September 9, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Update from day 339 of the conflict:

• The U.N.’s World Food Program said today that some 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza are in “urgent need” of food and other assistance amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict sparked by the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel almost a year ago. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 928 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• The Russian defense ministry said yesterday that its forces have taken control of the eastern Ukraine town of Novohrodivka as part of an ongoing advance toward the strategically important city of Pokrovsk. [more]
• A Ukrainian drone attack on a fuel depot in southern Russia’s Belgorod region this weekend triggered a series of fires that caused an explosion, according to a statement from Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are scheduled to take part in their first debate of this year’s presidential election cycle tomorrow evening. It is not yet clear if additional debates will be scheduled. [more]

GEORGIA | Reports cite family members of accused gunman Colt Gray as saying that Gray’s mother, Marcee Gray, warned officials at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, of an "extreme emergency" in the hours before her teenage son shot and killed four people at the school last week. [more]

KENTUCKY | Authorities in Kentucky enter a third day today of searching for the suspect in a series of shootings Saturday along Interstate 75 in which five people were wounded and gunshots struck at least 12 vehicles. [more]

CALIFORNIA | A state of emergency has been declared for southern California’s San Bernardino County as firefighters continue to battle the so-called Line Fire, which broke out Saturday and has burned about 27 square miles, threatened some 35,000 structures, prompted evacuations for several communities, and forced the closure of roads and schools. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT FUNDING | The House Rules Committee is scheduled to take up a stop-gap spending bill today that would fund government operations through March 28. House Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed the six-month funding measure ahead of the September 30 fiscal year funding deadline. [more]

VIETNAM | Vietnamese authorities say at least 59 people died over the weekend following Saturday’s landfall of Typhoon Yagi in the Southeast Asian country, mostly due to flooding and landslides caused by the storm, which was the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades. [more]

ISRAEL AND SYRIA | Syrian state media reports that at least 14 people were killed, and 43 others were wounded, overnight in Israeli airstrikes that hit multiple locations in Syria, including at least one that is reported to have been used for the development of weapons. [more]

ISRAEL, JORDAN, AND WEST BANK | Border crossings between Israel and Jordan are expected to re-open today after being closed yesterday following the killing of three Israelis by a Jordanian gunman at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. [more]

INDIA | Hundreds of doctors striking in protest of last month’s rape and murder of a female medic in India’s West Bengal state have been ordered by the country’s Supreme Court to return to work by tomorrow or face “adverse action.” [more]

ALGERIA | All three major candidates in this weekend’s presidential election in Algeria, including incumbent and declared winner President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, issued a joint statement yesterday criticizing the country’s election authority for announcing contradictory results. Reports say it is unclear if the candidates’ statement will delay final certification of the election results. [more]

VENEZUELA | Former Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González arrived in Spain yesterday after being granted asylum. Reports say González, who was ordered arrested by government officials last week, left Venezuela as part of a negotiated deal with the administration of President Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner of the country’s recent disputed election. [more]

AI | Apple is expected to introduce its first artificial intelligence-focused product later today when it unveils the company’s iPhone 16 product at an event in Cupertino, California. [more]

SEARCH TECHNOLOGY | A bench trial begins today in Alexandria, Virginia, in which Google is looking to defend itself against allegations by the Justice Department and a coalition of states that the tech giant built and maintains a monopoly over technologies that match online publishers to advertisers. [more]

TENNIS | Italy’s Jannik Sinner beat American Taylor Fritz in straight sets yesterday to win the men’s title at the U.S. Open tennis tournament. On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula to claim the women’s title. [more]

PARALYMPICS | The 2024 Paralympic Games concluded yesterday in Paris with China leading the medal count, followed by Great Britain, the United States, Brazil, and Ukraine. [full medal count] [more]

FOOTBALL | Prior to yesterday’s season-opening game against the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million deal, making Prescott the highest-paid player in the NFL and the first in league history to average $60 million per season. The Cowboys won yesterday’s game, 33-17. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $110 million in receipts, followed by "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Reagan." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1957, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction. Primarily concerned with protecting voting rights, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as the United States Commission on Civil Rights. [more history]