News N Things
Chris Cuomo accused of sexual harassment; Congress has their work cut out for them to avoid a third government shutdown in three years; the debt ceiling explained.
Top 3 Stories:
1) CNN’s Chris Cuomo Accused of Sexual Harassment:
“Now that I think of it … I am ashamed,” read the subject line of a 2005 email Mr. Cuomo wrote me, one hour after he sexually harassed me at a going-away party for an ABC colleague. At the time, I was the executive producer of an ABC entertainment special, but I was Mr. Cuomo’s executive producer at “Primetime Live” just before that. I was at the party with my husband, who sat behind me on an ottoman sipping his Diet Coke as I spoke with work friends. When Mr. Cuomo entered the Upper West Side bar, he walked toward me and greeted me with a strong bear hug while lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock. “I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss,” he said to me with a kind of cocky arrogance. “No you can’t,” I said, pushing him off me at the chest while stepping back, revealing my husband, who had seen the entire episode at close range. We quickly left. Soon after, I received the email from Mr. Cuomo about being “ashamed.” He should have been. But my question today is the same as it was then: Was he ashamed of what he did, or was he embarrassed because my husband saw it? (He apologized first in his email to my “very good and noble husband” and then to me for “even putting you in such a position.”) Mr. Cuomo may say this is a sincere apology. I’ve always seen it as an attempt to provide himself with legal and moral coverage to evade accountability.” (NEW YORK TIMES)
2) The Annual Government Funding Crisis:
“The outlines of the clash that brought America to the brink of default in the fall of 2013 were straightforward. Claiming the mantle of fiscal rectitude, Republicans stood firm against an increase in the federal borrowing limit. Democrats lambasted the GOP for playing politics with the nation’s credit, risking a calamitous default. On the surface, not much appears to have changed in the eight years since the last congressional debt crisis roiled Capitol Hill. But as leaders of the two parties settle into familiar roles this week, they are doing so against a markedly different political landscape. While both parties continued to advance policies that add substantially to the debt, roughly $10 trillion, the public’s interest in the issue has dramatically waned. A Gallup poll in 2013 found that one-fifth of Americans saw the federal budget as the nation’s top problem. In August, only 2 percent of Americans thought the same. Lawmakers and strategists for both parties said this week that despite the change in public opinion, the political approach has not changed much for either party. Republicans, who have played a major role in growing budget deficits, still see federal spending as a potent issue with both their conservative base and with swing voters. Many Democrats still fear that voting for a debt-ceiling increase will prove to be a potent attack against them in tight races in next year’s midterms.” (WASHINGTON POST)
3) Understanding the Debt Ceiling:
“Congress must reach a deal to raise the federal borrowing limit, or debt ceiling, before the government runs out of money to pay its bills by mid-October. The House passed a measure keeping the government funded until early December and suspending its borrowing limit through 2022, but the bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate. The debt ceiling came out of the need to accrue more debt during the world wars of the 20th century, prior to which Congress had to specifically approve borrowing for each purpose. Since then, the limit has been raised or modified 98 times, according to the Congressional Research Service. Despite partisan disagreements, Congress and the president have never allowed the U.S. to default on its debt. The U.S. routinely spends more money than it collects in revenue. These shortfalls are called deficits. To cover these deficits the Treasury Department borrows money by issuing new debt in the form of government securities. This debt is like a loan: Investors trade cash for a promise that the government will pay them back with interest. That loan is added to the total national debt. Congress has imposed a limit on the amount that the Treasury can borrow, known as the debt ceiling. When lawmakers authorize new spending, the ceiling isn’t automatically increased.” (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Daily Verse:
Proverbs 10:12 NIV Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
The President’s Schedule:
11:00 a.m. ET - The President participates in a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India.
2:00 p.m. ET - The President hosts the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders Summit with The Honorable Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia, His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and His Excellency Suga Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan.
4:10 p.m. ET - The President meets with His Excellency Suga Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan.
This Day in History
“The Judiciary Act of 1789 is passed by Congress and signed by President George Washington, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States as a tribunal made up of six justices who were to serve on the court until death or retirement. That day, President Washington nominated John Jay to preside as chief justice, and John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, Robert Harrison and James Wilson to be associate justices. On September 26, all six appointments were confirmed by the U.S. Senate.” (HISTORY)
Daily Quote:
“The science of today is the technology of tomorrow.” - Edward Teller
Daily Joke:
Where do bad rainbows go? Prism. It's a light sentence.
Environment:
FLOODING DANGER ACROSS AMERICA IS HIGHER THAN EXPECTED: “Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens. That new calculation, which takes into account sea-level rise, rainfall and flooding along smaller creeks not mapped federally, estimates that 14.6 million properties are at risk from what experts call a 100-year flood, far more than the 8.7 million properties shown on federal government flood maps. A 100-year flood is one with a 1 percent chance of striking in any given year. The federal government’s flood maps guide where and how to build, whether homeowners should buy flood insurance, and how much risk mortgage lenders take on. If the new estimates are broadly accurate, it would mean that homeowners, builders, banks, insurers and government officials nationwide have been making decisions with information that understates their true physical and financial risks. Numerous cities nationwide — as diverse as Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Buffalo, N.Y., and Chattanooga, Tenn. — show the startling gap in the risks. In Chicago alone, 75,000 properties have a previously undisclosed flood risk. And minority communities often face a bigger share of hidden risk.” (NEW YORK TIMES)
Culture:
TALIBAN REINTRODUCE EXECUTIONS AND AMPUTATIONS: “One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public. In an interview with The Associated Press, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban’s executions in the past, which sometimes took place in front of crowds at a stadium, and he warned the world against interfering with Afghanistan’s new rulers. “Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments,” Turabi told The Associated Press, speaking in Kabul. “No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran.” Since the Taliban overran Kabul on Aug. 15 and seized control of the country, Afghans and the world have been watching to see whether they will re-create their harsh rule of the late 1990s. Turabi’s comments pointed to how the group’s leaders remain entrenched in a deeply conservative, hard-line worldview, even if they are embracing technological changes, like video and mobile phones.” (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sports:
STAR RUNNING BACK MCCAFFREY LEAVES GAME WITH INJURY: “Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey left Thursday night's game against the Texans with a strained hamstring, and Carolina later lost first-round pick Jaycee Horn to a broken right foot. The injuries, confirmed by coach Matt Rhule, soured a night that saw the Panthers beat the Texans 24-9 to move to 3-0 for just the fifth time in team history. Rhule said the team doesn't know the severity of McCaffrey's injury. The star running back will undergo additional tests. Quarterback Sam Darnold said he talked to McCaffrey after the game and described him as "sad.'' Darnold also had a message for McCaffrey, believing he'll be back this season. "Just that I'm thinking of him and to take his time,'' he said. "We'll be all right without him. Obviously, we want him back. But I want him to take his time and make sure he's good for the end of the season.”’ (ESPN)
Health:
MORE ON THE PFIZER COVID BOOSTER SHOT: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director early Friday endorsed recommendations for a third dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for certain at-risk groups, clearing the way for millions of Americans to get a booster. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky signed off on the recommendations for a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after advisers on Thursday approved them. She endorsed the recommendations but went further — also recommending a third dose for workers in high-risk settings and those in institutional settings. "This updated interim guidance from CDC allows for millions of Americans who are at highest risk for COVID-19 to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot to help increase their protection," the agency said in a statement. The CDC now says that people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should get a booster and so should people 50 to 64 years old who have an underlying medical condition. Those 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions, and those 18 to 64 who are at an increased risk because of an occupational or institutional setting "may" get a shot, the CDC says.” (NBC NEWS)