Tuesday morning news: July 18, 2023

Russia grain » Russia says it’s pulling the plug on a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to safely ship grain and other goods to countries around the world.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called that announcement very bad news.

GUTERRES: Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere.

Ukraine is often referred to as the world’s “bread basket.” Many countries that struggle to fend off famine in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia rely heavily on grain from Ukraine.

Samantha Power is Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

POWER: It’s just another example of Russia callousness and disregard for human lives and livelihoods.

The Kremlin said it would suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative until demands to get Russian food and fertilizer to the world are met.

While Moscow has complained about restrictions on Russian shipments, it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year.

Kerch Bridge » Meantime, Vladimir Putin is stepping up security around a bridge that has served as a key supply route for Russia’s military after a fresh attack on the bridge. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher reports.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: The Kremlin claims that two Ukrainian maritime drones carried out the strike on the Kerch Bridge which links Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea.

The attack temporarily shut down the bridge and snarled traffic for hours.

Putin claimed Russia no longer uses the bridge for military purposes and called the strike an act of terrorism, adding that two civilians were killed.

The United Nations recently estimated that more than 9,000 civilians have died in Ukraine since Russia invaded.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Southwest U.S. heat » Record-breaking heat is seering the southwestern U.S.

On Monday, Arizona residents marked the 18th straight day with temperatures topping 110 degrees. And the high temp in California’s Death Valley on Sunday, almost 130 degrees.

A Death Valley tourist describing the oppressive heat.

Tourist: Oh, your arms are burning. Your face is burning. We just bring a lot of water. I bring three ice chests.

Forecasts say the heatwave is moving east, preparing to bake Southeastern and Gulf states this week.  

PA flood, NE rain update » As southwestern states pray for rain, the skies have opened up over the northeast.

With historic rain threatening to turn more roads into rivers, New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged residents to stay home.

HOCHUL: We are in a very very what I would call an unstable weather condition. We are in danger of seeing record rainfalls again substantial rainfall and every part of the eastern side of New York is under a flood watch at this moment.

Severe weather also grounded hundreds of flights and knocked out power for thousands.

Major flooding in Vermont last week led to hundreds of highwater rescues and evacuations.

Candidates on Israel » Several Republican White House hopefuls gathered in Washington on Monday to talk foreign policy and all things Israel.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a crowd at the Christians United for Israel Summit:

DESANTIS: Jerusalem is the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish people and U.S. policy must recognize that.

DeSantis said that while he served in Congress, he played a key role in establishing the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

Former Vice President Mike Pence touted the signing of a historic pact between Israel and Arab neighbors while he was vice president.

PENCE: The most significant breakthrough for peace in decades, the Abraham Accords.

And former ambassador Nikki Haley told the audience that she bolstered America’s bond with Israel as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

2024 campaign funding » Republican candidates, though, have a lot of catching up do in the fundraising department.

President Biden’s reelection campaign now has $77 million dollars in its war chest, according to new campaign finance reports. Biden’s campaign raised $72 million in the second quarter of this year.

Former President Trump raised less than half that total in the same period, $35 million. Governor Ron DeSantis was next in line, raising more than $20 million.

I'm Kent Covington. 

Straight ahead: The threats and opportunities of artificial intelligence. Plus, respecting the human dignity of migrants who die at the border.

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