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.
One month until voters head to the polls, the Justice Department is caught in a thorny intersection of election-year politics and continuing the work of the nation’s top law enforcement agency – trying to maintain its reputation for impartiality while also continuing to pursue the prosecution of Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate.
Georgia prosecutors urge Supreme Court to keep Mark Meadows’ election subversion case in state court
State prosecutors in Georgia who are pursuing election subversion charges against former President Donald Trump urged the US Supreme Court on Thursday to allow their case against his former chief of staff Mark Meadows to continue in state court.
Former House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney and former Trump White House aides Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews will make the case against the reelection of former President Donald Trump in a fireside chat in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, October 9, CNN has exclusively learned.
Former first lady Melania Trump said in a new video posted Thursday that she believed there was “no room for compromise” when it comes to a woman’s “individual freedom,” after The Guardian reported excerpts from her forthcoming book in which she says she supports abortion rights “free from any intervention or pressure from the government.”