President Donald Trump on Wednesday confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with footage of South African politicians advocating for violence against the white population of the country after he attempted to deny claims of a genocide in his country. The United States recently welcomed a small number of white South Africans as refugees as scrutiny over the nation's plans for land reform, including via the seizure of farmland without compensation, fuels further fears of discrimination.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is launching a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accused of lying about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington opened the inquiry into Cuomo close to a month ago after senior officials in the DOJ called for the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be dismissed, The New York Times reported.

The USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier and strike group was also relentlessly bombing targets in Somalia while also attacking Houthi threats in Yemen, a top admiral revealed Monday. The aircraft carrier and its strike group dropped 125,000 pounds of ordinance on ISIS targets in Somalia in addition to its main mission in Yemen, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby said at the Council on Foreign Relations according to Stars and Stripes. ISIS has bolstered its presence in Somalia, growing from about 500 fighters to 1,500 over 18 months, with roughly 60% being of foreign origin, a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesperson told Stars and Stripes.

Virginia Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly has died following a battle with cancer. He was 75.

Democratic Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey lost Tuesday’s mayoral primary election to the comparatively moderate Democratic Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, dealing a blow to the Democratic Party’s left flank. Gainey, who took office in January 2022, conceded the race on Tuesday night after projected results showed O’Connor as the winner, according to The Associated Press. Gainey centered his campaign around priorities that included opposing the Trump administration, hiring more black people to the police force and making the city use only renewable energy by 2030.