Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called on former President Donald Trump to “step up” and join the first GOP primary debate next month, emphasizing that no one is entitled to the nomination and that Trump should participate to “earn it with his vision.” DeSantis himself will be attending the debate in Milwaukee on August 23rd and the FAMiLY Leadership Summit event in Iowa hosted by Tucker Carlson. It is still unclear whether or not Trump will participate in the debate.
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Key takeaways: The Justice Department has filed court papers to appeal the 18-year prison sentence handed down to Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right…
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has announced that a deputy punched a mother holding a 3-week-old infant during an arrest last year, which was captured on body camera footage. The deputy has been taken off field duty and the case has been sent to the district attorney's office to decide if criminal charges should be filed. The FBI has also been alerted to the incident.
Authorities in Colorado are investigating the discovery of three heavily decomposed bodies at a remote Rocky Mountains camp. The bodies were found on Monday by the Gunnison County Sheriff's Office after a hiker reported the discovery of one of the bodies late Sunday. Two of the bodies were found inside a small, zipped-up tent and the other was outside in the camp. The Sheriff's Office is now working to identify the bodies and determine the cause of death.
After a deadline to reach a deal with studios and streaming services passed without an agreement, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has voted unanimously to recommend a strike. If the actors strike, they will join screenwriters on picket lines in a bid to get better terms. The union has not yet announced when the strike will begin, but it is expected to have a major impact on the entertainment industry.
Minnesota authorities are investigating the deaths of two women, Manijeh “Mani” Starren and Fanta Xayavong, whose bodies were found in separate storage units in the state. Starren had been reported missing by a tipster who said he had been threatened by Joseph Jorgenson, the man they both dated. Xayavong was reported missing by the same tipster who said she may have been a victim of sex trafficking. Jorgenson has been charged with second-degree murder in Starren's death.
Residents of Seffner, Florida were shocked to find that the sinkhole that had opened up in 2013 and swallowed a man sleeping in his own house had reopened for a third time. Hillsborough County officials are monitoring the sinkhole and taking steps to ensure the safety of the surrounding area, reassuring residents that none of the homes appear to be in danger. The sinkhole has been filled with sand and rock and secured with chain-link fencing each time it has reopened.
At the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, tensions between Kyiv and Western capitals were on full display, highlighting fundamental divisions between the war-torn country and its Western partners. Despite attempts to paper over any discord, the summit revealed a complicated relationship between Kyiv and Western capitals, with debates over Ukraine's potential NATO membership being acrimonious and emotionally fraught. Ultimately, a statement was issued that Ukraine was “on the path to NATO membership”, though some analysts have argued this is unwise and unnecessary.