3 Things To Know Today

1 Texas School Shooter In Custody

A suspect in a North Texas school shooting is in custody. Arlington police say 18-year-old Timothy Simpkins turned himself in yesterday afternoon with his attorney by his side. Officials say four people were hurt in the incident, including two students and two adults. Of those, three are expected to be fine while one remains in critical condition. What happened? The details aren’t clear, but so far, police are saying that a fight broke out inside a classroom – and it was followed by gunfire. What led to that? The family says bullying. Family spokesperson Carol Harrison Lafayette says Simpkins was picked on and even robbed because he had better clothes and a nicer car. Lafayette went on to say that the family isn’t justifying the shooting at all, but counter that Simpkins was scared because of the harassment. Lafayette apologized for the family saying Simpkins' apparent decision to pull a gun and start shooting was wrong.

2 Senate Poised to Stave Off Debt Crisis

The Senate appeared poised to stave off a debt ceiling crisis of its own making on Wednesday after Democrats said they could accept a surprise offer from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to raise the debt limit for two months. McConnell made the offer shortly before the Senate was prepared to hold another vote on extending the nation’s borrowing limit just more than a week before a possible debt default. Republicans had been set to reject the measure. The vote was quickly canceled after Democrats emerged from a meeting saying they could agree to the McConnell offer. “In terms of a temporary lifting of the debt ceiling, we view that as a victory, a temporary victory with more work to do,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told CNN’s Jake Tapper after the meeting. A key GOP centrist, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), also embraced the proposal, saying it was “going to give us a way out of the woods, which is what we want.” The game of debt ceiling chicken between McConnell and Democrats was beginning to fray nerves in financial worlds given the Oct. 18 deadline for action set by the Treasury Department. The White House and Democrats had sought to put more pressure on McConnell, with President Biden for a second time in three days go.

3 Sweden, Denmark Pauses Use of Moderna Vaccine For Younger Age Groups

As work to advance approval of coronavirus vaccinations for kids moves forward, it’s taking a step back across the pond – at least with regard to the Moderna product. Officials in Sweden and Denmark say there are concerns about possible rare cardiovascular side effects. The health authority says the conditions involve myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart or its lining, which seem to occur after the second shot. A Moderna spokesperson says the incidents “are typically mild cases and individuals tend to recover within a short time following standard treatment and rest.” Meanwhile, Pfizer is offering more proof of why its COVID booster shots are needed. A new study shows protection drops to 47-percent six months after being fully vaccinated. But with the Delta variant, it's only 53-percent effective after four months. Still, researchers point out the vaccine has proven to keep more patients out of the hospital, fighting off all other strains. Next week, an FDA hearing will focus on boosters for Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.


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