July 27, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 518 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports cite both Russian and Western military sources as saying that Ukraine has significantly boosted its troop levels and counteroffensive operations against Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Zaporizhzhia region. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say at least one person was killed overnight in continued Russian missile strikes on the Black Sea port city of Odesa. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | In its latest economic outlook projection, the Congressional Budget Office yesterday predicted that the U.S. gross domestic product with slow in the second half of this year before increasing by 1.5% in 2024 and by 2.4% in 2025. Also predicted was that the unemployment rate will reach 4.1% by the end of 2023 and 4.7% by the end of 2024 before falling slightly, to 4.5%, in 2025. [more]

CHEMICAL SETTLEMENT | Attorneys general for 22 U.S. states and territories urged a federal court yesterday to reject a proposed settlement under which chemical company 3M would pay $10.3 billion to settle charges of contaminating water supplies across the U.S. with potentially dangerous so-called ‘forever chemicals’ known collectively as PFAS. The attorneys general say the proposed deal does not give water suppliers time enough to determine if it would cover the cost of removing the chemicals and could potentially shift future liability from 3M the water providers. [more]

HUNTER BIDEN | The plea deal under which Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, was to plead guilty to federal tax charges and agree to a diversion program on a gun charge, collapsed yesterday in court when the judge overseeing the case raised concerns about the terms of the agreement. Reports cite prosecutors as saying that Hunter Biden remains under active investigation and say the judge has ordered prosecutors and attorneys for Biden to work on clarifying the terms of the plea deal that she is being asked to approve. [more]

CANNABIS | Payment company Mastercard yesterday told financial institutions in the U.S. to stop allowing marijuana purchase transactions on its debit cards, saying, “The federal government considers cannabis sales illegal, so these purchases are not allowed on our systems.” [more]

U.S. AND ITALY | U.S. President Joe Biden is hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House today, with talks expected to center on Ukraine, China, and migration from North Africa to southern Europe. [more]

ISRAEL | Amidst calls for renewed protests following the passing of an initial part of the Israeli government’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary earlier this week, President Isaac Herzog today called for supporters of both sides of the issue to “refrain from violence and irreversible measures.” [more]

TYPHOON DOKSURI | Portions of Taiwan and areas of coastal China are on alert today, with schools and offices closed, as Typhoon Doksuri moves through the Taiwan Strait today and tomorrow. Reports say the storm is to blame for at least nine deaths in the Philippines yesterday. [more]

ISRAEL AND WEST BANK | Palestinian health officials say a 14-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli military gunfire today in the West Bank town of Qalqilya. Israeli authorities say soldiers opened fire when Palestinians threw rocks and firebombs at troops and that the incident is being reviewed. [more]

NIGER | In a televised statement last night, members of Niger’s military claimed to have overthrown the country’s president and that all government institutions have been, for now, suspended. Members of the military group that called itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said the action was taken due to “the continuing degradation of the security situation” and “bad economic and social governance.” [more]

AUSTRALIA | The remaining 45 pilot whales from a pod of nearly 100 that beached itself near Albany in Western Australia state earlier this week were euthanized yesterday after two days of efforts by wildlife officials and volunteers to rescue them failed. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | The European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.75% today -- the bank's ninth straight rate hike and the highest level since October 2020. [more]

KOREA | Commemorative activities are taking place in both North Korea and South Korea today, marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended active hostilities in the Korean War. [more]

KUWAIT | Kuwait’s Public Prosecution office says that five prisoners, including three people convicted of murder, a convicted drug dealer, and an inmate convicted of the bombing of a Shiite mosque in 2015 that killed 27 people, were executed by hanging yesterday at the country’s Central Prison complex. [more]

NFL | The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a reworked $75 million, two-year contract with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. [more]

COLLEGE SPORTS | Presidents and chancellors from the Big 12 college athletic conference voted unanimously yesterday to accept the University of Colorado as a new member. Colorado was an original member of the Big 12, but joined the Pac-12 in 2011. [more]

R.I.P. | Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor, best known for her albums “The Lion and the Cobra” (1987) and “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” (1990), died yesterday at the age of 56, according to a release from her family. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1919, the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 was ignited after a young Black man was stoned and drowned in Lake Michigan for swimming in an area reserved for whites.  [more history]