July 25, 2023 - Your Morning Digest

Trump indictment looming, mines found at power plant, Ukraine makes gains, and more this morning

Today is July 25, 2023, and here is all the news you need to know about this morning. If you enjoy my newsletter, please consider a monthly subscription to support my work, and to get access to Q&As, exclusive content, and more.

1) Trump Indictment Could Come as Soon as Today

A grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021 will be meeting again today at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. Yesterday, I walked past the D.C. federal courthouse where the grand jury is meeting and saw media trucks line up.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has also received thousands of documents from Rudy Giuliani’s close ally, Bernie Kerik, detailing efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Many of these documents have not been previously disclosed to prosecutors. Although it is unclear whether the Special Counsel will indict Trump before or after any potential testimony from Kerik, there is a growing chance that Trump is indicted as soon as today. If an indictment is issued, I will report directly from the D.C. courthouse and provide you updates as we learn them in realtime.

2) Ukraine Makes Gains

The morning, the Ukrainian military announced that is has made some gains along the southern front "in the direction of Staromaiorske,” in the Berdiansk front, near Velyka Novosilka. Moreover, the Institute for the Study of War announced that Ukraine was able to advance over 1.7 kilometers toward the northeastern outskirt by using a different tactic. Instead of going directly at Russian forces, Ukrainian military members have gone around Russian fortifications with the support of artillery. Despite these advances, Russian troops have continued their focus on preventing any Ukrainian advances and are making it difficult for Ukraine to continue making gains during the counteroffensive. Stay tuned for more as the counteroffensive continues.

3) Mines Found at Nuclear Power Plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency found mines at the largest nuclear power plant in Eastern Europe, the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. This discovery comes after repeated claims by Ukraine that the site was mined by Russia occupiers. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said that “IAEA experts have observed directional anti-personnel mines on the periphery of the site of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia NPP.” The IAEA was told that the placement of mines was “a military decision, and in an area controlled by military.”

Grossi followed up by providing details about the location of the mines, asserting that the “IAEA team saw some mines located in a buffer zone between the site’s internal and external perimeter barriers,” noting that the mines were “situated in a restricted area that operating plant personnel cannot access and were facing away from the site.” Having these explosives at the power plant were “inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance.”  

4) Russia Shores up Relationship with North Korea

Russia is shoring up its relationship with North Korea this week as Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, will begin a three-day visit to the hermit kingdom later today. As many know, North Korea has been one of only a few countries that has supported Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, blaming the United States for the war. For its part, North Korea has increased balistic missile testing during the war. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the visit "will help strengthen Russian-North Korean military ties and will be an important stage in the development of cooperation between the two countries.”

5) Man Tests Positive for Deadly MERS Virus

According to the World Health Organization, a man has tested positive for the deadly MERS-COV virus at a town in the United Arab Emirates, near the border of Oman. The MERS virus has an over 30% fatality rate, but is difficult to spread. All 108 identified contacts were monitored for 14 days from the last date of exposure to the patient and they all tested negative. Please send your prayers for the man’s swift recovery. I will update you on this as we learn more.