Did a cargo ship cause the oil spill? The firm denies it.
Good morning Daily Briefing readers! President Joe Biden will finally travel to Chicago to promote vaccinations against COVID-19. Was a cargo ship responsible for the massive oil spill along the California coast? And it's 20 years to the day since the start of America's war in Afghanistan.
It's Steve and Jane, with Thursday's news.
⛺️ New this morning: Los Angeles, the city known for its glitz and glamour, has the nation's largest population of homeless people. A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found 47% of residents believe homelessness is the biggest issue facing the city.
🎓 Student loan forgiveness: The Education Department announced a sweeping overhaul to the loan forgiveness program that will immediately erase the debt of 22,000 borrowers to the tune of $1.7 billion.
🌍 A powerful earthquake collapsed at least one coal mine and dozens of homes in Pakistan early Thursday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 200, an official said.
🤑 Money doesn't always buy happiness: Dreaming of winning the lottery? These horror stories may change your mind.
🦟 The World Health Organization recommended that the world's first malaria vaccine should be given to children across Africa to curb the spread of the parasitic disease.
⚖️ A federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of a Texas abortion law that effectively bans the procedure, delivering an early victory to the Biden administration.
📢 Join our journalists as well as experts in a Twitter Spaces conversation Thursday at 4 p.m. ET about our "Seven Days of 1961" series, how the year changed American history and how it affects us today.
🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, tech reporter Mike Snider breaks down yesterday’s Twitch hack. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
Here's what's happening today:
Biden to tout vaccine requirements in trip to Chicago
The White House released a report early Thursday on the effects of vaccination requirements in the U.S., contending that mandating vaccines will lead to millions more Americans getting shots in the arm. The report was released ahead of President Joe Biden's rescheduled trip to Chicago, where he will meet leaders who implemented vaccination requirements in public and private sectors. It found that businesses instituting vaccine requirements have seen their number of fully vaccinated workers rise above 90%. Nationwide, 63% of adults aged 18-64 are fully inoculated.
Newsmakers in their own words: Texas Gov. Abbott takes on Biden
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott played host to nine of his fellow Republican state chief executives under the hot South Texas sun Wednesday and escalated what has already been a withering barrage of criticism of President Joe Biden and his administration for rolling back many of the immigration policies of the Donald Trump years.
The Democratic National Committee called the South Texas event a politically motivated distraction, saying they "stood idly by as Donald Trump spent four years destroying our immigration system."
Probe of oil spill turns to cargo ship's unusual movements
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating whether the Rotterdam Express, a large German-flagged cargo ship, may have snagged and tore open an underwater pipeline that spilled as much as 144,000 gallons of oil into California waters. The ship made three unusual movements over two days while anchored in the closest spot to the pipeline owned by Amplify Energy, according to data reviewed by The Associated Press. In a statement to the AP, Hapag-Lloyd, the firm that operates the Rotterdam, denied any role in the spill. A U.S. official told the AP the Rotterdam has become a focus of the probe, but cautioned the ship is only one lead being pursued. The new details were uncovered as part of a series of probes into the spill, including questions about delays in shutting off the pipeline, notifying government officials and alerting the public.
What else people are reading:
🚨 The Zodiac Killer case is still open according to law enforcement, but a new theory is again bringing attention to the decades-old cold case.
🔴 Four people were injured in a shooting at a high school in Texas, and three were hospitalized, police said. The suspected gunman, an 18-year old student, turned himself in after initially fleeing the scene, police said.
🔵 Democrats are hammering out details to reach an agreement on a package of President Joe Biden's social programs while working to solve differences on how to solve the debt ceiling as the nation inches closer to default.
🔵 "Battered on trust": As his agenda flounders on Capitol Hill, President Joe Biden’s popularity among everyday Americans is taking a beating, according to a new poll.
America's war in Afghanistan began 20 years ago today
On Aug. 30, the final U.S. troops in Afghanistan flew out of Kabul, ending a costly 20-year occupation and leaving the country once again in the hands of the Taliban. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the start of that war. On Oct. 7, 2001, U.S. and United Kingdom forces began the Operation Enduring Freedom combat mission against the Taliban. The move was in response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which had been directed from Afghanistan by the al-Qaida terror group. U.S. forces drove the Taliban from power but never could fully subdue its subsequent insurgency against the new Afghan government despite two decades of fighting and billions in nation-building aid. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. negotiated a deal with the Taliban in 2020 for American troop withdrawal. Ultimately, the war would cost the lives of more than 2,400 American troops and more than 100,000 Afghan soldiers and civilians.
ICYMI: Some of our top stories Wednesday
🏥 A week and a half ago, Mark Green summoned his energy to videotape a message urging whoever was listening to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He died Oct. 1.
💻 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg broke his silence after Congress demanded answers following a whistleblower’s testimony.
🔴 A man was having chest pain. Then doctors found a 4-inch piece of cement in his heart.
⚾️ "Sick to my stomach": Six outs. That’s all the New York Yankees received from their $324 million ace, Gerrit Cole, at their most needful hour.
🥊 "You don’t want to hear me say that": Former boxer Mike Tyson covered a variety of topics in a new interview with USA TODAY. When it came to whether he got the COVID vaccine, Tyson confirmed he is vaccinated, but added that, "I didn’t do it willingly."
Trial for 100-year-old former guard at Nazi concentration camp to begin
The trial of a 100-year-old former guard at a Nazi concentration camp will begin Thursday in Germany, according to multiple reports. The man, who has not been named in accordance with German privacy laws, is alleged to have worked at the Sachsenhausen camp outside Berlin between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi party's paramilitary wing. He is charged with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder. More than 200,000 people were held at Sachsenhausen between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates there died of starvation, disease, forced labor and executions. Authorities say the man is considered fit enough to stand trial despite his advanced age.
NL Wild Card game: Dodgers advance after dramatic win over Cardinals
Thanks to Chris Taylor's two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers took home a thrilling 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card game Wednesday night. The Dodgers' win earned them a matchup in the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers' archrivals and winners of the most games in MLB in 2021 (107). Game 1 is Friday.
⚾ Supporting an ex-teammate: Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto attended the NL Wild Card game in L.A. and sported a Trea Turner Nationals jersey.
⚾ Broadcaster moving on from ESPN: Matt Vasgersian has decided to step away from calling ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" after four years. The veteran announcer also serves as an MLB Network host and the television voice of the Los Angeles Angels.
MLB Division Series start with two American League series
The Major League Baseball Division Series get underway Thursday with the opening games of the best-of-five American League matchups. In the early game, the Houston Astros, winners of the AL West, host the Chicago White Sox, the AL Central champs (4:07 p.m. ET, FS1). The Astros-White Sox series features a matchup between MLB's two oldest managers in Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa, who have long had a heated rivalry. Later, the Boston Red Sox – who beat the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card game – travel south to Florida to meet the Tampa Bay Rays, who were the only AL team to win 100 games on their way to their second consecutive AL East title (8:07 p.m. ET, FS1).
⚾ Tony La Russa vs. Dusty Baker: ALDS is new chapter for heated rivalry between MLB's oldest managers
⚾ 'We just did something pretty spectacular': After electric win, Red Sox might have swagger back
📸 Photo of the day: Stars come out for 'Harder They Fall' premiere in London📸
The BFI London Film Festival is underway and runs through Oct. 17. The annual film festival, founded in 1957, screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from over 50 countries.
The festival's opening night brought together the all-star cast of director Jeymes Samuel's feature debut "The Harder They Fall." The Netflix film stars Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Regina King and Idris Elba.
Click here to see more images of the stars at the 2021 London Film Festival.
The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.