Military officials identify 2 Marines killed in crash during deployment
Both were members of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion based at Camp Pendleton. Another Marine with the battalion remains in critical condition. The investigation into Tuesday's crash is ongoing, military officials said in a statement.
The region where the accident took place is just over the state line and west of Fort Bliss, a major Army installation in West Texas that has played a critical role in dispatching military deportation flights and served as a touchpoint for thousands of soldiers and pieces of equipment now deployed along the border. The troops are deployed there in support of President Donald Trump's executive order to secure the US-Mexico border.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
10 hours ago
- Arab Times
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigns
VILNIUS, Lithuania, July 31, (AP): Lithuania Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas stepped down on Thursday following investigations into his business dealings that prompted protests in the Baltic country 's capital calling for his resignation. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced Paluckas' resignation to the media on Thursday morning. A spokesperson for Paluckas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Paluckas, a newly established leader of the center-left Social Democrats, ascended to the role late last year after a three-party coalition formed following parliamentary elections in October. His entire cabinet is now expected also to resign, potentially leaving the country without an effective government weeks before Russia holds joint military exercises with neighboring Belarus. Lithuanian foreign policy is unlikely to change as a result of the government shakeup. Nausėda, who was elected separately, is the country's face on the world stage and has been one of the most stalwart supporters of Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian forces. Paluckas has recently been dogged by media investigations into his business and financial dealings. Several media outlets published investigations in July regarding Paluckas' past and present ventures and alleged mishandlings, including ones more than a decade ago. The Baltic country's anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies subsequently launched their own probes. In a devastating blow to his reputation, the media also revealed that Paluckas never paid a significant part of a 16,500 euro fine ($19,039) in connection with a 2012 criminal case dubbed the "rat poison scandal.' Paluckas was convicted of mishandling the bidding process for Vilnius' rat extermination services while serving as the capital city's municipality administration director. Judges for the country's top court in 2012 ruled that he abused his official position by illegally granting privileges to the company that offered the highest price in the bid. He was also sentenced to two years behind bars, but the sentence was suspended for one year and he ultimately was never imprisoned. The Social Democratic party leader denied any wrongdoing regarding his business affairs, labeling the criticism as part of a "coordinated attack' by political opponents. He resigned before the opposition could formally launch impeachment proceedings. New coalition talks are expected to start shortly to form a new cabinet.
Arab Times
11 hours ago
- Arab Times
Trump signs order to justify 50% tariffs on Brazil
WASHINGTON, July 31, (AP): US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to impose his threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil, setting a legal rationale that Brazil's policies and criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency under a 1977 law. Trump had threatened the tariffs July 9 in a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But the legal basis of that threat was an earlier executive order premised on trade imbalances being a threat to the US economy. But America ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus last year with Brazil, according to the US Census Bureau. A statement by the White House said Brazil's judiciary had tried to coerce social media companies and block their users, though it did not name the companies involved, X and Rumble. Trump appears to identify with Bolsonaro, who attempted to overturn the results of his 2022 loss to Lula. Similarly, Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election. Lula left an event about animal rights early on Wednesday after Trump's move, saying he needed to defend "the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in light of the measures announced by the President of the United States.' The order would apply an additional 40% tariff on the baseline 10% tariff already being levied by Trump. But not all goods imported from Brazil would face the 40% tariff: Civil aircraft and parts, aluminum, tin, wood pulp, energy products and fertilizers are among the products being excluded. The order said the tariffs would go into effect seven days after its signing on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Trump's Treasury Department announced sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and Bolsonaro's ongoing trial. De Moraes oversees the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who is accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 defeat. On July 18, the State Department announced visa restrictions on Brazilian judicial officials, including de Moraes.
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Trump says he ended friendship with Epstein because he 'stole people that worked for me'
WASHINGTON, July 29, (AP): US President Donald Trump said Monday that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and threw the now-disgraced financier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him. Trump did not say what his employees did or where they worked, and the White House declined further comment. But the White House had previously offered a different explanation for the falling-out. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement last week: "The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep.' Epstein killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to power. They are now struggling to manage the fallout after the Justice Department said Epstein did, in fact, die by suicide and that it would not release additional documents about the case. The president and his allies, some of whom are now in the administration, had promised to release the files. The case has dogged Trump at home and abroad and even followed Vice President JD Vance during an appearance in his home state of Ohio on Monday. A small group of protesters assembled outside a factory in Canton that Vance toured, holding signs. The Republican president spoke at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland, as he sat with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after the leaders had met and were answering questions from US and UK journalists. Asked to explain why the relationship had faltered, Trump said, "That's such old history, very easy to explain, but I don't want to waste your time by explaining it.' He then explained, saying he stopped talking to Epstein after "he did something that was inappropriate.' "He hired help and I said, 'Don't ever do that again,'' Trump said. "He stole people that worked for me. I said, 'Don't ever do that again.' He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.' "I threw him out and that was it. I'm glad I did, if you want to know the truth,' Trump added. Trump recently directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the public release of sealed grand jury transcripts in the case. One federal judge has denied that request; a second judge has yet to rule.
