Trump indicted in documents case

The Justice Department lodged federal criminal charges against Donald Trump, following an investigation into his handling of classified documents upon leaving office and into whether he obstructed the government’s efforts to reclaim them. It remains unclear precisely what materials were found at his Florida residence and what national security damage his possession of them caused, if any.

The indictment is the first time a former American president has faced federal charges. It puts the nation in an extraordinary position, given Trump’s status as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to face President Biden, whose administration will now be seeking to convict his potential rival.

Trump was charged with a total of seven counts, including willfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements and conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to people familiar with the matter. He is expected to surrender himself to authorities in Miami on Tuesday.

Context: The indictment came about two months after prosecutors in New York filed more than 30 felony charges against Trump in a case connected to a hush money payment to a porn star in advance of the 2016 election. The former president still faces other open criminal investigations.

Related: Trump is using a familiar playbook to undermine the investigation.

Rishi Sunak in Washington

President Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain met yesterday at the White House, where they asserted that the “special relationship” between their countries was strong enough to meet challenges posed by artificial intelligence, economic headwinds and an ongoing war in Ukraine.

I spoke to Mark Landler, our London bureau chief, about what to take away from the two-day summit.

Natasha: Was Sunak able to meet his aims in Washington this week?

Mark: The U.K. came into this visit with a fairly modest set of expectations — they weren’t going to get a full-blown trade deal with the U.S., but they wanted to get some public display of economic cooperation. And they did get this more modest agreement to protect supply chains, called the Atlantic Declaration. There was also talk of cooperating on regulating artificial intelligence. I would say they emerged with probably about the most they could hope for.

How would you describe the relationship between Biden and Sunak?

They are no longer extremely formal with one another, and they do have a personal rapport. But remember, one of them is an 80-year-old, and the other is a 42-year-old. They’re divided by age, by background and by interests. This is not going to be the kind of close relationship that Tony Blair had with Bill Clinton, or that Margaret Thatcher had with Ronald Reagan decades ago.

What could trans-Atlantic cooperation on A.I. regulation look like?

They didn’t really fill in the blanks, but they’re going to work jointly on researching the challenges that A.I. raises.

The U.K., under Sunak, would like to be a global leader in establishing rules for the development of A.I. technology. The problem the U.K. has is that, having left the European Union, they’re not part of the dialogue between the U.S. and the E.U. on what to do about artificial intelligence, and there’s a danger they could find themselves elbowed out.

What else did Sunak accomplish — or not accomplish — on this trip?

On the level of optics, Rishi Sunak has had more success overseas than at home, where he has a very, very, tough economic situation and his party is lagging in the polls. Overseas, he’s been able to carve out a fairly strong position for the U.K., based on its staunch support of Ukraine and the strong role it can take on some of these other economic issues.

For Sunak, this was all about looking good as a global statesman. The only potential missed opportunity was on the rather trivial level of baseball: At the Washington Nationals game the night before he met Biden, he was invited as a V.I.P. to throw out the first pitch. Sunak put on the jacket and walked out to the mound, but he handed the ball to someone else to pitch. I think that frustrated some British diplomats, who thought that Sunak would actually be pretty well equipped to pitch a baseball — because he does play cricket, and the skills are sort of similar.

Ukraine mounts a major offensive against Russia

Ukrainian forces mounted a major attack early yesterday in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, in what U.S. officials said appeared to be a main thrust of its long-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia. There was no indication of a breakthrough in an operation that carries high stakes for Kyiv and its Western allies, who have supplied it with billions of dollars worth of weapons.

In recent days, Russia has also reported that Ukrainian forces have launched attacks on fronts in the east and south. Taken together, these attacks suggest Ukrainian forces are increasingly on the offensive, though it remains unclear whether the recent assaults on Russian are preludes to a larger push or mark the start of the main attack.

Russian military officials said that their forces had withstood the assault and inflicted heavy casualties. The U.S. confirmed that Ukraine’s Army had suffered casualties in the early fighting. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which has said it will remain silent on details.

Dam destruction: Russia shelled the flood-stricken city of Kherson. Hundreds of people who had gathered to evacuate scrambled for cover as explosions rang out.

THE LATEST NEWS

Around the World

A knife-wielding man stabbed six people in Annecy, France. A suspect, a Syrian asylum seeker, was arrested.

China is destroying Arabic architectural features of mosques, such as domes and minarets.

The U.S. suspended all food aid to Ethiopia, citing theft of the contributions.

The Vatican said that Pope Francis was recovering well from hernia surgery.

From the U.S.

Hundreds of fires raging across eastern Canada spread clouds of dangerous pollution across much of the eastern U.S. yesterday.

The Supreme Court rejected Alabama’s redrawn congressional map, saying it diluted the power of Black voters.

Black families lost millions through eminent domain, an authority that allows governments to seize properties in the interest of public use. Now some are trying to get their land back.

The Week in Culture

Prince Harry testified in a phone hacking case, taking on the British tabloids. His suit communicated his seriousness.

The fabled Cinecittà Studios in Rome are buzzing with activity again, thanks to modernized facilities and generous tax incentives.

You didn’t mean “ducking”: Apple announced an update to its autocorrect function to more accurately reflect users’ intended word choices, including profanity.

Astrud Gilberto, whose performance of “The Girl From Ipanema” helped make bossa nova popular in the U.S., died at 83.

A Morning Read

As many as half a million feral cats may pad around New York City, thriving in virtually every neighborhood with suitable nooks and crannies. Some are descended from unwanted pandemic pets or from furry friends that owners could no longer afford.

To tackle the problem, one nonprofit has adopted an approach that was first developed in England in the 1950s to deal with a feral cat problem: T.N.R. — trap, neuter, return.

Lives Lived

Ama Ata Aidoo, a Ghanaian playwright and feminist who explored the complexities faced by women living in the shadow of colonialism, died at 81.

SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC

The impact of Real Madrid’s new signing: Key questions on Jude Bellingham’s transfer, answered.

West Ham’s path to European glory: Winning the Europa Conference League involved David Moyes’s magic, a perfect plan for Jarrod Bowen and bonding in Portugal.

The $125 million soccer player: How Jack Grealish lived up to his Manchester City price tag.

ARTS AND IDEAS

‘Beige flags’

To sort through the chaos of modern dating, some singles apply a color-coded system: green flags for go-ahead signs (honesty); red for behaviors to avoid (poor dental hygiene); and beige ones for those traits that, while odd, are neither a deal breaker nor exactly a plus.

Some examples of these benign, but baffling, behaviors: eating live ants; maintaining a Lego obsession into adulthood; being afraid of astronauts. (Examples proliferate on TikTok, often set to a schmaltzy saxophone soundtrack.) A beige flag might make a potential partner pause and say “Huh?” — before carrying on with the relationship.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to Cook

These burgers have a secret folded into the patty.

Wedding Season

How to plan an alcohol-free wedding.

Travel

Spend 36 hours in Split, Croatia.

Now Time to Play

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Airplane choices (five letters).

And here are today’s Wordle and the Spelling Bee.

You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. Have a fabulous weekend. — Natasha

P.S. Speaking to N.B.C. News about exciting new titles, Gilbert Cruz, our Books editor, recommends David Grann’s “The Wager,” about an 18th-century shipwreck.

“The Daily” is about the race to become the Republican Party’s presidential candidate.

You can reach Natasha and the team at [email protected].

Natasha Frost writes the Europe Morning Briefing and reports on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific from Melbourne, Australia. @natashamfrost

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