Wednesday,  Sept. 23rd, 2020

Israel reports a record jump of 6,923 new cases in the past 24 hours, as the country imposes a second nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. Further restrictions are being considered. (Al Jazeera)

King Salman of Saudi Arabia calls for a “comprehensive and firm” response to Iran’s nuclear program and condemns what he describes as “its expansionist activities, create its terrorist networks, and use terrorism”, adding that it produces nothing but “chaos, extremism, and sectarianism”. An Iranian official rebuffs the accusations as “baseless”. (Al Jazeera)

Mexico is investigating claims that six Mexican women were sterilised while in a migrant detention center, says Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. A whistleblower the previous week alleged hysterectomies were being performed on immigrants in the United States without their proper consent. Mexico called such operations “unacceptable”. (BBC)

President Alberto Fernández demands Iran extradite the Iranian citizens accused of responsibility for the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires and states that the demand is of “vital importance”. (Argentine Official News Agency Télam)

A grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, indicts former police officer Brett Hankison on felony charges of wanton endangerment, but no officers are charged directly with Breonna Taylor’s death. A large police presence is seen in Louisville as protests continue. (USA Today) (CNN)

Two Louisville Metro Police officers are shot and wounded during protests over the Breonna Taylor indictment. One suspect is reportedly in custody. (AP)

A grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky indicts former police officer Brett Hankison on felony charges of wanton endangerment. (USA Today)

Republican senators find no evidence of wrongdoing regarding Biden and Ukraine

The Senate Homeland Security Committee released an interim report on Wednesday related to its investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s dealings with Ukraine, saying the Republican-led panel has found no improper influence or wrongdoing by Biden. Committee chair Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) admittedly hoped to prove Biden’s “unfitness for office,” but said the investigation found no “massive smoking guns” regarding Biden or his son Hunter Biden. Republicans have sought to find collusion between Biden’s vice presidency and his son’s work at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, seeing as Biden led Ukraine policy at the time. While Hunter Biden’s work with Burisma reportedly made things “awkward” for State Department officials, the investigation did not confirm Republicans’ accusations that Biden tried to oust Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin to protect his son from an investigation. Source: The New York Times

U.S. tops 200,000 COVID-19 deaths; Pence focuses on lives ‘saved’

More than 200,000 Americans have died from the new coronavirus, and an average of nearly 1,000 more are dying each day. COVID-19 deaths are rising again in the U.S. after a four-week decline, with Texas and Florida leading the news fatalities, Reuters reports. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts 300,000 deaths by Dec. 9 and 378,000 by the end of 2020, if current trends continue. The U.S. has about 4 percent of the world’s population and 20 percent of its COVID-19 deaths. Speaking in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence called the death toll “a heartbreaking milestone,” but praised the administration’s response to the pandemic, saying he knows “in my heart that we have saved hundreds of thousands of American lives.” Source: Reuters, Politico

House approves stopgap measure to avoid shutdown

The House passed a stopgap funding bill on Tuesday with a 359-57 vote, averting a government shutdown after the budget year ends on Sept. 30. This measure, which keeps federal agencies running through Dec. 11, is expected to pass in the Senate. It includes Agriculture Department subsidies for farmers and ranchers, which was pushed by the Trump administration, as well as food aid for poor families whose children cannot get free or reduced lunches due to schools being closed, something House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) requested. In addition to keeping agencies funded, the measure also extends health programs, as well as federal flood insurance and highway and transit programs. Source: The Associated Press

The End