The Senate voted to raise the nation’s debt limit into December after eleven Republicans broke ranks to join Democrats in breaking a filibuster. The short-term increase now heads to the House. The deal between Senate leaders calls for increasing the borrowing cap by $480 billion. That’s how much the Treasury Department told Congress it needs to get to Dec. 3 of this year. The Treasury had said the United States would run out of money by Oct. 18. Although some Republicans helped move it past the filibuster, none of them voted yes to raising the borrowing limit.
In a deadly mosque attack in Afghanistan, 46 were killed and over a hundred wounded, with ISIS-K claiming responsibility. Video footage showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the mosque. The U.N. assistance mission in Afghanistan has expressed its concern over reports of very high casualties. In a statement on Twitter, it described the attack as “part of a disturbing pattern of violence in the country.”
A federal judge in Texas has blocked the state’s controversial six-week abortion ban. The judge, siding with the federal government, called the ban “unconstitutional.” In the 114-page ruling, judge Robert Pitman wrote “from the moment S.B. 8 went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the constitution.” But Texas Right to Life—a pro-life group that advocated for S.B. 8 in the state legislature—branded the decision as “wildly broad and astonishing.” Texas has already indicated it plans to appeal the ruling. The issue, ultimately, is likely to land before the Supreme Court.
Tune into Deep Dive as we explore these topics and more.
