Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

The sanctions legislation that moved forward in the Senate this week goes beyond enacting new financial restrictions on Russia and Iran. It also gives President Trump broad new powers to impose tariffs on imports from some of the world’s largest economies.The bipartisan bill, which was designed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican, was intended to demonstrate that Congress is unified in its desire to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But tucked inside the legislation are tools that would give the Trump administration sweeping discretion to…

The federal government turned away a record number of document requests from the public and accumulated the highest-ever backlog of cases in fiscal year 2025, raising questions about compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.Federal agencies processed around 1.6 million requests for documents that year, the highest number since officials began releasing comprehensive statistics about FOIA requests 16 years ago, according to government data. But it released the requested documents, in part or in full, just 47 percent of the time, a New York Times analysis found, the lowest grant rate since at least 2010.Federal agencies also accumulated a backlog…

On Tuesday, the day after hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants effectively lost their temporary protected status that allowed them to live and work in the US, Republican pundit Steve Bannon wasted little time in demanding their instant removal.“I was under the assumption that when they pulled TPS and their eligibility for that program ended … they were going to be boarding planes or buses today … today, this morning at dawn to go back to Haiti,” said Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, on his War Room podcast on Tuesday. “Why are they not out of the…

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. Beijing quickly accused the U.S. of protectionism. The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots, often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. The agency said imports of…

In brief Microsoft is rolling out a new OneDrive Photos app to some Windows 11 PCs. The app indexes local photo libraries and adds AI-powered search and optional facial grouping. The rollout follows Microsoft’s broader push to integrate AI features into Windows. Some Windows 11 users are discovering a new Microsoft app they never installed. Called OneDrive Photos, it automatically indexes local images and offers AI-powered search and optional facial grouping.The rollout, first spotted by industry publication Windows Latest, comes via Windows Update or updates to the existing OneDrive client rather than as a separate download.According to Windows Latest, OneDrive…

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has created 18 new awards to support visionary ideas to improve aerospace technologies in areas ranging from the exploration of the solar system to understanding the universe. The 18 NIAC Phase I awards total $3.2 million. Each award provides up to $175,000 for a nine-month initial investigation. The NIAC projects are about early-stage concept development and are not considered official NASA missions. “NASA has outlined an ambitious vision for the future of space exploration, we’re returning the Moon to stay, advancing to Mars, and pushing to deepen our understanding of space,” said Greg…

There is a recent trend of introducing ungulates like various antelope species outside their natural home ranges, a practice that carries large risks and should only be carried out under very limited circumstances, a new op-ed argues.This is why the IUCN’s guidelines for responsible wildlife translocation classify the importation of nonnative wildlife as something to be carried out only under a very narrow set of exceptional circumstances.“Isn’t the essence of conservation about, as much as possible, allowing evolution to run its course un-engineered? The IUCN guidelines exist for good reason, and history suggests they should be followed,” the authors…

How did London get here (Families in London temporary housing told they cannot use in-built air conditioning, 27 July)? Your report says homeless families, including young children, were placed in a glass tower during a heatwave and told they could not use the building’s air conditioning because it had “not been offered as an amenity”. If that doesn’t make every Londoner stop in disbelief, we’ve become dangerously desensitised. This is no longer a housing crisis, it is a crisis of basic human dignity.London proudly markets itself as one of the world’s greatest cities: a global financial capital overflowing with luxury…

Claim: In July 2026, Maple Leaf Foods recalled more than 12,000 pounds of bacon sold in the Pacific Northwest. Rating: In late July 2026, less than two weeks after produce company Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce linked to a cyclosporiasis outbreak, social media users raised alarms about a new recall — this time for bacon. According to one popular Instagram post (archived) shared on July 28, a company called Maple Leaf Foods recalled more than 12,000 pounds of bacon imported from Canada to the United States. The post claimed the bacon was distributed to retailers in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.…

Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, lobbied for controversial plans to host 2032 Olympic rowing events on the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton, documents released by the Queensland government show.The plans to send rowers 600km north of host city Brisbane – to a river that is natural habitat for saltwater crocodiles, and which prompted significant backlash among the rowing and broader Olympic communities – were announced by the Queensland government in March last year.The newly elected Queensland government conducted a venues review that was finalised in early 2025.It used the review process to justify breaking election promises not to build a new…