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In this undated photo, provided by family member Susan Lawrence on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, twin brothers Julius Pieper, left, and Ludwig Pieper in their U.S. Navy uniforms. For decades, he had a number for a name, Unknown X-9352, at a World War II American cemetery in Belgium where he was interred. On Tuesday, June 19, 2018, Julius Pieper will be reunited with his twin brother in Normandy, where the two Navy men died together when their ship shattered on an underwater mine while trying to reach the blood-soaked D-Day beaches. (Susan Lawrence via AP) VLM101
In this undated photo, provided by family member Susan Lawrence on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, twin brothers Julius Pieper, left, and Ludwig Pieper in their U.S. Navy uniforms. For decades, he had a number for a name, Unknown X-9352, at a World War II American cemetery in Belgium where he was interred. On Tuesday, June 19, 2018, Julius Pieper will be reunited with his twin brother in Normandy, where the two Navy men died together when their ship shattered on an underwater mine while trying to reach the blood-soaked D-Day beaches. (Susan Lawrence via AP) VLM101
Published June 19, 2018

Washington

Senate approves $716B for 2019 military budget

The U.S. Senate on Monday voted to give the military $716 billion for 2019, approving one of the biggest defense budgets in modern American history despite concerns from some economists and lawmakers about the rapidly rising federal deficit. The 2019 military budget, approved by an overwhelming 85 to 10 margin, gives America's armed forces a substantial $82 billion increase from 2017. The military has called the additional funding necessary to improve its ability to respond to international crises, while critics say Congress should not be giving a significant boost to spending at the Department of Defense at a moment of relatively diminished American military involvement around the globe. About 17 percent of America's $4 trillion federal budget goes to the military, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Budget experts said the dramatic increase in military spending will push the government further into the red and increasing the amount the federal government spends on debt interest payments.

Kansas

Judge strikes down state's voter law

A federal judge has struck down a Kansas voter citizenship law that Secretary of State Kris Kobach had personally defended. Judge Julie Robinson also ordered Kobach, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, to take more hours of continuing legal education after he was found in contempt and was frequently chided during the trial over missteps. In an 118-page ruling Monday, Robinson ordered a halt to the state's requirement that people provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The decision holds the potential to make registration easier as the August and November elections approach. Robinson's ruling amounted to a takedown of the law that Kobach had championed and lawmakers approved several years ago. She found that it "disproportionately impacts duly qualified registration applicants, while only nominally preventing noncitizen voter registration." Kobach's office said he will appeal the ruling.

LANSING, Mich.

Nassar victims take aim at MSU president

A letter signed by 138 sexual abuse victims of former sports doctor Larry Nassar on Tuesday urged Michigan State University's governing board to oust interim president John Engler, saying he has reinforced a "culture of abuse" at the school. The women and girls issued their joint statement three days before the board of trustees' next meeting. Engler, who served as the state's Republican governor from 1991 through 2002, has resisted pressure to step down. He took over on an interim basis in February after the previous president resigned amid fallout from the Nassar scandal. Media outlets last week reported that he sent emails to another university official in April criticizing lawyers for Nassar's sexual assault victims and suggesting the first woman to go public with her accusations was probably getting a "kickback" from her attorney. Among the survivors who signed the letter are Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Aly Raisman, and Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast who has been one of the most vocal critics of Engler. Other Olympians also signed.

Israel

U.S. "Sperminator" is banned from donating

Serial sperm donor Ari Nagel, an American who has fathered 33 children, with 10 more on the way, has been banned from donating sperm in Israel, where he first fathered a child using artificial insemination. Nagel told the Associated Press Monday that he recently learned that he could no longer donate sperm in Israel. He said he was told at a clinic that the health ministry had banned the use of his sperm. Nagel, nicknamed "The Sperminator" by some media outlets, is known for his frequent donations. Israel's Health Ministry said several women had approached clinics asking for donations from Nagel, and that this "goes against the laws and regulations on the issue." Nagel said he was told he could be arrested if he tried to donate.

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Elsewhere

GE dropped from Dow Jones index: S&P Dow Jones Indices announced Tuesday that General Electric would be replaced in the Dow Jones industrial average by Walgreens Boots Alliance. GE was an original member of the Dow, which made its debut on May 26, 1896.

U.S. protester "confesses" on state TV: An American citizen who was arrested at a peaceful demonstration in Vietnam on June 10 said on state television that he regretted breaking the law and that he would not join such protests again. Will Nguyen, 32, an American graduate student in Singapore, was beaten by police at an anti-China protest in Ho Chi Minh City. His family has called on the Trump administration to intervene on his behalf and set up a Twitter account to advocate his release.

Dozens missing as ferry sinks: Rescuers in Indonesia were searching Tuesday for dozens of people who were reported missing after a ferry sank in a lake during a major holiday, officials and local news media said. At least one person died when the ferry sank Monday evening in Lake Toba, a popular sightseeing spot on Sumatra Island.

Times wires