10 things you need to know today: June 11, 2023

1. Trump criticizes federal indictment during GOP event

Former President Donald Trump made public comments on Saturday for the first time since his federal indictment charging him with 37 counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Speaking at the Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump blasted his indictment as "a travesty of justice," claiming that it was the latest in a long line of "witch hunts" to try and sink his candidacy for 2024. He also claimed, with no evidence, that President Biden had stashed secret documents in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood, and also repeated the falsehood that he had won the 2020 presidential election. "I will never yield. I will never be detained," Trump concluded.

The Washington Post The Guardian

2. U.S. confirms Chinese spy base in Cuba

China has been using a spy base in Cuba to electronically track signals from nearby U.S. military installations since at least 2019, a Biden administration official confirmed on Saturday. The official said that the spy base was an issue that had been inherited from the Trump administration, and that President Biden was briefed on the base after taking office. It was first reported on Thursday that an agreement had been put in place by Cuba to allow China to build a spy facility on the island, though National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had said those reports were "not accurate." A Cuban foreign minister tweeted that reports of a Chinese spy base in Cuba were "slanderous speculation."

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Politico The New York Times

3. Zelenskyy confirms that Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that his country's counteroffensive against invading Russian forces had begun. Zelenskyy made the comments during a joint press conference with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who pledged an additional CAD$500 million in aid to Ukraine. "Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. At what stage, I will not say in detail," Zelenskyy said. The president added that he was "in touch with our commanders of different directions every day. Everyone is positive. Pass this on to Putin." Some Western analysts have suggested that a ramp-up in fighting shows that a full-blown Ukrainian counteroffensive had gotten underway, though Zelenskyy has stopped short of confirming this.

Al Jazeera NPR

4. Iranian supreme leader remains open to nuclear pact with West

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Sunday that he was still open to a nuclear arms deal with the West, as long as his country's nuclear infrastructure was not dismantled. This is the clearest indication yet that Khamenei is willing to work with Western nations following efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear pact between the United States and Iran. While both sides have accused each other of making unreasonable demands, and talks have stalled, Khamenei said there was "nothing wrong with the agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched," according to Iranian state media. The 2015 nuclear agreement was exited in 2018 by former President Donald Trump.

Reuters

5. Fighting breaks out in Sudan following 24-hour ceasefire

Heavy fighting was seen in Sudan on Sunday following the expiration of a 24-hour ceasefire that had brought a temporary stoppage to eight weeks of violence between warring military factions. The short peace had been brokered jointly by Saudi Arabia and the United States, but fighting resumed almost immediately after the ceasefire's conclusion on Sunday morning, reports said. Artillery fire and machine gun bursts were heard around portions of Sudan's capital city, Khartoum, with unrest also spiking in the western region of Darfur. The war has displaced more than 1.9 million people since the fighting began, and while fighting has been concentrated in the capital, there does not appear to be a quick end in sight.

Al Jazeera AP via NBC News

6. PGA Tour commissioner reportedly said financial model was unsustainable

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addressed his tour's controversial merging with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf on Saturday, admitting that the PGA could not financially afford to keep battling Saudi Arabia, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The merger has generated significant controversy given Saudi Arabia's alleged human rights abuses and links to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. However, Monahan reportedly told employees the PGA couldn't "conduct a lengthy spending war against Saudi Arabia," calling that model "unsustainable" and saying the PGA "cannot compete with a foreign government with unlimited money." However, a PGA spokesperson said it was an "oversimplification" to say the merger was made solely based on financial gains.

The Wall Street Journal

7. Indian rail probe looking into suspected manual bypass of track signal

An investigation into the deadly train crash in the Indian state of Odisha is focusing on a possible manual bypassing of a track signal that led to the accident, Reuters reported Sunday. Investigators for India's Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) reportedly believe the crash was fueled by railway workers who manually bypassed the signal to get around a problematic barrier used to stop road traffic. The June 2 crash led to the deaths of more than 280 people and injured nearly 1,000. It was previously determined that a signaling mix-up was likely responsible for the crash, but this is the first indication that it may have been caused by human error.

Reuters

8. 'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski dies at 81

Ted Kaczynski, a convicted terrorist known as the Unabomber who created a 17-year trail of death and destruction, died in prison on Saturday. He was 81. Kaczynski died at a federal prison medical center in North Carolina, though a cause of death was not revealed. Born in Chicago, Kaczynski grew up a child prodigy in mathematics and earned a PhD before beginning to mail pipe bombs as part of his disdain for technology. Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski mailed or planted bombs that killed three Americans and injured almost two dozen more, making him one of the most prolific terrorists in U.S. history. He was eventually captured in 1996 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The New York Times The Washington Post

9. Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury teammates harassed at airport

Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were accosted at a Dallas airport on Saturday when they were subjected to "excessive harassment" by a fellow passenger, the WNBA said. Phoenix forward Brianna Turner tweeted that people were following the team with cameras and harassing them, and that the team was huddled in a corner unsure of what to do. The incident was targeted towards Griner, who was brought home during a prisoner swap with Russia after being detained for 10 months overseas after hash oil was discovered in her travel bag. The Mercury said they were "committed to our support of BG and advocating for all American hostages abroad."

USA Today

10. Arcangelo becomes first woman-trained horse to win Triple Crown race

Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, taking the third and final leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The horse galloped to victory under jockey Javier Castellano, who had won the Kentucky Derby while riding Mage. With Arcangelo's win, his trainer, Jena Antonucci, became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Antonucci's victory came on the 50th anniversary of the Belmont win by the famed Secretariat, who was owned by a woman, Penny Chenery. Antonucci now enters a rare category of women who have achieved a Triple Crown win; in 1993, Colonial Affair won the Belmont Stakes under Julie Krone, who remains the only female jockey to have won that race.

NBC News