10 things you need to know today: August 27, 2023

1. Russian investigators say DNA confirmed Prigozhin killed in plane crash

Russian investigators said Sunday that DNA tests had confirmed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was one of the 10 people killed last week when his private jet crashed during a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Russia's Investigative Committee said "molecular-genetic examinations" showed that all 10 people who had been on a passenger list provided by Russia's aviation agency were among the dead. Prigozhin was on the list, as was Dmitry Utkin, "his right-hand who helped found the Wagner Group," Reuters reported. Pro-Wagner Telegram channels have questioned whether Prigozhin, who led a brief mutiny against Russia's military leadership two months ago and was known for taking security precautions to avoid assassination attempts, was really on the plane.

Reuters

2. 3 killed in 'racially motivated' Florida shooting

A gunman wearing a tactical vest and carrying an "AR-style" rifle and a handgun decorated with swastikas opened fire at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, killing at least three people in what the local sheriff said was a racially motivated hate crime. The victims — two men and a woman — were Black, and the gunman was a white man in his 20s. Sheriff T.K. Waters said the gunman shot and killed himself at the store. The sheriff's office did not immediately identify the victims or the suspected gunman. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released a statement offering support to local law enforcement and the community. "Too many Americans — in Jacksonville and across our country — have lost a loved one because of racially-motivated violence," Mayorkas said.

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Florida Times-Union CNN

3. 3 Marines killed in 'routine' training exercise in Australia

Three U.S. Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed during a training exercise in Australia, military officials said Sunday. Five other Marines were injured when the tilt-rotor plane went down with 23 personnel on board off the coast of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. The injured Marines were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital. Some of the other Marines who were on the aircraft were being treated at the scene. The Marines were participating in "routine" training in support of Exercise Predator's Run, a joint exercise between the United States, Australia, and other countries.

The Washington Post CNN

4. Florida lawyer files court challenge to Trump's presidential bid

A Florida tax attorney, Lawrence Caplan, has filed a challenge in federal court arguing that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to run for president in 2024 under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which says anyone who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" can't hold public office. Caplan said Trump's role in stirring up the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, disqualifies him. "The bottom line here is that President Trump both engaged in an insurrection and also gave aid and comfort to other individuals who were engaging in such actions, within the clear meaning of those terms as defined in Section Three of the 14th Amendment," Caplan wrote in the filing, first reported by the Palm Beach Post.

The Hill Palm Beach Post

5. Zimbabwe's president claims victory in election challenged by opposition

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa claimed victory Saturday in his bid for reelection despite allegations of fraud against the governing ZANU-PF party. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said Mnangagwa received 52.6% of the vote, while his closest competitor, Nelson Chamisa, got 44%. Critics have accused the commission of favoring ZANU-PF. Chamisa's Citizens Coalition for Change vowed to challenge the results. But the vote gave giving Mnangagwa a second full five-year term "strengthened ZANU-PF's grip on power in a nation it has led since independence from Britain in 1980," The New York Times reported. Western nations have pressured Zimbabwe under Mnangagwa, 80, to improve its record on democracy and human rights in exchange for help with its $18 billion in debt.

The New York Times

6. Departing board member had urged CPAC sexual misconduct investigation

American Conservative Union Vice Chair Charlie Gerow, who resigned Friday, had called for an independent investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Chair Matt Schlapp, The Washington Post reported Saturday. A Republican campaign operative earlier this year sued Schlapp, saying the leader of the parent organization of the prominent Conservative Political Action Conference had groped his crotch during a fall 2022 campaign trip. Schlapp has denied the allegation. Some board members have heard reports of other alleged incidents involving Schlapp, 55, and two younger men, the Post reported, citing multiple people with knowledge of the situation.

The Washington Post

7. Haiti gangs shoot and kill 7 during church anti-gang protest

Gang members in Haiti opened fire on a church group that marched through a neighborhood armed with machetes to protest violent gangs that have taken over most of the Caribbean nation's sprawling capital. Hundreds of parishioners had participated in the march, led by a pastor determined to drive out the feared "5 Seconds" gang that controls the Canaan area on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. BBC News reported that gang members shot and killed at least seven people. Gédéon Jean, director of Haiti's Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, told The Associated Press that he had watched the event online and would call for the Ministry of Justice to investigate. Gang violence has killed more than 2,400 people in Haiti this year.

The Associated Press BBC News

8. Surging temperatures leave 57 million under excessive heat warnings

Temperatures surged to record highs across the Gulf Coast and parts of the Southwest on Saturday, leaving more than 57 million people under excessive heat warnings — the most severe heat alert. The extreme heat affected people as far north as Southern Illinois and the St. Louis area, which faced its seventh day with heat indexes above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service. Another 54 million people were under a less-severe heat advisory in other parts of the country, including the Southeast and the Pacific Northwest. Forecasters urged people in the areas covered by the alerts to "not underestimate" the potential health risk of extreme heat, which can cause illness or death, The New York Times reported.

The New York Times

9. FIFA suspends embattled Spanish soccer federation president

FIFA on Saturday suspended Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales for 90 days over his conduct during the celebration of Spain's victory over England in the Women's World Cup final. Rubiales has rejected calls for him to resign after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation. Hermoso said she "felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part." Earlier, Rubiales had grabbed his crotch in a lewd gesture as he celebrated the win. Spain's players have said they won't play again unless Rubiales steps down. The country's soccer federation has threatened legal action against Hermoso, accusing her of lying.

The Associated Press CNN

10. Legendary 'Price is Right' host Bob Barker dies at 99

Bob Barker, the popular, mild-mannered host of "The Price Is Right," died Saturday at his home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles. He was 99. Barker became a TV fixture as host of "Truth or Consequences" from 1956 to 1974. In 1972, he started as host of "The Price is Right." He would host his revamped version of the show, which had aired from 1956 to 1965, for 35 years. It became the longest-running game show in American television history, according to The New York Times. Nearly a decade before his 2007 retirement, Barker estimated that more than 40,000 contestants on the show had won about $200 million worth of prizes by guessing the prices of a wide range of goods.

People The New York Times