News Wrap: North Korea blows up roads and railways to South Korea

In our news wrap Tuesday, South Korean officials say North Korea blew up roads and railways that once connected the two countries, a Georgia judge ruled that county election officials must certify the state’s election results, Microsoft said China, Iran and Russia are partnering with cybercriminals to target the U.S. and New Mexico officials say migrant deaths in the state have increased tenfold.

Read the Full Transcript

Geoff Bennett: And, tomorrow, we will speak with Democratic campaign strategist James Carville to get his take on the presidential race.

And we start today’s other headlines in Georgia, where a judge has ruled that county election officials must certify the state’s election results. A Republican on Fulton County’s election board had claimed that local election officials could refuse to certify.

But in his ruling, Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said: “Concerns about fraud or systemic error are to be noted and shared with the appropriate authorities, but they are not a basis to decline to certify.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger today highlighted the importance of this part of the democratic process.

Brad Raffensperger (R), Georgia Secretary of State: We have always believed that everyone should follow the law and follow the Constitution. That’s an American value. And so I think that’s very important that that is affirmed in the judicial system. And we will make sure that we follow the law and follow the Constitution in everything we do.

Geoff Bennett: The ruling comes as early in-person voting started today in Georgia. Election officials said that the state shattered its record for the first day of early voting.

China, Iran, and Russia are increasingly partnering with cyber criminals to target the U.S. and other nations. That’s according to a new report by Microsoft, which says its customers face more than 600 million cyber criminal and nation-state attacks every day.

The report cites one example where hackers with links to Iran infiltrated an Israeli dating site and then tried to sell or ransom the information it gathered. Microsoft says the data show the ongoing impact of cyber operations in broader geopolitical conflicts.

Authorities in New Mexico say the number of migrant deaths in the state have increased tenfold in recent years. New data shows that more than 100 bodies were found near the border in the first eight months of this year. That’s compared to nine bodies found back in 2020. Many were discovered near the El Paso, Texas, border crossing.

It’s unclear why more bodies are ending up there, though experts say that smugglers are increasingly steering migrants into dangerously hot areas of the state.

South Korean officials say that North Korea blew up roads and railways today that once connected the two countries. The latest action comes after North Korea accused the South of using drones to drop propaganda leaflets over its capital, Pyongyang. South Korean security cameras captured the explosions on the northern side of the heavily armed border between the two countries. South Korean officials called the move highly abnormal and regressive.

Koo Byoung-Sam, South Korean Unification Ministry Spokesman (through interpreter): What North Korea has done today is a clear violation of the inter-Korean agreement. We see it as a very abnormal act, and the South Korean government is strongly condemning it.

Geoff Bennett: The South Korean military responded to the explosions by firing warning shots near the southern part of the border and say they’re on a heightened state of readiness for any aggression from the North.

Boeing laid out plans today to try to raise as much as $25 billion to help its troubled finances. In back-to-back regulatory filings, the plane maker said it could raise the cash over the next three years by issuing new stock or debt. Boeing also plans to enter into a new $10 billion credit agreement with banks.

The company has lost more than $25 billion since the start of 2019. An ongoing strike by thousands of workers who build some of its most popular planes is only adding to Boeing’s financial pressures.

On Wall Street today, stocks stepped back from recent records. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 300 points, falling below the 43000-point level. The Nasdaq lost more than 180 points, or about 1 percent. The S&P 500 also ended lower on the day.

And the pandas have landed. Eleven months after the National Zoo’s three panda residents made their way back to China, two new bears are here to take their place in Washington’s National Zoo. Bao Li and Qing Bao landed at Dulles Airport this morning as part of a 10-year agreement with Chinese authorities. The zoo was closed today in anticipation of their arrival.

The animals will go through an extended quarantine and acclimation period before they’re introduced to the public, so panda fans will have to wait, for now.