Shooting at Synagogue Leaves 11 Dead

A gunman who opened fire at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue on Saturday, killing 11. The suspect was identified as Pittsburgh resident Robert Bowers, 46. Police have charged him with 29 offenses, including the 11 counts of murder. Federal investigators are also looking into adding hate crime charges against him.

Four officers were injured in the exchange, as well as two other attendees of the services.

Witnesses claim to have heard Bowers, “All Jews must die,” before opening fire. Social media accounts with his name are also reported to have had anti-Semitic content and espouse far-right views.

President Trump responded to the attack, saying, “It’s a terrible, terrible thing what’s going on with hate in our country, frankly, and all over the world. And something has to be done.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the murders. He said in a statement, "I was heartbroken and appalled by the murderous attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue today...The whole of Israel grieves with the families of the dead...We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, we stand together with the American people in the face of this horrifying anti-Semitic brutality. We all pray for their rapid recovery."

Brazil Elects First Right-Wing President in Two Decades

Jair Bolsonaro, a legislator from Rio De Janiero, defeated former mayor of Sau Paulo Fernando Haddad in Sunday’s presidential election in Brazil. His victory is the first for a right-wing candidate in over two decades. Bolsonaro appealed to anger at Haddad’s party, the Workers’ Party, under whose leadership Brazil had seen rising prosperity turn into a deep economic downturn. Two of its previous presidents have been investigated for corruption, with one, Dilma Rousseff, being impeached two years ago and her predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, currently serving a jail sentence.

Bolsonaro has promised to undertake free market reforms to make the economy more competitive. However, there are concerns over his previous controversial comments about women and minorities, as well as his previous economic positions not aligned with free market ideology.

Plane Crash off Indonesian Coast Believed to Have Killed 189

Lion Air Flight 610, a domestic Indonesian flight, crashed off the country’s coast on Monday, with 181 passengers and 8 crew on board. Officials do not believe any people on board survived the crash.

The crash is Indonesia’s deadliest aviation in two decades, with the country having a mixed record on aviation safety in the past. The cause of the crash is under investigation, with Boeing, the maker of the 737 jet involved in the crash, also involved to investigate whether a mechanical failure was to blame.

Tsunami Kills at Least 420 in Indonesia

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia Friday, causing a 5 foot tsunami to hit the island of Sulawesi. At least 420 were killed in the monster waves, with the death toll expected to rise over the next few days.

The tsunami, while not as powerful and destructive as the 2004 tsunami that ravaged coasts along the Indian Ocean, caused severe destruction across the island. Numerous buildings in cities such as Palu were destroyed, along with roads being made impassable. The tsunami also cut off power to many areas on the island.

Elon Musk to Step Down as Chairman of Tesla After SEC Probe

Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk will step down as chairman of the publicly traded electric car maker after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched an investigation into Musk’s handling of the company. The SEC had alleged that Musk had misled shareholders after he had said he would take Tesla private. Musk had also claimed he had already received such funding. No concrete evidence was ever provided of this, but Musk said Saudi investors had verbally agreed to do so.

While Musk has to give up his chairman of the board position, he still remains at the helm of the company as CEO.

Musk has faced several difficulties in the past year. Tesla has been plagued by production issues this year as well as volatility in its share price. Musk also faced controversy after his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in which he appeared to take puff a marijuana joint. The US Air Force threatened an investigation into it as government contractors (as Musk is one given his leadership of SpaceX) cannot use drugs even in states where it is legal.