Biden’s shift on F-16s for Ukraine came after months of internal debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to allow allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate F-16 fighter jets — and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves — seemed like an abrupt change in position but was in fact one that came after months of internal debate and quiet talks with allies. Biden announced during last week’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that the U.S. would join the F-16 coalition. His green light came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spent months pressing the West to provide his…

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Trump’s Mug Shot Gives His Haters Nothing

Donald Trump dropped in for a photo op in Georgia last night—not the usual kibbitz on the hustings for a former president, but a killer visual to end the week with: a mug shot. And just like that, Trump was restored to his accustomed place in the Republican dogpile: everywhere. It was hard to look away, even if you wanted to. Former presidents do not go and get fingerprinted and mug-shotted and perp-walked every day, even the one former president who takes his arraignments in gift packs of four. Clichés…

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Court Upholds Missouri Law Banning Experimental Transgender Interventions for Kids

A Missouri trial court declined Friday to block a law preventing transgender interventions for minors, citing “conflicting and unclear” medical evidence on the effectiveness of so-called puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. “The science and medical evidence is conflicting and unclear,” Judge Stephen R. Ohmer ruled. “Accordingly, the evidence raises more questions than answers.” Three Missouri families who claim their children identify as the gender opposite their biological sex sued the state’s Republican governor, Michael Parson, challenging the constitutionality of a law he signed June 7. The families had asked the…

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Recap of the Republican Debate 2023: A Complete Dumpster Fire

GOP Candidates Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy face off at the Republican National Committee Debate in Milwaukee, WI. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty   In case you missed last night’s RNC debate for the sake of your mental health, we watched it so you don’t have to. Despite Trump’s absence, his eight rival Republican candidates battled it out in an attempt to prove their ability to replace him as front-runner. Whether or not any of them were successful in upending his lead remains to be seen, but it’s hard to…

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The Bidens will travel to Maui to meet with wildfire survivors and first responders

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are traveling to Maui on Monday to comfort survivors of the devastating wildfires that ripped through the western part of the Hawaiian island earlier this month, as his administration responds to the devastation whose full scope is still unknown. The Washington Times stories: White House

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