Friday morning news: September 6, 2024

Israel latest » Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is firing back at those ramping up pressure on the Israeli government to reach a cease-fire deal with Hamas, a group of critics that includes President Biden.

NETANYAHU:  The other day when they murdered in cold blood six of our hostages, uh, so to ask Israel to make concessions after this murder is to, is to send a message to Hamas, murder more hostages, you'll get more concessions. That's the wrong thing to do.

Hamas terrorists murdered six hostages over the weekend during a rescue attempt by Israeli forces.

Netanyahu also refuted reports that his government is holding up a cease-fire deal over control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt. He stressed that it has been and remains Hamas that is holding up a cease-fire deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Pentagon leaders head to Germany » Top U.S. military leaders are in Germany today to huddle over Ukraine’s wartime needs, after Russia carried out one of its deadliest airstrikes of the war earlier this week.

Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh:

SINGH:  We're in this fight with Ukraine for the long haul. We are standing with them for what they need on the battlefield, both in the long and short term.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown are meeting with military leaders from more than 50 nations at Ramstein Air Force Base.

The allies face renewed calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for additional air defenses and loosened restrictions on how far into Russia that Ukraine can fire American-provided munitions.

Blinken in Haiti » In Haiti Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Thursday pledged more support from the United States as the Caribbean nation tries to loosen the grip of gang violence that has plagued the country.

He noted that the U.S. is already the biggest contributor of humanitarian aid to Haiti.

BLINKEN:  That includes an additional 45 million in humanitarian aid that I'm announcing today, bringing the total U.S. aid to over $210 million this year.

The secretary said the U.S. is invested in “the potential of the Haitian people.”

Blinken’s visit came just one day after government officials in the country expanded the declared state of emergency nationwide.

Georgia school shooting aftermath » In the wake of this week’s deadly school shooting in Georgia authorities have arrested the father of the accused teenage gunman.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey:

HOSEY:  In coordination with the district attorney, with District Attorney Brad Smith, the GBI has arrested Colin Gray, age 54, in connection to the shooting here at Appalachee High School.

He faces charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Investigators say he “knowingly” allowed his son to possess a gun.

The 14-year-old suspect is being charged as an adult with murder.

Four people were killed and nine wounded.

The teen reportedly denied threatening to carry out a school shooting when authorities interviewed him last year about a menacing post online. And authorities say, at that time, investigators did not have enough evidence to justify an arrest.

Hunter Biden legal » Hunter Biden on Thursday admitted to not paying more than a million dollars in taxes on Thursday. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: President Biden’s son pled guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges of tax evasion in California after failing to pay one-and-a-half million dollars across four years.

Biden first tried to switch his not-guilty plea for what’s known as an Alford plea. That would have enabled him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him.

But prosecutors rejected that plea, pushing him to plead guilty to all nine charges.

Hunter Biden was already convicted of three gun-related federal felonies in June, and his lawyer says his client only admitted guilt so as to avoid another public trial.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Trump legal latest » Meantime, in a courtroom in Washington, attorneys for former President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea in his federal election interference case.

Trump is facing a brand-new indictment after July’s U.S. Supreme Court immunity ruling narrowed the scope of actions for which former presidents can be prosecuted.

Trump’s lawyers called the new indictment illegitimate and asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to toss it out, but she declined that request.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, Ask the Editor.

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