Here are the top stories for Wednesday, Aug. 23rd: Trump calls for unity in speech to veterans; Robert E. Lee statue shrouded in black in Charlottesville; Samsung announces new smart phone; Powerball jackpot climbs to $700M.
Philip Morris will soon be able to sell its most successful smoke-free product in the U.S., setting up a battle with its former parent company Altria.
The U.S. military's success helping Israel stop a massive wave of Iranian missiles and drones last weekend might suggest Washington is well prepared militarily for whatever comes next as Iran and Israel move from shadow warfare to direct confrontation. But current and former U.S. officials say U.S. forces are not positioned for a major, sustained Middle East conflict and the Pentagon may have to revisit assumptions about military needs in the region if the crisis deepens. "I don't think we have all the forces that we would want to support Israel if there was a direct war between them and Iran," said Michael Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East under the Trump administration.
Jury selection concluded Friday with six alternate jurors picked to join the panel of 12 that will ultimately decide the former president's fate.
More than 2,500 people were killed or injured in gang violence in Haiti from January through March, up 53% from the last three months of 2023, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) said on Friday. At least 590 were killed during police operations, BINUH said in a report. Several were apparently not involved in gang violence, some had impaired mobility, and at least 141 were killed by vigilante justice groups.
Federal transportation officials are investigating an unauthorized inflight cockpit visit by a coach for the Colorado Rockies baseball team during a United Airlines charter flight last week from Denver to Toronto. Video surfaced this week that appears to show Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens sitting in a pilot's seat while the April 10 flight was at cruising altitude. It is against federal regulations for unauthorized people to be on the flight deck.
Police officials said they were reviewing whether to restrict access to a public park outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial after a man set himself on fire there Friday. “We may have to shut this area down,” New York City Police Department Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said at a news conference outside the courthouse, adding that officials would discuss the security plan soon. Collect Pond Park has been a gathering spot for protesters, journalists and gawkers throughout Trump's trial, which began with jury selection Monday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department said on Friday it fully expects to finalize new trade exemptions for the AUKUS defense project with Australia and Britain in the next 120 days, signaling a further delay in the move, but offering the prospect of a positive outcome in the project to counter China. AUKUS was formed in 2021 to address shared worries about China's growing power and would involve Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines, among other items of defense cooperation. The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires President Joe Biden to determine within 120 days of his signing it into law on Dec. 22 whether Australia and Britain have export control regimes "comparable to the United States" and thereby qualify for exemptions to the ITAR regulations.
A measure of calm was returning after Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran spooked the market and spurred a rush to safe havens such as gold.
The children of influencers Aubree and Josh Jones are unlikely to find their names on a gift shop key chain.
Since it’s not being televised — and news photographers are only permitted in for 45 seconds at the start of each day — the only other images from inside the courtroom are portraits being done by sketch artists.
Rhett Kamm and Taryn Elliott went viral on social media for having one of the most "amazing" weddings during the eclipse. The couple tells TODAY.com how it happened.
The Air National Guard has delayed its plan to downgrade the status of about 80 members of its Alaska unit, a move that would have threatened national security and civilian rescues in the nation’s most remote state. The Alaska Air National Guard confirmed the delay in an email to The Associated Press on Friday. Efforts by the state’s politicians and Alaskans “have been instrumental in getting this delay which will allow everyone involved the time to conduct more thorough research and analysis,” wrote Alan Brown, an Alaska guard spokesperson.
The president’s address comes the week before the state’s six-week abortion ban goes into effect.
Dengue cases are surging in the Americas, with cases reported topping 5.2 million as of this week, surpassing a yearly record set in 2023, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Mexican presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said that if elected, her administration would focus on water management and renewable energy as part of a plan to boost the country's sustainability. Speaking at a banking event on the country's Pacific coast, Sheinbaum added that she would also focus on developing areas for nearshoring, investing in industrial parks and boosting the country's freight and passenger train networks. The candidate for the ruling MORENA party, Sheinbaum is strongly favored to win the June elections and her campaign has centered on broadly continuing the policies of current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
"We look forward to learning more on what happened in the lead up to, and in the weeks following, the attack," said Cathy Rodgers, energy and commerce committee chair, and Morgan Griffith, chair of the subcommittee on oversight and investigations. "This hearing will help inform the committee as we continue working toward solutions that protect the health and well-being of all Americans."
Staring down a decision so consequential it could alter the course of history -- but also end his own career -- House Speaker Mike Johnson prayed for guidance. A conservative Christian, the speaker wrestled over whether to lead the House in approving $95 billion in desperately needed war-time aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, which many in his own Republican majority opposed — some so strongly they would try to boot him from office. Or, he could do nothing, halting the flow of U.S. aid and potentially saving his own job but ensuring his place as the House speaker who led America’s retreat from the global stage and left Ukraine to fend for itself as it loses ground against the Russian invasion.
DeWitt Public School district in Michigan canceled an optional lesson planned for a class of first-graders at Schavey Road Elementary School.
Paramount is currently in exclusive merger talks with David Ellison's Skydance Media.
The Environmental Protection Agency cleared the way Friday for a higher blend of ethanol to be sold nationwide for the third summer in a row, citing global conflicts that it says are putting pressure on the world's fuel supply. The agency announced an emergency waiver that will exempt gasoline blended with 15% ethanol from an existing summertime ban. Gasoline with 10% ethanol is already sold nationwide, but the higher blend has been prohibited in the summer because of concerns it could worsen smog during warm weather.
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