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World leaders tell Israel to end “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. In a joint statement yesterday, the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire and urged Israel to let aid into Gaza, a day after France said it would recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly this fall. Dozens of Palestinians in Gaza have died of starvation this month, according to health officials, and the UN says a third of the population hasn’t eaten in days due to a total border blockade. Earlier this week, the UN’s human rights office said Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid since May, mostly around sites run by a US- and Israel-backed group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israel denies shooting aid-seekers, and said yesterday it would soon let countries parachute aid into Gaza, which humanitarian experts criticized as insufficient.—ML

Trump heads to Scotland for EU tariff talks and golf. President Trump is in Scotland, where he’s scheduled to visit two golf courses his family owns and to meet with world leaders. It’s possible that an EU trade deal could emerge from his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tomorrow. The EU leader said they had “agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong,” amid reports that the two sides have been discussing a deal for 15% tariffs similar to the one the US recently made with Japan. Before boarding his plane to Scotland, Trump said the chances for a deal were “50/50.” He’ll also meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to finalize a tra
de deal they discussed in June.—AR

Education Dept. to release $5.5 billion in frozen funds. The Trump administration said it plans to release the grant money, which had previously been approved by Congress, but was withheld from schools as part of a funding freeze at the beginning of the month while the administration reviewed the allocation. With the new school year approaching, the money will now be available to support English language instruction, adult literacy, and other programs. Another $1.3 billion of funds for after-school and summer programming was unfrozen last week. The freeze was challenged by lawsuits, and lawmakers from both parties had also urged the funds’ release.—AR

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