US AND CANADA

UKRAINE DRONE HITS RUSSIAN NUCLEAR PLANT

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Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia on Sunday, forcing a sharp fall in the capacity of a reactor at one of Russia's biggest nuclear power plants and sparking a huge blaze at the major Ust-Luga fuel export terminal, Russian officials said.

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PUTIN REJECTS TALKS WITH ZELENSKY, CALLING HIM A WESTERN PUPPET

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The prospect of a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again surfaced following discussions in Washington. However, signals from Moscow suggest that such a summit is neither imminent nor guaranteed.

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ERIK MENENDEZ DENIED RELEASE AT PAROLE HEARING

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Erik Menendez has been denied parole more than three decades after he and his brother, Lyle, fatally shot their parents in the family's Beverly Hills mansion, a case that became one of the most infamous in American true-crime history.

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BUFFALO GUNMAN SEEKS TO DISMISS FEDERAL CHARGES

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The gunman responsible for the 2022 Buffalo supermarket massacre is now seeking to have federal charges against him dismissed, arguing that the grand jury that indicted him was not representative of the community. His legal team claims that the jury pool contained too many white people, which they say undermines the fairness of the proceedings.

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BRYAN KOHBERGER FILES SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT, SEEKS PRISON TRANSFER AFTER INMATE THREATS

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Bryan Kohberger, who was convicted of killing four University of Idaho students, has submitted a sexual harassment complaint and asked to be moved from J-Block at Idaho Maximum Security Institution, citing threats and harassment from other inmates. Kohberger, sentenced last month to four consecutive life terms without parole for the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, made the request in handwritten notes dated July 30 and August 4.

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TRUMP RULES OUT U.S. TROOPS IN UKRAINE, SIGNALS POSSIBLE AIR SUPPORT IN PEACE PLAN

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U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will not send ground forces to Ukraine but may consider limited air support as part of efforts to end Russia's war, leaving key questions about Washington's role in future security guarantees.

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MAINE POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED BY ICE AGREES TO VOLUNTARILY LEAVE THE U.S.

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A reserve police officer in Maine who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has agreed to voluntarily leave the country, the agency confirmed Monday.

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TRUMP VOWS TO ELIMINATE MAIL-IN VOTING AND MACHINES BEFORE 2026 MIDTERMS

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President Donald Trump has announced plans to issue an executive order that would end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections, a move that has already stirred renewed controversy in the U.S. political arena.

On Truth Social, Trump declared, "I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES." He added that voting machines cost "Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election."

The announcement came just days after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15. In a subsequent Fox News interview, Trump claimed, "Vladimir Putin said something -- one of the most interesting things. He said, 'Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.'" According to Trump, Putin told him, "You won that election by so much."

Trump insisted the U.S. is "now the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting" and said the initiative would begin immediately, "which will be strongly opposed by the Democrats because they cheat at levels never seen before." He further argued, "Remember, the States are merely an 'agent' for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY."

Legal experts note, however, that the U.S. Constitution gives states authority over how elections are run. Courts have consistently rejected Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud after the 2020 election.

Data also contradicts Trump's assertions. According to International IDEA, 34 countries worldwide permit some form of mail-in voting, with 12 — including Canada, Germany, and South Korea — allowing it for all voters. Russia itself introduced remote electronic voting in 2020.

Critics quickly pushed back. Fiona Hill, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, argued that Putin's comments were intended to fuel discord: "Putin wants to sow chaos in the American electoral system...It's a diversion." Johanna Warshaw of the Democratic Governors Association added, "Democratic governors are the last line of defense against Trump's attacks on our fundamental freedoms."

California Governor Gavin Newsom was more direct, writing, "Trump knows he is going to LOSE in 2026...This man reeks of DESPERATION."

Meanwhile, Trump's allies embraced the move. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X, "I strongly support President Trump in ending mail in voting!! Elections have been stolen for decades with this practice that is ripe for fraud."

The 2026 midterms will mark the first national test of Trump's domestic and foreign policies since returning to office, with both parties preparing for legal and political battles over the future of U.S. elections.

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