1. Israeli planes strike Gaza and West Bank as war intensifies
Israeli warplanes struck a number of targets on Sunday, including locations in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Syria as the war with Hamas continues to grow increasingly volatile. Israel also continued firing on the Lebanese-based Hezbollah militants, something that it has done since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7. The Israeli Air Force bombings marked the first time that warplanes had been used against targets in the West Bank since the 2000s, and the country appears on the verge of launching a full-scale ground assault into Gaza, despite pushback against this approach from some Western nations. Despite this, an additional convoy of 17 trucks carrying humanitarian aid was allowed to enter Gaza on Sunday. Haaretz, The Associated Press
2. US pressing United Nations to draft Israeli self-defense resolution
U.S. officials on Saturday encouraged the United Nations to draft a Security Council resolution confirming that Israel has a right to defend itself. The resolution would also demand that arms from Iran stop being exported to “militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region.” The text of the resolution reportedly states that Israel must comply with international laws regarding humanitarianism when defending itself, and encourages “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The draft comes just days after the United States vetoed a resolution that would have called for a ceasefire in the war to allow for additional aid to be sent to Gaza. Reuters
3. Argentina heads to ballot box with a far-right frontrunner for presidency
Argentina headed to the polls Sunday in a presidential election that could be a watershed moment for the country. A new president will be selected to bring the country out of its current economic crisis, and the frontrunner remains former television host Javier Milei. The far-right candidate has been dominating Argentina’s polls as well as the overall public discourse following a surprise upset win in the country’s primary earlier this year. An admirer of Donald Trump, Milei has advocated for eliminating Argentina’s currency and replacing it with the U.S. dollar, and has touted ideas such as legalizing organ sales and closing a number of government entities. Milei is facing two establishment politicians in the election. The New York Times, CNBC
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4. Lawsuit to block Trump from ballot in Colorado upheld by judge
Challenges to a lawsuit seeking to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on Colorado’s ballot in 2024 were dismissed by a judge Friday. The lawsuit, filed by a citizen watchdog group, is seeking to keep Trump’s name off the ballot by arguing that he is ineligible to serve as president under the 14th Amendment due to his leading the Jan. 6 insurrection. Trump’s team has filed a slew of legal challenges to the lawsuit seeking to have it dismissed, but Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace issued three rulings rejecting these challenges. This will allow the lawsuit to proceed, at least for the time being, with more legal pushback from Trump expected. CNN, Insider
5. Venezuela holds presidential primary in shaky display of democracy
Venezuela is holding a primary on Sunday to choose a unity candidate for the 2024 presidential election, in what is seen as an attempt by the country to uphold democratic principles. The primary has been organized by opposition parties in an effort to find a candidate to defeat President Nicolas Maduro. In office since 2013, Maduro’s presidency has been marked by democratic backsliding and authoritarian tendencies. His 2018 re-election was considered to be contentious, and many Western countries no longer recognize Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Opposition candidates have often been jailed and barred from running under Maduro’s tenure, and the country’s political parties have been working to establish new electoral guidelines. BBC, Reuters
6. Detroit synagogue leader stabbed outside home
A prominent Detroit synagogue leader was found stabbed to death outside her home on Saturday morning. Samantha Woll, 40, was the head of the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue and has previously worked as a political advocate. Detroit Police said Woll had been stabbed multiple times, but had yet to establish a motive for the killing. Tributes to Woll came in from across Detroit, with Mayor Mayor Mike Duggan saying she was one of the city’s “great young leaders” and that she led a recent renovation of her synagogue “with great pride and enthusiasm.” Woll had also been involved in other Jewish organizations around Detroit. Detroit Free Press, USA Today
7. American Jews seeing spike in gun ownership following Hamas attack
Firearms instructors and gun shop owners are seeing an increase in American Jewish clientele since the attack on Israel by Hamas, NBC News reported Sunday. While American Jews are typically a small denomination when it comes to firearm ownership, the increase in antisemitism seen amidst the Israel-Hamas war has led many to take the plunge and purchase a gun. “We’ve definitely seen a tremendous increase in religious Jewish people, Orthodox people, purchasing firearms,” David Kowalsky, a Florida gun store owner who is also Jewish, told NBC. “I’ve seen a surge in interest in individual training as well as group training.” Surges in Jewish gun ownership have even been seen in mostly liberal cities such as Los Angeles. NBC News
8. English soccer icon Bobby Charlton dies at 86
Bobby Charlton, a legendary British soccer player whose career with Manchester United made him an icon in the U.K., has died at the age of 86. Manchester United announced Charlton’s death Saturday, calling him “one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of our club.” No cause of death was revealed. Charlton is known for his long and storied career in soccer, and helped lead England to its first — and only — FIFA World Cup title in 1966. He is also recognized for having survived the Munich air disaster in 1958, in which a plane carrying the Manchester United team crashed and killed eight of Charlton’s teammates. CBS News
9. Michigan State apologizes for showing Adolf Hitler on videoboard
Michigan State University apologized Sunday after an image of Adolf Hitler was displayed on a videoboard prior to the university’s football game the day prior. The image appeared on the Spartan Stadium board as part of a series of pregame trivia questions, and was linked to a question about Hitler’s birth country. Following uproar from the MSU community, the school released a statement that it was “deeply sorry for the content that was displayed” and that the sourcing of the videoboard trivia came from a third-party company that it would no longer use. Michigan State would go onto lose the rivalry game to the Michigan Wolverines 49-0. ESPN
10. ‘Saturday Night Live’ spoofs Jim Jordan’s speakership struggles
‘Saturday Night Live’ returned for its second episode of the season with host and musical guest Bad Bunny. The show’s cold open poked fun at the current chaos in the House of Representatives, as Mikey Day portrayed a downtrodden Jim Jordan as he failed to secure the votes to become speaker of the House. The sketch featured Jordan being comforted by Republican political figures including George Santos, Lauren Boebert and Donald Trump. The episode also featured a number of surprise cameos, including Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga and Pedro Pascal. Rolling Stones frontman Jagger featured in two different sketches. Variety
