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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign said yesterday it had raised $200 million in the week since President Biden withdrew from the race. About two-thirds came from first-time donors, according to the campaign, a fresh sign that Harris’s ascent has invigorated Democrats. Maggie Astor reports for The New York Times.
Democrats called out remarks by Trump to a Christian audience on Friday, arguing they implied he would end elections in the United States if he won a second term. During a speech at the Believers Summit in Florida, Trump said, “Christians, get out and vote, just this time … In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.” Maegan Vazquez and Sarah Ellinson report for The Washington Post.
Former President Trump vowed on Saturday to turn the United States into a “Bitcoin superpower” if reelected. Trump has been competing with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the support of cryptocurrency holders, and his remark is one of his most direct pitches yet. Chris Cameron reports for The New York Times.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH TENSIONS
A rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, killing at least 12 children. Israel blamed Lebanon’s Hezbollah for the attack. Hezbollah has denied responsibility, although it said it was behind a volley of rockets intended for Israeli military targets earlier the same day, and claimed instead that falling projectile from Israel’s Iron Dome missile system was responsible. Patrick Kingsley, Euan Ward, and Isabel Kershner report for The New York Times; Ruth Michaelson reports for The Guardian.
Israel struck Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanon yesterday in response to the rocket strike, raising the specter of all-out war, although the strikes fell short of a major escalation Israeli officials threatened. The Washington Post reports.
Israel’s security cabinet yesterday authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister to decide on the “manner and timing” of Israel’s response. Lebanon said it received assurances from third countries that Israel’s response will be limited, and told Lebanese media that Hezbollah’s response to Israel’s escalation will also be limited. Rachel Pannett reports for the Washington Post; Helen Regan reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel struck a school in central Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 30 Palestinians and injuring over 100, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israeli military said a Hamas command and control center was embedded inside the school, a claim Hamas said were “false.” Mallory Moench reports for BBC News.
Senior officials from Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States met in Rome yesterday to continue Gaza ceasefire negotiations, according to three officials. Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman, and Adam Rasgon report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Turkish President Recep Erdogan yesterday said that Turkey might “enter” Israel, without specifying what sort of intervention might take place. “We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them,” Erdogan said, adding, “There is no reason why we cannot do this.” Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. RESPONSE
Trump said that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained on good terms after meeting on Friday, and that he would be a stronger ally of Israel than Vice President Kamala Harris. Michael Gold reports for The New York Times.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
President Nicolás Maduro has won Venezuela’s presidential election, according to partial results announced by the electoral council. The head of the National Electoral Council, a close ally of Maduro, said that with 80% of ballots counted, Maduro had 51% of the vote, compared to 44% for his main rival. The Venezuelan opposition said the announcement was fraudulent and vowed to challenge the result. Vanessa Buschschlüter reports for BBC News.
Iran’s supreme leader yesterday formally endorsed Masoud Pezeshkian as president, allowing the reformist politician to take charge of the country. POLITICO reports.
Fighters on both sides of Sudan’s civil war have carried out a wave of rapes, including attacking women in front of their families, sexually assaulting them in hospitals, and fatally injuring them during gang rapes, according to a report by Human Rights Watch released today.
The United States will overhaul its military forces in Japan as the two countries seek to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation in a “historic” move, Washington and Tokyo said yesterday. In a joint statement, the two countries called China the “greatest strategic challenge” in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Simone McCarthy and Philip Wang report for CNN.
Lawmakers from at least six countries said Chinese diplomats were pressuring them not to attend a conference in Taiwan today being held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. Politicians in Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and one anonymous Asian country said they were receiving texts, calls, and urgent requests for meetings that would conflict with their Taipei travel plans. Dake Kang reports for AP News.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed to “relaunch” relations with China as she began her first visit to Beijing since taking office. Meloni met Chinese Premier Li Qiang and signed a three-year plan to bolster bilateral economic cooperation. João da Silva reports for BBC News.
Three Russian warships arrived in Cuban waters on Saturday. It marks Moscow’s second such maritime arrival in two months, in what many view as a sign of strengthened ties between the two countries. POLITICO reports.
A Libyan court yesterday sentenced 12 current and former officials to up to 27 years in prison over their involvement in the collapse of two dams last year that killed thousands. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.
Olympic organizers “deeply apologized” to South Korea over a “human error” that saw its 143 athletes wrongly introduced as North Korean at the opening ceremony on Friday. Xiaofei Xu and Chris Lau report for CNN.
Bangladesh said yesterday it has restored internet services to “full functionality” after students called off deadly protests against reforms to government job quotas. Ruma Paul reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Long-awaited F-16 fighter jets are set to arrive in Ukraine within weeks, but Ukrainian and Western officials now caution that the aircraft, once hailed by Kyiv as a game changer, are unlikely to be of immediate help on the battlefield. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Alex Horton, Emily Rauhala and Siobhán O’Grady report for the Washington Post.
Russian forces have been making quick gains in the eastern Donetsk region over the past week, capturing a few villages and closing in on the city of Pokrovsk, one of the main Ukrainian defensive strongholds in the region. Constant Méheut reports for the New York Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday threatened retaliation should Washington deploy long-range missiles in Germany, saying Moscow would deploy missiles within striking distance of the West if the plan advances. Washington and Berlin announced earlier this month that the United States will deploy the arms in Germany starting in 2026. Jordyn Dahl reports for POLITICO; Guy Faulconbridge and Dmitry Antonov report for Reuters.