Reminder: Trump/Harris debate tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT – National & International News – TUE 10Sep2024

Reminder: Trump/Harris debate tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT.

Israel, sort of, admits IDF fatally shot Turkish-American activist.

Biden to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons in Russia.

NATIONAL NEWS

Reminder: Trump/Harris debate tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT

Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will face off tonight in their only scheduled debate, so far. ABC will host and moderate the debate, but other networks and channels will air it simultaneously. The debate will begin at 8pm CT and is scheduled to run for about 90 minutes. The rules are similar to the rules of the previous debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. There will be no audience, both candidates must stand behind a lectern, they are not allowed notes, and mics will be muted when it is not a candidate’s turn to speak.

Trump and Harris have both delivered strong debate performances in previous campaigns, but Trump is by far the most experienced and successful debater of the two. The stakes for tonight’s debate are particularly high for Harris, who, unlike Trump, has made few adversarial media appearances since becoming the Democratic nominee. Recent polls also show that Harris’ initial surge in voter enthusiasm is dying off. 

Here’s a link where you will be able to livestream the debate via PBS on YouTube (opens in new tab).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Israel, sort of, admits IDF fatally shot Turkish-American activist last week

Last week, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was shot in the head while taking part in a protest of an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. After the US government called for an investigation, the Israeli government has released an initial finding that it is “highly likely” that Eygi was shot by an Israeli Defense Forces soldier.

The IDF claims the shooting happened in the midst of “a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian suspects burned tires and hurled rocks toward security forces at the Beita Junction”.  This version of events is disputed by many witnesses, including Jonathan Pollack, a longtime Israeli peace activist. Pollack was present when Eygi was shot and was one of the first to attempt to render aid. Pollack and other witnesses say that the demonstration had largely broken up at the time that Eygi was shot, and that things were “quiet”. The group had already been forced to retreat from the protest area down to the outskirts of the village after the IDF fired tear gas and live ammunition into the crowd. 

The IDF also claims that Eygi was “hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot”. As mentioned, witnesses state that there was no “riot” at the time. According to Pollack and other witnesses, Eygi was shot by an Israeli sniper who had taken a position on a rooftop. At the time, Eygi was with other protesters and human rights observers in a nearby olive grove. She and her companions were over 150 meters from where the IDF soldiers on the ground were. “It was quiet. There was nothing to justify the shot, ” Pollack said. “The shot was taken to kill”.

Biden indicates plan to lift ban on Ukraine using long-range weapons in Russia

The Biden administration has long barred Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range weapons that could strike deep inside of Russia. However, like previous bans on supplying Ukraine with armored tanks and F-16 fighter jets, this veto is soon to be lifted. Biden has previously resisted allowing the use of these weapons deep inside of Russia for fear that it could provoke a greater and unpredictable escalation by Russia that could draw other NATO allies into the war. There is no reason to believe that this concern has been alleviated.

Nevertheless, when asked today about lifting those restrictions, President Biden said his administration is “working that out now“. Sources have said that the US is also preparing to send Ukraine long-range cruise missiles, but that this would take “several months” to come to fruition. The sources claimed that this timeframe was based on “technical issues”. However, it could also signal the administration’s worry that providing such weapons would lead to a swift escalation, something they don’t want to invite ahead of the election in November.

For nearly a month, Ukraine has been occupying part of the Kursk region of Russia, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said they intend to hold on to. Ukraine has yet to reveal what, if any, strategic goals they hope to achieve with this costly occupation. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to advance in the Donbass region, with their sights currently set on the city of Pokrovsk, a strategically important rail hub.