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September 22, 2017

First Line News Articles for Friday, September 22 2017

Top Stories

Trump declares disaster in Puerto Rico, makes more federal funds available to hurricane victims

President Trump has declared a major disaster occurring in Puerto Rico after the island took a direct hit from Hurricane Maria, the White House announced Thursday.

McConnell pressures Senate Republican holdouts to support last-ditch Obamacare repeal bill

Senate Republicans will hold a vote on an Obamacare repeal bill next week, leaders announced Wednesday, attempting one final Hail Mary play to kill off the 2010 law before the chamber runs out of time.

Trump Moves to Widen U.S. Sanctions on North Korea

President Trump ordered a widening of American sanctions on North Korea on Thursday in an effort to constrict its trade with the outside world, as he presented a united front with South Korea and Japan and sought to forge a common strategy for confronting the isolated nuclear-armed state.

Mexico rescuers labor against time to find trapped quake survivors

Rescuers labored against the odds on Thursday to find survivors trapped beneath crumpled buildings in central Mexico following the country’s deadliest earthquake in 32 years, as the search for a 12-year-old schoolgirl that transfixed the nation faced complications.

LDS News

BYU will now sell caffeinated beverages on campus

The fight between supply and demand for caffeinated soft drinks at BYU has finally ended, decades after campus dining services officials banned the popular sodas on campus.

Church grieves with Mexico following two massive quakes

The Church is grieving the deaths of several Latter-day Saints during recent quakes in Mexico — even while providing temporal and spiritual support.

LDS opera singer Erin Morley stars at the Met — ‘Not bad for a girl from Utah’

Erin Morley is a mother, a Mormon and a world-class opera singer — and she takes the train to work.

LDSBC interior design grads share experiences designing temples

As interior designer Gloria Kummer reflects on her 11 years designing LDS temples, the sweet memory of a young woman helping local families install furniture in the El Salvador temple stands out in her mind.

LDS Church acquires printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon from Community of Christ

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has acquired the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon from the Community of Christ for $35 million.

National

SEC reveals 2016 hack that may have been used for illegal trades

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday that a cyber breach of a filing system it uses may have provided the basis for some illegal trading in 2016.

H.R. McMaster: Iran nuke deal is ‘fundamentally flawed’

National security adviser H.R. McMaster called the Iran deal “fundamentally flawed” Thursday, adding that the White House is concerned with what to do about Iran’s “destabilizing behavior.”

ACLU sues Michigan to force adoption agencies to work with same-sex couples

The ACLU sued Michigan on Wednesday, demanding the state stop using religiously affiliated adoption agencies that refuse to work with same-sex couples, saying it violates the couples’ rights.

Baby whose mother chose giving birth over chemo has died

A tiny preemie whose gravely ill mother had hoped to save her by shunning chemotherapy during pregnancy has died, a relative said Thursday.

Flint water crisis caused increase in fetal deaths, lower fertility rates, study claims

The long-term health effects of the Flint water crisis are still unfolding, with a new study pointing to the contaminated water as a cause of lower fertility rates among the city’s women and an increase in infant mortality.

For the first time, the Marine Corps expects to have a female infantry officer among its ranks

The Marine Corps expects to soon have a female infantry officer, a historic first, following her anticipated graduation Monday from the service’s grueling Infantry Officer Course, said three military officials with knowledge of the training.

U.S. Household Wealth Rises $1.7 Trillion to Another Record

U.S. household wealth increased in the second quarter to yet another record, driven by solid gains in financial assets and rising property values, figures from the Federal Reserve in Washington showed Thursday.

On work trips, DeVos flies on her plane at own expense

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos flies on her personal plane at her own expense when she visits schools around the country, according to her office, as other Cabinet secretaries’ flying habits at taxpayers’ cost have drawn scrutiny.

A stunned Puerto Rico seeks to rebuild after Hurricane Maria

Rescuers fanned out to reach stunned victims Thursday after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, knocking out electricity to the entire island and triggering landslides and floods.

World

Seoul to resume aid to N. Korea but doesn’t set date

South Korea on Thursday decided to resume humanitarian aid to North Korea to help children and pregnant women, but didn’t determine when to provide the $8 million worth of assistance amid tensions created by Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests.

UN votes to help Iraq collect evidence against Islamic State

The U.N. Security Council has authorized the world body’s investigators to help Iraq collect evidence that could lead to prosecuting Islamic State extremists for war crimes.

Brexit: Theresa May ‘to offer 20bn euros transitional deal’

Theresa May is set to propose a transitional deal with the EU of up to two years in a speech on Friday, a cabinet source has told BBC News.

Trump huddles with Ukraine’s leader, talks Russian aggression on border

President Trump met Thursday with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, praising the stability his government achieved despite interference and aggressive moves by Russia on its borders.

China’s c.bank tells banks to stop doing business with N.Korea – sources

China’s central bank has told banks to stop providing financial services to new North Korean customers and to wind down existing loans with North Korean customers, according to a document, four sources told Reuters.

Exclusive: Turkey to deploy troops inside Syria’s Idlib – Erdogan

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that Turkey will deploy troops in Syria’s northern Idlib region as part of a “de-escalation” agreement brokered by Russia last month.

Trump’s war strategy hailed by Afghan president: ‘A difference of day and night’

President Trump received glowing praise Thursday from Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani for the new war strategy, which was credited for turning around the 16-year war against Taliban militants and other radical Islamic terrorists.

Thousands protest arrests by Spain over Catalonia vote

Thousands gathered Thursday at the gates of Catalonia’s judicial body in Barcelona to demand the release of a dozen officials arrested in connection with a vote on independence that Spanish authorities are challenging as illegal.

Russia threatens retaliatory strikes against U.S. troops and their allies in Syria

Russia on Thursday raised the threat of a direct confrontation with U.S. forces in Syria, saying that the Russian military would target areas occupied by American units and U.S.-backed militias if Moscow’s troops come under fire.

Fearing far-right surge, Merkel tells Germans to vote on Sunday

Fears in Germany that voter apathy could boost the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Sunday’s election have driven Chancellor Angela Merkel and her main rival in final days of the campaign to urge their backers to go out and vote.

Business

Mercedes-Benz to Invest $1 Billion in Alabama, Add 600 Jobs

Carmaker Mercedes-Benz announced Thursday that it will invest $1 billion to set up electric vehicle production at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant and to build a battery factory nearby, moves it said would create 600 new jobs.

Equifax Was Linking Potential Breach Victims On Twitter To A Scam Site

In the aftermath of eruptive news that Equifax seemingly had exposed the intimate data of 143 million Americans, it seems the credit-monitoring firm has also been lax on how it links customers with support.

Science

Robots could overpower humans thanks to new ‘artificial muscle’

Robots could soon be 15 times as strong as humans thanks to a new artificial muscle.

Health

CVS Health Increases Restrictions On Opioids

Pharmacy giant CVS Health will ratchet up scrutiny of opioid prescriptions in an effort to reduce misuse and abuse of the overprescribed painkillers.

Economy

Thirty-year fixed mortgage rate rises to 3.83%

Long-term mortgage rates rose this week, lifting the 30-year fixed mortgage from the lowest levels of 2017.

U.S. Jobless Claims Decline as Harvey Impact Fades in Texas

Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. unexpectedly declined last week as the Hurricane Harvey-related surge in Texas filings continued to reverse, Labor Department figures showed Thursday.

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