U.S. and world news for Aug. 18

Talks in Ukraine: Turkey”™s dictator Erdogan and U.N. Secretary-General Guterres both were scheduled to meet in Ukraine today with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy for talks aimed at the best ways to use diplomacy to try to end Russia”™s war against Ukraine. They also were expected to address specific issues such as how to protect nuclear power plants and increase Ukrainian exports of grain and other agricultural products.

Giuliani testifies for six hours: Rudolph Giuliani testified before a grand jury in Georgia looking into efforts to overturn Biden”™s win there for six hours yesterday. After testifying, he told the Associated Press that the session had satisfied his obligation under the subpoena that required him to appear. He refused to reveal the nature of the questions he was asked or what he told the grand jury.

Rail strike in Great Britain: Railroad workers in Great Britain went on strike today, making demands for higher pay and better working conditions. Additional strikes are expected for tomorrow with the walkouts spreading to shut down London”™s subway system known as the underground.

U.S. and Taiwan agree on trade talks: The U.S. and Taiwan say they have agreed to start new talks on expanding trade between the two countries as soon as next month. That prompted China to call the planned talks a misjudgment on the part of the U.S. and said China opposes any trade deals involving Taiwan.

Estee Lauder sales up 9%: Cosmetics giant The Estee Lauder Companies today reported net sales of $17.74 billion for its fiscal year ended June 30, an increase of 9% from $16.22 billion in the prior year. The company said that the results reflect a recovery of shopper interest in going to brick-and-mortar retail stores, as well as double-digit growth in global online sales. Estee Lauder reported net earnings of $2.39 billion for the latest fiscal year, compared with net earnings of $2.87 billion the year before.

Judge to rule on Trump search document: Federal Judge Bruce Reinhart hears arguments in Florida today on whether to unseal the affidavit that provided information resulting in issuing a search warrant allowing the FBI to go into Donald Trump”™s residence at Mar-A-Lago and seize top secret government documents and other government property that Trump had taken when he left office. The Justice Department wants the affidavit to remain secret, saying that making it public would hurt ongoing investigations.