Protests flare in Ukraine after government curbs corruption watchdogs
The government move against the anti-corruption bodies has alarmed former officials, concerned Ukraine's European allies and thrown back into the spotlight an issue long used by the country's detractors to criticize it. It could also affect Ukraine's application to join the European Union.
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Los Angeles Times
27 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Did the state of California turn on In-N-Out, or did the burger chain turn on it?
Southern Californians, we have not been betrayed. In-N-Out Burger is not moving its headquarters to another state, despite all the panic and performative outrage over recent comments by the fast food chain's owner and chief executive, Lynsi Snyder. Last week, on the 'Relatable' podcast, Snyder told conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey that she's leaving the Golden State for Tennessee. 'There's a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,' said Snyder, who became president of the family-run chain in 2010 at age 27, making her one of the country's youngest billionaires. It must be rough. Her comments set off a disinformation blitz, launching the Double-Double into the middle of a red-state/blue-state culture war where, clearly, nothing is sacred. Anti-Cali factions incorrectly posted, podcast and crowed about yet another business fleeing the West Coast. More proof that Gov. Gavin Newsom's 'failing' state sucks! It appeared that In-N-Out was following Tesla and Charles Schwab, companies that cited regulatory challenges and operational costs among their reasons for relocating. Chevron also fled. Perhaps it was the high gas prices. Many Californians, particularly those in SoCal, felt abandoned and disrespected. They, after all, propped up the chain for 76 years, only to be told by its owner that the place that made her family's business — their home — is no longer to her liking. On X, Oracle Park Seagull posted ''Not easy for In N Out to do business in California…' Said the person who became a billionaire doing business almost exclusively in California. So much so, it was a point of pride for the chain. Gotcha.' Snyder's grandparents opened their first In-N-Out in Baldwin Park in 1948, and for decades, the chain was renowned for serving a magical burger that could only be found in Southern California. Locals felt, and still feel, a sense of pride and ownership in the successful, homegrown business. It's a symbol of West Coast entrepreneurship, its cups and packaging decorated with images of palm trees. And if we're honest, the mere suggestion of In-N-Out leaving the state triggered a primal fear among Angelenos. Where else were we going to sit in a milelong drive-thru line at midnight waiting for a delicious burger and debatable fries? Newsom even chimed in, starting his X post with, 'For those interested in the facts, rather than fiction, In-N-Out is expanding East — creating a second HQ in Tennessee.' In SoCal, the company is shutting down its office in Irvine, consolidating its corporate operations to Baldwin Park. Today, In-N-Out operates in more than 400 locations across eight states. Snyder responded Monday to the kerfuffle in an Instagram post: 'Where I raise my family has nothing to do with my love and appreciation for our customers in California.' It's not the first time In-N-Out has made its stance clear on polarizing issues and politics. The company made news in 2021 when it pushed back against Newsom and California's COVID-era proof-of-vaccination mandates. In-N-Out's packaging also includes Bible verses, a practice started in the late '80s by Snyder's uncle, co-founder Rich Snyder. John 3:16 can be found on the bottom of the In-N-Out soda cup. The milkshake cup features Proverbs 3:5: 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.' On your next visit, you can check for a verse in your fries container. That is, if there is a next time. Instead of the memory of a tasty burger, many lifetime In-N-Out loyalists have been left with a bitter taste in their mouths.
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Iran Warns It Could Exit Nuclear Treaty if Europe Reimposes Sanctions
A top Iranian official warned on Wednesday that Iran could withdraw from a key nuclear nonproliferation treaty if Europe followed through on its threats to reimpose sanctions on Tehran. The remarks, from Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, came during a rare on-the-record briefing with reporters in New York, where he was attending meetings at the United Nations. Mr. Gharibabadi laid out his country's positions on a range of issues, setting the stage for nuclear talks with European counterparts in Istanbul on Friday. Since negotiations between the United States and Iran collapsed in June as Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran, setting off a 12-day war, Tehran has faced additional pressure from Europe about making concessions on its nuclear program. Britain, France and Germany announced this month that they would enforce tough U.N. sanctions on Iran by the end of August if the country did not make concrete progress on a deal to limit its nuclear program. The mechanism for applying the sanctions is called a 'snapback,' and it refers to a term in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that allows parties to the deal to impose sanctions on Iran before the deal expires at the end of October this year if it has violated its terms. Mr. Gharibabadi, who is part of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, warned that enacting snapback sanctions would provoke Iran to retaliate, including potentially by withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, one of the last remaining international safeguards on its nuclear program. Iranian officials have made similar threats in the past, saying the country would withdraw from the treaty if Israel or the United States attacked its nuclear sites. But even after the United States and Israel did just that during the recent war, Iran did not follow through on that threat. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
WIRED
28 minutes ago
- WIRED
Trump Says He's 'Getting Rid of Woke' and Dismisses Copyright Concerns in AI Policy Speech
Jul 23, 2025 6:11 PM The remarks, which came during a keynote speech at a summit hosted by the All-In Podcast, follow President Donald Trump's newly released AI Action Plan. US President Donald Trump during a reception with Republican members of Congress in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Photograph:President Trump announced that the United States' stance on intellectual property and AI would be a 'common sense application' that does not force AI companies to pay for each piece of copyrighted material used in training frontier models. 'You can't be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book or anything else that you've read or studied, you're supposed to pay for,' Trump said. 'We appreciate that, but just can't do it— because it's not doable.' The president also doubled down on his anti-woke rhetoric in his speech. 'We are getting rid of woke,' he said on Wednesday. 'The American people do not want woke Marxist lunacy in the AI models.' The remarks came during a keynote speech at a summit hosted by the All-In Podcast and the Hill & Valley Forum. White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, one of the podcast's cohosts, has been instrumental in shaping the Trump Administration's approach to artificial intelligence policy. Since the AI boom began in 2022, tech companies have been locked in a series of major legal battles with publishers, record labels, media companies, individual artists, and other rightsholders over the legality of training their AI tools on copyrighted material without permission or compensation. Earlier this week, senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill that seeks to bar AI companies from training on copyrighted works without permission; Trump's remarks suggest the White House does not support this approach. In a wide-ranging AI Action Plan released this morning, the Trump Administration outlined over 90 policy recommendations intended to ensure that the United States wins what Sacks calls the 'AI race' against China. The 28-page report stresses that 'AI is far too important to smother in bureaucracy at this early stage' and recommends policies meant to loosen regulations and roll back Biden-era guardrails, including a review of Federal Trade Commission investigations 'to ensure that they do not advance theories of liability that unduly burden AI innovation.' It also recommends that federal funding be withheld from states that enact overly 'burdensome' AI legislation. Curbing state efforts to regulate AI has been one of Sacks' pet projects. This recommendation comes after an attempt to pass a federal law requiring a decade-long 'AI moratorium' on state legislation failed late last month. In addition to issuing recommendations to loosen regulations, the AI Action Plan also doubles down on the Trump Administration's disdain for 'woke' AI. It recommends that federal procurement guidelines be updated so that only AI companies that 'ensure that their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias' are granted government contracts. Notably, the AI Action Plan does not mention intellectual property. Trump's remarks this evening offer unprecedented insight into the White House's preferred approach to regulating AI and copyright. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates .
