10 things you need to know today: September 6, 2022

1. Judge grants Trump 'special master' to review seized documents

A federal judge on Monday granted former President Donald Trump's request to appoint a "special master" to review documents the FBI seized in a search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, said the Justice Department can't use the materials in its investigation of Trump's handling of classified and top-secret documents until the independent review is completed, a win for Trump. The Justice Department has said Trump should be treated like any other person, but Cannon said appointing a special master was necessary "to ensure at least the appearance of fairness" under "extraordinary circumstances." Legal scholars called the ruling "laughably bad" and an "unprecedented intervention" by a judge in a national security investigation.

CNN The New York Times

2. 1 Canada stabbing-spree suspect found dead, 1 remains at large

Damien Sanderson, one of two brothers suspected of fatally stabbing 10 people in Saskatchewan, Canada, on Sunday was found dead Monday. The other suspect, Myles Sanderson, remained at large. Authorities on Monday filed murder charges against the men, who allegedly targeted at least 28 people at random in 13 locations in the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon. Law enforcement personnel were continuing an intense search for Myles Sanderson, 30, following the death of his 31-year-old brother. Police earlier described both men as armed and dangerous. In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attacks "shocking and heartbreaking," and said such violence "has no place in our country."

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Reuters The Washington Post

3. Liz Truss replaces Boris Johnson as Britain's prime minister

Britain's newly elected Conservative Party leader, Liz Truss, officially replaced Boris Johnson as prime minister on Tuesday. Truss, previously foreign secretary, beat out former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak in a leadership contest triggered by Johnson's July announcement he was stepping down amid several scandals that rattled confidence in his government. Truss, 47, has promised to immediately address a severe cost-of-living crisis that has shaken the United Kingdom, where year-over-year inflation rose just above 10 percent this summer. Johnson compared himself to a "booster rocket" that has "fulfilled its function" in farewell remarks before heading to Scotland to tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II at her Balmoral estate.

The Associated Press The Washington Post

4. Biden criticizes MAGA Republicans, praises unions on Labor Day

President Biden spent Labor Day touring Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, both battleground states, and continuing his attack on "MAGA Republicans" ahead of the November midterm elections. Biden said "MAGA Republicans, the extreme right, and Trumpies" were full of "anger" and "hate." He praised union members he hopes will back Democratic candidates in November. "The middle class built America ... but unions built the middle class," Biden said in Milwaukee. Biden criticized Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who faces a strong challenge from Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, for voting against a measure to reduce prescription drug prices. Former President Donald Trump responded to Biden's recent criticism at a Saturday rally where he called the president "an enemy of the state."

NBC News CNBC

5. Ukraine says fire cut off nuclear plant from power grid

Ukraine's energy operator, Energoatom, said Monday that Russian shelling had ignited a fire that cut off Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from Ukraine's electricity grid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the plant was "one step away from a radiation disaster." Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately attacking areas dangerously close to the nuclear plant, Europe's largest. Russia, which seized the area early in its invasion of Ukraine, has blamed Ukrainian forces for the shelling. Leaders of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency on Tuesday plan to issue a report on their recent inspection of the plant's safety and security system.

The Wall Street Journal The New York Times

6. Russia turns to North Korea to replenish ammunition stocks in Ukraine

The Russian Ministry of Defense is buying rockets and artillery shells from North Korea to replenish its arsenal as it continues its war in Ukraine, The New York Times reported Monday, citing newly declassified U.S. intelligence. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Russia's reliance on supplies from North Korea shows that "the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine" as sanctions hurt the Russian military's supply chains. "The Kremlin should be alarmed that it has to buy anything at all from North Korea," said Mason Clark, who leads the Russia team at the Institute for the Study of War. Russia also recently received glitch-prone Iranian-made drones for use in Ukraine.

The New York Times The Associated Press

7. IDF: 'High possibility' journalist killed by 'unintentional fire' from Israeli soldier

The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that there is a "high possibility" that Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by "unintentional fire" from an Israeli soldier, Axios and Haaretz reported. "It needs to be said that there were both IDF soldiers and Palestinians at the scene," a high-ranking Israeli army official told Haaretz. "The most likely scenario is that a soldier mistakenly fired the shots, while he himself was being fired at." The IDF said they have identified the solider who likely killed the 51-year-old correspondent, who was wearing a bulletproof vest that said "PRESS" at the time of her death, and that "it was a mistake and he is sorry for it." The Israeli Military Advocate General's office said it will not open an investigation into the incident because "there is no suspicion that a criminal offense was committed."

Axios Haaretz

8. OPEC+ agrees to slight oil production cut

OPEC+, an alliance of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil producers led by Russia, announced Monday that it has agreed to trim output by 100,000 barrels per day in September in response to a drop in crude oil prices. The minor cut is the first since oil markets hit bottom during the coronavirus pandemic. It comes amid expectations that increasing economic trouble will reduce global demand, further driving down prices. International benchmark Brent crude futures gained 3.6 percent on Monday, but fell slightly early Tuesday. Global oil prices have dropped more than 20 percent since early June. U.S. oil prices fell 7 percent last week, and U.S. gasoline prices have dropped from just over $5 per gallon in mid-June to $3.79 per gallon on Monday.

CNN

9. Europe hit by gas-price surge as Russia shuts off Nord Stream 1 pipeline

European leaders scrambled to prevent an energy disaster on Monday as natural gas prices shot up by 35 percent following Russia's decision to shut down its main gas pipeline to Germany, Nord Stream 1, indefinitely. Stocks fell and the euro dropped to its lowest level in two decades as leaders across the continent looked for ways to reduce demand ahead of winter. Germany now appears unlikely to meet its goal of filling 95 percent of its natural gas storage capacity by the beginning of November, Bloomberg reported. Russia's state energy provider Gazprom said Friday the shutdown was necessary to repair an oil leak. European leaders have accused Moscow of squeezing gas supplies in retaliation for sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Bloomberg Reuters

10. Key figure in U.S. Navy scandal escapes house arrest before sentencing

Leonard Francis, a Malaysian port services contractor at the center of the biggest bribery scandal in U.S. Navy history, cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and escaped house arrest in San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Monday. Francis, also known as "Fat Leonard," was arrested in 2013 and pleaded guilty in 2015 to plying Navy officials with prostitutes, luxury goods, vacations, and other perks to send Navy ships to the ports he controlled in Southeast Asia, eventually fleecing the Navy of $35 million. He cooperated with prosecutors but was never called to testify against five former naval officers charged in the case. Four were convicted. Francis was due to be sentenced in three weeks.

San Diego Union-Tribune