After the storm, a cherished local fishing industry feels more fragile
Up and down Florida’s Nature Coast, the residents of scattered fishing villages and beach towns began to contend on Thursday with what their livelihoods might look like as they rebuild from Idalia, which hit them directly as a Category 3 hurricane. Idalia struck in the sweltering late summer, when tourism is low, giving places like Cedar Key and Keaton Beach a little time to get back on their feet. But the fate of the local fishing industry is more uncertain. “This is an important part of the economy here,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday in Steinhatchee, a tiny community swamped by river mud from storm surge. He promised to request federal funds to rebuild fisheries.
Biden administration proposes expanding background checks on gun sales
The Biden administration on Thursday proposed the broadest expansion of firearms background checks in decades, leveraging a provision of the bipartisan gun control law passed last year that requires thousands of unlicensed firearms brokers to register as federally licensed dealers. The regulations, drafted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are intended to close loopholes involving gun show and internet sales. They are part of President Joe Biden’s piecemeal efforts to enact a key policy goal — universal background checks — which has been repeatedly stymied by congressional Republicans. The regulations are likely to prompt lawsuits from gun rights groups.
Judge temporarily blocks Texas law that would restrict drag shows
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new Texas law that would restrict drag shows, a victory for LGBTQ groups that have criticized the measure as an attack against drag performers and organizers. Judge David Hittner of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas wrote in his ruling that the law was unconstitutional because it violated First Amendment rights and that his decision would remain in effect for 14 days while he deliberates on a more permanent order. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said it would “pursue all legal remedies possible to aggressively defend SB 12, the state law that regulates such performances to protect children and uphold public decency.”
Energy department announces $12 billion to help factories convert to electric cars
The Energy Department announced Thursday it had made $2 billion in grants and $10 billion in loans available to auto companies to convert existing factories that build gas-powered vehicles into plants that produce hybrid and electric vehicles. The money is aimed at maintaining jobs in communities that have been defined by the auto industry and is seen as an effort by the White House to respond to a strike threat by unionized autoworkers. The United Auto Workers has expressed concern over President Joe Biden’s efforts to ramp up manufacturing of electric vehicles, which require fewer workers to build than gas-powered vehicles.
With a village recaptured, Ukraine takes the next step
After piercing Russian defenses around the southern village of Robotyne, Ukrainian forces are now waging a fierce battle a few miles farther to the east, according to Ukrainian military commanders and U.S. officials. Thursday’s intense fighting comes amid weeks of brutal battles that have resulted in small but significant advances Ukrainian forces are trying to exploit, with the broader goal of driving a wedge into the so-called land bridge between Russia and occupied Crimea, which is vital to the Russian military’s supply routes. The move toward Verbove is notable because it shows Ukraine is confident enough in its hold on Robotyne for its troops to press forward.
Rare protests in Syria summon echoes of Arab Spring
Rare protests in Syria calling for the ouster of the authoritarian government have gathered momentum over the past two weeks, in scenes reminiscent of the early 2010s Arab Spring uprising. The protests grew out of anger over economic hardships that boiled over into demands for a political settlement to the war, which is largely at a stalemate. They have grown daily, drawing hundreds of people who at times have torn down the ubiquitous posters of President Bashar Assad and shuttered offices of the political party loyal to him. The demonstrations began in the south and spread, briefly touching the capital, Damascus, and another major city, Aleppo.
China’s disinformation fuels anger over Fukushima water release
Before Japan had even started pumping out the first tranche of more than 1 million tons of wastewater from the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last week, China had mounted a coordinated campaign to spread disinformation about the safety of the release, stirring up anger and fear among millions of Chinese that has been reflected in recent social media posts. Experts say China is seeking to sow doubts about Japan’s credibility and cast its allies as conspirators in malfeasance. The United States, the European Union and Australia all support Japan’s water release, which scientists have said would have a very low effect on human health or the environment.
More than 100 schools in England ordered to close buildings over faulty concrete
More than 100 schools across England were ordered to close buildings Thursday, a few days before the start of a new school year for most students, because they were constructed using unsafe concrete, the Department for Education said. The affected buildings contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, a lightweight material that was used between the 1950s and mid-1990s and has been determined to be prone to failures and crumbling. In all, 104 schools were ordered to close buildings. The government said it would work with local authorities on “individual solutions” for the affected schools.
Fire in a garment printing shop kills at least 15 in the Philippines
A fire in a house that was being used as a T-shirt printing shop in the Philippines killed at least 15 people Thursday, including its workers, the business owner and his family members, officials said. The fire broke out at 5:45 a.m. in a house in the district of Tandang Sora in Quezon city, a densely populated suburb northeast of the capital, Manila, a police report said. According to the report, 37 fire engines were sent to the site of the blaze and it was extinguished two hours later. Two people were injured but survived, police said. The cause was being investigated.
By wire sources