By Jade Walker

In a landmark advisory opinion issued on Wednesday, the world’s highest court said polluting countries may be in breach of international law if they do not protect the planet from the “existential threat” posed by climate change. It was the first time the International Court of Justice had formally addressed the climate crisis. 

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in June. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Signal controversy

The national security scandal involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top officials has taken a new turn. In March, the officials discussed a US military attack on Houthi militants in Yemen in a group chat on Signal — a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. Now, the Pentagon’s inspector general has received evidence that the military plans shared from Hegseth’s Signal account were taken from a US Central Command document that was marked classified at the time, two people familiar with the ongoing review said. The IG’s possession of the file appears to further undercut Hegseth’s claims that nothing classified was shared on the publicly available messaging app.

Epstein files

When Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed President Donald Trump in May on the Justice Department’s review of the Jeffrey Epstein case, she informed him that his name appeared in the files, sources familiar with the discussion told CNN. Bondi also said that although the names of several other high-profile figures were mentioned, the investigators did not find a client list or evidence refuting that Epstein died by suicide. The revelations about the meeting contradict Trump’s more recent denials that he was told he was in the files. On Wednesday, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the DOJ’s files about the disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker.  The motion passed, 8-2, with three of the panel’s Republicans joining with Democrats. House Oversight Chair James Comer also subpoenaed Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition.

Birthright citizenship

A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that President Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship was unconstitutional. Birthright citizenship is a nearly 160-year-old practice guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which grants citizenship to anyone born on American soil. The 2-1 ruling from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld a nationwide block against the controversial order. In response, the Trump administration may ask the full 9th Circuit to review the case, or it could appeal the matter straight to the US Supreme Court. 

Thailand and Cambodia

Deadly violence has flared up once again on the long-disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia. Tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors took a turn in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief battle between Thai and Cambodian troops. Both sides claimed to have acted in self-defense. Over the summer, Thailand took control of border checkpoints, imposed restrictions on crossings and threatened to cut electricity and internet to Cambodia’s border towns. Cambodia stopped imports of Thai produce and banned Thai movies and TV dramas. Both militaries reinforced troops along the border. Two recent landmine explosions that injured troops prompted the countries to downgrade relations even further and recall diplomatic staff. Then, as deadly clashes erupted along the border today, Thailand deployed fighter jets and bombed Cambodian military targets. Cambodia said it plans to “respond decisively.”

Ohio ‘ambush’

Two Ohio police officers were allegedly ambushed by an armed man in an undeveloped industrial park on Wednesday. According to officials, the gunman waited on a dead-end street and then opened fire on two Lorain officers when they parked their vehicles there to eat lunch. Another officer, who responded to the victims’ call for help, was also shot. At this time, the first two officers are listed in critical condition after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The third officer was shot in the hand and treated at a local medical facility. The shooter has been identified as a 28-year-old man from Lorain. It’s not clear if he was killed by the officers or took his own life, only that he “was shot on scene and was pronounced deceased,” officials said.

Plane crashes in Russia’s Far East
A Soviet-era passenger plane carrying about 50 people went down in Russia’s far eastern Amur region, state media reported on Thursday, citing local officials. The Amur Center for Civil Defense and Fire Safety said on Telegram that a search and rescue helicopter spotted the wreck of the plane on a mountain slope 10 miles from the town of Tynda.

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French president sues Candace Owens 
In March, the right-wing podcaster revived a conspiracy theory about France's first lady Brigitte Macron.

Matthew Perry’s doctor pleads guilty to drug charges
Salvador Plasencia is one of five people who were charged in relation to the “Friends” star’s death. 

Venus Williams is engaged
The tennis superstar revealed the big news after becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match.

Pete Davidson expecting first child with partner
And the comedian is overjoyed to be entering his dad era.

What is Shohei Ohtani’s next big hit? 
Let’s just say it has to do with the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s dog.

$1.1 billion

That’s how much President Trump’s tariffs on imported cars and car parts cost General Motors in the second quarter. The automaker said it expects tariffs to cost it as much as $5 billion by the end of the year.

“We don’t have access to (drinking) water at all. Water shortage is a huge problem affecting our daily life.”

— A Kabul resident, speaking to CNN. According to a report by Mercy Corps, the Afghan city may soon become the first modern capital in the world to run completely dry.

The world’s most trafficked animal gets a lifeline in Zimbabwe

Conservationists and veterinarians are fighting to rescue and rehabilitate these adorable creatures.

5 Things AM is edited by CNN's Andrew Torgan.

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