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Israeli airstrikes overnight in Syria’s central province of Hama killed at least 16 people, the state news agency Sana reported. A military source said the attacks hit several Israeli facilities, including a military research centre for the production of chemical weapons near Masyaf.
Israel does not typically comment on specific reports of attacks in Syria, but it has intensified attacks against Iranian-backed militias in Syria since October 7, although there was no immediate comment from the country.
In a new sign of escalating violence, a Jordanian truck driver opened fire on three Israeli workers at a border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, killing all three. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the gunman, who died at the scene, a “repulsive terrorist.” The Jordanian foreign ministry said an initial investigation indicated the shooting appeared to be the work of an individual.
Where else is the violence spiking? The West Bank, where there have been military raids on Palestinian towns, frequent attacks by Israeli settlers, and increasing attacks on Israeli settlers and security forces. The Israeli security coordinator, blacklisted by the United States last month for forcibly expelling Palestinians from their land, has effectively become a warlord for the entire Jabal Salman valley.
Georgia school shooting leads to calls for gun control
Days after two students and two teachers were shot and killed at a Georgia high school by a teenager armed with a military-style rifle, Sen. Raphael Warnock called on Congress to pass stricter gun control laws.
“We are at a standstill because we have people in politics who are plying their trade with the gun industry and lining their pockets with the blood of our children,” Warnock said.
What else did we know about the shooting? The mother of the boy charged with murder in connection with the shooting called the school before the killing to warn staff that her son was experiencing an “extreme emergency.”
Harris and Trump face off in first presidential debate
Tuesday night’s debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is widely seen as a key part of rebooting the presidential race in 2024. While Harris has upended the race, the vice president’s approval ratings appear to be on the rise, and Trump’s advisers see the debate as his best chance to regain momentum.
What’s in the polls? A national poll conducted by The New York Times/Siena College showed Trump leading Harris by one percentage point, within the poll’s three-percentage-point margin of error, meaning either candidate could win the Nov. 5 election.
What are the Trump campaign’s concerns? Sources say they are most concerned about the former president’s mood heading into the debate, fearing that a volatile Trump will engage in the kind of self-sabotage that cost him voters in the 2020 presidential election.
What about Harris? A former prosecutor, she has made a name for herself in the Senate as a tough questioner, and Tuesday’s debate could see her make good on her oft-repeated promise to prosecute the case against Trump and bring some of her trademark humor to the table.
In other news…
An out-of-control wildfire in the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles has injured three firefighters, put more than 35,000 structures at risk and prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency.
Apple is set to unveil its newest iPhones and “Apple Intelligence” AI features on Monday in its biggest product launch event of the year.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police for a traffic violation on his way to the team’s season opener Sunday and was later released.
Stat of the day: 70% support holding the plastics industry responsible for recycling bills
A study published earlier this year revealed that plastic manufacturers have known for decades that recycling is too much trouble to be a realistic solution for waste management, yet they still promoted it to the public. New polling data shows that 70% of American voters (including more than half of Republicans) would support legal action against companies.
Don’t miss: How state abortion bans force doctors to provide substandard care
The research group Advancing New Standards of Reproductive Health collected dozens of testimonials from women who described the poor medical care they received because of state abortion bans that became possible after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. One woman was rushed to intensive care with severe sepsis after her water broke too early and she was unable to end her pregnancy with an abortion. Another woman had her liver transplant canceled after doctors found out about her unwanted pregnancy.
Climate Check: Massive toxic fires in the US shrouded in secrecy
Last year, a tank holding at least 26,000 barrels of the flammable hydrocarbon naphtha caught fire at the sprawling Marathon oil refinery in southeast Louisiana. The fire raged for more than three days, making it the largest accidental spill of a flammable chemical in three decades. Marathon and local government officials maintained that there were “no detectable off-site effects” from the incident over the course of several days.
But interviews and a review of a series of records conducted by the Guardian in collaboration with multidisciplinary research group Forensic Architecture reveal that the oil giant may have downplayed the incident in its reports to federal and state governments.
Conclusion: The Protégé Effect
Psychological studies suggest that the “protégé effect” is one of the most effective ways to accelerate knowledge and understanding. The protégé effect is essentially learning by teaching — that is, humans learn more effectively by teaching others about a topic they’ve recently researched. David Robson began practicing this method by interacting with an AI chatbot called Mia. “I was a little embarrassed talking to a computer, but after a few weeks I felt more confident in real-life interactions — and it’s all thanks to my little AI protégé,” Robson wrote.
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