Good morning everyone. Apologies for the late newsletter this morning. I was preparing to record as planned and then spilled my coffee all over myself and my computer, so it’s been a fun clean up this morning.
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With that, here’s the news:
Russian invasion of Ukraine:
Donald Trump said any Ukraine–Russia peace deal would involve territorial swaps, claiming some territory would be “switched” for the “betterment of both,” and announced plans to meet Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska, with Russian officials confirming the date and location.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers” after Donald Trump said an end to the war would involve “some swapping of territories” and announced a meeting with Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska, with reports suggesting the proposed deal could allow Russia to retain some occupied Ukrainian territory in exchange for halting its offensive.
Putin rejected a proposed three-way meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying conditions for such a meeting were not yet in place, while Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov mentioned the possibility of a future summit with Trump in Moscow.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said signals suggested a potential “freeze” in the Ukraine conflict might be near, following conversations with Zelenskyy, Trump, and European leaders.
Zelenskyy reported ongoing attacks, including over 100 drone strikes and multiple airstrikes, but said allies were united in believing a ceasefire was possible with the right pressure on Russia.
Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity at age 27 while reporting on detentions and torture in occupied Ukraine, was buried in Kyiv, with colleagues and family honoring her courage and work.
All other news:
The Trump administration’s latest tariff hikes—raising the average U.S. tariff rate to 18.6%, the highest since the Great Depression—are expected to significantly increase prices on goods from cars and coffee to clothing and toys, costing households an estimated $2,400 a year and prompting warnings from economists and businesses about inflation, supply chain disruption, and reduced consumer demand.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is considering emergency measures in response to actions in Texas and vowed to “nullify what happens in Texas.”
Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for children aged six months to four years may lose FDA authorization this fall, potentially leaving no fully approved option for healthy children under five and prompting Moderna—which currently has approval only for kids with certain health conditions—to work with the CDC on expanding supply to fill the gap.
After his parents and five siblings—four of them U.S. citizens, including an 11-year-old recovering from a rare brain tumor—were deported to Mexico, an 18-year-old in Texas has been working two jobs to send his sister lifesaving medication she can’t access there, while his family awaits a decision on their humanitarian parole request.
Colorado health officials are on alert after a domestic cat in Evergreen tested positive for the plague—the county’s first animal case since 2023—just weeks after an Arizona man died from the disease, prompting warnings to avoid contact with wildlife, use flea prevention for pets, and seek prompt medical care if symptoms appear.
A 17-year-old opened fire in New York City’s Times Square early Saturday after a verbal dispute, injuring three people—an 18-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man, and a 65-year-old man—who were all hospitalized in stable condition, with the firearm recovered and the suspect in custody amid an overall decline in citywide shootings.
Nicaraguan asylum seeker Roberto Reyes and his family have been barricaded in their California apartment for over a week after he escaped an attempted arrest by ICE agents, who the Department of Homeland Security claims are pursuing him for past violent offenses he says were dismissed, leaving the family unable to work or attend school and reliant on community support amid ongoing surveillance and fear of detention.
World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture co-founded in 2024 by Donald Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr and backed by the president, is seeking $1.5 billion from investors to form a public company holding its $WLFI tokens, after generating $500 million for the family, amid concerns over conflicts of interest and lax regulation.
Good news:
A wild-born red-billed chough has fledged in Dover, England, for the first time in over 200 years, marking a major milestone in a conservation project by Wildwood Trust, Kent Wildlife Trust, and partners to reintroduce up to 50 of the once-lost birds to the region through habitat restoration and species recovery efforts.
In Belize, Maya descendants are reviving the ancient ballgame pok-ta-pok—considered the world’s oldest team sport—now played internationally under the name Pelota Maya, with Belize boasting national teams and a deep talent pool as the game grows from its ritual and cultural roots into a modern competitive sport.
In Pittsburgh, Gary Thynes—guided by his intuition and a persistent stray pit bull—discovered two unconscious people in a tent encampment, called 911 to get them to the hospital, and is fostering the dog until its owners recover, crediting his 16 months of sobriety for helping him recognize the urgency and save their lives.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
