Good morning.
An investigation is under way in Georgia after threats and private information about the jurors who indicted Donald Trump and 18 of his allies was published online.
The Fulton county sheriff’s office on Thursday said it was “aware that personal information of members of the Fulton county grand jury is being shared on various platforms”.
Several users on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social posted the names of the jurors, according to the Independent.
How did they get the information? As is standard practice in Georgia, the unredacted names of the jury members were included in the indictment, which is a public record.
What information has been published? Names, photos, social media profiles and even home addresses were shared on rightwing sites and forums, CNN reported.
What now? The sheriff’s office said it was working with local, state and federal law enforcement to pinpoint the origins of the threats.
US to send Ukraine F-16 jets from Denmark and the Netherlands – Reuters
The US has reportedly approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands once pilot training is completed, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said in a letter seen by Reuters.
“I am writing to express the United States’ full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors,” Blinken said.
Ukraine said on Wednesday that based on current timelines it would not be able to operate the jets by autumn or winter.
What will the jets mean? According to the US, they won’t be a gamechanger owing to Russian air defence systems and contested skies over Ukraine. But Ukraine has actively sought them to upgrade its air force.
What about training? A coalition of 11 countries will begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly the jets this month in Denmark, according to the country’s acting defence minister.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone has hit a non-residential building in Moscow after being shot down by Russian air defences. The Russian defence ministry and the Moscow mayor said there were no casualties. Head to our live blog for the latest.
Maui emergency chief resigns after defending decision not to sound sirens
The head of the Maui emergency management agency, who has been condemned for not sounding disaster sirens during last week’s wildfire response, resigned on Thursday.
Maui’s mayor, Richard Bissen, accepted the resignation of Herman Andaya, who cited health reasons on Facebook. Bissen said that “given the gravity of the crisis” Andaya would be replaced as soon as possible.
Andaya on Wednesday defended failing to sound the siren system as the fire spread, saying he feared people would have gone “mauka” – a Hawaiian term meaning toward the mountains or inland.
What is the death toll? At least 111 people have been killed. Officials expect the death toll to rise, but not hugely.
Is the siren system new? No – it was created after a 1946 tsunami and its website says sirens may be used to alert for fires.
What else went wrong? Officials have been criticised over low availability of water for firefighting and a chaotic evacuation.
In other news …
The evacuation of people from Yellowknife in Canada has been impeded by poor communication, a Facebook news ban and misinformation, as wildfires rage. Officials have told people to leave the city by midday on Friday, but some are struggling to get the latest information because of Meta’s news ban in Canada and poor cell reception in some areas.
The FBI arrested nine current and former California police officers on Thursday over racist texts, prosecutors said. It is part of a major criminal investigation into dozens of law enforcement officials.
India’s supreme court has issued a handbook for judges urging them to avoid using archaic words such as “seductress” when describing women. The supreme court said it hoped the change would mean “legal reasoning and writing is free of harmful notions about women”.
Stat of the day: almost 90% of animals caught in shark nets are non-target species
Photograph: robertharding/Alamy
For months, swimmers at a popular beach in New Caledonia have had their bathing restricted after a series of shark attacks, including a death in February. Alongside a culling programme, a shark net is now being planned. Critics say that though better than culling, nets catch too many other species, including turtles, and according to the government in the Australian state of New South Wales, where they have long been used, nearly nine in 10 animals caught over a year were non-target species.
Don’t miss this: the Russian minister who fled the war to become a trucker in Michigan
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Denis Sharonov, a former Russian agriculture minister, fled to start a new life in the US. These days he can be found in Michigan, making his living through truck driving. “A lot of people don’t understand my choice. They mock me. They say I downshifted, from a regional minister to truck driver,” Sharonov said. “But I don’t see it that way at all. I am proud of what I do.”
Climate check: ‘In Ecuador, we have the opportunity to just stop oil’
On Sunday, Ecuador will vote in a referendum to decide whether to forgo oil drilling in the Yasuní national park in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Nemonte Nenquimo, a Waorani leader, explains how the country could become the first to restrict fossil fuel extraction through direct democracy, after years of legal battles. “Can you imagine a world where people peacefully choose not to destroy the world?” Nenquimo asks.
Last Thing: fighting fraudulent formaggio
To earn its name as the real deal in Europe, parmigiano reggiano must be produced in a small part of northern Italy – but that has not stopped counterfeiters trying to produce cheaper imitations. Now, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium is fighting against cheese fraud by planting microchips into labels on the rinds.
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