Thursday morning news: September 5, 2024

Georgia school shooting » A 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school Wednesday, killing four people.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey:

HOSEY: Of those that are deceased, two were students and two were teachers here at the school.

At least nine others were injured at Apalachee High School in the town of Winder, about 30 minutes northeast of Atlanta.

The shooting sent students scrambling for shelter as officers swarmed the campus and parents raced to find out if their children were safe.

Layla Farrell is a junior at the high school.

FARRELL: Once we heard it was a shooting, all my classmates, we actually were scared and we barricaded the class. We put desks and chairs at our door and built it up … um, so nobody can get in. Then we all were just quiet, waiting.

The gunman surrendered to officers at the scene and is being charged as an adult with murder.

Ukraine latest » In Ukraine, Russia launched a new round of deadly airstrikes on Wednesday.

SOUND: [Cleanup in Lviv]

Rescuers fought to retrieve victims buried in the rubble after a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Officials say seven people died in that attack including a 9-year-old girl.

In Kyiv, the prime minister of Ireland Simon Harri spoke alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support.

HARRI:  I wanted to be here today to say very clearly, um, that Ireland will always stand with Ukraine, that Europe will always stand with Ukraine, and that both Ireland and the European Union will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

He said Europe will never allow attacks such as these to “fade into the background” or “become normalized.”

The attacks come amid an apparent shakeup in Ukraine’s senior leadership. Ukraine’s foreign minister and several other ministers have announced their resignations this week.

DOJ on Russian misinformation » The Biden administration has announced criminal charges, sanctions, and the seizure of internet domains over alleged Russian disinformation efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

Attorney General Merrick Garland:

GARLAND:  Konstantin Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, two Russian based employees of RT, a Russian state controlled media outlet. They are charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The Department of Justice cited alleged efforts to enlist unwitting American influencers to spread propaganda and disinformation.

The DOJ says tactics include using state media like RT to advance anti-U.S. messages and content, as well as networks of fake websites and social media accounts that amplify false claims.

Hochul on charges against former aide » New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is speaking out after federal prosecutors charged the governor’s former deputy chief of staff Linda Sun with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government.

HOCHUL: The moment we discovered the misconduct, we fired this individual. We reported immediately to law enforcement and in the meantime we've been helping the Department of Justice for many months and will continue to work with them.

Authorities arrested Sun along with her husband at their multimillion-dollar home on Long Island.

Prosecutors say Sun, among other things blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level officials in New York state and shaped New York governmental messaging to align with China's priorities.

Mexico judicial overhaul » In Mexico …

SOUND: [Mexico protests]

Thousands of Mexican justice workers protested outside the nation’s congress holding signs that read “justia,” which translates to “justice.” That after lawmakers took another step toward a controversial overhaul of the country’s judicial system. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports:

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Members of the lower house of congress Wednesday approved contentious legislation that would launch the most sweeping judicial overhaul of the century.

Mexico’s ruling party says judges in the current court system are corrupt, and wants the country’s entire judicial branch — some 7,000 judges — stand for election. Critics say it is a power-grab by the ruling party and a blow to the independence of the judiciary.

But many have also demonstrated in favor of the change.

The overhaul would also cut the number of Supreme Court justices from 11 to nine.

The measure is not yet the law of the land. Another vote was still needed in the house before passing it on to the Senate.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Kamala accepts debate rules » Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the rules set forth for next week’s debate with former President Donald Trump.

Harris’ campaign sent a letter to host network ABC News accepting the parameters for Tuesday’s face off in Philadelphia.

The campaigns had feuded over the policy of muting microphones except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. Harris' team wanted both candidate’s microphones left on throughout the debate in what would have been a shift from Trump’s debate with President Biden back in June.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Protecting the unborn in Nebraska. Plus, gleaning orchards in Australia.

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