Prigozhin’s death questioned: The Guardian reports speculation that Wagner Group head Yvegney Prigozhin may not have been on the business jet that crashed in Russia yesterday, killing all 10 people on board. The Kremlin has not confirmed that the Yvegney Prigozhin listed in the airplane’s manifest actually was the Prigozhin who attempted a coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin. That Prigozhin is known to have used doubles traveling under his name and carrying one of the many passports made out in his name. A few years ago, he was reported to have been killed in a plane crash in Africa only to resurface alive a few days later.
Trump to surrender: Donald Trump travels from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to Atlanta today to surrender to authorities at the Fulton County Jail. After being booked, Trump goes to court to plead “not guilty” to criminal charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia and interfering with state officials doing their jobs. Trump arranged to turn himself in during TV prime time in the hope that network programming would be interrupted to cover the event. His lawyers worked out deal with prosecutors for Trump to be released on $200,000 bond.
Shooting at biker bar in CA: Three people were killed and five wounded by a gunman in a mass shooting at a bar in Trabuco Canyon in Southern California. The bar is frequented by motorcyclists. The gunman was killed by law enforcement officers who responded to the scene. The gunman was identified as a retired policeman who had worked for the City of Ventura’s police department.
WSJ reporter to stay in jail: A court in Moscow has ruled that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich can continue to be held in jail until at least the end of November, according to the Russian news agency TASS. A previous court ruling said he could be held until the end of this month. Gershkovich was arrested in late March on charges of spying. No reporters were allowed in the courtroom to cover the latest proceeding.
China bans Japanese seafood: China today banned the importing of seafood from Japan, following today’s first release into ocean waters of radioactive wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. China said the radioactivity is a threat to people who eat Japanese seafood. Japanese officials say the wastewater is being diluted to reduce the level of radioactivity and what’s being dumped into the ocean meets international standards for safety.
Wrestling legend Terry Funk dies: Professional wrestler Terry Funk, whose career spanned a half-century in multiple promotions, passed away on Aug. 23 at the age of 79. His career peaks included the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Heavyweight Championship, USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, WWF World Tag Team Championship, and ECW World Television Championship. Outside of the ring, he co-starred with Patrick Swayze in the 1989 cult film “Road House” and was featured in the acclaimed 1999 wrestling documentary “Beyond the Mat.”
