The Evening: Four dead in Georgia school shooting

Also, Zelensky is preparing to shake-up his cabinet.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 4, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday. A school shooting in Georgia Biden's asylum restrictions Plus, a look ahead at fashion month First responders at Apalachee High School in Georgia today.  Christian Monterrosa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Four people were killed in a school shooting in Georgia A 14-year-old student opened fire today in the hallway of a Georgia high school, killing two students and two teachers and injuring at least nine others, the authorities said. The shooting — the deadliest episode of school violence in Georgia's history — took place at Apalachee High School in Winder, roughly 50 miles from the center of Atlanta. Here's the latest on what we know. Students inside the school described a chaotic atmosphere after they realized that a lockdown was not a drill. They barricaded themselves inside classrooms as gunshots rang out, and some students called their parents in fear. "They prepare you for these things," one student said. "But in the moment, I started crying. I got nervous." The suspect surrendered when he was confronted by law enforcement and is in custody, officials said. He will be charged with murder as an adult. President Biden called the shooting "another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart." The number of arrests at the U.S. southern border has dropped significantly in recent months. Paul Ratje for The New York Times Biden is considering more permanent asylum limits The Biden administration is weighing policy changes that would make the president's temporary asylum restrictions almost impossible to lift, people familiar with the plans said. The changes would build on the executive order President Biden issued in June to block a vast majority of asylum claims at the southern border. Under that order, the restrictions would be lifted if the number of people trying to cross illegally each day dropped below 1,500 for one week. Now, the administration wants to require that border crossings remain low for several consecutive weeks, a change would make it extraordinarily unlikely that the restrictions would lift any time soon. 🇺🇸 2024 The presidential election is 62 days away. Here's the latest from the campaign trail. The U.S. said that Russia has been using RT, the state-owned broadcaster, to spread disinformation. Misha Friedman/Getty Images The U.S. accused Russia of election meddling Top U.S. officials announced a plan today to push back against Russia's use of state-run media and fake news sites to sway American voters ahead of the 2024 election. The actions include sanctions, indictments and seizures of web domains that U.S. officials say Russia uses to spread propaganda and disinformation about Ukraine. American spy agencies have assessed that the Kremlin favors Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, seeing him as more skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine. Here's what else to know: Iran has also intensified its efforts to discredit American democracy and undermine Trump's campaign. To win Georgia, Trump probably needs to keep a fragile peace with the state's governor, a popular Republican. Harris told the business community: I'm friendlier than Biden. President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sergei Chuzavkov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Zelensky is preparing to shake-up his cabinet Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said today that he would overhaul the leadership of his government in an effort to bring "a new energy" as Russia steps up its attacks on the nation. The country's foreign minister was among half a dozen senior officials who offered their resignations in what is expected to be the broadest cabinet reshuffle since the war began. The changes come at a precarious moment for Ukraine. Today, Russia launched another deadly attack, killing seven people in the city of Lviv after yesterday's devastating missile strike in Poltava. More top news Business: President Biden is preparing to block a bid by Japan's Nippon Steel to buy U.S. Steel on national-security grounds, according to people familiar with the matter. Hunter Biden: His trial on tax charges begins tomorrow in Los Angeles, and there are no indications that a plea deal is likely. U.K.: A final report into the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 blamed dishonest companies working with a cost-cutting local government and deregulation for the disaster. Mexico: The lower house of Congress approved a contentious overhaul of the judiciary that would allow voters to elect nearly all of the country's judges. Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may face an election earlier than expected after a left-leaning political party ended an agreement that propped up his party in Parliament. Weather: Meteorologists said that Phoenix has had 100 straight days with triple-digit temperatures, and that there was no end in sight. Alec Baldwin: A prosecutor has asked a judge in New Mexico to reconsider her dismissal of the involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor. TIME TO UNWIND Alessandro Michele will make his debut as the creative director of Valentino. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Get ready for fashion month September is a busy month for fashion, with fashion week shows beginning in New York on Friday before moving on to London, Milan and Paris. So I called up Vanessa Friedman, The Times's chief fashion critic, to see what she's looking forward to. In New York, she told me she'll be watching just how political designers get. "Clearly this is a very intense political moment and fashion is not immune to that," she said. In Paris, she said, she's excited for the single most anticipated debut of the season: Alessandro Michele at Valentino. "He transformed Gucci from a glitzy, private plane aesthetic to a very inclusive, big-tent aesthetic," Vanessa said. "Whether he brings the same thing to Valentino will be really interesting to see." Here's what else to know about fashion month. In related news: Haider Ackermann, a coolly sensual designer, is the new creative director at Tom Ford. Massima Bell, left, and Dust Reid, the creative team behind the new charity album "Transa." Gabriel Petra A new 'Red Hot' album tackles transgender awareness Red Hot, the musical fund-raising organization founded at the peak of the AIDS epidemic, has a new project to raise transgender awareness. It's upcoming album, "Transa," will feature 46 tracks by more than 80 artists, including big names like Sade, André 3000 and Sam Smith, as well as lesser-known trans artists. Jason Henry for The New York Times Dinner table topics Back-seat drivers: Some self-driving cars aren't entirely autonomous. There may be humans involved — sometimes 500 miles away. Resurfaced film: Only a handful of people have seen Dale Carpenter's footage of J.F.K.'s motorcade after he was shot. Now it's up for auction. The Black List: Almost 20 years after the list helped little-known screenwriters break into Hollywood, it's expanding into fiction. Money for athletes: College sports is now in its big-money era. Here's where the dollars go. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Chris Simpson for The New York Times Cook: There's room to have fun with this simple clafoutis recipe. Dine: Here are 23 new restaurants to try in New York City. Read: Our thrillers columnist recommends three new novels. Listen: These five minutes will make you love big band jazz. Move: Sitting all day can cause dead butt syndrome. Connect: Appointments are a simple way to deepen your friendships. Compete: Take our quiz to see if you can find the 12 hidden thrillers in this text. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Cornell Watson for The New York Times Happiness really is a warm puppy Each semester, about 100 furry pupils are enrolled in Puppy Kindergarten, a research project at Duke University. They play games and learn to interact with humans who are studying how the canine mind develops. The project's goal is to learn how to identify and raise successful service dogs. But the researchers who run the center were delighted to find that the dogs also had an effect on the students. "We have survey data," one of the scientists said. "Puppies are just the key to happiness." Have a joyful evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Philip Pacheco was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018