☕ The Eric Adams saga continues

It’s Friday.

It was a huge week of news, so make sure you take some time over the weekend to disconnect. We’ll go all over again on Monday!

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

Robert F Kennedy is officially the US Health Secretary after being confirmed by the full Senate, on the same day Kash Patel, FBI boss nominee, passed a penultimate vote by the Senate Judiciary commitment. Kennedy passed his vote 52-48, with only Republican Senator Mitch McConnel voting against party lines, citing Kennedy’s history of “trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions.” Kash Patel, who Democrats are concerned is overly loyal to President Trump, passed his vote with the committee all voting on party lines and will face a full Senate vote at a date to be determined.

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has become one of the first foreign leaders to meet with President Donald Trump during his second term. India’s PM, who praised Trump’s focus on US national interest, will be aiming to discuss exceptions to the new regime of US tariffs and a bilateral trade deal with the US, whilst President Trump is expected to ask for more assistance with the large amount of illegal migration from India. Just prior to the meeting President Trump announced that he would be placing reciprocal tariffs on countries around the globe.

The injury toll from yesterday’s car ramming in Munich, Germany, stands at 30. Authorities have identified the suspect as a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker living in Munich, who was already known to police. The driver was arrested at the scene and is set to appear before a judge. Today, the Munich Security Conference begins, with Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky some of the world leaders in attendance.

Federal agencies have moved quickly to terminate their employees serving a probation period after receiving orders from the Trump administration, part of an effort to reduce federal staff. It is not immediately clear how many of the possible 220,000 federal employees could be affected with some exceptions being signaled by officials. Critics have argued the government is acting unfairly as these employees are being fired without cause and that the government is losing a new generation of talent as most probationary employees are in their first year of employment.

I’ve got 1 minute

Russia has hit the site of the former Chernobyl power plant, near Ukraine’s border. Here’s what we know.

Some context

The Chernobyl nuclear reactor is located near Kyiv, in Ukraine. In the 1970s and 80s, it was a functioning nuclear reactor, providing energy to the region. However, in 1986, one of the reactors exploded, leading to the worst nuclear energy accidents in history. More than 68,000 local residents were permanently evacuated, and 237 workers were hospitalised because of radiation exposure. Of those, 28 died within three months.

Russia took control of the plant upon its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and remained there until the end of March. Since then, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has had experts stationed there to monitor the site’s status in an active war zone.

The strike

Just before 2am on Friday (local time), the IAEA team stationed at the site said it heard a large explosion. Upon investigation, the discovered a missile had hit a concrete shelter that covers the plant’s destroyed former fourth power unit.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said radiation levels in the area remain within normal limits, despite the damage to the shelter presenting a risk that some radiation may leak out.

There has been consistent fear from Ukraine and the international community that Russia would risk a major nuclear incident during the conflict by targeting a former nuclear site.

Russia’s response

The Kremlin denies the allegations from Ukraine that it was behind the missile strike, with a spokesperson telling reporters it was a “fabrication”. Russian state media is also reporting Russia is being framed by its enemies - most likely Ukraine.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Three top New York prosecutors resigned yesterday after refusing an instruction to drop a corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Some claim the case was politically motivated, while others suggest the Mayor made deals to have it dropped. Here is what we know.

The Case

Adams, the first sitting NYC mayor to face criminal charges, faces five counts related to fraud and bribery.

He denies guilt, calling the charges politically motivated and resisting calls to resign.

This week’s developments

On Monday, Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed prosecutors to apply to dismiss the case without prejudice, citing interference with Adams’ ability to carry out President Trump’s immigration policies and his re-election campaign.

Dismissing the case without prejudice allows the indictment to be refiled, possibly after the election.

Resignations

Danielle Sasson, acting attorney general for the Southern District of New York, and two DOJ lawyers resigned after fighting the instruction all week.

Sasson wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday, stating the evidence was “beyond reasonable doubt.”

Sasson had previously protested Adams’ claim that the prosecution was politically motivated saying the investigations began before Adams’ criticism of the Biden administration's immigration policies - which Adams’ claims was the reason for him being targeted.

Bove accepted the resignations, saying Sasson was “incapable of fairly reviewing” the case.

Was Trump involved?

Sasson’s resignation letter mentioned that Adams’ legal team had indicated Adams could assist with the DOJ’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.

Adams’ lawyer denied this, stating the team had truthfully answered, when asked, that the case would affect the Mayor’s ability to carry out his re-election campaign and immigration efforts.

On Thursday, Adams signed executive orders advancing the city’s cooperation with federal immigration agents, aligning with Trump’s immigration policies.

Trump denied any direct involvement.

What’s next?

The case is likely to be dropped, but could resurface after the election as prosecutors have applied for dismissal without prejudice. 

A judge could potentially investigate the dismissal, which could lead to it being denied.