Le Journal

The man charged with planting two pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican party headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol told the FBI he believed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the matter. Brian Cole Jr., 30, is cooperating with the FBI, NBC News has reported, citing a separate person familiar with the matter. Cole is expected to make his first court appearance on Friday. He was charged Thursday with leaving pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee in the hours before Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump has falsely claimed the 2020 election was “rigged.” Cole was charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, according to charging documents. The FBI has not publicly cited a motive. Washington DC Dec 4 FBI descends on D.C. pipe bomb suspect's Virginia home almost 5 years after Jan. 6 siege The pipe bombs he’s accused of planting were found the day of the Jan. 6 riot, though investigators have said they were place near the RNC and DNC on Jan. 5. Trump received about 74 million votes nationally in 2020, while Joe Biden received roughly 81 million. Trump’s claims about the 2020 election were part of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his efforts to overturn the results. In his final report on the investigation, Smith said that Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” by spreading “demonstrably and, in many cases, obviously false” claims about the 2020 election. Trump has publicly maintained that he believed he won the election. The criminal case against Trump in connection with the Jan. 6 attack was dropped after he was elected in 2024, but Smith said that “but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.” Smith recently said he wanted to publicly testify about his investigation, but House Republicans rejected his request, instead planning to interview him behind closed doors on Dec. 17.

The stage is almost set for the biggest spectacle in soccer. The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw was held Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to map out the groups for an unprecedented tournament. Next summer’s event will be the first ever 48-team World Cup, with those nations being broken up into 12 groups of four. From there, 104 matches will be played at 16 venues across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to determine a World Cup champion. Forty-two teams have already qualified for the tournament, with the final six spots to be decided by UEFA and interconfederation playoffs in March. Here is a look at all 12 groups now that the draw is complete, along with the opponents for each of the host nations. 2026 FIFA World Cup groups Group A Mexico South Korea South Africa Winner UEFA Playoff D (Denmark/North Macedonia/Czechia/Ireland) Group B Canada Switzerland Qatar Winner UEFA Playoff A (Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina) Group C Brazil Morocco Scotland Haiti Group D United States Australia Paraguay Winner UEFA Playoff C (Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo) Group E Germany Ecuador Ivory Coast Curaçao Group F Netherlands Japan Tunisia Winner UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania) Group G Belgium Iran Egypt New Zealand Group H Spain Uruguay Saudi Arabia Cabo Verde Group I France Senegal Norway Winner FIFA Playoff 2 (Bolivia/Suriname/Iraq) Group J Argentina Austria Algeria Jordan Group K Portugal Colombia Uzbekistan Winner FIFA Playoff 1 (New Caledonia/Jamaica/Democratic Republic of the Congo) Group L England Croatia Panama Ghana MORE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP COVERAGE FIFA World Cup 23 hours ago USMNT draws Australia, Paraguay and European playoff winner at 2026 FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Dec 3 How will the 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup work? New format explained When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup? The 2026 World Cup will go from Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, July 19. When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule come out? The full schedule with each match’s teams, stadium and kickoff time will be announced at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 6. What group is the U.S. men’s national team in? The U.S. men’s national team is in Group D with Australia, Paraguay and the winner of a European playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo. When will the USMNT play? While the full match schedule for the World Cup will not be announced until Saturday, the USMNT has known the dates and venues for its group stage matches since February 2024. With the draw complete, the USMNT knows its schedule, as well: Match 1: Friday, June 12 – USMNT vs. Paraguay, Los Angeles Stadium Match 2: Friday, June 19 – USMNT vs. Australia, Seattle Stadium Match 3: Thursday, June 25 – USMNT vs. Winner UEFA Playoff C, Los Angeles Stadium What groups are Mexico and Canada in? The United States’ North American co-hosts, Mexico and Canada, also know their opponents, venues and dates for their group stage matches. Mexico (Group A) Match 1: Thursday, June 11 – Mexico vs. South Africa, Mexico City Stadium Match 2: Thursday, June 18 – Mexico vs. South Korea, Estadio Guadalajara Match 3: Wednesday, June 24 – Mexico vs. Winner UEFA Playoff D, Mexico City Stadium Canada (Group B) Match 1: Friday, June 12 – Canada vs. Winner UEFA Playoff A, Toronto Stadium Match 2: Thursday, June 18 – Canada vs. Qatar, BC Place Vancouver Match 3: Wednesday, June 24 – Canada vs. Switzerland, BC Place Vancouver 2026 FIFA World Cup matches by host city Here is a breakdown of all 16 World Cup stadiums across the U.S., Mexico and Canada: U.S. Atlanta: 8 matches (including semifinal) Boston: 7 matches (including quarterfinal) Dallas: 9 matches (including semifinal) Houston: 7 matches Kansas City: 6 matches (including quarterfinal) Los Angeles: 8 matches (including quarterfinal) Miami: 7 matches (including quarterfinal and Bronze Final) New York/New Jersey: 8 matches (including World Cup Final) Philadelphia: 6 matches San Francisco/Bay Area: 6 matches…