5 things to know for August 9: Storms, Ohio, Economy, Biden, Ukraine

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Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Storms

More than 55 million people in the US are under the threat of severe storms today, including the possibility of large hail and tornadoes across the Plains. This week, ferocious weather has already pummeled much of the Eastern US as several cities remain deluged in murky floodwaters. Tuesday’s round of severe storms left around 150,000 homes and businesses without power and stranded dozens of people on a Maryland road for hours. The majority of power outages today are confined to Pennsylvania, Georgia and Maryland, according to PowerOutage.us. Airports in the region are anticipating more weather-related disruptions today, with New York’s LaGuardia set to be the most impacted. Other major airports dealing with a small number of cancellations and delays include Atlanta, Newark Liberty and Boston Logan.

2. Ohio

Abortion rights advocates on Tuesday won a critical victory in Ohio, beating back a measure that would have made their push to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution more difficult. CNN projected that voters in the state rejected a proposal known as Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold to pass constitutional amendments from a simple majority to a 60% vote. It was widely seen as a proxy battle over the proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights that will be on Ohio’s ballots in November. If the abortion measure is approved by voters later this year, the amendment would override Ohio’s 2019 law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for rape or incest.

3. Economy

The US economy may be growing but persistently high inflation coupled with spiking interest rates have been weighing down consumers. For the first time, Americans’ credit card debt hit a record — but undesirable — milestone of $1 trillion, according to data released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The spike in nationwide credit card debt comes at a time when interest rates have quickly vaulted to a 22-year high. Also on Tuesday, Bank of America reported that more people are tapping into their 401(k) accounts because of financial distress. While hardship withdrawals are being made by only a fraction of overall plan holders, experts say it’s an indication that cracks may be forming in households’ financial situations. And with federal student loan payments set to resume in October, another monthly bill could inevitably force more Americans to rein in their spending even more.

4. Biden

House Republicans are still gathering evidence and have yet to decide whether to open up a formal impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Republicans feel that if they don’t move forward with an impeachment inquiry now, it will create the impression that House Republicans have essentially cleared Biden of any wrongdoing over his ties to his son Hunter Biden’s business entanglements, allegations they say show a pay-to-play scheme when the elder Biden was vice president, even as they have yet to corroborate that allegation. Some Republican donors have expressed nervousness about the political risks of taking the dramatic step. But most Republicans think that if they open a formal inquiry, they will ultimately wind up impeaching Biden — especially as they move to shift the focus away from former President Donald Trump’s criminal charges.

5. Ukraine

A White House official says the US is aware that Ukraine’s counteroffensive isn’t progressing as quickly as was expected, following CNN reporting that describes increasingly “sobering” assessments from Western officials about the ability of Kyiv’s forces to retake significant territory. “While they are making progress — and they are — it’s incremental and it’s slow and it’s not without its difficulties, but they keep trying,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video Tuesday similarly acknowledged the counteroffensive hasn’t been easy and is “happening probably slower” than some had hoped. Still, Kirby said the US will continue to provide military resources to Kyiv, including mine-clearing equipment, ammunition and advanced rocket systems.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

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Kim Kardashian reveals she broke her shoulder
The business mogul and mother of four is on the mend.

Hundreds pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor at funeral procession
A large crowd cheered and threw flowers as the late singer’s funeral cortege drove past her old house in Bray, County Wicklow, in Ireland.

TODAY’S NUMBER

39
That’s how many cases of unruly airline passengers have been referred to the FBI this year. Thousands of incidents of poor behavior are reported to the FAA each year but only a fraction are investigated, and a smaller number make it to the FBI for possible criminal prosecution. The referrals to the FBI this year include a passenger who allegedly airdropped a bomb threat to other passengers and another who had to be restrained in handcuffs for throwing objects in the cabin.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“The crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and our patients’ trust.”

— New York-Presbyterian Hospital, issuing a statement after a Queens doctor was charged with drugging and assaulting patients at the prominent New York hospital where he practiced. A search of the doctor’s home uncovered multiple videos of unconscious female hospital patients and female acquaintances, as well as drugs like propofol and sevoflurane, used in health care settings to sedate people, according to prosecutors.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY…

An impressive coffee artist
Before you get going with your daily grind, watch this barista recreate famous paintings and animated characters on coffee foam.

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