By Hannah Jewell with John Taylor  Email Listen to this briefing Good morning. It’s Monday, Aug. 26, and if you’re visiting Italy soon, you might want to keep an eye on Europe’s most dangerous volcano. Now let’s catch up from the weekend.   Donald Trump suggested he might skip a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. What to know: The debate is set for Sept. 10 on ABC. But Trump criticized the network on social media yesterday, as he has struggled to adapt to Harris being the Democratic candidate. Zooming out: Harris has increased her lead in national polls and gained ground in some swing states. Her campaign says it has raised $540 millionsince last month. (See megadonors here.) Other news: Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign Friday and endorsed Trump. Read this story            Israel and Hezbollah escalated attacks over the weekend. What happened? Israel said it launched a preemptive strike on “thousands” of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, and the Iran-backed militant group fired rockets into Israel. Bigger picture: This was the heaviest fighting over Israel’s northern border since the war in Gaza began in October, raising tensions in the region. But it stopped short of all-out war. Read this story              Three people died in a mass stabbing in Germany. What to know: A knife-wielding attacker stabbed victims in the neck at a festival in the western city of Solingen on Friday night. Eight people were wounded. The latest: A Syrian man is in custody, authorities said yesterday. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, and German prosecutors said terrorism was the suspected motive. Read this story            Italy opened a manslaughter investigation into the Sicily yacht sinking. The latest: Authorities said Saturday they had not identified a suspect in the deaths of seven people aboard a superyacht that sank last week in a violent storm. The victims: The final body recovered was 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, officials said Friday. She was the daughter of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who also died. Read this story            ADVERTISEMENT     Some Massachusetts towns are urging people to stay inside at night. Why? There is an outbreak of a rare but deadly disease spread by mosquitoes, which are more active from dusk till dawn. About 30% of people who get Eastern equine encephalitis die. Where it’s happening: Towns near Boston. A man in his 80s has the first confirmed case this year. Mosquito season has grown longer in New England because of climate change. Read this story            Astronauts stuck in space have a new plan to get home. What is it? The Starliner crew will return in rival SpaceX’s Dragon capsulein February, NASA said Saturday. The two astronauts have been on the International Space Station since June. What it means: It’s a devastating blow for Boeing, which had insisted its Starliner spacecraft was safe even though it experienced problems on its way to the ISS. Read this story            Scientists are trying to re-engineer cows’ stomachs. Why? To eliminate the animal’s methane emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and cows burp up a lot of it — contributing to about 4% of global warming. What’s the plan? To genetically engineer the microbes in cows’ stomachs. Scientists in California want to create a probiotic pill that could transform a cow’s microbiome from birth.