Politics Headlines
Boredom, loneliness plague Ukrainian youth near front line
The children and teens who remain in eastern Ukraine are retreating into social media, video games and other digital technology to cope with the isolation and stress of Russia's war that rages on the nearby front line. Cities have largely emptied after hundreds of thousands have evacuated from the embattled Donetsk region. The youth who remain face loneliness and boredom as painful counterpoints to the fear and violence Moscow has unleashed on Ukraine. More than 6 million Ukrainians have fled. They are overwhelmingly women and children. Millions of others are internally displaced. Countless childhoods have been upended not only for those having to start a new life after seeking safety elsewhere. But also for the thousands who stayed behind.
PM Modi pledges to make India developed country in 25 years
The prime minister is pledging to work with vigor to turn poverty-ridden India into a developed country in the next 25 years. Wearing a flowing, cream-colored turban printed with small stripes of orange, white and green, Narendra Modi addressed the nation Monday from New Delhi’s 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence from British rule. Modi said India will be guided by the ideals of self-reliance and the spirit of international partnership to attain excellence. He said millions of people across the country were commemorating the 75th anniversary of independence by hoisting orange, white and green colored national flags at their homes and businesses.
Deadline looms for drought-stricken states to cut water use
Seven states in the U.S. West are facing a deadline from the federal government to come up with a plan to use substantially less Colorado River water in 2023. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expected to publish hydrology projections on Tuesday that will trigger agreed-upon cuts to states that rely on the river. On top of that, states are facing a threat to propose additional cuts or have them mandated by the federal government. Prolonged drought, climate change and overuse are jeopardizing the water supply that more than 40 million people rely on. States are acknowledging that painful cuts are needed, but also stubbornly clinging to the water they were allocated a century ago.
What to watch: Cheney in trouble while Palin eyes comeback
Elections in Wyoming and Alaska on Tuesday could relaunch the political career of a former Republican star and effectively end the career of another. Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney is the face of a House committee investigating former President Donald Trump’s role in fomenting the Jan. 6 insurrection. Her doggedness against the leader of the Republican Party has left her fighting for her seat. In Alaska, Sarah Palin seized on a vacancy in the state’s congressional delegation as a springboard back into politics. A victory in a special election for the U.S. House could send her to Washington as soon as next month.
Cheney and Murkowski: Trump critics facing divergent futures
Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney hail from their states’ most prominent Republican families. They're also among the GOP’s sharpest critics of former President Donald Trump, and both supported his impeachment. But their political fortunes could diverge after Tuesday's primaries. Cheney faces daunting prospects in her effort to fend off Trump-supported challenger Harriet Hageman, while Murkowski is expected to advance from her primary. Boosting Murkowski's prospects is a nonpartisan primary in which the four candidates who get the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.
80 years later, Navajo Code Talker marks group's early days
One of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers says Sunday that the code based on his then-unwritten native language was the hardest thing to learn. Thomas H. Begay spoke at a Phoenix ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the elite World War II group and its code that confounded Japanese military cryptologists. Hundreds of Navajos were recruited by the U.S. Marines to serve as code talkers during the war. The 98-year-old Begay is one of three who is still alive to talk about it. The Code Talkers participated in all assaults the Marines led in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945 including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu and Iwo Jima.
German minister decries ecological catastrophe in Oder River
Germany’s environment minister says the mass die-off of fish in the Oder River is an ecological catastrophe and it's not clear yet how long it will take the river to recover. Steffi Lemke spoke Sunday at a news conference alongside her Polish counterpart, Anna Moskwa. Moskwa said the cause of the mass die-off of fish has not yet been determined. The meeting took place in Szczecin, a Polish city on the Oder River. Both ministers said they were focused now on doing what they can do limit the damage. Ten tons of dead fish were removed last week from the Oder, which runs along the border between Poland and Germany before flowing into the Baltic Sea.
Police: Man killed himself after ramming US Capitol barrier
Police say a man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself. Police say the man didn't seem to be targeting any member of Congress. The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set on Capitol Hill. Authorities say that as the man was getting out of the car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. Police say he then opened fire, shooting several bullets into the air as police approached. The man's identity hasn't been released, but investigators have located addresses for him in Delaware and Pennsylvania and have learned he had a criminal history in the past decade.
Activist offers to pay for Kansas' recount of abortion vote
An anti-abortion activist who heads a small hard-right Republican group said he’s offered to pay the expected $229,000 cost of a hand recount of votes from every Kansas county after a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights. Mark Gietzen, who leads the group Kansas Republican Assembly, told the Kansas City Star on Saturday he wants to pay for the recount that Melissa Leavitt, of Colby, requested because he believes it could change the outcome. The 165,000-vote difference in the election makes that unlikely, however. And there has been no evidence of significant problems with the election. The Kansas Republican Assembly is significantly to the right of the state Republican Party and isn’t affiliated with the GOP-led legislature.
Kentucky judge suspended; says commission is 'being used'
A Kentucky judge has been suspended with pay following testimony that he pressured a lawyer practicing in his court to support his reelection campaign. The Paducah Sun reports the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission voted 3-2 on Friday to suspend 42nd Judicial Circuit Judge Jamie Jameson. The daylong hearing included testimony from an attorney that Jameson repeatedly asked to support his reelection campaign. Jameson was also accused of unbecoming conduct. The panel viewed a number of videos showing Jameson’s courtroom demeanor and use of his contempt power. Jameson testified on his own behalf, at one point telling commissioners they were being used for political purposes.
Brief scuffles slow tallying in Kenya's close election
Kenya’s peaceful presidential election saw a brief disruption when riot police responded to scuffles at the national ballot tallying center amid tensions over the close results. Police remained at the center on Sunday. An ally of longtime opposition leader and candidate Raila Odinga announced from the lectern that the tallying center was the “scene of a crime” before calm was restored. The ally offered no evidence in the latest example of the unverified claims that both top campaigns have made as Kenya waits for official results. The electoral commission has seven days from Tuesday’s election to announce the results. The commission chair says the process is going too slowly.
'China threat' emerges in elections from UK to Australia
While inflation and recession fears weigh heavily on the minds of voters, another issue is popping up in political campaigns from the U.K. and Australia to the U.S. and beyond: the “China threat.” Nations for years have sought to balance promoting trade and investment with the world’s second-largest economy with concerns about China’s projection of military power, espionage and its human rights record. The pendulum is swinging toward the latter, especially after the Chinese military drills that followed U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last week. That shift has made China a target for vote-seeking politicians as opinion polls show public sentiment in many democracies turning against China.
More US lawmakers visit Taiwan 12 days after Pelosi trip
A delegation of American lawmakers has arrived in Taiwan just 12 days after a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that angered China. China responded to Pelosi's Aug. 2 visit by sending missiles, warships and warplanes into the seas and air around Taiwan. The American Institute in Taiwan said the five-member delegation led by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts is in Taiwan on Sunday and Monday as part of a visit to Asia. They will meet senior leaders including President Tsai Ing-wen to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade, investment and other issues. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and objects to it having any official contact with foreign governments.
Some Capitol rioters try to profit from their Jan. 6 crimes
Some of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are trying to profit from their participation in the deadly insurrection while they face the legal consequences for their crimes. In some cases, rioters have used the attack as a platform for promoting their business endeavors, political aspirations or social media profiles. Many of those charged have used websites and crowdfunding platforms to raise money after their arrests. Efforts to capitalize on the riot haven’t gone over well with federal prosecutors or the judges who've sentenced more than 200 riot defendants so far. Prosecutors often cite the profit-chasing activities in seeking tougher punishments.
AP PHOTOS: Nagas mark 75 years since declaring independence
CHEDEMA, India (AP) — In a small mountain village in India’s northeast, blue flags fluttered high in the clear sky. While Indians across the country prepared to celebrate 75 years of independence from British rule on Monday, the Naga community in Chedema marked the occasion by hoisting their very own blue flag.
Top lawyers hired by those linked to Georgia election probe
As more details emerge about the Georgia investigation into possible illegal attempts to influence the 2020 election, high-profile lawyers are getting involved. Former President Donald Trump has hired prominent Atlanta criminal defense attorney Drew Findling, who’s best known for representing rap stars. Trump's former White House counsel, Don McGahn, has been in federal court in Atlanta as part of the legal team fighting a subpoena for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Legal experts say hiring a lawyer is the right choice for anyone who has dealings with the special grand jury or suspects he may be a subject or target of the investigation. No one's been charged with a crime in the investigation. Trump and Graham have denied any wrongdoing,
New York restricts families from sending packages to inmates
As part of an effort to keep illegal drugs and other contraband out of state prisons, New York is taking away one of the few pleasures of life behind bars. It will no longer let people send inmates care packages from home. The state began phasing in the new policy last month. Friends and family will no longer be allowed to deliver packages in person during prison visits. They also won’t be allowed to mail boxes of goodies unless they come direct from third-party vendors. New York had been one of the few states that still allowed families to send packages to inmates from home.
UK drops prosecution of protesters over slain woman's vigil
British authorities have quashed plans to prosecute protesters who attended a vigil for a murdered woman during the country's pandemic lockdown. The Crown Prosecution Service said Sunday that cases against six people over the March 2021 vigil in memory of Sarah Everard had been dropped because “our legal test for a prosecution was not met.” Everard was abducted, raped and killed as she walked home from a friend’s house in London. Her killer, Wayne Couzens, was a serving Metropolitan Police officer. The killing and the police response ignited criticism of the police force and its attitude toward women’s safety. Allegations of misogyny and bungled investigations have undermined confidence in the police.
