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Tens of millions of Americans sweltered outside or sought air-conditioned refuge as an “extremely dangerous” heat wave blanketed the eastern United States on Tuesday with record high temperatures.As a fierce sun reflected off the skyscrapers of New York, the normally frenetic Times Square was virtually deserted by mid-day as the mercury reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius), the hottest since 2012 in the Big Apple.By mid-afternoon Newark, New Jersey hit 103F (39.4C), according to the National Weather Service, and Philadelphia also reached 100F (38C). New Yorkers walked under umbrellas as they navigated the streets of Manhattan, while others sunbathed in swimsuits in parks.”It’s been kind of a cold spring. Then all of a sudden, boom, here it is,” Eleanor Burke, 82, told AFP of the heat, recalling how she took a dog for a walk the night before and “he almost looked like he was dead.”Soaring temperatures are straining the city’s power grid as people crank up their air conditioning. In the Bronx, a New York borough, a blackout left more than 34,000 homes without power, prompting energy supplier Con Edison to urge residents to moderate their electricity consumption.The NWS warned of East Coast temperatures of 97F-103F (36C-39.4C) on Tuesday, and a heat index — what the temperature feels like with humidity factored in — spiking as high as 110F (43.3C) for the New York metropolitan area.”Extremely dangerous heat persists across the Midwest and East Coast… affecting nearly half of the US population at 161 million people,” the NWS warned in an advisory, which also urged people to limit their physical activity due to poor air quality.”I don’t mind heat… but this of course is way too much,” said Maureen Brandon, 50, who said she walks in the shade and gets things done in the morning or evening outside of peak heat hours.In the US capital, temperatures also flirted with triple digits. The Washington Monument, the famed obelisk honoring America’s first president, was closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to “extreme heat in the DC area,” the National Park Service said.Passenger train company Amtrak announced speed restrictions on its East Coast tracks, which could cause delays.Meteorologists have described the intensifying weather pattern as a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps air underneath and leads to steadily rising thermal readings.Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, leading to more fatalities than natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes.Scientists say extreme heat waves are a clear sign of global warming, and they are expected to become more frequent, longer, and more intense.Fueled by human-caused climate change, 2024 was the warmest year on record globally — and 2025 is projected to rank among the top three.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “historic victory” on Tuesday after agreeing a ceasefire with Iran and insisted that his country’s arch-foe would never achieve a nuclear weapon.The premier’s comments, delivered in an address to the nation, came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was willing to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme.Pezeshkian insisted, however, that Iran would continue to “assert its legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic energy.”Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Netanyahu said after the ceasefire ended 12 days of deadly air and missile strikes between the arch foes.”We have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt.”Israel’s strikes eventually drew in the United States, which on Sunday hit Iran’s underground nuclear facilities with powerful “bunker-buster” bombs that Israel lacked.After Iran retaliated with a missile attack Monday night targeting a US base in Qatar, President Donald Trump called for de-escalation, announcing the contours of a truce deal hours later.In a phone call Tuesday, Pezeshkian told his Emirati counterpart “to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights”. “It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them,” he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was “ready to resolve the issues… at the negotiating table”.Israel has said its war, which began on June 13, was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.Israel’s military said that its strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear programme “by years” and that the campaign against the country was now “entering a new phase”.After Trump angrily berated both sides for early violations of the truce on Tuesday, Tehran announced it would respect the terms of the deal if Israel did the same, while Israel said it had refrained from further strikes.- Claims of victory -Before Netanyahu spoke, Israel’s government said its military had removed the “dual existential threat” of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.”We’ve set Iran’s nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile programme,” Israel’s chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a later statement.Iran’s top security body, meanwhile, said the Islamic republic’s forces had “compelled” Israel to “unilaterally” stand down.Its Revolutionary Guards also hailed a last-minute missile salvo fired at Israel as “a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy”.- Strikes on US base -Israeli strikes hit nuclear and military targets — killing scientists and senior military figures — as well as residential areas, prompting waves of Iranian missile fire on Israel.While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, it has been by far the most destructive confrontation between the arch-foes.The war culminated in US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites using massive bunker-busting bombs, followed by an Iranian reprisal targeting the largest US military facility in the Middle East.Trump shrugged off that response as “weak”, thanking Tehran for giving advance notice and announcing the outline of the ceasefire just hours later. – ‘Everyone is tired’ -Some Israelis on Tuesday welcomed the prospect of a truce.”Everyone is tired. We just want to have some peace of mind,” said Tel Aviv resident Tammy Shel, voicing hope for a lasting ceasefire. “For us, for the Iranian people, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region.”In Iran, people remained uncertain whether the peace would hold. Amir, 28, fled from Tehran to the Caspian Sea coast and told AFP by phone, “I really don’t know… about the ceasefire but honestly, I don’t think things will return to normal.”Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 610 civilians and wounded more than 4,700, according to the health ministry.Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures and rescuers.The international community reacted with cautious optimism to the truce.Saudi Arabia and the European Union welcomed Trump’s announcement, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped “that this will be a sustainable ceasefire”.But French President Emmanuel Macron warned there was an “increased” risk that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium secretly following the strikes on its nuclear sites.During their talks, Iran and the United States had been at odds over uranium enrichment, which Tehran considers a “non-negotiable” right and which Washington has called a “red line”. After the truce was announced, Israel’s military chief Zamir said Israel’s focus would now shift back to Gaza.The Israeli opposition, the Palestinian Authority and the main group representing the families of Israeli hostages all called for a Gaza truce to complement the Iran ceasefire. burs-dcp/kir

US prosecutors on Tuesday rested their case in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, as the music mogul’s defense team prepared to present their own evidence to jurors.Combs’s lawyers have said they will not call their own witnesses to testify in the trial, now in its seventh week in Manhattan federal court.Closing arguments are tentatively expected to begin on Thursday, after which jurors will be tasked with deciding the fate of the 55-year-old Combs, who faces life in prison if convicted.Following the prosecution’s 34th and last witness, the jurors headed to lunch while the defense presented their acquittal motion — an argument that the prosecution has not met its burden of proof.Such efforts are common in these types of cases, but acquittals are almost never granted.Later in the afternoon the defense is expected to introduce some exhibits and then rest their likely brief case, potentially by the end of Tuesday.It’s not abnormal for defense teams to opt against presenting witnesses; the obligation to prove guilt lies on prosecutors, and unless jurors decide they have, the defendant is presumed innocent.Since early May, prosecutors have aimed to draw connections across a web of witnesses, phone records and travel bookings, a bid to show that Combs was the kingpin of an enterprise comprised of high-ranking employees that carried out crimes including bribery, arson and kidnapping to enforce his power and satisfy his every desire.The prosecution said the artist and entrepreneur trafficked women and men for drug-fueled sexual marathons, sometimes days-long encounters dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”Some of the events were filmed, and jurors have watched a number of sexually explicit clips.Government attorneys closed their questioning by offering reams of text messages and other records for jurors to review, documentation of dozens of freak-offs that they say also shows arrangements for prostitution and trafficking.As testimony of the last summary witness — someone brought in to explain data and records to jurors — wrapped up, prosecutor Maurene Comey delivered a staccato burst of questions to emphasize elements of charges related to transportation with the intent of prostitution.Combs denies all charges.- No defense witnesses? -The defense’s decision not to call witnesses could indicate they believe their questioning of government witnesses could have cast enough doubt on the case against Combs.It could also mean they haven’t identified any witnesses who could help them.Lawyers for Combs have insisted that what prosecutors have called sex trafficking was consensual.Three women have testified in graphic detail of harrowing abuse that ranged from sexual, physical to emotional.The singer Casandra Ventura, Combs’s girlfriend for more than a decade, filed suit against Combs in 2023, a civil case that was settled out of court in less than 24 hours — but which opened the floodgates for a deluge of accusations against the one-time music industry powerhouse.She was among the key witnesses to testify at the trial, and jurors were repeatedly shown now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs violently kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel.A hotel security guard testified that he received $100,000 in a brown paper bag from Combs in exchange for the disturbing tape, which CNN published last year.Jurors are not sequestered but are instructed every day not to consume any media about the case — a mighty task, as news of the trial has permeated both traditional and social media.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers Tuesday that the central bank can afford to wait for the impact of tariffs before deciding on further interest rate cuts — despite President Donald Trump’s calls to slash levels.The Fed has a duty to prevent a one-time spike in prices from becoming an “ongoing inflation problem,” Powell said before the House Committee on Financial Services.”For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,” he added.His comments came after two Fed officials — Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman — recently suggested policymakers could cut rates as early as July.Powell declined to comment when asked about Waller’s views on a pathway to rate reductions.But he said officials could be inclined to lower rates sooner if inflation were weaker than expected or if the labor market deteriorated.The Fed has held the benchmark lending rate steady since its last reduction in December, bringing the level to a range between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent.Last week, Powell told reporters that it would make smarter decisions if it waited to understand how Trump’s tariffs impact the economy.The Fed chief said Tuesday that it should see the duties’ impact on consumer prices in June and July numbers, adding that a smaller effect than anticipated is also important for policymaking.Hours before Powell’s testimony, Trump again urged the chair of the independent Fed to slash rates, saying these should be “at least two to three points lower” as inflation remains benign.”I hope Congress really works this very dumb, hardheaded person, over,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.On Trump’s criticism, Powell said: “We always do what we think is the right thing to do, and you know, we live with the consequences.”New York Fed President John Williams separately supported maintaining the central bank’s monetary policy stance.”Much of the soft data we’ve seen in recent months captures the heightened uncertainty about the path of the economy,” he said in remarks prepared for a Tuesday event. “But it’s too early to say what the future trajectory of the hard data will be.”- ‘Still strong’ -Powell maintained Tuesday that it is unclear how concerns over US trade policies could affect future spending and investment.”Increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity,” he said.For now, Powell said: “Despite elevated uncertainty, the economy is in a solid position.””I wouldn’t want to point to a particular meeting,” he noted of the possibility of a July rate cut. “I don’t think we need to be in any rush, because the economy is still strong.”Given that “credibility on inflation is hard-won,” he said officials are proceeding cautiously.While inflation has eased, it remains above the bank’s longer-run two percent goal.Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed a 10 percent tariff on almost all trading partners and steeper rates on imports of steel, aluminum and autos.Economists warn levies could fuel inflation and hit economic growth, although widespread effects have so far been muted.This is partly because Trump has backed off or postponed his most punishing salvos. Businesses also stockpiled inventory in anticipation of the duties, avoiding immediate price hikes.Although the Fed has penciled in two rate cuts this year, there is growing divergence among policymakers about whether it can lower rates at all in 2025.Powell said a “significant majority” of the Fed’s rate-setting committee still feels it will be appropriate to reduce rates later this year.He pushed back on narratives of the dollar’s decline as “premature” too, expressing belief that it remains the top safe haven currency.On conflict in the Middle East, Powell noted “it’s too early to know what any economic implications might be.”

New York Democrats were choosing Tuesday between an upstart 33-year-old Muslim socialist and a political veteran vying to come back from a sex harassment scandal as mayoral candidate to lead the left-leaning city.The party’s primary contest has featured a cast of a dozen seeking to lead the biggest US city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.As voters cast ballots in a smothering heatwave, polls showed surprise challenger Zohran Mamdani and former state governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, at the top of the heap.With the Democrats reeling nationally from Donald Trump’s election last year, the high-profile city race has done little to calm party nerves.Cuomo stepped down as New York governor four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. He has also been accused of mismanaging the state’s response to the Covid pandemic.Staunchly pro-Israel Cuomo has led for most of the race, with massive name recognition as the son of another New York governor, as well as backing from powerful centrist figures including former president Bill Clinton.Mamdani, meanwhile, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America — the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that might work in the Big Apple but many analysts say the Democratic Party needs to discard to come back from the broader political wilderness.The fact that Mamdani speaks out for Palestinians and has accused Israel of “genocide” also makes him a prime target for Trump. His supporters include two other favorite Trump foils — fiery leftist Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”I see it as a referendum of the Democratic Party, whether we lean more towards the centrist candidate, who’s maybe from a different generation of politicians and people in society, or a younger, left-leaning, more ambitious, idealistic party,” voter Nicholas Zantal, 31, said.It was a contest unfolding under blazing heat, with thermometers topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 38 degrees Celsius).- Big ideas, low experience -Currently a New York state assemblyman representing the borough of Queens, Mamdani stands out for his energetic campaigning style and eye-catching policy proposals that include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, providing free bus service, and universal childcare.And in a wildly expensive city, where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, he has surged from behind.”Tomorrow is ours if we want it,” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of Indian descent, said late Monday in a social media post. “We are on the cusp of toppling a political dynasty, and delivering a New York everyone can afford.”Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.””What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.But Sheryl Stein, who works in tourism marketing, was skeptical.”I like youth,” she said. But Mamdani having “no experience and no proven track record to run the largest city in this country and one of the largest in the world, is pretty scary.”Cuomo is trying to capitalize on those concerns, telling supporters Monday that “this is not a job for a novice.””We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one, because your lives depend on it.”Results from the primary may take time to finalize.The contest is ranked-choice, with voters asked to select five candidates in order of preference, and potentially neither Cuomo nor Mamdani getting the required more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid elimination rounds.Whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination will face several contenders in November — including the current, scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but will run again as an independent.

New York Democrats were choosing Tuesday between an upstart 33-year-old Muslim socialist and a political veteran vying to come back from a sex harassment scandal as mayoral candidate to lead the left-leaning city.The party’s primary contest has featured a cast of a dozen seeking to lead the biggest US city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one.As voters cast ballots in a smothering heatwave, polls showed surprise challenger Zohran Mamdani and former state governor Andrew Cuomo, 67, at the top of the heap.With the Democrats reeling nationally from Donald Trump’s election last year, the high-profile city race has done little to calm party nerves.Cuomo stepped down as New York governor four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. He has also been accused of mismanaging the state’s response to the Covid pandemic.Staunchly pro-Israel Cuomo has led for most of the race, with massive name recognition as the son of another New York governor, as well as backing from powerful centrist figures including former president Bill Clinton.Mamdani, meanwhile, is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America — the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that might work in the Big Apple but many analysts say the Democratic Party needs to discard to come back from the broader political wilderness.The fact that Mamdani speaks out for Palestinians and has accused Israel of “genocide” also makes him a prime target for Trump. His supporters include two other favorite Trump foils — fiery leftist Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”I see it as a referendum of the Democratic Party, whether we lean more towards the centrist candidate, who’s maybe from a different generation of politicians and people in society, or a younger, left-leaning, more ambitious, idealistic party,” voter Nicholas Zantal, 31, said.- Big ideas, low experience -Currently a New York state assemblyman representing the borough of Queens, Mamdani stands out for his energetic campaigning style and eye-catching policy proposals that include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, providing free bus service, and universal childcare.And in a wildly expensive city, where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, he has surged from behind.”Tomorrow is ours if we want it,” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of Indian descent, said late Monday in a social media post. “We are on the cusp of toppling a political dynasty, and delivering a New York everyone can afford.”Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.””What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.But Sheryl Stein, who works in tourism marketing, was skeptical.”I like youth,” she said. But Mamdani having “no experience and no proven track record to run the largest city in this country and one of the largest in the world, is pretty scary.”Cuomo is trying to capitalize on those concerns, telling supporters Monday that “this is not a job for a novice.””We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one, because your lives depend on it.”Results from the primary may take time to finalize.The contest is ranked-choice, with voters asked to select five candidates in order of preference, and potentially neither Cuomo nor Mamdani getting the required more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid elimination rounds.Whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination will face several contenders in November — including the current, scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but will run again as an independent.

A Mississippi man who has been on Death Row for 49 years is to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, one of two executions scheduled in the United States this week.Richard Jordan, 79, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1976 for the murder of Edwina Marter, the wife of a bank executive in the town of Gulfport.Jordan, a shipyard worker, kidnapped Marter from her home and demanded a $25,000 ransom.He was apprehended when he went to pick up the money.Jordan confessed to murdering Marter and led the authorities to her body, which had been hidden in a forest. She had been shot.Jordan is to be executed at 6:00 pm Central Time (2300 GMT) at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.One other execution is scheduled to be carried out in the United States this week.Thomas Gudinas, 51, is to be put to death by lethal injection at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Tuesday at the Florida State Prison in Raiford.Gudinas was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of Michelle McGrath, who was last seen leaving a bar in the city of Orlando in the early hours.McGrath’s battered body was found the next day and Gudinas was arrested shortly afterwards.Florida has carried out more executions — six — than any other US state so far this year.The execution in Mississippi will be the first in the southern state since December 2022.There have been 23 executions in the United States this year: 18 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.The use of nitrogen gas as an execution method has been denounced by UN experts as cruel and inhumane.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”

A fragile ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war appeared to be holding on Tuesday, after 12 days of strikes that saw Israel and the United States pummel the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities.After US President Donald Trump, who had first declared the ceasefire, angrily berated both sides for violating it, Iran announced it would respect the truce if Israel did, while Israel said it had refrained from further strikes.Israel, in announcing it had agreed to Trump’s plan, said it had achieved all its military objectives.Iran initially stopped short of officially accepting the proposal, but President Masoud Pezeshkian later said that if “the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either”.Israel had accused Iran of firing missiles at it after the truce was meant to have come into effect — which Tehran denied — vowing to respond.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said Israel had “destroyed a radar installation near Tehran” in retaliation, but had “refrained from further strikes” following a phone call between Trump and the premier.On his way to attend a NATO summit in The Hague, Trump had publicly castigated both countries for violating the truce, and demanded Israel call off what he characterised as an imminent attack, later saying “the Ceasefire is in effect!”- Claims of victory -Both Israel and Iran appeared to claim victory following the announcement of the truce.The Israeli government said Netanyahu had convened his cabinet “to announce that Israel had achieved all the objectives of Operation Rising Lion and much more”.It added that it had removed “an immediate dual existential threat: nuclear and ballistic”, while vowing to respond forcefully to any violations of the ceasefire.Iran’s top security body, meanwhile, said the Islamic republic’s forces had “compelled” Israel to “unilaterally” stand down.Its Revolutionary Guards also hailed a missile salvo fired at Israel “in the final moments before the ceasefire”, saying it taught “a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy”.Israeli rescuers reported four people killed when a missile struck a residential building in the southern city of Beersheba early Tuesday.In Iran, state television said an overnight Israeli strike in the north killed nuclear scientist Mohammad Reza Seddighi Saber, who was under US sanctions.- Strikes on US base -Israel first launched its campaign against Iran on June 13, hitting nuclear and military sites as well as residential areas, and prompting waves of Iranian missile attacks on Israel.While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, this has been by far the most destructive confrontation between the arch-foes.The war also saw US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities using massive bunker-busting bombs, followed by an Iranian missile attack targeting a US military base in Qatar.Calling for de-escalation, Trump said Tehran had given advance notice of the barrage, and announced the contours of the ceasefire just hours later.Iran’s National Security Council confirmed having targeted the base “in response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities”.It added that the number of missiles launched “was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used” against Iran.Ali Vaez, Iran project director for the International Crisis Group, told AFP: “This was calibrated and telegraphed in a way that would not result in any American casualties, so that there is an off ramp for both sides.”- ‘Everyone is tired’ -Some Israelis on Tuesday welcomed the prospect of a truce.”I am so tired. Everyone is tired. We just want to have some peace of mind,” said Tel Aviv resident Tammy Shel, voicing hope for a lasting ceasefire. “For us, for the Iranian people, for the Palestinians, for everyone in the region.”Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 610 civilians and wounded more than 4,700, according to the health ministry.Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures and rescuers.The international community reacted with cautious optimism to news of the truce.Saudi Arabia and the European Union welcomed Trump’s announcement, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped “that this will be a sustainable ceasefire”.China’s foreign ministry said it supported Iran in “achieving a genuine ceasefire so that people can return to normal life”.But French President Emmanuel Macron warned there was an “increased” risk that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium secretly following the US and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites.Some turned their sights to the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arguing it was time to bring an end to that war too.The Palestinian Authority, Israel’s opposition leader and the main group representing the families of Israeli hostages all called for a Gaza ceasefire. The soaring death toll in the Palestinian territory has prompted months of international criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war, even from staunch allies.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that “the moment has come to conclude a ceasefire for Gaza”, adding that his country supported Israel but reserved the right to “critically question what Israel wants to achieve in the Gaza Strip”.burs-smw/kir

Their whirlwind romance began under a cloud of scandal, but now Lauren Sanchez, a former morning TV anchor with a love of flying, is set to wed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest person, in a Venice extravaganza. Both were married to other people when they began secretly dating sometime before 2019.In January of that year, Bezos and his first wife, the publicity-shy MacKenzie Scott, announced their divorce, stating their intention to continue “our shared lives as friends.”Bezos met Scott in 1992 while they were both working at a New York hedge fund. They quit their jobs to co-found Amazon in a rented garage in Bellevue, Washington.A month after the split, Bezos publicly accused the US tabloid the National Enquirer of blackmail in an offer to prevent the publication of salacious photos and text messages with Sanchez. He suggested the effort was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, whose leaders were reportedly upset with how The Washington Post — which Bezos owns — covered the murder of its reporter Jamal Khashoggi. However, Sanchez later revealed that her brother sold the phone content to the Enquirer for a reported $200,000.- ‘Is it hot?’ -With his new romance flourishing, Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021. Bezos, 61, stated his primary reason for pulling back was to dedicate more time and energy to Blue Origin, his space exploration company, and charity work. He remains Amazon’s executive chairman, the retail giant’s biggest shareholder, and still holds considerable influence over the company’s direction.Bezos and Sanchez are fixtures at Oscar parties and other celebrity haunts. Sanchez often uses Instagram to communicate, sometimes expressing her love for Bezos or her children. In 2023, they announced their engagement.Bezos has notably changed his look during his relationship with the exuberantly dressed Sanchez, trading in the wardrobe of a scrawny tech executive for that of a style-conscious playboy with a more muscular physique. “Is it just me, or is it hot outside?” Sanchez wrote in the caption of a 2023 Instagram post showing a shirtless Bezos in swimming trunks climbing the ladder of his $500 million mega yacht.- ‘Changed my life’ -Before her relationship with Bezos, Sanchez, 55, was not a nationally known figure. A third-generation Mexican American originally from New Mexico, Sanchez has dyslexia and has made awareness of the learning disability one of her missions. She has shared that she assumed she was “stupid” until a community college professor informed her she had the condition and was perfectly smart.”It changed my life,” helping her win a scholarship to the University of Southern California, Sanchez told the Wall Street Journal.She dropped out of USC to begin her TV career at a local station in Phoenix, Arizona, before working on Fox Sports and Extra, a TV tabloid-style news show in Los Angeles, which would become her home for decades. In 1999, she narrowly missed national fame when she was turned down for a spot on “The View,” the talk show hosted by TV news legend Barbara Walters.Sanchez instead became a familiar face to Angelenos as a co-host of a local morning news show from 2011 to 2017. During most of those years, she was married to Hollywood super-agent Patrick Whitesell, with whom she has two children, Evan and Ella. She also has a first son, Nikko, from a relationship with former NFL star Tony Gonzalez. Bezos has four children with his ex-wife: a son, Preston, born in 2000, as well as two sons and one adopted daughter whose ages and names are not public.- Women can fly -Sanchez has a deep passion for flying. After leaving morning television, she founded a company specializing in aerial filming and served as a consultant on Christopher Nolan’s film Dunkirk.”This space is dominated by men,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “But there’s nothing physical about flying a helicopter… There’s no reason more women aren’t in this.”Her passion for the skies also led her to space in April as part of an all-female flight on Blue Origin, though the 11-minute trip has been criticized as wasteful.  Among the crew were pop singer Katy Perry, who was also a guest at Sanchez’s bachelorette party in Paris last month. The A-list guest list for the party also included Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Eva Longoria.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was holding, shortly after he lashed out at both countries and cursed as he accused them of violating the truce.In a fast-moving series of declarations, the 79-year-old Republican, who was on his way to attend a NATO summit in The Hague, posted on his Truth Social app that “the Ceasefire is in effect!””ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt,” Trump wrote.Minutes earlier, he had castigated Iran and also close US ally Israel for violating a ceasefire he had originally announced late Monday.The two countries have been “fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing, do you understand that?” the president told reporters at the White House.Iran violated the ceasefire, “but Israel violated it too,” Trump told reporters on the White House’s South Lawn as he departed for the NATO summit.”So I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning.””I’ve got to get Israel to calm down,” he said. “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before.”Trump’s unusually public display of anger at Israel saw the US leader apparently trying to cajole his ally to call off warplanes in real time.Earlier the same morning, he had posted on Truth Social: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS” — without it being clear which bombs he was referring to.”IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”If it holds, the truce would be a big political win for Trump in the wake of his risky decision to send US bombers over the weekend to attack three nuclear facilities in Iran that Israel and the United States say were being used to build an atomic bomb in secret.The US leader had said the truce would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations first. He said Israel would follow suit 12 hours later.Israel has been bombing Iran in an offensive that began June 13. The United States joined the attack with a mission starting overnight Friday to Saturday against the deeply buried Fordow complex and two other sites.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump insisted that the US bombing mission was a success.”I think it’s been completely demolished,” he said, savaging US journalists for “fake news” and calling two networks “scum” for reporting that it remains unclear whether the Iranian nuclear infrastructure was truly dismantled.”IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!” he posted separately on Truth Social.