April 28, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 428 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In an online news briefing, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said today that Ukraine is finalizing preparations for a counteroffensive against Russian forces and that the modern military equipment Ukraine has received from international partners will serve as an “iron fist” in its military operations. [more]
• Reports say at least 10 people were killed, and 17 others wounded, when Russian missiles struck a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Oman early today. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Former Vice President Mike Pence testified yesterday before a federal grand jury investigating alleged efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Details of Pence’s testimony are unknown, and an earlier ruling narrowed the scope of Pence’s expected testimony to exclude his actions during the counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021, as he was protected under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause while serving as president of the Senate. [more]

U.S. BANKING | The Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation are both scheduled to release reports today detailing their investigations into last month’s collapse of regional lenders Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The reports come as a third bank, First Republic, is the subject of emergency talks with federal regulators and private-sector entities to prevent a collapse. [more]

NEW YORK CITY | Saying that Twitter “is no longer reliable for providing the consistent updates riders expect,” New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Agency says it will end its 14-year practice of providing real-time updates on bus and train service outages and delays for its 1.3 million Twitter followers. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Regulators in California approved a series of first-in-the-nation rules yesterday aimed at reducing rail pollution. Railway operators say the measures, which would ban locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increase the use of zero-emissions technology and will require federal approval to take effect, do not reflect the reality of where zero emission locomotive technology and the supporting infrastructure stand. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | As part of moves anticipating the May 11 expiration of the Title 42 covid-era health policies that limited immigration into the U.S., the Departments of State and Homeland Security announced yesterday that so-called Regional Processing Centers will be erected within the borders of Western Hemisphere partners, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Colombia to pre-screen individuals for lawful pathways into the United States. [more]

WEST VIRGINIA | West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced yesterday that he will run for Democrat Joe Manchin’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024. Manchin is one of three Democratic senators up for reelection in 2024. [more]

ALASKA | U.S. Army officials say three soldiers died, and one other was injured, yesterday when two AH-64 Apache Army helicopters collided and crashed near Healy, Alaska. [more]

IRAN | U.S. military officials say Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker bound for Houston, Texas, yesterday in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state media reports that the seizure followed the ship’s earlier collision with an Iranian vessel. [more]

SUDAN | Reports say heavy explosions and gunfire took place in the Sudanese cities of Khartoum and Omdurman early this morning, despite the extension of a multi-day cease-fire agreement between warring military and paramilitary forces. At least 512 people have been killed in the fighting since April 15, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. [more]

BURKINA FASO | Military officials in Burkina Faso say at least 33 soldiers were killed, and 12 others were wounded, yesterday when rebel forces attacked a military base in the West African country’s Est region. [more]

NIGERIA | In two separate incidents yesterday in Nigeria’s northern regions: unidentified gunmen killed at least 15 villagers in the country’s Benue state and Islamic militants are reported to have abducted five aid workers near Ngala. [more]

CHINA AND TAIWAN | Taiwanese defense officials say as many as 38 Chinese fighter jets and other warplanes, as well as multiple naval vessels, took part in exercises near Taiwan yesterday in one of the largest recent shows of force by Beijing. [more]

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN | Citing Armenian government officials, Russia’s TASS news agency reports that Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold peace talks in the near future in an attempt to settle their long-running differences that center on the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. [more]

GERMANY | The climate activist group Last Generation staged a 10th straight day of protests in Berlin today, with members of the group gluing themselves to roads and causing major traffic jams and delays. Group members say their actions are aimed at drawing attention to the climate crisis and the need for government action to fight it. [more]

ISRAEL | Reports say tens of thousands of Israeli citizens took part in demonstrations yesterday in Jerusalem in support of controversial government plans to reform the country’s judiciary system, which were put on hold recently following weeks of mass demonstrations against the plans. [more]

TECH EARNINGS | Amazon yesterday reported $3.2 billion in profit on revenue of $127.4 billion for the January-March quarter — up about 9% from the same period last year. [more]

NFL | Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in last night's first round of the 2023 NFL draft, followed by Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, Jr., both selected by the Houston Texans. [full draft coverage] [more]

MORE NFL | The Baltimore Ravens have reportedly agreed to a new $260 million, five-year contract extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, making Jackson the highest-paid player in NFL history. [more]

R.I.P. | Former Cincinnati mayor and talk show host Jerry Springer, best known for his eponymous “The Jerry Springer Show,” died yesterday at the age of 79. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1952, the Allied occupation of Japan came to an end after seven years of rapid social and economic change following the country's surrender in World War II.  [more history]