In the news today: Trump and some fellow Republicans want to see Biden impeached; Putin ramps up his saber-rattling; and soldiers attempt to overthrow Niger’s president. Also, Chincoteague wild ponies complete the 98th annual swim. |
Joe Biden speaks during an event to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) |
Trump wants to see Biden impeached, and other Republicans are quick to pile on |
Donald Trump wants to see President Joe Biden impeached over his son's business dealings, and the former president’s allies in Congress and his 2024 GOP presidential rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, are eager to join that fight. Read more. |
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- Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Fox News that the House may open an impeachment inquiry into Biden. But behind closed doors Wednesday, the Republican speaker told GOP colleagues it’s early in the impeachment process, and acknowledged there’s still much that is unknown about Joe Biden and whether he had any awareness or involvement in Hunter Biden’s business deals that would arise to an impeachable offense.
By putting Biden on notice that the House is considering an inquiry, the Republicans are elevating a once rare congressional check on executive power — the formal impeachment charges over high crimes and misdemeanors — into yet another tool being wielded in party politics. It’s a political escalation, urged on by Trump, after his own two impeachments.
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Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling |
If President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia has moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto NATO’s doorstep. The declared deployment of the Russian weapons marks a new stage in the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling over its invasion of Ukraine and another bid to discourage the West from increasing military support to Kyiv. Read more. |
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The U.S. and NATO have not confirmed the move - while some experts doubt the claims by Putin and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, others note that Western intelligence might be unable to monitor such movement. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Moscow’s rhetoric as “dangerous and reckless,” but said earlier this month the alliance hasn’t seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
Unlike nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles that can destroy entire cities, tactical nuclear weapons for use against troops on the battlefield have a smaller yield. The devices are compact: Used on bombs, missiles and artillery shells, they could be discreetly carried on a truck or plane. Aliaksandr Alesin, an independent Minsk-based military analyst, said the weapons use containers that emit no radiation and could have been flown into Belarus without Western intelligence seeing it.
- The political opposition to Lukashenko warns that such a deployment turns Belarus into a hostage of the Kremlin. While Lukashenko sees such weapons as a “nuclear umbrella” protecting the country, “they turn Belarus into a target,” said exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who tried to unseat the authoritarian leader in a 2020 election widely viewed as fraudulent.
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Mutinous soldiers say they’ve taken Niger. The government says a coup won’t be tolerated |
Mutinous soldiers announced on state television late Wednesday that they have overthrown Niger’s democratically elected president, putting an end to the government over the African country’s deteriorating security. The soldiers said all institutions had been suspended and security forces were managing the situation. But Niger's government said it will never accept their rule and has called for the population to reject the attempted coup. Read more. |
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President Mohamed Bazoum was elected president two years ago in the nation’s first democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960. Bazoum thwarted a coup attempt days before he was sworn in. His administration has made Niger a key Western partner in the fight against Islamist extremism in Africa’s Sahel region.
Threats to Bazoum’s leadership would also undermine the West’s efforts to stabilize the Sahel region, which has been overrun with coups in recent years. Mali and Burkina Faso have had four coups since 2020, and both are being overrun by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger in March, seeking to strengthen ties with a country where extremists have carried out attacks on civilians and military personnel.
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On July 27, 1940: Billboard magazine published its first “music popularity chart” listing best-selling retail records. In first place was “I’ll Never Smile Again” recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with featured vocalist Frank Sinatra. In the image above Frank Sinatra, and Tommy Dorsey are seen at the Paramount Theater, August 1956. (AP Photo) A look at what else happened in history on July 27 |
Saltwater Cowboys guide the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. (Tess Crowley/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) |
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