Summary‍

The US General responsible for American forces in the Middle East arrived in Israel this weekend to oversee preparations for looming threats of war. Kamala Harris met with an onslaught of potential VP candidate picks in a round of interviews. American runner Noah Lyles won the first gold medal for America in 20 years in his event by a fraction of a second. UK riots broke out in support of far-right ideologies following a recent stabbing. Ukraine revealed new fighter jets to use in the ongoing conflict against Russia while also meeting with nearby countries to lobby support.

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Today's Script

Happy Monday everyone! Today is August 5th, my name is Gabe, and you’re listening to Current2, brought to you by Just Bagels! 

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In Must Know News:

• The US general in charge of American forces in the Middle East arrived in Israel Saturday to oversee preparations against a looming Iranian attack in retaliation for Israel’s assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders last week. With Iran expected to attack as early as Monday, according to U.S. and Israeli officials, Gen. Michael Kurilla is expected to mobilize an international and regional coalition to defend Israel against an assault whose scale is expected to be colossal. 
• VP Kamala Harris met with the top contenders for her running mate in the 2024 presidential election Sunday, including Pennsylvanian Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. In addition to the front runners, however, Harris also formally met with and interviewed several candidates not yet confirmed in the media both in person and virtually. Man, that’s one meeting where you better pray your wifi doesn’t cut out– you’d go from VP to wee-ping…
• There is a new world’s fastest man– and he’s an American. On Sunday night, Noah Lyles won gold in the Olympics 100-meter final by 0.005 of a second, just inching ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in what’s speculated to perhaps be the closest 100-meter final in history. Lyles is the first American to win the event in twenty years, a fifth of a century. America is proud today. 
• A series of riots broke out across the UK over the weekend, resulting in at least 100 arrests in 7 cities. The rioters, stoked by the recent stabbing at a children’s dance class, aimed to express far-right, anti-immigration views, even going so far as to attack a hotel housing asylum-seekers and set fire to a library. Officials believe they were inflamed by online conspiracy theories and AI-generated images. 
• Ukraine unveiled some newly-arrived F-16 fighter jets hoping to boost the nation’s war effort against Russia. Additionally, Ukraine is working to convince neighboring countries to aid their missile defense programs, something that has been met with some resistance from the NATO nations as they try to avoid further escalation of the conflict.

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That’s all for your news today, thank you so much for tuning in. If you liked today’s episode, be sure to share it with your friends. We hope you have a great start to your week and as always thank you for listening to Current2, the easy way to stay informed!

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Sources:

U.S. General for Middle East operations arrived in Israel (Axios)

Kamala Harris meets with VP contenders (CBS)

American Noah Lyles wins first gold in event in 20 years (ESPN)

UK riots break out in response to recent stabbing (NBC)

Ukraine reveals new fighter jets and plans to fight against Russia (AP)