Giuliani concedes he made false statements about Georgia election workers
Rudy Giuliani has conceded that while acting as a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, he made false statements by asserting that two Georgia election workers had mishandled ballots while counting votes in Atlanta during the 2020 election. The concession came in court papers filed Tuesday as part of a defamation lawsuit that the two workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, had brought against him in U.S. District Court in Washington in December 2021. In his declaration, Giuliani acknowledged that he had in fact made the statements about Freeman and Moss that led to the filing of the suit and that the remarks “carry meaning that is defamatory per se.”
For adults with no heart attack or
stroke history, more evidence
not to start aspirin
A new analysis of data from a large clinical trial of healthy older adults found higher rates of brain bleeding among those who took daily low-dose aspirin, and no significant protection against stroke. The analysis, published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA, is the latest evidence that low-dose aspirin, which slows the clotting action of platelets, may not be appropriate for people who do not have any history of heart conditions or warning signs of stroke. Older people prone to falls, which can cause brain bleeds, should be particularly cautious about taking aspirin, the findings suggest.
U.S. moves to improve airplane bathrooms for people with disabilities
The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced that it had finalized new regulations to require more commercial aircraft to have accessible bathrooms, a long-awaited step to address complaints from disabled travelers about the difficulties of flying. Under the regulations, new single-aisle planes with at least 125 seats will eventually be required to have at least one lavatory large enough for a disabled passenger and an attendant to enter and move around in. Twin-aisle planes are already required to have an accessible lavatory. The new requirement does not kick in immediately. It will apply to new single-aisle planes that airlines order beginning in 2033 or that are delivered beginning in 2035.
Trying to stop Trump, ads feature Iowans who ditched their MAGA hats
The Republican Accountability Project, a group that opposes Donald Trump, is unveiling an advertising campaign featuring voters who supported him in the past two presidential elections but have now turned against him, in an effort to put questions of electability at the center of the GOP primary race. The group is spending $1.5 million on ads in Iowa to try to persuade likely Trump voters that the former president would struggle to win the 2024 general election. The organization’s goal is to help lift another contender to the Republican nomination — anyone but Trump. The campaign will be shown on broadcast, cable and digital ads in Iowa’s two biggest media markets.
Main thrust of Ukraine’s offensive may be underway, U.S. officials say
Ukraine has launched the main thrust of its counteroffensive, throwing in thousands of troops held in reserve, many Western-trained and equipped, two Pentagon officials said Wednesday, hours after Russian officials reported major Ukrainian attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, White House and Pentagon officials said Ukrainian officials had told them the new operation, if successful, would last one to three weeks. “This is the big test,” a senior official said. Administration officials and analysts said it might be only a matter of days to assess whether the attacks might be successful.
Israel’s High Court says it will review judicial overhaul
Israel’s Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would review a contentious new law that diminishes the court’s own role, setting the stage for a constitutional crisis and renewed social turmoil if the judges overturn the legislation. The decision to take up the case, beginning in September, sets up a potential clash between the government and the highest court in the land. However it rules, the court’s decision is likely to provoke widespread anger. The deeply divisive bill, passed Monday, stops the court from overruling government decisions that it finds lack “reasonableness.” The government argues that the term is too subjective.
Biden orders U.S. to share evidence of Russian war crimes with Hague court
President Joe Biden has quietly ordered the U.S. government to begin sharing evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, according to officials familiar with the matter, signaling a major shift in American policy. The decision, made by Biden in recent days, overrides months of resistance by the Pentagon, which argued that it could pave the way for the court to prosecute American troops, according to the officials. The White House has yet to announce the policy reversal or the assistance it will now provide, but it began notifying members of Congress on Tuesday, according to the officials.
Hun Sen, one of world’s longest-serving rulers, to step down next month
Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, said Wednesday that he would resign next month and hand power to his son. Hun Sen, 70, made the announcement in a televised address, three days after his political party had declared victory in stage-managed parliamentary elections. He said in the address that his eldest son, Gen. Hun Manet, 45, would succeed him and that the move would not violate any rules in the National Assembly because his son is also a lawmaker. His Cambodian People’s Party was always a virtual lock to sweep the election; his government has suppressed all meaningful opposition over the years.
In rare move, Japanese pop star
comes out publicly as gay
At first, there was total silence. Then, there were shrieks, wild applause, weeping and shouts of “I love you!” Fans of J-pop idol Shinjiro Atae had come to hear him talk about “the challenge of my life” after a hiatus from performing. Standing onstage in a dark auditorium in front of 2,000 fans in central Tokyo on Wednesday night, he revealed something he has kept hidden for most of his life: He is gay. Such an announcement is extremely unusual in conservative Japan, the only G7 country that has not legalized same-sex unions. “I don’t want people to struggle like me,” Atae said.
By wire sources
