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Benjamin Pollard
Monday, August 8, 2022, 5:04 PM

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The Senate passed a $740 billion spending bill intended to combat climate change, reduce drug costs, and increase corporate taxes. Vice President Kamala Harris cast a tie-breaking vote in what was a party-line vote for the bill. The proposal would raise more than $700 billion in revenue over the next 10 years, according to estimates.

Russian and Ukrainian officials exchanged accusations over which country was responsible for shelling attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Russian forces gained control of the plant in southeastern Ukraine, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, in March. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “any attack to a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” in response to news of the shelling while visiting Hiroshima to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the city’s bombing.

A Reuters investigation found that despite bans on high-tech exports to Russia by the United States and other Western countries, computer technology from Western companies are still making their way to Russia. AMD, Analog Devices, Infineon, Intel, and Texas Instruments are among the manufacturers whose technology Reuters found arrived in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Two grain ships left Ukrainian ports on Monday, marking a total 10 ships that have left Ukraine under the country’s deal with Russia. Approximately 243,000 tons of corn have been transported, along with 45,000 tons of sunflower meal, 11,000 tons of soybeans, and 6,000 tons of sunflower oil.

Israel and leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group reached a ceasefire agreement on Sunday. The truce came after three days of violence that resulted in at least 44 Palestinian deaths. Two of Islamic Jihad’s leaders died and a number of its bases were destroyed in the conflict.

Chinese officials announced that China will be launching additional military drills around Taiwan. According to China’s Eastern Theater Command, the country will conduct anti-submarine drills around the island. President Biden expressed concern about the drills when asked by reporters, but said that he does not believe China will “do anything more than they are.”

ICYMI: This Weekend on Lawfare

Samantha Bradshaw and Shelby Grossman assessed whether Facebook and Twitter were consistent in labeling misleading posts during the 2020 presidential election.

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Benjamin Pollard is a student at Brown University studying history and political science. He is a former intern at Lawfare.

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