New EPA rule sets 10-year deadline for replacing lead pipes
It’s been more than a decade since the crisis in Flint, Michigan, highlighted concerns about the ongoing dangers of lead in drinking water. Now, President Joe Biden is setting a deadline for cities nationwide to replace all their lead pipes.
A new Environmental Protection Agency rule revealed Tuesday, Oct. 8, will ensure lead pipes are eliminated in the U.S. within 10 years to give all Americans access to clean drinking water from the tap. This new rule is the strongest concerning lead in water in about 30 years.
The stricter new regulation requires lead concentrations to be no higher than 10 parts per billion, down from the current standard of 15 parts per billion.
If higher levels of lead are found in water, the rule would also require people be notified about ways to stay safe and for action to be taken while water systems also work to replace all lead pipes at the same time. Additionally, the new rule changes how lead levels are measured, which could significantly expand the number of water systems with excessive levels of lead.
The 10-year time frame won’t start for three years so utilities have time to prepare. Some cities with large volumes of lead pipes may be given an extension to meet the new standard.
The EPA estimates the new rules will prevent up to 900,000 babies from being born with a low birthweight and prevent up to 1,500 premature deaths a year from heart disease.
Presidential candidates head to Michigan as state remains key battleground
Both presidential candidates planned campaign stops in the battleground state of Michigan just one month before the 2024 election. Former President Donald Trump will be in Saginaw on Thursday, Oct. 4, for a rally. Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to campaign in Detroit and Flint on Friday, Oct. 5.
The Real Clear Politics’ average of polls shows Harris up in Michigan by just 1.3%. Michigan is a clear battleground state with 15 electoral votes at-stake in November.
Michigan is also known as the Democrats’ blue wall. It is a path to winning the White House that the party believes includes Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
A survey from Emerson College Polling and The Hill shows the economy is the top issue for Michiganders, including inflation and the cost of goods. Immigration and threats to democracy round out the top three issues.
Trump won Michigan in 2016, over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, by less than a point. He lost Michigan in 2020 to Biden by about three points. Clinton was the first Democrat to lose the state in 28 years.
This time, both presidential candidates and their surrogates are spending big money in Michigan. The Harris campaign and outside groups have spent nearly $80 million since she entered the race. Trump and his backers have pumped in another $62 million, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.
The winner in Michigan has gone on to win the White House in nine of the past 12 presidential elections.
Hezbollah blames Israel for deadly pager explosions
Hezbollah is blaming Israel after pagers used by the militant group exploded killing at least nine people and injuring thousands. And former President Donald Trump holds his first campaign event since the second apparent assassination attempt on his life. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
Hezbollah blames Israel for deadly pager explosions
Multiple explosions in Lebanon have killed at least nine people and left nearly 3,000 injured. Explosives inside pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah were set off Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 17.
The Iran-backed group blames Israel for the attack. Hezbollah said an 8-year-old was among those killed and Iran’s envoy to Beirut was among the injured.
Sources told Reuters Israel’s Mossad spy agency had planted the explosives inside 5,000 pagers. An American source and other officials confirmed to the New York Times that Israel was behind the operation.
The pagers appeared to be from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. In a statement released Wednesday, Sept. 18, Gold Apollo said they were manufactured by another company based in Budapest that was authorized to use Gold Appollo’s brand.
Hezbollah fighters have been using pagers to bypass Israeli location-tracking following a warning by group leaders earlier this year saying cell phones were more dangerous than Israeli spies.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel.
Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging strikes shortly after Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Tuesday’s blasts add to the growing concern over a larger war in the Middle East.
Secretary of State of Antony Blinken will be in Egypt Wednesday to work on securing a cease-fire agreement to put an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas and see the release of the hostages who remain in Gaza.
Trump, Harris both use assassination attempt to highlight policy proposals
Former President Donald Trump was back on the campaign trail Tuesday, holding his first event since the second apparent attempt on his life over the weekend. During a town hall in Flint, Michigan Trump told Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders the assassination attempts are proof his policy proposals are powerful.
“It’s a dangerous business however, being president,” Trump said. “It’s a little bit dangerous. It’s, you know, they think racecar driving is dangerous. No. They think bull-riding, that’s pretty scary, right? No, this is a dangerous business and we have to keep it safe.”
He later added, “You know, only consequential presidents get shot at.”
Trump also said both President Joe Biden and, his opponent in the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris called him after the assassination attempt, saying it was “very nice” and he appreciated it.
“Not everybody has Secret Service,” Harris said, “and there are far too many people in our country right now who are not feeling safe. I mean, I look at Project 2025 and I look at the ‘don’t say gay laws’ coming out of Florida. Members of the LGBTQ community don’t feel safe right now. Immigrants or people with an immigrant background don’t feel safe right now. Women don’t feel safe right now.”
Both candidates are focusing on swing areas that could decide the election, which is expected to be a close one.
Trump is set to campaign in New York, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina this week. Harris will also stop in Washington as well as Michigan and Wisconsin in the coming days.
Speaker Johnson to bring spending bill up for vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to put his short-term spending plan up for a vote Wednesday, though there are signs it will not get the GOP support needed to pass.
Johnson previously pulled a stopgap bill that was coupled with the SAVE Act — which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections — after it became clear it was unlikely to get enough Republican approval to pass. House Democrats also opposed the plan, though it would keep the government funded through most of March.
Congress has until the end of September to pass at least a temporary measure keeping the government open, otherwise a shutdown looms Oct. 1.
Federal Reserve expected to cut interest rates for first time since 2020
The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates for the first time since 2020. However, it’s not yet known by how much.
Straight Arrow News Business Correspondent Simone Del Rosario has a closer look here.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail in racketeering, sex trafficking case
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail and will remain in custody as he faces serious charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Authorities say Combs will be held by himself at a “special housing unit” in a detention center in Brooklyn.
In a federal courtroom in New York City on Tuesday, Combs pleaded not guilty to the charges he’s facing. Prosecutors allege that Combs used his business empire to force women into engaging in sexual acts with professional sex workers and himself.
Prosecutors allege that in late 2023, following public accusations of these crimes, Combs and his associates attempted to pressure victims into silence through bribery.
If convicted on all charges, Combs faces decades in prison.
Billie Jean King to make history as Congressional Gold Medal recipient
Tennis hall of famer Billie Jean King is being recognized with a prestigious Congressional Gold Medal for her efforts on and off the tennis court.
The measure had already passed the Senate and on Tuesday night, it passed the House, making Billie Jean King the first individual female athlete to ever receive the congressional honor.
🚨 History made! 🚨 The House just passed my bipartisan, bicameral bill to award my friend, @BillieJeanKing, legendary athlete, and ardent advocate, the Congressional Gold Medal, making her the first female athlete to ever receive this honor—yet another iconic trailblazing moment… pic.twitter.com/kbkkym0aVN
“Mister speaker, it is now time to enshrine Billie Jean King’s legacy as not only a champion of tennis, but a champion of equality whose impact will continue to inspire women and girls and people across America and across the world,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said before the measure was passed.
After receiving the news that she would receive the Congressional Gold Medal, King took to X to say, “Thank you. I am deeply humbled and honored.”
Judge approves $626M settlement for residents impacted by Flint water crisis
It has been almost 10 years since a water crisis created a significant health hazard in the city of Flint, Michigan. Now, the state of Michigan is set to pay more than $600 million to compensate impacted residents.
Tuesday, March 21, a state judge approved a $626 million settlement, clearing a final procedural hurdle. More than 50,000 people have already submitted claims to get their portion of the settlement. Claimants could begin receiving payouts as soon as fall 2023.
Back in 2014, the city had switched the source of its drinking water from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The move was meant to save money for the city, but without proper chemicals to keep the water safe from lead in the pipes, the river water corroded city piping and the city’s drinking water became contaminated.
Around 100,000 residents were exposed to elevated lead levels, and between 6,000 to 12,000 children were impacted. Side effects include increased chances of Alzheimer’s and a reduction in I.Q., particularly in children exposed to high levels of lead.
Of the $600 million settlement, 60% of it will go to people who were kids when the water crisis began.
Rep. Kildee fends off GOP challenger Junge in Michigan
Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee has won reelection to his seat representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, beating out Republican Paul Junge, a former TV news anchor and prosecutor who worked in the Trump administration.
Given the state has multiple timezones, the first polls closed at 8 p.m. EST, and the last polls closed at 9 p.m. EST.
Kildee was first elected the representative for Michigan’s 5th Congressional District pre-redistricting, succeeding his uncle Dale Kildee, who occupied the seat from 1977 to 2013.
Abortion was a key issue in the race between Kildee and Junge. Kildee called the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade “one of the most reprehensible Supreme Court decisions in our country’s history.” Junge said decisions on regulating abortion should be handled at the state level.
Michigan’s 8th Congressional District is centered around the city of Flint.