Leaders in Washington are running out of time to avoid an unprecedented default on US debt. The top consumer watchdog in the federal government is warning of dire consequences for American families.

A death row inmate in Nebraska who was convicted of killing his Tinder date has now been accused of concocting a fake murder-for-hire scheme from behind bars – with a little help. Aubrey Trail, 56, was sentenced to death in June 2021 for the brutal 2017 murder and dismembering of Sydney Loofe after meeting her on the dating app Tinder. While in prison, he met 55-year-old Samantha Al-Rekabi of Lincoln, Nebraska, who was writing a book about Loofe’s murder and the two began hatching a plan to swindle a nurse at the Lincoln prison out of $25,000. On Sunday, Ms Al-Rekabi was arrested and has since been charged with felony theft by extortion in the case, according to court records. Investigators began the probe after being tipped off by another inmate in 2021. They say the two “manipulated” the nurse into smuggling in contraband, including a phone and chewing tobacco, according to a recent arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Lincoln Journal Star. The nurse, who has not been named because she is not charged, worked at the Nebraska Diagnostic & Evaluation Center, now known as the Reception and Treatment Center. She quit just before the Nebraska State Patrol’s investigation began in March 2021, was interviewed by the FBI in December of that same year. She told the FBI she’d been manipulated by Trail and admitted to smuggling him contraband, the affidavit states. The affidavit revealed that Trail told Ms Al-Rekabi to befriend the nurse, which she did, and the two bonded over being “true crime buffs” and confided in each other about marriage troubles. In the interview, the nurse talked about how Trail exploited her friendship with Ms Al-Rekabi, and alleged that Trail had told her he’d hired a hitman to kill her husband and that he would only call off the hit if she paid him $25,000. She agreed to pay the money and went to the bank with Ms Al-Rekabi to withdraw the funds. The affidavit revealed the nurse had withdrawn $25,000 in cash from her account. The affidavit also revealed that in a number of phone recordings investigators believe to be between Ms Al-Rekabi and Trail, she was allegedly heard bragging to Trail about getting the blackmail money from the nurse, gushing “she’s gonna get her pension out just [to] give it to us.” A response from a male can be heard, “She don’t have a choice.” It was revealed that investigators came to “believe that there was never a legitimate plan” to pay a hitman to kill the nurse’s family. Other calls detailed Trail’s alleged desire to have a gun smuggled into the prison. In one of the calls, a male’s voice is heard telling the nurse to “bring me a gun so I can just kill everybody,” according to the affidavit. Ms Al-Rekabi later admitted that she helped Trail because she was afraid he would hurt her son, who is also in prison. She appeared in court on Monday where her bond was set at $5,000. An interview with a Nebraska State Patrol investigator in April 2023 also revealed that Ms Al-Rekabi had admitted to working as an intermediary between Trail and his girlfriend, Bailey Boswell, a former store clerk who was also convicted for her role in Loofe’s killing, KLKNTV reported. Boswell, who was at the center of a wild outburst by Trail during his 2019 trial, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November 2021. Trail had tried slashing his throat and yelled “Bailey is innocent, and I curse you all!” Read More Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to committing crime for first time Extortion trial against Joran van der Sloot, suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance, is delayed Teenager arrested over murder of girl, 10, who was shot while being driven back from Mother’s Day party

The Irish deputy prime minister is visiting for the first time since the council elections.

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Lewis Hamilton is not “massively concerned just yet” about the impact of the Hollywood strikes on the upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt. Filming has begun on the Apple Studios production, with the working title ‘Apex’, and specially-modified F2 cars have been filming at races this season including in Silverstone and Budapest. Pitt, who was involved in a scene in racing overalls following the national anthem at Silverstone alongside co-star Damson Idris, is expected in Monza this weekend during the Italian Grand Prix. Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton, who is a producer and consultant for the film, gave an update to media last week amid the Writers Guild of America strike over low pay and the rise of artificial intelligence – and the subsequent impact it could have on the movie’s production. When asked if he was concerned that the film could be written off, Hamilton replied: “No. I know that Apple is fully behind us and wants us to go ahead. Everyone in the team is fully focused on making the greatest movie we can and it’s just a matter of time. “It’s definitely not the easiest time, I think, for actors around the world, but hopefully it’s something that will be resolved in the not-too-distant future. “The positive thing for us is we’re still able to do some filming, still able to use stunt doubles we still have editing and things we can do with the stuff we’ve already caught.” Mercedes star Hamilton has been involved in the plot construction and casting of the film alongside star director Joe Kosinski, famed for his role in last year’s blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick. Hamilton added: “I’ll be on calls with Joe next week as we continue to finish off the story and so there’s a couple of races we need to go through and talk about the wording and how it’s worded through the race with the different races. “I’m not massively concerned just yet.” Hamilton will be back in racing action for Mercedes this weekend in Monza, hoping to improve after a sixth-place finish at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix. Read More Brad Pitt shares first details about F1 movie after ‘warm’ lap at Silverstone: ‘I had no idea what it takes’ Brad Pitt spotted filming new F1 movie at Silverstone ahead of British GP Formula One welcomes Brad Pitt but is wary of protesters at British Grand Prix Charles Leclerc speaks out about Ferrari future How does Verstappen’s win-streak compare to fellow record-holder Vettel’s? F2 champion Felipe Drugovich to feature for Aston Martin at Italian Grand Prix

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