North Korea fires missiles into sea following US-South Korea drills
North Korea fired several missiles into the sea on Saturday, South Korean officials said, in an apparent retaliation for extended joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. The missiles were detected off the west coast of North Korea, according to a statement from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both South Korean and American intelligence groups were reportedly analyzing the launches. These launches came days after a series of previous missile tests from the North, in what the hermit kingdom called a simulated “nuclear strike” on South Korea. Both South Korea and the U.S. have been participating in joint military exercises in the region for the past 11 days.
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DeSantis to skip meeting with Biden following Hurricane Idalia
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday that he doesn’t “have any plans” to meet with President Biden during the latter’s visit to Florida to survey damage from Hurricane Idalia. DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern told CNN that “the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts” in rural communities affected by the hurricane. However, Biden, who has previously met with DeSantis following Hurricane Ian in 2022, said that he would meet with the Florida governor. White House officials further claimed that Biden had told DeSantis he planned to meet with him, and the governor had not expressed any issues. Neither side has addressed the discrepancy.
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Proud Boys leader gets 18 years in prison for Capitol insurrection
A former member of the far-right Proud Boys was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — tied for the longest sentence related to the riot. Ethan Nordean received the sentence after previously being convicted of seditious conspiracy. The Justice Department wrote that Nordean had “participated in every consequential breach at the Capitol,” resulting in violence, assaults on police and the destruction of property. His 18-year sentence matches that of Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes, who was also convicted of seditious conspiracy. In addition to Nordean, a co-defendant, former Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.
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Ohio police release body cam footage of officer fatally shooting pregnant woman
Police in Blendon Township, Ohio, released body cam footage on Friday showing the fatal shooting of Ta’Kiya Young, a 21-year-old pregnant woman. The footage shows an officer approaching Young’s car after she had been suspected of shoplifting from a local store. The officer can be seen asking Young to exit the vehicle, which she declines to do. After a struggle, Young’s car can be seen moving forward, at which point another officer standing in front of the vehicle fires a single shot after being hit by the car. Young died from her injuries, though officials claimed that police requested paramedics within 10 seconds of the shooting. Young’s family is calling for the officer who shot her to be prosecuted.
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‘Margaritaville’ singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Jimmy Buffett, a singer and businessman known for his iconic tropical rock anthems like “Margaritaville” and “Fins,” died Saturday at the age of 76. The singer “passed away peacefully…surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” according to a statement on his Instagram page. A cause of death was not revealed. The Mississippi native popularized the trop-rock and island lifestyle of music throughout the United States, along with his Coral Reefer Band. Throughout the decades, he garnered a devoted fanbase known as “Parrotheads” that often followed Buffett across the country on concerts. Beyond his beachgoing tunes, Buffett was also known for launching the Margaritaville restaurant chain, named for the legendary 1977 song.
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US reportedly sending depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine
The United States will begin sending munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, Reuters reported Friday. The news came according to a military document reportedly seen by the outlet and confirmed by U.S. officials. These munitions are often used because their depleted uranium core makes them more dense than a regular bullet, allowing them to easily pierce armor and metal plating. However, the usage of depleted uranium in war has been hotly contested, due to a number of reported health issues surrounding the usage of the element. While details remain unclear, one official reportedly told Reuters that the value of the package would be between $240 million and $375 million.
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Francis becomes first pope to visit Mongolia
Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday, becoming the first Catholic leader to visit the small north Asian country. Francis’ visit comes amidst the Vatican’s continued strains with two of Mongolia’s neighbors, China and Russia, over the war in Ukraine. The pope told reporters it would “do us good to try to understand this long, big silence, understand what it means but not intellectually, but with senses,” acknowledging that Mongolia has “only a few inhabitants — a small people, but a big culture.” The Catholic community in Mongolia is one of the world’s most recent to thrive, and the Church has only had a sanctioned presence in the country since 1992.
The New York Times
98-year-old charged with accessory to murder during Holocaust
A 98-year-old German man was charged Friday with accessory to murder during the Holocaust, with authorities alleging that he was complicit in the deaths of more than 3,300 people at a concentration camp. Prosecutors in the city of Giessen said that the unnamed man allegedly worked as a guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp between 1943 and 1945. While there, the man allegedly “assisted in the cruel and insidious killing of thousands of prisoners.” The man’s case will be handled in juvenile court given that the suspect was a minor during the war. Prosecutors said a 2022 psychiatric treatment concluded that the man is competent to stand trial under certain conditions.
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Mohamad Al Fayed, whose son died alongside Princess Diana, dies at 94
Mohamad Al Fayed, an Egyptian businessman who formerly owned the iconic Harrod’s department store in London, died Friday at the age of 94. In a statement, Fulham FC, the soccer club Al Fayed used to own, said that he “passed away peacefully of old age” and “enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones.” While widely known throughout the U.K. for his business ventures, it was Al Fayed’s son, Dodi Fayed, who became internationally famous for his secretive relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales. Al Fayed’s death comes just over 26 years to the day after his son was killed in a Paris car crash alongside Diana on Aug. 31, 1997.
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College football returns for the 2023 season
After a 32-week wait, college football is back for the 2023 season, with Week 1 kicking off on Saturday. While there aren’t a ton of big games, No. 2 Michigan will likely cruise to an easy victory over East Carolina and No. 1 Georgia will look to dominate UT-Martin. Other ranked teams including Oklahoma, Tennessee, Iowa and Oregon are also playing. The most prominent game this weekend will come on Sunday, when No. 5 LSU will take on No. 8 Florida State in a matchup that could set the tone for the top ten for weeks to come. This will be followed by a notable Clemson and Duke matchup on Monday.
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