The Daily Brief - SoundSage

UKRAINE. Today is day 119 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have captured several settlements near Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, in the eastern Luhansk region. Authorities in Kharkiv say at least 15 people in the city were killed by Russian rocket and artillery strikes overnight in the heaviest attacks on the city in weeks. Reports cite Russian officials as saying a Ukrainian drone attack appears to have been responsible for a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region, bordering Ukraine. AFGHANISTAN. At least 920 people are reported to have been killed, and another 600 injured, when a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Afghanistan's eastern Khost and Paktika provinces this morning. Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund has convened an emergency meeting in Kabul to coordinate relief efforts for the affected regions. GUN LEGISLATION. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week on a bipartisan package of gun-related measures. The legislation would expand background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21 and strengthen so-called "red flag" laws aimed at preventing purchases by those deemed to be a threat to themselves or others by a court. Also included are provisions to increase mental health and suicide prevention program access, expand background checks for persons convicted of some domestic violence crimes, and help prevent illegal gun purchases by a third party for someone who is not legally allowed to buy them. Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe characterized his country's economy as "collapsed" today, following several months of food, fuel, and electricity shortages. CHINA. Chinese authorities say tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed as severe flooding continues in the country's southern provinces. Heavy rain is expected to continue in the area for the next several days. UVALDE. Robb Elementary School, site of last month's mass killing of 19 children and two teachers by a teenage gunman in Uvalde, Texas, will be demolished, according to the city's mayor, Don McLaughlin. FUEL PRICES. Reports say U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to ask Congress today to enact a three-month suspension of the federal gasoline tax in an effort to fight high gas prices. The federal gas tax currently adds 18.4 cents to the cost of a gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents to a gallon of diesel fuel. FAIR HOUSING. Under the terms of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Facebook has agreed to change its algorithms to prevent discriminatory housing advertising and be subject to Justice Department oversight regarding discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. LAND MINES. The Biden administration announced a new policy yesterday under which the U.S. military will ban its own use of anti-personnel land mines, except for potential use of the explosive devices as a defensive measure in South Korea. SUPREME COURT. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the state of Maine must allow parents who receive taxpayer-funded tuition assistance funds to use them at religious schools, saying a ban on the practice had violated the First Amendment. WILDFIRES. A report released yesterday by the U.S. Forest Service says mistakes the Service made in a prescribed burn earlier this year caused the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon wildfire that burned more than 340,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes in New Mexico in April. The fires are still burning and are considered 71% contained. U.K. INFLATION. A new report from the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics says the annual inflation rate in Britain rose to a 40-year high of 9.1% in May. BULGARIA. Members of the Bulgarian parliament will vote today on a no-confidence motion against the country's minority government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. YELLOWSTONE. Three of five entrances to Yellowstone National Park will be o...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 118 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych warned yesterday that Russia appears to be preparing for a large-scale missile offensive in Ukraine, with six cruise missile carriers consolidated in the Black Sea. Dmitry Muratov, co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize and editor of an independent Russian newspaper, auctioned off his Nobel medal yesterday for a record $103.5 million. Proceeds from the sale are intended to aid children displaced by the war in Ukraine. Russia said yesterday that it would take unspecified measures to defend its national interests if NATO member Lithuania refuses to resume the transit of goods through its territory to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania recently suspended such transit of goods, citing EU sanction rules against Russia related to the invasion of Ukraine. UVALDE. Reports say as many as 11 law enforcement officers were inside Robb Elementary School -- the site of last month's killing of 19 children and two teachers by a teenage gunman -- within 10 minutes of the gunman entering the school, but that video evidence does not show officers attempting to breach the doors to the room in which the gunman was located until more than an hour had passed. JANUARY 6. The latest public hearing of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol is scheduled to begin later this morning. Today's hearing is expected to focus on allegations that former President Donald Trump pressured state and local election officials to reject ballots or submit alternative voting results in the 2020 presidential election ENVIRONMENT. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a 2020 Environmental Protection Agency finding that glyphosate, an active ingredient in the popular weed killer Roundup, does not pose a health risk. Friday's court ruling says the EPA must re-examine its findings on glyphosate, which has been linked in the past to increased risk of some cancers. VOTING RIGHTS. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a measure into law yesterday intended to prevent local officials in the state from enacting rules that could suppress people’s voting rights because of their race. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act also expands language assistance for voters for whom English is not their first language. MONKEYPOX. Health officials in New Jersey said yesterday that the state's first case of monkeypox in the current outbreak was detected over the weekend. To date, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 113 cases of the disease in 20 states since mid-May. FUEL PRICES. Reports say President Joe Biden could make a decision on implementing a federal gas tax holiday to fight increased fuel prices by the end of this week. The federal gas tax currently adds 18.4 cents to the cost of a gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents to a gallon of diesel fuel. EUROPE. Reports say Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands have all indicated that increased use of coal-fired power plants could be necessary in response to decreased flow of gas from Russia. SOUTH ASIA. U.N. officials say more than 100 people have died and cases of waterborne diseases are increasing as floods continue to inundate areas of Bangladesh and northeast India. Reports say as many as 9.5 million people in the region are stranded with little access to food and drinking water. ISRAEL. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced yesterday that his embattled coalition government intends to dissolve parliament and call for new elections -- Israel's fifth in three years. U.K.. Strikes by U.K. rail transportation and London Underground workers today are causing major travel disruptions across the country. Two more days of strikes over pay and job security are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. AFGHANISTAN. Taliban government officials announced yesterday that Afghanistan has released five Brit...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 117 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: In an interview published yesterday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine could last for years and urged Western allies to maintain their military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Scientific organization CERN has announced that it will terminate all cooperation with Russia and Belarus over their roles in the invasion of Ukraine. The organization's governing council says CERN's agreements with the countries, which expire in 2024, will not be renewed. Ukraine's parliament voted yesterday to impose severe restrictions on the publication, import, and performance of Russian books and music in the latest moves to sever cultural ties between the two countries. British defense reports say both Russian and Ukrainian forces continue heavy artillery shelling around Sievierodonestk today, with little change being seen in the city's areas under each side's control. JUNETEENTH. With a federal holiday and commemorative events around the country, the U.S. celebrates Juneteenth today, recognizing the end of slavery in the United States. CORONAVIRUS. Coronavirus vaccines from both Moderna and Pfizer are now authorized for use in all people in the U.S. aged six months and up after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorizations for the vaccines in the youngest age ranges on Friday. U.S. ENVIRONMENT. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Friday that $103 million in special funding this year will be used for wildfire risk reduction and burned-area rehabilitation throughout the country and to establish an interagency firefighter health and well-being program. The funding is coming from the 1 billion dollar infrastructure bill signed last year. ETHIOPIA. Reports from Ethiopia's Oromia region say more than 200 people, mostly ethnic Amhara, were killed Saturday in an attack residents blame on the Oromo Liberation Army rebel group, but that the group says were carried out by the country's military and local officials. BANGLADESH. Reports say more than two dozen people have died in widespread flooding in Bangladesh since last week, and that flood waters are hampering efforts to deliver food and drinking water to residents of affected regions of the country. GERMANY. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said yesterday that his country would impose limits on the use of natural gas for electricity production amidst ongoing concerns about shortages caused by reductions in gas delivery from Russia. U.K.. As many as 40,000 U.K. rail transportation workers are set to strike on three days this week as negotiations over pay and job security between worker unions and train companies continue. The strikes, scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, are expected to shut down rail traffic across the country. EUROPEAN WILDFIRES. Firefighters in Spain and Germany continued work to contain multiple wildfires over the weekend as Western Europe experienced abnormally high temperatures. Spain's largest fire has burned some 74,000 acres in the northwest province of Zamora and a fire about 30 miles southwest of Berlin forced the evacuation of three villages yesterday. FRANCE. Parliamentary elections in France yesterday left President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance short of an absolute majority in parliament. The electoral result is seen as an obstacle to Macron's political and social agendas. AFGHANISTAN. U.N. officials in Afghanistan say "scores" of people were killed today in a bomb attack at a market in the country's eastern Nangarhar province. Taliban government officials have only confirmed injuries to 10 people in the attack. COLOMBIA. Gustavo Petro was elected the next president of Columbia yesterday, with a narrow victory over Rodolfo Hernández in the country's runoff election. JAPAN. A district court in Osaka, Japan, ruled today that the country's ban on same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional. The ruling is ...

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UKRAINE. The European Union's executive commission today recommended approval of member candidate status for Ukraine -- the first step in Ukraine's bid to join the Union. A similar recommendation was given for Moldova. JANUARY 6. Yesterday's third public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol focused on testimony about ways in which former President Donald Trump pressured Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the 2020 presidential election results despite being told repeatedly it was illegal to do so. U.S. ECONOMY. The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. rose by more than half a percentage point this week to 5.78% -- the largest one-week increase in about 35 years -- according to mortgage company Freddie Mac. COVID-19. A study published yesterday in The Lancet concludes that people infected with the omicron coronavirus variant face about half the risk of lingering "long COVID" symptoms, compared to those infected with the delta variant. WORLD TRADE. The World Trade Organization's 164 members, at the end of a five-day meeting in Geneva today, approved a series of global trade agreements that includes measures aimed at reducing over-fishing, implementing a partial waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, and maintaining a moratorium on e-commerce tariffs. LEBANON. The U.N.-backed, Dutch-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted two Hezbollah members in absentia to life imprisonment yesterday for their role in a 2005 bomb explosion in Beirut that killed former Lebanese Premier Rafic Hariri and 21 other people. WEST BANK. Israeli officials say their forces killed three Palestinian gunmen today after coming under fire from militants in a stopped vehicle near the West Bank city of Jenin. NIGER. French military officials say their Operation Barkhane forces killed closed to 40 militants earlier this week in a strike near Niger's border with Burkina Faso. The strike, which was in response to an attack on police in the area by militant forces, was carried out in coordination with, and at the request of, authorities in Niger. JAPAN. The Bank of Japan said today that it intends to maintain ultra-low interest rates in order to support Japan's economic recovery from the COVID-19 bank. The announcement came as central banks around the world trend toward raising interest rates to fight inflation. POLLUTION. China yesterday announced that it will establish a zoning system to identify areas of the country in which new steel, oil refining, cement, and glass projects will be banned in an effort to reduce pollution and meet the country's climate goals. INDIA. Protests in multiple Indian cities are continuing for a second day today in response to government plans aimed at increasing military recruitment numbers. CHINA. The Chinese navy launched its third, and most advanced, aircraft carrier today. The carrier "Fujian" is China's first domestically designed and built catapult aircraft carrier, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. WIKILEAKS. The extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges has been approved by U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel. Reports say Assange intends to appeal Patel's decision. BUSINESS. Multinational cosmetics company Revlon has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing rising debts, global supply chain disruptions and new rivals as reasons for the move. The company says that if the filing receives court approval, it expects to receive $575 million in financing from its existing lenders to allow it to continue day-to-day operations. BASKETBALL. The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics, 103-90, last night to win Game 6 of the NBA Finals and claim their fourth league championship in eight years. The Warriors' Stephen Curry was named the Finals' most valuable player. MORE BASKETBALL. Twelve-time WNBA All-Star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 113 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: In one of the highest profile visits to Ukraine since the start of the invasion, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Premier Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv together today to show their support for the Ukrainian fight against Russian forces. U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday announced a new $1 billion package of military aid for Ukraine that includes anti-ship rocket systems, artillery rockets, howitzers, and ammunition. Bided also announced an additional $225 million in humanitarian assistance to help people in Ukraine. Russian gas company Gazprom yesterday announced its second cut of natural gas supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in as many days. Reports say the pipeline's delivery level has been cut to 40% of capacity, which Gazprom says is due to maintenance delays brought on by sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Valeriy Zaluzhny, head of Ukraine's armed forces, said today that Russia has concentrated its forces in the northern parts of the Luhansk region and that they appear to be trying to attack the region from nine directions. JANUARY 6. A public hearing today of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol is expected to focus on efforts by former President Donald Trump to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. MORE JANUARY 6. A document filed in federal court yesterday details plans by the extremist Proud Boys group to occupy multiple federal buildings, including the Supreme Court and Senate and House office buildings, as part of their coordinated action around the Capitol on January 6, 2021. NATO. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg says defense ministers meeting today in Brussels will discuss the alliance's future military posture along its eastern borders as a means of dissuading future Russian aggression in eastern Europe. CORONAVIRUS. An FDA advisory panel yesterday recommended approval of Moderna and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines for use in children as young as six months. White House officials say the vaccines could be available for young children as early as next week. MONKEYPOX. Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Heath Organization's regional director for Europe, said yesterday that Europe remains the epicenter of the ongoing outbreak of monkeypox and that the outbreak poses a real risk globally. Reports say more than 1,600 cases of the disease in 39 countries have been identified in the current outbreak. BUFFALO SHOOTING. The U.S. Justice Department announced yesterday that it has filed federal hate crime charges against the man accused of the racially-motivated killing of 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket on May 14. YELLOWSTONE. Officials from Yellowstone National Park say some entrances to the park could reopen as early as this coming weekend after being closed due to severe flooding, but that some roads in the park's northern sections could be closed through the summer season due the time needed for repairs. NORTH KOREA. A report released yesterday by the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies says North Korea has begun repairing a second tunnel at its Punggye-ri nuclear test facility, indicating that the country is preparing for a new underground nuclear detonation test. SYRIA. In a joint statement, Russia, Turkey, and Iran say they have agreed to make additional efforts to reduce violence and ensure calm in the northern Syria region around the city of Idlib. No mention was made of how the agreement could affect Turkey's plans for military operations against Kurdish forces in the region, which it announced last week. TURKEY. Sixteen Kurdish journalists and media workers were imprisoned pending trial yesterday in Turkey. The journalists were taken into custody last week on charges of producing and spreading terrorist propaganda. SPA...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 112 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Russia's defense ministry says its forces used long-range missiles today to hit and destroy a warehouse filled with NATO-supplied ammunition in the western Ukraine city of Lviv. NATO defense ministers begin a two-day meeting today in Brussels, which is expected to focus on increasing the supply of weapons to Ukraine, and on applications by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that hit country's forces are suffering serious losses in eastern Ukraine and the Kharkiv region, and called for Western nations to increase the supply of heavy weapons and anti-missile systems to Ukraine. A Russian ultimatum for Ukrainian forces to surrender the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk passed today with Ukrainian forces still actively fighting in the city, according to reports. Russian forces control about 80% of the city, say Western intelligence reports, and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it. U.S. ECONOMY. The Labor Department reported yesterday that the year-over-year producer price index -- a measure of inflation before it reaches consumers -- rose 10.8% in May. The higher-than-expected increase suggests that inflation shows little sign of slowing, according to economists, and could play a role in the size of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve expected to be announced today. GUN LEGISLATION. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday voiced his support for the bipartisan framework agreement reached on a gun violence bill earlier this week. A vote on the legislation could come as early as next week, according to reports. FUEL PRICES. The Associated Press cites a draft letter from U.S. President Joe Biden to U.S. oil refiners as calling for increased gasoline production and for the companies to work with the government to address fuel price and supply crises. ABORTION. A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research group, says that both the number and the rate of abortions in the U.S. rose from 2017 to 2020. About 1 in 5 U.S. pregnancies ended in abortion in 2020, according to the report. JANUARY 6. A third public hearing by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol scheduled for today has been postponed. A spokesman for the committee said yesterday that the delay was due to “a number of scheduling factors, including production timelines and availability of members and witnesses.” CONSERVATION. The U.S. House voted yesterday to pass the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which would create annual funding of about $1.3 billion for state, territory, and tribal wildlife conservation efforts. A major focus of the legislation is to support species protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. IRAN. Iranian officials today confirmed their country's plans for two rocket launch tests after satellite images taken Tuesday by Maxar Technologies showed preparations for launches at Iran's Imam Khomeini Spaceport. KASHMIR. Reports say Indian forces killed two militants today in the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, one of whom was suspected in the murder of a bank manager earlier this month. Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan. SOUTH KOREA. An eight-day strike by thousands of truckers in South Korea over rising fuel prices and demands for minimum freight rates came to an end yesterday when the government reached an agreement with the Cargo Truckers Solidarity group. The strike is estimated to have cost the South Korean economy some $1.2 billion. MIDDLE EAST. U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that he will visit Saudi Arabia and Israel next month, drawing condemnation from human rights groups who contend Biden is not pressuring Saudi Arabia enough over its human rights record. SWITZERLAND. Aviation authorities in Switzerland have reopened the country's airspace and resumed operations at its two na...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 111 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: In an interview published today in the Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica, Pope Francis called the Russian invasion of Ukraine a violation of Ukraine's right to self-determination and condemned the cruelty of Russian forces, but also suggested that the war was "perhaps in some way provoked." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday urged Germany to supply Ukraine with needed military equipment and show full support for Ukraine in the face of German concerns about the effects of such moves on relations with Russia. JANUARY 6. The second in a series of public hearings by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection yesterday focused on testimony by multiple Trump administration officials who said they told the former president that his claims of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election were false and urged him to stop making claims to the contrary. A third public hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 15, at 10am EDT. U.S. ECONOMY. U.S. stocks slipped into a so-called bear market yesterday -- a market condition in which prominent stock indices such as the S&P 500 fall 20% or more below recent highs for a sustained period. The market downturn yesterday came ahead of this week's Federal Reserve meeting that is widely expected to aggressively raise interest rates. U.S. POLITICS. Four states -- Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina -- are holding primary elections today to choose candidates for November's general elections. FLOODING. All entrances to the western-U.S.'s Yellowstone National Park were closed yesterday and mandatory evacuation orders executed in some parts of the Park due to severe flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rainfall in the region surrounding the 2.2 million acre park. ABORTION. New legislation intended to protect people seeking or providing abortions in New York were signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul yesterday. One measure that goes into effect immediately protects abortion providers in the state from arrest, extradition, and legal proceedings in other states. NUCLEAR ARMS. A report released yesterday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says that the world's nuclear arsenals are expected to grow over the next decade for the first time since the end of the Cold War. INDIA. A new report from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago says that air pollution in the Indian capital city of Delhi -- the world's most polluted city, according to the report -- can shorten the lives of residents by as many as 10 years. MONKEYPOX. European Union health commissioner Stella Kyriakides announced today that the EU has signed an agreement with vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic to purchase about 110,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine to be delivered to EU states. TAIWAN. Taiwan's foreign ministry said yesterday that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway despite China's claims to the contrary, and that the Taiwanese government supports transit of the strategic waterway by U.S. warships. CAMBODIA. A Cambodian court yesterday convicted 60 defendants of conspiracy to commit treason in connection with charges that they attempted to facilitate the return of opposition leader Sam Rainsy from exile in 2019. SCOTLAND. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to release the first in a series of papers today calling for a new referendum on Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom. Voters rejected independence in a 2014 referendum with 55% choosing to remain a part of the U.K. BASKETBALL. The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics, 104-94, last night to win Game 5 of the NBA Finals and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. TODAY IN HISTORY. On this date in 1940, the first transport of Polish political prisoners arrived at Auschwitz, which became Nazi Germany's largest concentration, extermination, and slave-labor ca...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 110 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Reports say Russian forces are increasingly relying on long-range artillery bombardment and air strikes to continue what has been slow, but steady, progress in their campaign to take control of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Russian forces this weekend destroyed a bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River, which links the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, cutting off a possible evacuation route for civilians, according to local officials. A new report from the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air says Russia earned about $98 billion from fossil fuel exports during the first 100 days of its war in Ukraine, with the European Union being the top importer. JANUARY 6. The Congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol is scheduled to hold its second public hearing this morning at 10am Eastern. Reports say today's hearing will focus on attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results that led up to the January 6 assault. GUN LEGISLATION. A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators yesterday announced an agreement on a framework that will be used to craft gun control measures that reports say have a good chance of becoming the first significant federal gun legislation to pass in Congress in decades. Among the framework's agreed-upon measures are expanded background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21, incentives for states to enact "red flag" laws that allow guns to be taken from persons considered to be potentially violent, and increased funding for school safety and mental health programs. GUN VIOLENCE. At least five people were killed and 27 injured in mass shootings in seven U.S. cities over the weekend, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as a single incident involving four or more victims. RIOT CONSPIRACY. Thirty-one members of the Patriot Front white supremacist group were arrested Saturday in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot after gathering in riot gear near the site of an LGBTQ pride event. U.S. WEATHER. An estimated 53 million people in the southwest U.S. are under excessive heat warnings following weekend temperatures that broke record highs in multiple states. Death Valley, California had the highest weekend temperature at 122 degrees, while both Palm Springs, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, reached 114 degrees. FUEL PRICES. The Lundberg Survey reported yesterday that the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. rose 39 cents over the past three weeks to $5.10 per gallon. NATO. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that Turkey's concerns over Finland and Sweden's alleged support of Kurdish militants must be taken seriously. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the Nordic nations of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists and has said Turkey will veto their applications to join the NATO alliance. COVID-19. An analysis released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday says that appropriately sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear to be safe and effective for children under the age of 5. MORE COVID-19. Health officials in the Chinese capital Beijing have ordered a new round of COVID-19 testing for millions of residents following a new disease outbreak linked to a 24-hour bar known for its large crowds. SOUTH KOREA. Government reports say the ongoing trucker strike in South Korea -- now in its seventh day -- has cost South Korea's industrial sectors as much as $1.2 billion. An estimated 6,600 truckers are taking part in the strike, protesting high fuel prices and demanding minimum pay guarantees. CONGO. Reports today from the Democratic Republic of Congo say the M23 rebel group has seized control of the eastern town of Bunagana on the border with Uganda. AIR SAFETY. The U.S. Naval Air Forces has announced a one...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 107 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested yesterday that the battle for the eastern Donbas region city of Severodonetsk could be the determining factor in the outcome of the war. Reports say Russian forces have gained control of most of the city, but that Ukrainian resistance continues. Two British citizens and a Moroccan man were sentenced to death yesterday by a pro-Russia court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine for fighting with Ukrainian forces against the Russian invasion. U.K. officials have warned that the Russian-occupied southern Ukraine port city of Mariupol is at risk of a major cholera outbreak due to unavailability of sanitation and medical services in the city. JANUARY 6. In last night's first public hearing by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Representatives Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney presented a timeline of the assault, along with what they said was then-President Donald Trump's role in precipitating and encouraging the attack. A second public hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 13, at 10 a.m. Eastern. U.S. GUN VIOLENCE. Police say an employee of Columbia Machine Inc. in Smithsburg, Maryland, opened fire at the business yesterday, killing three co-workers. The as-yet unnamed man was later apprehended following a shootout with police. GUN LEGISLATION. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a so-called "red flag" bill yesterday that would allow families, police, and others to ask federal courts to order the removal of firearms from people considered at risk of harming themselves or others. The measure is not expected to be approved by the Senate. MONKEYPOX. World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday that more than 1,200 cases of monkeypox have been detected worldwide in the ongoing outbreak of the disease and that the window of opportunity to contain the outbreak is closing. MICHIGAN. Prosecutors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, filed second-degree murder charges yesterday against police officer Christopher Schurr, who is accused of killing motorist Patrick Lyoya following a traffic stop in April. CIVIL RIGHTS. The U.S. Justice Department announced yesterday that it has opened a civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police to determine if the police force uses excessive force and engages in racially discriminatory police practices against Black and other people of color. UVALDE| In an interview published yesterday, Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo said he did not consider himself the person in charge at the scene of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Arredondo stated that he assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response and that he did not issue any instruction that police should not attempt to breach the building. NATO. Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana said in a speech yesterday that he is confident applications from Sweden and Finland to join the alliance will be approved despite objections from Turkey. GAS PRICES. Travel company AAA says the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. rose to $4.97 this week, up 25 cents from last week. California had the highest average price at $6.40 per gallon, while Georgia had the lowest at $4.41 per gallon. ABORTION. A new law goes into effect in West Virginia today that bans women from getting an abortion in the state because of beliefs that their child will be born with a disability. U.S. ECONOMY. Government data on May consumer inflation is scheduled to be released later this morning. Economists predict the data will show that core consumer prices rose 5.9% in May, down from a 6.2% rate in April. EUROPEAN ECONOMY. The European Central Bank announced yesterday that it will raise interest rates by 25 basis points on July 1 and that it will also end i...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 106 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: In a statement yesterday, Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Russian forces have largely withdrawn from the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk and that the Russian assault on the city appears to have now shifted to large-scale artillery and airstrike attacks. A report released yesterday by the U.N. Global Crisis Response Group says the war in Ukraine has "exacerbated a global cost-of-living crisis unseen in at least a generation." Projections from the Institute of International Finance, a global banking trade group, suggest that Russia's economy will shrink by 15% this year, and by another 3% next year, due to international sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. JANUARY 6. The Congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol will hold its first public hearing tonight at 8pm eastern daylight time. The hearing will be televised on many networks. UVALDE SHOOTING. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced yesterday that nine law enforcement experts have been selected to conduct a "comprehensive, transparent and independent" review of the law enforcement response to the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead. The federal review was requested by the mayor of Uvalde. GUN LEGISLATION. The U.S. House of Representatives passed gun control measures yesterday that would prohibit the sale of semiautomatic weapons to people under age 21 and ban large-capacity magazines. The bill is not expected to pass in the Senate. IRAN. Reuters cites International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi as saying Iran has informed the IAEA by letter that it intends to disconnect 20 IAEA surveillance cameras and other monitoring equipment at its nuclear facilities. GLOBAL ECONOMY. Reports say European Central Bank regulators are expected to announce plans for the eurozone's first interest rate hikes in 11 years when they meet today in Amsterdam. GERMANY. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday that his country remains committed to phasing out the production of nuclear power despite ongoing concerns over increased energy costs and fuel shortages linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. WASHINGTON. Reports say a charge of attempted murder has been filed against Nicholas John Roske, 26, after his arrest outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Roske reportedly confirmed his intention to "kill a specific United States Supreme Court justice." DATA SECURITY. Reports say a cyberattack on Massachusetts-based Shields Health Care Group Inc. in March of this year may have resulted in personal data on as many as 2 million people being compromised. CLIMATE. The European Parliament voted yesterday to require automakers to cut vehicle carbon-dioxide emissions by 100% by 2035 -- a move amounting to a ban on selling new cars with combustion engines by the middle of next decade. The measure would need to be approved by EU nations individually to take effect. COVID-19. Portions of the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai have been placed under renewed COVID-19 restrictions due to disease outbreaks and widespread testing plans as China pursues its "zero-COVID" policy. SOUTH KOREA. Officials in South Korea say automobile and steel production are among the industries being most affected by an ongoing strike by thousands of the country's truck drivers. The strike to protest sharp increases in fuel costs is now in its third day. SPAIN. Reports say a wildfire in the mountains of southern Spain has forced the evacuation of some 2,000 people from the town of Benahavis. U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE. A Senate committee voted yesterday to approve President Biden's nomination of Michael Barr to serve as the Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision -- a position that has a permanent vote on rate decisions at each of the Fed’s eight policy me...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 105 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today that Russian forces control nearly all of the Luhansk province -- one of two provinces that make up Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Reports say Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish officials today on a plan that could allow the export of grain and other crops from Ukraine. The Norwegian defense ministry announced today that Norway has donated 22 self-propelled howitzers, along with related spare parts and ammunition, to Ukraine. GERMANY. Police in Berlin, Germany, say at least one person was killed and 30 others injured this morning when a man drove a car into a crowd near the city's Gedaechtniskirche church. Officials say it is not yet clear if the occurrence was an accident or a deliberate act. JANUARY 6. A series of televised public hearings by the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol begins Thursday night at 8 p.m eastern daylight time. GLOBAL ECONOMY. The World Bank yesterday lowered its forecast of global economic growth for 2022 to 2.9% -- down 1.2% from its January forecast -- and warned that many countries face recession due to the war in Ukraine and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION. The U.S. has collected $3.2 billion in corporate pledges from multiple companies to aid in addressing economic factors driving migration out of Central America, according to a statement released by the office of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. The statement came ahead of the U.S.-hosted Summit of the Americas, which opens today in Los Angeles, at which migration is expected to be a major focus. IRAN. Officials in Iran say at least 21 people were killed and 50 more injured when a train derailed near the eastern Iran city of Tabas today. MORE FROM IRAN. Iranian officials removed two surveillance cameras operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency from one of the country's nuclear facilities today, according to reports on Iranian state TV. COVID-19. An FDA panel of advisors yesterday recommended approval of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. If approved, the vaccine, which is produced through more traditional methods than the Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J coronavirus vaccines, would be the fourth COVID vaccine available in the U.S. for initial or booster vaccination. UNITED NATIONS. Hungarian Ambassador Csaba Korosi was elected the next president of the U.N. General Assembly yesterday. Korosi, whose term begins in September, warned following his election that the world faces multiple crises, including climate change and food, energy, and water supply challenges. E-COMMERCE. In its latest annual "Brand Protection Report," e-commerce giant Amazon says it prevented 4 billion bad listings from being posted on its sites and removed more than 3 million counterfeit products from the marketplace in 2021. U.S. LOBBYING. Reports say the FBI has seized the electronic data of retired four-star Marine general John R. Allen as part of an investigation into alleged illegal foreign lobbying on behalf of the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. INDIA. The Reserve Bank of India raised its key interest rate to 4.9% today -- the second increase by the bank in three weeks -- as part of its ongoing efforts to fight inflation. NFL. The Denver Broncos have reportedly reached a deal under which the football team will be purchased by a group led by members of the Walton family -- heirs to the Walmart fortune. The sale price was not publicly disclosed, but media reports in Denver say the deal was for $4.65 billion. R.I.P.. Jim Seals, half of the 1970s musical duo Seals and Crofts, whose hits included “Summer Breeze,” and “Diamond Girl," died Monday at the age of 80, according to statements from his family. TODAY IN HISTORY. On this date in 1949, British author George Orwell published his dystopian classic "Nineteen Eighty-f...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 104 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement yesterday that Ukrainian forces continue to hold their positions in the embattled eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, but that Russian forces in the area outnumber local Ukrainian troops. Reports say the Russian military has begun to turn over the remains of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the U.N., walked out of a Security Council meeting yesterday when European Council President Charles Michel addressed the body and accused Russia of fueling a global food crisis with its invasion of Ukraine. NORTH KOREA. In a continuing show of force amidst reports of anticipated nuclear weapon tests by North Korea, 20 U.S. and South Korean fighter jets took part in demonstration flights off South Korea's western coast today. FOOD CRISIS. A joint report released yesterday by the U.N.'s World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization warns of a looming food crisis in some 20 countries driven by climate issues, drought, and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Among the nations at highest risk are Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, according to the report. JANUARY 6. Federal indictments on charges of seditious conspiracy were filed yesterday against Henry Tarrio, former chairman of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, and four others linked to the group, for their roles in the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors say those charged took part in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. GAS PRICES. AAA reports that the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline the in U.S. reached a new record of $4.85 yesterday. The group says the highest average price is in California at $6.34, and that 10 states have averages above $5 per gallon. U.K. POLITICS. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote yesterday, with 211 of 359 Conservative Party lawmakers voting to support him as their leader. U.S. POLITICS. A judge in Arizona yesterday declined a request from state Republicans to block voting by mail-in ballot for 2022 elections -- a voting method used by an overwhelming majority of voters in the state. MORE U.S. POLITICS. Primary elections to choose candidates for the November general elections are being held in seven states today: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. SYRIA. Media reports in Syria say Israeli missiles targeted military positions south of the capital city Damascus yesterday, causing damage to facilities, but no casualties. TECHNOLOGY. European Union regulators have reached an agreement on proposed regulations that would require all phones and other small electronic devices to use USB-C-type charging ports by 2024. Regulators say the move will reduce e-waste and save consumers time and money. CRYPTOCURRENCY. The New York state Senate has given final approval to a bill that would establish a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for fossil fuel-based power plants used to power energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining. Environmental activists are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the legislation, while cryptocurrency advocates say the measure unfairly singles out their industry. FIGURE SKATING. The International Skating Union voted yesterday to raise the minimum participation age for the Olympics to 17, starting with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. GOLF. Six-time golf major champion Phil Mickelson announced yesterday that he will participate in the inaugural Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament, which opens in London on Thursday. The PGA has threatened unspecified disciplinary action against PGA Tour golfers who participate in the rival series. TODAY IN HISTORY. The Treaty of Tordes...

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UKRAINE. Today is day 103 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates: Russian airstrikes targeted depots of Western-supplied armaments in Kyiv over the weekend -- the first attacks on the Ukrainian capital in over a month. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned yesterday that his forces will hit unspecified new targets if Western nations follow through with plans to supply Ukraine with long-range rocket systems. Reports say Russian forces are slowly advancing again in their assault on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk after a counterattack by Ukrainian forces retook portions of the city over the weekend. Russian Major General Roman Kutuzov has been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia state media -- the latest of multiple high-ranking military casualties suffered by Russian forces. U.S. GUN VIOLENCE. There have been at least 246 mass shootings in the US in 2022, according to the non-profit organization Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter. Three people were killed and 14 others wounded early Sunday when gunfire broke out at a nightclub in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of the fatalities was caused by the victim being struck by a car fleeing the scene. Three people were killed and at least 12 other wounded when gunfire broke out Saturday night in Philadelphia's South Street entertainment district. One person was killed and eight others wounded at a high school graduation party Saturday in Clarendon County, South Carolina, in what officials have called a suspected drive-by shooting. BANGLADESH. At least 49 people were killed and up to 100 others injured Saturday when a fire caused explosions at a container storage facility near Bangladesh's Chittagong Seaport. Efforts to contain the fire, thought to be caused by containers of hazardous chemicals, are ongoing. NIGERIA. Officials in Nigeria say at least 50 people were killed yesterday when gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives at a Catholic church in the southwestern Nigerian state of Ondo. NATO. Prospective NATO members Finland and Sweden took part in U.S.-led NATO naval exercises on the Baltic Sea over the weekend. The annual BALTOPS naval exercises have been held since 1972. INDIA. India's governing Hindu nationalist party is facing widespread condemnation from Muslim majority countries after two spokesmen made comments seen as derogatory to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. EUROPEAN ECONOMY. The European Central Bank is widely expected to announce plans to increase interest rates when its policymakers meet in Amsterdam on Thursday. SOUTH KOREA. U.S. and South Korean forces fired eight ballistic missiles into the sea off the eastern shore of South Korea today in a move seen as a show of force in response to similar recent launches by North Korea. U.S. POLITICS. Primary elections to choose candidates for the November general elections will be held in seven states tomorrow: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. U.K. POLITICS. Reports say Britain's governing Conservative Party is expected to call for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Boris Johnson as early as today. BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE. Production at an Abbott Nutrition facility in Michigan linked to shortages of baby formula in the U.S. was restarted over the weekend. The company says it will take about three weeks for new formula from the plant to make its way to store shelves. VEHICLE RECALL. Mercedes-Benz has announced the recall of almost one million vehicles due to potential braking system problems. The recall covers some ML and GL series SUVs and R-Class minivans made between 2004 and 2015. TENNIS. Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud yesterday to win the 2022 French Open men's title. On Saturday, Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff to win the women's title. GOLF. Minjee Lee won the U.S. Women’s Open yesterday, earning a women's golf reco...

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