June 22, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 483 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that intelligence reports suggest Russia may be considering carrying out a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that involves the release of radiation. Russian authorities have condemned Zelenskyy’s statement, calling it “another lie” by Ukraine. [more]
• The European Union agreed yesterday to a new package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine that focuses on limiting the sale of goods and technologies to countries that could then transfer the products to Russia. [more]

TRUMP DOCUMENTS TRIAL | Justice Department prosecutors began turning over evidence to former President Donald Trump and his attorneys yesterday in the federal classified documents criminal case against Trump. Reports say documents turned over yesterday include transcripts of grand jury testimony, video footage, and copies of interviews and public statements by Trump. [more]

NEW JERSEY | Reports say New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and state legislative leaders have reached an agreement on a property tax rebate plan for seniors under which homeowners aged 65 and older in the state who make less than $500,000 per year would qualify for up to $6,500 in property tax relief. [more]

TEXAS | Reports say at least four people were killed, and 10 others were injured, yesterday evening around the northern Texas town of Matador when a series of severe storms sparked multiple tornadoes, produced very large hail, and caused significant property damage with wind gusts in excess of 100 mph. [more]

U.S. POPULATION | According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau today, the median age of people living in the U.S. increased by 0.2 years to 38.9 years between 2021 and 2022. Previously released data from the Bureau shows that the overall U.S. population rose 0.4% to 333,287,557 in 2022. [more]

HOUSE CENSURE | The U.S. House of Representatives voted 219-209 along party lines yesterday to officially censure California Rep. Adam Schiff for saying there was evidence of collusion between former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. The approved censure resolution, only the 25th ever of a House member, said that Schiff purposely deceived Congress and the American people through his comments. [more]

SUBMERSIBLE SEARCH | Search and rescue efforts continue today in the North Atlantic waters southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, as OceanGate Expeditions’ Titan submersible, which was bound for the wreckage of the Titanic, is believed to be running out of air with five people on board. [more]

TROPICAL STORM BRET | Tropical storm warnings and watches have been issued for St. Lucia, Dominica, Martinique, and Barbados as Tropical Storm Bret approaches the eastern Caribbean with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. [more]

WORLD FINANCE | At the “Summit for a New Global Financial Pact” meeting today in Paris, the World Bank is expected to announce a series of measures that would allow developing countries affected by natural disasters to pause their loan repayments, provide for the redirection of loaned funds to emergency response efforts, and aid governments in building emergency response systems. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | Palestinian authorities say at least 30 homes and 60 cars were set on fire yesterday in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya by Israeli settlers rioting in response to an attack earlier this week that killed four Israeli citizens. Reports also note that Israeli military activity has increased in the region as unrest continues to spike. [more]

KOSOVO AND SERBIA | E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has announced plans to hold emergency meetings with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic amidst growing concern that clashes on the Kosovo-Serbian border could spark a return to open conflict between the countries. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | Amidst continued high inflation pressures, central banks in the U.K., Turkey, Switzerland, and Norway are all expected to announce interest rate hikes today. [more]

RUSSIA | A Moscow court today denied an appeal by Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich challenging his extended pre-trial detention. Gershkovich was arrested in March on espionage charges while on a reporting assignment and a Russian court previously authorized his detention through August 30. [more]

CHINA | Authorities in the northwestern Chinese Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region say 31 people were killed, and seven others were injured, yesterday in a cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the city of Yinchuan. [more]

FRANCE | More than 30 people were wounded yesterday in an explosion and fire that brought down a building in the Left Bank region of Paris. Reports cite city officials as suggesting that the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak. [more]

SUMMER SOLSTICE | An estimated 8,000 people attended celebrations at England’s Stonehenge prehistoric monument site yesterday to mark the summer solstice — the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. [more]

LAB-GROWN MEAT | The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued its first-ever approvals yesterday for the sale of meat grown in labs rather than derived from slaughtering animals. The approvals were granted to two California companies — Upside Foods and Good Meat — both of which produce cell-cultured chicken meat. [more]

AMAZON | The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against e-commerce giant Amazon yesterday, claiming that the company used deceptive practices to enroll customers in its Prime membership program and made it difficult to cancel the membership. [more]

APPLE | An administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board ruled this week that tech giant Apple interfered with workers’ rights to organize at its World Trade Center Apple Store in New York City by subjecting employees to “coercive” interviews and interfering with the distribution of union leaflets. [more]

BASKETBALL | The 2023 NBA Draft begins tonight, with France’s Victor Wembanyama, Alabama forward Brandon Miller, and G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson expected to be the top three picks. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1633, accused of heresy by the Inquisition, Galileo was forced to recant his support of the Copernican system, which held that the Sun was the center of the solar system. [more history]