August 18, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 176 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres are meeting today in the western Ukraine city of Lviv. Talks are expected to focus on grain exports from Ukraine, potential diplomatic efforts to end the war, and the security of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say at least nine civilians were killed, and another 35 injured, over the past two days in Russian missile strikes on the northeastern city of Kharkiv. [more]

CDC | Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yesterday announced a series of changes aimed at improving the organization's communication of health data to the public and its responses to public health crises. The moves come amidst criticism of the CDC's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Walensky admitted "fell short in many ways." [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Attorneys for several major U.S. media outlets will ask a federal judge today to unseal the affidavit and other related materials filed with the court related to the recent FBI search of former President Donald Trump's home in Florida, arguing that the public's right to know and the historic significance of the search outweigh any arguments to keep the records sealed. [more]

U.S. TRAFFIC DEATHS | The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that an estimated 9,560 people died in vehicle crashes in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2022 -- up 7% from the same period in 2021 and the highest first-quarter death toll in 20 years. [more]

TAIWAN | The U.S. and Taiwan have announced plans to begin formal negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement originally announced in June. The U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade negotiations are expected to begin this fall. [more]

SYRIA | In response to accusations by U.S. President Joe Biden last week, the Syrian government yesterday denied that it is holding U.S. journalist Austin Tice or any other Americans in its custody. [more]

CHINA | Officials in western China say at least 16 people were killed, and another 36 remain missing, when a landslide diverted a river and caused flash flooding yesterday in populated areas of Qinghai province. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | Police in Kabul, Afghanistan, say at least 21 people were killed, and another 33 injured, when an unidentified man detonated an explosive inside the city's Siddiquiya mosque yesterday. No claims of responsibility for the attack have yet been made, according to Taliban officials. [more]

CORSICA | Reports say at least three people died, and another 12 were injured, today when violent thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds hit the French island of Corsica. Authorities say at least 45,000 households on the island remain without power. [more]

U.K. TRANSIT | As many as 45,000 rail workers in the U.K. are reported to be taking part in a nationwide strike today, resulting in the cancellation of more than half of scheduled routes across the country. A similar strike has been scheduled for tomorrow by London Underground subway network workers. [more]

DIPLOMATIC TIES | The leaders of Israel and Turkey announced yesterday that their countries will restore full diplomatic relations following years of tension over Palestine. [more]

ISRAEL | Reports say Israeli authorities have raided and closed the offices of several Palestinian advocacy groups it had previously designated as terrorist organizations. Israel's Defense Ministry said the organizations were being used to recruit operatives, while the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank described the closures as "an attempt to silence the voice of truth and justice." [more]

BASKETBALL | The Los Angeles Lakers have signed LeBron James to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension, according to a statement from James' agent. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified after Tennessee—by just one vote—became the 36th state to approve it, capping the 72-year fight to win women the right to vote in the United States. [more history]