Sep 14, 2019

White House confirms death of Osama bin Laden's son

In a statement on Saturday morning, the White House confirmed that Hamza bin Laden, a son of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, was killed during a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

"...The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al-Qa’ida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group.  Hamza bin Ladin was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups."

The big picture: The announcement comes days after the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Al Qaeda has not carried out a major attack in years, per the New York Times. The militant group was possibly grooming Hamza bin Laden to become its next leader, but he mainly acted as the face of the organization.

  • His death reportedly took place within the past 2 years, per officials, NBC News reports. Additional details have not been confirmed.

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Netanyahu says July 1 deadline for West Bank annexation won't change

Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday at a Likud Party faction meeting at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, that his July 1 deadline for starting the process of annexation in the West Bank will not change, according to people in attendance.

Why it matters: The White House and the State Department have stressed over the last few weeks that the deadline set by Netanyahu is "not sacred" to the Trump administration — and that any discussion of annexation needs to be in the context of renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow2 hours ago - World

Trump threatens to move Republican convention from North Carolina if capacity reduced

President Trump on stage during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Ohio. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images

President Trump threatened in a series of Monday tweets to move this summer's Republican National Convention from Charlotte if North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, doesn't allow the event to be held at full capacity.

The state of play: Mandy Cohen, the state's health and human services secretary, said last week that the GOP should "plan for the worst" as mass gatherings will be a "very big challenge" if the number of coronavirus cases in the state continues to increase, per NPR.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

The wreckage of summer

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

We usually think of Memorial Day as the start of the summer, with all of the fun and relaxation that goes with it — but this one is just going to remind us of all of the plans that have been ruined by the coronavirus.

Why it matters: If you thought it was stressful to be locked down during the spring, just wait until everyone realizes that all the traditional summer activities we've been looking forward to are largely off-limits this year.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow4 hours ago - Economy & Business