Figures on the political left in the US blame Russia for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory and have committed to “bleed Ukraine dry” in retaliation, according to Republican Senator J.D. Vance.

“Sorry, this needs to be said,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) late on Saturday in advance of a deal being struck to prevent a disruptive US federal government shutdown. “A lot of the anti-Russia obsession on the left has nothing to do with Ukraine. It’s a revenge fantasy over 2016.”

The senator from Ohio added: “They blame Russia for Donald Trump’s election and they’ll bleed Ukraine dry for payback.”

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle in Washington have been sparring in recent days over the implementation of a temporary funding bill to keep government agencies operational ahead of an overnight deadline and prevent a costly shutdown.

The EU launched the first phase an emissions tariff scheme on Sunday, with a planned import tax on steel, aluminum, cement and fertilisers, as part of its bid to become a climate-neutral region.

During the first phase, until 2026, Brussels does not plan to collect any CO2 emissions charges at the border. Until then the system will collect data on carbon-intensive imports.

EU importers are now obliged to report the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in the production of imported iron, steel, aluminium, cement, electricity, fertilisers and hydrogen.

Starting on January 1, 2026, they will have to buy certificates to cover these CO2 emissions. This will inevitably increase the final cost of produce imported by the bloc, reducing their competitiveness compared to goods manufactured domestically.

President Joe Biden signed legislation to extend government funding for 45 days in efforts to avert government shutdown.

On Saturday, Biden signed into law a “stopgap package” passed by Congress just hours before a vital midnight deadline when funding for federal agencies was set to expire.

The Senate passed the bill on Saturday evening, a day after the House dramatically changed course and backed a bipartisan bill to extend government funding following days of uncertainty over whether a shutdown could be avoided.

Welcome to Gavin Newsom’s California, a free-for-all crime spree. In one of the latest crime sprees, 4 females looted a Nike store in Irvine, California this past Thursday. The thieves grabbed $3,000 in merchandise and calmly walked out of the store.

They are said to be part of an organized crime syndicate targeting retail stores in Orange County and San Diego County, which included Nike in San Clemente and Carlsbad for a three-store total of $11,000.

All 4 suspects were captured later and taken into custody.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has chosen Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY's List, to fill the seat of the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the governor's office confirmed to NBC News.

She will be the third Black woman to ever serve in the Senate, as well as the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the chamber. Politico first reported Newsom's choice of Butler.

Former President Donald Trump is taking a unique approach to handling a judgment against his company by publicly attacking the Judge who ruled against him.

On Tuesday of last week, Judge Arthur Engoron of the Supreme Court 1st Judicial District in New York ruled that Trump and his company committed fraud in a significant development in the civil case of New York Attorney General Letitia James. That suit seeks, among other things, to impose a $250 million penalty on Trump and his company.

The decision has raised serious questions about what this means practically for the Trump Organization. Without a business certificate, they can no longer operate in the state of New York.

Trump announced on social media he would go to court on Monday to “fight for my name and reputation against a corrupt and racist Attorney General, Letitia James. Trump wrote:

I’m going to Court tomorrow morning to fight for my name and reputation against a corrupt and racist Attorney General, Letitia James, who campaigned on “getting Trump,” and a Trump Hating Judge who is unfair, unhinged, and vicious in his PURSUIT of me. He values Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, at 18 Million Dollars, when it is worth 50 to 100 times that amount. His valuations are FRAUDULENT in pursuit of Election Interference, and worse. THIS WHOLE CASE IS A SHAM!!! See you in Court – Monday morning.

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