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Romania bans far-right frontrunner from presidential election

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Romania bans far-right frontrunner from presidential election

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Romania has banned the far-right frontrunner in the country’s presidential vote from taking part in the election, in a move he denounced as “tyranny” and which came despite Trump administration warnings to respect voters’ wishes.

The country’s electoral bureau said on Sunday it was invalidating Călin Georgescu’s candidacy after receiving objections alleging that he had violated laws against extremism.

Georgescu denounced what he said was “a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide”. In a message posted on X, he added: “Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”

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The candidate now has 24 hours to lodge a complaint, which the constitutional court has a further 48 hours to assess, meaning the final decision on a ban is set to come by Wednesday evening at the latest.

Supporters of Călin Georgescu scuffle with police outside the central electoral bureau in Bucharest on Sunday after his candidacy for the rerun of the presidential ballot in May was rejected © George Calin/Reuters

The repeat elections have been scheduled for May 4 and 18 after a first round in November was annulled by the constitutional court following allegations of Russian meddling in favour of Georgescu.

Recent polls have suggested he is the frontrunner, with some quoting more than 40 per cent support for him.

US vice-president JD Vance has denounced the annulment of last year’s election as an indication of European backsliding on democracy. Vance accused Romanian authorities of bowing to “flimsy” intelligence and alleged pressure from other European capitals.

Georgescu’s supporters clashed with police in Bucharest after hearing of the outcome.

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The electoral authority, the BEC, said of its reasoning behind the decision later on Sunday that it was barring Georgescu partly on the same grounds that the first election had been annulled in December.

“It is inadmissible when rerunning the election to consider that the same person meets the conditions needed to accede to the presidency.”

Elon Musk, the Donald Trump ally and billionaire who supports Georgescu, called the move “crazy” in a post on X.

Calin Georgescu supporters shout slogans during a protest in front of the Central Elections Bureau in Bucharest,
Georgescu supporters shout slogans during a protest in front of the Central Elections Bureau in Bucharest, © Robert Ghemenent/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The electoral bureau said it had received more than 1,000 complaints against Georgescu’s bid, mostly related to extremism and his endorsement of the country’s second world war fascist leaders.

“Any barring of Georgescu is linked to him breaking legislation,” the centre-right Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan told the FT. “One should not fall victim to his narrative pretending his barring is caused by his political success.”

The far-right candidate gave the Nazi salute after being questioned by prosecutors in a criminal probe relating to his association with fascist groups and alleged attempts to undermine the constitutional order.

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Sunday’s decision is likely to further anger many Romanians who have long rejected mainstream parties as being corrupt and inefficient.

Far-right parties have controlled a third of Romania’s legislature since a separate election in December.

George Simion, leader of the biggest such group in parliament, labelled Sunday’s decision as a “continuation of the coup d’état” of the previous annulment. He has previously said that, should Georgescu be barred, he would run in his place.

Several other candidates have submitted bids for the presidency along with Georgescu, including Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan and Crin Antonescu, who is backed by several mainstream parties. 

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Parts of Florida receive rare snowfall as freezing temperatures linger

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Parts of Florida receive rare snowfall as freezing temperatures linger

A protective coating of ice clings to a strawberry plant in sub-freezing temperatures at a field on Friday in Plant City, Fla.

Chris O’Meara/AP


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Chris O’Meara/AP

A rare snowfall covered parts of the Sunshine State on Sunday for the second year in a row, while freezing temperatures will continue to grip parts of Florida into early this week.

A storm system brought up to 2 inches of snow to southern portions of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, including Pensacola, on Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The snowfall occurred almost a year to the day after parts of Florida received record snow in mid-January 2025 — when Pensacola received between 6 to 8 inches of snow.

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And while Sunday’s snowfall is over in Florida, a blast of arctic cold that has been felt across parts of the state since Friday is not.

Orlando and other areas will face a freeze warning Sunday night into Monday morning, with temperatures falling to at least 25 degrees and wind chills in the low 20s in some places, according to the NWS. Further south, Naples and surrounding areas will be under a cold weather advisory Sunday night into Monday morning, where 29-degree wind chills are expected.

Cold temperatures coupled with snow are abnormal for Florida but the cold weather will be “short-lived,” said Joe Wegman, a NWS meteorologist.

“We’re only expecting this level of cold for tonight. And then, even by tomorrow night, we’ll have lows in the upper 30s. So, just still cold, well below normal,” Wegman told NPR on Sunday. “By Tuesday night, lows are back up into the upper 40s.”

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Did Hunter S. Thompson Really Kill Himself?

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Did Hunter S. Thompson Really Kill Himself?

Almost from the moment Hunter was laid to rest, his widow and his son began to feud, over everything from the future of Owl Farm to Juan’s belief that his father had been mistreated by Anita in his last days.

The estrangement deepened with time, and now, Anita’s suspicions have taken the feud to a more pointed place, revealing a long, bitter fight over the legacy of the man who pioneered the personal, participatory style of reporting known as gonzo journalism.

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But they were all together the weekend Hunter died.

Juan wrote in his memoir that he was in another room and heard a thump that sounded like a book hitting the floor. Anita was at a health club in Aspen waiting for a yoga class to start. She later told the news media she was on speakerphone with her husband before he shot himself, and heard the “clicking” of the gun.

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Looking back, there were signs from that last weekend that Hunter had planned to take his own life, Juan and Jennifer said in interviews.

He insisted on watching one of his favorite movies, “The Maltese Falcon,” with his 6-year-old grandson, Will. He gave away gifts — an old clock that had belonged to his mother and a signed copy of “Fire in the Nuts,” a short book with his frequent collaborator, the artist Ralph Steadman.

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Ralph Steadman spoke about Hunter’s suicidal ideations in an interview after his death in 2005. ITN, via Getty Images By Itn

“So there is nothing new to know about Hunter’s actual death,” said Juan, 61. “So I do not know why she raised this. And I can’t imagine that the C.B.I. would find anything to act on.”

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He and Jennifer said they did not have any role in Hunter’s death. “This is really shocking,” Jennifer said. “It’s been disruptive to our family. It’s obviously been very traumatic to be revisiting this.” She said she believed Anita knew that her husband took his own life, and added, “we hope this brings her closure.”

Jennifer Winkel

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Anita had been an assistant to Hunter, and was 35 years younger than him. At the time of his death, they had been married for less than two years — it was Hunter’s second marriage — and that last weekend they fought constantly. In his memoir, Juan wrote that Hunter shot a pellet gun at a gong in the living room the night before he killed himself, just missing Anita, prompting her to threaten to call the police and have him put in a nursing home.

Hunter was also in poor health. He had difficulty moving and suffered occasional seizures, the result of decades of heavy drinking.

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“Hunter’s body was giving out,” said Debra Fuller, who worked as an assistant to Hunter and helped manage Owl Farm for almost 20 years before Hunter married Anita. “He was having more difficulty writing as well.”

Hunter had often talked of suicide. Like many of Hunter’s friends, Joe DiSalvo, who was undersheriff of Pitkin County at the time of his death, had conversations with him about how his life would end. He recalled that Hunter would demonstrate his intentions by pointing a loaded gun at his head.

“Hunter talked about suicide,” Mr. DiSalvo said. “He talked about the way he was going to kill himself.”

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U.S. military troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota

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U.S. military troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota

Federal law enforcement agents confront protesters during a demonstration outside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday.

Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images


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Up to 1,500 U.S. active-duty troops in Alaska are on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota, a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed to NPR.

The move comes days after President Trump again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to control ongoing protests over the immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis as well as clashes between federal agents and residents. Trump later walked back that threat.

The troops on standby are from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, which specializes in cold weather operations, according to the division’s website.

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Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Sunday in an emailed statement to NPR that the “Department of War is always prepared to execute the orders of the Commander-in-Chief if called upon.”

Over the weekend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz directed the Minnesota National Guard to prepare for possible deployment to assist local law enforcement and emergency management agencies, though they have not been deployed yet.

The Guard said in a Facebook post that these “Minnesota National Guardsmen live, work, and serve in our state, and are focused on protecting life, preserving property, and ensuring Minnesotans can safely exercise their First Amendment rights.” If activated, members would wear yellow reflective vests to “help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms.”

The developments follow days of rising tensions, confrontations and violence stemming from what the Department of Homeland Security has described as its largest operation in history, involving thousands of federal agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that it would be a “shocking step” if Trump sent the military into the city, too.

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“To those that are paying attention, you’ve got to understand how wild this is right now,” Frey said. “In Minneapolis, crime is dramatically down. We don’t need more federal agents to keep people safe. We are safe.”

Joseph Nunn, an attorney at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, said the Insurrection Act is a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type of tool.” It is meant to be used when civilian authorities are overwhelmed by a crisis, he said, and not simply to quell protests — even violent protests.

“It would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection Act” if Trump invoked it now, Nunn said, “unlike anything that’s ever happened before in the history of the country.”

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