10 things you need to know today: August 17, 2023

(Image credit: Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images)

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1. White House says Biden will meet with fire victims in Maui
2. Ukraine says its forces have recaptured a key village in Donetsk
3. Canada wildfire prompts evacuation order for Yellowknife
4. Appeals court rules abortion pill to remain legal with restrictions
5. Pakistan churches attacked after 2 Christians accused of desecrating Quran
6. Former Santos campaign aide indicted
7. US bond yield rises to 15-year high
8. Kansas newspaper to get back devices seized in controversial raid
9. Texas woman arrested over threat to judge in Trump election case
10. England advances to Women's World Cup final against Spain

published 17 August 2023

1. White House says Biden will meet with fire victims in Maui

President Biden will travel to Maui on Monday to meet with survivors of wildfires that devastated the Hawaiian island, destroying the historic town of Lahaina and killing more than 100 people, the White House announced Wednesday. Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to survey the damage and talk to emergency workers and government officials, too. "I remain committed to delivering everything the people of Hawaii need as they recover from this disaster," Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have criticized Biden for not saying more about the wildfires earlier.

Ukrainian officials said Wednesday their military had retaken Urozhaine, a key village in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian forces had said Tuesday they were pulling back from the village, which is near Staromaiorske, a hamlet Ukraine also recently said it had recaptured. Ukrainian forces appear to be using their counteroffensive to split Russian forces. Russia is slowing Ukraine's progress with mines and strong defensive barriers. Russia said Wednesday it had shot down three drones it claimed Ukraine sent to attack the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow. Russia used its drones to strike grain depots and ports on the Danube River, which Ukraine has increasingly relied on since Russia ended a deal to allow food exports through the Black Sea.

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Canadian authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, as a wildfire barreled toward the city of 20,000. As of late Wednesday, the blaze was about 11 miles away. Officials gave residents until Friday to leave. Shane Thompson, the region's environment minister, said the fires had "taken another turn for the worse" and posed a "real threat" to Yellowknife. "I want to stress that the city is not in immediate danger," he said. "[But] without rain, it is possible [the fire] will reach the city outskirts by the weekend. ... You put yourself and others at risk if you choose to stay." Another fast-moving blaze threatened the community of Hay River.

A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that the abortion pill mifepristone should remain legal, but with significant restrictions. The Justice Department promptly said it would ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. Anti-abortion groups last year filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Food and Drug Administration's 23-year-old approval of the drug, which is the most common method of terminating pregnancies, several months after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision establishing a constitutional right to have an abortion. Wednesday's decision allows the use of mifepristone but prohibits prescriptions by telemedicine and distribution through the mail. The ruling won't have an immediate impact because the Supreme Court in April said mifepristone would remain available under current rules pending appeals.

A Muslim mob vandalized several churches and torched dozens of houses in a Christian community in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday after two Christians were accused of blasphemy. Police accused the two people of desecrating a Quran after several pages of the Muslim holy book were found with derogatory remarks written in red. Residents of Jaranwala, in the industrial district of Faisalabad, said they had fled as the riled-up crowd approached the Christian neighborhood. "I left my home immediately with my family. Several other families did the same," resident Shakil Masih told Reuters. Blasphemy is a crime punishable by death in Pakistan. Nobody has been executed for it, but several people have been lynched.

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday charged Samuel Miele, a campaign aide to Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) who impersonated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's former chief of staff, with wire fraud and identity theft. Federal prosecutors accused Miele of orchestrating "fraudulent fund-raising" emails and phone calls seeking donations from more than a dozen people, The New York Times reported. Miele, 27, said in the messages he was a "high-ranking aide to a member of the House with leadership responsibilities." He received a 15% commission for every donation he secured. Santos, who faces wire fraud charges in a separate case, was not named in the indictment. Santos fired Miele after the allegations surfaced.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose Wednesday to a 15-year high, stoking fears of fallout from rising borrowing costs. The 10-year yield, a benchmark for interest rates that affect many consumers, settled at 4.258%, up from 4.220% on Tuesday, according to Tradeweb. That was the highest close for the bonds since June 2008. The 10-year yield is still significantly below the target rate set by the Federal Reserve, which has been aggressively raising rates to slow the economy and bring down inflation. That means the 10-year Treasury yield could continue climbing. Investors start demanding higher yields on these bonds to offset inflation risk.

The prosecutor in Marion County, Kansas, on Wednesday withdrew the search warrant that had allowed police to raid the offices of a small-town newspaper, the Marion County Record, last week, saying it was issued with "insufficient evidence." The paper's lawyer, Bernie Rhodes, said the decision meant that police would return electronic devices seized from the newspaper and the home of its publisher and owners. Press freedom advocates said the raid violated federal law. Record co-owner Joan Meyer, 98, died a day after police raided the home she shared with her son, Record editor and publisher Eric Meyer. Police plan to continue their investigation into whether the paper illegally obtained a government record about a local restaurateur.

A Texas woman has been charged with threatening to kill U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has been assigned to preside over the federal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his effort to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election. The suspect, Abigail Jo Shry, allegedly left an Aug. 5 voicemail for Chutkan calling her a racial slur and saying, "If Trump doesn't get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you," according to an affidavit filed Friday. Shry, 43, also "made a direct threat to kill" Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and members of the LGBTQ community, according to the criminal complaint. Shry reportedly told Homeland Security agents she had no plans to follow through with her threats against Chutkan.

England beat Australia 3-1 on Wednesday to advance to Sunday's FIFA Women's World Cup final against Spain. England star Ella Toone scored a goal she described as "the best shot I've ever hit in my life" to put the Lionesses up 1-0 over the Matildas in the first half. Sam Kerr blasted the tying goal in the net for Australia in the second half but Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo answered with two more to put England in its first final. Sunday's match will be the first all-European final since 2003. "Spain's going to be even tougher," Russo said. "I think every single game that we've [played] this tournament has been of the highest level, so we have to be ready."

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.