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☆ What to watch in South Carolina’s Republican primary
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign has for weeks been looking ahead to the Republican primary in South Carolina, her home state where she was twice elected governor. The primary in South Carolina is open, meaning Democrats and independents can cast ballots in the GOP race. The former president does not need to open a larger tent in order to win in South Carolina. It’s obviously not insurmountable, and with 50 at stake in South Carolina, Haley could theoretically jump into the lead. South Carolina awards 29 of its delegates to the statewide winner and three apiece to the leader in each of its seven congressional districts.

Persons: Nikki Haley’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Haley, –, Betsy Ankney, ” Haley, I’ll, “ I’m, Nikki Haley, ”, Nancy Mace, That’s, Mace, Michael Haley, Jake Tapper, South Carolina –, Harry Enten, It’s, it’s, CNN’s Ethan Cohen Organizations: CNN, Republican, Virgin Islands, Palmetto State, Trump, South Carolina National Guard, Confederate, statehouse, GOP, Granite, White, South Carolina Locations: South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Virgin, Palmetto, “ South Carolina, Carolina, Coast, Michigan, Texas, Virginia, Super, Charleston, Richland, California

☆ Major companies in China are setting up their own volunteer armies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese companies are doing something rarely seen since the 1970s: setting up their own volunteer armies. According to China’s Military Service Law, male militia members should be 18 to 35 years old. It was latest in a slew of militias established by major Chinese companies in the past year. After 1949, when the party took control of mainland China, the units were eventually embedded into governments, schools and companies. This can, in the long run, save the PLA resources by delegating some duties to militia forces to care for,” Heath said.

Persons: Xi, ”, Neil Thomas, Nuo Nuo, Huang Zhiqiang, Qilai Shen, Liu Jie, Mao Zedong, Mao, Timothy Heath, homebuyers, Heath, ” Heath, Willy Lam, Sam Yeh, ” Lam, China’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, People’s Armed Forces Departments, America’s National Guard, Communist, Asia Society, Center for, Communist Party, China Labour Bulletin, Foxconn, Yili, Armed Forces Department, China’s Military Service Law, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, government’s Communist Party, Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Bloomberg, Getty, Shanghai Municipal Investment Group, Construction Investment, Development, Defense Ministry, People’s Armed Police, Armed, Rand Corporation, Jamestown Foundation, Party, Taiwan Locations: China, Hong Kong, Center for China, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Henan, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, Yili, Shanghai, Mengniu, Nantong city, Jiangsu, Huizhou city, Guangdong, Wuhan, Hubei province, People’s Republic, United States, Taiwan, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi, ”, PLA, Taiwan's, AFP

☆ Biden instructed aides to dial up attacks on Trump’s wild comments
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —President Joe Biden personally directed his senior campaign aides in recent days to focus more aggressively on former President Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments, according to two sources familiar with the president’s edict. For weeks, his campaign has said they are fully prepared for Trump to emerge as the GOP nominee. “Freedom and democracy itself are on the ballot in November.”That marked only the second time, according to a campaign official, that a Biden campaign statement was attributed directly to the president. It’s un-American.”The next day, the campaign went after Trump again after the former president repeated his threat to NATO members. He’s gone,” Trump taunted at a campaign rally), Biden quickly slammed those comments on X.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Biden, “, ” Ammar Moussa, “ Donald Trump, ”, Robert Hur’s, Hur, “ Donald Trump’s, Putin, America’s, excoriated Trump, ” Biden, Nikki Haley’s, He’s, ” Trump, Major Haley Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, GOP, Biden, NATO, National Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Baltic States, Russian

☆ A Massachusetts high school wants to call in the National Guard to help quell a 'disturbing increase' in violent fights, drug abuse, and truancy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A high school committee in Massachusetts has asked the National Guard for help as it struggles to rein in student violence and drug abuse in its halls. "The National Guard does bring positivity, we use them to deploy COVID vaccinations." Rodrigues suggested that National Guard service members or staff be deployed as hall monitors and substitute teachers. "I know that the first thought that comes to mind when you hear 'National Guard' is uniform and arms," said Gomes. National Guard soldiers are not the answer," he said in a statement on Monday, per local station Boston 25 News.

Persons: Brockton, Maura Healey, Robert Sullivan, Healey, We're, Ana Oliver, Tony Rodrigues, Rodrigues, Claudio Gomes, Gomes, They're, Winthrop Farwell, Sullivan, Brockton's, Ana Reyes Organizations: National Guard, Business, ABC, Guard, Facebook, Boston, Brockton, PBS Locations: Massachusetts, Brockton, Boston, truancy, Commonwealth

☆ US Army says it could run out of funding to protect Europe and Africa without Ukraine's aid package
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA US Army official has warned that it could run out of money for essential international global operations if the government fails to provide further funding for Ukraine. The unnamed official told CNN that the Army is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to support Ukraine, including funds that were initially intended to be used as part of the Europe and Africa Command budget. The Senate last week passed a $95 billion emergency defense-aid bill that could support Ukraine, Israel, and Tawain. A spokesperson for the US Army told BI that "it's important we receive money — now." AdvertisementThe Army official told CNN that it "would cease to exist" if funds weren't allocated from another area within the overall budget.

Persons: —, Diego Herrera Carcedo, isn't, Kamala Harris's, Army Christine Wormuth, Peter, Paul, I'm, Wormuth, Kostiantyn, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Putin, YURI KADOBNOV Organizations: Service, US Army, Ukraine, CNN, Army, Africa Command, Business, Republicans, US Command, Anadolu Agency, Getty, BI, NATO, Munich, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Norway's Intelligence Service, Sky News, Trump, Morris Air National Guard Base Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Israel, Africa, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Germany, Ukraine Ukraine, Russia, Avdiivka, Armed Forces of Ukraine, China, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Helsinki, US Army Europe, Arizona

☆ US Army under increasing pressure as it foots bill for Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Haley Britzky | Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“We’re basically taking it out of hide in the Army,” a senior Army official told CNN. That includes not only the operations related to Ukraine support — training and ferrying weapons and equipment to Poland and Ukraine — but other operations for the US command throughout Europe and Africa. Those operations include training exercises for Army forces in Europe and Africa and equipment moving into the theater. Last week, the Senate voted to advance a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill, including $60 billion in support for Ukraine. So far in fiscal year 2024, the Army has spent $39.7 million on ground transportation, the first senior Army official told CNN.

Persons: “ We’re, ”, hasn’t, Christine Wormuth —, —, Peter, Paul, I’m, ” Wormuth, Martin O’Donnell, Mike Johnson, it’s, Daniel Hokanson, that’s, ” Hokanson, Sabrina Singh, ” Singh, “ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, US Army, Army, Africa Command, Congress, ”, Morris Air National Guard Base, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, US, Lawmakers, Capitol, National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, DOD Locations: Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Poland, Africa, Army Europe, US Army Europe, Germany, Arizona

☆ Trump heads to Michigan with eyes on a Biden rematch but legal woes loom over campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Steve Contorno | Kristen Holmes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A 2020 election denier’s tumultuous reign atop the Michigan Republican Party had only recently begun. Since then, the strike has ended and the top union representing Michigan autoworkers, United Auto Workers, has endorsed President Joe Biden. State party turmoilAhead of his visit, Trump and his allies sought to put an end to turmoil within the Michigan Republican Party, which has faced a reckoning over its readiness for the 2024 election. The state party ousted its chair, Kristina Karamo, last month in the face of internal strife and lackluster fundraising. The recent Fox News survey from Michigan found Biden leading Trump 53% to 41% among union households.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley –, Stormy Daniels, Friday’s, “, Biden, Hillary Clinton’s, Haley, Kristina Karamo, Pete Hoekstra, Hoekstra, Democratic Sen, Debbie Stabenow, ”, Jason Cabel Roe, it’s, – Trump, Trump’s, Shawn Fain, ” Trump, Fain, ” Fain, Cabel Roe, “ There’s Organizations: CNN, Michigan, Republican, GOP, Michigan Republican Party, Michigan autoworkers, United Auto Workers, Republicans, South Carolina Gov, Michigan GOP, Trump, Fox, Sneaker Con, South Carolina Army National Guard, Republican National, White House, Democratic, doesn’t, Republican Party, Biden, Big, Teamsters, UAW Locations: California, Michigan, New, York, ”, Georgia, Waterford Township, Detroit, Waterford, Trump’s Michigan, –, Philadelphia, South Carolina, State, Netherlands, Washington ,, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania

☆ Putin is tightening his grip over what's left of the Wagner Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementThe military formation has been actively recruiting former Wagner Group mercenaries and soldiers who fought in Ukraine for combat operations in Africa. The Kremlin is likely using the Africa Corps to take over many of the functions of the Wagner Group, Parens added. Last week, in a video obtained by the Kyiv Post, Ukrainian special forces were shown interrogating captured Wagner mercenaries in Sudan. "Ukrainian special services have acquired considerable experience of waging non-linear warfare against the Russian side and especially against the Wagner Group," he said. The fate of the Wagner Group, it seems, still hangs in the balance.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, he's, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergey Sukhankin, Raphael Parens, Parens, Sukhankin, Russia Alessandro Arduino Organizations: Kremlin, Jamestown Foundation, Wagner, Volunteer Corps, Africa Corps, Wagner Group, Fighters, Foreign, Research, Eurasia Program, Military Companies, Africa, Kyiv Post, Russia, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Africa, Ukraine, Western, Ukrainian, Sudan, Russian

As the clock ticks down before next week’s Republican primary in South Carolina, Nikki Haley is looking for any way to undermine Donald J. Trump and his commanding lead, including trying a new spin on an old line of attack: that he has a history of being disrespectful to veterans. Ms. Haley, in her quest to close the 30-plus point gap between herself and the former president, has used his disparaging remarks about her husband’s National Guard deployment to revive the criticism that Mr. Trump has routinely disparaged military troops and veterans, a voting bloc that Republicans have long counted on for support. At recent campaign stops in the state, Ms. Haley has resurfaced a story about Mr. Trump in which he reportedly told his former chief of staff, John F. Kelly, that Americans who died in war were “losers” and “suckers” and, during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, reportedly said of soldiers who died abroad, “I don’t get it, what was in it for them?”Ms. Haley’s campaign has increased its focus on the subject as recent polls show her flailing in her home state, and there is widespread doubt, even among her supporters, that she will have a strong showing. Yet in raising Mr. Trump’s past comments about military personnel, Ms. Haley may be indirectly helping the Biden campaign by reinforcing an argument against Mr. Trump it made in the 2020 election — and one that is likely to return in the 2024 general election contest.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Haley, John F, Kelly, Haley’s, Biden Organizations: Republican, National Guard, Republicans, Arlington National Cemetery Locations: South Carolina, Arlington

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Texas will build an operations base for up to 1,800 National Guard members in Eagle Pass, expanding the presence of soldiers in the border city where the state has clashed with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement, Republican Gov. “This will increase the ability for a larger number of Texas military department personnel in Eagle Pass to operate more effectively and more efficiently,” Abbott said. The mayor of Eagle Pass said the move at the start of January caught the city off guard and questioned the timing, given that crossings have fallen in recent weeks. The U.S. Justice Department last month asked the U.S. Supreme Court to order Texas to allow Border Patrol agents back into park. The Biden administration says Border Patrol agents use the park to monitor the river and to launch boats into the Rio Grande.

Persons: Biden, Greg Abbott, ” Abbott, Abbott, General Suelzer Organizations: National Guard, Republican Gov, Texas National Guard, U.S . Border Patrol, Operation Lone Star, Texas Military Department, Texas, U.S . Justice, U.S, Supreme, Border Patrol Locations: McALLEN , Texas, Texas, Eagle, Rio, Shelby Park, U.S, Mexico, Rio Grande

The recommendation has been forwarded to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who will make the final decision. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the security plan and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. The Secret Service is legally required to protect presidential and vice presidential candidates and their families 120 days out from a general election. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesBoth President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump already receive such protection. Other candidates, including independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have requested Secret Service protection this election cycle and have been denied.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Robert F, Kennedy, Haley, she's, ”, Nalin, ” Haley, “, Kennedy Jr, ___ Balsamo, ___ Meg Kinnard Organizations: COLUMBIA, Republican, Secret, Associated Press, Homeland, South, Department of Homeland Security, Street, Press, South Carolina Army National Guard Locations: South Carolina, U.N, Dallas, Africa, South Carolina's, Charleston County, Washington

Texas' new law is set to take effect March 5. For months, tensions have escalated between the Biden administration and Texas over who can patrol the border and how. A heavy presence of Texas National Guard members in the border city of Eagle Pass has denied Border Patrol agents access to a riverfront park. The new measure would allow any Texas law enforcement officer to arrest people who are suspected of entering the country illegally. Republicans have defended the law by saying it would likely only be enforced near the U.S-Mexico border.

Persons: Joe Biden's, David Ezra, Ronald Reagan, Biden, Bill Organizations: —, U.S, Supreme, Justice, District, . Border Patrol, Texas National Guard, Border Patrol Locations: AUSTIN, Texas, Austin, Arizona, . Texas, Rio, Eagle, Rio Grande, U.S, Mexico

U.S. President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden disembark from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. WASHINGTON — An FBI confidential human source has been indicted on two counts of allegedly feeding the bureau false information about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Alexander Smirnov, 43, who disliked President Joe Biden, was arrested in Las Vegas after returning from a trip overseas, according to the Justice Department. The case grew out of the special counsel investigation being led by David Weiss, who is also leading the case against Hunter Biden. Smirnov allegedly told the FBI — again, falsely — that Burisma officials had told him they paid Hunter Biden and Joe Biden $5 million and that it would take investigators 10 years to find the illicit payments to Joe Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, WASHINGTON —, Alexander Smirnov, David Weiss, Weiss, Donald Trump, Smirnov, FBI —, Defendant, Obama, General Organizations: Air Force, Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Justice Department, FBI, Burisma, Defendant, Biden Administration, Ukrainian, Russian, NBC News Locations: Syracuse , New York, U.S, WASHINGTON, Las Vegas, Delaware, Ukrainian

☆ Striking Truck Drivers Block Key Mexican Highways Over Lawlessness
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Striking truck drivers blocked key Mexican transport arteries on Thursday, jamming vital highways to protest lawlessness on the roads that has led to a rise in robberies and extortion. Traffic on at least nine highways was affected by the protests, according to local media reports. Rafael Ortiz, leader of transport group Amotac, told local media that more strikes could be called if the government does not meet their demands. Ortiz urged the government to boost security, noting that between one and two truck drivers are killed every month on the roads due to the lack of safety. The road blockades erected by the striking drivers are "unfounded and unjustified," Mexico's government said in a statement on Thursday, adding that Amotac representatives decided to stop negotiations on Wednesday even as progress was being made.

Persons: Rafael Ortiz, Ortiz, Amotac, Valentine Hilaire, Sandra Maler Organizations: MEXICO CITY, National Guard Locations: MEXICO

Haley, Trump's former U.N. ambassador and his last major rival in the GOP presidential race, has been condemning Trump's remarks for days about her husband Michael Haley, who is deployed in Africa with the National Guard. Biden has also excoriated Trump for his remarks about NATO, calling them “dangerous," “un-American,” and “shocking." Both Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, face widespread questions among voters about their age and readiness for a second term. They have something in common.”Though Haley has had more campaign appearances lately than Trump, she did not appear at any events Wednesday. “You’re a much better candidate for me than you were for yourself,” Trump told Scott.

Persons: Donald Trump, Russia “, they’re, we’re, Trump, Nikki Haley’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Biden, ” Trump, Haley, Trump's, Michael Haley, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, he's, excoriated Trump, ”, Nancy Pelosi, I’m, Nikki, Pelosi, didn't, Tricky Nikki, “, Don Bolduc, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Scott, Nalin, “ Sen, Judas, Jesus Christ Organizations: White, NATO, GOP, National Guard, U.S ., Trump, New Hampshire Senate, SFA Inc, South Carolina, U.S . Senate Locations: CHARLESTON, S.C, Russia, South Carolina, Africa, Ukraine, U.S, New Hampshire, Trump’s, South

☆ Election 2024 Trump is set to rally in South Carolina, as polls show him with a wide lead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Maggie Astor | Neil Vigdor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

A Winthrop University poll released Wednesday shows Nikki Haley losing badly in South Carolina, her home state, with a little more than a week before the state’s Republican primary. Nearly two-thirds of likely Republican primary voters, 65 percent, said they supported former President Donald J. Trump, and only 29 percent said they supported Ms. Haley. Those numbers are very close to the average results of recent polls of South Carolina. But he benefits from a huge 81 percent favorability rating among Republicans, and unlike Ms. Haley, he is getting more popular over time. She has hammered Mr. Trump for those comments.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Haley, Winthrop, Haley’s Organizations: Winthrop University, Republican, NBC, Republicans, Mr, National Guard Locations: South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Russia, Djibouti, Nevada

☆ Russia's Wagner Group expands into Africa's Sahel with a new brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty ImagesWagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia's Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed. The new entity has been subsuming operations in Mali and Libya for several months, and negotiations to establish a Russian military base in the CAR are reportedly underway. watch now"The Africa Corps consists of mercenaries and volunteers, and does not form part of the Russian Armed Forces. It began recruiting in December 2023, and has also included job offers for former Wagner Group mercenaries; it may also recruit local residents," they explained. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov oversaw the creation of the Africa Corps, which is expected to be fully completed by this summer.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Utkin, Anton Yelizarov, Ibrahim Traoré, Piotr Żochowski, Miłosz Bartosiewicz, Yunus, bek Yevkurov, Yevkurov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Wagner, Africa Corps, Central African, Russian National Guard, Russian Federation, Telegram, Centre, Eastern Studies, CAR, Africa, Russian Armed Forces, Wagner Group, CES Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Russia, Cossack, Sahel, Russian, Warsaw, Algeria, Africa, Ouagadougou

☆ Nikki Haley slams Trump for questioning her husband's military service and his whereabouts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Haley criticized Trump for questioning her husband's whereabouts while he's deployed on active duty. The exchange comes as Haley and Trump fight to secure the GOP primary nomination in South Carolina. At a Saturday rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump mockingly asked: "Where's her husband? Oh, he’s away. The former South Carolina governor slammed Trump for his comments at a separate rally in Gilbert, South Carolina.

Persons: Haley, Trump, he's, —, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, He's, ” Trump, Where's, Michael Haley, ”, “, Michael, ” Michael, AfN3u4AsJc — Nikki Haley, @NikkiHaley Organizations: GOP, Service, South Carolina Army National Guard, South, Trump Locations: South Carolina, Conway , South Carolina, Horn of Africa, Gilbert , South Carolina, United States

☆ Cats: Ukraine's secret weapon in the war with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Oleksandr Liashuk is a soldier from Odesa in southern Ukraine. AdvertisementShayba the cat and Oleksandr Liashuk. Oleksandr Liashuk and a military vehicle in the background (left) and Liashuk and Shayba with a thermal imaging camera (right). Stepan the cat Courtesy of Anna Volodymyrivna DmytrenkoBut despite his injuries, Stepan is still helping bring in funds, Dmytrenko said. However, she said Stepan is playing a vital role in fundraising campaigns for Ukraine's military.

Persons: —, Oleksandr Liashuk, Oleksandr Liashuk Liashuk, Liashuk, Stepan, Anna Volodymyrivna Dmytrenko, Stepan the, Dmytrenko, Oleksandr, Chuck Schumer Organizations: Service, Business, Assault Brigade, National Guard, Ukraine, Senate Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Odesa, Chile, Japan, Kharkiv

Trump told a crowd in Conway, South Carolina, as he and Haley held events across the state ahead of its Feb. 24 Republican primary. Michael Haley began a yearlong stint in June with the South Carolina Army National Guard. Haley is being deployed as a staff officer with the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, which the National Guard says is providing support in the Horn of Africa. “Donald, if you have something to say, don’t say it behind my back. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Persons: GILBERT, S.C, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley’s, wasn't, Trump, Haley, He’s, ”, Michael, Sen, John McCain, weren’t, Michael Haley, Trump's, Nikki Haley's, Melania Trump, “ Donald, Haley’s surrogates, Chris Wooten, —, Pollard Organizations: National Guard, Republican, South Carolina Army National Guard, 218th, Enhancement Brigade, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Conway , South Carolina, Vietnam, Horn of Africa, Afghanistan, America

“My fellow Marylanders: you know me," Hogan begins in a video released by his Senate campaign. When he announced his decision not to run for Senate two years ago, Hogan expressed confidence he could win. The rarely open Maryland Senate seat already has drawn U.S. Rep. David Trone into the Democratic primary, as well as Angela Alsobrooks, the county executive of Prince George's County in the suburbs of the nation's capital. Hogan was only the second Republican governor to ever win reelection in Maryland, a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Running on fiscal concerns as a moderate Republican businessman, Hogan tapped into voter frustration over a series of tax and fee increases to defeat then-Lt. Gov.

Persons: Larry Hogan, hasn't, Hogan, Donald Trump, “, ”, Mitch McConnell, Democratic Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Sen, Ben Cardin, Trump, Nikki Haley, David Trone, Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George's County, Gov, Anthony Brown, Freddie Gray, Maryland’s, Charles Mathias, Mathias Organizations: — Former Maryland Gov, U.S . Senate, GOP, Republican, Maryland, United States Senate, Democrats, Democratic, Senate, “, United Nations, South Carolina Gov, Maryland Senate, Rep, Prince, Seven Republicans, Republicans, General Assembly, National Guard, Republican U.S Locations: ANNAPOLIS, Md, Republican U.S, U.S, Maryland, Prince George's, Trone, Baltimore, Vietnam

☆ Putin should face war crimes probe over ‘devastating’ assault on Mariupol, major new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Russian forces encircled Mariupol within days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, before launching a months-long bombardment to break down a stubborn Ukrainian military resistance. The city, which lies on the Sea of Azov in Ukraine’s southeast, saw some of the most intense and vicious fighting of the war. A Russian tank in Mariupol in April 2022, during the peak of the fighting around the city. Even as fighting for the city raged, concerns were rife that Moscow’s forces could conceal evidence of possible war crimes in the city. Russian authorities plan to rebuild the city in Moscow’s image by 2025, with further development by 2035, the HRW report outlined.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Ermochenko, Ida Sawyer, “, ”, Putin, Sawyer, Valentina Ryabokrys, Mariupol, ” Sawyer Organizations: CNN, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, International Criminal Court, ICC, Russian, Kremlin Locations: Ukrainian, Mariupol, Ukraine, Azov, Ukraine’s, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Moscow’s, Nazi, ”

☆ National Guardsmen Accused of Abusing Migrants They Were Sent to Protect
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Jay Root | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After two asylum seekers were arrested last summer and accused of sexual assault at Buffalo-area motels, Gov. Kathy Hochul sent in the National Guard to provide a “stabilizing presence” there and at a handful of other motels being used as shelters. But now the Guard is investigating whether some of its members engaged in sexual misconduct with migrants in western New York, amid a new lawsuit accusing Guard members and private supervisors of various abuses. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Federal District Court in Manhattan, describes a culture of coercion, fear and retribution at the Quality Inn motel near the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, one of the many low-budget lodgings where recent migrants have been relocated to relieve pressure on New York City’s beleaguered shelter system. One guardsman was accused of sexual assault for coercing a Venezuelan woman to trade sexual favors in exchange for food and housing, and another of groping the woman’s 10-year-old daughter.

Persons: Kathy Hochul Organizations: National Guard, Guard, Court, Buffalo Niagara International Airport, coercing Locations: Buffalo, New York, Manhattan, Venezuelan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Guard still has enough money on hand to complete the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets despite the U.S. running out of funds to send additional weapons and assistance to Kyiv, the head of the Guard Gen. Dan Hokanson said Thursday. President Joe Biden announced in August that the U.S. would begin training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, as part of a multi-national effort to provide Ukraine the advanced fighter jets. Pilot training began in October at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson, Ariz. But the pilot training has been able to continue, Hokanson said. “We do have the resources to continue the training that’s already started,” Hokanson said, and get that initial tranche completed this year.

Persons: Dan Hokanson, Joe Biden, Hokanson, “, that’s, ” Hokanson Organizations: WASHINGTON, National Guard, U.S, Guard, Morris Air National Guard, House Republicans, Air Force Locations: Kyiv, U.S, Ukraine, Tucson, Ariz, Congress, Russia, Mexico, Ukrainian

☆ How using the 14th Amendment against Trump went from a ‘pipe-dream fantasy’ to the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

‘A sheer coincidence’The journey to the Supreme Court unknowingly began even before the insurrection itself. (In the Cawthorn case, the group partnered with a retired GOP state Supreme Court justice.) CREW appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court, whose members were all appointed by Democratic governors, though they originate from a pool of candidates recommended by a bipartisan panel. Trump appealed the Colorado ruling to the US Supreme Court in early January and oral arguments are set for Thursday. “It’s embarrassing, and it shows the imbalance on our state Supreme Court,” Buck told CNN.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthorn, coalescing, ”, Donald Sherman, Gerard Magliocca, ” Magliocca, United States …, Trump, Donald Trump’s, Jack Dempsey, Mitch McConnell, ” He’d, hadn’t, James Bopp, Greene, didn’t, Ron Fein, resoundingly, Bopp, ” Fein, Couy Griffin, ” Sherman, Griffin, ” Griffin, Trump’s, William Baude, Michael Stokes Paulsen, J, Michael Luttig, ‘, Sherman, Winston Pingeon, Pingeon, Sarah Wallace, ” Donald Sherman, State Jena Griswold, FDR, Norma Anderson, “ I’ve, Wallace, Magliocca, disqualifying Trump, Carlos Samour, vindicating, Ken Buck, Ken Buck of Colorado, denialism, Buck, ” Buck, …, ” CNN’s Scott Bronstein Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump, Liberal, Rep, Madison, Citizens, Indiana University, United, Capitol, AP Police, National Guard, Republican, Republicans, GOP, Amnesty, ”, Cowboys, Trump Republicans, Federalist Society, Colorado Supreme, US Capitol Police, Responsibility, Ethics, Abaca Press, Colorado, State, Colorado Legislature, Court, Democratic, Dissenting, US Supreme, Supreme, CNN Locations: Colorado’s, Colorado, Thursday’s, America, Washington, United States, DC, Colorado and Maine, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, North Carolina, Cawthorn, Georgia, New Mexico, Denver, “ Colorado, Israel, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington ,, Dissenting Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, Ken Buck of

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