Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has some pretty interesting picks for the potential running mate on his independent presidential ticket. At the top of his list for vice president are NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, reports say.

Washington

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering notable figures for the vice-presidential candidate on his independent ticket for the presidency. Among those he is reported to be contemplating are NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura, who has served as the Governor of Minnesota and is also known for his professional wrestling career. These choices reflect Kennedy Jr.'s inclination towards individuals from diverse professional backgrounds for his political campaign.



RFK Jr. eyes Aaron Rodgers, Jesse Ventura for VP pick

This is maybe one of the more interesting stories of the day, because it's just taking an already unconventional election year and just putting it on steroids. Here we go. All right. Very well. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be a heartbeat away from the presidency. No punchline. This is real. It may sound far-fetched, but no, it ain't. RFK Jr., the independent presidential candidate, is reportedly right now in talks with Rodgers to be his running mate. Yes, Aaron Rodgers, vice president of the United States. The New York Jets QB has no political experience, but he is a vocal vaccine skeptic, just like his running mate, potentially, RFK Jr., so they have that major issue in common. According to reports, Kennedy's also considering former pro wrestler and also governor of Minnesota, Jesse the Body Ventura, for the number two spot on the ticket. So not only is this a reminder that RFK is going to be a, no matter what you think of him, is a force in this race, he may now get some major headlines because he's picking, potentially, reportedly, two well-known people to be his running mate. Controversial. So everyone's going to talk about them regardless. Literally, what happened to this country? Literally. I'm going to get in trouble for this. This is nonsense. This is absolute nonsense. And we all need to stop because we get serious issues in this country and around this world and we don't need nonsense. And we keep saying this and I do think it's a worthy debate in our business whether we should still keep saying this. The rematch nobody wants because it suggests a parody that I think is misleading. However, in a climate where people aren't happy with A and B, C starts looking real good and it's a country that loves football and loves the idea of Mavericks and there's a whole lot of anti-vaxxers in this country, RFK ain't alone. So this is potent politically, I think. And it would be easy to dismiss this story thinking, oh, he's an independent, you know, it's going to be a Democrat or Republican who wins the election. But the impact of the independent vote this time around could be huge. There was a Fox News poll done last week. RFK gets 13% nationally. That is huge in an election decided by sometimes thousands of votes in states like where we are in Georgia. 12,000 here in Georgia. All you have to do is ask Hillary Clinton how it went in Michigan with Jill Green, Jill Stein, the Green Party ticket, and you'll know that it would have had a completely different trajectory in this country. So it does make a difference. I mean, I was just saying off camera, people forget back in 2016, Hillary vs. Trump, 80,000 votes in three states made all the difference in that election, even though Hillary won the popular vote. And then in 2020, it was like 150, 120,000, like that, over four or five states that made all the difference. So every little thing does matter over this divided. Going back even further. I mean, think about Clinton vs. Bush vs. Perot. And the reason that President Clinton won is because of Ross Perot pulling votes away from President Bush. And people still blame Nader for Gore losing in Florida. Remember all that? There's a history here. If you're going to interview RFK, whoever winds up doing that, say he picked Aaron Rodgers. What makes Rodgers qualified for that position? But does that matter anymore? Do people look for qualification anymore? No. I mean, yeah. I mean, that's maybe part of the appeal. I'm an outsider. I'm not. Exactly. That's worked before. It has worked before. Who wants to run with me? We can run. Let's do it. Let's have some of the winner's tickets. Let's see what happens. Let's see what happens. It's the Waffle House ticket.

Floods have killed at least 58 people in southern Brazil. Nearly 70,000 have been forced from their homes. Tens of thousands of people have been left without drinking water or electricity. It's the worst flooding the region has seen in more than 80 years.

State of Rio Grande do Sul

Climate Crisis

'It's going to get worse': Brazil braces for flood peaks

Students at the University of California in Irvine say they will remain on campus until all their demands are met. School officials say they'll continue to negotiate with the protesters -- and are hoping to reach a deal soon.

Irvine

Israel-Gaza War

Police, protesters in stand-off at California university

The Federal Government will cut $3 billion in student debts, in measures to be announced in next week's budget. The reforms will see the student loans of three million graduates by an average of $1200 and changes to loan indexation.

Camperdown

Labor to wipe $3 billion of student debts

Mexican authorities have charged three suspects over the disappearance of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad. It's believed the tourists became embroiled in a bungled robbery. Four bodies were found near the trio's abandoned campsite, but are yet to be formally identified.

Baja California

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A knife-wielding teenage boy has been shot dead by police in Bunnings carpark in Willetton, Perth. The 16-year-old boy had phoned Triple Zero saying he planned ‘acts of violence’ and stabbed a male member of the public. The WA Police Commissioner says the teenager had ‘mental health and radicalisation issues’.

Willetton

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The death toll from rains in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul rose to 57, local authorities said on Saturday (May 4) afternoon, while dozens still have not been accounted for.

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There are renewed hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza after a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to continue talks amid reports of a proposal agreed to by Israel to halt fighting for an initial 40 days in exchange for the release of hostages.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Students showing support for Palestinians have set up camp outside the University College London. They say they'll continue their protest until the university divests from Israeli institutions that 'profit from the war in Gaza'.

London

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Dozens of Palestinians have held a demonstration in the West Bank, to condemn the killing of five Palestinian fighters. Crowds rallied hours after Israeli troops attacked the fighters in the village of Deir al Ghoson.

Jerusalem

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Dozens of people in two rubber dinghies have reached the southern coast of England, the latest among thousands of asylum-seeking migrants to make the risky sea crossing from France this year.

Dover

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A former immigration detainee has been bailed after allegedly threatening police with a knife in Melbourne. It follows the recent violent home invasion allegedly committed by another released detainee in Western Australia Pressure is mounting on Federal Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to be held to account.

Canberra

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Mexican authorities have reportedly discovered a fourth body near the cliff site where Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson disappeared, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad. The Australian family of the brothers are en route to Mexico. The bodies are yet to be formally identified.

Ensenada

Fourth body discovered in Mexico search for Australian brothers

Ukraine is eagerly waiting for Western aid as Russia racks up more victories on the battlefield. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on a visit to Kyiv gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use British weapons to strike directly at Russia.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

U.K. allows its weapons to be used on Russian soil

Canadian police have charged three Indian men with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year and said they were probing whether the men had ties to the Indian government.

Surrey

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China has launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

Wenchang

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Britain's opposition Labour Party won a parliamentary seat in northern England on Friday (May 3) and control of several councils, inflicting heavy losses on the governing Conservatives to pile more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

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Turkey has announced that it is halting trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza. Israel denounced the decision as breaking trade agreements.

Ankara

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Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders warned of declining government support for press freedom as it unveiled its annual world rankings on Friday, highlighting Argentina among the countries where the situation has deteriorated.

Paris

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Arizona's Democratic governor signed a bill overturning an 1864 law banning abortion, a month after the state's supreme court said the Civil War-era rule was valid.

Arizona

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U.S. President Joe Biden said that both freedom of speech and the rule of law must be respected in protests at college campuses over Israel's war in Gaza. In response to a reporter's question, Biden said that the campus protests had not forced him to reconsider his policies in the Middle East.

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From suspensions to expulsions to criminal charges, college students across the U.S. involved in these pro-Palestinian protests could face life-changing consequences. Some are demanding amnesty for these protesters.

New York

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English voters are heading to polling stations to pick mayors, councilors and a new lawmaker in the last electoral test for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a national vote later this year.

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The US State Department accused Russia of having used a chemical weapon against Ukrainian forces in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also announcing fresh sanctions against Moscow. In addition to the chemical agent chloropicrin, Russia also used "riot control agents (tear gas) as a method of warfare in Ukraine, also in violation of the CWC," the department said in a factsheet.

Zaporizhzhia

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There are grave concerns for Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson who are missing on a surf trip in Mexico's Baja region. The pair have failed to arrive at their accommodation and are not responding to contact from their families.

Council of the City of Sydney

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Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has kept open the prospect of tax incentives in the budget as business warned that changes to foreign investment laws. It comes amid criticism that budget spending could prompt further inflation and prompt rate rises.

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro says his country will break diplomatic relations with Israel. He's criticised Israel's conduct since the start of the war on Gaza. Petro requested to join South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.

Bogotá

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, pushing to get more aid into Gaza, while urging Hamas to accept a deal that would halt fighting and bring some hostages home from the enclave.

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Police in Georgia fired teargas and rubber bullets at protesters demonstrating against a bill that would require organizations – including media and NGOs – that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as agents "pursuing the interests of a foreign power." The bill has been dubbed the "Russian law" by its detractors.

Tbilisi

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A diplomatic push is underway to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, with the U.S. exerting pressure on Hamas to agree to Israel's terms. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to attack Rafah in southern Gaza, whether there's a ceasefire or not.