Trump Was Taped Discussing Sensitive Document He Had Kept After Leaving Office
Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified material have a recording of Trump from 2021 discussing a sensitive military document he had kept after leaving the White House, two people briefed on the matter said. The recording, in which Trump also indicated he knew the document was secret, could undermine his repeated claim that he had already declassified material that remained in his possession after he left office. Prosecutors are scrutinizing whether Trump obstructed efforts by federal officials to retrieve documents he took with him after leaving office and whether he violated laws governing the handling of classified material.
In Iowa, DeSantis Signals the Start of a Slugfest With Trump
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida came to Iowa for his first trip as a presidential candidate and made plain that he was done being Donald Trump’s punching bag. After months of attacks from Trump that went mostly unanswered, DeSantis jabbed back. He called one of the spending bills that Trump signed “grotesque” and accused him of increasing the national debt. He described Trump’s criticism of the governor’s handling of COVID as “ridiculous.” It was no coincidence that Trump arrived in Iowa on DeSantis’ heels Wednesday, in a sign of the intensifying political skirmish between the leading Republican presidential contenders.
Climate Shocks Are Making Parts of America Uninsurable. It Just Got Worse.
The climate crisis is becoming a financial crisis. Last week, the largest homeowner insurance company in California, State Farm, announced that it would stop selling coverage to homeowners. That’s not just in wildfire zones, but everywhere in the state. Insurance companies, tired of losing money, are raising rates, restricting coverage or pulling out of some areas altogether — making it more expensive for people to live in their homes. “Risk has a price,” said Roy Wright, the former official in charge of insurance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and now head of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, a research group. “We’re just now seeing it.”
Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules New Abortion Bans Unconstitutional
Oklahoma’s Supreme Court said Wednesday that two laws passed last year that ban most abortions are unconstitutional. But the ruling does not affect a law passed in 1910 that still prohibits most abortions in the state, unless they are necessary to save the life of the mother. The laws that were struck down by the court were civil laws that had relied on suits from private citizens to enforce them. Both had made exceptions for cases involving a “medical emergency.” But the justices took issue with that language in their 6-3 ruling, which suggested that the exceptions were too narrow.
Russia Denounces West Over Drone Strike on Moscow
A day after a drone strike on Moscow, Kremlin officials jumped on the refusal of Ukrainian allies to denounce the attack as proof that Russia’s real war was with the West. Britain’s foreign secretary said Tuesday that Ukraine had “the right to project force beyond its borders.” The U.S. response was more circumspect, stopping short of criticizing the first military strike to hit civilian areas in the Russian capital since the start of the war. Russia has repeatedly hit civilian areas of Ukraine, though it has denied targeting nonmilitary sites. In recent weeks it has turned up the barrage of missiles and attack drones aimed at Kyiv, the capital.
‘Poison in Every Puff’ Among Warnings to Be Printed on Canadian Cigarettes
“Poison in every puff.” “Cigarettes cause impotence.” “Tobacco smoke harms children.” Those are the warnings that smokers in Canada will soon find on every single cigarette they light, as the country sets into motion a plan requiring tobacco companies to print health warnings directly onto cigarette filters. The labels will appear in English and French, Canada’s official languages, and are intended to blunt the allure of smoking among young people, adults looking to quit and those addicted to nicotine, the government said Wednesday. Smoking is on the decline in Canada, and the country’s health services aim to reduce it even further.
Sudan’s Army Withdraws From Cease-Fire Talks
Sudan’s army has withdrawn from talks aimed at achieving a full cease-fire and delivering humanitarian aid across the country, it said Wednesday, raising the specter of escalating clashes as a war between rival generals rages for a second month in Africa’s third-largest nation. The talks, facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, were the only major ongoing official effort to mediate between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary rival, the Rapid Support Forces. The army’s withdrawal from the talks deals a blow to the attempts to decisively end the war, which has released a paroxysm of violence and chaos that have killed hundreds of people and displaced millions more.
As Iran Seizes Tankers in Gulf, UAE Pulls Back From U.S.-Led Maritime Force
The United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday that it had stopped participating in a maritime security force led by the United States, the latest hint of tensions between Washington and key Persian Gulf allies who complain that the U.S. has not done enough to protect them from Iranian threats. The unusual public statement came after Iran seized two commercial tankers in waterways near the UAE in quick succession over the past two months. The Emirati Foreign Ministry said the country “withdrew its participation” from the Combined Maritime Forces two months ago “as a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners.”
By wire sources
