Bipartisan probation reform modeled off DeSantis and Jay-Z efforts primed for passage in VA
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Chicago Tribune
a minute ago
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Martha Stewart sentenced
Today is Wednesday, July 16, the 197th day of 2025. There are 168 days left in the year. Today in History: On July 16, 2004, Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement by a federal judge in New York for lying about a stock sale. Also on this date: In 1790, a site along the Potomac River was designated the permanent seat of the United States government; the area became Washington, D.C. In 1862, Flag Officer David G. Farragut became the first rear admiral in the United States Navy. In 1945, the United States exploded its first experimental atomic bomb in the desert of Alamogordo, New Mexico; the same day, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis left Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on a secret mission to deliver atomic bomb components to Tinian Island in the Marianas. In 1951, the novel 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger was first published by Little, Brown and Co. In 1957, Marine Corps Maj. John Glenn set a transcontinental speed record by flying a Vought F8U Crusader jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8.4 seconds. In 1964, as he accepted the Republican presidential nomination in San Francisco, Barry M. Goldwater declared that 'extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice' and that 'moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.' In 1969, Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida on the first manned mission to the surface of the moon. In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when their single-engine plane, piloted by Kennedy, plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. In 2008, Florida resident Casey Anthony, whose 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, had been missing a month, was arrested on charges of child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation. (Casey Anthony was later acquitted at trial of murdering Caylee, whose skeletal remains were found in December 2008; Casey was convicted of lying to police.) In 2015, a jury in Centennial, Colorado, convicted James Holmes of 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and other charges in the 2012 Aurora movie theater rampage that left 12 people dead. In 2017, 10 people died at a popular swimming hole in Arizona's Tonto National Forest after a rainstorm unleashed a flash flood. In 2018, after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, President Donald Trump openly questioned the finding of his own intelligence agencies that Russia had meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to his benefit. (Trump said a day later that he misspoke.) Today's Birthdays: International Tennis Hall of Famer Margaret Court is 83. Violinist Pinchas Zukerman is 77. Actor-singer Ruben Blades is 77. Rock composer-musician Stewart Copeland is 73. Playwright Tony Kushner is 69. Dancer Michael Flatley is 67. Former actor and teen model Phoebe Cates is 62. Actor Daryl 'Chill' Mitchell is 60. Actor-comedian Will Ferrell is 58. Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders is 57. Actor Corey Feldman is 54. Actor Jayma Mays is 46. Retired soccer star Carli Lloyd is 43. Actor AnnaLynne McCord is 38. Actor-singer James Maslow (Big Time Rush) is 35. Actor Mark Indelicato is 31. Pop singer-musician Luke Hemmings (5 Seconds to Summer) is 29.
The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
Israel threatens to escalate involvement in Syria as a ceasefire collapses
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes raged in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed and Israel threatened to escalate its involvement in support of the Druze religious minority. Syria's Defense Ministry blamed militias in Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire and continue military operations in the Druze-majority province. 'Military forces continue to respond to the source of fire inside the city of Sweida, while adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes,' the statement said. A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control over the territory. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities. The fears of minorities increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks in which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. Reports of killings and looting in Druze areas The latest escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province, a center of the Druze community. Government forces that intervened to restore order have also clashed with the Druze, while reports have surfaced of members of the security forces carrying out extrajudicial killings, looting and burning civilian homes. No official casualty figures have been released since Monday, when the Syrian Interior Ministry said 30 people had been killed. The U.K.-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 250 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, five women and 138 soldiers and security forces. The observatory said at least 21 people were killed in 'field executions.' Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces since the clashes erupted, saying that it is acting to protect the Druze. The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Israel threatens to scale up its intervention In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military. In Syria, the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country's new leaders, with some advocating for integrating into the new system while others have remained suspicious of the authorities in Damascus and pushed for an autonomous Druze region. On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli army 'will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday night that Israel has 'a commitment to preserve the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarized area on Israel's border' and has 'an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals.' Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders since Assad's fall, saying it doesn't want Islamist militants near its borders. Israeli forces have seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria.
Axios
a minute ago
- Axios
Five key takeaways from the AI-energy summit with Trump
Imposing a single narrative on Tuesday's AI-energy summit with President Trump and top execs would feel fake and forced, but some wider themes emerged. Why it matters: Big investments unveiled in Pittsburgh — plus C-suite and Cabinet wattage there — highlight how fueling data centers is a massive challenge and opportunity. Some takeaways from the daylong event at Carnegie Mellon University organized by Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) ... 💵 1. The numbers are eye-popping. The biggest announcement was Blackstone's plan to invest $25 billion in data centers and gas-fired energy in Pennsylvania, and its new joint venture with PPL. Catch up quick: Others include CoreWeave pledging $6 billion for data center development in Lancaster, and Homer City Redevelopment planning what McCormick's office called $15 billion in gas purchases from producer EQT Corp. for a computing campus. The bottom line: All told, the senator's office tallied over $90 billion worth of planned investments. What we're watching: Follow-through. "We're going to be working with these companies to hold them to the commitments," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) told reporters on the sidelines. 🏭 2. Fossil fuels and nuclear dominated. While Google's hydro deal with Brookfield got plenty of love, the overall event was light on renewables, and DOE head Chris Wright knocked wind and solar. Trump went after wind, too. The big picture: " You need the natural gas or coal infrastructure in order to provide these giant AI data centers the power that they need," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed onstage. (Democrats respond that wind, solar and batteries are cheaper and faster.) The intrigue: The lineup favored message over debate, with environmental voices lacking, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright bashed "crazy train" European and Democratic energy policies. Fun fact: The most extensive climate comments I heard came from, yes, Exxon CEO Darren Woods. He called for "thoughtful" ways to deal with emissions without sacrificing economic growth, and discussed the oil giant's work on CO2 capture and hydrogen. 🗳️ 3. It was a possible 2028 preview. Shapiro is a potential Democratic White House contender, and used his appearance at a GOP-organized event to appeal to the center. Case in point: Shapiro noted the state's legislative power split between the parties. "For me to get any bill to my desk requires votes from the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, and I think if you enter every discussion focused on your differences, you'll never get anything done," he said. 🧑🤝🧑 4. Co-location got more love from Trump. The president's remarks again promoted building new generating facilities that directly supply data centers instead of feeding power grids, calling it a faster approach. Context: Companies including Exxon and Chevron are planning to build gas plants to directly power AI infrastructure. Blackstone President Jon Gray called putting data centers adjacent power sources the "special sauce," noting it avoids new transmission needs. Yes, but: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is still weighing how it considers co-location. 📁5. A bipartisan permitting overhaul is a must. Trump touted his team's executive efforts to speed project approvals, but a top executive — Bechtel Group CEO Brendan Bechtel — said permitting legislation is vital. Why it matters: "It is the single biggest thing that could help enable this AI and energy infrastructure build-out," said Bechtel, who's also a top official with the Business Roundtable. State of play:"The thing that the Business Roundtable is really focused on gearing up for the fourth quarter this year is helping push for bipartisan, durable permit reform," he said. "Unfortunately, you cannot do good, long-term balanced permit reform through executive order only."
