10 things you need to know today: August 7, 2023

1. Trump calls for judge's recusal

Former President Donald Trump said in a social media post Sunday he would request that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan recuse herself from presiding over the case involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. "There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge 'assigned' to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case," Trump claimed. "Everybody knows this, and so does she!" Trump also said he would ask for a change of venue, arguing he could not get a fair trial in Washington, D.C. He previously suggested a move to "politically unbiased" West Virginia. Chutkan, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, has imposed some of the toughest sentences against Jan. 6 rioters.

Politico

2. China backs more Ukraine peace talks after Saudi summit

China signaled it was open to participating in a third round of Ukraine peace talks after a two-day summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over the weekend. Officials described the summit, which involved leaders from 40 countries, as "constructive." The aim was to discuss key principles for ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has proposed a 10-point formula for a diplomatic settlement, said he hoped the talks would lead to a "peace summit" this fall to endorse those principles. China so far has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but one European diplomat said the "mere presence of China shows Russia is more and more isolated," the Financial Times reported.

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The Guardian Financial Times

3. Russia retaliates for Crimea attack

Russia hit targets across Ukraine with missile and drone strikes Sunday, killing six people. Ukraine's military said Russia's latest airstrikes involved 70 drones and missiles fired from aircraft over the Caspian Sea. The barrage came in apparent retaliation for a Ukrainian maritime drone attack against a Russia tanker on Friday. The tanker was targeted in the Black Sea near Crimea in what Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned as a "terrorist attack" on a civilian vessel. On Sunday, Ukraine struck two bridges connecting Russia to occupied Crimea. Separately, Russia briefly suspended flights at Moscow's second largest airport after a drone attack nearby that Russia said it blocked.

The Associated Press The New York Times

4. Niger junta lets deadline pass without releasing ousted president

A deadline set by West African nations for coup leaders in Niger to free ousted President Mohamed Bazoum passed Sunday with no change. Eleven leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed at an emergency summit a week ago to consider resorting to military force to return Bazoum to power. Nigeria, home to Africa's biggest population and largest military, did not immediately show any sign that it was mobilizing its forces. A top commander in one ECOWAS country said the group would need time to prepare before sending in troops. Niger's coup leaders shut the country's airspace, citing the military threat. Mali and Burkina Faso, whose leaders took power in coups, have said they would defend the junta.

The Wall Street Journal BBC News

5. Russia increasing nuclear threat, Japanese PM says on Hiroshima anniversary

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Sunday, on the 78th anniversary of the day when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, that the goal of a nuclear-free world has become "more difficult" to achieve since Russia invaded Ukraine. "As the only country to have experienced the horror of nuclear devastation in war, Japan will press on tirelessly with its efforts to bring about" nuclear disarmament, Kishida said at a ceremony in Hiroshima. "The widening division within the international community over approaches to nuclear disarmament, the nuclear threat made by Russia, and other concerns now make that road all the more difficult." Moscow has repeatedly raised the threat of a nuclear attack to discourage Western nations from increasing aid to Kyiv.

The Washington Post

6. Gandhi reinstated to India's parliament ahead of Modi no-confidence vote

India's parliament on Sunday reinstated Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, after the supreme court last week suspended his conviction for defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019. Gandhi, whose father, grandmother, and great-grandfather were prime ministers, can now run in 2024 elections. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress' leader in the lower house of parliament, said Friday he hoped Gandhi would return in time for a vote of no confidence against Modi over his government's handling of ethnic violence that has killed more than 140 people in the northeastern Manipur state. The opposition stands no hope of winning the vote due to the overwhelming majority of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, but Congress hopes to force Modi to discuss the matter publicly.

The Times of India The Guardian

7. Record flooding from Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier destroys 2 homes

Two homes were destroyed in Juneau, Alaska's capital city, over the weekend and several others were inundated after the worst release of water from Suicide Basin since glacier-fed flooding cycles began in 2011. The release of trapped rain and meltwater from the Mendehhall Glacier normally occurs gradually over the summer, but the water rose quickly in the Mendenhall River over the weekend, forcing people to flee riverside houses and condominiums. Mendahall Lake peaked at 14.97 feet, smashing the record of 11.99 feet in July 2016. Climate change is melting the 3,000-year-old glacier so fast, according to The Associated Press, that by 2050 it might no longer be visible from the visitor center that was built next to it.

Juneau Empire The Associated Press

8. Texas power prices soar as heat spurs record demand

Texas power prices jumped more than 800% on Sunday as extreme heat sent demand for electricity skyrocketing to record levels. Electricity prices on the state's grid reached more than $2,500 per megawatt-hour for Sunday evening as people across the state cranked up air-conditioning. The high on Saturday was about $275, according to data from grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas. The surplus of available capacity versus power consumption narrowed to as little as 1.6 gigawatts, a level that can trigger emergency responses, although the grid operator said it had other reserves to help it meet peak demand. ERCOT issued a weather watch to remain in effect through Monday "due to forecast higher temperatures, higher demand and potential lower reserves."

Bloomberg

9. 'Barbie' reaches the $1 billion milestone

"Barbie" dominated the domestic box office for a third straight weekend and reached the $1 billion milestone after just 17 days in theaters. The movie about the iconic Mattel doll, directed by Greta Gerwig, brought in another $53 million in North America ticket sales, down just 43% from the previous week. That was enough to lift its domestic total to $459 million and make Gerwig the first woman director to pass the billion-dollar mark. Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" had another strong weekend with $28.7 million in North America, down 39% from last weekend. It slipped into third place behind the sequel to "The Meg" and ahead of "Mutant Mayhem."

Variety The New York Times

10. Civil rights lawyer Charles Ogletree, an Obama mentor, dies at 70

Civil rights attorney Charles Ogletree, a Harvard Law School professor who mentored the Obamas, has died at age 70. The cause of death was Alzheimer's disease, Harvard Law School said. Ogletree founded the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice and the Criminal Justice Institute at the law school. His clients included Anita Hill, Tupac Shakur, and the victims of the 1921 Tulsa race riots. "Charles was a tireless advocate for civil rights, equality, human dignity and social justice," Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning said in a statement. "He changed the world in so many ways, and he will be sorely missed in a world that very much needs him."

CNN