A Maine community comes together to heal just days after the state’s worst mass shooting. And Panera Bread adds warnings to a caffeinated drink after the death of an Ivy League student. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, Oct. 30, 2023.
Maine community mourns after mass shooting
A town in Maine, the site of the state’s worst mass shooting just days earlier, became a place of healing and hope on Sunday night, Oct. 29, as more than 1,000 people came together to reflect, remember and pray.
A vigil was held at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine, near where a gunman opened fire at a bowling alley and restaurant last Wednesday, Oct. 25, killing 18 and injuring 13 others. The deceased victims ranged in age from 14 to 76.
Leaders of various faiths spoke to the massive crowd on the resilience of the town of 40,000, with one reverend saying the tragedies, fear and anxiety will not define the community and will not dictate their future.
The body of the suspected shooter, 40-year-old Robert Card, was discovered on Friday, Oct. 27, at a recycling facility where he recently worked. Authorities said Card died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators found a multitude of firearms while searching for the suspect and added that the weapons used in the shooting had been purchased legally.
While a motive is still under investigation, authorities said Card had a history of mental illness.
Maine had a total of 29 homicides last year. According to the Associated Press, this shooting brings the total number of mass killings in the U.S. this year to 36.
More aid arrives in Gaza as Israel increases its ground operation
The largest aid convoy since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas arrived in Gaza on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Nearly three dozen trucks brought food and medical supplies to the territory, according to the United Nations, saying it is still a fraction of what civilians need.
Israel began increasing its ground operations in Gaza on Friday, Oct. 27, while continuing its airstrikes against Hamas for the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,400 people.
The IDF said Monday, Oct. 30, it hit hundreds of Hamas targets over the past several days.
The World Health Organization said several health facilities in Gaza have been damaged, and hospitals are continuing to receive evacuation orders from Israel, saying it is impossible to do so without endangering patients’ lives.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll since Israel began its strikes has risen above 8,000 people, adding that many are children.
The White House said President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, Oct. 27, reiterating that Israel has every right to defend its citizens from terrorism while underscoring the need “to do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians.”
UAW reaches tentative deal with Stellantis, GM
The United Auto Workers Union reached a tentative deal with General Motors Monday morning, according to CNBC and multiple outlets.
The terms of the GM deal were not immediately known.
The agreement follows the union reaching a deal with Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, over the weekend.
Forty-four days into the “Stand-Up Strike,” 14,000 Stellantis workers on the picket line returned to work.
The Stellantis deal, which still needs to be voted on by 43,000 union members, mirrors an agreement between Ford and the union and includes a 25% pay increase over the next 4 1/2 years, including an 11% increase as soon as the deal is ratified.
The union said the tentative agreement not only also saves 5,000 jobs Stellantis was planning to cut, it also adds an additional 5,000 jobs.
UAW President Shawn Fain announced the tentative deal on social media on Saturday, Oct. 28.
“Once again, we have achieved what just weeks ago we were told was impossible. The power of the “Stand-Up Strike” cannot be understated,” Fain said. “Over the 44 days we were on strike, Stellantis more than doubled the total value of the proposals they had on the table.”
Hours after the Stellantis agreement, the union expanded its strike against General Motors, adding a walkout at a Tennessee plant. The expansion brought the total number of GM workers on strike to roughly 18,000.
In a statement, GM said it was disappointed in UAW’s call to expand its strike, adding that the company has bargained in good faith and it hopes to reach an agreement soon.
It would take a two days more for a tentative deal between GM and the union to be reached.
Judge reinstates gag order on Donald Trump in federal 2020 election case
On Sunday night, Oct. 29, the judge overseeing the federal case charging Donald Trump with trying to overturn the 2020 election results reinstated a gag order she issued on the former president in early October.
The order bars Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing in the case, from making public comments that target the special counsel, court staff and witnesses.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed the order two weeks ago at the request of the Justice Department, but the former president quickly appealed, and the judge temporarily froze the order a few days later.
Chutkan reinstated the gag order on Sunday after prosecutors cited recent social media comments by Trump about his former chief of staff, who is likely to be a witness in the case.
Trump reacted to the gag order on social media, saying it is “not constitutional.”
Last week, in a separate case in New York, Trump was fined $10,000 after that judge said he violated a gag order for the second time.
Donald Trump is currently the Republican front-runner for the 2024 Presidential Election. Over the weekend, the GOP field narrowed as his former vice president, Mike Pence, dropped out of the race, saying, “This is not my time.”
Panera updates drink warning after lawsuit over student’s death
Panera Bread has announced it is updating its warnings online and in-store concerning its caffeinated lemonade beverage.
The change comes after a lawsuit was filed by the family of University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Katz last week.
The suit alleged Katz, who had a heart condition, died after drinking Panera’s charged lemonade last year.
The charged lemonade drink contains 390 milligrams of caffeine. The FDA says 400 milligrams is the daily maximum amount of caffeine a healthy adult can safely consume.
The suit claimed Panera failed to adequately warn its customers about the drink’s ingredients.
Panera told NBC News that while the caffeine content of the lemonade was always listed in-store, out of an “abundance of caution,” the company has enhanced its disclosures for the beverage over the past several days.
Now, a warning reads to use the drink in moderation, and it’s not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or people sensitive to caffeine.
SAG-AFTRA, studio remember Matthew Perry
As negotiations between Hollywood actors and studios continued over the weekend to reach a deal to end the 109-day strike, both sides took a moment to remember a “friend.”
Actor Matthew Perry died on Saturday, Oct. 28, in an apparent drowning in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, according to police.
Authorities said there were no signs of foul play. Perry, who starred in the 90s NBC sitcom “Friends,” was 54.
Warner Bros. Television Studios, which produced the series, said, “Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and indelible part of the Warner Brothers Television Group.”
A post on SAG-AFTRA’s Instagram account read, “His legacy of work onscreen and of helping others offscreen will live on.”
Union president Fran Drescher, who herself was the star of another 90s sitcom “The Nanny,” wrote, “We lost one of our brightest stars.”
Matthew Perry was a 7-time SAG Award nominee and won in 1996 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Comedy Series for “Friends.”
