On Friday afternoon, former Ohio Governor John Kasich came out in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump. Kasich cited the ongoing controversy that the president had threatened to withhold aid from the President of Ukraine in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden, his Democratic rival.
"I do not take this lightly," Kasich said. "The last 24 hours has led me to review all of this," he said, in calling for an impeachment inquiry.
Charles III finally makes it across the Channel from Britain to France this week, six months after rioting and strikes forced the last-minute postponement of his first state visit as king.
The 74-year-old British head of state's rescheduled three-day trip to Paris and Bordeaux with his wife Queen Camilla, 76, starts on Wednesday, with the itinerary largely unchanged from March.
It includes set-piece ceremonial events with President Emmanuel Macron, whose unpopular pension reforms sparked the civil unrest earlier this year, as well as more informal meetings with the public.
The royal couple, Macron and his wife Brigitte will be officially welcomed at the Arc de Triomphe and lay wreaths of remembrance before a procession down the sweeping Champs-Elysees avenue.
The French leader and First Lady will host Charles and Camilla at a state banquet at Versailles, the palace west of Paris synonymous with French royalty -- and the bloody republican revolution of 1789.
Other highlights include a landmark address -- likely in French -- by Charles to lawmakers at the Senate.
Many of the engagements turn around subjects championed by both couples, from the environment and sustainability to promoting literacy and youth entrepreneurship.
There are meetings with local communities and sports stars in the north Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, home to the national stadium and venue for next year's Olympic Games.
In Bordeaux, the southwestern city once ruled over by Charles's 12th-century ancestor Henry II and still home to around 39,000 British expats, he will tour an organic vineyard and meet firefighters tackling climate-induced wildfires.
- Political backdrop -
On both sides of the Channel, the visit is being billed as a celebration of centuries-old bonds between the two neighbours, as politicians rebuild bridges after backbiting and bickering over Brexit.
The entente has not been so cordial since the UK left the European Union, with former prime minister Boris Johnson frequently baiting France over everything from fishing quotas to trading rules for sausages.
At one point, the UK under Johnson even briefly sent two gunboats to the Channel Islands -- the self-governing British Crown dependencies off the French coast -- in a standoff over fishing licenses.
Johnson's short-lived successor Liz Truss did little to help, at one point saying "the jury's out" when asked whether Macron -- a G7 and NATO ally -- was a friend or foe.
But the current incumbent of Downing Street, Rishi Sunak, has forged better relations with his counterpart in the Elysee, who like him has a finance background and penchant for sharp suits and slick social media.
As the head of a constitutional monarchy, British kings and queens in recent times have -- mostly -- observed a strict political neutrality.
But politics is never far away on state visits, and Charles's trip is no exception, providing the "soft power" follow-up to Sunak's more friendly recent overtures.
- Familiar figure -
Ed Owens, a royal historian and author, called state visits "the trump card of diplomacy... above the party politics of the moment", such as lingering tensions between London and Paris over migrant crossings from northern France to the UK.
"There will be some informal diplomacy going on," said Owens, whose new book "After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?" was published on Friday.
But he told AFP that the wider goal was to present Charles "as the environmentalist king beyond British shores".
After a first year on the throne underlined by stability and continuity, rather than radical reform, the visit encapsulates a "business as usual approach to royal diplomacy".
In that, the French public will see a familiar British monarchy on display, he said.
"He has presented himself as a slightly more intimate figure but the monarchy remains very much the monarchy of Elizabeth II," he added.
Charles and Macron have met before, most recently at the king's coronation -- the official religious ceremony to mark his accession -- in May and are said to have a "warm relationship".
The Anglophile French leader's tribute to Charles's mother after her death in September last year was well received in the UK, and at her state funeral he extended an open invitation for the new king to visit France.
The postponement in March saw the king and queen head to Germany instead, visiting Berlin and Hamburg.
Under the scorching sun, Thai archaeologist Tanachaya Tiandee clambers through ruined pagodas in the ancient town of Si Thep, trying to unlock their mysteries -- a task made harder because many of the clues are missing.
Looters stripped Thailand's rich historical sites such as Si Thep over decades, taking many items abroad. The kingdom is now trying to repatriate those stolen cultural treasures.
"The big picture like the building was discovered, but the artifacts which tell little details are missing, making a lot of stories untold about Si Thep," Tanachaya told AFP.
"It's like a piece of puzzle was missing."
Si Thep, which archaeologists date back to between 1,500 to 1,700 years ago, may be inscribed in UNESCO's cultural world heritage list this week -- Thailand's first addition since 1992.
Over several centuries and under the influence of various cultures, it grew into a vital trading metropolis until its decline began in the late 13th century, according to the Thai government's submission to UNESCO.
As 33-year-old Tanachaya carefully excavates the ancient stone constructions, she faces a difficult task piecing together the stories of Si Thep, which lies around 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Bangkok.
It is believed that over the years, at least 20 objects have been stolen from the site, with experts identifying 11 in museums in the United States.
The real number of looted objects is suspected to be far higher, thanks to a lack of documentation.
Now Tanachaya -- who decided when she was young that she wanted to become a Thai version of movie character Indiana Jones -- and her colleagues face their own quest.
Can they bring their culture's treasures home?
- 'Won't accelerate' -
Thailand's government, led at the time by the military, established the Committee to Monitor Thai Antiquities Abroad in 2017.
About 340 objects have been voluntarily repatriated to Thailand since then, according to the latest report by the committee.
But the process is slow, partly because government officials are wary of jeopardising diplomatic relations with important allies like the United States.
Instead, Thai authorities have pursued a "discreet" diplomatic route, explained the director-general of Thailand's Department of Fine Arts Phnombootra Chandrachoti.
"We won't accelerate anything," he told AFP.
The Norton Simon Museum, located in the US state of California, holds nine Thai artifacts, according to a recent statement from the committee -- including one item an independent expert says is from Si Thep park.
The items were among 32 scattered in museums across the United States, the committee said.
The Norton Simon is only one of a number of US institutions -- including New York's Metropolitan and San Francisco's Asian Art Museum -- that have been named in the growing scandal around art that investigators claim was illegally removed from its country of origin.
The museum told AFP it had not heard from the Thai government, but would cooperate with authorities if contacted, and defended holding the items.
The works, which it claimed were legally purchased, "have been carefully preserved and displayed" said Leslie Denk, vice-president of external affairs at the institution.
- Dilemma over tourism -
Thai historians face another dilemma: Si Thep's bid to become a UNESCO site could boost the local economy -- but it could also put the fragile ancient site under strain.
Presently, only one percent of visitors to Phetchabun -- the province that is home to Si Thep -- are foreigners, according to official 2019 data.
The Thai government hopes UNESCO designation will help boost the kingdom's tourism sector, which accounts for almost 20 percent of the country's GDP.
There are, however, concerns about conservation.
The site is already "almost reaching its fullest capacity" of around 2,000 tourists a day, said Si Thep Historical Park head Sittichai Pooddee.
"We will try to balance things. We will try to not over-promote," he said.
Missing items mean gaps in the record, which makes it harder to satisfy the curiosity of tourists visiting the site, said Thai historian Tanongsak Hanwong.
"Artefacts dignify Thailand's past civilisation, and when some of the parts are missing, we get stuck and we can't tell important pieces of the story to the world," Tanongsak said.
At Si Thep's peaceful complex, domestic visitors gaze at a carefully carved pagoda wall.
"It's the heritage that belongs to Thai people, and that we are proud of. It would be a pity not to get it back," said Chaowarat Munprom, a 66-year-old retiree.
"It once belonged here."
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy spent the weekend crafting a plan to avert a government shutdown -- but that plan already appears doomed amid resistance from many caucus hardliners.
Punchbowl News writes that "the danger... for McCarthy is multifaceted" as he tries to whip reluctant Republicans to pass a continuing resolution aimed at keeping the government open for an additional month.
One GOP source tells Punchbowl News that passing the continuing resolution, which was negotiated over the weekend by members of the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus, will be a "very heavy lift," especially since McCarthy can't afford to lose even five votes from his caucus.
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Additionally, the publication writes that at least one of those prospective votes, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), is unlikely to vote for the resolution no matter what due to a personal grudge against McCarthy.
"Gaetz has been telling people that he blames the speaker for a House Ethics Committee probe," the publication writes. "Whether that’s driving Gaetz is unclear, but McCarthy can’t afford a motion-to-vacate vote right now."
Added to this, McCarthy doesn't appear to have any backup plan should the continuing resolution fail, and Punchbowl News says he "may be forced to choose between staying on as speaker or avoiding a shutdown."
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