Thursday Briefing: What’s next for Trump?

By Justin Porter

Good morning.

We’re covering Donald Trump’s indictment, a shake-up in China’s nuclear force and the struggles of Ukrainian forces trained by the West.

Also, discovering the world’s heaviest animal.

Trump’s indictment drags the U.S. into the unknown

Donald Trump’s indictment for trying to overturn the 2020 election has thrown the country into uncharted territory ahead of the presidential vote next year.

The former president was charged on Tuesday with four felony counts following a sprawling investigation into his attempts to cling to power after losing the election to Joe Biden.

Though Trump has been charged dozens of times across three cases, he would still be allowed to run for president (although he would probably not be allowed to vote). He would also face no campaign restrictions.

However, if he is convicted on any of the felony counts, things get complicated. The Constitution and U.S. law have clear answers for only some of the questions that would arise. Many of the huge decisions would rest in the hands of federal judges.

The indictment has put Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, at the center of an extraordinary moment in American politics. Pence is Trump’s rival in the race for the Republican Party nomination, and he criticized Trump on Tuesday, setting himself apart from several other Republican candidates who largely avoided criticizing the former president, even indirectly.

More on the indictment:

• Trump has been summoned for his initial court appearance in the case this afternoon before a magistrate judge in Federal District Court in Washington, the special counsel’s office said.

• Shortly after learning he was being indicted, Trump dined with the leadership at Fox News as they lobbied him to attend the first Republican presidential primary debate this month.

• The indictment asserted that six people aided Trump. Most of them can be identified by details included in the indictment, leaving a mystery: Who is Co-conspirator 6?

• Here are four takeaways from the indictment and a look at Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the investigations of Trump.

A shake-up in China’s nuclear force

President Xi Jinping this week abruptly replaced the two top commanders of Rocket Force, the custodian of China’s expanding nuclear arsenal, with outsiders with no experience in the group. It was the highest-level upheaval in China’s military in over five years.

The reasons for the removal are unclear, but the move set off a flurry of speculation, including rumors that one or both commanders were recruited as spies, as well as allegations of corruption and graft.

Analysis: Whatever the reason, the shake-up indicated serious problems in Rocket Force’s top ranks, several experts said, which could potentially complicating China’s upgrade of its conventional and nuclear missiles.

Ukrainian troops trained by the West are stumbling

The first several weeks of Ukraine’s counteroffensive have not been kind to the Ukrainian troops who were trained and armed by the U.S. and its allies. But now the Ukrainian brigades are trying to turn things around, U.S. officials and independent analysts say.

Ukrainian military commanders have changed tactics, focusing on wearing down the Russian forces with artillery and long-range missiles instead of plunging into minefields under fire. A troop surge is also underway in the country’s south. But early results from the new efforts have been mixed.

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THE LATEST NEWS

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada is separating from his wife, Sophie Grégoire, after 18 years of marriage.
• U.S. jurors decided that a gunman who killed 11 worshipers at a synagogue in October 2018 should be sentenced to death.
• Iran ordered all government agencies, banks and schools to close for two days because of “unprecedented” heat.
• The major Hollywood studios and thousands of striking writers have agreed to meet to restart talks after a three-month standoff.

• Three dancers who toured with Lizzo are suing the star over accusations of a hostile and “overtly sexual” work environment.
• A zoo in Hangzhou, China, is struggling to clear up a conspiracy theory that one of its bears is really a human in a bear suit.
• Women’s World Cup: Jamaica and South Africa head into the round of 16; Sweden won its group and locked in a matchup against the U.S.

Paleontologists have unveiled the fossilized bones of what may have been the heaviest animal ever.

The 39-million-year-old whale, called Perucetus, may have weighed about 200 tons, thanks, in part, to its dense bones. Researchers suspect that it drifted lazily through shallow coastal waters like a gigantic manatee, propelling its sausage-like body with a paddle-shaped tail.

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ARTS AND IDEAS

A hip-hop love story in lyrics

To mark hip-hop’s 50th birthday, we asked Mahogany L. Browne, an acclaimed American poet, to write a love letter to the genre, composed entirely of song lyrics both beloved and obscure, with a little remixing.

She chopped up decades of beats, rhymes and life, and we annotated every line, along with clips from the songs they came from. Take a tour through her work to remember your favorites — and maybe discover a few new ones.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

Coconut-dill salmon with green beans and corn makes for a great low-lift dish.

Here’s a guide to the books that have played a part in the many rebirths of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Menopause can wreak havoc on your hair. Here’s how to manage it.

Play the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Mother of a fawn (three letters).

Here are the Wordle and the Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here.

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

P.S. The News and Documentary Emmy Awards recognized Times journalism with 16 nominations across 12 categories.

We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to briefing@nytimes.com.

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