August 28, 2023 - Your Daily Digest

More mass shootings, Hurricane threatens Florida, and more in today's news digest

Today is August 28, 2023, and here are four stories that you need to know about. If you enjoy these news digests, then consider becoming a monthly subscriber by selecting the button below:

1) More Shootings in America

One day after a gunman opened fire at a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida, killing three, UNC Chapell Hill’s campus was placed on lockdown for hours as an active shooter entered UNC’s campus. A faculty member died as a result of the shooting, and no further injuries were reported. Just this year, the United States has experienced more than 450 mass shootings. In comparison, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom have experienced 5 mass shootings in that same timeframe. Those three countries have much stricter gun control laws than we have in the United States. During today’s shooting at UNC, students were videotaped jumping out of their classroom windows in an attempt to get out of harms way. This should not be normal in the United States of America. We need action, and we need it now.

2) Major Hurricane Expected for Florida

Floridians are making last minute preparations this evening as Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to rapidly intensify in the next 24 hours before making landfall along Florida’s west coast late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning. As of the latest update, Idalia is a strong Tropical Storm packing winds of 70 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center expects Idalia to strengthen into a strong category three hurricane prior to making landfall later this week. If you live in Florida, and are in the storm’s path, be sure to prepare now before conditions become more difficult. Stay tuned for further updates.

3) Ukraine Update

We have several important updates this evening coming out of Ukraine and Eastern Europe where a war continues to wage on. First, Russia says that it has intercepted U.S. drones near the Crimean peninsula. The drones were detected by Russian forces earlier this morning. Despite this incident, the United States has asserted that it "will continue to fly routine missions over the Black Sea as permitted by international law to ensure freedom of navigation and maneuver in the region." Meanwhile, Ukraine has ordered mandatory evacuations of children from two districts in southeast Zaporizhzhia as persistent shelling has made the situation increasingly difficult. More than 50 children continue to live in these districts.

These latest evacuations come as there is heavy fighting in the south, with both Ukraine and Russia entering a lengthy war of attrition. Elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Poland and the Baltic states have pledged to shut their borders with Belarus in the event a “critical incident” occurs. Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński said, “This situation is escalating. For many weeks, for several months, we have been dealing with the return of migratory pressure on our border. The same applies to the borders of our partners.”

4) Trump’s Trial Date Set

Donald Trump officially has a trial date in the Special Counsel’s indictment of Trump for his actions on January 6, 2021. While Trump’s team requested a date in 2026 and the Special Counsel asked for a January 2024 date, Judge Tanya Chutkan set Trump’s D.C. trial for March 4, 2024. This date is significant as it falls one day before Super Tuesday, where there will be several GOP primary elections. Additionally, this trial date will ensure that Trump is tried and potentially convicted well before votes are cast next November. Overall, a terrible day for Trump.