1 Massive Earthquake Slams Mexico, Near Acapulco
A powerful earthquake is leaving many Mexican residents shaken last night. The U.S. Geological Survey says a seven-point-zero magnitude quake struck about 11-miles northeast of Acapulco. So far, only one death had been confirmed at press time. There are reports of damaged buildings, downed trees, and rock falls near the quake. The shaking was felt as far as Mexico City, but the city's mayor is reporting no major damage in the country's capital city. This temblor took place four years to the day after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake that struck off the coast of Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas, which left nearly 100 dead, hundreds more injured – and largely destroyed the town of Juchitan.
2 President Biden To Lay Out New Covid Plan Tomorrow
President Joe Biden will present a new, six-pronged strategy intnded to fight the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant tomorrow. As part of that, he plans to increase U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations. And the timing couldn't be better as a growing number of Americans are frustrated with the Feds' messaging. But more on that in a minute. White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Mr. Biden will lay out the strategy "working across the public and private sectors to help continue to get the pandemic under control." And that’s a good thing – as the World Health Organization says COVID-19 is "here to stay." The WHO's health emergencies program executive director says he thinks the virus isn't going anywhere and "will evolve like influenza pandemic viruses." The global health agency has already said vaccines do not guarantee the eradication of COVID.
3 Alleged 9/11 Mastermind, Others Back In Court
The accused mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attacks is making his first court appearance in over a year. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – aka KSM – and four co-defendants are finally going through the justice system after a series of delays, including the coronavirus pandemic. As expected, the proceedings are resuming nearly 20 years after the jetliner hijackings that killed nearly three-thousand people in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. While there isn't a trial date yet – and one likely won't come soon – it’s the beginning of the process that’s been 20 years in the making. While each of the defendants only addressed the court once, KSM was described as animatedly “bantering” with his co-defendants and chatting with his attorney. ABC’s Terry Moran noted that it appeared KSM was “enjoying it all.”