Today's News: Ukraine update

Lots of news from Ukraine lately: 

First, a new deal was announced today to move Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea:

New: A deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea has been signed in Istanbul, the UN SecGen says. The agreement will include three Ukrainian ports, including Odesa, and will involve a Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul. via @TimListerCNN

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) July 22, 2022

“There is to be no large-scale demining of Ukraine’s ports, a process that was considered too time consuming. Ukrainian pilots will guide commercial vessels from the ports. Minesweepers will be used as needed”https://t.co/2psD1VWgGz

— Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch) July 22, 2022

Gee, what a coincidence that the grain deal was signed today. https://t.co/HfPI9Lr2ZE

— John Aravosis 🇺🇸🇬🇷🏳️‍🌈 (@aravosis) July 23, 2022

The Lithuania foreign affairs minister:

The agreement to unblock Odesa would have been impossible without HIMARS. It's now very clear that the war will end earlier if we arm Ukraine faster.

— Gabrielius Landsbergis (@GLandsbergis) July 22, 2022

However, some caution is warranted:

💯Russia created global food, energy crises:💯

Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau says he has no confidence in Russia to uphold its end of a deal to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports. #PutinFlation pic.twitter.com/Hq8870r56m

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) July 22, 2022

In other news:

UK MOD- In the last 48 hours, heavy fighting has been taking place as Ukrainian forces have continued their offensive against Russian forces in Kherson Oblast... Russia is likely attempting to slow the Ukrainian attack using artillery fire along the Inhulets River pic.twitter.com/QZhhb9Lpnl

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 23, 2022

I wonder if this can this be true?

⚡️Official: US may supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said that the Pentagon had already started evaluating the possibility of such a move.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 22, 2022

BREAKING: The U.S. is considering giving Ukraine A-10 Warthog ground-attack planes. 🇺🇦 🇺🇸

— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) July 22, 2022

All of the old arguments about the risk of starting World War 3 still apply, I think, but if Ukrainian pilots can be trained quickly enough this improvement in airpower might make a difference. 

Today's News: The elephant in the room

Tonight's Jan 6 Committee hearing made lots of news tonight. But as Brian Stelter reported in his Reliable Sources newsletter tonight, perhaps the most important comment came from Michigan Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger's closing remarks at the Jan 6 Committee hearing: 

The forces Donald Trump ignited that day have not gone away. The militant, intolerant ideologies. The militias. The alienation and the disaffection. The weird fantasies and disinformation. They're all still out there, ready to go. That's the elephant in the room....

Oaths matter. Character matters. Truth matters 

SAVE THIS VIDEO - WORDS FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS! @AdamKinzinger just nailed it! 🔥 🔥 🔥#Jan6thHearings #Jan6thCommitteeHearings #Jan6th

pic.twitter.com/pIxb0JYf9J

— ✨ The right time is .. NOW! ✨ (@JoeSteelerFan) July 22, 2022

Serious stuff. 

But there was also a little comic relief tonight too, provided by Josh Hawley - he's the doorknob senator who, from afar, raised his fist in solidarity with the mob. but then went running like a rabbit when the mob broke into the Capitol. The whole hearing room laughed:

Immediate reaction to the vid: pic.twitter.com/XAv4jc2tjr

— Dan Przygoda (@dprzygoda) July 22, 2022

And Twitter posted soundtracks:

Josh Hawley running away to a variety of soundtracks.

Pt. 9: Stayin’ Alive pic.twitter.com/YRf1fFMEJb

— Mallory Nees (@The_Mal_Gallery) July 22, 2022

Josh Hawley looked very athletic running away, didn’t he? #Jan6thHearings

— Al Franken (@alfranken) July 22, 2022

Today's News: Whose side are these guys on?

The US story of the day is the news that the Trump's White House Secret Service deleted its text messages from Jan 5 and 6 2021. 

Accidentally! 

Yeah, sure...

I would like to see some indication that the Secret Service & FBI are actually on the side of American democracy.
Clearly, Mike Pence had his doubts.
As do we all.

— Steve Shearer (@PiquedPensioner) July 14, 2022

People are remembering that Pence refused to get in a car with these guys. And remember when Biden's dog got in trouble for biting one of the White House agents?

Major Biden knew something was off with one of the Secret Service agents. This is one of the reasons why I love dogs.

— Hunter Cullen 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺🇳🇿 (@HunterJCullen) July 15, 2022

JUSTICE FOR MAJOR BIDEN #SecretService pic.twitter.com/cccQEagzU5

— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) July 14, 2022