USS Ronald Reagan makes rare U.S. ship visit to Vietnam, Russian Defense Minister makes first public appearance since mercenary uprising demanding his ouster.
1. The USS Ronald Reagan and two escort ships steamed into Da Nang Bay on Sunday, marking the third visit of a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam since hostilities ended and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic has ebbed. The Ronald Reagan — escorted by the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls — pulled into port in Da Nang, where their crews are scheduled to take part in cultural and professional exchanges, community service projects and other events, the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam said in a Sunday news release.
2. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since a mercenary uprising demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine in a video released Monday aimed at projecting a sense of order after the country’s most serious political crisis in decades. But uncertainty still swirled about his fate, that of rebellion leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private army, the impact on the war in Ukraine and even the political future of President Vladimir Putin.
3. The armed rebellion against the Russian military may have been over in less than 24 hours, but the disarray within the enemy’s ranks was an unexpected gift and timely morale booster for Ukrainian troops. The spectacle of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny in the critical military command and control hub in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and later Russia’s scramble to fortify Moscow as troops marched to upend the country’s military leadership was greeted “with applause” by commanders of Ukraine’s Eastern Group of Forces, said its spokesperson, Serhii Cherevatiy.
4. Raymond Chambers never received a Purple Heart despite being wounded while serving during World War II, but now, at 100 years old, he may have a chance to receive the military decoration with the help of Collegedale resident Robert Gould. One of Gould’s neighbors, an American Legion member, knew Chambers and helped introduce the two men. Gould took an interest in the life and history Chambers has experienced.
5. The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars, experts said Friday. The massive international effort by aircraft, surface ships and deep-sea robots began Sunday when the Titan was reported missing. Searchers raced against a 96-hour clock in the desperate hope to find and rescue the vessel’s occupants before their oxygen supply ran out.
- News