August 2, 2024

U.S. AND RUSSIA | In the largest post-Soviet-era prisoner exchange yet, 24 prisoners were exchanged yesterday in a deal between Russia and the U.S. and its allies. Among the Americans freed by Russia were Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Vladimir Kara-Murza. Of the eight people returned to Russia, the most well-known was Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 of killing a former Chechen rebel in Berlin two years earlier. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Authorities say one man was killed, and three other people were wounded, yesterday in a shooting incident in the Denver, Colorado, suburb of Aurora. Police say the shooting does not appear to have been random and note that no arrests in the case have yet been made. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Economists surveyed by data company FactSet predict that Labor Department data due out later today will show that U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs in June, which would be a significant decline from the 222,000 monthly average so far this year. [more]

U.S. VOTING RIGHTS | In a case in which Black and Latino groups had joined together to challenge changes to district voting maps in Galveston County, Texas, the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, 12-6, yesterday that distinct minority groups cannot join together in coalitions to claim their votes are diluted in redistricting cases under the Voting Rights Act. Reports say the decision overturns previous 5th U.S. Circuit rulings and that the case is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. [more]

U.S. AIR TRAVEL | The Department of Transportation proposed a new rule yesterday that would require airlines to seat children aged 13 or younger next to a parent or accompanying adult for free and to offer refunds or alternative flights at no additional cost if adjacent seats aren’t available when a flight is booked. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | According to information released yesterday, Donald Trump’s Republican presidential campaign raised $138.7 million in July, while the campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris raised $310 million in the same period. [more]

TEXAS | The U.S. Justice Department said yesterday that it has found Texas to have routinely violated the civil and constitutional rights of juveniles housed at five state detention facilities by using excessive force, failing to protect detainees from sexual abuse and violence, and discriminating against those with disabilities. [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the United States recognizes opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of last weekend's presidential election in Venezuela, despite the South American country's electoral commission declaring that incumbent President Nicolás Maduro won. The U.S. statement comes amidst growing international calls for Maduro to release detailed vote counts from polling locations. [more]

NIGERIA | Reports say at least two people, and possibly as many as 19, were killed yesterday in clashes between demonstrators and police during coordinated “day of rage” protests held across Nigeria amidst the African nation’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis. [more]

BANGLADESH | Following the deaths of more than 200 people and the arrest of more than 10,000 since July 15, Bangladesh’s government banned the Jamaat-e-Islami party and its associated bodies yesterday, saying the party’s actions in inciting violence during recent protests made it a “militant and terrorist” organization. [more]

ISRAEL AND LEBANON | Following this week’s Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut, the militant group says its conflict with Israel has entered a “new phase,” with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promising a “very well-studied retaliation.” [more]

KOREA AND GERMANY | Germany joined the U.S.-led United Nations Command in South Korea today, becoming the 18th member nation of the group charged by the U.N. with restoring peace and enforcing the armistice between North and South Korea. [more]

RUSSIA | The Russian Emergencies Ministry says at least four people died, and dozens of others remain missing, following a gas explosion and subsequent collapse of an apartment building yesterday in the Ural Mountains region industrial city of Nizhny Tagil. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Authorities in the Philippine capital of Manila say at least 11 people were killed today when a fire swept through a five-story building in the city’s Chinatown district. [more]

TURKEY | Government officials in Turkey blocked access to the social media platform Instagram today in a move media reports say was prompted by the platform removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. [more]

RWANDA AND CONGO | The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel force said this week that it will observe the July 30th cease-fire agreement signed by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but that it would not be “bound” by the deal. [more]

TECH INDUSTRY | As part of cost-saving measures amidst increasing competition from rivals including Nvidia and AMD, chipmaker Intel Corp. announced yesterday that it plans to cut some 15,000 jobs, or about 15% of its total workforce. [more]

PARIS OLYMPICS | As of 5 a.m. ET today, the U.S. leads the overall medal count at the Paris Olympics with 38, followed by France, China, Great Britain, and Australia. In other Olympic news:

• American Simone Biles won her second all-around Olympic gymnastics gold medal yesterday in Paris – eight years after winning the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. [more]
• In a showing of solidarity with Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian invasion, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo yesterday awarded all Ukrainian Olympic athletes the Grand Vermeil Medal – the French capital’s highest distinction. [more]
• American Katie Ledecky won her 13th Olympic medal yesterday, becoming the most decorated woman in Olympic swimming history. [more]

FOOTBALL | The NFL pre-season began last night with a 21-17 Chicago Bears’ win over the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame game, which was stopped with about three minutes left in the third quarter due to heavy rain and lightning. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's subsequent refusal to withdraw his troops sparked the Persian Gulf War, in which an international force led by the United States quickly defeated Iraq. [more history]