Your Monday Briefing: Trump indictment unleashes calls for violence

By Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering the latest on Donald Trump’s indictment and Ukraine’s first counteroffensive gains.

Violent rhetoric in defense of Trump

The federal indictment of former President Donald Trump last week has unleashed a wave of calls by his supporters for violence and an uprising to defend him. The rhetoric is raising concerns of a dangerous atmosphere ahead of his court appearance in Miami tomorrow.

The indictment — the first time a former U.S. president has faced federal charges — accuses Trump of mishandling classified documents he kept upon leaving office and then obstructing the government’s efforts to reclaim them. It presents evidence of a shocking indifference toward some of the country’s most sensitive secrets and actions even more blatant than was previously known.

Trump on Saturday cast both his indictments by prosecutors and his current run for president as part of a “final battle” with “corrupt” forces that he maintained are destroying the country.

Remarks from close allies of Trump — including a member of Congress — have portrayed the charges as an act of war, and some have called for retribution, which political violence experts say increases the risk of action.

Context: The indictment puts the nation in an extraordinary position, given Trump’s status as not only the former president but also the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination to face President Biden, whose administration will now be seeking to convict his potential rival of multiple felonies.

The other case: The indictment came about two months after prosecutors in New York filed charges against Trump in a case connected to hush money payments made to a porn actress before the 2016 election.

What’s next: Trump is expected to surrender to the authorities tomorrow in Miami. But a trial is not guaranteed and may not be scheduled for months, as both sides will most likely argue over the merits of the case.

Ukraine claims first counteroffensive gains

Fighting raged yesterday in at least three sectors of the front in Ukraine, as the Ukrainian military claimed its first, small territorial gains in the initial stages of its counteroffensive.

Ukraine had been silent about the course of the combat in the opening week of the military operation, but it seems to be at a stage of probing attacks and feints. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine signaled on Saturday that the counteroffensive had begun, but “at what stage, I will not disclose in detail,” he said.

Gains: A Ukrainian unit claimed to have taken Blahodatne, in the eastern region of Donetsk, and a separate unit said it had reclaimed the nearby village of Neskuchne. It remained to be seen whether the announcements also signaled that Ukraine had managed to break through Russian lines of defense.

What’s at stake: The outcome of the counteroffensive will influence discussions of future Western support for Ukraine, as well as debates about how to guarantee the country’s future. Definitions of success for the counteroffensive vary.

Scotland’s former leader is arrested

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s former first minister, was arrested yesterday by police officers investigating the finances of the Scottish National Party, which dominates the country’s politics. Sturgeon led the party until her unexpected resignation in February.

The investigation into the party began in 2021 and was reported to have followed complaints about the handling of around 600,000 British pounds, or nearly $750,000, in donations raised to campaign for a second vote on Scottish independence. (A first referendum was held in 2014, with Scots voting against independence, 55 percent to 45 percent.)

Details: The authorities are thought to be looking into whether money intended to fight for a second vote on independence was diverted to another purpose, and to be investigating why Sturgeon’s husband made a loan to the party.

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That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — Justin

P.S. Enter our challenge for a chance to play Wordle against Keegan-Michael Key.

“The Sunday Read” is on the head of one of the largest teachers’ unions in the U.S.

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