1/6 chairman: Ginni Thomas reiterates false election claims
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has stood by the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent during an interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. That is according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel’s Democratic chairman. The committee has for months sought an interview with Thomas in an effort to know more about her role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn his election defeat. She texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin after the election. Thomas’ attorney says his client was solely focused on ensuring reports of voter fraud and irregularities were investigated.
Republican-led states sue to block Biden’s plan to erase student loan debt
Six Republican-led states took legal action Thursday to block President Joe Biden from wiping away billions of dollars in student loan debt, even as the administration tried to avoid a court challenge by reducing the number of people eligible for relief. A lawsuit filed in federal court by Leslie Rutledge, the Republican attorney general of Arkansas, accuses Biden of vastly overstepping his authority last month when he announced the government would forgive as much as $20,000 per person in student loan debt, a move that the Congressional Budget Office estimated could cost $400 billion over the next three decades. Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Carolina and Nebraska joined the lawsuit.
Senate passes bill to aid Ukraine, avert gov’t shutdown
The Senate on Thursday approved a temporary spending package to keep the government funded past a Friday deadline and send another round of emergency aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, punting negotiations on a longer-term funding measure until after the November elections. The legislation, which would extend government funding through Dec. 16, passed 72-25. That sent it to the House, which was expected to quickly pass the measure, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature before funding was scheduled to lapse at midnight Friday. In addition to continuing government spending for several weeks, the measure would provide about $12.3 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine.
FDA approves ALS treatment despite questions about effectiveness
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an experimental treatment for ALS, a neurological disorder that causes paralysis and death, despite questions about the therapy’s effectiveness. The treatment was approved even though analyses by the FDA’s reviewers concluded there was not sufficient evidence that the medication could help patients live longer or slow the rate at which they lose functions like muscle control or breathing without assistance. The agency decided to greenlight the drug without waiting two years for results of a large clinical trial, citing data showing the treatment to be safe and the desperation of patients with a disease that often causes death within 2-5 years.
Queen’s Death certificate reveals cause and time of death
Queen Elizabeth II died of “old age,” according to her death certificate, which was released Thursday by the registrar general of Scotland. The certificate, which lists her occupation as Her Majesty the Queen, also notes that the queen died at 3:10 p.m. on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle. The first fact is indisputable, given that the queen was 96. But the report offers no further details about the cause of her death, which came two days after she was photographed standing and smiling as she greeted Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss.
Russia to annex more of Ukraine on Friday at the Kremlin
Russia is planning to annex more of Ukraine on Friday. The move represents an escalation of the seven-month war that is expected to isolate the Kremlin further, draw more international punishment and bring extra support to Ukraine. An annexation ceremony is planned in the Kremlin. The annexation would come just days after voters supposedly approved Moscow-managed “referendums” that Ukrainian and Western officials have denounced as illegal, forced and rigged. In an apparent response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting Friday of his National Security and Defense Council.
S. Korea, US and Japan hold anti-N. Korean submarine drills
South Korea, U.S. and Japanese warships have launched their first anti-submarine drills in five years, after North renewed ballistic missile tests this week. South Korea says Friday’s one-day trilateral training off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast is meant to cope with a North Korean push to advance its ability to fire missile from submarines. North Korea has been building bigger submarines including a nuclear-powered one and testing sophisticated missiles that can be fired from them in recent years. The North’s recent five missiles launches, the first such tests in a month, also came before and after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea.