DC, New York, Minneapolis: 'Iran War Participation Trophy' for Trump goes on tour, gets Instagram page

A 10-foot golden trophy made by the anonymous Washington, D.C.-based arts activist group Secret Handshake is officially going on tour. The satirical piece of protest art originally appeared on the National Mall three weeks ago, and later moved to Foley Square in Lower Manhattan.

On Wednesday it's scheduled to pop up in Minneapolis, a representative for the group wrote to the Los Angeles Times in an email, noting that Secret Handshake recently started an Instagram page that will post updates about where and when the trophy will appear next.

The trophy is touring with a sign inviting passersby and members of the public to leave their own handmade trophies "for the President to claim as his own."

A plaque traveling with the trophy provides a possible blueprint: "We hereby award President Donald J. Trump this participation trophy for his enthusiastic involvement in the Iran War. While some concern themselves with military strategy, diplomacy or measurable outcomes, President Trump demonstrated the courage to participate regardless of the final score."

—Los Angeles Times

NYC Mayor Mamdani praises El-Sayed win in Michigan as progressives surge in Democratic Party

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday praised Abdul El-Sayed and predicted the newly minted Democratic Senate nominee can win in swing-state Michigan with a similar progressive message to the one Hizzoner rode to victory in deep-blue New York City.

“To win this race … is a testament to what he ran on and also how he ran the campaign,” Mamdani told reporters at a City Hall press conference. “That’s the kind of work it’s going to take to ensure we are winning in November. So kudos to him.”

Mamdani noted that El-Sayed, 41, overcame a flood of $60 million in spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that backed rival Rep. Haley Stevens. He wound up winning by a narrower-than-expected margin of about 1%.

The 34-year-old mayor said there’s no reason El-Sayed cannot win a general election in a purple Rust Belt state with the same message of affordability that resonated in the Big Apple.

—New York Daily News

Florida law banning kids at drag shows is constitutional, appeals court says

MIAMI — After nearly three years of legal battles, a federal appeals court has upheld a Florida child-protection law — sometimes referred to as the "drag ban" — which drew strong criticism from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates and sparked nationwide discussions about censorship.

In an 8-5 opinion Tuesday, the majority of the full panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a decision by a lower court that had stopped the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis from enforcing the law, and affirmed that the 2023 Protection of Children Act was not unconstitutional.

The majority did, however, agree with critics that the law passed by the Florida Legislature was in fact aimed at drag performances. But they opined that the law did not target “drag shows writ large,” just those they say were obscene for children.

“There is no doubt the Act is rational. We will not second-guess the Florida Legislature’s decision to regulate obscenity,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Andrew Brasher on behalf of the majority.

—Miami Herald

Russian barrage kills 17 as Ukraine fails to stop missiles

At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured in Russian air attacks on Ukraine amid fresh signs that Kyiv’s ability to defend against missile strikes is becoming exhausted.

Russia fired 28 missiles including 24 ballistic projectiles and 115 drones mainly at Kyiv and its surrounding region overnight, Ukraine’s Air Defense said in a Telegram statement Wednesday. While 98 drones were shot down, none of the missiles were intercepted, it said.

“Ballistic interceptors are something that could save the lives of those killed today,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the X platform. “It is very important that partners realize that delays in their delivery or unwillingness to transfer anti-ballistics leads to such terrible casualties and destruction.”

Residential areas were hit as well as warehouses and production facilities of the country’s biggest retailer, Epicentr K, and the Nova Post delivery service, authorities said. At least eight people died in a strike as they waited for a train at a regional station outside Kyiv, Brovary district Governor Vitaliy Bihun said on 1+1 TV.

—Bloomberg News