Biden at odds with Ukraine over US weapons and Gilgo Beach suspect's 'planning document': Morning Rundown

Biden will meet with Ukraine's Zelenskyy amid tensions over the use of US weapons against Russia. Prosecutors say suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings used 'planning document.' And the woman who says she inspired the stalker character in “Baby Reindeer” is suing Netflix for defamation.

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Biden clashes with Russia – and Ukraine – over use of US weapons ahead of Zelensky meeting

President Joe Biden will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris today to The United States confronts both its ally and the Kremlin on kyiv's strikes in Russia with American weapons. Tensions between kyiv's allies and Moscow are at an unprecedented high following the decision to allow Ukraine limited use of Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia's border regions. Despite this change, kyiv's troops remain outnumbered and outgunned, and Zelensky is pushing for more.

He has previously said the limited easing of restrictions was not enough, with Ukraine apparently keen to use other long-range US weapons to strike deeper inside enemy territory. This new support for Ukraine, however, infuriated the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned this week that he could deploy weapons to countries likely to strike the West in response, and said Washington and its partners were wrong to assume he would never use weapons nuclear.

The meeting follows events marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, which Zelenskyy attended and during which many leaders drew parallels between the landing operation to liberate Europe from Nazi rule 80 years ago and Ukraine's current struggle against Russia.

The events were an opportunity for Western leaders to show solidarity, but embattled British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was outraged at home after leave events early to return to the election campaign of an election that he risks losing. He has now apologized for what he called a “mistake”, but not before his decision saw him assailed by his own allies, as well as his political enemies.

The Bidens show up at Hunter's criminal trial

Hunter Biden's gun trial in Delaware has sparked an outpouring of support from close friends and family as his father's campaign keeps its distance.

“Of course the family is there in droves,” a close family friend who was in court with the Bidens every day told NBC News. “Imagine if it was your son, your brother. It's their family. Their beloved family. Allies in the courtroom included Hunter Biden's sister, Ashley Biden, and several of his close friends.

The show of force began with first lady Jill Biden taking her seat in the courtroom behind her son each day until she left for France to attend a D-Day commemoration ceremony with Biden. The first lady then left less than 24 hours later to return to Wilmington before her son's trial resumed today, and she is expected to return to Paris tomorrow for a state visit. The whirlwind of the transatlantic shuttle highlights the family's concern on the toll that Hunter Biden's trial could have.

Netanyahu to address joint session of Congress next month

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak a joint meeting of Congress on July 24 two sources close to the date confirmed to NBC News.

The timing of the speech comes after the four congressional leaders extended a formal invitation to Netanyahu late last month. Some Democrats have already indicated they plan to boycott speech on Netanyahu's handling of the Gaza war or expressed concern that his speech could escalate tensions in Congress.

Read more about the Israel-Hamas war:

• Classes may be over, but the anti-war movement on campus shows no signs of slowing down since the summer. Activists from California to New York continue to demand that their schools divest from Israeli companies linked to the Gaza war, and some have opened new encampments.
• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told NBC News' Lester Holt that “protecting the civilian population is a strategic imperative” in the Gaza Strip, an implicit criticism of Israel's conduct of the war.

Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings may have started preying on women more than three decades ago

Rex Heuermann, the suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, has been charged with the murders of two other women, New York prosecutors announced.

The remains of Sandra Costilla, one of two women Heuermann accused of murder, were found in 1993 on the eastern end of Long Island in South Hampton. The Costilla affair is the earliest murder prosecutors have linked to Heuermann. They say the 28-year-old woman was killed on November 19 or 20, 1993, when hunters found her badly mutilated body. They say the DNA from the hairs found on his body matched that of Heuermann.

The remains of the five other women Heuermann was accused of killing were all found around 2010 or later. He led a quiet life with his family, commuting between his home in Massapequa Park and his office in Manhattan since 1987, according to police. Prosecutors discovered a “planning document” was allegedly used to carry out the murders on his laptop. His next court date is set for July 30.

Alleged inspiration for 'Baby Reindeer' sues Netflix for defamation

The woman who allegedly inspired the stalker character Martha in Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” is suing for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other allegations.

Fiona Harvey told news presenter Piers Morgan last month that she had been “forced” to come forward as Martha's alleged inspiration after internet sleuths looked into her identity and began stalking her by line. The lawsuit comes weeks after she made a public statement warning that she was preparing to file a lawsuit against Netflix, in response to her belief that a public policy director at the company had called her a “convicted stalker”.

The lawsuit seeks a total of more than $170 million in damages for Harvey, in addition to attorneys' fees. He describes the show's title card, which read “This is a true story.” as the “biggest lie in television history”.

Politics in brief

Department of Justice: A federal judge ordered Steve Bannon report to prison on July 1 to begin a four-month prison sentence for defying the January 6 Committee's subpoenas.

Riot at the Capitol: Two officers who defended the US Capitol on January 6 faces boos and walkouts from Republicans at the Pennsylvania State House as they toured the chamber.

RNC: The Republican National Committee hired Ed Martin, a prominent supporter of the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” party movement, to serve as deputy political director of the platform committee, which drafts the policies the party will run on in November.

2024 election: The Vermont Republican Party is banned to support a candidate convicted of a crimeaccording to published party rules.

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Staff choice: How AI is changing elections around the world

A politician resurrected from the dead to support his friend's election candidacy? This is just one of the deepfake videos that have overwhelmed social media during what has been called India's first AI election. We visited the Chennai studio of the man who made it, seeing how easy it is to create an entirely fake campaign video with just a few frames and a brief recording of someone's voice. The technology it uses is evolving rapidly, with worrying implications for elections around the world – including the United States. — Mithil Aggarwal, Hong Kong journalist/producer

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