Biden to hold first public event of the week before flying to beach house
President Biden is scheduled to hold his first public event of the week on Thursday before flying to his beach house in Delaware. Biden hasn’t been seen publicly since walking back to the White House from Marine One on Monday after returning with first lady Jill Biden from their residence in Wilmington, Delaware. None of the events on the president’s public schedule have been open to the press so far this week. On Thursday, Biden – during events closed to the press – is scheduled to call Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen “to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the tragic Maui wildfires and those who lost their lives” and receive his presidential daily briefing. Biden later Thursday afternoon is to welcome the Texas Rangers to the White House to celebrate their 2023 World Series championship season during an event open to only press-credentialed media. BIDEN HUNKERS DOWN IN WHITE HOUSE WITH NO PUBLIC EVENTS ON SCHEDULE AGAIN The president then is scheduled to depart the White House for Joint Base Andrews, from where he will then travel to Wilmington, Delaware. Biden’s arrival in Wilmington is listed as open to the press, but the president and Jill Biden will then greet campaign staff there during an event listed on the public schedule as closed to the press. The couple will then go back to their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Thursday evening. Biden sat down with CBS News for his first interview since exiting his race for re-election at the White House on Wednesday afternoon. The interview isn’t scheduled to air in full until Sunday. Aside from a promotional clip of the interview, the public hasn’t seen Biden since Monday as he returned to the White House. The president told CBS News that he is “not confident at all” that there would be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025 if former President Donald Trump loses the election, though Biden misspoke initially and said, “if Trump wins.” “He means what he says. We don’t take him seriously. He means it, all the stuff about, ‘If we lose, there’ll be a bloodbath, it’ll have to be a stolen election,’” Biden said. “Look what they’re trying to do now in the local election districts where people count the votes,” the president added, “or putting people in place in states that they’re going to count the votes, right?” HARRIS SNUBBING SHAPIRO MAKES LIBERAL JEWS IN HOLLYWOOD FEEL ‘NOT WELCOME’ AMONG DEMOCRATS: REPORT White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president, telling Fox News congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie, “You’ll see him tomorrow. There will be more opportunities. We have five months left here. There’ll be plenty of opportunities, obviously, to see the president and, certainly, when we have events, public events to share and travel to share as we normally do, we will do just that.” Asked if the president has yet spoken to any of the U.S. service members injured in the attack by Iranian proxies on a base in Iraq over the weekend, Jean-Pierre said at the White House press briefing that she did not “have any conversations to speak of,” but added, “obviously, we are wishing them a speedy recovery. They were injured. And so we have to give them some space and opportunity, to get better, to get that treatment that they need. As the president, he’s also the commander-in-chief, as you know, and he takes that incredibly seriously.” Of the seven injured U.S. personnel, Jean-Pierre said two have been returned to duty, two are recovering locally, and three have been evacuated for further treatment and remain in stable condition. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As Pennsylvania comes into focus as a key 2024 battleground, there’s speculation about whether “Scranton Joe” will campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in the state, especially after Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was passed up for Harris’ running mate. Harris announced earlier this week that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would join her on the Democratic ticket.
Nine out of 10 Texans say housing costs too much, poll finds
Some Texas lawmakers have signaled an appetite to tackle the state’s housing affordability crisis when they convene next year.
Muhammad Yunus returns to Bangladesh to lead interim government
‘Bangladesh has got a second independence,’ Nobel laureate says before meeting army chief, president and his swearing-in ceremony. Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus has returned to Bangladesh to head an interim government after weeks of student-led protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India. “It’s good to be back home,” said the 84-year-old after touching down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday on a flight from Paris via Dubai. Yunus was picked by President Mohammed Shahabuddin to lead an interim government, fulfilling a key demand of the student protest leaders. Reporting from Dhaka, Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury said Yunus was expected to head first to a meeting with the army chief and the president before being sworn in at 8pm (14:00 GMT). “Today is a glorious day for us,” Yunus told reporters at the airport. “Bangladesh has created a new victory day. Bangladesh has got a second independence.” Yunus’s main objective was to hold elections as soon as possible, said Chowdhury, noting that the poll should be held 90 days from the dissolving of the country’s Parliament, which occurred on Tuesday. “[He] himself has said he doesn’t want to be a long-term caretaker government chief,” he said. Students had taken to the streets last month over a controversial government job quota system, their protests escalating into a nationwide crisis following a harsh crackdown by authorities. Nearly 300 people were killed within weeks in one of the most violent phases of Hasina’s 15-year rule. Hasina, 76, was forced to step down and flee, with millions of Bangladeshis celebrating her political demise. Yunus is an economist and banker who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for founding Grameen Bank, which pioneered fighting poverty with microloans. “The students wanted someone noncontroversial, nonpolitical, somebody who is neutral, who has global connections and can bring something to the table for Bangladesh at this moment which is in crisis,” said Chowdhury. The veteran academic had travelled abroad this year while on bail after being sentenced to six months in jail on a charge condemned as politically motivated. He was acquitted on Wednesday by a Dhaka court. Yunus was hit with more than 100 criminal cases and a smear campaign by a state-led agency that accused him of promoting homosexuality, with courts accused of rubber-stamping decisions by Hasina’s government. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said he backed Yunus: “I am certain that he will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process.” Adblock test (Why?)
Catalonia ex-leader Puigdemont returns to Spain despite arrest warrant
Large crowd of supporters turns up to greet politician in Barcelona after seven years of self-imposed exile in Belgium. Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has returned to Spain after seven years of self-imposed exile and despite a pending warrant for his arrest. He appeared before a throng of supporters in Barcelona on Thursday, pumping his fist as he climbed on to a stage surrounded by officials of his hardline party, Junts, at the Arc de Triomf monument located near the Catalan Parliament. “I’ve come today to remind you that we’re still here,” Puigdemont told thousands of cheering supporters. “Long live Catalonia!” Many in the crowd waved red, yellow and blue flags and chanted slogans demanding Catalonia’s secession from Spain. Puigdemont fled Spain over his role in a failed 2017 independence bid for the wealthy region. After his brief address, Puigdemont appeared to head to the regional parliament for the investiture vote to elect a new leader. But the assembly began the vote without him being present. It was not immediately clear where he was. Police set up road blocks within Barcelona and leading out of the city, an interior department spokesperson said, according to the Reuters news agency. His potential arrest and imprisonment could unleash new turmoil in Catalonia. The building in central Barcelona housing the regional parliament was fenced off and surrounded by police. His arrest could delay the swearing-in of a Socialist government in Catalonia and jeopardise the national government’s fragile alliance with Junts, on which it relies for legislative support. Socialist Salvador Illa, who is backed by the left-wing separatist ERC party after a bilateral deal last week, is expected to be voted as leader. The Socialists hope taking control in Catalonia after a decade of separatist rule will turn the page on the independence drive, which has been losing support in recent years. Meanwhile, far-right party Vox was set to hold a counterprotest outside Parliament. Its secretary-general, Ignacio Garriga, said on X that “we will not tolerate the humiliation of seeing a criminal and fugitive from justice enter parliament”. The Spanish parliament passed an amnesty law in May pardoning those involved in the failed 2017 secession bid, but the Supreme Court upheld arrest warrants for Puigdemont and two others who were also charged with embezzlement, ruling that the amnesty law does not apply to them. Puigdemont says the referendum was not illegal and so the charges linked to it have no basis. “Things are complicated in the sense that there’s this interest in stopping him. But at the end of the day, he’s a member of parliament. He’s a former president. So if he is arrested, this would be against the immunity of the members of parliament,” Mar Aquilera Varques, a constitutional law professor at Barcelona University, told Al Jazeera. “There are some people who are tired of this political crisis. But many people in Catalonia still want independence,” she added. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine attacks Russia’s Kursk region, hopes F-16s boost counteroffensive
Ukraine continued its gradual rearguard action during the past week, ceding ground in feet and inches to preserve the lives of its soldiers while managing to prevent a Russian breakthrough anywhere along its front line. Meanwhile, it began to receive its first F-16 fighter jets from Western allies, a new weapon that could help turn the balance of power in the skies, which is key to developments on the ground. It also continued to build an estimated 15 new battalions it is counting on to one day mount a counteroffensive that will roll back Russian conquests. The fighting was fiercest in central Donetsk, the eastern province that has seen many of the bloodiest battles of this war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Pokrovsk was the focus of Russian efforts on August 1. “Pokrovsk, I would say for today, this is a priority for them … the largest number of personnel, the largest number of weapons and [glide bombs], everything they have, they are centring today in the Pokrovsky direction,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by Suspilne, Ukraine’s public broadcaster. Pokrovsk lies 20km (12.4 miles) off the tip of a salient that Russian forces have created west of Avdiivka since seizing it in February. In the intervening six months, they have advanced 26km (16 miles). Russian forces completed their capture of Vesele at the tip of this salient on August 4. (Al Jazeera) The ultimate Russian goal, Zelenskyy said, was to seize Sloviansk, which together with Kramatorsk, forms the backbone of Ukraine’s defences in Donetsk. But Russia has obfuscated the direction from which the main thrust for Sloviansk and Kramatorsk would come, prioritising different fronts at different times. For example, Ukraine’s general staff said on Friday that Russian attacks were increasing in Toretsk, a front-line city 50km (30 miles) east of Pokrovsk. That intensity grew by Sunday when the general staff said Toretsk was absorbing 80 percent of Russian attacks. The battle for Chasiv Yar About 50km (30 miles) northeast of Pokrovsk, another fierce battle raged. Russian forces began to advance through Chasiv Yar, a high ground Ukrainians have defended stoutly to delay another Russian offensive to break through to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Geolocated footage on Friday showed that Russian forces had crossed the Siversky Donets-Donbas canal, a key defensive feature that had held them at bay for months. By Monday Ukraine’s general staff said attacks were still being repulsed in Chasiv Yar, however, one Ukrainian formation was announcing its departure, an apparent admission that the city would not ultimately be held. “Chasiv Yar is another Ukrainian city that actually ceased to exist after the so-called ‘liberation’ by the Russians,” wrote Ukraine’s Black Swan strike group from the 255th Assault Battalion online. “Our battalion defended it for four months, steadfastly holding the positions assigned to us. Now it’s time to rest and prepare for new tasks,” it posted. (Al Jazeera) Video taken by the battalion showed an utterly deserted and gutted city, with occasional artillery explosions on August 5 continuing to blow apart the abandoned concrete skeletons of buildings. Asked by the Philadelphia Inquirer in late June whether Ukraine would manage to hold Chasiv Yar, the chief of Ukrainian intelligence Kyril Budanov had said, “I will refrain from response.” All these gains have come at a high cost. Ukraine’s ground forces commander Oleksandr Pavlyuk on Sunday gave the weekly tally of Russian losses: 8,220 soldiers, 67 tanks, and 160 armoured fighting vehicles – weekly Russian losses typical for the past several months. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the toll. What is Ukraine’s game? Russian President Vladimir Putin had set the conquest of Donetsk and Luhansk as a goal for his armies by last February, the war’s second anniversary. In June, he told Ukraine he would agree to a ceasefire and peace talks only if Ukraine handed over those two provinces along with Zaporizhia and Kherson, which Russia also partially occupies. Ukraine’s inability to match Russian troop strength and firepower appeared to vindicate Putin’s strategy of attritional war to prevent Ukraine from ever retaking the initiative. A serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, runs on the road along a front line amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on August 6, 2024 [Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters] Ukrainian Brigadier-General Andriy Hnatov said as much in an interview on Friday. Putin launched his May 10 incursion into Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region a month after Ukraine passed a new mobilisation law to raise a quarter of a million new troops, he said. “It’s not accidental,” said Hnatov, who has commanded the Khortytsia group of forces facing the fiercest battles in Donetsk. “The real goal of the enemy was not to capture 10-15 kilometres (6-9 miles) of our territory there … the goal of the enemy was to do everything so that we could not quickly feel the results of mobilisation.” Konstantyn Mashovets, a retired Ukrainian colonel who regularly comments on military developments, said Ukrainian troops in the Pokrovsk area were “inferior to the enemy in forces and means … especially in the air component and artillery”, and called the Russian advance “slow but rather confident”. (Al Jazeera) But Ukraine has played defence knowing that it would take Putin years – by some estimates 14 years – to complete his conquest of just Luhansk and Donetsk. It appears to have done this to buy time for a strategy where it feels it has the advantage – using drones to undermine Russian power on land, at sea and in the air. A Russian military reporter said Ukraine’s strategy was “catastrophic” for Russian forces in Siversk, where “the enemy [first person viewer] drones dismantle all the dugouts and burrows known to them, and there is no way to dig new normal shelters, as they are burning in the first stages of construction”. Ukraine has posted videos showing off its drone
‘No interference in freedom…’, says Kiren Rijiju as he backs Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, i.e., August 8, tabled the Waqf Act Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
‘No interference in freedom…’: Kiren Rijiju backs Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, i.e., August 8, tabled the Waqf Act Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
How an anti-abortion doctor joined Texas’ maternal mortality committee
Dr. Ingrid Skop, a San Antonio OB-GYN, was chosen to represent rural areas over an obstetrics nurse from the Rio Grande Valley.
Businesses, governments work to boost cyberdefense amid shortage in workers
An increasing number of government entities across the United States is looking for ways to improve cyberdefenses. The Florida Center for Cybersecurity at the University of South Florida, or Cyber Florida, is partnering with SimSpace to train the Sunshine State’s 1 million state and local employees in cyberdefense tactics, using military-grade cyber ranges. “One of the important things that the military focuses on is conducting mission rehearsals. Practice it before you do it,” said SimSpace CEO and former Air Force Col. William “Hutch” Hutchinson. “In the real circumstance, that obviously is something that the private sector or the commercial sector could use as well.” Hutchinson served as an F-15 fighter pilot and trained in Red Flag exercises. The drills were created after the Vietnam War to improve combat readiness. CYBERSECURITY EXPERTS SOUND ALARM OVER US POWER GRID VULNERABILITIES “One of the lessons learned was if you survived your first 10 combat missions as a fighter pilot, your chances of success dramatically increase,” Hutchinson said. “So, they created an exercise to duplicate those first 10 combat missions.” Hutchinson took that training to the U.S. Cyber Command to lead similar exercises called Cyber Flag. “The idea was to provide insights to commanders on how we would fare in a future cyberconflict,” Hutchinson said. Now as CEO of SimSpace, Hutchinson helps train civilians across the public and private sector using military-style training. “It’s the public-private partnership,” said Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla. “The military is having a hard time, as is some of these organizations like Cyber Florida, attracting people who sit up all night and drink Red Bull and are hacking. I think the middle ground is often the reserves, where you’re learning those civilian skill sets, which are often way outpacing government in terms of the new technologies and the type of people they recruit.” In recent years, dozens of state legislatures, in addition to Florida, have passed laws to boost cyberdefenses. Michigan first launched the concept of a volunteer cybersecurity reserve force in 2013. Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas, California and Maryland have all created similar reserve programs. Other states like Oklahoma and Arizona have state cyber commands that protect state information systems and data. “The threat is significant. If you’re thinking about the future and major combat between near pure adversaries, probably the next first strike in anything like that, it’s not going to be like Pearl Harbor. It’ll be a cyberattack,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. “Our adversaries out there, whether it’s China, Iran, Russia, now North Korea has invested heavily in this. We’ve got to do a better job producing the workforce that’s going to defend this nation.” SimSpace CFO James Gerber said Cyber Florida has expanded beyond what many other states are doing by offering individual training in academically supported practice environments. “They can focus really on configuring for the latest types of severe events that the governor and mayors want to know that they’re ready for. And it’s providing those answers with confidence,” Gerber said. The cyber ranges are interactive, simulated platforms. They replicate scenarios for different parts of the government like health care or energy, based on the threats those sectors may face. “Ten years ago, there were some viable options, but nothing like what we see today,” said Cyber Florida’s Cyber Range Director Bruce Caulkins. “That really helps the users to understand what’s going on with their systems and their networks and how to react properly.” State and federal governments have experienced worker shortages when it comes to cyberdefenses. Lawmakers also say both the public and private sector have faced hurdles in recruiting talent. “There’s a lot of openings. The challenge is getting people into those what are often thought of as STEM programs,” Kelly said. “We worked on this bipartisan with the Chips and Science Act. We need to do more of that specifically for cyber and also Arizona.” The federal government is working to boost its cyberdefenses, too. The fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes an effort to establish a civilian cybersecurity reserve to help agencies respond to cyberattacks. “We just in the last defense bill just stood up a civilian cybersecurity core that will be that bridge between [the] civilian tech world and military national security, Homeland Security world, and bring those two together,” Waltz said. Waltz said increasing partnerships with the private sector is crucial in defending against adversaries like China. “We can’t play perfect defense,” Waltz said. “We are trying to bat 1,000 and not let anything through. I think for China especially, we need to take a mutually-assured-destruction approach like we did with nuclear weapons years ago in that we can shut down your economy, too, and your critical infrastructure. So, you better not shut ours down.”
Harris VP pick Tim Walz’s top five ‘weird’ moments in the spotlight
Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who immediately set social media ablaze as unearthed clips and headlines exposing his “radical” political career went viral. The Minnesota Democrat, who was being hyped up to Harris by the far-left faction of her party, including lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., accompanied Harris during a Philadelphia campaign rally Tuesday evening kicking off their swing state tour across multiple states. “One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep,” Harris said Tuesday while announcing her VP choice. Here are five standout remarks by the former lawmaker and potential future vice president, which have been dubbed as “weird” by critics: Walz was responsible for an insult that quickly became a viral hit for Democrats across the United States when he described former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance as “weird.” “These are weird people on the other side, they want to take books away, they want to be in your exam room, that’s what it comes down to,” he said on MSNBC last month. “Don’t get sugarcoating this, these are weird ideas.” It’s a quip that the Harris campaign has embraced, and appears to have stuck to the Trump campaign, which in turn has aggressively redeployed the attack against Democrats by attacking their “radical” proposals. WALZ BACKED ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES, SERVICES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS GOVERNOR: ‘WIN FOR OPEN BORDERS’ “You know what’s really weird?” Donald Trump Jr. responded. “Soft on crime politicians like Kamala allowing illegal aliens out of prison so they can violently assault Americans.” Vance took advantage of the label over the weekend during an Atlanta rally and listed off several policy positions Harris has espoused. Walz has not backed off using “weird” during public speeches, using it again after being announced as Harris’ running mate on Tuesday during a Philadelphia rally. “These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell,” he said. When many people think of socialism, they think of forced redistribution of wealth, sky-high tax rates, or the worst crimes of regimes like the Soviet Union. However, Walz recently painted socialism in a positive light by associating it with “neighborliness.” “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values,” the Minnesota Democrat said on a “White Dudes for Harris” call last week. “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.” The clip immediately ignited backlash on social media. KAMALA HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE TIM WALZ PICTURED IN 1995 NEBRASKA MUGSHOT AFTER DUI ARREST “Neighborliness killed members of my family,” journalist Karol Markowicz posted on X. “Walz’s statement that socialism is mere ‘neighborliness’ is a lie that disregards the harsh realities countless families have faced under socialist regimes,” Virginia Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares posted on X. “Weird,” said Manhattan Institute senior fellow Ilya Shapiro. Walz’s immigration views have been a focus from critics, including his moves to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and his support for sanctuary policies. But Walz raised eyebrows by suggesting that, should President Trump attempt to build another wall at the southern border, he would launch his own moneymaking scheme. “He talks about this wall, I always say, let me know how high it is. If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in the 30-foot ladder factory,” he said on CNN. “That’s not how you stop this.” The Trump campaign, Republican National Committee, and several conservative critics used the soundbite to attack Harris and pointed to her record as “border czar,” which still haunts her tenure as vice president. Walz appeared to dip his toe in the water of some false claims about Vance on Tuesday, when he talked about his counterpart debating him. “I can’t wait to debate this guy,” Walz said. “That’s if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up. See what I did there?” The roar of the crowd, and Harris’ facial expression made it clear they knew to what he was referring to. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS NAMES MINNESOTA GOV TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE The quip references a false online rumor, debunked by multiple fact checkers, that Vance had claimed in his book “Hillbilly Elegy” to have had sex with a couch. But despite the repeated debunking, Walz appeared to revel in the false claims and became its most high-profile spreader to date. The New York Post this week unearthed remarks by Walz in 1990 in which he said he praised the living conditions he encountered in China. “No matter how long I live, I will never be treated that well again,” he told a local outlet. “They gave me more gifts than I could bring home. It was an excellent experience,” Walz said, adding that he was “treated exceptionally well.” The remark came in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and amid continued and still ongoing mass human rights abuses in the communist regime. Walz wasn’t the only member of his family to face the wrath of social media with unearthed clips. His wife, Minnesota’s First Lady Gwen Walz, set social media ablaze Tuesday and Wednesday when a clip from one of her 2020 interviews went viral. “Again we had more sleepless nights during the riots,” Walz’s wife told KSTP in July 2020. “I could smell the burning tires, and that was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening.” The comment was dubbed as “weird” and “bizarre” on social media. The Associated Press contributed to this report.