Geoff Bennett:
Xi announced plans to speed up the creation of a development bank run by the SCO and pledged more than a billion in loans. China also invited most of the leaders to stay through Wednesday for a massive military parade to mark 80 years since Japan's surrender in World War II. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is also due to attend.
The European Commission is blaming Russia for jamming the GPS signal of the commission president's plane. The flight carrying Ursula von der Leyen was on approach to a city in Southern Bulgaria yesterday when the incident occurred. Authorities say the pilot and air traffic control were eventually able to land safely using backup navigation aids.
Von der is an outspoken critic of Russia's president and the war in Ukraine. The flight was part of a four-day tour of E.U. nations that border Russia, which continued today. Russia has not commented on the incident.
In Gaza, health officials say Israeli strikes killed at least 31 people today across the territory, as Israel's military pushed on with its plan to seize Gaza City. Blasts have echoed across the area since it was declared a combat zone last week. Today, Palestinians in northern parts of the city packed up and fled after Israel ordered them to move south. Many Gazans say they're now facing violence and hunger at the same time.
Khaled al-Masry, Gaza City Resident (through interpreter): I want to find a place where I can stay with my sons and daughters. I don't know where to go. Moving out requires money. I can't even find something to eat. It's been two months without food. I don't know where to go.
Geoff Bennett:
Ahead of the protests, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president's record on labor, saying — quote — "We finally have a president who fights and delivers for the American worker every single day."
President Trump says he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. On social media, Mr. Trump called him the greatest mayor in the history of New York City and an equally great American patriot.
The president's announcement comes just two days after Giuliani was badly injured in a car accident in New Hampshire. He suffered a fractured vertebra and other injuries. Giuliani was once considered America's mayor, but more recently was disbarred and faced criminal charges related to his actions following Mr. Trump's 2020 election loss.
Wall Street was closed today for the Labor Day holiday, but it was a big day for the crypto market with the launch of the Trump family's digital token. Traders could buy and trade some of the cryptocurrency issued by World Liberty Financial, which was co-founded by Trump's sons Eric and Don Jr., among others. Eric promoted the token as recently as Friday at a Bitcoin conference in Hong Kong.
Today's launch reportedly means a windfall of billions of dollars for the family. The White House has often denied any conflict of interest for the president.
And longtime White House correspondent Mark Knoller has died. Over a five-decade career spent mostly with CBS, he covered multiple presidents and was regarded for his encyclopedic knowledge of the presidency. He gladly and generously shared that wisdom with fellow journalists, myself included, and even White House officials when they came asking.
CBS called him the hardest-working and most prolific White House correspondent of a generation. A cause of death was not disclosed, but Knoller had reportedly suffered from diabetes and was in poor health. Mark Knoller was 73 years old.
