August 28, 2023

UKRAINE | Today is day 550 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Reports cite Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as saying three people were killed, and another five were wounded, overnight when Russian missiles struck an industrial facility in the Myrhorod district of Ukraine’s central Poltava region. [more]
• Military officials in Ukraine said today that their forces have liberated the southeastern settlement of Robotyne from Russian occupation and are making progress in pushing further south as part of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police have identified 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter as the gunman who shot and killed three Black people and then killed himself Saturday at a store in Jacksonville, Florida. Authorities say Palmeter, who used an AR-15-style rifle and a semi-automatic handgun in the attack, left behind notes making it clear that he was specifically targeting Black residents of a predominantly African American neighborhood in the city. [more]

MORE U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police in Louisville, Kentucky, say two people were killed, and five others were injured, early Sunday morning when shooting broke out at the Southern Restaurant & Lounge in the city’s downtown area. Authorities have not released any information on a possible suspect or suspects. [more]

TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | The U.S. National Hurricane Center says life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds in portions of Florida are becoming increasingly likely as Tropical Storm Idalia builds strength and moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. Idalia is predicted to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf coast on Wednesday as a Category 2 or 3 hurricane before affecting large portions of the southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. later in the week. [advisories and maps] [more]

TRUMP FEDERAL ELECTION TRIAL | Judge Tanya Chutkan will hold a hearing later this morning to consider the timing of former President Donald Trump’s federal trial on charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power to now-President Joe Biden. Prosecutors have proposed a January 2024 trial date, while attorneys for Trump have proposed a start date in April 2026. [more]

TRUMP GEORGIA ELECTION TRIAL | A hearing is scheduled for today in Georgia to consider arguments by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that his trial on charges of conspiring with former President Donald Trump and others to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia should be moved to federal court. [more]

U.S. MILITARY | Three U.S. Marines were killed, and 20 others were injured, early Sunday when their V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed in Australia’s Northern Territory during a multinational training exercise. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. [more]

PAKISTAN | Saying that prosecutors failed to obtain proper federal permission to bring such a case, the Balochistan High Court ruled today that sedition charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan are “without lawful authority and are of no legal effect.” [more]

RUSSIA | Investigators in Russia say genetic testing has confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the Wagner mercenary group and oversaw the group’s brief mutiny against Russian military leaders earlier this year, was among those killed last Wednesday in a plane crash west of Moscow. [more]

CHINA | Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced today that, as of this Wednesday, China will no longer require a negative COVID-19 test result from incoming travelers.  [more]

U.K. | Air traffic regulators say a network-wide failure in the U.K. air traffic control system this morning has severely impacted both incoming and outgoing flights across the country. [more]

SYRIA AND ISRAEL | Syrian state news agency SANA reports that an Israeli airstrike hit the international airport in Aleppo, Syria, early this morning, damaging a runway and putting the airport out of service. [more]

FRANCE | French Education Minister Gabriel Attal yesterday announced a ban on the wearing of abayas — loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women — in state-run schools, prompting support from proponents of strict secularism in the country’s schools and condemnation from those who say the abaya is not religious attire. [more]

GYMNASTICS | Simone Biles won a record-setting eighth national all-around title yesterday at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California. Biles, 26, also became the oldest woman to ever win the title. [more]

GOLF | Norway’s Viktor Hovland shot a final-round 7-under-par 63 yesterday to win the PGA's season-ending Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake course. [more]

BASEBALL | California beat Curacao, 6-5, yesterday to win the Little League World Series championship in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. [more]

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE | "Gran Turismo" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $17.3 million in receipts, followed by "Barbie" and "Blue Beetle." [more]

R.I.P. | Bob Barker, the long-time host of game shows including “The Price is Right” and “Truth or Consequences,” died Saturday at the age of 99, according to a release from his publicist. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1963, some 250,000 people took part in the March on Washington – an event that became a high point of the U.S. civil rights movement, especially remembered for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. [listen to King’s speech] [more history]