Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company who staged a brief mutiny this summer against Russia’s military leadership, was listed as a passenger on a private jet that crashed today. Russian aviation authorities said that all 10 people aboard were killed.
The plane left a Moscow airport at about 6 p.m. local time, bound for St. Petersburg, and went down less than 100 miles to the northwest. The Russian state media agency posted a video showing a plane tumbling from the sky. The paint and a partial registration number visible on the aircraft aligned with a jet Prigozhin is known to use.
Grey Zone, a Telegram account associated with the Wagner group, said that Prigozhin had been killed. But there was no official confirmation of his death from Wagner or the Russian authorities.
U.S. officials said they also could not confirm whether Prigozhin had been killed in the crash or why the jet went down. U.S. intelligence agencies had been surprised that Vladimir Putin had not yet taken action against the mercenary leader after his mutiny in June.
Frustrated over the country’s military leadership, Prigozhin instigated a short rebellion that posed a brief yet grave threat to Putin’s government. Despite his actions, he had appeared to move about freely in the mutiny’s aftermath, including meeting with Putin on June 29.
G.O.P. candidates take the stage to debate who’s No. 2
Eight presidential hopefuls will appear onstage in Milwaukee for the first Republican debate of the election cycle. But the race’s far-and-away favorite, Donald Trump — who leads polls by as many as 40 percentage points — will not be there.
His absence from the event, which is typically considered a crucial stop on the campaign for the nomination, raises the question: What’s even the point?
“It’s not an unreasonable question,” our chief political analyst, Nate Cohn, said. But, he added, it’s also reasonable to consider a primary race without Trump, as prosecutors push for trials early next year.
In his absence, Ron DeSantis will try to reassure voters and donors that he is still the most suitable Trump alternative, while former Vice President Mike Pence and the entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will try to prove him wrong.
For more, my colleagues outlined how to watch, what to watch for and where each candidate stands on the issues. The debate begins at 9 p.m. Eastern. We have live coverage.
Giuliani surrendered in Georgia
Rudolph Giuliani traveled to Georgia today and turned himself in at the Atlanta jail where defendants are being booked in the criminal case against Donald Trump and his allies. He faces 13 state charges including racketeering, making false statements and pressuring public officials to violate their oath of office — as many as the former president and more than the 17 other defendants. His bond was set at $150,000.
The Georgia indictment was perhaps the lowest point in the career of the man once called “America’s mayor”: A former federal prosecutor who made his name using racketeering charges to pursue organized crime, Giuliani now faces such charges himself.
India landed on the moon
In a triumph viewed by tens of millions of people, two visitors from India, a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan, landed safely in the southern polar region of the moon this morning. The Chandrayaan-3 mission makes India the first country to reach this part of the lunar surface in one piece and the fourth country to land on the moon.
More top news
Hawaii: The Lahaina inferno began after firefighters departed a “contained” brush fire.
Greece: More than 350 fires have broken out in the past five days, forcing evacuations on the outskirts of Athens.
Fraud: The federal government has charged more than 3,100 people with offenses related to pandemic fraud and seized more than $1.4 billion in relief funds.
China: President Xi Jinping called for the BRICS group of countries to accelerate its expansion to serve as a counterweight to the West.
Economy: In a hot job market, the $7.25 federal minimum wage is an afterthought. But what happens when the economy cools?
Health: The number of gender-affirming surgeries rose to about 13,000 in 2019, from about 4,500 in 2016.
Science: The world’s largest known aggregation of octopuses can be found at an underwater hot spring.
Business: In an unusual step, the major entertainment studios publicly released details of their most recent proposal to the striking Writers Guild of America.
TIME TO UNWIND
A stroke stole her ability to speak. A.I. is restoring it.
At 30 years old, Ann Johnson — a teacher, volleyball coach and mother of an infant — had a cataclysmic stroke that paralyzed her and left her unable to talk. For nearly 20 years she was almost entirely unable to communicate. But today, scientists reported an advance toward bringing her voice back.
In a milestone of neuroscience and artificial intelligence, implanted electrodes decoded Johnson’s brain signals as she silently tried to say sentences. Then, the signals were converted into written and vocalized language, enabling a digital avatar to speak the words and display smiles, pursed lips and other expressions. The approach could help others who have lost speech.
Yared Nuguse just wants to be an orthodontist
In Budapest today, the runner Yared Nuguse proved yet again to be one of America’s fastest men. He ran the 1,500-meter world championship final in about 3 minutes 30 seconds — a second slower than his personal best, but still faster than any other American in almost 40 years.
But unlike most runners, he needed a fair bit of convincing to go pro. Since age 12, he had planned on going to dental school and becoming an orthodontist. That’s still his goal — only now he’s happy competing against the fastest people in the world for a few years, before retiring and heading back to school by 30.
Dinner table topics
Unraveling of an art dynasty: A widow’s legal fight against the Wildenstein family of France has threatened their storied collection — and revealed the underbelly of the global art market.
A new top chef: Kristen Kish, Padma Lakshmi’s successor, is a different kind of host: gay, Korean American and ready to share her emotions.
Menopause: For women of color, symptoms can be more severe and last longer. Doctors don’t always realize that.
Ask the Ethicist: The summer intern brags about his illegal hobby. Should I tell H.R.?
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
Cook: There’s delight in making a rich pesto pasta dish look this green.
Watch: We updated our list of the 50 best movies to watch on Netflix now.
Listen: Traditional corners of the classical music world are getting in on spatial audio.
Explore: Baseball parks have become more than just spaces for ballgames. Check them out.
Defuse: We rounded up the best relationship advice we’ve heard this year.
Freeze: By preserving your herbs, you can enjoy summer delights for the rest of the year.
Meditate: Wirecutter tested 18 meditation apps. These three are worth trying.
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
Tired of chores? A solution may be in the cards.
In marriages, women tend to do the bulk of household tasks and other so-called invisible labor, like making grocery lists, writing thank-you cards and scheduling dentist appointments. Sometimes the imbalance can breed resentment.
Eve Rodsky, a Harvard-trained lawyer specializing in organizational management, believes a deck of cards — part of her Fair Play system — can help solve the problem. Rodsky and her husband divide up dozens of cards for jobs like cleaning dishes or managing children’s sports schedules. By taking and trading responsibilities, the household can feel more manageable.
Have an equitable evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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