First Thing: Washington Post publisher allegedly advised Boris Johnson to ‘clean up’ phone amid Covid scandal

Sources' claims suggest Will Lewis's advice to British PM contradicted instructions to staff. Plus, East Palestine crash chemicals spread to 16 states

• Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here

Good morning.

Will Lewis, the Washington Post publisher, advised the then UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, and senior officials at 10 Downing Street to clean up" their phones in the midst of a Covid-era political scandal, according to claims by three people familiar with the operations inside No 10 at the time.

What it means for Lewis: Appointed as publisher of the Washington Post in November 2023, his future looks uncertain after the publication of damaging stories in US media outlets, including the Washington Post itself, about his journalistic record and alleged efforts to kill negative stories about him.

How will Ukraine's F-16s change the dynamics of war? Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, an aviation expert and former Ukrainian military pilot, said: The Russians will be forced to change their tactics. We will be able to target their planes and missiles more effectively, and it will be really difficult for them to keep using KAB guided air bombs, which they need to launch from 50 to 70km away."

What's the latest in the conflict? A wave of missiles and Shahed-type drones attacked Ukraine over Wednesday night, the Ukrainian air force said. Areas targeted included Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltava and Vinnytsia, said the air force.