U.S. and world news for July 24

Trump was told he’s in the Epstein files

CNN quotes sources as telling it that in May Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed President Donald Trump on the Justice Department’s review of the Jeffrey Epstein case and told him that his name appeared in the files. The Wall Street Journal and other mainstream media also reported that Trump was in the files. After campaigning on a promise to release the government’s files about pedophile Epstein and people who were involved with him, Trump has refused to release the files. Trump denied yesterday that Bondi told him he is in the Epstein files. Even though Speaker of the House Mike Johnson shut down the House and sent members home early for summer break to avoid a vote on releasing the files, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the Department of Justice’s files about Epstein. House Oversight Chair James Comer subpoenaed Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition.

Hegseth sent out classified information in unsecured chat

The national security scandal involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top officials has taken a new turn. In March, the officials discussed a U.S. military attack on Houthi militants in Yemen in a group chat on Signal — a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. Now, the Pentagon’s inspector general (IG) has received evidence that the military plans shared from Hegseth’s Signal account were taken from a U.S. Central Command document that was marked classified at the time, two people familiar with the ongoing review said. The IG’s possession of the file appears to further undercut Hegseth’s claims that nothing classified was shared on the publicly available messaging app.

Trump’s end to birthright citizenship ruled unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that President Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship was unconstitutional. Birthright citizenship is a nearly 160-year-old practice guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which grants citizenship to anyone born on American soil. The 2-1 ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld a nationwide block against the controversial order. In response, the Trump Administration may ask the full 9th Circuit to review the case, or it could appeal the matter straight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump accuses Obama of treason

Donald Trump has accused former President Obama of committing treason and called for him to be prosecuted. Trump did not make note that as a result of his administration’s action, the U.S. Supreme Court granted presidents immunity from prosecution for crimes committed as part of their presidential duties. Trump accused Obama of waging a campaign to subvert results of the 2016 election. A spokesman for Obama said that while Obama usually does not comment on attacks, Trump’s attack deserved a response. He said the claim by Trump is outrageous, ridiculous and a weak attempt to distract people.

Thailand-Cambodia violence

Deadly violence has flared up once again on the long-disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia. Thailand has taken control of border checkpoints, imposed restrictions on crossings and threatened to cut electricity and internet to Cambodia’s border towns. Cambodia stopped imports of Thai produce and banned Thai movies and TV dramas. Both militaries reinforced troops along the border. Two recent landmine explosions that injured troops prompted the countries to downgrade relations even further and recall diplomatic staff. Then, as deadly clashes erupted along the border today, Thailand deployed fighter jets and bombed Cambodian military targets. Cambodia said it plans to “respond decisively.”

All on Russian airliner feared dead in crash

A Russian airliner carrying about 50 people has crashed and burned in Russia’s far-eastern Amur region, Russian state media reported today. The plane was an Antonov An-24. The Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety said that a search and rescue helicopter spotted the wreck of the aircraft on a mountain slope. No survivors were seen from the air. The Russian state news agency TASS reported that, according to the emergency services, the pilots did not issue any distress calls. The aircraft was only a few miles from the Tynda airport when it lost contact with air traffic controllers. The flight was operated by Angara Airlines, a Russian airline that is based in Siberia.