September 22, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 211 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In the largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 215 Ukrainian prisoners of war were exchanged for 55 Russian prisoners today. Among the Russian prisoners exchanged was Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Ukrainians released included members of the Azov Regiment that took part in the defense of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. [more]
• Reports say more than 1,300 people across Russia have been arrested for taking part in protests against yesterday's order by President Vladimir Putin for a mobilization of up to 300,000 military reserve troops. [more]
• In a pre-recorded address to the U.N. General Assembly yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Russia to be held accountable by the international community for its invasion of Ukraine. [more]

U.S. ELECTION LAW | The House voted 229-203 yesterday to pass legislation overhauling the rules for certifying the results of presidential elections. A similar measure is currently under consideration in the Senate, with a vote expected in the coming weeks. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Federal Reserve policymakers announced the Fed's third straight increase of three-quarters of a point for its benchmark short-term interest rate yesterday, and said they expect to implement additional similar rate hikes by the end of the year. The Fed's short-term interest rate now stands at 3% to 3.25%, the highest level since early 2008. [more]

U.S. REAL ESTATE | Sales of existing homes in the U.S. fell 19.9% in August, compared to the year-ago period, with much of the decline attributable to higher interest rates and sustained high prices, according to the National Association of Realtors. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Former President Donald Trump, three of his children, and multiple Trump Organization business executives were named as defendants yesterday in a civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit, which alleges that the defendants used false and misleading financial statements to fraudulently obtain loans and insurance at reduced rates, seeks financial penalties and limits on the defendants' participation in New York-based business operations. [more]

MORE TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled yesterday that the Justice Department can resume its use of classified documents seized from the Florida home of former President Donald Trump last month in its ongoing investigations. Use of the documents was previously put on hold by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pending their review by an independent arbiter. [more]

JANUARY 6 | Virginia Thomas -- wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas -- has agreed to participate in a voluntary interview with the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, according to her lawyer. Reports say the committee is seeking clarification on Thomas' communications with White House officials and state legislators in the weeks after the 2020 election and before the January 6 assault on the capitol. [more]

IRAN | London-based human rights group Amnesty International says at least eight people have died in Iran in five days of clashes between protesters and security forces sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was being held by police for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code for women. Reports further note that internet access in Iran was almost completely cut off yesterday amidst the ongoing protests. [more]

GLOBAL MARKETS | Stock markets around the world declined today following an interest rate hike of three-quarters of a percentage point by the U.S. Federal Reserve yesterday. [more]

CAMBODIA | After sixteen years of work, during which only three people were convicted of crimes, the international court investigating the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people during Cambodia's 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime ended its work today with an order rejecting an appeal of his life sentence by former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan. [more]

SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN | Meeting in New York yesterday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to work to improve bilateral ties between their countries that have been long-strained due to Japan's 1910-1945 colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula. [more]

U.K. ENERGY | In a move aimed at increasing its energy independence, the U.K. today lifted its ban on fracking for shale gas that has been in place since 2019. [more]

HOLIDAY BUSINESS | Retail giant Target said today that it intends to hire up to 100,000 seasonal workers for the holiday season, while Walmart announced yesterday that it plans to add 40,000 workers for the holiday period. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1980, the Iran-Iraq War began when Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran along the countries' joint border. Fighting continued until 1988, and a formal peace agreement was signed in 1990. [more history]