Comment on America's tenuous grasp of truth under Trump

One would be forgiven for thinking that Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Asia’s richest man, had already gotten married to pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant months ago. After all, the billionaire Ambanis—who run Reliance Industries, India’s largest conglomerate—have hosted several lavish wedding festivities since December. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] There was an engagement party in January, followed by a three-day pre-wedding celebration in March in the family’s refinery township of Jamnagar in the state of Gujarat.

UNITED NATIONS — The U. N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday demanding that Russia urgently withdraw its military and personnel from Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and immediately return the facility to Ukraine. The resolution also reiterates the assembly’s demands for Russia to immediately “cease its aggression against Ukraine” and withdraw all troops, and again reaffirms the 193-member world body’s commitment to Ukraine’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The resolution was approved by a vote of 99-9 with 60 countries abstaining and 25 countries not voting. Russia was joined by Belarus, Cuba, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria, Burundi and North Korea in opposing the resolution.

HONOLULU — A helicopter crashed into the ocean off the Hawaiian island of Kauai on Thursday, leaving one person dead and two others missing, the Kauai Police Department said. Hikers reported seeing the helicopter crash into the waters about a quarter of a mile (0.4 kilometers) off the Na Pali Coast and called police around 1:20 p.m., the police department said in a statement. The Robinson R44 helicopter was part of Ali‘i Kaua‘i Air Tours and Charters, authorities said. One person’s body was recovered around 2:30 p.m.

Two Russian-born Australian citizens were arrested Thursday, Australian police said Friday. The married pair are accused of accessing sensitive military material with the intent to provide it to Russian authorities. They appeared in a court on Friday, each charged with one count of preparing for an espionage offense—which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison—marking the first time an espionage offense has been laid in Australia since the country introduced new laws in 2018, per a police press release. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “Espionage is an insidious crime, and at a time of global instability, state actors have ramped-up their efforts to obtain information held by Western democracies, including Australia,” said federal police commissioner Reece Kershaw.

TAMPA, Fla. — Monte Kiffin, the longtime NFL and college assistant coach whose Tampa Bay defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, died Thursday. He was 84. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] One of the architects of the ultra successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as defensive coordinator of the Bucs under former coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden from 1996 to 2008 and helped the franchise win the first of its two Super Bowl titles. The University of Mississippi football program announced on the social media platform X that Kiffin, once the head coach at North Carolina State, died surrounded by family and friends in Oxford, Mississippi, where Kiffin’s son, Lane, is coach of the Rebels. My Hero 💜♥️ ⁦@NCStateFB⁩ ⁦@Vikings⁩ pic.twitter.com/gHPAbrUQF1— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) July 11, 2024 “As a coach, Monte was a true innovator who got the best out of his players and helped create one of the signature defenses of the early 2000s,” the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers and inducted Kiffin into the team’s Ring of Honor three years ago, said in a statement. “His passionate and energetic leadership style resonated with all his players, and he was instrumental in our first Super Bowl win and the success of Hall of Famers such as Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber,” the Glazers added.

By JOSH BOAK and NICHOLAS RICCARDI WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden faced a test Thursday that he had avoided so far this year — a solo news conference with questions from the White House press corps. The news conference was meant to reassure a disheartened group of Democratic lawmakers, allies and persuadable voters in this year’s election that Biden still has the strength and stamina to be president.