Russia has ruled out the prospect of talks to end the war in Ukraine, after Ukrainian troops made major gains reclaiming territory seized by Russia after its invasion in February. On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the conflict would continue until Russia’s goals had all been achieved. Meanwhile, Ukraine is appealing to the U.S. and its allies for more heavy weaponry. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged the Pentagon to speed up deliveries of weapons systems, saying a pair of counteroffensives had broken a weeks-long stalemate with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky: “Since the beginning of September, our warriors have liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in the east and south of the country. Our troops are continuing to advance.”

Later in the show, we’ll look at how the war in Ukraine is leading to an energy war in Europe. We’ll speak with former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis.

In the Caspian region, a November 2020 ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia has unraveled, as fresh fighting erupted over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia says 49 of its soldiers were killed in clashes along its border with Azerbaijan; meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry accused Armenia of shelling civilian infrastructure in a “large-scale provocation.” Forty-four days of fighting in 2020 drove thousands of ethnic Armenians from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and claimed the lives of about 7,000 people.

The Justice Department has subpoenaed more than three dozen former aides of President Trump this week as it steps up its probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Officials also seized the phones of Boris Epshteyn and Mike Roman, two people in Trump’s orbit who sought to name “alternative” slates of electors in states won by Biden.

The Justice Department said Monday it would accept Reagan-nominated federal former Judge Raymond Dearie as a special master to review hundreds of documents the FBI seized last month when it raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Many of the files were marked “Top Secret.” Trump has argued he declassified all the documents before leaving office. The Justice Department says it may still appeal the decision to appoint a special master, which came from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the federal bench in 2020 by then-President Trump.

Pakistan’s government is warning it could take up to six months for floodwaters to recede, after record monsoon rains and glacial meltwater left a third of Pakistan’s territory underwater. The flooding uprooted 33 million people and has claimed over 1,400 lives. Public health officials are warning of the growing threat of waterborne diseases like cholera and dengue. On Monday, Pakistan’s Army raced to shore up flood defenses at a major power station in the southern province of Sindh, which supplies electricity to millions of people. Nearby, a major dust storm uprooted hundreds of tents at a camp for people recently made homeless by the climate disaster.

Ghulam Mohammad: “Our village, our town were all submerged. We came here and were living in tents. Now the tents have blown away, and the weather has become so bad. It has started raining. Is there anyone who can help us? Please help us.”

Public health officials are warning of worsening air quality across much of western North America, as fire season heats up amid a historic drought. In Canada, nearly 200 wildfires are burning across British Columbia. Among those forced to evacuate the flames Monday were 350 workers with the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project. A thick pall of smoke has settled over the city of Vancouver, which had the worst air quality in the world on Monday. Meanwhile, Seattle is experiencing some of its worst air pollution in years. In Northern California, fire crews are battling the Mosquito Fire, which has burned nearly 65 square miles, threatening thousands of homes east of Sacramento. In Southern California, rescue crews pulled several trapped drivers from their vehicles Monday, after the remnants of a rare post-tropical cyclone moved into the region, triggering flash flooding and mudslides.

King Charles III is flying to Belfast, Northern Ireland, today as mourners continue to gather at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where the body of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin lies in rest. During the queen’s reign, more than 3,600 people died over three decades in Northern Ireland in fighting between the Irish Republican Army and forces backed by Britain. In 1979, an IRA bombing killed Lord Louis Mountbatten, the queen’s second cousin. In 2012, the queen famously shook hands with former IRA leader and Sinn Féin politician Martin McGuinness in Belfast. Last week Sinn Féin leader Michelle O’Neill paid tribute to the queen.

Michelle O’Neill: “There’s no doubt that she leaves a legacy of someone who reached out the hand of friendship, someone who advanced peace and reconciliation, someone who sought to build relations between those of an Irish and those of a British identity. And I think that was sterling work and something that I think she’ll be very much remembered for here on this island.”

A 22-year-old man in Edinburgh was arrested Monday for heckling Prince Andrew over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The protester was arrested after calling out, “Andrew, you’re a sick old man.” He was later filmed in handcuffs stating, “Powerful men shouldn’t be allowed to commit sexual crimes and get away with it.”

A new United Nations report finds nearly one in every 150 people on Earth are trapped in situations of modern slavery on any given day — either compelled to work against their will or in a marriage that they were forced into. The director-general of the International Labour Organization, Guy Rider, announced the findings on Monday.

Guy Ryder: “That’s an extraordinary figure in this day and age, that there are, you know, 27.6 million people compelled to work. And the even worse news is this represents an increase over our previous estimates, which were published in 2017, an increase of 2.7 million.”

The ILO says a further 22 million people around the globe are in forced marriages. The report notes, “Entrapment in forced labour can last years, while in most cases forced marriage is a life sentence.”

Back in the United States, 15,000 nurses in Minnesota have launched a three-day strike demanding wage increases, better patient care and relief from staffing shortages. The Minnesota Nurses Association says it’s the largest private sector nurses’ strike in U.S. history. Meanwhile, some 2,000 therapists, psychologists, social workers and counselors at Kaiser Permanente clinics in California and Hawaii have entered the second month of a strike demanding better care for mental health patients.

In more labor news, U.S. freight railroads have reduced service and Amtrak has canceled trips on three long-distance routes, as more than 110,000 rail workers threaten to go on strike this week to protest deteriorating working conditions. So far 10 of 12 unions representing both freight and passenger rail workers have agreed to new contracts, but unions representing some 60,000 engineers and conductors remain at an impasse, and other workers have pledged to join them if they begin a strike, currently scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Workers want paid sick leave and say they’re being pushed to work grueling schedules that threaten their safety and that of the public.

In Alabama, a Black pastor who was arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers while they were away has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Childersburg and the police officers involved in his arrest. Michael Jennings is the longtime pastor at Vision of Abundant Life Church in a nearby town. He is also a former police officer. His arrest took place in May, but police bodycam footage was only recently released.

Police officer: “Do you live here?”

Michael Jennings: “No, I don’t live here.”

Police officer: “OK. They’re saying that this vehicle is not supposed to be here, and you’re not supposed to be here.”

Michael Jennings: “Who’s saying that?”

Police officer: “They called about it. I don’t know who called.”

Michael Jennings: “Well, I’m supposed to be here. I’m Pastor Jennings. I live across the street.”

Police officer: “You’re Pastor Jennings?”

Michael Jennings: “Yes. I’m looking out for their house while they’re gone.”

Police officer: “OK.”

Michael Jennings: “Watering their flowers.”

Police officer: “OK. Well, that’s cool. Now, do you like ID and all?”

Michael Jennings: “Oh no, man. I’m not going to give you no ID.”

Police officer: “Why not?”

Michael Jennings: “I ain’t did nothing wrong, and I did nothing suspicious.”

Police officer: “Well, you look, listen. Listen, I’m not saying you did nothing wrong. There’s a suspicious person.”

Police later handcuffed Pastor Jennings and arrested him on charges of obstructing government operations.

The pioneering French film director Jean-Luc Godard has died at the age of 91. His 1960 debut film “Breathless” helped define the French New Wave movement, which revolutionized cinema. Godard once said, “A film consists of a beginning, a middle and an end, though not necessarily in that order.”