September 29 top stories
It is September 29. Here are today’s top stories.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at 90
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) has passed away at the age of 90. She has had several health struggles in recent months but her death is unexpected.
Feinstein was the longest-serving female U.S. senator in history, serving since 1992.
She was born in San Francisco in 1933. She became the city’s mayor in 1978 after the then-mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician from California to be elected to office, were assassinated to death. She announced the killings to the public and then took over as the city’s leader.
Feinstein’s legacy in the senate includes legislative achievements on gun control and the environment.
Feinstein said in February that she would not run for reelection in 2024 and now she’s passed away.
CNN explained that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will appoint a person to fill Feinstein’s seat for the rest of her term. He had previously pledged to appoint a Black woman if she retired. The replacement person may run in the upcoming election to secure a new six-year term.
Angry customer and auto shop owner fatally shoot each other
CBS News said in Largo, Florida, a man who was angry about feeling overcharged for an auto repair service from 2021 went to the auto shop on Wednesday and shot at the owner. The owner was also armed and returned fire. Both shot each other multiple times and both men later died at a hospital.
Police explained that the customer was recently in a car accident that caused him to be hospitalized and resulted in the total loss of his car. The customer became depressed and frustrated and decided to go to the auto shop for retaliation.
EEOC sues Tesla over allegations of racist work environment
CBS News said the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Tesla with allegations that the company has allowed racial harassment to endure at its factory in Fremont, California.
The lawsuit says that “white employees at Tesla have hurled racist slurs at Black co-workers” and that Black employees encountered displays of racist graffiti or see threatening or hateful symbols.
EEOC is asking a federal judge to award Black Tesla employees back pay and punitive damages.
CBS said Tesla did not respond to a request for comment but that it has denied previous allegations of racist comments made by white employees.
CBS said two years ago, a California judge ordered Tesla to pay a former Black employee $1 million when he was exposed to racist language at the factory. Also in April, a federal jury awarded another former Tesla employee $3.2 million for racial abuse he suffered.
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Trump fraud trial to begin Monday
CNBC said the New York civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his company is set to begin on Monday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said she plans to call Trump and three of his adult children as witnesses in the trial.
The trial is to decide if Trump and his company have to pay about $250 million in penalties and if they will have to be banned from doing business in New York State.
Earlier this week, a New York judge found that Trump and his company are liable for fraud by inflating the value of his properties and other assets.
So Trump will have to deal with this civil trial while at the same time continue to prepare for his four ongoing criminal cases in New York, D.C., Georgia, and Florida.
Government shutdown may happen on Sunday
The U.S. government may go into a shutdown this Sunday, October 1 if Congress cannot reach a deal to fund the federal government.
USAToday explained that in order to fund the government, lawmakers must pass 12 appropriations bills — each tailored to a specific government function. In previous years, Congress passed an “omnibus” package, which combines all 12 bills into one piece of legislation.
But this year is different because House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) had promised ultra-conservative members of Congress that all 12 bills would be passed separately. But this is not working out because the House has only passed one out of 12 and the Senate hasn’t passed any. The only way to avoid a shutdown is for Congress to pass a law to temporarily extend current funding, but we don’t know if that will happen.
If the government does shut down, some national parks will be closed or reduce service. Social Security recipients will still receive their checks but SSA employees will not be able to work so if there are issues, you wouldn’t be able to go into an SSA office or call a representative. All non-essential federal agencies would have to stop operations, such as FDA food safety inspections.
We’ll see what happens in D.C. today and tomorrow.
Teen arrested for cutting down famous Sycamore Gap tree
In England, a 16-year-old boy was arrested on the allegation that he cut down the famous “Sycamore Gap tree” that stood along Hadrian’s Wall and was featured in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”
Authorities said they believe the tree was “deliberately felled.”
The tree is about 300 years old. A local mayor said he is very angry about the vandalism of the tree. He said people have had their ashes scattered there, people have proposed there, and that he’s picnicked there with his wife and kids. He said the tree was a part of their collective soul.
Some hope that the stump can grow a new shoot that can develop into a tree but that it would take about 150 to 200 years before it can look similar to the old tree.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/politics/dianne-feinstein-death/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-eeoc-lawsuit-racist-fremont-california-factory/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/09/28/trump-fraud-trial-appeals-court/
https://abcnews.go.com/International/famous-sycamore-gap-tree-northern-england-found-cut/story