Thursday, September 15 top stories
It is Thursday, September 15. Here are today’s top stories.
Florida governor sends undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard
Florida’s Republican Governor DeSantis said he sent two planes of undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
News reports said about 50 migrants, possibly from Venezuela or Colombia, were dropped off at Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday afternoon.
Local officials on the island mobilized to provide short-term shelters and meals. Local officials said they would continue to provide support to these families.
The Florida governor said he did this in response to “the Biden administration’s open border policies.” The governor’s office said Massachusetts and other Democrat-led states should pay for the migrants’ costs of living.
In separate news, two buses of migrants were dropped off this morning outside of Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence in northwest D.C. They were sent by Texas’s Republican Gov. Abbott.
Roger Federer announces retirement
Roger Federer, one of the top men’s tennis players over the past two decades, announced he would be retiring after his final ATP tournament at the Laver Cup next week in London.
Federer said he is 41 years old, has played over 1,500 matches in 24 years, and that his body is telling him that he’s reached his limits.
Federer has won 103 titles overall with 20 of them being major tournaments (Grand Slams). He is from Switzerland and has a wife and four children.
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Deal reached to avoid rail strike
The White House announced that freight rail companies and unions representing about 60,000 railroad workers have reached a tentative deal. This means the looming rail strike that could have started Friday won’t happen.
One of the major areas of dispute was sick leave policies. The tentative deal now allows railroad workers to take time off work for doctor visits. Workers also will get a 24% increase in pay by 2024.
President Biden said the tentative agreement is “an important win for our economy and the American people.”
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin lies in state
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is now lying in state in Westminster Hall, the building where the British Parliament meets.
CNN reported that mourners queued in a line that extended up to four miles to get the opportunity to come in and say goodbye. The coffin will remain in the building until the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
President Biden said he would attend the funeral. Many other world leaders are expected to attend as well.
Patagonia founder donates company to fight climate change
The founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc., an outdoor clothing company, said he and his family are donating their ownership in the company to various efforts to protect the environment and fight climate change. The founder’s name is Yvon Chouinard. The company is worth about $3 billion.
Chouinard said any dollar that is not reinvested back into Patagonia will be given to a trust and a group of nonprofit organizations. The company said it expects to generate and donate about $100 million annually. The company now has a new slogan — “Earth is now our only shareholder.”
Putin meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping
Russian President Putin sat down for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit in Uzbekistan. It is the first time that both leaders met since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The last time they met was during the Beijing Olympics in February, in which they announced their friendship had no limits. Russia invaded Ukraine only three weeks later.
Putin said in public that he understands that China has questions and concerns about the situation in Ukraine and would provide a detailed explanation in another meeting. Analysts said this shows that China does not fully back Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Xi did not mention Ukraine but said China would support Russia in their “core interests” and that China would work with Russia to demonstrate the responsibility of a major country to provide stability in the world.
Xi is expected to win a third term as president to maintain his grip on power for another five years.
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/15/florida-desantis-migrants-immigration
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/politics/marthas-vineyard-massachusetts-migrants-planes/index.html
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/2-buses-of-migrants-arrive-outside-vp-harriss-residence-in-dc-fox-news
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/tennis-legend-roger-federer-announces-retirement/story?id=89950551
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/15/biden-rail-strike-labor-deal
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/uk/queen-elizabeth-silent-procession-intl-gbr/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lpzDlrPmRQ
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/14/patagonia-foun
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/15/china-xi-jinping-putin-meeting-russia-ukraine/
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-japan-india-asia-dbe2a0bda954e06bb8fcb7cccbd39b21