Grain deal:Â Russia has called a halt to the deal it made allowing grain from Ukraine to be shipped to other countries. About half of the grain has been going to Africa, where it has been vital to prevent new waves of starvation. Russia’s shutdown of Ukrainian ports that kept the grain from being shipped had the effect of increasing the demand for Russian grain on the world market, despite economic sanctions imposed on Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Bridge explosion:Â An explosion on the bridge that links Crimea and Russia has killed two people and forced a shutdown of traffic over the bridge. The bridge was reopened in May after being shut down by a previous explosion. Russian President Vladimir Putin treated the completion of the bridge five years ago as a major victory for Russia.
Trump interview:Â Donald Trump, in an hour-long interview on Fox, said that the U.S. should not defend Taiwan if China attacks it. Trump also claimed that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours if he’s returned to the White House. Trump said he’d end the war by telling Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the fighting. He said he’d threaten Zelenskyy with an end to U.S. aid. Trump indicated that Putin would do what Trump wants because they had a good relationship.
Canadian wildfires:Â Poor air quality due to smoke from Canada’s wildfires is forecast to affect about 70 million people in the U.S. today. Canadian officials report more than 880 fires currently are burning with 580 of them out of control. Among the major U.S. cities affected by the poor air quality are New York, Detroit and Chicago.
Ford electric trucks:Â Ford says it is cutting the prices for F-150 Lightning electric trucks by up to 17%, with almost $10,000 cut from the price of the basic model for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $49,995. Ford also says its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan is temporarily closed for upgrades to triple the plant”™s output to 150,000 F-150 Lightning trucks beginning this fall.
Powerball tonight:Â Another Powerball drawing is scheduled for tonight. There were no winners of the $875 million Powerball jackpot in Saturday’s drawing. There were three million dollar winning tickets sold in Colorado and Texas. Tonight’s drawing will be for a jackpot of $900 million, with an estimated cash value of more than $465 million, before taxes.
Cover photo by Mike Mozart / Flickr Creative Commons
