Attacks on Russia: Ukraine today continued the attacks it started four days ago on targets inside Russia. Drone strikes were conducted today into Russia’s Lipetsk region with electrical infrastructure and buildings hit. A building at a military airfield that was loaded with ammunition was hit, creating a massive explosion. Russia said that it ordered the evacuation of hundreds of nearby residents. Russia said that more than 75 drones were intercepted and destroyed.
Nixon’s resignation: Today marks the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon resigning the presidency. Nixon had announced in a televised speech on the night of August 8 that he would be resigning in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It was at noon 50 years ago that Vice President Gerald Ford moved up to the presidency and Nixon boarded a Marine helicopter at the White House to go to Andrews Air Force Base for a flight on a government plane back home to California. Nixon’s fate had been sealed when the Supreme Court ordered him to turn over to the government tape recordings secretly made in the White House that showed him to have been involved in crimes and a cover-up.
Helicopter: It was unclear today whether Donald Trump was lying during his news conference yesterday at Mar-a-Lago about nearly being killed in a helicopter mishap or was confused about what he was saying. Trump said when he was president and went to Paradise, California, to see wildfire damage he was nearly killed when the helicopter on which he was riding made an emergency landing. But, there never was an emergency landing. Trump also said former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown had been on the helicopter, but it was former California Gov. Jerry Brown, not Willie Brown.
Other claims: Donald Trump made numerous statements during his news conference yesterday that were untrue. He claimed that Vice President Harris and Tim Walz had only 1,500 or 2,000 people at their campaign rallies this week, while they actually had from 20,000 to 50,000 people at each rally. Trump claimed that he spoke to more people at his speech before the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol than did Dr. Martin Luther King at his 1963 civil rights event in Washington. Trump’s crowd was estimated at less than 10,000, while King spoke to 250,000. Trump claimed that the U.S. Department of Justice was responsible for the New York trials that convicted him, when those trials were not under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
Storm Debby: Weather forecasters said tornadoes were possible today with winds of about 50 miles per hour as the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, now downgraded to a Tropical Depression, move close to the New York Metro area. Flooding is expected in various places with the ground saturated from heavy rains earlier this week. The center of the storm was forecast to track through western New York state and along the border with Canada to Nova Scotia and the North Atlantic.
Taylor Swift: A third person has been arrested by authorities in Austria in the plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts. He was identified as a citizen of Iraq. Authorities have said that one of the suspects in custody is a supporter of ISIS who was radicalized online. It’s reported the Austrian authorities are seeking additional suspects. Three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria were canceled but she is set to appear in five concerts in London’s Wembley Stadium beginning August 15.
