The Daily Populous

Thursday April 16th, 2026 morning edition

image for Pete Hegseth quotes fake Pulp Fiction Bible verse during Pentagon sermon

Donald Trump 's Defence Secretary has adapted lines from Pulp Fiction falsely attributed to the Bible, while giving a sermon at the Pentagon.

Pete Hegseth was speaking at a worship service at the government complex when he read the prayer, as first reported by Word&Way .

Pete Hegseth has been hosting worship services at the Pentagon.

"The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men," Hegseth prayed.

The first few lines of the prayer were written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary in the film Pulp Fiction .

In the movie, the character played by Samuel L Jackson falsely claims they are from the Bible passage Ezekiel 25:17.

In the movie, Jackson's character utters the verse before gunning down a small-time criminal who owed his gangster boss money. »

Exclusive: Pentagon ramps up planning for possible military ops in Cuba

Authored by eu.usatoday.com
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Exclusive: Pentagon ramps up planning for possible military ops in Cuba.

WASHINGTON — Military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, in case President Donald Trump gives an order to intervene there, USA TODAY has learned.

With Cuba's military equipment in deteriorated condition and its officers unlikely to adhere to an unpopular regime, a U.S. military operation in Cuba would likely be a fast, overwhelming success, Fonseca said. »

Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues

Authored by apnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury found Wednesday that entertainment giant Live Nation, which hosts tens of thousands of concerts a year, and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had a harmful monopoly over big venues.

AP AUDIO: Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues AP correspondent Julie Walker reports Ticketmaster and Live Nation lose their antitrust trial in New York.

Live Nation insisted it is not a monopoly, saying that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices. »

Iran-US war latest: Lebanon ‘not aware’ of Israel talks after Trump claims leaders will hold historic negotiations

Authored by independent.co.uk

Lebanon has denied knowledge of forthcoming peace talks with Israel hours after US president Donald Trump announced the historic negotiations.

An official in Lebanon’s presidential office told the BBC it is not aware of any plans of contact with Israel on Thursday.

But Leavitt said reports ​that the US has requested an extended ceasefire in the Iran war are wrong. »

Ticketmaster is an illegal monopoly, jury finds

Authored by theverge.com

Live Nation-Ticketmaster is an illegal monopolist, a Manhattan jury found, according to Bloomberg.

Such an outcome would go far beyond the settlement that the Trump administration’s DOJ reached with Live Nation one week into trial.

“A jury found what we have long known to be true: Live Nation and Ticketmaster are breaking the law and costing consumers millions of dollars in the process,” James said in a statement. »