10 things you need to know today

Bannon found guilty in contempt trial, Ukraine and Russia reach deal on Black Sea grain exports [Try 6 risk free issues of The Week magazine. Order now.]( [The Week Logo]( [Subscribe to The Week magazine]( [Subscribe to The Week magazine]( 10 things you need to know today 1. [Bannon found guilty in contempt trial]( A jury found Steve Bannon guilty of contempt of Congress on Friday, after prosecutors accused the ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump of deciding he was "above the law" by ignoring a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. "This case is not complicated, but it is important," Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston said during closing arguments. "The defendant chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law." Bannon defense lawyer Evan Corcoran claimed that his client "didn't intentionally refuse to comply with anything." Depending on his sentencing in October, Bannon could be the first person in over half a century to be jailed for contempt of Congress. [[The Week]( [The Washington Post]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Bannon+found+guilty+in+contempt+trial&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 2. [Ukraine and Russia reach deal on Black Sea grain exports]( Ukraine and Russia reached a deal on Friday that would allow grain exports from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea to resume in order to ameliorate the global food shortages caused by the war. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the agreement "a beacon of hope" after ministers from the two warring nations signed the deal in Istanbul. The agreement was thrown into jeopardy the following day when Russian missiles struck the city of Odessa, one of the ports Russia had agreed to unblock. [[Reuters]( [CNN]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Ukraine+and+Russia+reach+deal+on+Black+Sea+grain+exports&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) Advertisement from Wisebread [Best Cash Back Bonus Cards of 2022]( [Advertisement from Wisebread]( 3. [Trump and Pence hold competing rallies in Arizona]( Former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence held competing rallies in Arizona on Friday, touting rival candidates in a gubernatorial primary that has become a major proxy fight in the battle for the GOP. Pence is backing businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson. Pence told the crowd that electing Robson would signal that "the Republican Party is the party of the future." Later, Pence tweeted that "[s]ome people" — presumably meaning Trump — "want this election to be about the past" — presumably meaning Trump's stolen election claims. Trump has endorsed former television anchor Kari Lake, who he said understands "how to fight back against the fake news media and the radical left." [[The Associated Press]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Trump+and+Pence+hold+competing+rallies+in+Arizona&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 4. [Pentagon mulls sending fighter jets to Ukraine]( Spokesman John Kirby said Friday that that Pentagon "is making some preliminary explorations into the feasibility of potentially providing fighter aircraft to Ukraine." He added that the United States would not be able to "execute" this plan "immediately or even in the short term." Ukrainian forces would need to be trained to fly and maintain U.S.-made aircraft. They would also need spare parts to make necessary repairs. Despite these hurdles, receiving American fighter jets would be a major win for Ukraine, which has been requesting them since the war began in February. [[The Wall Street Journal]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Pentagon+mulls+sending+fighter+jets+to+Ukraine&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 5. [Newsom signs gun control bill inspired by Texas abortion ban]( California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed Senate Bill 1327, a gun control law modeled on the Texas abortion ban. Both pieces of legislation rely on private citizens, not police, to enforce the law. Specifically, SB 1327 empowers Californians to bring civil action — for a minimum of $10,000 per gun — against firearms dealers who sell guns to people under 21 or against anyone who manufactures, distributes, transports, or imports assault weapons or ghost guns. The California gun law contains a provision that would make it "inoperative upon invalidation" of the Texas abortion law. [[CNN]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Newsom+signs+gun+control+bill+inspired+by+Texas+abortion+ban&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 6. [Musk refuses blame after Twitter's second-quarter revenue falls short of projections]( Billionaire Elon Musk refused on Friday to take the blame for Twitter's lower-than-expected revenue numbers for the second quarter of 2022. Twitter brought in $1.18 billion, falling short of the $1.32 billion analysts had predicted. The social media giant placed some of the blame for this on ""uncertainty related to the pending acquisition of Twitter" by Musk. "I'm rubber, they're glue," Musk tweeted in response, citing the first part of a schoolyard taunt that continues, "Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you." [[The New York Post]( [CNBC]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Musk+refuses+blame+after+Twitter's+second-quarter+revenue+falls+short+of+projections&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 7. [Orbán urges new Ukraine strategy focused on peace, not victory]( Nationalist conservative Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Saturday that the European Union should adopt a new Ukraine strategy "which should focus [on] peace talks and drafting a good peace proposal ... instead of winning the war" against Russia. Sanctions, he argued, have not been effective in undermining Russia's will to fight, and European governments are falling "like dominoes" as rising energy prices take their toll. Orbán, a controversial figure in Hungary and in Europe as a whole, won a fourth term in April after refusing to ban imports of Russian oil and gas or to allow weapons being sent to Ukraine to be shipped through Hungary. [[Reuters]( [The Week]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Orbán+urges+new+Ukraine+strategy+focused+on+peace,+not+victory&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 8. [Biden doing well despite COVID diagnosis, doctor says]( President Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said Friday that the president's COVID-19 symptoms "have improved" and that, despite a cough, Biden's pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation levels are "entirely normal." Biden reportedly sounded hoarse during a Friday Zoom meeting with a group of economic and energy advisers but assured them that he was "feeling much better than I sound." The president is fully vaccinated and boosted and is being treated with the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. [[BBC]( [The Hill]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Biden+doing+well+despite+COVID+diagnosis,+doctor+says&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 9. [Wes Moore wins Maryland Democratic gubernatorial primary]( Author and former nonprofit CEO Wes Moore was declared the winner of Maryland's Democratic gubernatorial primary on Friday, narrowly defeating former Labor Secretary Tom Perez. As of Saturday morning, Moore had won 170,885 votes to Perez's 142,999. Moore is highly favored to win in November against state Del. Dan Cox (R), whose hardline conservative positions are unlikely to play well in blue Maryland. Cox defeated Kelly Schulz, the would-be successor to moderate Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, after Democrats spent more than a million dollars on an ad designed to boost Cox at Schulz's expense. [[The New York Times]( [The Associated Press]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Wes+Moore+wins+Maryland+Democratic+gubernatorial+primary&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 10. [WWE's Vince McMahon retires after misconduct allegations]( Longtime WWE CEO Vince McMahon announced his retirement Friday after facing multiple allegations of misconduct. He shared the news in a tweet, which was confirmed in a statement from the company. "As I approach 77 years old, I feel it's time for me to retire as chairman and CEO of WWE," McMahon said. "Throughout the years, it's been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you." McMahon has since been accused of paying over $12 million to four women to suppress allegations of misconduct [[The Week]( [WWE]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=WWE's+Vince+McMahon+retires+after+misconduct+allegations&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220723&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) [Read more things you need to know at theweek.com]( MOST POPULAR [Related image]( [Bannon found guilty in contempt trial]( Brigid Kennedy [Related image]( [Nope, explained]( Brendan Morrow [Related image]( [Judge temporarily blocks Louisiana abortion ban]( Harold Maass [Related image]( [DHS watchdog opens criminal inquiry of erased Secret Service Jan. 6 texts]( Harold Maass [Related image]( [Everything the latest Jan. 6 hearing revealed about Trump's inaction during the riot]( Catherine Garcia [Speed reads banner] [Article image]( [WWE's Vince McMahon retires after misconduct allegations]( July 22, 2022 [Article image]( [Bannon found guilty in contempt trial]( July 22, 2022 [Article image]( [Judge temporarily blocks Louisiana abortion ban]( July 22, 2022 [Article image]( [DHS watchdog opens criminal inquiry of erased Secret Service Jan. 6 texts]( July 22, 2022 [Read more of today's best articles at theweek.com]( [Try 6 risk free issues of The Week magazine. Order now.]( [Unsubscribe from this list]( | [Privacy Policy]( © Future US LLC. Registered address: 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. [The Week Logo]( [Follow The Week at Facebook.com]( [Follow The Week at Twitter.com]( [The Week magazine cover]( Try 6 Risk Free issues of The Week [Try it out]( [Try it out]( [Subscribe]( [Subscriber login]( [Give a gift]( [Classroom subscriptions]( [Newsletters]( [RSS]( [Ad info]( [Privacy policy]( [Terms & conditions]( [The Week UK]( [Customer service]( [Contact Us]( [Accessibility](