Tuesday, September 28 top stories
It is Tuesday, September 28. Here are today’s top stories.
The CDC announced that 75% of adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. This accounts for over 193 million people. The amount of adults who are fully vaccinated – meaning those who received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of J&J vaccines – is 64.3%, or almost 166 million adults.
In separate but related news, Pfizer/BioNTech has submitted its data on its vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 to the FDA. Over 2,000 children were a part of Pfizer’s vaccine trial. It may take several weeks for the FDA to review the data.
Today the top two leaders in the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, testified before Congress to explain the withdrawal from Afghanistan last month.
Sec. Austin said the U.S. military was surprised by how quickly the Afghan army that they trained “ simply melted away, in many cases without firing a shot.” He said the U.S. helped to build a state, but they could not forge a nation.
Gen. Milley said he already predicted in the fall of 2020 that if the U.S. was to withdraw rapidly, there would be a collapse of the Afghan government. He said he made recommendations to President Joe Biden that 2,500 troops should remain in Afghanistan.
Axios reported that Biden said last month that none of his military advisors told him that they wanted troops to remain in Afghanistan. So it is a contradiction.
Milley said he’s required to give his best military advice but the decision-makers are not required to follow that advice.
In separate but related news, Milley gave comments on the phone call he made to a Chinese general during former President Donald Trump’s final days in office. Milley said he made a call on January 8 – two days after the storming of the U.S. Capitol – to China because he received some intelligence that the Chinese were worried about an attack. Milley said he was certain that Trump did not intend to attack and it was his responsibility to let China know. He also said Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows knew about the call.
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The gunman who opened fire inside a Capital Gazette newsroom in June 2018 and killed five employees, Jarrod W. Ramos, was sentenced to six life sentences without the possibility of parole. The newspaper is based in the Annapolis, Maryland area. Prosecutors said Ramos’ motive for the shooting was revenge over an article about his misdemeanor harassment conviction in 2011. Ramos sued the newspaper for defamation but the case was dismissed. Law enforcement said Ramos entered the newsroom with a pump-action shotgun and hunted for people. Police found him hiding under a table and arrested him. Ramos attempted an insanity defense, but a trial found him to be mentally competent when he committed the killings. Now he will stay in prison for the rest of his life.
USAToday reported that Congressional Democrats are trying to find a way to extend funding for the federal government with less than 72 hours left to avoid a shutdown. If there is no bill by Friday that passes both the House and the Senate, the government will shut down. Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ bid to combine government funding with increasing the amount of money the country can borrow. Republicans say they don’t want to see more government spending. Democrats say they’ve worked with Republicans during the Trump administration to raise the borrowing limit and expect Republicans to work with them now.
To add even more pressure on Congress, Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen told House Speaker Pelosi that if Congress fails to raise or suspend the debt ceiling by October 18 – the amount of money the U.S. government can pay towards its debts – the U.S. would default on its loans.
CBS News said if the U.S. doesn’t lift the debt ceiling and can’t pay its bills, Social Security checks, veterans benefits, and Child Tax Credit payments could be frozen. Military pay would also be affected. The U.S. has never defaulted on its debts before.
The family of Gabby Petito held a press conference in which they called on Brian Laundrie, Gabby’s finance, to turn himself in to law enforcement. The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for Brian over an unauthorized use of a bank card during the time Gabby was missing. The FBI is still looking for Brian in Florida.
Gabby’s father said he is grateful to law enforcement and the FBI for their work on the case. He said people on social media helped with the effort of raising awareness to find Gabby. He said other missing people should be treated the same way. The family revealed new tattoos on their arms that are similar to the one that Gabby had on her arm – it is a writing that says, “Let it be.” The family said they believe that justice will be served in Gabby’s case.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/brian-laundrie-search-gabby-petito-family-turn-yourself-in/