Russia rebellion; ‘Cop City’ protests; Alzheimer’s drug

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Today’s top stories

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former confidant to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Wagner mercenary group, launched a rebellion over the weekend and began marching toward Moscow. Within hours, he called it off and agreed to leave Russia. Still, some analysts say the incident will weaken Putin’s authority.

Members of Wagner Group stand on the balcony of a building in the city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, June 24.

Roman Romokhov/AFP via Getty Images

• NPR’s Greg Myre reports Putin has been quiet since Saturday morning, and no one has heard from Prigozhin after he announced he would leave Russia and go to Belarus. On Up First this morning, Myre says the rebellion came at an opportune time for Ukrainians, and President Volodomyr Zelenskyy stated it proved Russia is weak.
• The incident has left the fate of the Wagner group unclear. Here’s what could happen next.

Activists in Atlanta are gathering for a week of action against a proposed police and fire training facility. Police abolitionists and racial justice advocates oppose the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, derisively called “Cop City.” Environmental activists say it will destroy a forest some call one of Atlanta’s “four lungs.”

• Law enforcement began arresting dozens of activists in December and alleged they belonged to a domestic violent extremism group, according to NPR’s Odette Yousef. She says these actions have caused confusion because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security doesn’t keep a list of domestic violent extremism…