The Daily Populous

Wednesday July 2nd, 2025 evening edition

image for Plane crash near Kazakhstan's Aktau: recording surfaces of Russian giving order to open fire – photo, video

Azerbaijani journalists have released a recording containing an order to open fire on an AZAL flight, which resulted in the plane crashing near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on 25 December.

Details: Journalists stated that their editorial office has received an anonymous letter containing materials about the aircraft shot down while approaching the Russian city of Grozny.

The letter reportedly contains an explanatory note from air defence system commander Dmitry Paladychuk, who claims the aircraft was engaged under orders from the Russian Defence Ministry.

Minval Politika also received video footage, audio recordings and information about the poor condition of the equipment.

Quote from the letter: "At 08:13:30, I gave the command to fire on the target.

At the time, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev stated that the plane had been shot down from the ground.

On the same day, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport released a report containing preliminary findings on the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash. »

Australia cancels rapper Ye's visa over 'Heil Hitler' release

Authored by abcnews.go.com
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A government minister says Ye, the U.S. rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has recently been stripped of an Australian visa after he released his single "Heil Hitler.".

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Ye, the U.S. rapper formerly known as Kanye West, was recently stripped of an Australian visa after he released his single “Heil Hitler,” a government minister said on Wednesday.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revealed Ye has been traveling for years to Australia, where his wife of three years, Bianca Censori, was born. »

Young Americans Are Spending A Whole Lot Less On Video Games This Year

Authored by gamespot.com
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Perhaps responding to economic uncertainty and narrowing job prospects, young people in the United States are significantly cutting back on spending on video games compared to this time last year.

While 18- to 24-year-olds aren't buying as much across a range of different categories, losses are concentrated in games.

Games have been hit particularly hard by spending cutbacks (via Circana and WSJ). »

JD Vance Accidentally Reveals How Badly Trump Is Screwing MAGA Voters

Authored by newrepublic.com
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In a remarkable series of angry tweets, Vice President JD Vance downplayed the Medicaid cuts while saying what really matters is the bill’s massive funding for ICE and migrant detention.

It was a striking and very revealing moment: Vance basically told MAGA voters not to think too much about losing their Medicaid benefits; instead, focus on how many migrants the bill will end up jailing and deporting!

That scam—getting voters to hate on immigrants so they don’t notice that Republicans are massively redistributing wealth upward—is integral to getting the Medicaid cuts passed. »

People With Swamp Crotch Keep Setting Off TSA Alarms

Authored by vice.com

Other travelers chimed in with similar stories, pointing to what one security officer allegedly called “swamp crotch.”

France and Germany have moved away from this type of scanner altogether because of the high number of false alarms.

Other Redditors noted that it can feel awkward or invasive to be singled out for something as mundane as a sweaty crotch. »