U.S. attacks Iran after Iran fires missiles at U.S. bases
The U.S. staged attacks on targets in Iran early Thursday Iranian time after Iran fired five missiles at U.S. military bases in Jordan. The missiles were intercepted by U.S. and Jordanian defenses, according to the U.S. military. Saudi Arabia joined with the U.S. for joint airstrikes targeting militia groups in Iraq that Iran supports. Saudi Arabia said they had attacked Saudi oil facilities. Reports said that at least 20 members of the Iraq militia and six Iranian advisers were killed. President Trump said in the Oval Office that Iran would face a beating for having targeted U.S. soldiers.
Russia fires missiles at Ukraine
Russia launched missiles toward Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian Air Force said early Thursday local time, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Moscow was preparing a “massive attack.” Ukraine’s air force warned “several waves” of cruise missiles had been launched from “strategic aircraft” in an alert to residents early Thursday local time. It also said launches of cruise missiles had been detected from the Novorossiysk area in southern Russia. Videos posted on social media showed families sheltering in crowded Kyiv metro stations, some bedding down on the floor beneath blankets or inside small tents. Poland proactively scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace from the strikes, the country’s armed forces said, according to Reuters news agency.
Fauci takes the Fifth
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the man who many credit with being a voice of scientific reason that saved numerous lives during the Covid pandemic took the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in testimony before a Senate committee on Wednesday. In order to undercut Republican efforts to bring criminal charges against Fauci, former President Biden gave him a wide-ranging pardon before Biden left office. In taking the Fifth, Fauci cited Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Rand Paul’s attacks against him. Fauci claimed the Kentucky Republican was trying to “get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars.’” Fauci indicated he was pleading the Fifth because he feared Republicans would try to get him to say something that could be used to bring a perjury case against him.
Blanche vote postponed
Senate Republican leaders were forced to postpone a vote to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination to be President Donald Trump’s attorney general late Wednesday, with GOP Sen. John Cornyn refusing to yield in a weeks-long battle with the administration over its controversial $1.8 billion fund it planned to use to pay people who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The delay of the critical Judiciary Committee vote threw the nomination into serious jeopardy, with just days left before the Senate is set to break for its lengthy August recess. Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis have been looking for a firm commitment that the Trump administration will abandon the payoff fund and also back off from an IRS plan to insulate Donald Trump, his businesses and family members from IRS tax audits.
Fed holds interest rates steady
The Federal Reserve, under its new Chairman Kevin Warsh decided Wednesday to keep interest rates where they are, despite Donald Trump’s frequent calls for the Fed to cut the rates. In remarks after the Fed’s announcement, Warsh said that the Fed is sticking with its target of bringing inflation down to 2%. Oil price increases due to the war with Iran have boosted inflation. Stocks, bonds and the U.S. dollar all fell in reaction to the news from the Fed. The Dow fell more than 1,100 points, or 2.19%, for its worst day in over a year. Three Fed members dissented on Wednesday and voted in favor of a rate hike, showing some divide within the central bank.
Trump plans $22.5 billion remake of Dulles International Airport
In his latest move to leave his real estate developer’s mark on the nation’s capital region, President Trump revealed a plan Wednesday for a $22.5 billion renovation plan for Dulles International Airport in Dulles, VA, 26 miles outside of Washington, D.C. Trump showed off drawings of what the renovated airport might look like. “You know, it’s a great thrill,” Trump said when asked why he’s so focused on transforming the Washington, D.C., area. The renovation is expected to be done in phases over eight to 10 years. Bonds would be issued to pay for it by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Airlines also will help with the cost, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in the Oval Office. A new CNN poll suggests voters may be skeptical of Trump paying so much attention to various construction projects in Washington. The poll determined that a record-high 73% of U.S. adults said Trump hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems.
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