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HeadlinesAugust 25, 2023

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Donald Trump Booked at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, Released on $200,000 Bond

Aug 25, 2023

Former President Donald Trump surrendered at Atlanta’s notorious Fulton County Jail on Thursday night, where he was arrested and booked on 13 felony charges over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia, which he lost. Once inside the jail, Trump was fingerprinted and had his mugshot taken. He was released after about 20 minutes on a $200,000 bond. Trump briefly spoke to reporters at the airport after his release Thursday evening.

Donald Trump: “I really believe this is a very sad day for America. This should never happen. If you challenge an election — you should be able to challenge an election. I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election, and I should have every right to do that.”

Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also surrendered Thursday and was released on $100,000 bond. Also booked was Harrison Floyd III, the former leader of Black Voices for Trump. Floyd is the only one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants to remain jailed ahead of trial. He faces separate charges in Maryland of assaulting an FBI officer who served him a grand jury subpoena in February.

On Thursday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked to move the start of Trump’s trial to October 23, after one Trump co-defendant, Kenneth Chesebro, demanded a speedy trial. Chesebro is the lawyer who proposed Trump use fake electors to try to overturn the election. After headlines, we’ll go to Atlanta, Georgia, for the latest.

Ukrainian Forces Launch Amphibious Assault on Russian-Occupied Crimea

Aug 25, 2023

Ukraine’s government says it has dispatched amphibious troops to the western tip of the Crimean Peninsula, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It’s the first direct attempt by Ukraine to reclaim territory in Crimea since Kyiv launched a bloody counteroffensive in June, and came as Ukraine marked Independence Day, celebrating its split from the Soviet Union in 1991. Meanwhile, the Pentagon says it will begin training Ukrainian Air Force pilots on F-16 fighter jets at an air base in Arizona, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won pledges from Denmark and the Netherlands to deliver dozens of the U.S.-made warplanes.

U.S. Intelligence Says Russian Mercenary Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin Was Assassinated

Aug 25, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first public comments about Wednesday’s plane crash that reportedly killed Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and other top commanders of the Wagner Group. Speaking from Moscow Thursday, Putin sent his condolences to the families of the victims and praised Wagner’s actions in Ukraine and several African nations.

President Vladimir Putin: “Indeed, if there were — and the primary data indicate that there were — employees of the Wagner private military company, I would want to note that these people made a significant contribution to our common cause of fighting the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine. We remember this, we know it, and we will not forget it.”

Putin described Prigozhin as a talented man who made “mistakes” throughout his life. Putin did not mention the June 24 mutiny led by Prigozhin that saw heavily armed Wagner forces advance toward Moscow.

Meanwhile U.S. intelligence officials have told reporters the plane carrying Prigozhin crashed as the result of an assassination plot involving a bomb or some form of sabotage. In Kyiv, President Zelensky said Ukraine had nothing to do with Prigozhin’s death, and suggested Putin was to blame.

Opposition Leader Accuses Zimbabwe’s President of Vote Rigging and Voter Suppression

Aug 25, 2023

In Zimbabwe, results from Wednesday’s nationwide elections have started to trickle in, with parliamentary races putting the ruling ZANU-PF party and its main challenger neck and neck. Hordes of armed police with water cannons have been deployed to the national results center. Results of the presidential election have not yet been announced. The race pits incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa against opposition leader Nelson Chamisa for the second time, after Mnangagwa held onto power in 2018 in elections the opposition accused of being rigged. Chamisa has already accused his opponent of attempting to steal this election. Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 after leading a coup that ousted Robert Mugabe. Widespread delays during voting forced polls to stay open for a second day. Police on Thursday raided and arrested 41 local election monitors, prompting condemnation and accusations of interference by the ruling party. This is a voter in the capital Harare.

Fortune Sikireta: “Ballot papers are supposed to be at polling stations 48 hours before the election starts. And come the election day, there is no ballot papers. We have to wait here for 12 hours, and there are no ballot papers.”

China Bans Japanese Seafood After Release of Radioactive Wastewater from Fukushima

Aug 25, 2023

China has banned imports of seafood from Japan after officials began pumping treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the site of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant. It’s part of a plan to release more than 1 million metric tons of wastewater over the next four decades, drawing protests in Japan and across the region. Plant operator TEPCO, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, says it has filtered more than 60 radionuclides from the wastewater, leaving behind only tritium. TEPCO says levels of tritium being released are significantly lower than amounts released by normally operating nuclear power plants around the world, including those in China.

Record Heat Waves Put 2023 on Track to Become Hottest Year in Human History

Aug 25, 2023

Intense heat waves continue to grip much of the world, putting 2023 on track to become the hottest year on record. In Bolivia, the town of Villamontes reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, matching the hottest winter temperature on record in the Southern Hemisphere. Extreme wintertime heat is also gripping southern Africa, where temperature records were broken in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. And southern Europe is experiencing a historic late-summer heat wave with hundreds of monthly records falling across France, Portugal and Spain. Climate scientists warned this week 80% of Italy’s Alpine glaciers risk disappearing by 2060. This is Italian environmentalist Vanda Bonardo.

Vanda Bonardo: “We are here near the glacier, and it is not cold. On the contrary, the zero temperature is rising again these days. There is another heat wave above 5,000 meters. The ice is retreating. The snow that covered it is almost gone.”

Here in the United States, a relentless and historic heat wave is continuing with all-time temperature records tied or broken in cities including Houston and New Orleans on Thursday. 

Maui County Sues Hawaii’s Largest Utility over Wildfires That Killed at Least 115

Aug 25, 2023

In Hawaii, a new lawsuit brought by Maui County officials blames Hawaii’s largest electric utility for wildfires that killed at least 115 people earlier this month. Three hundred eighty-eight people remain unaccounted for. The lawsuit accuses the Hawaiian Electric power company of failing to respond to red flag warnings on the day of the fires and allowing live wires to come into contact with dry vegetation.

Fracking in Pennsylvania Linked to Cancer and Host of Other Health Issues

Aug 25, 2023

A new study links fracked gas wells in western Pennsylvania with cases of cancer, asthma and birth problems. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found children who lived closer to fracking sites were more likely to develop lymphoma. Meanwhile, residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma, and pregnant people were more likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight. Western Pennsylvania is home to thousands of fracked gas wells.

Tennessee Special Session on Gun Control Brings Chaos, No Concrete Measures

Aug 25, 2023

In Tennessee, the Republican-dominated Legislature adjourned Thursday after a hectic special session this week on guns and public safety. This comes amid mounting anger in the wake of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville earlier this year, which killed three children and three adults. Hundreds of protesters have rallied on Capitol grounds this week to demand lawmakers take action against gun violence. On Tuesday, a Republican leader ordered state troopers to remove people waiting to testify from a legislative hearing, provoking chaos and intense emotions. On Monday, Republicans imposed new penalties on lawmakers believed to be too disruptive, and banned visitors from carrying signs. Members of the public circumvented the new rule by displaying words on their cellphones instead. A judge on Wednesday paused the ban on signs. Tennessee Democrat Justin Jones, a member of the “Tennessee 3,” was cut off at a House session after accusing the Republican House speaker of racism over the new rules. Justin Jones, alongside Justin Pearson, was expelled earlier this year, then reelected by voters, for protesting gun violence at the Capitol. We’ll be joined by Representative Jones later in the broadcast.

150,000 Autoworkers Edge Near Strike as Workers Demand Wage Increases on Par with CEOs

Aug 25, 2023

In labor news, some 150,000 auto workers could walk off the job next month as negotiations continue for new contracts with major automakers that include significant wage increases and benefits. The United Auto Workers is bargaining for pay increases of at least 40% over the next four years, which the union says was roughly equivalent to the recent salary hikes of CEOs at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Contracts are set to expire on September 14. This could be the largest strike of U.S. auto industry workers in at least half a century.

Minnesota Mayor Vetoes Guaranteed Minimum Wage for App Drivers

Aug 25, 2023

In Minnesota, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has vetoed a city ordinance that would have granted a minimum wage to Lyft and Uber drivers. Frey said after the veto he’d reached a deal only with Uber for a commitment to pay drivers the city’s minimum wage of $15 an hour. Lyft drivers are not covered under the mayor’s agreement. Minneapolis City Councilmember Robin Wonsley said in response, “This veto is an inexcusable betrayal of Minneapolis workers.”

Brazilian Supreme Court Says Homophobic Slurs Can Be Punishable by Prison

Aug 25, 2023

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that homophobic slurs are a crime that can be punished with prison time. The ruling was welcomed by activists as the LGBTQIA community remains a frequent target of violent attacks. Rights groups said there were 228 murders of LGBTQIA people in Brazil last year, which was also the final year of the presidency of self-proclaimed “proud homophobe” Jair Bolsonaro.

FIFA Looks to Discipline Spanish Soccer Head After He Forcibly Kissed Woman Player

Aug 25, 2023

FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, has launched disciplinary proceedings against Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales after he forcibly kissed Spanish player Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony for the Women’s World Cup. He also grabbed his crotch during the game as he celebrated in a spectator area he shared with Spain’s 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofía. Rubiales is rejecting widespread calls to resign. The union representing Hermoso has demanded accountability as the assault has drawn further attention to misogyny and inequality in the soccer world and overshadowed Spain’s historic victory. U.S. soccer champion Megan Rapinoe said, “What kind of upside-down world are we in? On the biggest stage, where you should be celebrating, Jenni has to be physically assaulted by this guy.” Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also addressed the issue.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: “It is true that there has been some behavior — in this case, that of Mr Rubiales — which shows that in our country there is still a long way to go in terms of equality and respect and the equalization of rights between women and men.”

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