Early Edition: September 5, 2024

Sign up here to receive the Early Edition in your inbox.

A curated weekday guide to important news and developments from the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS IN THE US

A 14-year-old student opened fire at a high school in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday, killing four people and wounding nine. The suspect was questioned by local police in 2023 about online threats of a school shooting, the FBI said. State authorities said he used an “AR platform-style weapon” in the shooting and would be prosecuted as an adult. New York Times defeated.

The second federal trial of Hunter Biden begins today, after a six-year investigation into his finances, drug use and reported tax evasion. The trial is expected to last about two weeks. Betsy Woodruff Swan is coming forward POLITICS.

A former police officer who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, received a reduced sentence yesterday, which reduced his prison sentence from 87 to 72 months. The re-conviction is one of the first examples of the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling limiting the reach of an obstruction statute used to prosecute Jan. 6 cases. Samantha Latson reports for POLITICS.

A Republican House panel yesterday subpoenaed Gov. Tim Walz (D-MI), the Minnesota Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture over their response to a important fraud scheme in the context of the pandemic. Kyle Stewart reports for NBC News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conflicting messages are adding to the already troubled ceasefire negotiations. officials say. Netanyahu said this week that Israel would not withdraw from the Philadelphia corridor, while his chief negotiator told mediators that the army would pull out. Claire Parker, Loveday Morris and John Hudson report for the Washington Post.

Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed five people, including the son of a prominent jailed militant commander, according to Palestinian health officials. AP News defeated.

Netanyahu in July thwarted a possible hostage release deal, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing a document it obtained. The report lends credence to accusations often leveled against Netanyahu that he prolonged the war for his own political advantage. Mick Krever, Becky Anderson, Jeremy Diamond and Dana Karni report for CNN.

The second phase of the UN campaign to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio has begun. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to attack the enclave, including a central Gaza hospital, killing five Palestinians, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reported for Reuters; Lynsey Chutel reports for the New York Times.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – US RESPONSE

Washington is rushing to propose a new ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal in the coming days, Two US officials and Egyptian sources said Reuters. However, Hamas’s new condition of increasing the number of Palestinian prisoners released as part of a deal has raised concerns about whether an agreement is possible, U.S. officials say. Steve Holland, Jonathan Landay, Andrew Mills and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan report; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

American presidential election

The Justice Department has charged two Russian media workers in connection with an alleged scheme that involved illegally Tennessee company that produces and publishes propaganda videos on social media. A US official has named the company as Tenet Media. Prosecutors allege the operation was designed to fuel pro-Russia and pro-Trump narratives. Zachary Cohen, Donie O’Sullivan, Evan Perez and Sean Lyngaas report for CNN; David Nakamura, Catherine Belton and Will Sommer report for the Washington Post.

The United States yesterday announced a plan to counter Russian influence in the run-up to the November election, aiming to curb the Kremlin’s use of state media and fake news websites to influence American opinion. The measures include sanctions, charges and seizure of web domains. Julian E. Barnes, Glenn Thrush and Steven Lee Myers report for the New York Times.

Iran has stepped up efforts to discredit democracy and interfere in upcoming presidential elections, according to the U.S. government and experts. Steven Lee Myers, Tiffany Hsu and Farnaz Fassihi report for the New York Times.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

A large-scale police operation is underway in Munich today after a man reportedly approached the Israeli Consulate General with a “long” gun. He fired at police before officers shot him, reports say. Kate Connolly reports for the Guardian.

Haiti has declared a state of emergency across the country as the government continues to fight gangs in the capital. The move comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepares to visit the country today, where he will discuss “the next steps in Haiti’s democratic transition.” Tom Bennett reports for BBC News; Brad Dress reports for The hill.

Michael Barnier, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, has been appointed as France’s new prime minister after weeks of deadlock. The guard reports; BBC News defeated.

Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party has torn up a years-long deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals that kept his minority government in power. The sudden departure puts Trudeau’s government in jeopardy when Parliament returns for the fall and casts doubt on the timing of Canada’s next election. Holly Honderich reports for BBC News; Kyle Duggan reports for POLITICS.

Mexico’s Lower House yesterday passed a controversial bill that would allow for a sweeping reform of the judiciary, requiring all judges to stand for election. The bill is expected to pass in the Senate, where the governing bloc is just one seat short of a supermajority. Megan Janetsky reports for AP News; Emiliano Rodríguez Mega and Simon Romero report for the New York Times.

Serbia is an ally of Russia and will never impose sanctions on Moscow or join NATO. the country’s deputy prime minister said yesterday, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Aleksandar Vulin’s comments reflect the close ties between Belgrade and Moscow, despite Serbia’s announced bid to join the EU AP News defeated.

Russia is continuing its tougher crackdown on leading scientists after this week sentencing a top physicist specializing in hypersonic flight to 15 years in prison for treason. Anton Troianovski reports for the New York Times.

A second plane linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is being investigated in the Dominican Republic. a source said CNN.

China enjoys the ‘best relations in history’ with African countries, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said today as he pledged $50 billion in financial aid and military assistance for the continent. Simone McCarthy reports for CNN.

WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed ahead with a sweeping overhaul of his government, while his party yesterday announced the names of nine candidates for the top cabinet positions. Marc Santora and Maria Varenikova report for the New York Times.

US FOREIGN RELATIONS

President Biden is preparing to block an attempt by Japan’s Nippon Steel to buy U.S. Steel on national security grounds, sources say. The move could disrupt U.S.-Japanese relations amid China’s growing influence in East Asia. Andrew Duehren, Alan Rappeport and Lauren Hirsch report for the New York Times.

A US Navy sailor has been arrested in Venezuela after being on a business trip, officials said yesterday. The arrest follows a similar disappearance earlier this year, when a U.S. Army soldier was arrested while traveling to Russia. NBC News defeated.

Yesterday, a federal judge ordered the release of a former U.S. Green Beret charged in connection with the failed 2020 coup attempt against Maduro. He has been released pending trial on weapons charges. Joshua Goodman reports for AP News.

North Korean spies infiltrate US companies through low-level IT positions using stolen identities, giving Pyongyang access to money and intellectual property. U.S. officials and investigators say. The Justice Department says the plan is bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars to Kim Jong Un’s regime. Dustin Volz reports for the Wall Street Journal.

TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS

Trump made a new attempt yesterday to delay his sentence for hush money, now two more weeks away, according to legal documents. Zach Schonfeld reports for The hill.