July 19, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 510 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Kyiv City Military Administration official Serhii Popko said today that Russian drone and missile attacks increased across Ukraine overnight, with the port city of Odesa being heavily targeted for a second day in a row. Reports say at least 12 people were injured in the strikes on the Odesa region. [more]
• Russian officials say more than 2,000 people have been evacuated from multiple villages in the annexed Crimea region and a major highway has been closed today due to a fire at a military facility in the area. No cause of the fire was specified, but reports suggest an explosion at a munitions storage warehouse sparked the blaze. [more]

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS | Former U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he has received a target letter identifying him as a subject in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Such letters often precede the filing of charges and Trump indicated on his social media platform that he expects to be indicted in the case. [more]

2020 ELECTIONS | Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed felony criminal charges, including forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery, against 16 state Republicans yesterday, accusing them of acting as fake electors by submitting false certifications of a Donald Trump win in the state for the 2020 presidential election. [more]

HAWAII | Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency for Hawaii’s Big Island yesterday ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Calvin, which is expected to drop up to 10 inches of rain on some regions today. [more]

ARIZONA | Phoenix, Arizona, had a record-setting 19th consecutive day of temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) yesterday, reaching 117 degrees in the mid-afternoon. The city has also had nine straight nights during which temperatures did not go below 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 Celsius). [more]

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING | Two IRS agents are scheduled to testify before members of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees today regarding allegations of Justice Department interference in the years-long investigation into President Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter, on tax and gun charges. [more]

PAKISTAN | Authorities say 11 construction workers were killed, and another five were injured, early today when the wall of a neighboring compound collapsed near a bridge construction project in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Reports suggest the wall that collapsed was weakened by heavy monsoon rains. [more]

KOREA | U.S. officials have confirmed that the American citizen who crossed into North Korea at the U.N.-controlled joint security area between North and South Korea yesterday was U.S. Army Private 2nd Class Travis King. Reports say King had recently served almost two months in a South Korean prison on assault charges and was due to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, to face additional military discipline. [more]

U.K. ECONOMY | Data released today by the Office for National Statistics shows that consumer inflation in the U.K. fell to a lower-than-expected 7.9% in June, compared to the year-ago-period — down from 8.7% in May and the lowest level in 15 months. [more]

NORTH KOREA | In what reports suggest was a response to a port call by a U.S. nuclear-capable submarine in South Korea yesterday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast today. [more]

ISRAEL | Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar suggested in a radio interview today that a major escalation in protests could force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to revise or delay its plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary. [more]

KENYA | Protesters clashed with police today in Nairobi, Kenya, at the start of three days of planned demonstrations against tax hikes and cost of living increases. [more]

THAILAND | Pita Limjaroenrat, the Move Forward Party leader and top candidate to become Thailand’s prime minister following recent elections, was suspended from his parliamentary duties by the country’s Constitutional Court today amidst allegations that he violated election laws by owning media company shares while running for office. [more]

COMMODITY PRICES | The price of chocolate-making raw material cocoa rose to a 12-year high today in New York amidst supply issues caused by production shortfalls in Western Africa, while prices for benchmark Brent crude oil hovered around $80 this morning on positive economic outlooks and planning in both the U.S. and China. [more]

SOCCER | The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup opens tomorrow with co-hosts Australia and New Zealand facing Ireland and Norway, respectively. [full schedule] [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1848, the women's suffrage movement in the United States was launched with the opening of the Seneca Falls Convention, which sought to gain certain rights and privileges for women, notably the right to vote.  [more history]