LOADING ERROR LOADINGWorking parents, child care center operators and their advocates have all reacted with alarm to the Trump administration’s plan to withhold federal child care funding from blue states, warning that low-income families and child care workers will bear the brunt of a political attack. Around 23,000 kids in Minnesota benefit from the state’s child care assistance program, which passes federal money along to child care centers that serve low-income families. Ruth Friedman, a child care expert at the left-leaning Century Foundation, said it might not be easy to satisfy the administration’s demands. AdvertisementLydia Boerboom, an organizer at Kids Count On Us, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that advocates for child care funding, said the vast majority of care providers are aboveboard and want any fraud rooted out of the system. “There has been a very coordinated effort to make sure that child care is being defunded at every level possible right now.”Elliot Haspel, an expert on early childhood education, said allegations of widespread fraud in the Minnesota child care system date back to at least 2019.

CNN's Innovate series tells the stories behind business ideas, technological developments, and entrepreneurial breakthroughs reshaping our world. CNN's 'Innovate' Explores Cutting-Edge Solutions That Work with Nature, Not Against ItIn the upcoming episode of Innovate, CNN explores groundbreaking advancements that harness the power of natural processes to create sustainable solutions across various industries, from agriculture to construction and fashion. CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN International is a Warner Bros. SOURCE CNN International

‘Autofocus’ glasses can change their lenses in real timePhoto: MGN/Vecteezy(CNN) — Finnish eyewear company IXI is gearing up to launch smart glasses that look just like ordinary spectacles, but are able to “autofocus” based on the perceived needs of the wearer. The glasses contain eye-tracking sensors as well as liquid crystals in the lenses, which are used to change the prescription instantaneously. Other companies are also developing autofocus glasses that use liquid crystals to create an adaptive lens, including Japan’s Elcyo. Another Japanese company, ViXion, already sells autofocusing glasses, although they don’t look like normal glasses and the user must look through two small apertures to get the autofocus effect. Eiden equates the arrival of autofocus glasses to the introduction of autofocus in cameras: “The eyewear industry hasn’t really been innovating for vision correction,” he said.

The three dots sending BTS fans wildBTS is poised for a huge 2026, reuniting after an almost four-year hiatus. And the band has signaled its long-awaited comeback with three mysterious red circles. The symbols first appeared on a postcard sent by the K-pop stars to their “Gold” fans – some of the most dedicated among their fanbase, which is known as ARMY. Since then, BTS has announced a new album, and next week will release world tour dates. In the meantime, ARMY has tried to decode the symbols’ hidden meaning.

I got a front row seat to the dysfunction of our current insurance system. This visceral experience of what so many of my friends, neighbors and constituents went through drove me to run for California Insurance Commissioner. Reform FAIR PlanThe FAIR Plan, the state’s backup insurer of last resort, was meant to be temporary but has tripled in size to now cover 450,000 residential policyholders. In the short term, the FAIR Plan must be solvent and able to pay claims promptly, with improved governance and transparency. We also shouldn’t be building uninsurable new developments that are simply destined for the FAIR Plan and further public bailouts.

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Severe storms in the Heartland trigger multiple tornadoes in Oklahoma The severe storms that slammed the Heartland and triggered multiple tornadoes in Oklahoma are now taking aim at parts of the South. It comes as a second system targets the Northeast this weekend.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison blasted federal authorities after the U.S. Attorney’s Office barred state investigators from accessing evidence into the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by immigration authorities on Wednesday. AdvertisementRenee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and mother of three, was inside her SUV when federal authorities fatally shot her on Wednesday morning. Bystander footage of the incident showed Good’s vehicle being surrounded by immigration authorities before she reverses and pulls forward. An officer can be seen firing three shots, first through Good’s windshield and then through her open driver’s side window. “If federal authorities are saying they won’t even entertain a joint and inclusive investigation, that is deeply disturbing,” he said.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGPresident Donald Trump attacked the five Republican senators who sided with Democrats on a largely symbolic vote to curb the president from using military force against Venezuela. The Trump administration has ramped up the rhetoric over possible military action against other Latin American countries and Greenland. I take no offense to that.”Young declined to comment on the Trump post. Of Trump’s attack, Collins said she thought it meant the president would prefer to have Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), who is looking to oust the veteran GOP senator, “or somebody else who he’s not had a great relationship.”

The tactic is among various plans being discussed by the White House for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the U.S. military. One source said White House aides were eager to carry over the momentum from the Maduro operation toward accomplishing Trump’s other long-standing geopolitical goals. “It’s so strategic.”AdvertisementOne of the sources familiar with White House deliberations said the internal discussions regarding lump sum payments were not necessarily new. In theory, payments could be used to induce Greenlanders to vote for their independence, or to sign onto a COFA after such a vote. AdvertisementSurveys also show most Greenlanders, while open to separating from Denmark, do not want to be part of the U.S.

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“It was an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem announced during an unrelated press conference at the Texas border on Wednesday. AdvertisementGood, who had not yet been identified, “attacked [ICE agents] and those surrounding them” and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle,” Noem continued. As the day wore on, more members of the Trump administration piled on the demonization of Good. “They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation,” Noem said Thursday. Tim Walz (D) said getting a fair outcome from an investigation into the shooting “feels very, very difficult” now.

In the wee hours of Saturday, shortly after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured, blindfolded and taken to the United States, video emerged of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello surrounded by a group of armed men in Caracas. With Maduro in US custody, Cabello is arguably the most powerful Venezuelan official named in the superseding indictment. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementAppointed interior minister in 2024, Cabello now commands the state’s vast apparatus of internal repression. “I hold Diosdado Cabello, the minister of interior and justice, responsible for the persecution our family is facing,” Castillo said in a video posted on social media. “He’s spent his entire life in opposition to the United States.

Are we living in a simulation? These people see ‘The Matrix’ codeSimulation theory is the belief that the world around us is rendered like "The Matrix." Amateur investigators are now seeking proof. @doniecnn joins them in their search for the code. Stream the full episode of "Devoted" with CNN's Donie O'Sullivan now on the CNN app.

By elevating global celebrities who embrace Chinese identity, Beijing strengthens its cultural diplomacy toolkit, projecting soft power beyond its borders. Following Chinese investment trends, in November 2025, Chinese state-owned media, China Media Group, entered into a cooperation agreement with the state-owned equivalent in South Korea: Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) (Jie 2025). The distribution of Chinese media ventures demonstrates that an important aspect of CCP statecraft involves media acquisition, investment, and control, including the attraction of international audiences. Finally, Chinese pop idols function as effective vehicles for digital narrative framing in an era of fragmented attention. China’s cultural export model is not confined to East Asia.