July 7, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 134 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The Russian defense ministry says its forces destroyed two U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems and their ammunition depots in eastern Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian officials have denied the Russian report. [more]
• The U.N refugee agency reports that more than 8.79 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24. [more]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that a Russian missile strike had destroyed much of Pedagogical University in the city of Kharkiv and that a war crimes investigation into the strike has been launched. [more]

UVALDE SHOOTING | A review of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting by a training center at Texas State University for active shooter situations says that an armed police officer watched the gunman walk toward Robb Elementary School before the May 24 massacre, but did not take action to stop the suspect because he was waiting for permission from a supervisor. [more]

U.K. POLITICS | Reports say U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign today amidst more than 50 resignations by members of his government over Johnson's leadership and handling of crises. [more]

GLOBAL HUNGER | A new report from the U.N. World Food Program says that between 702 million and 828 million people worldwide suffered from undernourishment in 2021, representing up to 9.8% of the global population. [full report] [more]

GLOBAL POVERTY | A report released today by the U.N. Development Programme says that rising food and energy prices largely driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have pushed as many as 71 million additional people worldwide into poverty since the invasion began. [more]

JANUARY 6 | Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone has agreed to give sworn testimony Friday to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Previous testimony by others before the committee has suggested Cipollone was present for key White House discussions regarding January 6 and potential challenges to the presidential election results. Reports say Cipollone's testimony will be given in private, but will be transcribed. [more]

COVID-19 | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a new policy yesterday under which pharmacists can now prescribe Paxlovid -- Pfizer's leading COVID-19 treatment pill -- directly to patients. Previously only physicians could prescribe the drug, which must be taken within five days of the onset of COVID symptoms. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Minutes from the Federal Reserve's June 14-15 meeting released yesterday suggest the possibility of continued significant interest rate increases aimed at fighting inflation. [more]

G-20 | A two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 leading economic nations begins today in Indonesia. Topics expected to be addressed include the war in Ukraine, global energy, and food security. [more]

HAJJ | As many as one million Muslim pilgrims have gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to begin the five-day Hajj pilgrimage rites. Those taking part in the event this year are required to have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. [more]

ITALY | The trial of fifty-nine people accused of roles in the 2018 collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, begins today. Forty-three people died when the bridge collapsed during a storm. Defendants include former executives and experts of the company that manages many of Italy’s bridges and highways, as well as former officials of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. [more]

ABORTION | North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order yesterday that protects out-of-state abortion patients from extradition and prohibiting state agencies under his control from assisting other states’ prosecutions of those who travel for the procedure. [more]

U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE | The Department of Transportation has announced nearly $1 billion in grants to 85 U.S. airports to expand and upgrade terminals and other facilities. The funds are being provided by the infrastructure bill signed into law last year. [more]

BUSINESS CYBERSECURITY | In a joint address in London yesterday, the heads of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Britain's MI5 intelligence service warned business leaders of the serious threats to intellectual property, as well as economic and national security, posed by China's state-sponsored hacking activity. [more]

FOOTBALL | The Cleveland Browns have traded quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional draft pick in 2024 or 2025. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1898, the U.S. Congress annexed Hawaii through a joint resolution signed by President William McKinley, paving the way for the islands to become a territory in 1900 and later a U.S. state in 1959. [more history]