It's Thursday morning, what do we know?
Inflation surges and Russia and Ukraine near a deal on grain
What do we know?
The consumer price index surged in June to 9.1%, the highest rate since 1981. Even excluding fuel prices, which surged a whopping 42% year over year, core inflation rose 5.9% since last June. After months of saying rising inflation would be transitory, most economists have conceded that it appears it will persist well into 2023
In a case that drew national attention following the overturning of Roe, an Ohio man has been charged with raping a 10-year-old girl. The case came to national prominence when President Biden highlighted how the girl had to travel to Indiana to receive an abortion. Some Republicans claimed the entire story was fabricated, including Congressman Gym Jordan
Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Don Jr are scheduled to testify next week in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization overestimated its assets to banks while underestimating them for tax purposes
Civil rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune became the first black American elevated by a state for recognition in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. McLeod’s statue will replace one of Edmund Kirby Smith, a Confederate general. McLeod founded the Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida and was one of the founding members of the United Negro College Fund, among some of her many accomplishments. She was also a member of FDR’s ‘black cabinet’ and was instrumental in convincing Harry Truman to desegregate the U.S. military
According to CNN, the witness former President Trump tried to tamper with was a a member of the White House support staff who was talking to the January 6th Committee and could apparently corroborate some of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony
What do we know in Ukraine?
Russia has continued its missile attacks across Ukraine, leaving at least 10 dead and dozens more wounded since Monday. Russia has targeted the southern cities of Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia in an effort to hold onto its gains in the south while continuing its offensive into Donetsk
Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey met with United Nations representatives in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss the safe export of Ukrainian grain amid fears of a global food crisis. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that there had been “some progress” in the negotiations. There is guarded optimism Russia and Ukraine will reach an agreement on grain shipments sometime next week