Ukraine Begins Talks to Join European Union

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Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• Five protesters were killed—apparently by police—and dozens more were injured on Tuesday amid protests in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, which saw rioters storm and set ablaze parliament and city hall following a controversial tax hike proposal introduced by the parliament’s ruling coalition late last month. Public resentment toward the tax bill—which includes increases in income, excise, and value-added taxes—boiled over Tuesday afternoon, as law enforcement reportedly used live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas against protesters for actions Kenyan President William Ruto described as “treasonous.” 
• The first Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti on Tuesday, the initial wave of an armed force deploying to the island as part of a United Nations-sanctioned mission that plans to send a total of 2,500 armed officials—from eight different countries, led by Kenya—in an effort to restore order to the nation riddled with gang violence. Haitian President Ariel Henry–who resigned in April facing deep unpopularity—first requested foreign troop assistance in October 2022, but the mission has faced numerous delays since being authorized by the U.N. in October 2023. Meanwhile, a United States federal judge sentenced a Haitian gang leader to 35 years in prison on charges related to his role in the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens last year and weapons smuggling. 
• Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Haredi Jews—an ultra-Orthodox sect that makes up 13 percent of the country’s population—will no longer be exempt from the state’s military draft, an issue that has cleaved Israel for decades. The ultra-Orthodox community’s draft exemption dates back to the country’s founding in 1948—since some Haredi Jewish men choose religious study as their primary occupation—but Israeli judges ruled it exemplified a “burden of inequality.” The decision is likely to strain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, which relies on two ultra-Orthodox political parties to maintain a majority. 
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants Tuesday for Russian leaders—current chief of the army general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, and former defense minister, Sergei Shoigu—for alleged war crimes carried out during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including against civilian populations. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the suspects intentionally caused great suffering or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health, thus bearing criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of other inhumane acts,” the ICC said. The body lacks the authority to execute the arrests, rendering the warrants largely symbolic. In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants on similar grounds for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights government official Maria Lvova-Belova for their role in forcibly deporting Ukrainian children into Russia.
• Oklahoma’s state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a proposed online Catholic school in the state—St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School—was ineligible to apply for status as a charter school. “Under Oklahoma law, a charter school is a public school. As such, a charter school must be nonsectarian,” the judges wrote in their majority opinion. “However, St. Isidore will evangelize the Catholic faith as part of its school curriculum while sponsored by the State,” in violation of both state law and Oklahoma’s constitution. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which was standing up the school, is likely to appeal the decision, which could eventually bring the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
• In two separate rulings, federal judges halted the Biden administration’s latest attempt to “cancel” student debt—the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan—that would lower monthly repayments for almost all borrowers and fully cancel debt within ten years for those who originally borrowed $12,000 or less. A federal judge in Missouri ruled that the program cannot continue with loan forgiveness until the court determines the order’s constitutionality, while a Kansas federal judge blocked a provision that would recalculate monthly debt repayment based on the borrowers’ discretionary income. 
• Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Tuesday declared gun violence a public health crisis. The 39-page public health advisory—which has no enforcement mechanism—notes that firearms are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1-19 and that more than half of Americans have experienced a “firearm-related incident.” “Firearm violence is a preventable public health crisis,” Murthy tweeted Tuesday. “Our failure to address it is a moral crisis. To protect the health and well-being of Americans—especially our children—we must now act with the clarity, courage, and urgency the moment demands.” The National Rifle Association labeled the declaration “an extension of the Biden Administration’s war on law-abiding gun owners.”
• China’s Chang’e-6—an uncrewed lunar probe that made history earlier this month when it became the first man-made probe to reach the far side of the moon—returned to Earth on Tuesday with lunar samples from the region, another historic first for China’s space program. Meanwhile, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station indefinitely while the ship that delivered them there, Boeing’s Starliner, undergoes repairs. Their return to earth was delayed a third time last week while NASA and Boeing engineers continue to troubleshoot problems with the ship after its inaugural trip.
• In the most expensive House primary in U.S. history, progressive Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York—who was censured last year for pulling a fire alarm at the U.S. Capitol and whose criticism of Israel has been labeled antisemitic—was ousted on Tuesday by centrist, pro-Israel Democrat George Latimer, Westchester County executive. Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow New Yorker and member of the House’s left-wing “squad,” successfully warded off a primary challenge from former investment banker Marty Dolan. GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado—who switched congressional districts to run in a less competitive district after narrowly winning reelection in 2022—won her Republican primary on Tuesday, making it likely she will serve another term in the seat once filled by Republican Rep. Ken Buck. Several other Republican candidates endorsed by Donald Trump—in Utah, South Carolina, and Colorado—lost their respective primaries on Tuesday.
• A bipartisan group of former lawmakers on Tuesday announced the launch of the “Democracy Defense Project,” a coalition aimed at restoring confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections. The organization will be active mostly in battleground states, including Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan, as well as New Hampshire. High-profile political figures—like Democratic and Republican former governors—from both parties in each state will helm the projects, which aim to increase the security and transparency of election systems.

A MESSAGE FROM APCIA

A Mysterious Factor Impacting Insurance Costs

Learn how third-party litigation funding raises costs for American families and businesses. Did you know that lenders, foreign as well as domestic, secretly invest in lawsuits aiming for a cut of an award?

Find out why we need reforms for full transparency and proper disclosure.

Zelensky’s Diplomatic Blitz 

On the beaches of Normandy, France, earlier this month, nonagenarian and centenarian D-Day veterans shook dignitaries’ hands as the assembled world leaders recognized the men who, 80 years ago, paved the way for the end of the Nazi occupation of Europe. 

One man, wheelchair-bound, seemed to have no idea who Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was, forcing the Canadian leader to introduce himself to the elderly veteran. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needed no introduction. 

The veteran shook Zelensky’s hand and didn’t let go. In fact, it looked as though he tried to kiss it before he pulled Zelensky—clad in the fatigue-like garb typical of the wartime president—into a tight hug. 

“You’re the savior of the people,” the veteran told Zelensky, who protested rather bashfully. “You bring tears to my eyes.”

The moment was just one of many highly visible examples of global support for Ukraine this month, more than two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the biggest land war in Europe since the one that elderly veteran fought to end. 

Zelensky, for his part, is continuing to show his face on the international stage, trying—with some success—to keep the country’s allies from growing weary of supporting Ukraine as the war grinds on. And far from the glamor of international diplomacy—but ever-influenced by it—Ukraine’s war is shaped by international partners’ willingness, or lack thereof, to give the country free rein to defend against the invading force.

Ukraine formally began accession talks with the European Union (EU) on Tuesday, a decade after …

As a non-paying reader, you are receiving a truncated version of The Morning Dispatch. Our full 1,699-word story on Ukrainian efforts to join the European Union is available in the members-only version of TMD.

Worth Your Time

• John Shelton argued in National Affairs that fusionism—the political philosophy that blends free market economics, a hawkish foreign policy, and traditional social values—is not dead, it just needs to be refreshed to incorporate the splintering coalitions of the right. “A revitalized fusionism would restore family policy to the forefront of its agenda,” he wrote. “To pull this off, today’s fusionists will need to apply tools from the Reagan era to ensure that agencies consider adverse effects on family formation when crafting new rules. Such an approach would appeal to social conservatives, satisfy small-government libertarians who want to stem the tide of agency rulemaking, and prove alluring to Catholic integralists, their Protestant cousins, and other post-liberals who want to redeem the administrative state. … The old-school fusionist coalition of conservatives and libertarians may continue to hope for the eventual demise of the administrative state, but unless and until that happens, focusing on directing the administrative state toward promoting and protecting families would allow that coalition to fold in new-right movements — including those that otherwise resent ‘zombie Reaganism.’”
• Kicking off a series for The Athletic, Andy McCullough explored a fundamental shift in baseball strategy that has changed the face of the game. “Growing up in the first decade of the 21st century, pitchers were taught to value the same things pitchers prioritized in the 20th century, searching for soft contact and quick innings,” he wrote. “An at-bat should not last longer than three pitches.” But that idea is outmoded in the modern game, something Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow realized as a little leaguer. “He did not need soft contact if the hitters never made contact. In his mind, he conjured up a new ideal to chase. ‘The perfect inning for me,’ Glasnow said, ‘is nine pitches, nine strikes, three strikeouts.’ The simple concept Glasnow grasped as a child has come to reshape the game he plays as an adult. Like the embrace of the three-point shot in basketball or the advent of the downfield pass in football, modern baseball’s obsession with strikeouts has led to a jarring transformation.”

Presented Without Comment

New York Times: Biden Officials Pushed to Remove Age Limits for Trans Surgery, Documents Show

“Newly released emails from an influential group issuing transgender medical guidelines indicate that U.S. health officials lobbied to remove age minimums for surgery in minors because of concerns over political fallout.”

Also Presented Without Comment

CNN: South Korean Military Says 350 Waste Balloons Detected From North Korea Overnight as Tensions Flare

Also Also Presented Without Comment

Mediaite: Speaker [Mike] Johnson Concedes, ‘No One Expects That Joe Biden Will Be on Cocaine’ During Debate

In the Zeitgeist

July is just around the corner, so maybe it’s time for a little “Christmas in July”? We happen to think what the Christmas movie canon really needed was this acid trip of a film about a quest to find a kidnapped Santa—J.K. Simmons??—led by a nerdy Chris Evans and Santa’s bodyguard, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

Toeing the Company Line

• In the newsletters: Nick explored (🔒) why Republican support for gay marriage has dropped in recent years. 
• On the podcasts: Kevin takes over for Jonah on today’s episode of The Remnant, discussing Adam Smith, free trade, and tax law with Kent Lassman, the president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
• On the site today: Cole explains how two Florida men—Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio—could be running mates though they’re from the same state, Jonah argues this presidential debate might actually matter, and Brian Riedl pans the economic agendas of both Biden and Trump. “Unfortunately, neither Biden nor Trump are offering plausible, pro-growth, or realistic solutions on any of these issues,” Riedl writes. “And in fact, Trump has suggested economic policies that—if he is serious about implementing them—would be extraordinarily damaging to the economy.”