July 19, 2023 - Your Evening Digest

Major escalation by Russia, Trump loses again, sparks fly in Congress, and much more

Today is July 19, 2023, and here is all the news you need to know about from today:

1) Major Escalation by Russia

Today, Russia announced a major escalation that will have significant impacts to the war. The Black Sea Grain Deal, which was initially executed to ensure grain supply is able to enter and exit Ukrainian ports has expired. This will raise food costs for people worldwide and will exacerbate our global food crisis.

On top of this, Russia announced that it will consider any ship entering or exiting a Ukrainian port to have military equipment. The country, whose flag is on any of these ships, will also be considered parties to the war, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Russia is now giving itself free reign to attack ships entering or leaving Ukrainian ports, even if they are NATO ships. This could lead to a major escalation to a war that is on the brink of becoming much larger. Learn more here.

2) Sparks Fly in the House Oversight Committee

Today, House Republicans on the Oversight Committee held a hearing with purported “whistleblowers” from the IRS. This hearing was part of their ultimate investigation into President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. During this hearing, sparks flew as Republican members, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, shared unconsensual nude images of Hunter Biden in the Committee room. A blurred out image can be seen here:

During the hearing, Republicans claimed the Department of Justice was severely politicized and introduced evidence of alleged wrongdoing by the Hunter Biden. Much of this evidence, however, has already been debunked by multiple sources. Ultimately, the hearing, outside of political games by Republicans on the Committee did not prove anything against the President or his son. Instead, the hearing showed exactly why Congress’ approval rating is at an all time low amongst the American public. Learn more about this hearing here.

3) Donald Trump Loses in Court Again (x2)

Today, Donald Trump suffered two major losses in front of two separate judges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In the first major decision, Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a recent jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. Donald Trump’s primary argument in his attempt to overturn the jury’s verdict focused on the fact that the New York jury did not find him liable for raping Carroll. Judge Kaplan rejected this argument and found that Donald Trump committed rape, as commonly defined.

The second major loss for Donald Trump concerned the criminal case filed by the Manhattan District Attorney related to the hush money payments made by Trump. SDNY Judge Hellerstein’s ruled that Donald Trump failed to show that the charged conducted related to any act performed by or for the President under color of the official acts of a President. Trump further failed to show that he had a colorable federal defense to the indictment. As a result, Judge Hellerstein remanded the case back to New York state court where the case will proceed. However, just like with the Carroll decision discussed above, this decision can also be appealed. Stay tuned for more on this.

4) Mass Shooting in Aukland, New Zealand

Aukland, New Zealand was struck with tragedy today as at least two individuals have passed away and more injured due to a mass shooting that occurred just hours before the FIFA Women’s World Cup was scheduled to begin. According to local law enforcement, the incident occurred at 7:22 AM local time. New Zealand police announced that the shooting is an isolated incident and there is no threat to national security. The World Cup will proceed as planned. Our prayers go out to the victims and their families. Learn more about this shooting here.

5) Wagner Presence in Belarus Quickly Growing

The Wagner Group’s presence is growing fast in Belarus, according to reports. New satellite imagery shows that hundreds of vehicles from Wagner Group convoys have arrived at a previously disused military base in Belarus. This comes about 72 hours after the first convoy arrived. Earlier this morning, a video emerged showing the group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, greeting fighters in Belarus. This video was the first public appearance since he led the attempted rebellion in Russia. This is a situation that is worth keeping an eye on as Russia continues to build its presence along the border with Ukraine.

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