Ukraine situation remains unresolved
A Russian spokesman today rejected the idea of European and U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, which has been pledged yesterday during the White House meeting involving Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Donald Trump and European leaders. Russian President Putin during his meeting with Trump in Alaska last week rejected a ceasefire in the war he started by invading Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired 270 drones and 10 missiles in attacks on Ukraine overnight, killing at least 8 people and wounding 54 others. Negotiations on Ukraine’s security guarantees were expected to continue today, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC.
Trump’s falsehoods on mail-in ballots
Fact-checking by CNN has found that President Trump made false claims when he announced that he will sign an executive order aimed at getting rid of mail-in ballots. Trump claimed that mail-in ballots were highly inaccurate, that the Democrats oppose ending main-in ballots “BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE” and that the U.S. is the only country in the world that uses mail-in voting. According to Daniel Dale, fact-checker for CNN, all of these claims are false. Mail-in voting is a legitimate method used by legitimate voters; there is no basis for the assertion of massive cheating; and dozens of other countries use mail-in voting, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the UK.
Texas legislator held political prisoner
Texas Democratic Legislator Nicole Collier was held political prisoner on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives overnight when she refused to sign a document agreeing to demands of Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows, who has been trying to force a vote on a redistricting map that would be used to give Republicans five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Burrows ordered constraints put on the movements of Democratic members of the legislature, allowing them to only leave the House floor if they received written permission to do so, and if they agreed to be escorted around-the-clock by law enforcement officers until the chamber reconvenes tomorrow morning. Texas Republicans’ efforts to redraw the state’s congressional districts in the middle of the decade were stymied when dozens of Democratic House members left the state, denying the quorum needed for the Texas House to conduct business.
Hurricane Erin affects U.S. coast
Hurricane Erin has prompted authorities to issue tropical storm watches for much of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, meaning winds of 39 mph to 73 mph are possible within the next 48 hours. Extensive beach erosion is also likely, with waves of 20 feet or more forecast. While the large Category 3 storm, which exploded in strength over the weekend, is not expected to make landfall, it will spark life-threatening rip currents, towering waves and storm surge as it tracks up the East Coast this week. At least 75 rip current rescues had been conducted along North Carolina’s southern coast on Monday. Erin has diminished in strength from Category 5 status. Some beaches in the New York Metropolitan area will be closed tomorrow and Thursday because of the rough surf.
Air Canada strike is over
Air Canada and a union representing the airline’s flight attendants have come to a tentative agreement, ending a strike that canceled thousands of flights and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers. Union members will need to vote on the agreement to make it permanent. If they vote it down, the strike could resume. The two sides came back to the table Monday night for the first time since the strike began Saturday. The strike had forced the cancellation of more than 700 flights a day by Air Canada and its Air Canada Rouge subsidiary. Air Canada’s statement on the tentative labor deal said that “only customers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating should go to the airport.” The airline also warned Tuesday that it could take a week to 10 days to fully resume its schedule. About 10,000 flight attendants went on strike.
Trump Administration makes change in FBI leadership
Following Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi over her refusal to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced yesterday that they re appointing Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to be Bongino’s co-deputy director. The announcement did not explain how Bailey and Bongino would share the responsibilities of deputy director. Bailey announced his resignation as Missouri’s attorney general. Bailey was under consideration to lead the FBI before Trump’s inauguration. He interviewed for the job with Trump late last year in Mar-a-Lago around the same time Patel interviewed for the position.
