April 25, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 425 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports say at least one person was killed, and 10 others wounded, when a Russian missile hit a museum today in the Kharkiv region city of Kupiansk. [more]
• Russian authorities say a suspected Ukrainian sea drone attack yesterday on a main Russian naval base in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol resulted in the shattering of windows in several buildings, but no other damage. [more]
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that prospects for renewing the U.N.-brokered deal allowing grain exports from Ukrainian ports are not favorable, citing unmet Russian needs concerning its own exports as the reason. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | In a video released early this morning, President Joe Biden formally launched his 2024 reelection campaign. Biden, the oldest-ever U.S. president, faces concerns about his age as he looks to extend his presidency for four more years. [more]

U.S. MEDIA | Yesterday saw the firing of two major personalities at U.S. cable news companies: CNN fired longtime host Don Lemon and Fox News fired prime-time host Tucker Carlson. [more on Lemon] [more on Carlson]

TEXAS | Federal prosecutors say chemical company DuPont has been ordered to pay $16 million for its role in a 2014 poisonous gas leak that killed four employees at the company’s now-closed LaPorte, Texas, plant. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | The Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper reports that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has sent a letter to local law enforcement officials saying that her office expects to make charging decisions related to allegations that then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia later this summer. In the letter, Willis said the decisions could “provoke a significant public reaction” and urged law enforcement to be ready to provide “heightened security.” [more]

MORE TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the federal civil court trial in which former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll has accused former President Donald Trump of raping her nearly three decades ago — a charge that Trump has denied. [more]

BOOK BANS | Releasing its annual list of most-challenged books yesterday, the American Library Association said that books with LGBTQ+ themes remain the most likely targets of bans or attempted bans at public schools and libraries in the United States. [ALA list of most-challenged books in 2022] [more]

ABORTION | North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum signed legislation into law yesterday banning nearly all abortions in the state throughout pregnancy. The law has limited exceptions up to six weeks’ gestation for cases involving rape, incest, or medical emergency. [more]

U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA | South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol begins a multi-day state visit to the U.S. today, where he will visit the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Korean War Memorial before holding talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on ties between the countries and threats from North Korea. [more]

TURKEY | Reports say police in Turkey carried out raids in 21 provinces today, arresting 110 people for alleged links to Kurdish militant groups. Kurdish opposition leaders say the arrests, which come ahead of Turkey’s May 14 legislative and presidential elections, targeted politicians, journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists. [more]

SUDAN | Rival generals of Sudan’s military and paramilitary forces have reportedly agreed to a new 72-hour cease-fire in their 10-day-old conflict that has seen hundreds killed and mass departures of foreigners and closures of embassies. Reports suggest that both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia played roles in negotiating the most recent cease-fire. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities say at least 12 people were killed, and 50 others injured, yesterday in two explosions at a counterterrorism facility in northwest Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Reports have presented conflicting reasons for the explosions, with some attributing them to militant attacks and others citing an electrical fire in an ammunition storage area as the cause. [more]

MYANMAR | Meeting yesterday with leaders of Myanmar’s military government, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the country’s military to “adopt an immediate cessation of violence and start constructive dialogue among all parties concerned.” [more]

HONG KONG | Chief Executive John Lee said today that Hong Kong will make changes to the rules for its municipal district council elections to ensure that Chinese loyalists maintain control of the city’s administration. Lee said the government could not allow district councils to become a platform for advocating Hong Kong independence. [more]

ISRAEL | Celebration of Israel’s Independence Day begins this evening at sundown local time — marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s 1948 establishment as an independent nation. [more]

APPLE | The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday largely upheld a lower court ruling that found iPhone-maker Apple to not be in violation of federal antitrust laws by maintaining strict control over distribution of applications and games for the iPhone through its App Store. [more]

LAYOFFS | U.S.-based industrial conglomerate 3M announced today that it will cut about 6,000 jobs globally as part of its ongoing cost-reduction measures and efforts to focus on high-growth businesses. [more]

ENVIRONMENT | Winners of the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize, which recognize individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, were announced yesterday. Among this year’s prize recipients were individuals who worked to expand protected marine areas in Turkey, stop mining efforts in Brazil, fight copper mine pollution in Zambia, restore wetlands and natural habitats in Finland, secure protection for indigenous communities’ land in Indonesia, and hold a chemical company responsible for illegal dumping of toxic waste in the United States. [winner details] [more]

NFL | The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to acquire four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. An official announcement of the trade is expected ahead of Thursday's start of the 2023 NFL draft. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed at Gallipoli in western Turkey during the Dardanelles Campaign of World War I.  [more history]