Government shutdown: The Senate has come up with a bipartisan bill that would keep the government open until Nov. 6 and avoid a threatened shutdown this weekend. The Senate bill must be approved by the House, but Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says the House has its own ideas and the Senate would need to pass whatever the House develops. Far-right extremists in the House have threatened to try to remove McCarthy as speaker if he goes along with a short-term funding extension that includes additional aid for Ukraine.
Soldier in North Korea: North Korea says it will expel the U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea in July. Travis King has been held in custody by the North Koreans. The North Koreans say King confessed to having illegally entered their country.
Money transfers: The House Oversight Committee says that it has obtained bank records showing that two transfers of money from China to Hunter Biden used President Biden’s home address as being the address of the beneficiary. Committee Chairman James Comer said the committee had not yet determined whether Hunter Biden was living at the address in Delaware at the time.
Target’s action: Target says it is closing nine stores in four states because of crime directed against retailers. Target says it has lost too much money from thefts of merchandise at the stores and other criminal activity. Only one of the stores is on the East Coast — in New York’s Harlem. Target is due to open its first store in Yonkers next month in the Cross County Shopping Center.
Writers’ strike ends: The boards of the Writers Guild of America East and West have approved the new contract with the Hollywood producers and say the strike is over. Members of the union are being allowed to return to work immediately even though a contract vote by all union members remains to be completed. TV talk shows are expected to be the first to go back into production with fully-scripted programs to follow.
Trump fraud ruling: Attorneys for Donald Trump say they will appeal a ruling by New York Judge Arthur Engoron that Trump, his family members and companies defrauded banks, insurers and others by manipulating property values they reported on financial documents. The judge said one of the properties was the Seven Springs estate in Westchester. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The actual trial in the case is scheduled to begin Monday. Trump could be facing a $250 million judgment, the dissolution of all of his businesses in New York state, seizure of Trump real estate and a ban on conducting business in New York state.
Baseball great Brooks Robinson dies: Brooks Robinson, the legendary third baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977, passed away at the age of 86. He won 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards as the American League’s leading fielder at third base and played on four pennant-winning teams, with two of them winning the World Series. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Cover photo via Wikimedia Commons
