July 20, 2023 - Your Evening Digest

Chinese hacks, Trump indictments, and more

Today is July 20, 2023 and here is all the news you need to know about from today.

1) Chinese Hackers Target U.S. Ambassador

According to reports, Chinese hackers breached the email account of the United States Ambassador to China. The hackers also accessed the email account of Daniel Kritenbrink, who is the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia. Kritenbrink recently traveled with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. It is unclear whether hackers were able to access the Secretary’s emails.

Initial reports suggest that hundreds of thousands of emails were exposed in this hack and comes one week after news suggested that Chinese hackers accessed the emails of Gina Raimondo, the United States Secretary of Commerce. It remains to be seen how this latest news impacts US-China relations, especially at a time when the two global powers are attempting to repair their fraught relationship. Stay tuned for more.

2) D.C. Grand Jury Nears Decision on Trump Indictment

This morning, a federal grand jury investigating the events of January 6, 2021 will be returning to a Washington, D.C. Courthouse. Four days ago, Donald Trump received a target letter from the Special Counsel notifying him that he is a target of the grand jury’s investigation. Donald Trump has not appeared in front of the grand jury. It is believed that Trump aide Will Russell testified in front of the grand jury today. This would not be the first time he testified.

The grand jury is considering three possible charges against Trump: (1) 18 U.S.C. § 371, conspiracy against the United States; (2) 18 U.S.C. § 1512 or 1513, witness tampering; and (3) 18 U.S.C. § 242 the deprivation of rights under the color of law, or the conspiracy to do the same. Each of these statutes are punishable by significant prison time. With the grand jury continuing its business today, we could see an indictment released as soon as tomorrow.

3) Florida Board of Education Approves New Standards for Teaching African American History

The Florida Board of Education has approved new standards for teaching African American history in Florida, causing significant controversy. These new standards come after a law passed by the Florida Legislature was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The standards specifically bar instruction in schools that suggests anyone is privileged or oppressed because of their race or skin color. This is yet another example of the Board of Education’s war on African American history, which includes the department’s rejection of a pilot version of an AP African American Studies course, and comes at a time when Ron DeSantis is actively invoking “wokeness” and culture wars on the campaign trail.

4) Greenland Ice Core Signals Concerns About Sea Level Rise

Scientists recently discovered an ice core taken from well beneath Greenland’s ice sheet. This ice core has revealed that large parts of the country were ice-free several hundred thousand years ago when global temperatures were as hot as they were today. In a new study published in the journal, “Science,” evidence obtained from the ice core implicates potentially disastrous sea level rise of over 4 feet. If you would like to read the study, you can find it here.

5) Ukraine Starts Using Cluster Munitions

The Ukrainian Military has used cluster munitions on the front line. Specifically, these cluster munitions, which were provided by the United States, have been used by the Ukrainian military against Russian Defensive Lines in the South and East of the country. The decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine sparked significant controversy as over 100 countries around the world have banned the use of cluster munitions in armed conflict.

However, the United States, Ukraine, and Russia have not. To date, cluster munitions have been used by both Russia and Ukraine, with Russia having a larger stockpile of the weapon. It remains to be seen whether these cluster munitions have an impact on the war. Learn more about this latest news here.