News Wrap: Supreme Court rejects request to reconsider same-sex marriage decision

In our news cover on Monday, the Supreme Court decided not to reconsider its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, the US military carried out two new raids on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific, and officials in the Philippines say Typhoon Phuong Wong has killed at least eight people and forced more than a million to evacuate.

Jeff Bennett:

Also today, the US Supreme Court decided not to reconsider its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. The justices rejected, without comment, an appeal by Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses on religious grounds.

Separately, the Supreme Court today agreed to hear a challenge over the counting of mail-in ballots in Mississippi that were received after Election Day. More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia allow such ballots to be counted, a practice that President Trump has long criticized. The outcome of this case could have a major impact on the midterm elections scheduled for next year.

The US military has carried out two new raids on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific, killing six people. Defense Minister Pete Hegseth released a video of the strikes, saying they were carrying drugs and traveling along a known drug trafficking route.

This brings the total number of known attacks to 19 since September. At least 75 people were killed. The Trump administration has provided little evidence to support its claims about the boats, and some lawmakers have demanded more information about who is being targeted and why.

President Trump’s lawyers threaten the BBC with a billion-dollar lawsuit. That is if the broadcaster does not withdraw a documentary that includes an edited part of his speech to supporters on January 6. The BBC boss today apologized for what he described as an error of judgment in deleting a section in which Mr Trump called for a peaceful protest that day.

The documentary aired in the run-up to last year’s election. The legal threat comes after two senior BBC executives resigned last night following criticism of bias at the BBC.

In the Philippines, officials say powerful Typhoon Vong Wong has killed at least eight people and forced more than a million people to evacuate. High winds and rain from the storm isolated several towns and flooded one of the country’s largest rice-producing areas. In low-lying areas, rescue trucks transported residents, as most roads remained submerged in water.

The hurricane comes on the heels of a separate storm that caused widespread damage last week and killed more than 200 people. Local residents described a terrifying night as the storm passed.

Filomena Mariano, resident of the Philippines (through translator):

I couldn’t sleep last night. I asked my grandchildren to pray for our safety. I’ve been sitting up all night waiting for the storm to pass.

Jeff Bennett:

The typhoon has now cleared the Philippines and is heading north. It is expected to arrive in Taiwan later this week.

Global climate talks kicked off in Brazil today with the US noticeably absent from the proceedings. The meeting, known as COP 30, comes during another year of record heat and extreme weather around the world. The absence of senior US officials along with countries like China and Russia means this year’s talks will likely end without major agreements. Instead, attendees aim for smaller goals to help tackle climate change.

Stocks rose on Wall Street today to start the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added nearly 400 points. The Nasdaq index jumped more than 500 points. The S&P 500 also ended sharply higher during the day.

Lenny Wilkins, a three-time NBA Hall of Famer, has died. Wilkins was an All-Star nine times during his 15 seasons as a player and is widely considered one of the best point guards of his era. He then moved to coaching, where he played more than 2,400 matches as a coach, a record that still stands.

announcer:

The Supersonics win their first ever NBA championship. The ball is flying high in the air.

Jeff Bennett:

Wilkins brought an NBA title to Seattle in 1979 and also coached the United States to a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games. He is one of only five men to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. His family says Wilkins was surrounded by loved ones when he died yesterday. He was 88 years old.