Good morning.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, his first for a year to the Ukrainian capital.
He is expected to announce a new package of US assistance of $175m to $200m during the two-day visit, with a larger package worth more than $1bn expected later this week, the Associated Press is reporting.
Blinken will also meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Former Proud Boys leader sentenced for role in US Capitol attack
The former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced yesterday to 22 years in prison for his role in the failed plot to keep Donald Trump in power after the 2020 presidential election, the longest sentence yet in a case relating to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
“What happened on January 6 was a national embarrassment,” Tarrio said, adding that he now knew Trump lost to Joe Biden and blamed himself for actions that led to him losing his freedom. “I do not think what happened that day was acceptable.”
Tarrio and three lieutenants were convicted in May of charges including seditious conspiracy, a civil-war-era offense of which charges were previously rarely brought but are now levied against members of far-right groups that took part in the attack on the US Capitol.
Prosecutors had originally asked for a 33-year term, and while the judge, Timothy Kelly, did not agree, he said that he did not see any indication that Tarrio was remorseful for what he was convicted of and that there was a strong need to send a signal to others.
“That day broke our previously unbroken tradition of peacefully transferring power,” Kelly said. “That previously unbroken tradition is broken now, and it’s going to take time and effort to fix it.”
Ex-Trump aide faces trial on contempt of Congress charges
Federal prosecutors are expected to present the case today that Peter Navarro, a former Trump White House official, should be convicted of contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena issued last year by the House January 6 committee during the investigation into the US Capitol attack.
Prosecutors have to prove that Navarro’s failure to comply with the subpoena was deliberate and intentional, and Navarro will not be able to argue that he blew off the subpoena because he thought Donald Trump had asserted executive privilege.
The presiding US district court judge ruled last week that Navarro had failed to prove that Trump had actually asserted executive privilege to block his cooperation.
In other news …
Bookings for the home-sharing company Airbnb are drying up in New York City after new regulations on short-term rentals went into effect.
California legislators approved a bill making the state possibly the first to ban caste discrimination, protecting people from countries such as Nepal, India and Bangladesh who weren’t included in pre-existing anti-discrimination law.
Fierce rainstorms in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria have triggered flooding that has killed at least seven people.
Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring, its foreign ministry has said, aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight as mercenaries for Russia in its war in Ukraine.
The New York police department has agreed to “significantly” change how its officers will handle demonstrations in the city, as part of a settlement agreement in response to lawsuits about police behavior during the 2020 racial justice protests.
The impeachment trial of the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has begun, marking the start of a rare and historic event in the state.
Stat of the day: the number of deaths from fake prescriptions have more than doubled across the US
An influx of fake prescription pills – principally sold as opioid painkillers or the tranquilliser Xanax – are contributing to record levels of drug overdose deaths across the US, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 90% of counterfeit drugs contained the extremely powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, which has driven total US overdose deaths to more than 100,000 a year.
Don’t miss this: The perilous Panama-Colombia migrant crossing
A record number of people have been taking the perilous journey through the Darién Gap, the dense jungle connecting Colombia and Panama. In August, 50,000 people made the week-long trek, with more than 4,800 migrants recorded at the three migration centers staffed by Doctors Without Borders on 22 August alone.
“Humanitarian organisations cannot cope with the increase in the number of people arriving every day,” said Jose Lobo, the project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Panama’s Darién province. “We can’t keep up.”
… or this: the start of student loan repayment
After Republicans forced an end to the pause in student debt repayments during the debt ceiling debate, student loans payments will begin again in October. Borrowers spoke to the Guardian about what this means for them.
Climate check: Spreading climate lies
The Prager University Foundation – founded in 2009 by the conservative talkshow host Dennis Prager – is not an accredited education organization. But its PragerU Kids division has become a key tool in spreading false claims undercutting widely accepted science that climate crisis disasters are accelerating due, largely, to fossil-fuel usage.
Last Thing: A century-old tortoise returns home
Last month, Biscuit, a century-old African tortoise, escaped from the home of his owner in Louisiana after wind and rain broke the latch of a backyard gate. Deputies later found Biscuit “in distress” in a canal. Rescuers have now reunited Biscuit with his owner.
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