WASHINGTON – The U.S. military has identified a soldier killed while disarming an Iranian drone in Iraq as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton from North Carolina. The military said Tuesday that Swinton will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge, and be promoted to staff sergeant. Swinton’s wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, posted on social media: “I will never recover from this.” The couple have a young daughter. Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed in Jordan by an Iranian attack on Friday. They were the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.
CAIRO – The Israeli military is rapidly constructing a large earthen barrier in the Gaza Strip, further entrenching the division of the tiny Palestinian enclave. Satellite images show that more than 14 miles have been built in recent months. That is equivalent to more than half the length of the coastal strip, which is some 25 miles long and 7 miles wide, and home to over 2 million Palestinians. Israel’s military confirmed to The Associated Press that it is building a physical barrier. The berms roughly follow the so-called yellow line, a boundary set by the U.S.-backed ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Palestinians fear the line could become a permanent border. The military says it has developed a “security zone” along the barrier, equipped with intelligence assets.
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court has rejected a request by Joe Biden to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with a memoir ghostwriter before he was elected president. A divided three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suspended its decision until Aug. 3 to allow more time for Biden to consider another appeal. The panel’s 2-1 ruling late Monday found there’s a substantial public interest in disclosing the material the Democrat wants to keep hidden. The recordings were obtained by a special counsel who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents. Republicans demanded the material after the special counsel declined to file charges.
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s president was set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to conclude a visit to Washington. The goal is to bring long-term calm to Lebanon after a war between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group. Lebanon and Israel are holding rare direct talks, mediated by Washington, hoping for Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon. They announced a framework agreement in June for Israeli forces to withdraw and disarm Hezbollah. The U.S. State Department says operations in a “pilot zone” have begun, but details are scarce. Lebanese troops have increased their presence, but Israeli forces remain in control. Hezbollah dismisses the talks, backing U.S. negotiations with its benefactor Iran.
WASHINGTON – A court document says President Donald Trump’s administration sought New York Times journalists’ phone records and even those of some of their relatives in an attempt to unmask the confidential sources of reporters who wrote about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The motion unsealed Monday reveals more expansive attempts by Trump’s Republican administration than previously known to compel the identity of sources. The Justice Department has justified the original subpoenas by saying “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.” Additional subpoenas included a request for phone records of one reporter’s mother and two of the journalists’ spouses.
– The Associated Press
