BC-FINANCIAL MARKETS
Stocks close higher as receding debt fears spur rally
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Thursday as investors welcomed progress in Congress’ standoff over extending the federal debt ceiling. A temporary extension will give lawmakers more time to reach a permanent solution. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.1%. Pfizer gained 1.7% after asking the U.S. government to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week as the job market continued its steady recovery. The Labor Department will release a more detailed employment report for September on Friday.
NATIONAL MONUMENTS-BIDEN
Biden to expand 2 Utah national monuments cut by Trump
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — President Joe Biden will expand two sprawling national monuments in Utah, the governor said Thursday. Those changes were made by President Donald Trump’s administration and decried by environmental and tribal groups who sued to reverse them. Bears Ears National Monument was downsized by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was cut by nearly half under the Trump administration. The cuts had been applauded by conservative state leaders who considered the size of both monuments U.S. government overreach. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he was disappointed in the decision to expand them
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BIDEN
Biden, a convert to vaccine mandates, champions compliance
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Il. (AP) — President Joe Biden is championing COVID-19 vaccination requirements and is determined that the roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults must get the shot even as he acknowledges that mandates weren’t his “first instinct.” He had ruled out such mandates before taking office in January, but they’re now a tactic he feels forced into using. That’s because there’s a stubborn slice of the public that’s refused to be inoculated. Forcing people to do something they don’t want to do is rarely a winning political strategy. Yet with the majority of the country already vaccinated and with industry on his side, Biden has emerged as an unlikely advocate of browbeating tactics to drive vaccinations.
AP-US-MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK
Pfizer’s request to OK shots for kids a relief for parents
Pfizer is asking the U.S. government to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. If regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks. Pfizer already had announced that a lower dose of its vaccine worked and appeared safe in a study of the youngsters. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Thursday officially filed its application with the Food and Drug Administration. FDA’s advisers are scheduled to debate the evidence later htis month. Until now the vaccine was available only as young as 12, and many parents and pediatricians are clamoring for protection for younger kids.
NAVY SUB COLLISION
Navy: Sub hit object in Pacific; no life-threatening injury
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy says one of its fast-attack submarines struck an object while submerged in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the sub was in the South China Sea when the incident happened Oct. 2. They said it did not hit another submarine, and the incident was not publicly disclosed until Thursday to maintain operational security. In a brief written statement, the Navy says there were no life-threatening injuries and the sub remains fully operational. It says the USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant was not affected.
MARINES-TANK SINKING
Marines: Pandemic contributed to tragedy of troops’ drowning
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A new military investigation found the coronavirus pandemic curtailed trainings in 2020 and contributed to nine service members drowning off San Diego’s coast. The findings released Wednesday were from the latest investigation into the sinking of the amphibious assault vehicle on July 30, 2020. It was one of the Marine Corps’ deadliest training accidents in recent years. A previous investigation by the maritime branch found the sinking off San Clemente Island was caused by inadequate training, shabby maintenance of the 35-year-old amphibious assault vehicles and poor judgment by commanders. The latest probe looked at the troops’ readiness.
NBA FRAUD-INDICTMENT
18 ex-NBA players charged in $4M health care fraud scheme
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities say 18 former NBA players have been charged with allegedly pocketing $2.5 million illegally by defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told a news conference Thursday that the defendants’ playbook involved fraud and deception. An indictment in Manhattan federal court said the ex-players and one of their spouses engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement of medical and dental expenses that were never incurred. The list of those charged include Tony Allen, Glen Davis and Sebastian Telfair.
CAPITOL BREACH-SUBPOENAS
Trump to invoke executive privilege in Jan. 6 House probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump intends to assert executive privilege to prevent the testimony of former aides in a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. That’s according to a letter sent by lawyers for the former president. The letter went to at least some witnesses who were subpoenaed, and it makes clear that Trump plans to invoke privileges meant to protect presidential communications from being shared with Congress. The substance of the letter was described by a person who has seen it. That person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the letter was not yet public.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-ELECTION
Report details Trump’s all-out bid to undo election results
WASHINGTON (AP) — A report by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Democratic majority details Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election that he lost. His pursuit of fraud claims brought the Justice Department to the brink of chaos and prompted top officials there and at the White House to threaten to resign. The report offers new insight about how the Republican incumbent tried to undo the vote and exert his will on the department. Trump asked leaders to declare the election “corrupt” and disparaged the department’s top official for not doing anything to overturn the results. One White House lawyer described the efforts to undo the election as a “murder-suicide pact.”
RED LAKE-OFFICER SLAIN
Man indicted for murder in death of Minnesota tribal officer
RED LAKE, Minn. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Minnesota man on charges of murder and other counts in the July killing of a Red Lake tribal officer. David Donnell Jr. was indicted on 11 counts, including first-degree murder. He had previously been charged with a lesser murder count in connection with the July 27 killing of Officer Ryan Bialke. Court documents say Bialke was killed after the Red Lake Tribal Police Department responded to a welfare check for Donnell, who was armed. When officers breached the door of his Redby home, Donnell opened fire. Court documents say Bialke was shot through the front door and died at the scene. Donnell’s attorneys had no comment on the indictment.
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