Biden proposal would rid U.S. of lead pipes within 10 years
The Biden administration is proposing new restrictions that would require the removal of virtually all lead water pipes across the country in an effort to prevent another public health catastrophe like the one in Flint, Michigan. The proposal Thursday from the Environmental Protection Agency would impose the strictest limits on lead in drinking water since federal standards were first set 30 years ago. The EPA estimates the price at $20 billion to $30 billion over the course of a decade. The rule would require utilities — and likely their ratepayers — to absorb most of that cost, but $15 billion is available from the 2021 infrastructure law to help them pay for it.
Senate Democrats clash over measure restricting asylum claims
A bipartisan group of senators has agreed that a spending package for Israel and Ukraine should include a measure making it more difficult to be granted asylum in the United States, according to senators involved in the talks, but is deadlocked on more sweeping immigration changes that Republicans have demanded. Progressive and Hispanic Democrats are enraged about the emerging agreement to try to reduce migrant flows by imposing a stricter definition for migrants to meet when they claim they need refuge because they fear persecution in their home countries. It is not clear whether the idea will survive an intensive round of negotiations to finalize the national security spending measure.
Santos faces expulsion vote after spirited house debate
As the House of Representatives opened the floor on Thursday to debate the fate of Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., the arguments over whether to expel him took an immediate and indecorous turn. Santos’ use of Botox was invoked several times, even by those defending him. The dramatic floor debate was, perhaps, a fitting culmination to a political career that has been defined by spectacle and scandal. On Friday, the House is scheduled to vote on a resolution to expel Santos, 35, following the release of a report from the House Ethics Committee that found “substantial evidence” that he had violated federal law.
Senate panel approves subpoenas in Supreme Court ethics inquiry
The Senate Judiciary Committee authorized subpoenas on Thursday for conservative allies of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, acting over angry objections from Republicans to secure more information about luxury travel, gifts and other benefits provided to members of the Supreme Court. The panel concluded an acrimonious session with Republicans storming out as Democrats voted to approve subpoenas for Leonard Leo, a leading conservative judicial activist, and billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow. They were the latest steps in the committee’s inquiry into the court after a series of media reports about undisclosed trips and real estate deals.
U.S. rate of suicide by firearm reaches record level
The rate of suicides involving guns in the United States has reached the highest level since officials began tracking it more than 50 years ago, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate increased by more than 10% in 2022 compared with 2019, and in some racial and ethnic groups, the rise was significantly steeper, especially among Native Americans. Overall, about 27,000 of 50,000 suicides were carried out by gun in 2022. Federal researchers involved in the analysis suggested that the pandemic might have exacerbated many of the known risk factors for suicide generally.
Pickup or lunar lander? Tesla’s Cybertruck arrives.
Tesla began delivering its much delayed, highly anticipated Cybertruck pickup to customers on Thursday, entering one of the most lucrative but competitive segments of the auto industry. With its stainless steel body and sharp angles, the Cybertruck is unlike pickups from Ford Motor, General Motors and Ram, which dominate the market. With a starting price of $100,000 for the top-of-the-line version, it is Tesla’s first completely new passenger vehicle in more than three years but arrives long after other automakers began selling battery-powered pickups. That has analysts asking just who will buy the Cybertruck.
Oil producers announce more production cuts after meeting
With oil markets sagging, the world’s major producers agreed Thursday to cut oil production by almost 700,000 barrels a day, less than 1% of global supplies, in an effort to prop up prices. In addition, Saudi Arabia said it would continue to reduce output by 1 million barrels a day, a restriction it started in July. Russia said it would cut its exports of diesel, gasoline and other refined products by 200,000 barrels a day; it said it was already holding back 300,000 barrels a day of crude oil exports. Whether these moves by OPEC+ will be enough to bolster skeptical markets remains to be seen; oil prices fell about 2.5%.
Advertisers say they do not plan to return to X after Musk’s comments
Advertisers said Thursday that they did not plan to reopen their wallets anytime soon with X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, after its owner, Elon Musk, insulted brands using an expletive and told them not to spend on the platform. At least half a dozen marketing agencies said the brands they represent were standing firm against advertising on X, while others said they had advised advertisers to stop posting anything on the platform. Some temporary spending pauses that advertisers have enacted in recent weeks against X are likely to turn into permanent freezes, they added.
Judge halts TikTok ban in Montana
A federal judge in Montana on Thursday blocked a statewide ban of TikTok from taking effect next year, at least temporarily preventing the nation’s first such prohibition on the popular video app. The judge, Donald W. Molloy, said Montana could act as a leader in protecting its residents from harm but must “act within the constitutional legal context,” and he granted a preliminary injunction to stop the TikTok ban. He said a ban of the Chinese-owned app most likely violated the First Amendment and a clause that gives Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations.
Facebook accounts in China impersonated Americans, Meta says
Meta announced Thursday that it had removed thousands of Facebook accounts based in China that were impersonating Americans debating political issues in the United States. The company warned that the campaign presaged coordinated international efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election. The network of fake accounts — 4,789 in all — used names and photographs lifted from elsewhere on the internet and copied partisan political content from X, formerly known as Twitter, Meta said in its latest quarterly adversarial threat analysis. The copied material included posts by prominent Republican and Democratic politicians. The campaign appeared intended not to favor one side or another but to highlight the deep divisions in American politics.
Israel knew Hamas’ attack plan more than a year ago
Israeli officials obtained Hamas’ battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out. The document, which Israeli authorities code-named “Jericho Wall,” outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people. The document described a methodical assault designed to overwhelm the fortifications around the Gaza Strip, take over Israeli cities and storm key military bases. Hamas followed the blueprint with shocking precision.
Climate change drives new cases of Malaria, complicating efforts to fight the disease
There were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria around the globe last year, the World Health Organization said Thursday, significantly more than before the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase of 5 million over 2021. Malaria remains a top killer of children. Those new cases were concentrated in just five countries: Pakistan, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and Papua-New Guinea. Climate change was a direct contributor in three of them, said Dr. Daniel Ngamije, who directs the WHO malaria program. In July 2022, massive flooding left more than one-third of Pakistan underwater and displaced 33 million people. An explosion of mosquitoes soon followed.
By wire sources