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In the news today: The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump's $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid funding; Louisiana cancels a $3 billion coastal restoration project funded by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement; and the EU targets Russia's energy revenue and shadow fleet with new sanctions. Also, a look into a 3,000-year-old dance tradition in the Sahara.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson leaves the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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House gives final approval to Trump's $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid
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The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump's request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early Friday as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. Read more. |
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- The vote marked the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and the White House suggested it won't be the last. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda. The House passed the bill by a vote of 216-213. It now goes to Trump for his signature.
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Louisiana cancels $3 billion coastal restoration project funded by oil spill settlement
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Louisiana on Thursday canceled a $3 billion repair of its disappearing Gulf coastline, funded by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement. Read more. |
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The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Project aimed to rebuild upward of 20 square miles of land over a 50-year period in southeast Louisiana to combat sea level rise and erosion on the Gulf Coast. More than 2,000 square miles of land have vanished over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Despite years of studies and reviews, the project grew increasingly imperiled after Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, took office last year. Its collapse means that the state could lose out on more than $1.5 billion in unspent funds and may have to repay the $618 million it already used to begin building.
- Former Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican who once led the state's coastal restoration agency, said that killing the project was "a boneheaded decision" not rooted in science. "It is going to result in one of the largest setbacks for our coast and the protection of our communities in decades," Graves said.
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The EU targets Russia's energy revenue and shadow fleet with new sanctions over Ukraine war
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The European Union approved on Friday a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including a lower oil price cap, a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines, and the targeting of more shadow fleet ships, the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said. Read more. |
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"The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war," Kallas said in a statement. Kallas said the measures amount to "one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date" linked to the war, now in its fourth year.
Oil income is the linchpin of Russia's economy, allowing President Vladimir Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse. A new import ban was also imposed in an attempt to close a loophole allowing Russia to indirectly export crude oil via a number of non-EU countries.
On top of that, the new EU sanctions targeted Russia's banking sector, with the aim of limiting the Kremlin's ability to raise funds or carry out financial transactions. Two Chinese banks were added to the list.
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Zelouaz, Algeria dancers perform at the Sebeiba festival in Djanet, a southeastern Algerian oasis town in the Sahara desert, on July 6. (AP Photo/Audrey Thibert)
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In the Sahara, a friendly dance competition carries on an ancient festival tradition
The Sebeiba festival, a 3,000-year-old tradition of the Tuareg people, takes center stage in Djanet, an Algerian oasis town in the Sahara. The 10-day event features dances, chants and friendly competition, and is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. |
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