August 7, 2023 - Your Daily Digest

Trump loses again, tanks headed to Ukraine, extreme heat, and more

Today is August 7, 2023, and here are five stories that you need to know about. If you enjoy my newsletter, please consider a monthly subscription to support my work, get access to exclusive content, and more.

1) Trump Suffers Another Loss in Court

Donald Trump suffered another loss in court, this time in front of Judge Kaplan in the Southern District of New York. Judge Kaplan dismissed Trump’s defamation lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll. This lawsuit concerned statements made by Carroll on CNN following a jury verdict awarding her $5 million and finding Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll. Trump asserted her statements were defamatory. As a basis for dismissing this lawsuit, Judge Kaplan found that Carroll’s rape accusations were substantially true in the colloquial sense, even if a jury did not find rape in the purely legal sense. Read part of this ruling here:

The Court further struck several of Trump’s affirmative defenses in Carroll’s lawsuit and limited others, including one associated with Trump’s absolute immunity while President defense. Read Judge Kaplan’s final conclusions here:

In sum, so long as an appellate court upholds the $5 million verdict, Trump will be required to compensate Carroll. In the interim, Carroll still has a pending defamation suit against Trump, and I will provide further updates as we learn more.

2) Abrams Tanks Headed to Ukraine

The first batch of United States-made Abrams tanks has officially been approved for shipment to Ukraine. According to Doug Bush, the head of the procurement department of the US Army, the tanks will arrive in Ukraine by early fall, with 31 total tanks being sent to Ukraine. These tanks will significantly increase Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities and come as support for Ukraine amongst Western countries remains strong.

3) Officer Sentenced to Prison

Tou Thao, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of aiding and abetting second degree manslaughter has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. Thao held back a crowd of bystanders during the fatal arrest and murder of George Floyd in May 2020. After Thao gave a brief statement, Judge Peter Cahill remarked: “Mr. Thao, to be perfectly honest, after three years of reflection, I was hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgement of some responsibility and less preaching.” Thao is currently serving a 3 1/2 year sentence in federal prison, and will serve both sentences concurrently. Once his federal sentence finishes, Thao will be transferred to a state prison to complete the remainder of his state sentence.

4) Extreme Heat Kills at Least 147 Americans

A new report has found that extreme heat in the United States is responsible for at least 147 deaths in just five counties. According to CNN, the deaths reported in this latest article occurred in three states and as of early August, 64 people died in Pima County, Arizona; 39 in Maricopa County, Arizona; 26 in Clark County, Nevada; 11 in Webb County, Texas; and seven in Harris County, Texas. This is a mere snapshot of the total number of deaths, both in the United States and around the globe, as we have experienced the hottest month on record in July. Learn more about these tragic numbers here.

5) U.S. Officials Meet With Military Junta in Niger

About two weeks after a military junta deposed Niger’s first democratically elected President, Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled to Niger and met with members of the military junta. According to CNN reporting, the conversations were “extremely frank and at times quite difficult." Nuland hopes to keep the door open to diplomacy but noted that the Junta’s “ideas do not comport with the Constitution.” Although she asked to see President Mohamed Bazoum, her request was denied by junta leaders. As we learn more about this difficult situation, I will provide with updates concerning the same.