In our news wrap Tuesday, millions along the Gulf Coast are bracing for impacts from Tropical Storm Bertha, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy fired the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces in the latest shake-up of his top military ranks and New Jersey’s governor said more than 6,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in the state in 2023 and 2024 and fewer than 400 of those cast a ballot.
Geoff Bennett:
In the day’s other headlines: Millions of Americans along the Gulf Coast are bracing for Tropical Storm Bertha. In Mississippi and Louisiana, people filled sandbags to keep out the rain and high surf that’s expected.
The swirling storm is churning off the coast of Florida and Alabama. It’s expected to weaken as it makes its way slowly toward land and west toward Texas, bringing heavy rain and the chance of coastal flooding. Tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect from Florida to Central Louisiana.
Meantime, severe thunderstorms will bring more heavy rain, flash floods, and even tornadoes to parts of the Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast throughout tonight.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces in what’s the latest shakeup of his top military ranks. The dismissal of General Oleksandr Syrskyi came just days after Zelenskyy fired the country’s defense minister, who was largely credited with implementing drone technology in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
(Chanting)
Geoff Bennett:
That firing sparked mass protests in Kyiv and across Ukraine. Today, President Zelenskyy sought to ease tensions, saying all sides are working toward the same goal.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through translator):
We all want the same thing, to defeat the enemy and create conditions on the front line and through pressure on Russia that would allow us to force Russia into peace. Ukraine must emerge from the situation stronger, and it will be harder for Russia.
Geoff Bennett:
Earlier today, officials in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia said a Russian guided bomb attack killed at least three people and injured more than a dozen.
New Jersey’s governor said today that more than 6,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in that state in 2023 and 2024, and that fewer than 400 of those actually cast a ballot. At a press conference, Governor Mikie Sherrill cited a software glitch at New Jersey’s motor vehicle system and announced a full investigation.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ):
This failure didn’t occur under my watch, but accountability starts now. Because the people of New Jersey shouldn’t have to wait a year for a problem to get solved or two years to learn it even happened.
Geoff Bennett:
Sherrill says the individuals were mistakenly added when they registered either for a driver’s license or a state I.D. The White House quickly seized on the New Jersey revelations to bolster President Trump’s broader push to overhaul the nation’s election laws.
Former President Joe Biden lost a legal bid to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with his longtime ghostwriter that were used in special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Biden’s lawyers argued the 2016 and 2017 conversations were candid and intended to remain private. But in a 2-1 ruling, the panel found the public interest in releasing the redacted materials outweighed any remaining privacy concerns. The court suspended its decision until August 3, giving Biden’s team time to consider another appeal.
On Capitol Hill today, a top Smithsonian official pushed back against Republican criticism over how the institution tells the nation’s history, which included this exchange on exhibits related to gender and equality.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC):
What is a woman, Dr, Hartig?
Anthea Hartig, Elizabeth MacMillan Director, Smithsonian National Museum of American History: As a director and as a historian, it’s not my opportunity…
Rep. Nancy Mace:
You sexualized the American History Museum. So this is a fair question. What is a woman?
Anthea Hartig:
We strive to represent and not…
Geoff Bennett:
Appearing before a House Oversight subcommittee, the director of the National Museum of American History, Anthea Hartig, defended the Smithsonian’s collections, exhibits, and programming. Hartig was named in a scathing White House report earlier this month accusing the museum of what it called extreme political activism.
Hartig countered that the institution, as she put it, does not take sides in America’s political debates.
Anthea Hartig:
When historians talk about reframing a traditional narrative, we don’t mean erasing it. We mean adding the evidence, the voices, the objects that earlier tellings left out so that more Americans can see themselves reflected in the national story.
Geoff Bennett:
Several Democrats at the hearing defended the Smithsonian and criticized what they called attempts by the Trump administration to rewrite moments of history in its museums.
The Justice Department is investigating whether scholarships at Harvard University funded by Chinese donors favor foreign students. It’s the latest inquiry the Trump administration has levied against the Ivy League school. The DOJ announced the probe yesterday, citing concerns about possible discrimination against American students. It did not specify which scholarship programs are under review.
In a statement, Harvard said it — quote — “does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin in allocating financial aid.”
France is now the latest country to pass a sweeping social media ban for children under the age of 15. The measure, which also bans the use of cell phones in high schools, passed in both chambers of France’s Parliament. France joins a growing list of countries implementing or considering such bans, including Australia, Greece, and the U.K.
On Wall Street today, a rebound in A.I. stocks drove the markets higher. The Dow Jones industrial average added nearly 400 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose more than 1 percent. The S&P 500 also ended with a solid gain.
