5 things to know for Oct. 3: Middle East tensions, January 6 case, Power outages, Childhood vaccines, Bank of America
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A massive port strike along the East and Gulf Coasts has entered its third day — and has the potential to become one of America’s most disruptive work stoppages in recent times. If the strike drags on, you can expect some shortages of perishable items that the US imports. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Israel’s war cabinet is weighing its response after Iran on Tuesday launched its largest-ever attack on the country. Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon told CNN that retaliation “will be soon” and will be “very strong.” People in Tehran are on edge, with many fearing Israel’s retaliatory attack could target Iranian nuclear facilities. President Joe Biden said he does not support an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites, adding that all members of the G7 on Wednesday agreed that Israel should “respond proportionally.” Meanwhile, an Israeli strike in central Beirut killed at least six people today. Israel’s strikes have killed over 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 1 million residents since it escalated its war with Hezbollah. A new court filing provides the fullest picture yet of the 2020 election case against former President Donald Trump, outlining what special counsel Jack Smith describes as Trump’s “private criminal conduct.” The 165-page filing unveils never-before-disclosed evidence about Trump’s actions leading up to and on January 6, 2021. Smith’s motion claims Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election results as a political candidate — not as a president — and is therefore not entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions, which the Supreme Court granted him in July. The Trump campaign slammed the filing, calling it “another obvious attempt” by the Biden administration “to undermine American Democracy and interfere in this election.” About 1 million customers in the Southeastern US are still without electricity a week after Hurricane Helene wiped away “major portions of the power grid.” Most of these outages are in the western Carolinas, where Helene caused “unprecedented destruction,” according to the region’s power provider Duke Energy. About half of the power outages in upstate South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina will require “a significant repair or complete rebuild of the electricity infrastructure that powers this region,” Duke Energy said in a statement. The utility company added Wednesday that thousands of mobile substations are now being installed to allow for the restoration of service within days, rather than weeks or months. A record share of US kindergartners had an exemption for required vaccinations in the last school year, leaving more than 125,000 new schoolchildren without coverage for at least one state-mandated vaccine, according to new data published Wednesday by the CDC. Measles vaccination coverage among kindergartners varies widely by state, but only about a dozen states met the federal target of 95% for measles vaccination among kindergartners, the CDC data shows. Rates for other state-mandated vaccinations — including diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, known as DTaP, and polio — also declined. In communities where vaccination coverage lags, it can create an opportune environment for illnesses to spread, medical experts say.
A second federal judge ruled Thursday that thousands of probationary employees laid off en mass by the Trump administration must be temporarily reinstated to their jobs.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that she plans to mobilize her massive base of followers to oppose what she described as an “acquiesce” by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to accept the House GOP funding bill.
Johns Hopkins University announced Thursday that it will be cutting more than 2,000 jobs after it lost $800 million in funding from the US Agency for International Development amid the Trump administration’s effort to significantly downsize the federal government.
Facing intense pressure over the threat of a shutdown in less than two days, lawmakers are racing to push through a government funding plan by Friday’s midnight deadline.
Arizona Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva has died, according to his congressional office. He was 77.
military options” to ensure unfettered American access to the Panama Canal, one of several new directives outlined in what amounts to a major overhaul of US strategic priorities, according to a new memo that was sent to senior leaders and reviewed by CNN.
The death of a woman who was partially paralyzed in the Columbine High School shooting has been ruled a homicide, raising the death toll of the 1999 attack to 14.
President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court in a series of emergency appeals Thursday to allow him to move forward with plans to end birthright citizenship, elevating a fringe legal theory that several lower courts have resoundingly rejected.
A federal judge has ordered half a dozen federal agencies to “immediately” reinstate probationary employees fired last month as part of the Trump administration’s effort to rapidly shrink the federal workforce.
The Trump administration is expected to invoke a sweeping wartime authority to speed up the president’s mass deportation pledge in the coming days, according to four sources familiar with the discussions.
The man said he was locked in an eight-by-nine-foot room and was fed two sandwiches a day with two cups of water for years, according to a police affidavit in Connecticut.
Pete Buttigieg is expected to forgo a run for Michigan’s open US Senate seat in 2026, according to two people familiar with the former transportation secretary’s plans, setting up a potential presidential bid in 2028.
The ambiguity of the president’s warning could pave the way for lawsuits. It also could be damaging, critics say, if it has the effect of stifling freedom of speech, among the nation’s most fundamental and heralded rights.