August 9, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 308 of the conflict:

• Amidst ongoing concern over the potential spread of regional violence in the Middle East, the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar yesterday called on Israeli and Hamas representatives to meet for negotiations on August 15 to work toward finalizing a Gaza cease-fire and hostage-release deal. [more]
• In continuing action against ships in the Red Sea region sparked by the Israel-Hamas conflict, Yemen’s Houthi rebels are suspected of three attacks on a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait yesterday and today. Reports say no casualties or damage to the ship resulted from the attacks. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 897 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say at least 10 people were killed, and 35 others were injured, today in a Russian missile strike that hit a supermarket in the eastern Donetsk region town of Kostiantynivka. [more]
• Four days into an ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk region by Ukrainian forces, the Russian Ministry for Emergencies declared a “federal level” emergency for the region today. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Broadcaster ABC reports that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have agreed to move forward with a September 10 presidential debate hosted by the network. [more]

TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | Heavy rains, flooding, and tornadoes associated with Tropical Storm Debby have been reported in North Carolina and Virginia today as the storm moves northward along the East Coast. Meteorologists say the storm is expected to have potentially dangerous effects from Virginia to Vermont through the weekend. [more]

U.S. MARKETS AND ECONOMY | The S&P 500 rose 2.3% yesterday – its biggest one-day increase since 2022 – and the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite indices both had significant gains following the release of better-than-expected Labor Department data showing that fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. [more]

U.S. MORTALITY | According to provisional data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday, the overall death rate decreased for all age groups decreased in 2023, compared to 2022, with 750.4 deaths per 100,000 population. The CDC report notes that the leading cause of U.S. deaths in 2023 were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injury – a category that includes gun deaths and drug overdoses – and that COVID-19 fell to the 10th leading cause of death for the year. [full report] [more]

MAINE | A three-day waiting period for gun purchases goes into effect in Maine today. The new restriction was adopted following the October 23 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, in which 18 people were killed and 13 others were injured. [more]

CALIFORNIA | State fire officials say northern California’s Park Fire, which broke out July 24, continues to grow and has now burned more than 660 square miles. The wildfire was considered 34% contained as of last night. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | Fifteen U.S. states filed a federal lawsuit in North Dakota yesterday that seeks to block a Biden administration proposed rule that would allow some 100,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to enroll next year in the federal Affordable Care Act’s health insurance. The rule is scheduled to take effect November 1. [more]

U.S. AND IRAN | A new threat intelligence report from tech giant Microsoft says Iran has increased online activity that appears intended to influence November’s U.S. elections. The Iranian activity has included the creation of fake news sites, impersonation of activists, and phishing attacks against at least one presidential campaign, according to the report. [full report] [more]

AUSTRIA | Authorities in Vienna, Austria, say three teenagers have been arrested in connection with a plot to carry out a terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in the city and that the plot appears to have been inspired by connections to the Islamic State and al-Qaida militant groups. [more]

VENEZUELA | President Nicolás Maduro ordered a 10-day block on access to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in Venezuela today, saying platform owner Elon Musk using the network to “incite hatred” after the country’s disputed presidential election was the reason for the move. [more]

MEXICO | In a move financial analysts have characterized as surprising, Mexico’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% to 10.75% yesterday despite a new report of the country’s inflation having risen by over 1% to 5.57% in July. [more]

TURKEY | Turkish media reports that nine people were killed, and 26 others were injured, today when a bus swerved off a highway and slammed into an overpass pillar near the western Turkey town of Polatli. [more]

PARIS OLYMPICS | As of 6:30 a.m. ET today, the U.S. leads the overall medal count at the Paris Olympics with 103, followed by China, France, Great Britain, and Australia. In other Olympic news:

• In the final Paris Olympics swimming event to be held in the Seine River, Hungary’s Kristóf Rasovszky won the men’s 10-kilometer marathon race today, finishing in 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 52.7 seconds. [more]
• U.S. athletes won eight medals in track and field events at the Paris Olympics yesterday – three gold, three silver, and two bronze. [more]
• The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Serbia, 95-91, last night in the Paris Olympics semi-final. The U.S. will play France for the gold medal on Saturday – a rematch of the Tokyo Games final, which the U.S. won 87-82. [more]

R.I.P. | Hall fo Fame golfer Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez, who had eight PGA Tour and 22 Champions Tour victories during his 21-year career, died yesterday at the age of 88. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress code-named Bockscar dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. The bombing and subsequent radiation poisoning killed an estimated 74,000 people. [more history]