It's Tuesday morning, what do we know?
The Pope visits Canada and Russia cuts energy supplies to Europe
What else do we know?
On Monday, ABC broke news that former Vice President Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, was spotted departing D.C. District Court on Friday after appearing before the federal grand jury investigating the January 6th attack on The Capitol. Short is the highest ranking Trump administration official known to have appeared before the grand jury and likely has firsthand knowledge of Trump’s actions on the day and in the weeks preceding January 6th. The federal grand jury investigating January 6th expanded its probe in March to include events prior to January 6th itself
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski both announced they tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. The Senate has a busy slate ahead of its August recess, including votes on a same sex marriage bill and a top priority semiconductor bill. In a 50-50 Senate (where senators are required to vote in person) it is unclear what impact Manchin’s absence will have on the legislative agenda. As a moderate Republican, Murkowski’s absence could also complicate votes
Pope Francis apologized on Monday to Canada’s indigenous peoples for the church’s role in stripping native children of their cultural heritage and attempts to impose cultural assimilation, calling it a "deplorable evil" and "disastrous error." "With shame and unambiguously, I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the indigenous peoples," said the pope. Between 1881 and 1996 more than 150,000 indigenous children were separated from their families and brought to residential schools where they were starved, beaten for speaking their native languages and sexually abused. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has described the actions as ‘cultural genocide’
If Democrats truly believe Trump and those who support him are an existential threat to democracy–and they are–the need to stop doing this and this, it’s too smart by half, morally indefensible and guaranteed to backfire
Actor Paul Sorvino passed away on Monday at the age of 83
What do we know in Ukraine?
Yesterday marked the five month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Russia announced it will cut the delivery of natural gas to its European customers by half. Currently, Nord Stream I is operating at 40% of capacity, Russia’s move will reduce that to just 20%. For countries like Germany, who are heavily dependent on Russian natural gas, the cut and the threat of a total cutoff of supply are likely to create an energy crisis. EU officials from all 27 member nations have convened to try and find a solution to the impending crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia’s cuts a ‘form of terror’ and urged the EU to ramp up sanctions in response
In the bluntest terms yet, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia’s overarching goal is to topple the Ukrainian government. At an Arab League summit in Cairo on Sunday, Lavrov said, “We will certainly help the Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical.” Lavrov’s comments contradict earlier statements by various Russia officials that Moscow’s only aim was to liberate the Donbas region. Russia, meanwhile, is trying to solidify its support with African allies this week, as Lavrov travels around the region
President Zelensky asked for the U.N. and Turkish officials to ensure the security of Ukrainian grain exports, which are set to begin following an agreement between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations. The resumption of grain exports should help stave off a food crisis in several developing nations that import Ukrainian grain
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said U.S.-made HIMARS have destroyed 50 Russian ammunition depots. Ukrainian forces have been targeting Russian depots in the south as part of their offensive to retake Kherson
Haven’t concluded a newsletter with a moment of Zen in a while, here ya go:
One of the most disturbing images of Trump's tenure started with Lavrov on stage with trump turning to the crowd with a snarky grin before retiring to a private confab sans US reporters.
More HIMARS, please.