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'I don't understand why they call it public broadcasting,' former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich said back in 1995. 'As far as I am concerned, there's nothing public about it; it's an elitist enterprise.' Republicans under President Donald Trump finally accomplished last month what Gingrich wanted last century, defunding the two national networks that Trump said 'fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda.'
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Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Putin hold phone call to reaffirm alignment over Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call to discuss their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine, the countries' state media said Wednesday. The phone call comes as Putin gets set to meet with US President Donald Trump in the US west coast state of Alaska this Friday to discuss a ceasefire proposal on Moscow's war in Ukraine. According to North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Putin praised the 'bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit' displayed by North Korean troops as they fought with Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, during the call. Putin also shared with Kim information about his upcoming talks with Trump, scheduled to take place Friday in Alaska, according to Russia's TASS news agency, citing the Kremlin. The North Korean reports did not mention the Trump meeting. Kim told Putin that Pyongyang will fully support 'all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future, too,' as they discussed advancing ties in 'all fields' under a strategic partnership agreement they signed during a summit last year, KCNA said. North Korea's deepening ties with Moscow In recent years, Russia and North Korea have developed stronger ties, with Pyongyang providing Russia's military operations in Ukraine with personnel and munitions. A mutual defense deal was struck between the two nations during Putin's visit to the isolated state last year. And since Russia invaded Ukraine, Kim has made Moscow the priority of his foreign policy as he aims to break out of diplomatic isolation and expand relations with countries confronting Washington. His government has dismissed Washington and Seoul's stated desires to restart diplomacy aimed at defusing the North's nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit with Trump during his first term. Related Russia's diplomatic circle of friends: Taliban and North Korea in, Azerbaijan and Armenia out Russia launches first commercial passenger flights to North Korea in decades In April this year, Pyongyang acknowledged for the first time that it sent a group of its soldiers to the Ukrainian front line with Russian troops. According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall and also supplied large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, in support of Putin's war efforts against Ukraine. Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia's Kursk region, a deployment South Korean intelligence believes could happen soon.
CBS News
20 minutes ago
- CBS News
Stockton City Council meeting ends with delay in city manager decision
Stocktonians were frustrated waiting nearly three hours for the regularly scheduled city council meeting to begin Tuesday, and those frustrations grew when city leaders opted to push the decision to appoint a new city manager further down the line. The closed session was hours long, but nothing came out of it. "Never seen such disrespect from the council or the mayor as far as their concern or lack of concern for the time and opinions of the citizens," said civilian Cynthia Gail Boyd. Several people were upset about not only the wait, but that the late start delayed important decisions, like who would be Stockton's new permanent city manager. In the city agenda, it was item 12.5 with a recommendation by city staff to extend interim City Manager Steve Colangelo. Ultimately, the agenda item was pulled just before 9 p.m. David Sengthay is against Colangelo's extension. "I think Will Crew should stay as the interim city manager. The search is still live," he said. "We do not need to go for somebody who is shrouded in controversy and has brought drama to city hall." Still, some were in support of Colangelo remaining. "He exemplifies the commitment that Stockton needs," said former Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva. Despite it all, some Stocktonians said they are fed up and frustrated with the way their local government is operating. "This is what we voted for?" asked another concerned citizen. Deputy City Manager Will Crew was appointed interim city manager back on July 29. He had been serving in that role since Saturday. Colangelo, if brought back as interim city manager and extended, would remain until at least November. If Colangelo's contract is extended, he could make just over $20,000 a month.
CNN
33 minutes ago
- CNN
Sonya Massey shooting prompts Illinois law requiring disclosure of police recruits' backgrounds
Illinois law now requires that prospective police officers approve the release of personal background records in response to last summer's shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman, in her home by a sheriff's deputy who had responded to her call for help. Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed the legislation, which requires disclosure of everything from job performance reports to nonpublic settlement agreements. It resulted from indiscretions that came to light in the background of Sean Grayson, the ex-sheriff's deputy charged with first-degree murder in the case. Pritzker, surrounded by Massey's family in the state Capitol, said the first-in-the-nation law should serve as an example for other states as he let Massey's 'spirit guide us to action.' 'Our justice system needs to be built on trust,' the Democrat said. 'Communities should be able to trust that when they call the police to their home, the responding officer will be well-trained and without a history of bias or misconduct, and police officers should be able to trust that they are serving alongside responsible and capable individuals.' The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat and friend of the Masseys, and Chicago Democratic Rep. Kam Buckner, who noted that Thursday marks the 117th anniversary of the three-day Race Riot in Springfield that led to the founding a year later of the NAACP. Massey, 36, was a single mother of two teenagers who had a strong religious faith and struggled with mental health issues. In the early morning of July 6, 2024, she called 911 to report a suspected prowler outside her home in the capital city of Springfield, 201 miles southwest of Chicago. Grayson and another deputy searched but found no one. Inside Massey's house, confusion over a pot of hot water Massey picked up and her curious response to Grayson — 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus' — which the deputy said he took to mean she wanted to kill him, prompted him to fire on Massey, hitting her right below the eye. The 31-year-old Grayson was 14 months into his career as a Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy when he answered Massey's call. His arrest two weeks later prompted an examination of his record, which showed several trouble spots. In his early 20s, he was convicted of driving under the influence twice within a year, the first of which got him kicked out of the Army. He had four law enforcement jobs — mostly part-time — in six years. One past employer noted that he was sloppy in handling evidence and called him a braggart. Others said he was impulsive. Those seeking policing jobs must sign a waiver allowing past employers to release unredacted background materials, including job performance reports, physical and psychological fitness-for-duty reports, civil and criminal court records, and, even otherwise nonpublic documents such as nondisclosure or separation agreements. 'It isn't punitive to any police officer. The same kind of commonsense legislation needs to be done nationwide,' James Wilburn, Massey's father, said. 'People should not be able to go from department to department and their records not follow them.' The hiring agency may see the contents of documents sealed by court order by getting a judge's approval, and court action is available to compel a former employer to hand over records. 'Several departments need to pick up their game and implement new procedures, but what's listed here (in the law) is what should be minimally done in a background check,' said Kenny Winslow, executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, who helped negotiate the proposal. Ironically, no. Most of what was revealed about Grayson after his arrest was known to Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who was forced to retire early because of the incident. Campbell was aware of Grayson's shortcomings and, as a result, made him repeat the state's 16-week police training course. Even an incident that didn't surface until six weeks after the shooting — a dash-cam video of Grayson, working as a deputy in a nearby county, ignoring an order to halt a high-speed chase and then hitting a deer with his squad car — would not have disqualified him, Campbell said at the time. 'We can't decide who they do or don't hire, but what we can do is put some parameters in place so that the information will be there and the right decision can be made,' Buckner said. Grayson, who also faces charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in October. Publicity persuaded Judge Ryan Cadagin to move the proceeding from Springfield to Peoria, 73 miles to the north. The incident has garnered international news coverage, prompted activists' rallies, and led to a $10 million civil court settlement.
