WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stops in Bangkok on his way to a US court and later freedom
BANGKOK (AP) — A plane carrying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has landed in Thailand. He is on his way to enter a plea in a U.S. court that is expected to free him and resolve the legal case over the site’s publication of classified documents. The chartered plane landed at a Bangkok airport Tuesday afternoon for refueling. Assange is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth. A U.S. Justice Department filing says he is expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information. The plea requires a judge’s approval, but Assange is expected to return to his home country of Australia afterward.
Who is Julian Assange, the polarizing founder of the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Before he emerged as an eccentric internet publisher of state secrets, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was born in Townsville, Australia. He experienced an itinerant childhood and attended dozens of schools, becoming a computer hacker as a teenager. He was arrested in the 1990s for hacking a server in Melbourne and studied mathematics and physics at Australian universities. Assange went on to transform his radically anti-secrecy views into a document-leaking website that revealed U.S. and other countries’ military secrets. He spent seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and five in a British prison while he fought his extradition to the U.S.
Israel’s high court orders the army to draft ultra-Orthodox men, rattling Netanyahu’s government
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for military service, a decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza. The court ruled that in the absence of a law that distinguishes between Jewish seminary students and other draftees, Israel’s compulsory military service system applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizen. Under longstanding arrangements, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. These exemptions have long been a source of anger among the secular public, a divide that has widened during the eight-month-old war.
How memorable debate moments are made: On the fly, rehearsed — and sometimes without a word uttered
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s debate prep time for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Their teams are no doubt looking back at how past memorable debate moments came together, for good or ill. Those signature moments may be well-rehearsed zingers or offhand reactions like a too-loud sigh or a glance at a wristwatch. Past debates demonstrate how the candidates’ words and body language can make them look especially relatable or hopelessly out-of-touch. They can also showcase candidates at the top of their policy game or provide an indication they’re out to sea. As one debate expert puts it, “Anything can happen.”
A potential Trump VP pick backs a controversial CO2 pipeline favored by the Biden White House
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is one of Donald Trump’s most visible and vocal backers, sprinting around the country to drum up support for the ex-president’s comeback bid while auditioning to be his running mate. But far from the glare of the campaign trail, Burgum is wrestling at home with a mammoth carbon dioxide pipeline project. The $5.5 billion venture has split his state and left him straddling an awkward political divide. Burgum has stood out in the narrowing field of Trump’s potential V.P. choices due to his executive experience, business savvy, and close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs whose money Trump wants to help bankroll his 2024 campaign.
More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes under the gun safety law Biden signed
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes under the landmark gun safety legislation President Joe Biden signed two years ago Tuesday. That’s according to a White House report obtained by The Associated Press. The report on the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act comes as Biden seeks reelection. Biden’s Democratic campaign believes gun control is a motivating issue for voters, particularly suburban college-educated women. Biden signed the legislation June 25, 2022, following mass shootings including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised no new gun regulations if he returns to the White House.
Shot in 1.6 seconds: Video raises questions about how trooper avoided charges in Black man’s death
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Dash camera video and investigative documents are raising new questions about the fatal shooting of a Black motorist by a Georgia state trooper nearly four years ago. Trooper Jake Thompson was charged with murder after shooting Julian Lewis mere seconds after sending his car spinning into a ditch following a chase. He pursued Lewis in August 2020 over a broken taillight. Thompson ultimately avoided a trial because a grand jury declined to indict him. Authors of a new book shared the video with The Associated Press, which verified its authenticity and obtained additional records. Two use-of-force experts who reviewed the video said the shooting appeared unjustified. Thompson declined to comment through his attorney.
More rain possible in deluged Midwest as flooding kills 2, causes water to surge around dam
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (AP) — More rain storms are possible in parts of the deluged Midwest, where flooding after days of heavy rains has killed at least two people, sent a river surging around a dam and forced evacuations and rescues. Two deaths were confirmed by Iowa and South Dakota officials. Additional rain and severe storms are possible later Tuesday in parts of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota with even more unsettled weather expected later in the week. Many streams may not crest until later this week as the floodwaters slowly drain.
On heartland roads, and a riverboat, devout Catholics press on with two-month nationwide pilgrimage
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Catholics gathered for three days of traditional devotions in the small Ohio city of Steubenville as part of the two-month National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. It aims to renew devotion to the Eucharist, in which Catholics believe they encounter Jesus’ real presence. Four groups of pilgrims are stopping at churches and other sites across the United States while enroute to Indianapolis for a climactic gathering in mid-July. Devotees processed through Steubenville’s streets and knelt at its marina as bishops brought the Eucharist aboard an Ohio River boat, bound for West Virginia. Some question the need for the pilgrimage, but bishops say it’s necessary to reinforce the doctrine of Jesus’ presence.
A Chinese lunar probe returns to Earth with the world’s first samples from the far side of the moon
BANGKOK (AP) — China’s Chang’e 6 probe has returned on Earth with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first. The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon. Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5 million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that scientists hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon’s two sides. The near side is what is visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the far side is not visible from Earth. The far side of the moon is also known to have mountains and impact craters, contrasting with the relatively flat expanses visible on the near side.
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