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Williams will launch a video podcast for the streaming giant called, "We're Back! With Brian Williams," which will include interviews with newsmakers and more, Netflix said.

A former Clippers star threw some salt in the team's wound on Wednesday night.

The avant-garde pop icon will enchant her Cry Babies in Brooklyn on July 23.

The Duchess of Sussex has showcased local designers and five-figure jewelry across her packed four-day itinerary.

The Duchess of Sussex has showcased local designers and five-figure jewelry across her packed four-day itinerary.

Trump Urges Extending Foreign Surveillance Program As Some Lawmakers Push For US Privacy Protections

Via Headline USA,

Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails, with supporters like President Donald Trump saying it has saved lives while critics point to longstanding concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans.

(AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)

A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance.

The program expires Monday, and critics want changes, including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans. They also want limits on the government’s use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online, offering the government what critics say amounts to an end-run around the Constitution.

Despite bipartisan criticism, the chances of significant reforms dropped when Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal, saying it had proven its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran.

“The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our military,” Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday.

U.S. authorities say the program, known as Section 702 of the law, is vital to national security and has saved lives by uncovering terror plots. Critics question what they call a dangerous infringement on civil liberties and privacy.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said a different FISA provision was used to spy on his 2016 campaign but that he supported Section 702’s renewal despite misgivings that political adversaries could use parts of the law against him in the future. He called on lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance program for another 18 months.

“My administration has worked tirelessly to ensure these FISA reforms are being aggressively executed at every level of the Executive Branch to keep Americans safe, while protecting our sacred Civil Liberties guaranteed by our Great Constitution,” Trump wrote.

Trump is a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence services and was once opposed to Section 702 before he reversed himself. “KILL FISA” Trump posted on social media in 2024, when the provision was last reauthorized.

Trump isn’t the only one-time critic to change their mind: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sponsored legislation to repeal Section 702 as a Hawaii congresswoman but now supports it after being tapped to coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.

Gabbard says new protections added since her time in Congress helped change her mind.

In addition to a requirement for a warrant to access Americans’ data, critics also want greater protections on how the FBI or other agencies can search communications and how that is reported to the public.

“Journalists, foreign aid workers, people with family overseas, all could have their communications swept up in this surveillance merely because they talked to someone outside of this country,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The longtime critic of the law is pushing for changes that he said will ensure the government isn’t violating civil rights in secret.

Several Republicans also have suggested changes, such as the warrant requirement.

“National security and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “We can give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to target foreign threats while ensuring that Americans are not subjected to unconstitutional surveillance.”

Gabbard’s office releases an annual report showing the number of foreign surveillance targets and number of searches likely to identify an American.

For 2025, the number of foreign surveillance targets increased to nearly 350,000 from almost 292,000 in 2024. Searches using terms likely to identify an American decreased slightly to 7,724 from 7,845 in 2024.

The totals are incomplete because agencies like the FBI have found ways to access the data without reporting the searches publicly, said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching for intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order.

“It’s reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover’s tenure at the FBI,” Goitein said, referring to the FBI’s founding director who used illegal surveillance to harass and spy on Americans. “They can pretty much target anyone.”

Despite bipartisan concerns about the law and its implications for civil liberties, time is running out for Congress to make any changes before Monday’s expiration.

Trump’s support also reduces the odds that enough Republicans will break ranks and join Democrats to push for reforms.

Wyden said Section 702 votes are routinely delayed until the last minute, then lawmakers are told that national security demands they vote yes. Lawmakers are told, he said, that “if they vote for any amendments, the program will die and terrible things will happen and it will be all their fault.”

The best chance for inserting changes likely is the House, where a large number of lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns.

But Rep. Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is backing Trump’s call for an 18-month renewal.

Crawford has taken aim in the past at what he calls the weaponization of intelligence but said last month that he believes the government can empower spy agencies while also holding them accountable.

“We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Crawford said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 13:45

Stars David Spade and Theo Von financed this comedy, without a traditional studio or distributor.

These simple upgrades are designed to help you streamline your system, stay organized, and make your everyday life a little easier

Tennessee has officially declared June to be “Nuclear Family Month” in what has been taken as a war on LGBTQ Pride. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a resolution last week for the new month-long celebration of the traditional family unit, which it defines as “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children.”...

More than half of people still believe that the American Dream is possible for those who want it — but optimism about achieving it greatly differs by demographic.

What does NBC have up its sleeve tonight?

It was a different kind of car grill.

The pop-up shrine features the few accomplishments from Hizzoner's first few months, including his map of childcare locations, a DOT helmet, and his infamous Baja Blast drink from Taco Bell.

Jason Momoa, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya snap a selfie, Prince Harry gets sporty and more snaps...

Jason Momoa, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya snap a selfie, Prince Harry gets sporty and more snaps...

One in five Americans believes they’re basically psychic, according to new research.

TBH, I'm obsessed.

The Russian Machine isn't ready for to shut it down just yet.

LIV Golf CEO Denies "Speculation" That Saudi Arabia On Cusp Of Severing Ties

Update (1130ET): Amid reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund might be on the verge of pulling its funding for the league, LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil told staff in an email overnight that its season will go on "as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle."

The email, which was obtained by ESPN, didn't directly address reports that PIF might stop investing in the breakaway circuit after spending more than $5 billion since its inception in 2022, or whether the league will continue competitions beyond this season.

"I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle," O'Neil wrote in the email.

"While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before."

LIV Golf is scheduled to play its sixth tournament of the season starting Thursday at Club de Golf Chapultepec near Mexico City.

Its first tournament in the U.S. is scheduled for May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

*  *  *

As Middle East Eye reported earlier, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is on the cusp of cutting its backing for LIV Golf, as it tightens its belt amid the US-Israeli war on Iran and delayed megaprojects at home.

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund could announce it was stepping away from the Saudi-backed golf tour, established in 2021, as early as Thursday, taking a hit on its $5bn investment in the entity.

via AFP

The report said PIF had been weighing an exit before the US-Israeli war on Iran began, but any decision would likely send a chill through the sports world and other entities seeking cash from Gulf sovereign wealth funds.

PIF is the main backer of LIV Golf, which has racked up major losses since its founding in 2021, and the move would likely spell its demise.

PIF's bet on LIV Golf to rival the PGA Tour was one in a series of investments that were made in a bid to bolster the kingdom’s involvement in sports and entertainment, as it pushes to diversify its economy away from energy.

Saudi Arabia’s potential reversal on its costly golfing venture is part of a wider pullback on sports investing, as it looks to prioritize returns, rather than cultural influence. https://t.co/s0iQdRcFAZ

— Bloomberg (@business) April 16, 2026

Even before the US-Israeli war on Iran, high-flying projects were being cancelled or massively scaled down. The kingdom’s finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said in December that it had "no ego" preventing it from reassessing projects.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia suspended construction of the Mukaab, a giant cube-shaped structure set to be built in downtown Riyadh. The kingdom also shelved plans to build a desert ski resort and a large dam for an artificial lake.

Because of its East-West pipeline running from the Gulf to the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia can bypass Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz. It is practically the only Gulf state exporting oil amid the war and is benefiting from higher oil prices.

But the conflict has also made it harder for Gulf states to present themselves as safe hubs for tourism and business.

Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, told Al Arabiya Business on Wednesday that the war on Iran was having an effect on PIF’s calculus, saying that “the war would add more pressure to reposition some priorities”.

Rumayyan confirmed for the first time that a 170km straight-line city envisioned to be part of the larger Neom development was no longer a priority.

"There are directives to Neom to reprioritise. Everyone thinks The ‌Line is Neom, but The Line is one project in Neom," he said. "Is it necessary to have The Line by 2030? I think no. It's good to have, but not a must-have," he said.

Cutting ties with LIV Golf would align with the kingdom’s efforts to keep more of its sovereign wealth fund cash at home. PIF is estimated to be worth $1 trillion.

Rumayyan said that PIF wanted 80 percent of its investments to go to local projects while it deployed 20 percent abroad, down from a high of 30 percent in recent years.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/16/2026 - 13:05

"When a jar of Nutella goes viral floating in space, you start to feel like anything is possible."