June 9, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 470 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian officials say at least eight people have died, and more than 5,800 have been evacuated, in Russian-controlled territory following Tuesday’s collapse of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say five people have died in dam-related flooding and that evacuation efforts in the region are continuing. [more]
• Reports say at least three people were wounded this morning when a drone crashed into a residential building in the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh near the border with Ukraine. [more]

TRUMP INDICTMENT | The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly informed attorneys for former President Donald Trump that he has been indicted on seven federal criminal charges related to the retention of classified documents at his Florida home after leaving office. The seven charges against Trump, who has been ordered to attend a related court proceeding in Miami on Tuesday, are reported to include willful retention of national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act, obstruction, false statements, and conspiracy. Trump has denied the charges in a social media post. [more]

VOTING RIGHTS | The U.S. Supreme Court, citing the Voting Rights Act, ruled yesterday that Alabama’s redrawing of congressional districts that created just one majority Black district in a state where more than 25% of residents are Black was unlawful. Reports say the ruling could affect similar redistricting maps implemented in Georgia and Texas. [more]

AIR QUALITY | Smoke from Canadian wildfires impacted health, activities, events, and travel across large portions of the eastern U.S. yesterday. Reports say smoke levels are expected to decrease in northeastern states today as the smoke moves further south. [more]

NEW YORK | The New York state legislature passed a measure yesterday creating a commission to examine the extent to which the federal and state governments supported the institution of slavery and to consider reparations to address economic, political, and educational disparities experienced by Black people in the state today as the result of slavery. [more]

ALABAMA | Gov. John Bel Edwards said yesterday that he intends to veto a package of measures passed by the Alabama legislature that bars teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools, bans gender-affirming medical care for young people, and requires public school teachers to use pronouns that align with a student’s sex assigned at birth. [more]

U.S. AND U.K. | Meeting in Washington, DC, yesterday, U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the so-called “Atlantic Declaration” — a framework for cooperation between their two countries on the development and protection of new technologies of importance to national and economic security. [more]

EL NIÑO | The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an El Niño advisory yesterday, saying the weather pattern — characterized by warm ocean waters that develop in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific — has formed earlier than usual and that its effects on global weather patterns could contribute to record warmth in 2023. [more]

CHINESE SPYING | The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed U.S. sources yesterday as saying that China has reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish an intelligence facility on the Caribbean island from which to conduct electronic and signals intelligence operations against the United States. Responding to the paper’s report, Cuban, Chinese, and U.S. officials have all cast doubt on, or denied, the allegations. [more]

JAPAN | The Japanese government announced a revision to its foreign development aid policy today under which the country will prioritize measures to combat climate change, address food and energy crises triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and strengthen  maritime security, supply chain resiliency, and digital transformation. [more]

SWEDEN | As Turkey and Hungary continue to delay Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance, Swedish government and military officials said today that NATO will be allowed to base troops and equipment in Sweden even before the Nordic country formally becomes an alliance member. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Authorities in the Philippines began evacuating residents from a 6-kilometer radius around the Mayon Volcano today, as increased seismic activity suggests the possibility of a violent volcanic eruption within days or weeks, according to officials. [more]

SUDAN | Ahead of a newly announced 24-hour Saturday ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between the country’s military and paramilitary forces, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry declared U.N. envoy and mediator Volker Perthes ‘persona non grata’ in the African nation yesterday. The move follows recent allegations of partisanship on Perthes’ part by military commander Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan. [more]

HOCKEY | The Florida Panthers beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2, in overtime last night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas leads the championship series, 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Saturday night. [more]

SOFTBALL | Oklahoma beat Florida State, 3-1, last night to complete a two-game sweep and claim their third consecutive NCAA softball Women’s College World Series title. [more]

SOCCER | Inter Milan and Manchester City play tomorrow in Istanbul to determine the winner of the 2023 Champions League final. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1815, the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna, comprising several agreements separately negotiated among various participants for the reorganization of Europe in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, was signed by representatives of Austria, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden. [more history]