10 things you need to know today: September 14, 2023

1. Romney won't seek reelection

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) announced Wednesday he won't seek a second term next year, signaling his likely retirement from politics. "We need the next generation to step forward," he told the Deseret News. Romney, 76, served as Massachusetts governor and ran for president twice, winning the Republican nomination in 2012 but losing to then-President Barack Obama. His votes to convict former President Donald Trump in both impeachment trials made him the target of attacks from the far right, but a recent poll found that 54% of Utahns still support him. Romney told The Washington Post the disarray among House Republicans affected his decision, as did his lack of confidence in both 2024 presidential front-runners, President Biden and Trump. Deseret News, The Washington Post

2. Escaped murderer captured in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania police captured fugitive Danelo Cavalcante on Wednesday, two weeks after the convicted murderer escaped from a county jail while awaiting transfer to a state prison. A team of officers, aided by thermal imaging equipment in the air, surrounded Cavalcante in a wooded area and took him by surprise. Cavalcante was convicted a month ago of killing his ex-girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, outside her Pennsylvania home in 2021. He stabbed her 40 times in front of her two children. A prosecutor said the Brandao family endured a "complete nightmare" while Cavalcante was on the run. "The past two weeks have been extremely painful and terrifying," Sarah Brandao, the victim's sister, said in a statement. The Philadelphia Inquirer

3. Libya flood death toll rises as bodies wash ashore

Authorities and survivors continued to assess the magnitude of the devastation in Libya from Storm Daniel, which caused flooding that burst two dams and swept away whole neighborhoods on Libya's northern coast over the weekend. About 6,000 people have been confirmed dead, with another 10,000 declared missing. Abdul Rahim Maziq, director of al-Bayda medical center, said the death toll could reach 20,000. Many of the missing were swept into the Mediterranean, and now the "sea is constantly dumping dozens of bodies" ashore, said Hichem Abu Chkiouat, the minister of civil aviation in the government that runs eastern Libya. Residents reported hearing "pleas from some survivors under the rubble" earlier in the week, Libyan journalist Mohamed Eljarh told The Guardian. The Guardian, CNN

4. Judge rules latest Biden version of DACA still illegal

A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday rejected the Biden administration's revised version of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has protected from deportation hundreds of thousands of young adults who were brought into the country without documentation as children. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Houston ruled that DACA was still illegal despite Biden's latest changes, saying then-President Barack Obama didn't have the authority to create the program by executive action in 2012. Former President Donald Trump tried to end DACA, but was also blocked by courts. Hanen's decision prolonged a tense wait for beneficiaries, known as Dreamers, as the matter heads toward a likely appeal and a final decision by the Supreme Court. The New York Times

5. Rising gas prices pushed inflation higher in August

Consumer prices rose more than economists expected in August due to surging gasoline prices, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The consumer price index increased by 0.6%, its biggest monthly jump since June 2022, or 3.7% year-on-year. It rose 0.2% in June and July. Gasoline prices climbed 10.6%, accounting for more than half the overall increase. The core index, which excludes volatile fuel and food prices, increased just 0.3% for the month and 4.3% on an annual basis, slightly less than economists expected. The figures continued a trend of easing inflation likely to allow the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady at their meeting next week while leaving the door open to another hike in 2023, if necessary. Reuters

6. Judge blocks New Mexico order suspending open-carry gun law

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked an order issued by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) that sought to suspend the right to carry guns publicly in Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County for 30 days. Lujan Grisham issued the order to pause open-carry laws in the county on Friday in response to rising gun deaths in the state. Gun rights groups, including the Gun Owners Foundation, National Association for Gun Rights, and We The Patriots USA, immediately filed four lawsuits challenging the move, saying it violated the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to bear arms. ABC News

7. Hurricane Lee heads toward Maine

Hurricane Lee neared Bermuda early Thursday as it churned north through the Atlantic, threatening to make landfall in the northeastern United States or southeastern Canada by Friday. Forecasters have issued a hurricane watch for northern Maine to the Canada border, with a tropical storm watch covering most of New England. A storm surge watch is in effect for Cape Cod and Nantucket, with a surge of two to four feet expected. Lee has weakened slightly since passing over extremely warm southern waters while pushing north. It was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center said early Thursday its top sustained winds were 100 miles per hour. South Florida Sun-Sentinel, National Hurricane Center

8. Argentina police shut down bookstore selling Nazi content

Police in Argentina on Wednesday shut down a Buenos Aires bookstore selling Nazi and antisemitic content online. Police arrested one person. The raid on the Libreria Argentina, which sold books emblazoned with swastikas, followed a two-year investigation promoted by the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations, a Jewish group. "We are shocked by how profuse the material is," said Marcos Cohen, a representative of the group. "I don't remember anything like this being found before." Displaying Nazi symbols is illegal in the South American nation, which has the largest Jewish population in Latin America, in part because of migration before World War II. After the war, many Nazi officials fled to Argentina to avoid prosecution for war crimes. Reuters

9. Rep. Lauren Boebert kicked out of 'Beetlejuice' performance

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was kicked out of a Denver performance of the musical "Beetlejuice" after being accused of "vaping, singing, recording the show and being disruptive," The Washington Post reported Wednesday. An incident report obtained by The Colorado Sun said two unidentified patrons were escorted out of the city-owned Buell Theatre on Sunday for "causing a disturbance." Surveillance footage posted by Denver NBC affiliate KUSA showed Boebert, accompanied by a man, appearing to take a selfie as she is ushered out. "I can confirm the stunning and salacious rumors: In her personal time, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is indeed a supporter of the performing arts (gasp!) and … enthusiastically enjoyed a weekend performance of 'Beetlejuice,'" Drew Sexton, Boebert's campaign manager, told the Post. The Washington Post, The Colorado Sun

10. Rep. Mary Peltola's husband dies in Alaska plane crash

Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr., husband of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), died after the single-engine plane he was flying crashed in southwestern Alaska, the lawmaker's office confirmed Wednesday. He was 57. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Piper PA-18 aircraft crashed in a mountainous area shortly after taking off near St. Mary's, a small city along the Yukon River. Rep. Peltola's office said she would return to Alaska to grieve with the family. The Peltolas have seven children and stepchildren. "He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything," Rep. Peltola’s chief of staff, Anton McParland, said in the statement. "He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments." The New York Times, CNN