In our news wrap Monday, the Supreme Court decided not to revisit its 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage, the U.S. military carried out two new strikes on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific and officials in the Philippines say Typhoon Fung-wong killed at least eight people and forced over one million to evacuate.
Geoff Bennett:
Also today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to revisit its 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage. The justices, without comment, turned away in appeal from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses on religious grounds.
Separately, the High Court today agreed to hear a challenge over Mississippi’s counting of mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day. More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia allow such votes to be counted, a practice long criticized by President Trump. The outcome of the case could have a major impact on next year’s midterm elections.
The U.S. military has carried out two new strikes on alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, killing six people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted video of the strikes,saying they were carrying narcotics and traveling along a known narco-trafficking route.
This brings the total number of known attacks to 19 since September. At least 75 people have been killed. The Trump administration has provided little evidence to back up its claims about the boats, and some lawmakers have pushed for more information on who’s being targeted and why.
President Trump’s lawyers are threatening the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit. That’s if the broadcaster doesn’t retract a documentary that includes an edited portion of his speech to supporters on January 6. The BBC’s chair apologized today for what he called an error of judgment in omitting a section where Mr. Trump called for a peaceful protest that day.
The documentary aired in the lead-up to last year’s election. The legal threat follows the resignation last night of two top BBC executives following criticism of bias at the BBC.
In the Philippines, officials say Super Typhoon Fung-wong killed at least eight people and forced over one million to evacuate. The storm’s fierce wind and rains isolated several towns and swamped one of the country’s biggest rice-producing regions. In low-lying areas, rescue trucks transported residents, as most roads remained flooded.
The typhoon comes on the heels of a separate storm that caused widespread damage last week and killed more than 200 people. Locals described a terrifying night as the storm passed.
Filomina Mariano, Philippines Resident (through interpreter):
I was not able to sleep last night. I told my grandchildren to pray for our safety. I was just sitting the whole night waiting for the storm to pass.
Geoff Bennett:
The typhoon has now cleared the Philippines and is heading north. It’s expected to hit Taiwan later this week.
Global climate talks got under way in Brazil today with the U.S. notably absent from the proceedings. The meeting known as COP 30 comes during another year of record heat and extreme weather around the globe. The absence of top U.S. officials along with nations like China and Russia mean that this year’s talks will likely end with no major agreements. Instead, attendees are aiming for smaller goals to help address climate change.
On Wall Street today, stocks rallied to start the week. The Dow Jones industrial average added nearly 400 points. The Nasdaq jumped more than 500 points. The S&P 500 also ended sharply higher on the day.
And three-time NBA Hall of Fame inductee Lenny Wilkens has died. Wilkins was a nine-time All-Star during his 15 seasons as a player and is widely considered one of the finest point guards of his era. He then transitioned to coaching, racking up more than 2,400 games as a coach, a record that still stands.
Announcer:
And the Supersonics win their first ever NBA championship. The ball sails high in the air.
Geoff Bennett:
Wilkens brought an NBA title to Seattle in 1979 and also coached the U.S. to gold in the ’96 Atlanta Games. He is one of only five men to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both player and coach. His family says Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died yesterday. He was 88 years old.
