Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. It is the longest sentence handed down to anyone involved in the January 6 insurrection. In May, Tarrio and three other members of the Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said Tarrio was “the ultimate leader of that conspiracy.” Tarrio received the stiffest sentence even though he was not in Washington on the day of January 6 since he had been arrested in a separate case days earlier and was ordered to stay away from the city. During the trial, prosecutors had portrayed the Proud Boys as having served as Donald Trump’s army on January 6. Last week, four other Proud Boys were sentenced to between 10 and 18 years in prison.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit to Ukraine. This is Blinken’s fourth trip to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, but for the first time Blinken plans to spend the night. Blinken is expected to announce a new package worth more than $1 billion in U.S. aid for Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed in the counteroffensive, but has what it needs for the long term to make sure that it has a strong deterrent, strong defense capacity, so that in the future aggressions like this don’t happen again.”

Blinken’s visit came just hours after Russian cruise missiles hit Kyiv in the first aerial attack on the capital in about a week. Meanwhile, a Russian drone hit the Danube port of Izmail in the Odesa region, killing one person.

There are a number of developments in the legal cases against Donald Trump. Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows pleaded not guilty Tuesday and waived his formal arraignment. Meadows is one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants accused of being part of a criminal enterprise that attempted to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Attorney John Eastman and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark also pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.

In Washington, special counsel Jack Smith has warned that Trump’s daily statements may prejudice the jury pool in Washington, where Trump is facing a separate criminal trial. Trump has repeatedly attacked Smith, as well as U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

The trial of Trump’s former trade adviser Peter Navarro has begun. He was indicted for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.

In Atlanta, 61 activists have been indicted on RICO charges for their involvement in protests against the construction of a massive $90 million police training complex known as Cop City. Georgia’s Republican Attorney General Christopher Carr accuses the activists of violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The indictment was handed up by the same Fulton County grand jury panel that indicted President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants on RICO charges. Many of the protesters have already been charged with domestic terrorism. The ACLU blasted the indictment of the Cop City protesters. ACLU attorney Aamra Ahmad said, “We are extremely concerned by this breathtakingly broad and unprecedented use of state terrorism, anti-racketeering and money laundering laws against protesters.” We’ll have more on this story after headlines.

The United Nations secretary-general announced earlier today that “Climate breakdown has begun.” António Guterres made the remark as the World Meteorological Organization released new data on this summer’s record-breaking heat in the Northern Hemisphere. According to the organization, last month was the hottest August on record “by a large margin” and the second hottest month ever recorded — the only month hotter was this past July. Guterres said, “The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting.”

Extreme weather continues to devastate areas across the globe. In southern Brazil, at least 21 people have died after a cyclone triggered floods and landslides in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The storm forced at least 6,000 people from their homes.

Dirce Reginatto: “I feel devastated. I lost everything. There are many people who lost much more, but here at home I have nothing left.”

In other climate news, a massive rainstorm hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, killing at least seven people. In Istanbul, about a dozen people had to be rescued from a library after being stranded by floods. Parts of Greece recorded more than 30 inches of rain. The storm comes as Greece just begins to recover from record-breaking wildfires.

Meanwhile, in China, a typhoon inundated the southeastern province of Fujian, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

India is preparing to host the G20’s annual summit for the first time. The talks begin in Delhi on Saturday. For months Indian authorities have ordered bulldozers to destroy the homes of people who live in shanties near the G20 conference. Many displaced residents say they have no place to go.

Khushboo Devi: “We have been living here for the last 25 to 30 years. Where do we go now that our houses are suddenly demolished? We have no facilities or a place to live, and we have become homeless and are on the road. I hope the authorities get sick and die and they will be cursed by the poor.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has officially recognized two Indigenous territories in an attempt to protect the land from illegal loggers, miners and cattle ranchers. Lula spoke Tuesday at a ceremony to mark Amazon Day.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: “The Amazonian people deserve to have their rights guaranteed and opportunities for a better life. If there is no future for the Amazon and its people, there will be no future for the planet either. That is what today’s event is about: concrete actions to guarantee the future of the Amazon and each of us.”

In a major diplomatic development, Saudi Arabia and Iran have exchanged ambassadors, formally ending a seven-year diplomatic rift between the oil giants. In March, China brokered a deal for the two countries to restore relations.

The Spanish soccer federation has appointed Montse Tomé to become the first woman to serve as coach of the women’s national soccer team, which won the Women’s World Cup three weeks ago. The announcement was made shortly after the federation fired coach Jorge Vilda, who had long faced criticism for his coaching style. Calls for Vilda’s resignation grew after he expressed support for Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales, who forcibly kissed Spanish player Jenni Hermoso during the Women’s World Cup awards ceremony. Rubiales is facing nationwide calls to be ousted, including from the women’s soccer team, staff and prominent politicians. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, “One cannot aspire to represent Spain and make Spain look bad with attitudes and speeches that embarrass us and that do not represent us.”

A federal court has stuck down Alabama’s congressional map, which was designed by Republicans to dilute the power of Black voters. The judges said they were “deeply troubled” that lawmakers had defied a prior court order to draw a map with two majority-Black districts. Two of the judges in the case were appointed by Donald Trump. A court-appointed special master will now draw new congressional districts. Alabama’s attorney general has vowed to appeal the decision.

In Texas, the impeachment trial for Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has begun in the Republican-controlled state Senate. Paxton has pleaded not guilty to all 16 articles of impeachment. He is accused of abusing his office, bribery and obstruction of justice.

The New York Police Department has agreed to change how it responds to protests, after reaching a settlement in lawsuits stemming from the department’s violent response to the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The NYPD reached the settlement with New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union. As part of the settlement, the NYPD agreed to stop using a tactic called kettling to trap and arrest protesters. Other key elements to the settlement include the creation of a new oversight committee to assess how police respond to protests. New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Too often peaceful protesters have been met with force that has harmed innocent New Yorkers simply trying to exercise their rights. Today’s agreement will meaningfully change how the NYPD engages with and responds to public demonstrations in New York City.”

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has died at the age of 75. Richardson also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary, and spent 14 years in Congress, including a period as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Richardson also went on dozens of humanitarian missions to help secure the release of Americans held overseas, including trips to Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, Colombia, Sudan, North Korea and Russia, where he helped free the WNBA star Brittney Griner. As energy secretary, Richardson faced criticism for his handling of the arrest of the Taiwanese American nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was held for 278 days in solitary confinement after being falsely accused of being a Chinese spy. Wen Ho Lee eventually pleaded guilty to a minor charge. At the time, a federal judge issued a dramatic apology to Wen Ho Lee, but Richardson would continue to defend his handling of the case. Richardson appeared on Democracy Now! in 2005.

Gov. Bill Richardson: “I believe that we acted properly in safeguarding our nuclear secrets. He was convicted on several counts. There were some mistakes in that case. It involved the entire federal government, and I stand behind everything that I did.”

Click here to see the whole interview with Governor Richardson that Juan González and I did back in 2005 in Santa Fe.