Politics
Trump says hush money sentence means Democrats have lost the ‘Witch Hunt’
Donald Trump framed Friday’s sentencing hearing as a win, saying the sentence that will leave him unpunished for his felony conviction in the Manhattan hush money case means the “Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt.” “That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said…
Read More
Blue Light News has been crunching the numbers to see how all 48 of this year’s World Cup participants rank in several other off-field categories, which we’ll share more of over the weekend.
In today’s item, we’re looking at countries sorted by their FIFA rank against their citizens’ assessment of how close they are to living their best possible life.
Turns out, the happiest game of the World Cup will be Sweden vs. the Netherlands today (that’s also the only group-stage game taking place between two EU members) — while the upcoming game between Haiti and Morocco on June 25 may well be interrupted by floods of tears and bouts of introspection.
ROME — Donald Trump isn’t the only problem on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s mind.
Failure to qualify for the FIFA men’s World Cup for the third consecutive time triggered a major political and public outcry in the football-obsessed country that has now morphed into a bitter fight over who controls the sport.
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party leaped to propose curtailing the power of the country’s football association — the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) — after its president, the 72-year-old Gabriele Gravina, resigned in April under heavy pressure following a World Cup playoff defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
With new elections to run the FIGC slated for June 22, Meloni’s allies are pushing to call off the vote and place the body under special administration — an emergency procedure used in the past for the sport to overcome major corruption scandals.
In a country where football carries outsized cultural weight, Italy’s World Cup embarrassment has become a proxy battle over governance, reforms, investment and the Meloni administration’s willingness to extend political influence into independent institutions.
“The first concern should not be new elections; it is not through elections that you create the conditions for a rebound,” Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said in an interview with Blue Light News.
Football officials have denounced the government intervention as a power play to block the heavy favorite, Giovanni Malagò, a former president of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) who is disliked by Meloni’s party.
“The idea of placing it [the FIGC] under administration, to me, only suggests an occupation [by the government]; it offers no kind of perspective for the future,” Gravina told Blue Light News from his Rome office, adorned by two twinkling World Cup trophies and other relics from a bygone era of glory. “The idea of taking over the football world has been circulating for far too long now,” he added.
Opposition parties have accused Meloni of centralizing control, stifling dissent and putting acolytes in positions of power, a pattern they observe in Italy’s state-owned television network, financial markets supervisor and judicial system.
But the government rejects that it wants to extend its reach to the FIGC. “It is a pathetic and baseless claim. There is no element that could be seen as an attempt by politics to take over this domain,” Abodi said.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn has been pushing to wrap several pieces of AI safety legislation together in a forthcoming package…
Read More
- In the World Cup’s missing country, failure sparks bitter political battle
- The happiest World Cup game
- White House scheduled to meet with groups on AI and kids’ safety bills
- Exclusive: Iran declares Mexico to be World Cup winner
- Canada’s soft-power flex
- Jay-Z sees yet another Black boycott as a chance for him to make money
- Elon Musk’s right-wing cheerleaders are deeply offended by criticism of his trillionaire status
- This UFC insult sparked praise for Michelle Obama — and highlighted a very Trumpian pattern
- I’m an openly gay sportswriter. Allowing athletes to protest Pride has a big silver lining.
- Barack and Michelle Obama hope ‘America will see itself’ in newly opened presidential center
-
Politics1 year agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
Politics1 year agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
Uncategorized2 years ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
The Josh Fourrier Show2 years agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
Politics1 year agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit
-
The Dictatorship9 months agoMike Johnson sums up the GOP’s arrogant position on military occupation with two words