July 20, 2023 - Your Morning Digest

A federal grand jury nears a third Trump indictment, Ukraine fires back, and protestors storm a Swedish embassy

Today is July 20, 2023 and here are four top stories you missed overnight:

1) The Federal Grand Jury Investigating Trump Returns

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. The letter invited Trump to appear in front of the grand jury, although this remains unlikely.

New reporting shows that the target letter included three possible charges the grand jury is considering: (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, it is very likely we will see an indictment within the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more.

2) Ukraine Fires Back

Last night, the Black Sea Grain Deal expired, and the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it will consider all ships coming into or leaving a Ukrainian port to potentially carry military equipment. This definition even included civilian ships, giving Russia a free pass to attack these ships. In addition, if a ship contains a country’s flag on it, and it enters a Ukrainian port, Russia will now consider that country to be a party to the war.

Well, this morning, Ukraine fired back. Ukraine announced that it may consider all ships traveling to Russian and Ukrainian ports occupied by Russia as potential carriers of military cargoes beginning at midnight on July 21 "with all the associated risks." The Ukrainians said that the responsibility for any future attacks on these ships lies solely with the Russian Government. This news comes as Russia continues to build a major presence along the Northern Ukrainian border, with an offensive on Kharkiv likely coming soon.

The full statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense can be found here:

3) Protestors Storm Swedish Embassy in Iraq

In response to police in Stockholm, Sweden sanctioning another planned burning of the Quran, hundreds of protestors stormed the main gates of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraqi security forces dispersed many of these protestors, and videos posted to social media showed a large number of protestors within the embassy’s perimeter, with fire coming from inside the building. The fire was put out.

As a result of this incident, along with the sanctioned Quran burning, the Iraqi Government made the decision to expel the Swedish Ambassador and all diplomatic staff from Baghdad. The Government further recalled its entire diplomatic staff from Stockholm. Tensions between Iraq and Sweden continue to rise, and there does not appear to be an end in sight. Learn more here.

4) Ukraine Begins Using Cluster Munitions

The Ukrainian Military has begun using cluster munitions, provided by the United States, 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.