Five Americans detained in Iran are back home as part of a prisoner exchange. And a cyberattack could mean a tougher time finding Clorox products in your corner store. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023.
5 Americans return to the U.S. as part of prison swap with Iran
Five Americans designated by the United States government as wrongfully detained are back home as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Iran that happened on Monday, Sept. 19. The five Americans were being imprisoned on what U.S. officials called “unsubstantiated charges of spying.”
Officials say two family members who were not jailed but were prevented from leaving Iran were also on the plane that landed Tuesday morning in the U.S.
“Their freedom, the freedom of these Americans for so long, unjustly imprisoned and detained in Iran means some pretty basic things. It means that husbands and wives, fathers and children, grandparents can hug each other again, can see each other again, can be with each other again,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
All of the freed Americans identified had been serving 10-year prison sentences in Iran, with one already serving eight years. Officials say three of the five Iranians released from U.S. custody as part of the deal have decided to stay in America and did not want to return to Iran.
The $6 billion in Iranian assets unfrozen as part of the agreement were successfully transferred ahead of the prisoner exchange.
Biden, Zelenskyy to speak at U.N. General Assembly
President Joe Biden is set to address the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday morning, as leaders of four other major countries skip the gathering. According to the White House, Biden will speak to the leaders of 145 countries laying out his vision of American leadership that involves working with other countries to “solve the world’s most pressing problems.”
The White House says a substantial section of Biden’s speech will focus on the war in Ukraine – speaking against Russia’s invasion and calling for support of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also speak at the U.N. summit in-person for the first time since the war began last year.
France President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are missing from the general assembly due to King Charles visiting France while Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin rarely attend in person.
While Biden and Zelenskyy look to put the focus of the general assembly on the war with Russia, tensions between two other nations are growing Tuesday morning: Canada and India. Canada has accused India of possibly being involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil, with both countries expelling senior diplomats.
F-35 fighter jet debris found after ‘mishap’ causes crash
Military officials have been able to locate the debris field for the missing F-35 fighter jet that disappeared Sunday, Sept. 17, after a reported “mishap” that forced the pilot to eject mid-flight and parachute to safety. With no one on board, the military lost sight of where the fighter jet landed.
Now we know the aircraft crashed in a field in Williamsburg County, South Carolina — about two hours away from a Marine Corps base. As the investigation continues, the Marine Corps announced a two-day pause in operations to discuss aviation safety citing three “aviation mishaps” over the past six weeks.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Elon Musk
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with billionaire businessman Elon Musk in California on Monday, Sept. 18. The two discussed an array of topics during a livestream on Musk’s social media site X: from antisemitism on the platform, the controversial judicial overhaul in Israel, how to advance artificial intelligence for the good of the people and the future plans of X potentially becoming a monthly subscription service.
But the moment making headlines was the prime minister’s ask of Musk to find a balance between protecting free speech and fighting hate speech and antisemitic posts on X.
It comes as Musk is being blamed of “tolerating antisemitism” by the Anti-Defamation League. Musk calls those accusations false and damning to the platform’s advertising revenue.
Musk told the prime minister that X will not promote posts containing hate speech. Netanyahu will be at the U.N. General Assembly to address the U.S. and other world leaders at a time of growing unrest in the country.
Clorox cyberattack slows production, impacts supply
Clorox is reporting a cyberattack in August has impacted its supply chain. The company known for its sanitizing wipes and brands like Pine Sol and FreshStep cat litter says wide-scale disruptions continue to negatively impact its operations.
Certain products are in short supply, though they have not specified which ones. Operations have crawled since the cyberattack with employees fulfilling and processing orders manually since August.
Clorox believes the cyberattack has been contained and the company will eventually get back to full production. It’s just unsure of a timetable for when that will happen.
Black bear spotted in Disney World forces closures
A wild black bear found its way inside Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom near Orlando on Monday, climbing a tree and delaying the opening of multiple sections of the theme park. Members of the Florida Fish and Wild Conservation Commission were called in to secure the female black bear.
The bear was eventually captured by the afternoon and was relocated to a national forest. Officials say the bear was most likely in search of food ahead of winter hibernation.