Russia launches ‘massive’ drone bombardment on Zelensky’s hometown, Ukrainian officials say

<p>-

• Russia launches 'massive' drone bombardment on Zelensky's hometown, Ukrainian officials say</p>

<p>Kathleen Magramo and Svitlana Vlasova, CNNJuly 16, 2025 at 11:39 PM</p>

<p>Smoke and flame rises following the Russian drone attack on the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine on July 16, 2025. Some of drones struck facilities of civilian industrial infrastructure. At least eight people were injured. - Vinnytsia Military Admin/Anadolu/Getty Images</p>

<p>Moscow barreled hundreds of drones toward four key regions in Ukraine overnight, just as lawmakers in Kyiv scrambled to approve additional defense spending against the backdrop of intensified Russian attacks over the past few days.</p>

<p>The Kremlin unleashed 400 long-range drones and one missile late Tuesday, according to Ukraine's Air Force – in what marked largest onslaught so far this week. Kyiv's forces intercepted or disabled at least 345 of those drones.</p>

<p>Russia's strikes pelted multiple cities late Tuesday – including parts of the Odesa region, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih.</p>

<p>Ukrainian troops have struggled to contend with one of the fiercest escalations by Russian forces since the full-scale 2022 invasion, with lawmakers in Kyiv supporting an initial amendment to boost army and defense spending. At the same time, Zelensky enacted a seismic cabinet reshuffle on Monday – after the US announced a fresh package of weaponry for the war-ravaged country.</p>

<p>'Most massive attack'</p>

<p>Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, faced "the most massive attack … since the beginning of the war," said the head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, adding that it involved a ballistic missile and 28 drones. The onslaught sparked several fires and left parts of the city without electricity and water, he added.</p>

<p>Zelensky said Russia had targeted energy infrastructure in the city and that 15 people had been wounded there.</p>

<p>"Russia is not changing its strategy – and to counter this terror effectively, we need to systematically strengthen our defenses: more air defense systems, more interceptors, and more determination," Zelensky said in a post on X.</p>

<p>Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of the eastern city of Kharkiv, said his city was struck 16 times in just 14 minutes during the assault.</p>

<p>In Vinnytsia, southwest of Kyiv, eight people were injured and two infrastructure facilities caught fire during attacks.</p>

<p>Zelensky said response efforts are still underway in some of the regions targeted overnight.</p>

<p>Three deaths were recorded in Ukraine – one from shelling in the Sumy region and two in Kharkiv – over the previous 24 hours, with 38 people wounded, according to officials.</p>

<p>The next day, members of parliament voted to spend an additional 400 billion Ukrainian hryvnia ($9.6 million) on security forces, according to the former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Separately, politicians also approved increased funding for defense equipment and machinery.</p>

<p>US changes tact</p>

<p>Russia's latest large-scale wave of attacks on Ukraine comes days after a policy shift from the US administration, and as President Donald Trump grows increasingly frustrated with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.</p>

<p>Trump announced on Monday that Ukraine will receive Patriot missile systems via NATO as part of a new package of US weaponry, and threatened "secondary tariffs" on other countries that buy Russian oil, signaling an economically punitive stance towards Moscow.</p>

<p>Moscow is monitoring those Western long-range missile deliveries "very closely," according to Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov. He had warned earlier that Trump's threat of sanctions was "very serious," claiming that the US president addressed his Russian counterpart "personally" in his announcement.</p>

<p>Asked about the decision of US President Donald Trump to sell NATO weapons for further shipment to Ukraine, Peskov said: "This is business. There were deliveries before. No one stopped them. It's just a question of who pays for them. Now, some Europeans will pay for them."</p>

<p>Just on Tuesday, he warned that "such decisions, which are made in Washington, and in NATO countries, and directly in Brussels, are perceived by the Ukrainian side not as a signal for peace, but as a signal to continue the conflict."</p>

<p>Smoke and orange flames rise after a Russian drone attack on civilian infrastructure in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine on Wednesday, as Moscow launched one of the most ferocious assaults this week. - Vinnytsia Military Admin/Anadolu/Getty Images</p>

<p>Once complimentary of Putin, Trump appeared angry that his overtures on ending the war have been mostly ignored in Moscow.</p>

<p>"My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night," Trump said, even as he denied falling into a trap set for his predecessors: "He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden – he didn't fool me."</p>

<p>Meanwhile, a number of European foreign ministers welcomed Trump's Monday announcement.</p>

<p>"In order to have peace, we need to support Ukraine, and we need to put the pressure on Russia," Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs chief, said as she arrived at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.</p>

<p>"I also hope that Americans will move also with their sanctions package or tariffs, so that pressure is on Russia to really stop this war," Kallas added.</p>

<p>This story has been with additional developments.</p>

<p>CNN's Kevin Liptak, James Frater, Anna Chernova and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.</p>

<p>For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com</p>

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Russia launches ‘massive’ drone bombardment on Zelensky’s hometown, Ukrainian officials say

<p>- Russia launches 'massive' drone bombardment on Zelensky's hometown, Ukrainian officials say</p>...

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Roughly 6 in 10 Americans oppose Trump’s megabill, CNN poll finds

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• Roughly 6 in 10 Americans oppose Trump's megabill, CNN poll finds</p>

<p>Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNNJuly 16, 2025 at 7:48 PM</p>

<p>Roughly 6 in 10 Americans say they oppose the GOP domestic policy bill that President Donald Trump recently signed into law, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.</p>

<p>In the wake of his most sweeping legislative achievement since returning to office, Trump's rating for handling the budget has slumped 11 points since March, with a rising majority also saying he's gone too far in cutting government programs.</p>

<p>While there are signs that opinions have yet to fully settle – fewer than a third of the public reports following news about the bill very closely, and roughly half of Americans don't express strong feelings one way or the other – the initial strong opposition to the bill outpaces initial strong support.</p>

<p>Americans say, 61% to 39%, that they oppose the spending bill overall. Most, 58%, now say Trump's gone too far in cutting federal government programs (up 7 points since February), and his rating for handling the federal budget now stands at just 37%. His rating for handling taxes, though still underwater, is modestly more positive: 44% approve of his handling of taxes, close to his first-term high on that issue.</p>

<p>More expect the bill to hurt the economy than to help it, 51% to 29%, with the rest expecting it to make little difference. And more expect it to leave their family worse off than better off, 37% to 16%, with nearly half unsure or predicting they'll be largely unaffected.</p>

<p>Trump's overall job approval rating remains at 42%, largely unchanged since spring, but just 37% say he has had the right priorities, down 6 points from March.</p>

<p>What Americans like and dislike about the bill</p>

<p>The public response to the bill's proposals isn't entirely negative. By a 29-point margin, Americans say that the changes it makes to tax laws – such as permanent extension of the tax cuts passed in 2017, temporarily ending taxes on tips and expanded tax breaks for seniors and parents – are more of a reason to support it than to oppose it.</p>

<p>They say the same of its increase to defense spending (by a 13-point margin) and its increased spending on border security, immigration enforcement and detention (by an 8-point margin).</p>

<p>But by a 45-point margin, Americans call the amount that it will add to the deficit a reason for opposition. By a 25-point margin, they oppose its removal of incentives for the use of clean energy to encourage the use of oil and gas.</p>

<p>By a smaller 8-point margin, they oppose the changes it makes to social safety net programs, such as increased work requirements for recipients of benefits including Medicaid and nutrition assistance and decreased federal spending on those benefits – changes that have been at the heart of much of the Democratic messaging against the bill. Trump's support for the bill is also seen, by an 18-point margin, as more of a reason for opposition than support.</p>

<p>Democratic opposition outstrips Republican support</p>

<p>Views of the policy bill are sharply divided by party, but the intensity of Democratic opposition far outstrips the strength of Republican support. A near-unanimous 93% of Democrats and Democratic-leaners say they oppose the bill, with 71% opposing it strongly.</p>

<p>By contrast, while 78% of Republicans and Republican-leaners support the bill overall, only about one-quarter express strong support.</p>

<p>And although there's broad GOP-aligned backing for the bill's provisions on taxes (86% see this as a reason to support the bill) and immigration enforcement spending (83%), roughly 4 in 10 don't expect it to help the economy, and only about one-third expect to see a personal benefit. Four in 10 also see the amount it adds to the federal deficit as a reason to oppose the bill.</p>

<p>"There's no way we can continue as a country with this kind of oppressive debt," one Virginia Republican polled wrote in answer to the survey. She approved of Trump's handling of the presidency as a whole but gave him negative marks on the federal budget, and called the federal debt the country's most urgent issue.</p>

<p>Most say Trump hasn't had right priorities</p>

<p>As Trump's second-term job rating has stabilized in the low 40s on both the presidency and his handling of the economy overall, a 63% majority also says he hasn't paid enough attention to the country's most important issues.</p>

<p>While 75% of Republicans say he has the right priorities, that's down markedly since March and his lowest reading amongst his own party since his return to office in January. And a majority (56%) say Trump's approach to the presidency has been unnecessarily risky rather than a necessary shakeup in Washington.</p>

<p>Some 56% also say that's he's gone too far in using the power of the presidency and executive branch, and 51% say that he's gone too far in pressing colleges and universities to change their policies. When it comes to trying to reduce the price of everyday goods, by contrast, 58% say Trump has yet to go far enough.</p>

<p>Asked in an open-ended question to name the issue they consider most important, 31% of Americans mention something related to the economy, inflation or cost of living – a plurality, although down from 44% in January. These economy-focused Americans are even more sharp in their criticism of Trump's handling of high prices: 65% say he hasn't gone far enough to reduce the price of everyday goods.</p>

<p>"We were promised a lot of things during the campaign and there haven't been a lot of improvements," wrote another woman polled, an independent from Texas who called the state of the economy the most pressing national concern.</p>

<p>Immigration-related topics rank second to the economy as a top issue. While that's similar overall to January, the partisan dynamics of the issue have shifted. At the start of the year, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were 26 points likelier than those aligned with the Democratic Party to mention immigration. Now, that gap has narrowed to 10 points among rising Democratic concern about Trump's deportation program, even as many Republicans continue to praise the effort.</p>

<p>The poll also finds increased Democratic attention to government spending, concerns about separation of powers and the rule of law, and Trump himself.</p>

<p>One issue that didn't rise to prominence in the poll: The ongoing uproar about the information the federal government has released on the Jeffrey Epstein case. Just one respondent mentioned that as the most important problem.</p>

<p>The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from July 10-13 among a random national sample of 1,057 US adults drawn from a probability-based panel. Surveys were either conducted online or by telephone with a live interviewer. Results among all adults have a margin of sampling error of ±3.5 percentage points.</p>

<p>CNN's Jennifer Agiesta and Edward Wu contributed to this report.</p>

<p>For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com</p>

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Roughly 6 in 10 Americans oppose Trump’s megabill, CNN poll finds

<p>- Roughly 6 in 10 Americans oppose Trump's megabill, CNN poll finds</p> <p>Ariel Edwards-Levy...

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Oversight chair: Jill Biden, Harris should be subpoenaed after aide pleads Fifth

<p>-

• Oversight chair: Jill Biden, Harris should be subpoenaed after aide pleads Fifth</p>

<p>FRITZ FARROW, TIERRA CUNNINGHAM, LAUREN PELLER and JOHN PARKINSONJuly 17, 2025 at 12:14 AM</p>

<p>House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer told reporters that former Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Jill Biden "should" be subpoenaed in the panel's investigation into former President Joe Biden's mental capacity while in office after another top Biden official pleaded the Fifth on Wednesday.</p>

<p>"Well, I think they should," Comer told ABC when asked if the committee should subpoena Harris and Jill Biden. "They should have already issued statements. They should have already done public relations campaign to sit down and answer questions. They should go on FOX, they should go on CNN and answer questions."</p>

<p>Comer also said the committee has scheduled a slate of depositions with former Biden officials in the GOP's investigation of the Biden administration's use of the presidential autopen. At President Donald Trump's urging, Republicans have taken aim at Biden's clemency actions signed during his final hours in office -- wondering whether staff acted on their own accord or at the direction of the president.</p>

<p>MORE: Oversight Committee releases video of Biden's physician's closed-door testimony</p>

<p>"So we're going to bring in everyone. We're moving up the line," Comer later added. "So we've started with the lower-level staffers that we think were the ones that actually put the documents in the autopen and pressed power. Now we're moving up to the people that we think told the staffers to use the autopen. So we'll -- we'll see where that takes us. But I think the possibility is very good that -- that we'll be asking members of the family to come in and talk."</p>

<p>J. Scott Applewhite/AP - PHOTO: Anthony Bernal arrives for a deposition under subpoena from Republicans on the House Oversight Committee investigating former President Joe Biden's mental fitness while in office, at the Capitol in Washington, July 16, 2025.</p>

<p>Anthony Bernal, a veteran aide of three Democratic presidential administrations -- Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden -- whose service culminated as assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady, on Wednesday invoked the Fifth Amendment twice during a closed-door deposition before the committee investigating former President Biden's mental capacity while in office.</p>

<p>"Well, unfortunately, that was quick," Comer said after the deposition. "This is the second witness that we've brought in via subpoena for a deposition that has pleaded the Fifth and they've stated they're not going to answer questions."</p>

<p>In a letter obtained by ABC News, Bernal's lawyer told the committee he invoked the Fifth Amendment, arguing "it is entirely appropriate and justified for Mr. Bernal to invoke his rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."</p>

<p>MORE: Trump doubles down on autopen claims as Biden blasts president, supporters as 'liars'</p>

<p>"The record is also clear that persons of the full range of the political spectrum, in recent and historical Congressional investigations, have invoked their Fifth Amendment rights to decline to answer questions from Congress. Any suggestion that such an invocation is itself evidence of wrongdoing would be highly irresponsible and flatly wrong, particularly from those elected to represent the people and uphold the Constitution," the letter states.</p>

<p>Bernal "respectfully" declined to answer any of the committee's questions in the deposition, according to the letter.</p>

<p>J. Scott Applewhite/AP - PHOTO: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, July 16, 2025.</p>

<p>The committee believes Bernal may have insight into the Biden's cognitive decline -- as he was one of just four aides present at Biden's beach home in Rehoboth, Del., last July when Biden decided to drop his bid for reelection amid overwhelming pressure from the Democratic Party following his disastrous debate performance against Trump the month before.</p>

<p>Last week, Biden's former White House physician, Kevin O'Connor, also pleaded the Fifth and asserted patient-doctor confidentiality in response to questions from Republican investigators.</p>

<p>Another Republican present at Wednesday's deposition, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, expressed disdain for Bernal's testimony -- calling it "crazy."</p>

<p>MORE: Republicans uncover no new intel on Biden during hearing on his cognitive abilities in office</p>

<p>"First thing's first, that's just crazy," Donalds began. "You can't answer a simple question about the former president's ability to discharge duties and you worked in the White House as chief of staff to the first lady."</p>

<p>Donalds corroborated Comer's statement that Bernal pleaded the Fifth and added that he did not read his own testimony, which was read by his lawyer.</p>

<p>"He can say whatever he wants in his testimony, by the way his attorney read," Donalds said. "He wouldn't even read his own statement, his attorney read his statement for him."</p>

<p>Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas said "They still look like losers" of her Republican colleagues as she left the Bernal deposition.</p>

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Oversight chair: Jill Biden, Harris should be subpoenaed after aide pleads Fifth

<p>- Oversight chair: Jill Biden, Harris should be subpoenaed after aide pleads Fifth</p> <p>FRITZ F...

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Hundreds of DOJ alumni warn Senate against Trump's appellate judge nominee

<p>-

• Hundreds of DOJ alumni warn Senate against Trump's appellate judge nominee</p>

<p>Sarah N. LynchJuly 17, 2025 at 1:36 AM</p>

<p>By Sarah N. Lynch</p>

<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) -More than 900 former U.S. Department of Justice employees on Wednesday warned the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee against confirming President Donald Trump's nominee Emil Bove to serve as an appellate court judge, according to a letter seen by Reuters.</p>

<p>The letter comes one day before the panel will vote on whether to advance Bove's nomination to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to the full Senate.</p>

<p>"We are all alarmed by DOJ leadership's recent deviations from constitutional principles and institutional guardrails," the former department employees wrote, adding that he had "disgraced" the department.</p>

<p>"Emil Bove has been a leader in this assault."</p>

<p>The letter was signed by officials who served from as far back as the Kennedy administration through the current Trump administration, and it was organized by Justice Connection, a new group launched to advocate on behalf of Justice Department workers.</p>

<p>Gates McGavick, a DOJ spokesperson, defended Bove in a statement on Wednesday, saying he is "a highly qualified judicial nominee who has done incredible work at the Department of Justice to help protect civil rights, dismantle Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Make America Safe Again."</p>

<p>Bove, a senior DOJ official, has come under fire for using aggressive tactics.</p>

<p>He was involved in decisions to fire probationary prosecutors who handled cases against people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.</p>

<p>Bove also pressured prosecutors in Manhattan and Washington, D.C. to drop the criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, prompting 11 lawyers to resign in protest.</p>

<p>Most recently, a former Justice Department attorney who was fired after admitting that the government erred by deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador filed a whistleblower complaint alleging Bove, using profane language, told DOJ attorneys they could consider defying court orders on a case involving the deportation of Venezuelan migrants.</p>

<p>Bove has denied suggesting that department attorneys could consider defying the courts.</p>

<p>Earlier this week, 76 former federal and state judges also sent a letter to the committee in opposition to Bove's nomination.</p>

<p>(Reporting by Sarah N. LynchEditing by Marguerita Choy)</p>

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Hundreds of DOJ alumni warn Senate against Trump's appellate judge nominee

<p>- Hundreds of DOJ alumni warn Senate against Trump's appellate judge nominee</p> <p>Sarah N. ...

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Royals reacquire Adam Frazier in an All-Star break trade with the Pirates

<p>-

• Royals reacquire Adam Frazier in an All-Star break trade with the Pirates</p>

<p>July 17, 2025 at 1:37 AM</p>

<p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals reacquired veteran utility player Adam Frazier on Wednesday in an All-Star break trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.</p>

<p>Kansas City sent minor league infielder Cam Devanney to Pittsburgh.</p>

<p>Frazier, 33, has played in 78 games this season split between second base, left field and right field, hitting .255 with 21 RBIs. He spent last season with KC after bouncing around the majors following his start with the Pirates and has played every position except catcher and pitcher during his career since debuting in 2016.</p>

<p>Frazier joins the Royals as they are 4 1/2 games back of the American League's final wild-card spot. They are 12 games behind Detroit for first in the AL Central.</p>

<p>Devanney, 28, has spent this season at Triple-A Omaha and has not yet made his major league debut.</p>

<p>___</p>

<p>AP MLB: https://ift.tt/tONZHe2>

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Royals reacquire Adam Frazier in an All-Star break trade with the Pirates

<p>- Royals reacquire Adam Frazier in an All-Star break trade with the Pirates</p> <p>July 17, 2025 ...

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NHL releases the 2025-26 schedule, the last 82-game season before new CBA increases it to 84

<p>-

• NHL releases the 2025-26 schedule, the last 82-game season before new CBA increases it to 84</p>

<p>July 17, 2025 at 3:12 AM</p>

<p>1 / 2NHL Schedule HockeyFILE - Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on during a faceoff against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File)</p>

<p>NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL released the full 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday, the final 82-game season before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in and increases it to 84.</p>

<p>The league's 32 teams will combine to play 1,312 games between Oct. 7 and April 16 with the playoffs to run from the following weekend through much of June. Beginning in 2026-27, there will be 1,344 games — the most in NHL history.</p>

<p>Alex Ovechkin begins his 21st season on Oct. 8 when he and the Washington Capitals host Boston. Ovechkin is at 897 career goals after breaking Wayne Gretzky's record and can add to his total at age 40.</p>

<p>It's even plausible Ovechkin gets No. 900 in the same arena on Long Island in which he scored his 895th to pass Gretzky. The Capitals visit the New York Islanders in their second game on Oct. 11, before playing the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 12.</p>

<p>After raising their second consecutive Stanley Cup banner on opening night Oct. 7 against Chicago, the back-to-back defending champion Florida Panthers continue their threepeat bid two days later when they host Philadelphia.</p>

<p>Utah plays its first game as the Mammoth on Oct. 9 at Colorado. They were known as the Utah Hockey Club during the first year in Salt Lake City after relocating from Arizona.</p>

<p>For the first time in more than a decade, the league is pausing in the winter to send players to the Olympics. The Milan break runs from Feb. 6-24, with play resuming Feb. 25.</p>

<p>The NHL's last participation in the Games was 2014 in Sochi, though the new CBA provides for players to also go in 2030, pending another deal with the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation.</p>

<p>___</p>

<p>AP NHL: https://ift.tt/hSF29Tv>

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NHL releases the 2025-26 schedule, the last 82-game season before new CBA increases it to 84

<p>- NHL releases the 2025-26 schedule, the last 82-game season before new CBA increases it to 84</p> <...

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