For as long as there have been teenagers, there has been curiosity about what they want to be when they grow up.
Today, that question is particularly interesting for Generation Alpha—those born from 2010 onward—because they will be the first cohort to grow up entirely in the 21st century, shaped by rapid technological change, global crises, and evolving ideas of work.
This infographic, via Visual Capitalist’s Niccolo Conte, sheds light on Gen Alpha’s dream careers based on a GWI survey of 11,452 kids aged 12–15 across 18 countries, revealing a broad mix of career aspirations among today’s teens.
What Gen Alpha Wants to Be When They Grow Up
Below is the breakdown of Gen Alpha’s career aspirations by gender, showing the percentage of boys and girls who named each profession as their dream job:
Across both genders, science and technology careers dominate.
Nearly a third of boys and almost one in five girls want to become scientists, engineers, or inventors—roles often associated with innovation, problem-solving, and impact.
Video game design and tech development is another popular choice, highlighting the influence of digital entertainment and the growing familiarity Gen Alpha has with coding, gaming platforms, and emerging tech.
For boys, professional sports is still a powerful aspiration, ranking third at 18%. For girls, careers in healthcare are particularly popular, with nearly one in five aspiring to become doctors or healthcare professionals.
The Creative Pull
Not all of Gen Alpha’s aspirations are STEM-oriented. Artistic careers—like musicians, dancers, actors, and painters—top the list for girls at 21% and still capture interest from 11% of boys.
Meanwhile, the rise of content creators and influencers as a career goal underscores how social media is reshaping the idea of work. About 11–12% of both boys and girls express interest in this path, suggesting it’s not just a passing trend but a legitimate aspiration in the digital age.
The first 2026 midterm primaries are more than 200 days away, with Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas kicking off inter-party preliminaries on March 3, 2026, but many congressional races are taking shape as incumbents and challengers launch campaigns.
Among the most closely-watched contests will be for supremacy in the House of Representatives, where Republicans now hold a 220-213 advantage.
Democrats believe they can flip the chamber while the GOP is gunning to increase its majority in the Nov. 3, 2026 election.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has identified 35 Republican-held congressional districts “in play,” while the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has a “target list” of 26 “vulnerable” incumbent Democrats it believes GOP challengers can unseat.
Among these races are 13 House seats Democrats won in districts President Donald Trump captured, and three Republicans won in districts then-Vice President Kamala Harris secured in November 2024.
These 61 House contests include anticipated tight tussles in eight of California’s 52 House seats, with the NRCC putting the bull’s eye on five incumbent Democrats, and the DCCC spotlighting three Republicans. Democrats now have a 43–9 bulge in California’s congressional delegation.
Other states with multiple House races that could be 2026 dogfights include five each in Florida and Ohio. In both states, the NRCC believes it can knock off two incumbent Democrats, and the DCCC is targeting three sitting Republicans.
Four New York House incumbents are in hot seats with the NRCC confident it can defeat three sitting Democrats—two on Long Island—and the DCCC targeting Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in the lower Hudson Valley.
Once again, the NRCC will attempt to win at least one of three Democrat-held Nevada seats in the Las Vegas area.
The sitting president’s party has lost House seats in every midterm but two since 1950.
Of course, with Texas lawmakers set to redraw the state’s 38 congressional districts and California legislators threatening to do the same, the playing field could be significantly altered by the end of thr year. Stay tuned.
Here are 16 prospective 2026 midterm House races listed chronologically by primary date that could determine which party controls the chamber when the 120th Congress convenes in January 2027.
1. North Carolina Congressional District 1
Two-term Rep. Donald Davis (D-N.C.), defeated Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by 1.7 percentage points—6,300 votes—in the 2024 North Carolina Congressional District 1 (CD 1) race.
Davis might be hard-pressed to retain his seat in a district that was once a Democratic stronghold but, following post-2020 Census redistricting, is now rated as a “toss up” by The Cook Political Report.
To win a third term, Davis must fend off Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson, who enters the race with $2.2 million in his war chest, according to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), a more than $1 million edge over the incumbent.
Roberson, who owns home-care, hospice, and nursing home operations, ran for the seat in 2022 but lost the GOP primary by 2,000 votes.
North Carolina CD 1 is among the 13 congressional districts where voters selected Trump in 2024, but sent a Democrat to the House. The president won the district by 3.1 percentage points, meaning Davis outperformed Harris by 4.8 percentage points while squeezing past Buckhout.
While The Cook Political Report rates the race as a “toss-up” district, Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball gives it a “Lean Democratic” classification.
As of Aug. 1, neither Davis nor Roberson face challengers for the March 3, 2026, primary.
2. Texas Congressional District 34
At least five Republican challengers will vie in the March 3, 2026, GOP primary for the party nod to take on two-term Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-Texas) in Texas Congressional District 34.
This is a seat Gonzalez retained by fewer than 5,000 votes—2.6 percentage points—in 2024, despite Trump winning by 4.4 percentage points.
The 2024 election marked the second time Gonzalez edged out former Rep. Maya Flores (R-Texas), after ousting her in 2022 from the seat in the Gulf Coast district, which stretches from Brownsville to Corpus Christi. It was the tightest margin of victory in Texas’s 38 congressional district elections in 2024.
Gonzalez will first need to brush aside a primary challenge from Brownsville policy researcher and rock musician Etienne Rosas before facing the winner of the GOP primary.
As of Aug. 1, at least five Republicans have declared candidacy with the Dec. 8 primary filing deadline still months away.
They are: Keith Allen, retail manager, ordained minister, and podcast host; Joshua Cortez, former senior advisor to Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas); Eric Flores, Army infantry veteran and former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas; Mauro Garza, teacher and entrepreneur; and Bam Morales, Army veteran and law enforcement officer.
As of June 30, Gonzalez’s campaign had more than $932,000 in its FEC campaign kitty while challengers had amassed nominal contributions.
The Cook Political Report and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate Texas’s CD 34 as a “toss-up” district, while Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales gives it a “Tilt Democratic” rating.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) has been on the GOP’s target list since she succeeded 14-term Rep. Thomas Ashley (D-Ohio) in 1982. In 2026, Republicans feel confident they can flip Ohio’s Congressional District 9 for the first time since 1930.
The state’s longest-serving member of Congress is seeking an 18th term in the northwest Ohio district that Trump won by 7 percent and Kaptur retained by 1,382 votes—0.7 percentage points—over business owner, realtor, and former state representative Derrick Merrin.
Merrin is among four Republicans who will contend for the party berth to challenge Kaptur in the May 5, 2026, GOP primary. The others include Alea Nadeem, an Air National Guard officer who has been a national security policy advisor at the Pentagon and the National Security Council; attorney and Ohio state Rep. Josh Williams; and Air Force veteran Wayne Kinsel.
Kaptur, as of Aug. 1, does not have a primary opponent. She does, however, have a big fundraising advantage with nearly $950,000 in her FEC campaign fund. By contrast, of her opponents, only Nadeem has reported contributions—less than $86,000—as of June 30.
The Cook Political Report and Crystal Ball rate Ohio’s CD 9 as a “toss-up.”
Newcomer Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) in 2024 knocked out three-term incumbent Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) by 4,062 votes—1 percentage point—in their Pennsylvania Congressional District 7 race.
Wild, as of Aug. 1, is not among the three Democrats who have declared their candidacies for Pennsylvania’s May 19 primary for a space on the ballot opposite Mackenzie in 2026. The state candidate-filing deadline for the party preliminaries is March 10, 2026.
The confirmed three are: Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, and nonprofit executive Carol Obando-Derstine.
Mackenzie, who does not have a Republican primary challenger as yet, served on the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority before defeating Wild in CD 7, which includes all of Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton counties in northeast Pennsylvania.
Mackenzie’s campaign had $1.2 million in its FEC war chest as of June 30, significantly more in contributions than any of his potential opponents.
The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Crystal Ball all rate Pennsylvania’s CD 7 as a “toss-up” district.
This key Omaha-area House seat is wide open after five-term Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) announced on June 30 he is not seeking reelection in 2026, and Democrats believe they can win it.
Nebraska Congressional District 2 is one of three districts in the country that Harris won in 2024 while also electing a Republican to the House. Bacon, a retired Air Force general, defeated Democrat Tony Vargas by less than 2 percentage points in their rematch from 2022.
With Bacon out of the picture, four Democrats and one Republican have launched campaigns for the seat, which The Cook Political Report and Crystal Ball rate as “Lean Democratic,” and Inside Elections calls a “toss up.”
As of Aug. 1, state Sen. Brett Lindstrom and Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding have thrown their hats in the ring for the GOP primary.
Vying for the Democratic nod are Kishla Askins, a former deputy assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Joe Biden; state Sen. John Cavanaugh; Denise Powell, small business owner and former corporate executive; and Evangelos Argyrakis, immigration attorney.
The Nebraska State Legislature has not yet set a date for the primary, but it is typically in May.
6. California Congressional District 13
Although Trump lost California by 20 percentage points in 2024, he won Congressional District 13 by 5.4 percentage points.
Newcomer Rep. Adam Gray (D-Calif.) unseated one-term Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) by 187 votes in their 2024 slugfest—the closest House race nationwide—and Republicans will likely spend big to get the Central Valley seat back.
As of Aug. 1, Gray doesn’t face a party rival in the June 2 primary, but Republicans Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez and business owner Vin Kruttiventi will face off for the GOP nod.
Gray is one of 13 Democrats holding seats in crossover districts the president won.
The district garners a “toss-up” rating from the Cook Political Report, Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections.
7. New Jersey Congressional District 7
Two-term Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) does not, as of Aug. 1, have any opponents in New Jersey’s June 2 primary, but at least eight Democrats will battle for a Congressional District 7 ballot berth to dislodge him in November 2026.
The district, one of the most affluent in the nation, includes Hunterdon and Warren counties, and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union counties in north-central New Jersey.
Kean was reelected in 2024 by 5.4 percentage points over Democrat Susan Altman after wresting the formerly blue stronghold from two-term Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) by 2.8 percentage points—less than 9,000 votes—in 2020. It was a rematch from their 2020 race, which Malinowski won by 1.2 percentage points.
The son of former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean Sr., Kean is a former state lawmaker who worked in the Environmental Protection Agency during the George H.W. Bush administration.
The candidate-filing deadline for the primary is March 23, 2026, but the Democratic inter-party preliminary is already crowded.
Among contenders are Rebecca Bennett, criminal justice professor; Beth Ellen Adubato, former Navy helicopter pilot, Air National Guard officer, and health care executive; Valentina “Vale” Mendoza, an attorney; Michael Roth, an official in the Biden administration’s Small Business Administration; Felipe Santos, an entrepreneur; Tina Shah, a physician; Brian Varela, a marketing agency owner; and Gregory Vartan, Common Council of Summit councilmember.
Crystal Ball rates New Jersey CD 7 a “toss-up,” while The Cook Political Report classifies it as “Lean Republican,” and Inside Elections as “Tilt Republican.”
8. New Mexico Congressional District 2
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) edged out incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) by 0.7 percentage points in 2022—the nation’s closest House race during that midterm election. He beat Herrell again by more than 4.2 percentage points in their 2024 rematch in New Mexico’s Congressional District 2.
As of Aug. 1, Vasquez does not face a challenger in the state’s June 2 primary, nor does Republican Eddy Aragon, although that could change by the Feb. 3 candidate-filing deadline.
The district, which spans southern New Mexico—including Las Cruces and the southern reaches of Albuquerque—is one of 13 districts Trump won in 2024 while a Democrat was elected to the House.
Vasquez, a former journalist, Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces executive director, and field representative for Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), served on the Las Cruces City Council before challenging Herrell.
Aragon is CEO of Rock of Talk and a longtime Albuquerque radio broadcaster. As of Aug. 1, he had $3,000 in his FEC campaign fund compared to Vasquez’s $626,000.
The Cook Political Report rates New Mexico’s CD 2 as a “toss-up,” while Inside Elections gives it a “Tilt Democratic” classification, and Crystal Ball calls it a “Lean Democratic.”
9. Maine Congressional District 2
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) is seeking a fifth term in Maine’s Congressional District 2, a district he won in 2024 by 0.6 percentage points—2,706 votes—and Trump won by almost 7 percent.
Next year, he’ll have to do that against former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage in the 27,326-square-mile district, the largest by area, east of the Mississippi River.
As of Aug. 1, neither face party rivals in the state’s June 9 primary, but that could change before the March 15 candidate-filing deadline.
Golden had $1 million in his FEC campaign fund as of June 30, while LePage had $527,781.
The Cook Political Report and Crystal Ball rate Maine’s CD 2 as a “toss-up,” while Inside Elections pegs it as “Tilt Democratic.”
10. Virginia Congressional District 2
Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (R-Va.) has survived two races in Virginia’s Congressional District 2, unseating incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) in 2022 by 10,000 votes—3.4 percentage points—and then fending off Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal by 3.8 percentage points in 2024.
Another tussle awaits if she’s to three-peat in the tidewater district, which has a strong military, primarily Navy, constituency.
Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot and an adult-geriatric nurse practitioner, faces no GOP challengers in the June 16 primary as of Aug. 1, but party rivals could emerge before the April 2 candidate-filing deadline.
Three Democrats have declared candidacies. They are U.S. Naval Academy graduate and fast-attack submarine veteran James Osyf; Navy veteran and entrepreneur John ‘Burk’ Stringfellow; and data center project manager Nicolaus Sleister.
Kiggans had nearly $1.5 million in her FEC kitty as of June 30. The Democratic candidates had either nominal contributions or had not reported yet.
Virginia’s CD 2 is rated a “toss-up” district by Inside Elections and Crystal Ball. The Cook Political Report calls it “Lean Republican.”
11. New York Congressional District 4
First-term Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) defeated incumbent Rep. Anthony D‘Esposito (R-N.Y.) by 2.3 percentage points in their 2024 Congressional District 4 race. It was a rematch, and a reversal, of their 2022 race that D’Esposito won by 3.6 percentage points.
As of Aug. 1, Gillen, the former Hempstead Town supervisor, faces two Democrat rivals in the party’s June 23 primary: real estate professional and veteran Democrat campaign manager Gian Jones, and artist and stagehand Nicholas Sciretta.
Americord founder and CEO Martin Smithmyer is the only Republican seeking the party nod to take on Gillen, although more are likely to join the race before the April 2 candidate-filing deadline.
Gillen has more than $1 million in her FEC campaign bank. None of her challengers in the Long Island district had significant contributions as of June 30.
The Cook Political Report rates New York’s CD 4 as a “toss-up.” Inside Elections calls it “Tilt Democratic,” and Crystal Ball rates it as “Lean Democratic.”
12. Colorado Congressional District 8
Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) defeated incumbent Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) by 0.7 percentage points in 2022 in Colorado Congressional District 8 and again warded her off in 2024 by 1.2 percentage points.
Evans will face a similar close race in 2026 if he’s to return to Congress for a third term representing Colorado’s newest district, which traces I-25 north of Denver in Adams, Larimer, and Weld counties.
Nearly 40 percent of CD 8 voters are Hispanic, and Democrats have a 3 percent registration advantage, which is why at least seven Democrats have launched campaigns to win the June 30 primary to take on Evans in November 2026—including Caraveo, a pediatrician.
The other six are: Amie Baca-Oehlert, executive director of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association; State Rep. Shannon Bird; Marine combat veteran and finance associate Evan Munsing; state Rep. Manny Rutinel; software management consultant John Szemler; and Colorado state Treasurer Dave Young.
Evans, an Army combat veteran, farmer, and former police officer, as of Aug. 1 does not have a GOP primary challenger, although there’s time for rivals to declare before the March 17 candidate-filing deadline.
He had $1.5 million in his FEC campaign kitty as of June 30, far more than the Democrat campaigns, although Rutinel had more than $800,000 in contributions.
The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Crystal Ball all rate Colorado’s CD 8 as a “toss-up” district.
These Are The Best-Selling Cars In The US So Far In 2025
The first half of 2025’s best-selling cars in the U.S. confirms America’s long-standing love affair with trucks and SUVs.
Pickup models from Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram continue to dominate the top ranks, while compact SUVs from Toyota and Honda also make strong showings. Sedans, once the default choice for many households, are now largely absent from the bestseller list.
With 3.17 million cars sold across America’s top 20 models in the first half of 2025, pickup trucks and SUVs dominate the top of the list, making up nine out of the top 10 most-sold cars.
The data table below lists the top 20 car models and their sales figures for H1 2025, along with what kind of vehicle it is.
Ford’s F-Series led with 412,848 units, with the Chevrolet Silverado close behind at 284,038. The Toyota RAV4 (239,451) and Honda CR-V (212,561) were the leading compact SUVs, reflecting the segment’s broad appeal.
If you take a look at the best-selling cars by state, the Ford F-Series dominates the map, which is no surprise considering Ford is among the top three favorite car brands of every generation in America.
Among the top 10 best-selling cars, pickups account for five spots and about 56% of volume, while SUVs take four spots and 36%. The top five models—three pickups and two compact SUVs—together make up about 42% of all top-20 sales.
Few Sedans Among Best-Selling Vehicles
Sedans claim just one place in the top 10 with the Toyota Camry at 155,330 units sold in America in the first half of 2025. The Honda Civic (128,236) and Toyota Corolla (120,052) follow just outside of the top 10, joined by Tesla’s Model 3 (101,323) in 17th place.
Looking at the full top 20 sales by vehicle type, SUVs account for 47% of top-20 sales (1.49 million vehicles), followed by pickup trucks at 37% (1.17 million) and sedans at 16% (505,000).
While sedans still find buyers, since 2015 a strong majority of car sales have continued to shift to crossovers and trucks.
To learn more about car production around the world, check out this graphic on Voronoi which maps out global vehicle production by country in 2024.
Jailed American Hit With New Charges By Russian Court, As 9 Total US Citizens Remain Imprisoned
Russian prosecutors have brought new charges against Robert Gilman, an American citizen and former Marine who was already slapped with an eight-year prison sentence for attacking law enforcement while drunk as well as a prison official, according to court records.
The 30-year old Gilman has actually owned up to the attacks – but claimed self-defense and that he was also responding to insults. The new charges, which were filed in late July in a court in Voronezh, southern Russia, are also said to relate to alleged assaults on prison staff.
Kommersant newspaper says Gilman’s legal team is requestiong a reduced sentence, citing an unspecified mental health issue, and he’s next due in court on August 25.
Gilman’s family as well as advocacy groups say he was wrongfully detained on false charges, and further that he’s being held as a bargaining chip for future possible prisoner swap with Washington. Here’s how one such US non-profit organization working on obtaining his freedom characterizes his arrest:
Robert is a Marine Corps veteran, who was traveling in Russia when he fell sick on a train. Instead of medical help, he was taken to a police station. He fell into a cycle of charges, which began with a case that was dismissed, a second that was without evidence, and a third for assault of a police officer where even the police officer says he should not be charged.
A typical Russian Government tactic is getting Americans into their system, and pile on various unfounded charges to keep them there. This is Robert’s story, and they continue to put him in conditions that set him up for further charges that further politicize his case. Beyond this, the profile of the case against Robert appears eerily familiar to the Trevor Reed case, where a former Marine unexpectedly blacked out and was charged with punching a police officer, suggesting this may all have been staged.
And here is a description of what came next via the Amsterdam-based Moscow Times:
Robert Gilman, 30, was found guilty of attacking a policeman while drunk in the western city of Voronezh in 2022 and sentenced to four and a half years in jail, which was later reduced to three and a half years following an appeal.
While jailed for that conviction, Gilman allegedly punched prison staff “in the head” on two separate occasions, once during an inspection of his cell in September 2023 and again in October, according to prosecutors cited by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
Days later he attacked a criminal investigator and, after being moved to a pre-trial detention center, struck another prison guard during a search, the agency reported.
In October 2024, when Gilman was sentence for the attack on a prison guard, Reuters featured the following: “RIA cited Gilman as telling the court last week that he had been forced to use violence after the prison inspector had caused pain to his genitalia and after the investigator had insulted his father.”
Such an admission and the circumstances surrounding his case are perhaps why so far the US government has not declared him ‘wrongfully detained’ – which is a legal designation which signfifies the US sees someone as essentially a hostage for which a swap can be authorized.
Even after a series of past high-profile prisoner swaps – from Brittney Griner to former US Marine Paul Whelan to The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich and others – at least nine American citizens are currently imprisoned in Russia.
Back in April, Russian-American ballerina and spa worker Ksenia Karelina was swaped for a Russian national accused by the US government of helping transfer sensitive electronics to the Russian military.
Karelina had been hit with treason charges by the Russian government, for merely making a $51.80 donation to an American charity supporting victims of the war in Ukraine. Apparently the transaction had been found on her phone while she visited Russian family, and this was enough to get her an ultra-harsh 12 year sentence in a Russian labor camp. Thus her case was more easily classified as ‘wrongfully detained’ by the US.
Below is a summary review of the other eight detained Americans still in Russia, compiled by Reuters & other media sources:
Stephen James Hubbard
Hubbard, 73, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison in October last year after being convicted in a closed court in Moscow of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine. Russian state media said he pleaded guilty.
An English teacher who had previously lived in Japan and Cyprus, Hubbard had been living in the Ukrainian town of Izium and was arrested after Russian forces took control of the town in 2022. His relatives rejected claims that Hubbard served for Ukraine, pointing to his advanced age.
He was designated by the US in January as “wrongfully detained”, meaning Washington is committed to try to negotiate his release.
Gordon Black
An active duty US staff sergeant based in South Korea, Black was detained in May 2024 in Russia’s Far East on suspicion of stealing money from his Russian girlfriend.
A court in June found Black guilty of stealing 10,000 roubles (R1,874) from the woman and threatening to kill her, sentencing him to three years and nine months in prison. In April, a Russian court cut Black’s sentence to three years and two months.
Daniel Joseph Schneider
Schneider was sentenced to six years in prison in September last year by a court in the Kaliningrad region for kidnapping his son after he tried to leave Russia with the four-year-old without permission from the boy’s mother.
Schneider was detained near Poland by Russia’s border service while trying to cross the border in a forest swamp, the court said.
Joseph Tater
Tater was sentenced to 15 days in jail last August for “petty hooliganism” after he was alleged to have abused staff at a Moscow hotel, which he denied. Russian news agencies later said he was also being investigated on a more serious charge of assaulting a police officer, which carries up to five years in prison.
On April 6 a court ordered Tater be removed from pretrial detention and placed in hospital. State media said doctors have diagnosed him with a mental disorder.
A Russian court later ruled he was not criminally responsible for his actions and committed him for treatment in a Russian hospital.
Michael Travis Leake
A musician and former US paratrooper, Leake was sentenced to 13 years in prison last July for drug smuggling.
It was not clear how Leake pleaded to the charges, filed after his arrest in June 2023.
Robert Romanov Woodland
A US citizen adopted from Russia as a child, Woodland had moved back to Russia and was working as an English teacher when he was arrested on charges of attempting to sell drugs. He was sentenced on July 4 last year to 12 years and six month in prison. His lawyer said Woodland had partially admitted guilt.
In April, a Russian court ordered Woodland’s jail sentence be reduced to nine years and six months, his lawyer told Reuters.
Eugene Spector
Serving a three year and six months sentence for bribery, Spector, who was born in Russia and moved to the US, was charged last August with espionage.
Before his arrest in 2021, he served as chair of the board of Medpolymerprom Group, a company specialising in cancer-curing drugs, state media said. Spector had pleaded guilty to helping bribe an assistant to an ex-Russian deputy prime minister. It was not clear how he pleaded to the espionage charge.
David Barnes
Barnes was sentenced by a Russian court in February 2024 to 21 years on charges of abusing his two sons in the US. He had been involved in a custody dispute with his Russian ex-wife.
The allegations had previously been investigated in Texas, where authorities found no grounds to charge him.
Andre Khachatoorian
An Armenian-American from Los Angeles, Khachatoorian was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison in 2023 for arms trafficking. He was arrested in 2021, while travelling from California to Armenia via Moscow, after a firearm was found in his luggage.
Khachatoorian, 38, said his firearm was legal, and he was tricked into applying for a Russian visa at the airport, and removed from the transit zone, where he could be arrested under Russian law.
* * *
It is entirely possible that at least some of these imprisoned individuals could be traded in a future swap with the United States – something which Moscow has clearly shown itself open to, especially in instances where it can get back from US custody people that may have been tied with its intelligence services.
Syria’s caretaker government is moving to restore the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline with Iraq, a strategic corridor that had the capacity to move up to 300,000 barrels per day to Syria’s Mediterranean coast before war and sanctions shut it down in the early 2000s.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir will travel to Baghdad in the coming days to discuss rehabilitation plans, according to Iraqinews.com.
For Damascus, reconnecting to Iraq’s oil network could provide critical transit revenues, reduce reliance on costly maritime imports, and restore its position as a regional energy hub. For Baghdad, reopening the route would offer an alternative export outlet to Europe, bypassing chokepoints in the Strait of Hormuz and diversifying away from Turkey-dependent pipelines, as highlighted by Shafaq News.
The proposal comes as post-Assad Syria navigates a shifting geopolitical landscape. Regional powers, including Turkey, Iran, and Gulf states, are recalibrating their strategies, while Western capitals weigh how to engage without ceding influence to rivals. Analysts told the Yetkin Report that the Kirkuk-Baniyas revival could weaken Ankara’s leverage over Iraqi exports and reshape Mediterranean energy flows.
The revival of the Kirkuk-Baniyas could also have far-reaching consequences for Baghdad’s relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.
For over two years, northern exports have been hampered by the shutdown of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to Ceyhan, a route that runs through territory controlled by the KRG.
A functioning Baniyas route would give Baghdad a northern export corridor that bypasses both KRG-controlled infrastructure and Turkish territory. Analysts note that this could diminish Erbil’s bargaining power in budget talks and shift Iraq’s export calculus toward Syrian cooperation.
The change could also heighten tensions if Baghdad attempts to channel crude from disputed fields in Kirkuk and Nineveh through Syria without KRG consent.
In a 2-1 decision on Aug. 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said the judge who issued the block erred in weighing how likely it was that the plaintiffs would succeed in their ongoing lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The decision marked a win for the administration, which has encountered a wave of lawsuits related to DOGE’s activities within the federal government. The agency was set up in February under the temporary direction of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, whom Trump designated as a special government employee, to identify wasteful spending and inefficiencies within the federal government.
Fourth Circuit Judge Julius Richardson said that in this particular lawsuit, the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed in proving they had standing or that DOGE’s activities violated federal law. He compared DOGE to a consultant tasked with improving the efficiency of a local library.
“Barring the consultant at the library doors and requiring her to specify the precise records she needs to improve the library before she knows what improvements are needed would seem to get the order of operations precisely backward,” he said.
DOGE, also known as the U.S. DOGE Service, was set up by President Donald Trump to modernize “federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” It includes an overarching agency along with DOGE-affiliated employees working within departments like the Treasury Department.
In February, a group of individuals and unions sued the administration, alleging that DOGE was “steamrolling into sensitive government record systems” and compromising the safety and security of Americans’ personal information.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman eventually issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Treasury Department from disclosing the plaintiffs’ information to any DOGE affiliates, whom she described as individuals tasked with implementing Trump’s executive order.
According to Richardson’s opinion, Boardman’s order effectively paused DOGE activities within the three federal entities, although the appeals court had quickly intervened with a temporary block on that order.
Months later, the Supreme Court weighed in on a similar case and lifted a lower court order blocking DOGE from accessing confidential data at the Social Security Administration. Richardson said that case and the one before him were “exceedingly similar.”
Plaintiffs in both cases alleged violations of the Privacy Act, a federal law that restricts how government agencies can share personal information. One of the exceptions in the law allows disclosure to agency employees who have a need for the particular record in the performance of their duties.
Boardman had said that the administration likely violated this law, stating that the record before her hadn’t shown why their access was necessary.
“Here, the need-to-know exception has been invoked to defend the disclosure of millions of records,” she said, describing DOGE’s access to the Education Department as “seemingly unfettered.”
Richardson disagreed on Aug. 12.
“To insist that the DOGE affiliates explain in advance the exact information they need and why is to demand something just short of clairvoyance,” he said.
“So it does not stretch the imagination to think that an employee tasked with modernizing an agency’s software and IT systems would require administrator-level access to those systems, including any internal databases, especially when conducting the initial survey of the agency’s technological ailments.”
He saw several other flaws with the plaintiffs’ case, including that they likely didn’t have standing to sue the administration.
Judge Robert King dissented from the appeals court’s decision and defended Boardman’s order, stating that she “did exactly what [she] was obliged to do.”
The Supreme Court was relatively brief in its decision on June 6 that lifted a block on DOGE’s access to the Social Security Administration. However, three liberal justices said they would have denied the administration’s request for relief in that case. A dissent from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson echoed Boardman’s claim about DOGE’s reach.
Macrons Secretly Hired Investigator To Dig Up Dirt On Candace Owens
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron have been revealed to have hired a private investigation firm to research conservative commentator Candace Owens, according to a new report from the Financial Times. The investigation comes as the French presidential couple pursues a defamation lawsuit against Owens over repeated allegations across multiple platforms that Brigitte Macron was born male.
The cross-continental probe was conducted by New York-based firm Nardell & Co, which, according to the British business news outlet, attempted to uncover damaging information about Owens by scrutinizing her public statements and political connections. Investigators reportedly looked into whether the popular podcaster had any direct ties to Russian officials or business interests.
While the investigation failed to establish any direct Russian connections, researchers did document Owens’ online interactions with Russian political theorist Alexander Dugin. The report noted that both figures have shared each other’s content on social media platforms various times.
The 218-page lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court last week, includes 22 separate counts against Owens, including defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and defamation by implication. The legal action centers on Owens’ repeated allegations across multiple platforms that Brigitte Macron was born male.
Researchers also documented her connections to other prominent conservative figures, including conservative journalist Tucker Carlson and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
“When it comes to Brigitte Macron, abusing Emmanuel and then blaming it on Russia is an unfortunate and sinister pattern,” Owens responded to the Financial Times report.
The Macrons’ attorney Tom Clare has characterized the case as straightforward defamation, stating that Owens “both promoted and expanded on” what he called “discredited falsehoods originally presented by a self-proclaimed spiritual medium and so-called investigative journalist.”
According to court documents, Owens has promoted these claims through social media posts and an eight-part YouTube series titled “Becoming Brigitte,” which the Macrons’ legal team argues has led to significant online harassment of the first lady.
Court filings indicate the Macrons’ representatives made multiple requests for retractions before filing the lawsuit. The presidential couple said in a joint statement that legal action became “the only remaining avenue for remedy” after Owens allegedly continued to promote the claims.
Despite calls for retractions, Owens has stood firm in her position, declaring in a 2024 social media post that she would “stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.”
The U.S. lawsuit follows mixed results for the Macrons in French courts addressing similar allegations. In July, a Paris appeals court overturned lower court convictions against two French women who had made comparable claims about the first lady. The appellate court ruled that defendants Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey had acted in “good faith” despite making false claims, eliminating their financial liability for damages previously awarded to the Macrons.
The number of people killed in the massacres in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate is still yet from being fully documented, as tensions continue to flare and the whole governorate is effectively on lockdown from the government. Talks aimed at addressing concerns about that situation are scheduled for this week in Amman, Jordan.
But while early reports were that a number of representatives of the Druze minority would be present for the talks, that turns out not to be the case, as the Syrian Islamist government has insisted only government representatives could participate, and therefore no Druze will be present.
That’s hugely important since the violence in Suwayda mostly involved massacres of the Druze population, and the Syrian government security forces are accused of participating in at least some of those. The talks are now scheduled to only involve Syria and Jordan’s respective foreign ministers, as well as US envoy Tom Barrack.
Barrack said the talks will affirm their “collective determination to move towards a future in which Syria and all its people can live in peace, security and prosperity.” It’s not at all clear, however, that any concrete efforts will be discussed at these talks.
State Department spokesman Michael Mitchell urged “restraint” in Suwayda, and warning against excessive use of force against protesters. The administration in general, however, seems to be overwhelmingly behind the Syrian government on effectively all issues, and is pushing for the Druze, the Kurdish SDF and others to voluntarily disarm so that the Islamist central government has a monopoly on arms.
A new video has drawn more attention to the killings in Suwayda, showing uniformed forces entering a hospital and summarily executing an unarmed man who was identified as a hospital volunteer. They had rounded up hospital staff for questioning and killed the man after he confirmed he was Druze.
Before the video surfaced, state media was accusing Druze forces of carrying out the massacre at the hospital, and while this video only shows a single execution, it’s plainly by government security forces. The government is now promising an investigation into the matter.
That probably won’t lead to much, as myriad promised investigations into the massacre of Alawites in northwest Syria earlier in the spring similarly were just extended until the matter was more or less dropped publicly. Both the anti-Alawite purge and the violence against the Druze led to well over 1,000 deaths, and simmering violence that has continued to rage in both cases.
Bet he constantly dreamed of sitting on this special chair next to a Gulf-owned American diplomat billionaire while he was coordinating suicide bombers to hit US convoys and hiding in caves. An inspiration to us all. pic.twitter.com/mjANpLoPQP
Since Trump met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in May, the US has been overwhelmingly supportive of their position, and while noting the massacres, there is little sign they intend to pressure them in any real way to resolve the tensions with their religious minorities. The ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) continues to give lip-service to the idea of being a unifying force, despite its historical ties to al-Qaeda and its present involvement in massacres, but that seems to be sufficient for the administration.
DoT Makes DEI Revisions In EV Charging Infrastructure Funding Rules
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled revised guidance for an electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure federal funding program, removing several diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said in an Aug. 11 statement.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program had allocated $5 billion to states for developing an interconnected network of fast chargers across the United States.
NEVI was part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), with the program a key aspect of the Biden administration’s push to make America reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The program mandates that states submit plans detailing how they intend to use the federal funds.
The Interim Final Guidance issued by Duffy on Monday, and effective immediately, rescinds many DEI policies included in the program.
For instance, a requirement that state plans ensure the deployment and operation of EV charging infrastructure achieve equitable and fair distribution of benefits and services has been removed, DOT said.
Another requirement, according to which projects under NEVI target at least 40 percent of the benefits toward disadvantaged communities, has been rescinded, it added.
States were earlier asked to ensure that NEVI implementation creates opportunities for minority-owned and women-owned small businesses. This has now been revoked.
As Naveen Athrappully details below for The Epoch Times, the update “eliminates requirements for states to address consumer protections, emergency evacuation plans, environmental siting, resilience, and terrain considerations,” said the DOT.
It minimizes the need for states to consider electric grid integration and renewable energy in their plans, simplifies the approval process, and accelerates project deliveries.
The revised guidance for NEVI will ensure that “charging stations are actually built, and federal funding is spent effectively and efficiently,” DOT said.
According to a July 22 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the IIJA had set aside $7.5 billion for NEVI and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI) combined, to support development of public EV charging infrastructure.
However, as of April 2025, only 384 charging ports had been built nationwide under these initiatives, the report stated.
In its Aug. 11 statement, DOT said that the NEVI program was “established to fund States’ deployment of EV charging infrastructure, but Biden and [Pete] Buttigieg added requirements that were difficult to understand and implement.” Buttigieg was the secretary of transportation under the Biden administration.
“The Biden-Buttigieg Administration wasted time, money, and public trust in implementing the program,” the DOT statement said.
“The updates streamline applications, provide states with more flexibility, and slash red tape.”
DOT said the new guidance was in line with President Donald Trump’s Jan 30 executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy.”
In the order, Trump criticized “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations” in recent years that have impeded the development of America’s abundant energy and natural resources.
The Transportation Department said the NEVI program is being aligned with “the Trump Administration’s priorities of safety, efficiency, and innovation,” the statement said.
Legality of Funding Cancelation
DOT’s revised guidance for NEVI funding follows the department’s suspension of funds for the program in February, which had faced criticism and legal challenges.
In a Feb. 6 letter sent to state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—an agency under DOT—informed them that it was suspending the commitment of NEVI funds.
A May 22 GAO report criticized the decision, arguing that DOT violated regulations in canceling the funding.
“DOT is not authorized to withhold these funds from expenditure, and DOT must continue to carry out the statutory requirements of the program,” the report said.
In May, a coalition of 16 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration over its suspension of NEVI funding.
The lawsuit accused the termination of violating several regulations, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the Separation of Powers Doctrine.
In a June 24 ruling, District Judge Tana Lin of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a preliminary injunction barring DOT from withholding funding.
Lin ruled that DOT “attempted to override the express will of Congress” and overstepped its constitutional authority by withholding funding that was already approved by Congress.
Under the preliminary injunction, DOT was asked to release NEVI funds to 14 states.
In its Aug. 11 statement, DOT said that when Duffy and FHWA launched a review of NEVI earlier this year, 84 percent of the program’s funds were still unobligated, which it said was a “clear signal” of the initiative’s failure.
“If Congress is requiring the federal government to support charging stations, let’s cut the waste and do it right,” Duffy said.
“The Biden-Buttigieg Administration failed to deliver EV chargers despite their promises. Our revised NEVI guidance slashes red tape and makes it easier for states to efficiently build out this infrastructure. While I don’t agree with subsidizing green energy, we will respect Congress’s will and make sure this program uses federal resources efficiently.”
President Trump has directed White House staff to relocate the official portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush out of view to all but those with the highest security clearances.
CNN notes that the portraits are to be moved to the top of the Grand Staircase, a decision that ensures the former Presidents are now “out of view from thousands of visitors who tour the White House each day.”
The area is restricted to members of the first family only, along with Secret Service officials, and a limited number of White House and executive residence staff.
Did you vote for President Trump to move Barack Obama and Bush’s portraits to “a hidden stairwell?” pic.twitter.com/DK5kBZyrdA
The relocation of the portraits, which were previously displayed prominently in the Grand Foyer near the entrance of the executive mansion, marks a stark departure from White House tradition.
Typically, the two most recent presidential portraits are showcased in this high-traffic area to honor former leaders for state guests and visitors. However, with Trump’s and Joe Biden’s official portraits still in progress, Obama’s and Bush’s portraits had been holding those prominent spots.
“One of the sources added that the portraits of both Bushes are also now in the staircase area,” CNN further noted, indicating that not only Obama’s portrait but also those of former President George W. Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, have been moved to less conspicuous locations.
It’s hardly surprising given the revelations concerning Obama’s effort to frame Trump with fake Russia collusion charges.
Obama’s portrait has been replaced in the Grand Foyer with a painting depicting Trump raising his fist after surviving an assassination attempt in July 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The new painting of Trump, based on photographs by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci and New York Times photographer Doug Mills, captures a defining moment from his 2024 campaign.
While the artist behind the painting remains unconfirmed, it is distinct from Trump’s official White House portrait, which is traditionally unveiled after a president leaves office.
This move is not the first time Trump has altered White House portrait placements. During his previous term, he replaced portraits of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in the Grand Foyer with those of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
The White House, the White House Historical Association, and a representative for Obama were contacted for comment, but only the White House Historical Association responded, directing inquiries back to the White House. An Obama spokesperson declined to comment.
The tradition of presidential portraits, privately funded by the nonprofit White House Historical Association, became formalized in the 1960s under former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Obama himself reflected on the significance of these portraits during his 2022 unveiling, stating, “When future generations walk these halls and look up at these portraits, I hope they get a better honest sense of who Michelle and I were. And I hope they leave with a deeper understanding that if we could make it here, maybe they can, too. They can do remarkable things, too.”
Yeah, nope. Not any more Barry.
While leftists on social media are seething about Trump’s move, others suggested the Obama and Bush portraits were not moved far enough away from view.
BREAKING:Pres Trump has relocated the official portrait of former Pres Obama to a bathroom w/in the #WhiteHouse
This shift places official portrait of Barack Obama in a significantly less visible location,stressing the continuous tensions that have remained between #44th & #47thpic.twitter.com/042HnbZwwC
You’re crying about Trump yanking the portraits of Obama, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush from their so-called “place of honor” and shoving them into a hidden stairwell, acting like he’s desecrated some sacred fucking tradition.
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