USS Harry S. Truman to deploy to Red Sea next week

NORFOLK, Va. — The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and its 6,500 sailors will deploy early next week, according to an announcement from the U.S. Navy.

The Truman and Carrier Air Wing 1 will head to the Red Sea, where U.S. sailors have fought almost daily for months to down drones and missiles launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen.

Last December, the Truman rejoined the U.S. Second Fleet after a year-long maintenance cycle at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The aircraft carrier entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard on Dec. 7, 2022, for a “planned incremental availability” two months after returning from a nine-month deployment in response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Other improvements focused on quality of life for sailors, such as enhanced gyms and WiFi.

—The Virginian-Pilot

4th and last Apalachee High School shooting victim laid to rest

ATLANTA — As Georgia students walked out of their classrooms on Friday to demand safety from gun violence, one of their own was laid to rest.

At St. Matthew Catholic Church in Winder, a funeral mass was held in honor of 14-year-old Christian Angulo, who was remembered for his gentle soul and the love he exuded for the people in his life. His was the fourth and last funeral tied to the Sept. 4 shooting rampage at Apalachee High School.

Christian Angulo was a freshman. Two teachers and a second 14-year-old student were also killed. The shooter, who was armed with an assault-style rifle, injured another teacher and eight other students.

Authorities have charged a 14-year-old student, Colt Gray, with four charges of felony murder in connection with the school shooting. His father also has been charged with second-degree murder for furnishing his son with a weapon used to kill children.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Poll finds Republicans much less likely to vote by mail

More than half of American voters plan to vote before Election Day, Florida Atlantic University found this week in a nationwide poll. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to wait until the last day.

And after years of former President Donald Trump slamming mail voting by mail — claiming without evidence that it’s rife with fraud — Republicans are far less likely than Democrats and independents to use mail voting.

The findings come from a Florida Atlantic University poll this week in which voters were asked how they plan to cast their ballots in November. And the results carry implications for how this year’s elections could turn out, especially in close contests.

The nationwide survey doesn’t take into account different laws and customs in different states. It used an online panel and automated phone calls to reach other voters. It has a margin of error equivalent to plus or minus 3 percentage points.

—South Florida Sun Sentinel

EU plans new €35 billion loan for Ukraine under G-7 plan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for a loan of up to €35 billion ($39.1 billion) backed by the profits from immobilized Russian central bank assets to help provide more predictable financial support to Ukraine.

Von der Leyen revealed the figure after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday. The European Union’s loan is part of a broader $50 billion plan to help Ukraine that came out of negotiations with the U.S. and the Group of Seven countries.

“This loan will flow straight into your national budget,” von der Leyen said in a news conference with Zelensky.

Zelensky said Ukraine plans to direct the funds toward the energy sector, the construction of shelters, weapons production and air-defense purchases. He added that the money should start to arrive in the “coming months.”

The E.U. loan plan still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and a qualified majority of E.U. member states.

—Bloomberg News

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