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US to send $500M in aid to Ukraine after Wagner Group rebellion

June 27, 2023
In the United States’ first notable action regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the Wagner Group staged a rebellion against Moscow over the weekend, President Joe Biden is expected to announce up to $500 million in military aid to Ukraine. The announcement is expected Tuesday, June 27. The package is set to include:
- 30 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
- 25 armored Stryker vehicles to Ukraine.
- Missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Patriot air defense systems.
- Javelin and high-speed anti-radiation (HARM) missiles.
- Demolition munitions.
- Obstacle-clearing equipment.
- A wide range of artillery rounds and other ammunition.
The aid is aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which has been moving slowly in its early stages. Despite this, spokesperson for the Joint Chief of Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine reported success in various directions of the frontline Tuesday.

“They are inflicting fire damage with artillery at the identified enemy targets, and carrying out counter-battery measures,” Oleksandr Shtupun said of Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday. “The Russian occupation troops are suffering significant losses in personnel, weapons and equipment.”

The latest military aid package marks the 41st time since the invasion began that the U.S. has provided military weapons and equipment to Ukraine through presidential drawdown authority. The program allows the Pentagon to quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them to Ukraine.

According to the Pentagon, the U.S. has delivered more than $15 billion in weapons and equipment to Ukraine. The U.S. has committed an additional $6.2 billion in supplies that haven’t yet been identified. The additional commitment is the result of an accounting error.

The announcement of the Ukraine military aid is set to come the same day Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had the mutiny charges he could’ve faced officially dropped. Russia’s Federal Security Service said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny, which lasted less than 24 hours after Prigozhin declared it Friday, “ceased activities directed at committing the crime.”

“An armed rebellion would have been suppressed in any case. The organizers of the rebellion, despite the loss of adequacy, could not fail to understand this,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday, June 26. “They understood everything, including the fact that they went to criminal acts, to split and weaken the country, which is now confronting a colossal external threat.”

A jet linked to Prigozhin arrived in Belarus Tuesday. That’s where he was expected to go following the deal he struck with the Kremlin to have his charges dropped and end the group’s march on Moscow.

Because the Ukraine aid packages are generally planned in advance, the contents of the package weren’t likely chosen based on the Wagner Group rebellion. It wasn’t clear if Ukrainian forces will be able to take advantage of the disarray in the Russian ranks.

“I’ll emphasize, as the president did just a little bit ago, that it’s too early to speculate on the impact these events might have or to reach any definitive conclusions, except one, of course, and that is that no matter what happens next, we’re going to stay closely coordinated with those allies and partners, and we’re going to continue to stand with Ukraine,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. “As we’re speaking here right now, Ukrainian forces are still fighting for their country. They’re still trying to claw back captured territory. They’re still taking and they’re still inflicting casualties. So, whatever occurred in Russia this past weekend did not change those facts. Didn’t change the facts for us. Didn’t change those facts for Ukraine. And they absolutely are not going to change our continued support.”
Trump pleads not guilty, promises investigation into Biden if re-elected: June 14

June 14, 2023
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 federal charges against him, and car thefts have dramatically spiked in the United States. These stories and more highlight the rundown for Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

Trump pleads not guilty in classified documents case

As expected, former President Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges he’s facing related to his handling of classified documents. Similar to his arraignment over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels earlier this year, Trump used the historic moment to further declare his innocence and rail on the prosecution.

After pleading not guilty, Trump returned to his Bedminster, New Jersey resort for a planned speech. Highlights from the speech included Trump claiming he was too busy to go through the boxes of documents at his Mar-A-Lago resort and promising to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if Trump is elected president next year.

Feds set to leave interest rates alone

For the first time in 15 months, the Federal Reserve is poised to leave interest rates alone when it meets Wednesday. The streak of rate hikes has raised interest rates at the fastest pace in four decades. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has made it clear that any pause in rate hikes would likely be temporary, with another hike likely as soon as their next meeting in late July.

There are 18 committee members on a policymaking committee that decides the rate hikes. Among the policymakers, there appears to be a split between those who want to raise rates one or two more times and those who want to leave the rate alone and monitor inflation. The latter group is concerned that hiking too aggressively would heighten the risk of recession.

University of Wisconsin’s budget in jeopardy over diversity programs

The University of Wisconsin is the latest college at the center of a fight for state funding over its diversity initiatives. Republicans in the state are looking to slash more than $30 million of taxpayer money the university receives in order to defund its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on campus.

The GOP-controlled legislature was poised to make the cuts on Tuesday, June 13, but postponed the vote after its finance committee couldn’t come to an agreement after seven hours of closed-door discussions. The state has already refused to pay for the university’s top building project in retaliation for what they call “frivolous spending” on diversity programs.

A new chief diversity officer at the university started work this week with a $225,000 salary. State Republicans still plan on taking a vote to defund the University of Wisconsin, but are tabling it until they reach an agreement on how far to cut the school’s budget.

Russia sends nuclear weapons to Belarus

Russia was set to deliver tactical nuclear weapons to military storage facilities in Belarus. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed the arrival of weapons and called Russia’s nuclear arsenal three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima.

President Lukashenko added there “would be no hesitation” to use the nuclear weapons in response to potential aggressors. Russia would retain control over the weapons, continuing to use Belarus as a “launching pad” for Moscow’s military operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the transfer by pointing to the U.S. deploying their own nuclear weapons around European countries. The U.S. has condemned Russia for transferring the arsenal, but also said there is no sign that Russia plans to use them.

Tuesday’s announcement marked the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union that Moscow has moved warheads outside the country.

Car thefts at highest level since 2008

More than one million cars were stolen in 2022. That’s the highest number since 2008, and the equivalent of about two vehicles stolen every minute. The Kia and Hyundai car-theft challenge is probably not helping these numbers.

With camera surveillance at some border ports of entry, a CBS news investigation uncovered thousands of these stolen vehicles being smuggled into Mexico and going unchecked. License plate readers installed in California, Arizona, and Texas were able to capture nearly 3,000 stolen vehicles driven out of the country, according to a California Highway Patrol Official. The official suspects the number is much larger.

Not only are the vehicles being driven out, but luxury cars are also being smuggled in shipping containers at ports on both coasts. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the increase in car thefts will likely translate to drivers paying higher premiums for car insurance.

Fort Polk becomes latest base to receive new name

A U.S. army base in Louisiana has been renamed from Fort Polk to Fort Johnson’ in the latest removal of a Confederate commander. The fort is now named after Sergeant William Henry Johnson, a black World War I hero and Medal of Honor recipient. Johnson served in the first ever all-black national guard unit.

The renaming of military bases is due to a mandate from the Pentagon to remove Confederate names from military installations. Fort Polk is the fourth of nine bases to receive name changes.

Earlier this month, Fort Bragg was renamed to Fort Liberty. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has vowed to reverse this decision if he becomes president.
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US tells Americans in Russia to leave ‘immediately’

February 13, 2023

Americans living in Russia need to get out now, while they still can. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said U.S. citizens living or traveling in Russia should depart immediately and “exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions.”

According to a travel advisory posted to the embassy website, Russia may “refuse to acknowledge dual nationals’ U.S. citizenship, deny their access to U.S. consular assistance, subject them to mobilization, prevent their departure from Russia, and/or conscript them.”

Because of sanctions, U.S. credit and debit cards don’t work in Russia. It is extremely difficult to wire money into the country, and there is also a cash shortage in Russia.

The embassy advised commercial flight options for U.S. citizens are also limited, and suggested U.S. nationals in Russia should make independent arrangements to leave. The embassy said it has severe limitations on its ability to help U.S. citizens get out of the country, and transportation options may suddenly become “even more limited.”

The embassy said American citizens working in Russia are becoming victims of harassment, mistreatment and extortion. U.S. nationals who participated in political demonstrations in Russia have been targeted and arrested by local authorities, and American religious workers in Russia are also the subject of increased scrutiny with some being accused of acting as American spies.

In addition to threats from the Russian government, the U.S. Embassy said terrorist organizations operating in Russia could target tourist locations, transportation hubs, malls, hotels or other public places. Travel to the North Caucasus, including Chechnya, is “prohibited for U.S. government employees and strongly discouraged for U.S. citizens.”

The U.S. Embassy issued a similar advisory to Americans in Russia last fall, when Vladimir Putin announced the immediate conscription of 300,000 men to fight the war in Ukraine. Since then, the embassy said Russian security forces arrested Americans on “spurious charges…and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting credible evidence.”
‘It’s hard to talk’: World’s coldest city powers through cold snap

January 16, 2023

The Siberian town of Yakutsk, Russia – known as the coldest city in the world – is currently suffering an abnormally long cold snap. Temperatures have plummeted to -58 degrees F in recent days. Last week, temperatures were forecasted to be a low as -85.

“It feels like this is the coldest winter. Another problem I’ve got is that my footwear isn’t warm,” student Sargylana Pavlova told Euronews. “It’s very warm inside buildings, it’s very cold outside. I don’t know where to find some balance.”

Yakutsk is located 3,100 miles east of Moscow on the permafrost of the Russian Far East. January is typically the coldest month of the year, with residents regularly seeing temperatures below -40.

“To be honest, we’re used to cold snaps. [Minus] 50 or 60, there’s no huge difference for us. We dress like this in the winter, we’re prepared,” a Yakutsk resident who spoke to Reuters said. “Some people protect their homes from cold. I don’t do anything, whatever happens, happens, that’s it.”

While some in the coldest city are used to the cold snaps, others believe “you can’t fight it.” Anastasia Gruzdeva, who was wearing two scarves, two pairs of gloves, and multiple hats and hoods when speaking with Reuters, added “you either adjust and dress accordingly or you suffer.”

For others, like fish seller Marina Levina, even being prepared for the cold can still get in the way of the daily routine.

“It’s hard to talk, to breathe, to move because we wear a hundred layers,” Levina told Euronews. “Working is very hard, of course. But we need to sell our product, so we’re here.”

CNN contributed to this report.

US to send $500M in aid to Ukraine after Wagner Group rebellion

Trump pleads not guilty, promises investigation into Biden if re-elected: June 14

US tells Americans in Russia to leave ‘immediately’

‘It’s hard to talk’: World’s coldest city powers through cold snap

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