Recent USC Grad Kristian Ventura Inks With Innovative After Sparking Signing War Between Agencies

NBC News
5 Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire in northern Gaza
The Israeli military said Thursday that five soldiers were killed and seven injured in a friendly fire incident in northern Gaza, amid renewed battles in the area against regrouped Hamas militants.
Associated Press
Germany's parliament lifts immunity for prosecution of a far-right lawmaker
German lawmakers on Thursday lifted the immunity from prosecution of one of the far-right Alternative for Germany party's top candidates in the upcoming European Parliament election as he faces an investigation. The German parliament's lower house, or Bundestag, voted to lift Petr Bystron's immunity to clear the way for searches in connection with the investigation. Lawmakers from Alternative for Germany, or AfD, abstained.
AFP
Dutch EU opt-out on asylum could take 'years': Wilders to AFP
Far-right leader Geert Wilders told AFP Thursday it could take "years" for the Netherlands' new government to fulfil its pledge to opt-out of the EU asylum system, but vowed the nation would enforce its strictest asylum policy ever."What we have today in our agreement is really the most tough anti-asylum (policy) ever being implemented in the Netherlands," he told AFP. The far-right leader also vowed to implement border controls to enforce the stricter asylum policy.
AFP
Lebanon's Hezbollah says launched rocket barrage at Israeli positions
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched on Thursday "more than 60" rockets at Israeli military positions in retaliation for overnight air strikes on the country's east.Hezbollah fighters "launched a missile attack with more than 60 Katyusha rockets" on several Israeli military positions in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, the group said in a statement.
Reuters
GameStop, AMC slide as meme stocks rally loses steam
Shares of the struggling videogame retailer GameStop fell 16% to $33 after jumping as much as $64.83 so far this week. Theater chain AMC shed 13% following an 88% gain since Friday's close. Despite the losses on Wednesday, the two companies were among the top three most-traded shares by retail investors during the session, data from J.P.Morgan showed, a position they have held every day this week.
AFP
Xi, Putin hail ties as 'stabilising' force in chaotic world
Leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin framed their nations' ties as a stabilising force in a chaotic world as they met Thursday in Beijing, where the Russian president is seeking greater Chinese support for his war effort in Ukraine.On Thursday afternoon, the Russian leader met Premier Li Qiang -- China's number two official -- who said Beijing was willing to "continue to deepen cooperation in various fields".
Reuters
Italy's League seeks to remove EU flag from public offices
Italy's hard-right League on Thursday said it wanted to change the law and remove the European Union flag from public offices, looking to bolster its eurosceptic credentials ahead of EU parliamentary elections next month. League leader Matteo Salvini, whose electoral fortunes have waned in recent years, has dusted off a radical platform to lure eurosceptic electors and boost support for his party which is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition. Senator Claudio Borghi -- a staunch eurosceptic and a candidate at the European elections -- said only the Italian national flag should be displayed in front of the offices, along with banners representing the regions.
AFP
China's Baidu posts weakest quarterly revenue growth in over a year
Chinese internet giant Baidu announced Thursday its slowest quarterly revenue growth in over a year, as competition between top players in the country's cutting-edge tech sector intensifies.The figure represents a year-on-year increase of one percent -- the slowest quarterly revenue growth recorded by Baidu since the final quarter of 2022.
CNN
Medical residents are increasingly avoiding states with abortion restrictions
Isabella Rosario Blum was wrapping up medical school and considering residency programs to become a family practice physician when she got some frank advice: If she wanted to be trained to provide abortions, she shouldn’t stay in Arizona.
Reuters
Israel moves in on north Gaza Hamas stronghold, pounds Rafah without advancing
Israel's tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Thursday, facing anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs from militants concentrated there, while in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said. The slow progress of Israel's offensive, more than seven months after it was prompted by Hamas' deadly cross-border raid, highlighted the difficulty of achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aim of eradicating the militant group.
Reuters
Digitalisation of banking creates new risks, says global watchdog
The digitalisation and entry of Big Tech into finance create new vulnerabilities and amplify existing risks in the banking system that may need new rules to mitigate, global banking regulators said in a report on Thursday. The growth of cloud computing, whereby key banking services are aided by outside tech companies, the rise of AI, use of distributed ledger technology (DLT), and spread of open banking, or external fintechs sharing customer data with banks, create new risks, the Basel Committee of banking regulators said.
Reuters
Democratic divide on Gaza war, campus protests hurting Biden, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Democrats are deeply divided over President Joe Biden's handling of both the war in Gaza and the U.S. campus protests against it, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Some 44% of Democratic registered voters responding to the May 7-14 poll said they disapprove of Biden's handling of the crisis. Democrats who disapproved of his response were less likely to say they would vote for Biden in the Nov. 5 election -- no small concern given his tight rematch with Trump.
Associated Press
Takeaways from the AP's investigation into how US prisoners are hurt or killed on the job
A sweeping Associated Press investigation into prison labor in the United States found that prisoners who are hurt or killed on the job are often being denied the rights and protections offered to other American workers. The report on the dangers of prison labor is part of a wider AP investigation into what has become a multibillion-dollar industry that often operates with little oversight. Laws in some states spell it out clearly: Prisoners aren’t classified as employees, whether they’re working inside correctional facilities or for private businesses through prison contracts or work-release programs.
Reuters
Trump, allies are laying the groundwork to contest potential election loss
Donald Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to contest a potential loss in November, stoking doubts about the election's legitimacy even as opinion polls show the Republican presidential candidate leading in battleground states. In recent interviews, Trump has refused to commit to accepting the election results. At his rallies, he has portrayed Democrats as cheaters, called mail-in ballots corrupt and urged supporters to vote in such large numbers to render the election "too big to rig."
Reuters
A second Trump presidency would target IEA's green focus, advisers say
Donald Trump would likely push to replace the head of the International Energy Agency if he wins the U.S. presidential election to shift the energy watchdog's focus back to maximizing fossil fuel output instead of fighting climate change, according to people familiar with the matter. The Paris-based IEA has provided research and data to industrialized governments for more than half a century to help guide policy around energy security, supply and investment. In recent years, the organization has broadened its focus beyond oil and gas supply to include clean energy, as member governments seek input on meeting their goals under the Paris climate agreement and accelerate a transition away from fossil fuel reliance.
NBC News
Cities look for new ways to keep people safe — and alive — as extreme summer heat looms
As summer approaches, preparations for extreme heat are well underway for months in parts of the country that were hit hard by high temperatures last year.
Associated Press
US prisoners are being assigned dangerous jobs. But what happens if they are hurt or killed?
Blas Sanchez was nearing the end of a 20-year stretch in an Arizona prison when he was leased out to work at Hickman’s Family Farms, which sells eggs that end up in the supply chains of huge companies like McDonald’s, Target and Albertsons. “I could hear ‘crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch,’” Sanchez said.
Reuters
Transcript of interview with New York Fed's Williams
Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams was interviewed by Reuters on Wednesday. MICHAEL DERBY: We speak today on a day where we got some pretty important data. JOHN WILLIAMS: Well, I think the data are broadly consistent with the overall trend that we've seen over the last almost two years.
Reuters
Russian forces are trying to take Ukrainian village 30km from Kharkiv, says RIA
Russian forces are preparing to try to take a village called Lyptsi located about 30 km (19 miles) north of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, according to a Russian-installed official quoted by Russia's RIA state news agency. Russia last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war by pushing swiftly over the border into the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine with small groups of highly mobile units, a move that has forced Ukraine to rush in troops from other areas. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed all his foreign trips as Ukraine's battlefield situation continued to deteriorate on Wednesday and Kyiv said fighting was raging in the northeastern border town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region.
Associated Press
Violence rages in New Caledonia as France rushes emergency reinforcements to its Pacific territory
Violence raged across New Caledonia for the third consecutive day Thursday hours after France imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory, boosting security forces’ powers to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago where some residents have long sought to break free from France. French authorities in New Caledonia and the interior ministry in Paris reported four people, including a police officer, have been killed in the violence after protests earlier this week over voting reforms pushed by President Emmanuel Macron's government turned deadly. At least 60 members of the security forces were injured and 214 people were arrested in the Thursday's clashes with police, arson and looting, according to the territory’s top French official, High Commissioner Louis Le Franc.

Latest Stories