December 7, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 286 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Amidst reports of Ukrainian responsibility for drone attacks on Russian military airfields, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the U.S. has neither encouraged or provided help to Ukraine to strike military targets within Russian borders. [more]
• In its latest intelligence update, the British Defense Ministry says Russia has begun to expand its defensive positions along its border with Ukraine in the Belgorod region. [more]

GEORGIA | Voters in Georgia elected Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock to a new six-year term in office in yesterday’s runoff election against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Warnock’s victory gives the Democratic caucus a 51-49 majority in the Senate. [more]

JANUARY 6 | Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, said yesterday the committee intends to make criminal referrals to the Justice Department as it finalizes its investigations by the end of the year. Thompson did not give details on the charges or persons to be named in the referrals. [more]

CLUB Q SHOOTING | Anderson Lee Aldrich, the suspect in the November 19 Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in which five people were killed and 17 others wounded, was charged with 305 criminal counts yesterday, including charges of hate crimes and murder. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | A newly released Gallup poll finds that 55% of Americans surveyed say rising costs associated with high inflation have caused financial hardship for their households. [more]

TRUMP ORGANIZATION | A Manhattan jury yesterday found the Trump Organization guilty of tax fraud, conspiracy, and falsification of business records involving improper compensation to executives. Former President Donald Trump, who owns the company, was not named as a defendant in the case. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Reports say Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate the January 6 attacks on the U.S. capitol and classified documents found at the Florida home of former President Donald Trump, has issued subpoenas to election officials in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona for copies of all communications they had with Trump and his campaign in the months surrounding the 2020 presidential election. [more]

COVID-19 | Reports say the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military would be cancelled under a provision in Congress’ annual defense funding bill, which is scheduled to be voted on this week. [more]

KHASHOGGI | A U.S. District Judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit against Saudi Arabian crown prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in connection with the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi despite what he called “credible allegations” of bin Salman’s involvement in the murder. Judge John D. Bates cited a Biden administration opinion that, as a head of state, bin Salman is immune from foreign prosecution as a reason behind the dismissal. [more]

NATO | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday that Finland must publicly declare that it is ending its arms embargo on Turkey to gain Turkey’s approval of its bid for NATO membership. [more]

GERMANY | Authorities in Germany say as many as 3,000 police officers took part in an operation today against the Reich Citizens anti-government group, which had previously called for an armed overthrowing of the German government. Police searched 131 sites across Germany as part of the operation and 22 German citizens were detained on suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organization.” [more]

CHINA | China’s National Health Commission today announced a significant easing of the country’s strict “zero-COVID” national policies. Under the revised policies, people with mild coronavirus infections will be allowed to isolate at home instead of being sent to quarantine centers and proof of COVID vaccination and testing will no longer be required for entry to most public places. [more]

MORE CHINA | Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said today that Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s attendance at the inaugural China-Arab States Summit in Saudi Arabia this week marks the “largest and highest-level diplomatic event between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.” [more]

TAIWAN | The United States yesterday approved the sale of more than $425 million worth of spare parts for military aircraft to Taiwan. China has condemned previous U.S. military-related sales to Taiwan, which it sees as part of China, as violations of Washington’s “one-China” policy. [more]

SYRIA | News agency Al Jazeera cites unnamed Turkish sources as saying Turkey has told the U.S. and Russia that Syrian Democratic Forces must withdraw from northern Syria within two weeks or face a new Turkish military ground operation. [more]

INDONESIA | At least one police officer was killed, and 11 other people were wounded, today when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a police station in Bandung, Indonesia. The attacker is believed to have been a member of the Islamic militant group Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, according to Indonesia’s national police chief, Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo. [more]

AFGHANISTAN | The Associated Press cites Taliban ministry of education documents as saying that female students in 31 of 34 Afghan provinces will be allowed to take their high school graduation exams this week. Critics of the Taliban government’s policies on female education note that the move comes despite the fact that females have been banned from classrooms since the Taliban took power last year. [more]

ARGENTINA | Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández was convicted on charges of fraud and sentenced to six years in prison yesterday in Buenos Aires. Reports say Fernández will remain free and in office during her appeal of the conviction. [more]

BIODIVERSITY | Delegates from about 190 countries will take part in the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, which begins today in Montreal, Canada. The nearly two-week conference will focus on protecting land and marine ecosystems and on funding biodiversity and conservation efforts. [more]

TIKTOK | Citing risks of cyberespionage    and inappropriate surveillance and collection of sensitive personal information, the U.S. state of Maryland yesterday banned the use of Chinese social media platform TikTok in the state’s executive branch of government. The move follows similar actions recently by South Dakota, South Carolina, Nebraska, and the U.S. military. [more]

E-CIGARETTES | E-cigarette maker Juul Labs said yesterday that it has reached lawsuit settlements that cover the vast majority of litigation against the company. Reports say as many as 5,000 lawsuits are covered by the settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed. [more]

WORLD CUP | Portugal beat Switzerland and Spain and Morocco tied, with Morocco advancing on penalty kicks, yesterday at the World Cup in Qatar. Play in the tournament’s quarterfinals begins Friday with The Netherlands vs Argentina and Croatia vs Brazil. [full bracket] [more]

BASEBALL | Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said yesterday that the Oakland Athletics will have their relocation fee waived if the team moves to Las Vegas. The team’s lease agreement for its current ballpark in Oakland expires after the 2024 season. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1941, Japanese bombers launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, precipitating the entry of the United States into World War II. [more history]