Anti-affirmative action group sues West Point over admissions policy
The group that won a major Supreme Court victory against affirmative action in June sued the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday, arguing that the court’s ruling banning race-conscious college admissions should extend to the nation’s military academies as well. The court excluded military academies from its decision that affirmative action in college admissions could not be reconciled with the Constitution’s equal protection guarantees because, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a footnote to the majority opinion, of “the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.” Any decision in the case would probably apply to the other service academies as well.
Right-wing house Republicans derail Pentagon GOP bill, rebuking McCarthy
Deep Republican divisions erupted onto the House floor Tuesday as a handful of far-right conservatives blocked a Pentagon spending bill from coming up for debate, dealing an embarrassing setback to Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he struggled to round up votes to prevent a government shutdown in less than two weeks. Five Republicans broke with their own party and refused to allow the usually broadly bipartisan military funding measure to be considered, registering their objections to McCarthy’s strategy in an escalating fight over federal spending. It left the chamber paralyzed for the moment, with little time before a Sept. 30 deadline.
Pittsburgh-area voters deliver Democrats control of Pennsylvania House
Democrats kept control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday after winning an open seat in a special election. The crucial swing state’s lower chamber had been split 101-101 between Democrats and Republicans since July, when former Rep. Sara Innamorato, a Democrat, stepped down from her seat representing the 21st House District to run for Allegheny County executive. The Associated Press projected that Lindsay Powell, a Democrat who has strong ties to party leaders in Washington, had defeated Erin Connolly Autenreith, a Republican who chairs a local party committee. Republicans had hoped for an upset in the district, which includes part of Pittsburgh and its northern suburbs.
UAW threatens to expand strike on Friday
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Tuesday that the union would expand its strike against three U.S. automakers Friday if it was unable to make substantial progress in contract talks with them. Nearly 13,000 UAW members walked off the assembly lines at three plants last Friday, one each at the three companies — General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis, the parent of Chrysler. The union has demanded a 40% wage increase over four years, better benefits and other changes. The automakers, which are based in or have a big presence in Michigan, have offered raises of about half as much.
Unlawful border crossings are rising fast after a brief decline
Unlawful crossings along the Southern border have reached levels not seen for several months, straining government resources and taxing some communities where large numbers of migrants have been released from federal custody. There were more than 8,000 arrests Monday, according to Brandon Judd, the head of the union that represents Border Patrol agents. Such high numbers haven’t been seen since a surge in early May. Officials attribute the recent influx to several factors, including long waits that come with new legal pathways the Biden administration has implemented to enter the United States and misinformation spread by Mexican cartels that smuggle migrants.
Former Columbus zoo executives indicted in $2 million fraud scheme
Three former Columbus Zoo and Aquarium executives were indicted Monday, accused of scheming to defraud the nonprofit zoo out of more than $2 million and spending the money on trips, concert tickets and vehicles, Ohio attorney general Dave Yost said. Former zoo CEO Tom Stalf, former marketing director Pete Fingerhut and former chief financial officer Greg Bell face a combined 90 felony counts in the indictment. Yost said the three had been taking money from the zoo for more than a decade through methods such as filing false tax returns and tampering with reports. If convicted, the men face three to 11 years in prison.
Fed meeting may signal next phase in fight against inflation
Federal Reserve officials are expected to leave interest rates unchanged at their meeting on Wednesday, buying themselves more time to assess whether borrowing costs are high enough to weigh down the economy and wrestle inflation under control. But investors are likely to focus less on what policymakers do on Wednesday — and more on what they say about the future. Wall Street will closely watch whether Fed policymakers still expect to make another interest rate increase before the end of the year or whether they are edging closer to the next phase in their fight against rapid inflation.
U.S. and Saudis explore defense treaty modeled after Asian pacts
The United States is discussing terms of a treaty with Saudi Arabia that would resemble pacts with Japan and South Korea, according to American officials. The move is at the center of President Joe Biden’s high-stakes diplomacy to get the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel. Under such an agreement, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would pledge to provide military support if the other country is attacked in the region or on Saudi territory. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is also asking the Biden administration to help Saudi Arabia develop a civilian nuclear program, which some U.S. officials fear could be cover for a weapons program to counter Iran.
Russian court keeps Wall Street Journal reporter in detention
Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter detained by Russia on espionage charges, appeared Tuesday in public for the first time in months at a court hearing that confirmed his pretrial detention. Gershkovich, a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, has been held in Russia since March. On Tuesday, a Moscow court declined to hear his appeal against a ruling in August that extended his detention by three months, according to Russian state media. He has been detained in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison on espionage charges that he, the U.S. government and the Journal have vehemently denied. The United States has said he is wrongfully detained.
Azerbaijan begins a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan said Tuesday that it had launched a new military operation against an Armenian enclave inside its territory, raising fears of an expanding armed conflict in a fragile region in which the interests of Russia, Turkey and Western countries are increasingly colliding. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces had launched “local anti-terrorist” operations in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, aiming to “disarm and secure the withdrawal of Armenia’s armed formations” from its territory. The country’s Foreign Ministry issued what appeared to be an ultimatum, declaring that only the “dissolution” of the unrecognized pro-Armenian government in the area would “achieve peace and stability.”
East Libya strongman keeps tight control over aid after floods
After a downpour collapsed two dams and unleashed a wall of water that swept parts of the Libyan city of Derna and thousands of its people into the sea, the military strongman who rules the area came for a quick visit. Khalifa Hifter, 79, a renegade commander and longtime CIA asset, shook hands with soldiers, drove through Derna’s muddy streets and flew off in a helicopter. As rescue efforts shift to the long and costly work of caring for the displaced and helping the city recover, Hifter’s hold over eastern Libya has made it clear that he will be the arbiter of the aid operation in the oil-rich country.
By wire sources