The Sunday Subject – September 8, 2024

Four people were killed in a school shooting in Winder, Georgia.

A 14-year-old was charged with the murder of two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School. Charges were also brought against his father, who bought him an AR-15-style rifle as a gift. The charges come months after the parents of a Michigan school shooter were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the first case in the US in which parents were convicted in their child’s mass shooting. The Georgia gunman allegedly made threats online last year but was not arrested. Nine other people were injured in the shooting.

A former aide to Governor Kathy Hochul was charged with acting as an illegal agent for China.

Linda Sun, who has held numerous roles in New York state government (including deputy chief of staff for Governor Hochul), has been accused of pushing Chinese interests at state functions. Allegations against Sun include blocking representatives from Taiwan from meeting the Governor and influencing statements to reflect China’s agenda. 

At least 50 people were killed by a Russian missile strike in Poltava, Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that Russia will be held accountable and pleaded for more air-defense systems from the West. A Russian attack also killed seven people in Lviv, a city close to the Polish border.