Good morning. It's Wednesday, Sept. 8, and we're covering the long-awaited trial of one of the 9/11 masterminds, the dismantling of Richmond's contested Robert E. Lee statue, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

9/11 Trial

The mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, appeared in court yesterday for pretrial proceedings nearly 20 years after the attacks. Known as KSM, he is accused of being the principal architect of the 2001 terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people. KSM is on trial alongside Walid bin Attash (hijacking trainer), Ramzi bin al-Shibh (middleman), Mustafa al Hawsawi (travel arrangement), and Ammar al-Baluchi (financials), all accused of plotting and executing the attacks.

The trial, held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has had numerous delays (see timeline), most recently caused by the pandemic shut down. Defense teams are seeking to throw out confessions obtained by the FBI; the five men were reportedly subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, while in CIA custody.

The proceedings will run through Sept. 17, with an additional pretrial hearing expected in November. All five suspects face the death penalty if convicted.

Separately, in Paris, 20 ISIS-affiliated militants go on trial today for the 2015 attack on the city's Bataclan nightclub that left 130 people dead.

Lee Statue Comes Down

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, is scheduled to be dismantled today following a yearlong court battle over whether the state government had the legal right to remove the monument.

The 131-year-old statue became the focus of demonstrations following the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, with calls for its removal gaining steam amid last summer's social and racial justice protests. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced plans to remove the monument last June, but the decision was blocked by lawsuits arguing Virginia pledged to "faithfully guard" the statue when the land was originally given to the state in 1890. The Virginia Supreme Court found the initial agreements void in a decision last week. 

The future of the 12-ton, 21-foot statue is still to be determined. See photos of the monument and the surrounding protests here.

Afghanistan's New Government

The Taliban announced the formation yesterday of an interim government, naming a number of militant leaders to ministerial posts. Two longstanding leaders of the group, Muhammad Hassan Akhund and Abdul Ghani Baradar, are acting as prime minister and deputy prime minister, respectively. Analysts say the tapping of the group's hardline senior members signals the government is likely to resemble the strict Islamist regime seen during its previous rule from 1996 to 2001. 

Notably, the country's acting interior minister will be Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the infamous Haqqani network. Haqqani is on the most wanted list, with the agency placing a bounty on his capture of up to $10M. His network of insurgent fighters is believed to be responsible for dozens of attacks in the country, including a 2017 bombing near the German embassy in Kabul that killed more than 150 people. 

Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, yet to make a public appearance, reportedly remains the group's supreme authority.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

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> Britney Spears' father asks judge to end her 13-year conservatorship; request to be addressed at Sept. 29 hearing (More) | Spears' conservatorship explained (More)

> Sam Cunningham, College Football Hall of Famer who helped integrate the sport while at Southern Cal, dies at 71 (More)

> Kanye West's "Donda" lands 23 songs on Billboard Hot 100; West becomes the seventh artist with 10 No. 1 albums (More)

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Science & Technology

> Fur patterns in cats linked to a gene known as DKK4, the same gene responsible for the difference between cheetahs and king cheetahs; study provides insight on feline evolution (More)

> Facebook says it's planning to release Novi, a blockchain-based digital payments platform, by the end of the year (More) | Apple announces iPhone 13 streaming release event, scheduled for Sept. 14 (More)

> Scientists pinpoint gene that influences the severity of colon cancer; the absence of a gene known as TCF-1 allows immune system T-cells to turn harmful, promoting tumor growth in the gut (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets mixed (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.8%, Nasdaq +0.1%) as Big Tech leads Nasdaq to a fresh record high (More)

> El Salvador officially becomes first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, but government takes Bitcoin wallet offline after tens of thousands of download requests overload servers (More)

> Toyota to invest $13.5B in electric vehicle facilities and battery production by 2030 with goal of selling 2 million electric cars annually by the end of decade (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> At least one person dead after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes 10 miles outside of Acapulco, Mexico (More)

> Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signs voting and election reform bill; opponents file at least five lawsuits challenging the bill, arguing it unfairly limits access for minority and elderly voters (More)

> Mexico's Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion, paving the way for individual states to legalize the procedure; country becomes the fifth Latin American nation to make such a decision (More)

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ETCETERA

New study says ducks can swear at you.

Recreating the infamous 1904 Olympic marathon. (via YouTube)

This mushroom documentary took 15 years to film.

Futuristic plans for a US-based $400B desert city.

Extreme swimmer crosses near-frozen five-mile fjord.

Science explains the most common recurring dreams.

A burning meteor, as seen from the International Space Station.

Israeli doctors separate twins conjoined at the head.

Clickbait: Palestinian prisoners break out of jail using a rusty spoon.

Historybook: Michelangelo’s David statue unveiled to the public (1504); St. Augustine, Florida, becomes first permanent European settlement (1565); Singer Patsy Cline born (1932); HBD Bernie Sanders (1941); HBD Ruby Bridges, first Black student to attend an all-white school in Louisiana (1954).

"When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength, and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you."

- Ruby Bridges

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