuck in the trigger guard.
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The bullet grazed the man’s left thigh, causing a minor injury that was treated at a local hospital.
The victim’s girlfriend, who spoke to Fox 13 Memphis, described Oreo as a playful dog and recounted the shocking moment the firearm discharged.
“The dog is a playful dog, and he likes to jump around and stuff like that, and it just went off,” she said. Reflecting on the incident, she added: “Keep the safety on or use a trigger lock.”
Police have classified the case as an “accidental injury” and have not disclosed the type of firearm involved.
Although gun-related incidents are frequent in the United States, cases involving animals firing weapons are rare.
In a similar case in 2023, a Kansas man was killed when his German shepherd stepped on a hunting rifle.
A comparable incident in 2018 saw an Iowa man accidentally shot in the leg by his pit bull-Labrador mix.
Authorities are using the Memphis case as a reminder of firearm safety, urging gun owners to secure their weapons properly to prevent unintended discharges.
International News
U.S Faces Worst Measles Outbreak In Years, CDC Issues Alert

A deadly measles outbreak in the southwestern United States has claimed two lives and infected at least 228 people, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel advisory.
The outbreak has hit Texas the hardest, with 198 reported cases, while New Mexico has confirmed 30.
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Health officials say both fatalities involved unvaccinated individuals—a child in Texas and an adult in New Mexico who tested positive for measles posthumously.
The CDC has classified both as measles-related deaths.
As the outbreak continues to grow, the CDC is warning that more cases are likely. In a recent Health Alert Network advisory, the agency urged healthcare professionals and public health officials to take precautions.
“With the spring and summer travel season approaching in the United States, CDC emphasizes the important role that clinicians and public health officials play in preventing the spread of measles,” the advisory stated.
“They should be vigilant for cases of febrile rash illness that meet the measles case definition and share effective measles prevention strategies, including vaccination guidance for international travelers.”
Measles, a highly contagious disease, spreads through respiratory droplets and can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
It causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a characteristic rash but can also lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.
Despite the effectiveness of the measles vaccine—providing 93% immunity after one dose and 97% after two—vaccination rates in the U.S. have been on the decline.
The CDC recommends a 95% immunization rate for herd immunity, but coverage among kindergartners fell to 92.7% in the 2023-2024 school year.
The outbreak’s epicenter is in a west Texas county with a large Mennonite community known for vaccine hesitancy.
Religious exemptions have been rising nationwide, contributing to lower immunization rates.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who previously promoted discredited claims linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, has recently shifted his stance.
While he now encourages vaccination, he also continues to advocate for alternative treatments like vitamin A and steroids.
Health experts warn that emphasizing such treatments could divert attention from the urgent need to improve immunization coverage.
The last measles-related death in the U.S. occurred in 2015, when a Washington state woman with a suppressed immune system died from virus-induced pneumonia. Before that, the previous fatality was recorded in 2003.
International News
South Korean Jet Drops Bombs On Residential Area, 7 Injured
A South Korean Air Force fighter jet accidentally released eight bombs outside a designated training range during a joint military exercise on Thursday, injuring several civilians and damaging buildings, officials said.
The Air Force confirmed that a KF-16 aircraft had mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs in Pocheon, a city located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of the heavily fortified border with North Korea.
The incident occurred around 10:00 am local time (0100 GMT) during a joint live-fire exercise involving the South Korean Air Force and Army.
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“We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery,” the Air Force said in a statement.
Officials have launched an accident response committee to investigate the incident and promised compensation for damages.
According to South Korea’s National Fire Agency, the misfired bombs struck a village, leading to injuries and displacement among residents.
Four people were seriously wounded, while three others suffered minor injuries
The explosion also caused damage to a church building and sections of two homes.
Local residents described the moment of impact as a terrifying experience. A villager, identified only by the surname Park, told Yonhap News Agency that he was watching television when the explosion occurred.
“I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap, and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was in chaos,” Park said.
Even a senior center located about a kilometer away felt the impact of the blast. The director of the center, surnamed Yu, recounted the panic among the elderly residents.
“A sudden explosion shook the building. The windows shattered, and one of our teachers was injured and taken to the hospital,” Yu said. “Fortunately, none of the seniors were hurt, but they were so frightened that we sent them all home.”
The accident occurred as South Korea and the United States conducted joint live-fire drills in the area. The two allies are preparing for their large-scale annual military exercise, “Freedom Shield,” set to begin later this month.
The Korean Peninsula remains in a state of war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
The United States maintains tens of thousands of troops in South Korea as part of its defense commitment against potential threats from North Korea.
This is not the first time South Korea has experienced a military mishap. In 2022, a South Korean Hyunmu-2 ballistic missile crashed into a military golf course during a test, though it did not explode and no injuries were reported.
Authorities have assured the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the accidental bomb release and to prevent similar incidents in the future.