Hochul declares polio state of emergency
for New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York declared a state of emergency Friday over the growing polio outbreak, in an effort to better equip health care providers with tools to curb the spread of the sometimes disabling virus before it takes further hold in the state. The order allows emergency service workers, midwives and pharmacists to administer the polio vaccine. The declaration also requires health care providers to send polio immunization data to New York health officials so that they can determine where in the state to target vaccination efforts. The first polio case in nearly a decade was identified in July in New York state.
Federal judge blocks Arizona law limiting filming of police
A federal judge in Phoenix has blocked enforcement of a new Arizona law restricting the filming of police. U.S. District Judge John Tuchi agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union and multiple media organizations that the law appeared to violate the First Amendment. He issued a preliminary injunction Friday. The law was slated to take effect Sept. 24. Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the prosecutor and sheriff’s office in Maricopa County told the judge they would not defend the law. The judge gave the Legislature a week to decide if it will do so. Bystander cellphone videos are largely credited with revealing police misconduct and reshaping the conversation around police transparency.
Judge tosses Trump’s Russia probe suit against Clinton, FBI
A federal judge in Florida has dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and former top FBI officials, rejecting the former president’s claims that they and others acted in concert to concoct the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his administration. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks said in a sharply worded ruling on Thursday that Trump’s lawsuit, filed in March, contained “glaring structural deficiencies” and that many of the “characterizations of events are implausible.” A lawyer for Trump said he would appeal the dismissal.
Los Angeles County investigates death of person with monkeypox
Los Angeles County officials said this week that they were investigating the death of a person who had been diagnosed with monkeypox to see if the illness was a contributing cause of death. It is the second known death of a person diagnosed with the disease in the United States. Health officials are investigating what, if any, role monkeypox played in the two deaths. Dr. Rita Singhal, chief medical officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said Thursday that an autopsy was being conducted on the person who died in the county.
Storm’s fierce winds complicate California
wildfire fight
A tropical storm nearing Southern California has brought fierce mountain winds, high humidity, rain and the threat of flooding to a region already dealing with wildfires and an extraordinary heat wave. In a mix of bad and good, firefighters fear winds Friday could expand the massive Fairview Fire 70 miles north of San Diego, while forecasters say the system will finally end the state’s long heat wave. Downgraded from hurricane status, Tropical Storm Kay is expected to continue north off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and veer west without making landfall in Southern California. Its moisture is expected surge farther north into the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada, where the dangerous Mosquito Fire is burning.
King Charles III, in first address, vows ‘lifelong service’
King Charles III says he feels “profound sorrow” over the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and vows to carry on her “lifelong service” to the nation. Charles is making his first address to the nation as monarch Friday. He became king on Thursday after the queen’s death. His speech was broadcast on television and streamed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where some 2,000 people were attending a service of remembrance for the queen. Mourners at the service included Prime Minister Liz Truss and members of her government.
Ukraine attacks Russia along northern front, swiftly making gains
Ukrainian forces have scored the most significant battlefield gains since routing Russia from the area around Kyiv in April by reclaiming territory in the northeast, according to Ukrainian officials, Western analysts and battlefield imagery. In his overnight national address Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian military had captured scores of villages and large chunks of Russian-occupied territory across Ukraine since the offensive began. “In total, more than a thousand square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine have been liberated since the beginning of September,” he said. On Friday, the Ukrainian military appeared to be moving to cut off the city of Izium, a critical hub for Russian military operations.
Austrian diplomat takes over as top UN human rights official
A week after Michelle Bachelet stepped down as the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, the U.N. has approved Volker Türk, an Austrian who is a trusted adviser to the secretary-general, to take on the notoriously challenging job. Secretary-General António Guterres forwarded the name of Türk late Wednesday to the U.N. General Assembly, which approved the appointment without a vote Thursday. Türk, 57, is not widely known outside the United Nations, but he was seen as the front-runner among 13 candidates interviewed in recent weeks for the role. Some candidates were seen
By wire sources
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