News Wrap: Russian strikes in Ukraine kill 3 Red Cross members

In our news wrap Thursday, Russian strikes in Ukraine killed three members of the Red Cross, a North Dakota judge struck down the state’s ban on abortion saying the state’s constitution enshrines access before a fetus is viable, the Biden administration slapped sanctions on allies of Venezuelan President Maduro and Attorney General Garland denounced efforts to politicize the Justice Department.

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Geoff Bennett: With just over seven weeks until Election Day, both candidates fought for votes in battleground states. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said today it raised $47 million in the 24 hours following Tuesday night’s debate.

At a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. Harris used former President Donald Trump’s debate performance to compare their visions for the country.

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: On Tuesday night, I talked about issues that I know matter to families across America. But that’s not what we heard from Donald Trump.

Instead, it was the same old show, that same tired playbook that we have heard for years.

Geoff Bennett: Mr. Trump said today that Tuesday’s matchup would be their last, writing on TRUTH Social that there will be no third debate. He later held a rally in Tucson, Arizona. As

Donals Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: everyone saw two nights ago, we had a monumental victory over comrade Kamala Harris.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Donald Trump: Meanwhile, Kamala Harris showed up spewing empty rhetoric, the same old lies, meaningless platitudes…

(Booing)

Donald Trump: … offering no plans, no policies and no details whatsoever, nothing.

Geoff Bennett: Meanwhile, the Georgia judge handling Donald Trump’s election interference case dismissed two counts brought against the former president. Judge Scott McAfee ruled that state prosecutors lacked the authority to pursue the charges in federal court, but he declined an effort to dismiss the entire indictment.

The day’s other headlines begin in Ukraine, where Russian strikes killed three members of the Red Cross. Ukrainian officials say the workers were hit while unloading an aid truck. In the northern part of the country, police surveyed the damage by Russian drone strikes on an apartment building. Authorities say 14 people were injured.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Poland today addressed the growing calls to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons for deeper strikes inside Russia. He left open that possibility.

Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: As we go forward, we will do exactly what we have already done, which is we will adjust, we will adapt as necessary, including with regard to the means that are at Ukraine’s disposal to effectively defend against the Russian aggression.

Geoff Bennett: It all comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has started a counteroffensive in the Kursk border region, pushing back after Ukraine carried out a surprise incursion last month. Russia said it recaptured 10 settlements today.

In North Dakota, a judge has struck down the state’s ban on abortion, saying the law was too vague and the state’s constitution enshrines the right to access an abortion before a fetus is viable. Although today’s ruling makes abortion legal in the state, North Dakota currently has no clinics performing them. The ruling is expected to be appealed.

The Biden administration slapped sanctions on 16 allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro today. They include the head of the country’s high court, who reaffirmed Maduro’s illegitimate claim of victory in that country’s disputed July election, and military leaders, intelligence officials and government officers who the U.S. says are responsible for intensifying repression through intimidation, indiscriminate detentions, and censorship.

Edmundo Gonzalez, who the U.S. says won the election, this week fled into exile after being granted asylum in Spain.

In a rare move today, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland denounced efforts to politicize the Justice Department with the election less than two months away. His remarks before DOJ employees didn’t mention any specific cases or names, but they come amid claims from Donald Trump and his allies that the DOJ has been weaponized to keep the former president from being reelected.

Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General: The work you do every day makes a difference. And the way you do that work makes clear that the public servants of the Department of Justice do not bend to politics and that they will not break under pressure.

(Applause)

Geoff Bennett: Garland went on to say that the norms protecting the department from political interference matter now more than ever.

And to economic news, there’s new Labor Department data showing the job market and inflation are steadily slowing. Jobless claims were up by 2,000 last week to a total of 230,000. That’s up from earlier this year, but layoffs remain historically low. Separate numbers indicate that wholesale prices only rose by a fraction-of-a-percent last month.

And in what could be a precursor to the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates, the European Central Bank today made its own rate cut of a quarter-point, its second cut of the year.

That news helped stocks rise across the board today. The Dow Jones industrial average gained over 235 points, inching back closer to its all-time high. The Nasdaq jumped by an entire percentage point, and the S&P finished higher for its fourth straight day.

And hundreds of miles above Earth today, one giant leap for commercial space travel. A tech billionaire who chartered his own SpaceX flight became the first ever private citizen to perform a space walk.

Woman: I have a feeling the crowd is about to go wild.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Geoff Bennett: The company livestreamed the moment that Jared Isaacman hoisted himself out of the capsule, spending around 10 minutes in the vacuum of space connected by a tether. The space walk was just one small step toward possibly settling on Mars and other planets.