- 1. U.S. broadens airstrikes against ISIS
- 2. Obama blames border crisis for immigration reform punt
- 3. U.S., NATO allies reportedly to arm Ukraine
- 4. Former Egyptian President Morsi charged with leak
- 5. Russia claims captured Estonian is a spy
- 6. Sierra Leone announces three-day quarantine to combat Ebola
- 7. American detained in North Korea given trial date
- 8. Chinese city kills nearly 5,000 dogs to combat rabies
- 9. Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki to meet in U.S. Open final
- 10. Welcome back, football
1. U.S. broadens airstrikes against ISIS
The U.S. military said Sunday it had launched airstrikes against ISIS militants near the Haditha Dam in western Iraq, the first time it has struck fighters there. The U.S. has launched more than 125 airstrikes in the past month against ISIS in Iraq, but the new strikes represent a broadening of the nation's military engagement in the country. President Obama will on Wednesday deliver a major speech outlining his administration's plans for combating ISIS with both economic and military might.
2. Obama blames border crisis for immigration reform punt
President Obama denies he's holding off on executive action to address immigration reform to spare Democrats potential fallout in an election year. "That's not the reason," he said on Meet the Press when asked directly if he was playing election year politics. However, he conceded that the surge of unaccompanied minors to the border caused the politics surrounding the issue to "shift" because it "got a lot of attention, and a lot of Americans started thinking we've got this immigration crisis on our hands."
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3. U.S., NATO allies reportedly to arm Ukraine
The United States and a handful of NATO allies will provide Ukraine with firepower and military advisers, an aide to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Sunday. The aide, Yuri Lytsenko, said the U.S., France, Italy, Poland, and Norway would provide the military assistance. U.S. officials did not immediately confirm the report. NATO has said it would not itself send arms to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, but that individual states could choose to do so on their own.
4. Former Egyptian President Morsi charged with leak
Ex-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has been charged with espionage for allegedly spilling state secrets to Qatar. A state prosecutor alleged Morsi — who was ousted last July after a brief, tumultuous reign — turned over national security documents in exchange for $1 million. Morsi had already been slapped with terror charges, including treason, that could result in the death penalty.
5. Russia claims captured Estonian is a spy
Russia claims the Estonian police officer it captured last week is actually a spy. Moscow previously said it arrested the officer, Eston Kohver, after he crossed into Russian territory to engage in an "undercover operation." Yet Estonia claimed Kohver was abducted while still on its own soil.
6. Sierra Leone announces three-day quarantine to combat Ebola
Amid the worst Ebola outbreak in history, Sierra Leone announced a three-day lockdown for later this month. Residents will be confined to their homes from September 19th through the 21st in hopes of preventing further spread of the deadly virus. The military will enforce the quarantine while 7,000 teams of health workers move door to door identifying the infected.
7. American detained in North Korea given trial date
North Korea has set next Sunday as the trial date for the American man who earlier this year sought asylum in the cloistered country. After arriving in North Korea in April, Matthew Miller destroyed his tourist visa and, according to North Korea's state-run news, committed a "hostile act" against the country. Miller is one of three Americans known to be held in the Hermit Kingdom.
The Associated Press The New York Times
8. Chinese city kills nearly 5,000 dogs to combat rabies
As part of a crackdown on a deadly spate of rabies, the Chinese city of Baoshan killed 4,900 dogs and vaccinated another 100,000. China has blamed rabies for the deaths of five humans, prompting the culling of stray dogs.
9. Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki to meet in U.S. Open final
Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki will face off Sunday in the final round of the U.S. Open. Williams, the top-ranked player in the world, has won the last two U.S. Opens and has taken the title five times in her career.
10. Welcome back, football
Though the NFL season technically kicked off Thursday night with the defending champion Seattle Seahawks thumping the Green Bay Packers, today brings the first full slate of games. After a packed day of action, the Indianapolis Colts will head to Denver to meet the Broncos and former franchise quarterback Peyton Manning in the evening's prime time showcase. The Broncos and Seahawks, who met in last year's Super Bowl, are both 6/1 favorites to win this year's title, per Vegas' odds.
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