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Ukraine accuses Russia of drone attack on Chernobyl nuclear plant

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Ukraine accuses Russia of drone attack on Chernobyl nuclear plant

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A Russian attack drone carrying what Ukraine described as “a high-explosive warhead” has struck the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, piercing the protective structure over Reactor 4 — the site of the 1986 disaster.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday the damage to the shelter was “significant”, according to initial assessments, but a fire caused by the attack had been extinguished. He added that radiation levels remained stable and were being “constantly monitored”.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said its team at the Chernobyl site “heard an explosion” at about 1.50am local time coming from the safe confinement protecting the remains of Reactor 4. “At this moment, there is no indication of a breach in the inner containment [unit],” the IAEA said.

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Completed in 2016, the containment unit is meant to safeguard the damaged nuclear reactor and keep radiation from leaking into the atmosphere.

This photo provided by Ukraine shows a damaged part of the sarcophagus covering Reactor 4 © State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Damage at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Damage inside the nuclear power plant © State Emergency Service of Ukraine

The latest Russian bombardment comes two days after US President Donald Trump phoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to “start negotiations immediately” to end the war.

Following Friday morning’s attack, Zelenskyy dismissed Putin’s claims that Moscow was seeking peace, arguing instead that Moscow was preparing to “continue deceiving the world”.

Zelenskyy, who is set to meet US vice-president JD Vance in Munich later on Friday, called for unified international “pressure on the aggressor”, adding: “Russia must be held accountable for its actions.”

IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said Friday’s incident and the recent increase in military activity around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces, underlined persistent nuclear safety risks. “There is no room for complacency, and the IAEA remains on high alert,” he said.

Zelenskyy condemned the attack, saying Russia had been carrying out such strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure and cities “every night”.

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In footage captured by a security camera and shared on social media by the president, an explosion can be seen on the roof of the containment unit. A video filmed by a surveillance drone later on showed a fire caused by the attack and a large hole visible.

Photographs published by Ukraine’s state emergency service purport to show debris from a “Shahed” suicide drone that Iran has provided to Russia’s military and helped Moscow reproduce during the war.

The attack appeared to be part of a broader assault on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, which has been targeted over the past winter months by Russia’s missiles and drones.

Odesa governor Oleh Kiper said a drone strike had also damaged port facilities in the Black Sea coastal region early on Friday. The air force said Russia had launched 133 drones at targets across Ukraine overnight.

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Trump fires last members of election commission, inciting fears of midterm ‘chaos’

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Trump fires last members of election commission, inciting fears of midterm ‘chaos’

Donald Trump has terminated the remaining members of the independent, federal commission that assists election administration officials nationwide just a few months before the midterm elections, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

The remaining three commissioners of the four-member bipartisan commission ⁠were forced out on Thursday in different ways. The one Republican appointee resigned and the other ⁠two, Democratic appointees were notified of their terminations via email from ​the White House presidential personnel office.

“On ‌behalf of President ‌Donald J Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position ‌as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” the email, seen by Reuters, said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Election Assistance Commission serves as a “national clearinghouse of information on election ‌administration”, accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, and maintains the national mail-voter registration form developed by the National ​Voter Registration Act of 1993, according to the commission’s website. The terminations follow Trump and top administration officials’ advocacy to change vote-by-mail requirements and investigations into the 2020 election outcome, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

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“It is ⁠irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on ​causing chaos for ​our election officials across this ​country,” Arizona secretary of state Adrian Fontes said in a ​Thursday statement. “This ‌move undermines the integrity ​of nonpartisan ​election administration.”

The 2002 law that established the commission, the Help America Vote Act, states the president can appoint replacements to the commission.

It is unclear how Trump will move ahead with the commission.

Reuters contributed reporting

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Former Olympian pleads not guilty in reflecting pool vandalism charges

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Former Olympian pleads not guilty in reflecting pool vandalism charges

Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn (left) walks with his attorney Norman Eisen to speak to reporters and protesters gathered after his arraignment at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

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Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty to damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning.

Federal prosecutors charged Hearn with a single count of destruction of property causing more than $1,000 in damage to the pool.

Hearn has previously claimed, which his attorneys repeated during a short press conference outside the court, that he simply touched the water in the pool out of curiosity.

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The Trump administration had just completed a $14 million renovation of the pool.

But shortly after the work finished, peeling paint and algae gathered in the water. The remodel has been largely criticized as a massive failure and waste of taxpayer dollars.

Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean released Hearn on his own recognizance. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

Norm Eisen, one of Hearn’s attorneys, spoke to reporters outside of court following the hearing. He said the administration is using Hearn as a “scapegoat … for their own failures.”

“It is not a crime to touch the reflecting pool, to touch water in the United States of America,” he said.

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Prosecutors say there is a host of evidence against Hearn.

This is a developing story.

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Three more people charged with damaging Reflecting Pool after Trump’s multimillion-dollar restoration | CNN Politics

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Three more people charged with damaging Reflecting Pool after Trump’s multimillion-dollar restoration | CNN Politics

Three more people have been criminally charged with destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Officers say they detained Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Justin Carreno one Saturday afternoon in June and described in court documents witnessing them peeling and removing pieces of blue paint from the Reflecting Pool.

One officer “witnessed Carreno reach down into the reflecting pool and pull up a piece of the blue paint,” according to the court documents.

The officer who detained Dennison-Gibby “found 1 additional piece of the reflecting pool liner” in her purse, the documents said.

All three incidents were recorded on the officers’ body worn cameras, they said in the court documents.

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Several “partnering law enforcement agencies assigned to the Reflecting Pool” working with US Park Police were involved in detaining the two men and one woman — including officers from Texas, Oklahoma, Montana and California.

One of the officers said in court documents that Thiers “admitted to removing a piece of blue sealant from the Reflecting Pool and still had it in his hand when I made contact with him.”

The three defendants were arraigned in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges of destruction of property with a value less than $1,000. The judge ordered them to stay away from the Reflecting Pool.

Lawyers for Thiers and Dennison-Gibby declined to comment. CNN has reached out to Carreno’s attorney.

If found guilty of destruction of property, the defendants could be fined up to $1,000 and face a maximum of 180 days behind bars.

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The New York Times first reported that three additional people had been charged with damaging the Reflecting Pool.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that vandals caused major damage to the pool by gashing the lining after his administration spent more than $14 million on renovations, though he has not provided evidence to support that claim. The officers who charged Carreno, Thiers and Dennison-Gibby did not accuse them of gashing the lining.

Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, DC, last week for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool. Hearn — unlike Carreno, Thiers and Dennison-Gibby – was charged with destruction of property with a value of more than $1,000 which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, if convicted. He is set to be arraigned in court Thursday.

Crews began draining the Reflecting Pool over the weekend to make repairs, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, for the second time in three months.

The move comes after weeks of problems – algae blooms, green-hued water, a chipping bottom and the administration’s allegations of vandalism – that have plagued the iconic landmark, making its woes the subject of national interest.

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