Domestic
The United Auto Workers strike is set to end as the union and General Motors announced a tentative agreement on a new contract Monday. The breakthrough comes just days after similar deals with Ford and Stellantis. The union announced a framework agreement with Ford on Wednesday, followed Saturday by a deal with Stellantis, which makes Ram, Dodge and Chrysler vehicles. The pacts must be approved by local UAW leaders and then ratified by a simple majority of each automaker’s union-represented workers. That process will take several days. About 13,000 UAW members went on strike Sept. 15, following the expiration of their previous contract with the Big Three. That gradually expanded to about 40,000 of the union’s 146,000 members walking off the job. That slowed production for each company, with the effects ramping up over time. GM said Tuesday that the strike would reduce its annual pretax profit by $800 million and that the strike was costing GM $200 million per week at the time.
This week’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, was the nation’s deadliest of the year. 18 people were killed in the attacks on a local bowling alley and bar, and 13 others were injured. Law enforcement announced that suspect Robert Card had been found dead after an extensive search for him was conducted. The 40-year-old was the only person suspected in the deadly assault at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar & Grille on Wednesday. This announcement, made late Friday night, marked the conclusion of a pursuit that left residents seeking shelter and led to the temporary closure of businesses and government offices. This shooting sparked national outrage and grief as many people took to social media to express their sadness and empathy for the community of Lewiston as well as their views on gun laws and mental health aspects contributing to this event.
International
Hundreds of dual passport holders and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza on Wednesday after more than three weeks under siege, while Israeli airstrikes destroyed apartments in a densely populated area for the second straight day. The group were the first people to leave Gaza—other than four hostages released by Hamas and another rescued by Israeli forces—even as bombings have driven hundreds of thousands from their homes and food, water and fuel run low. It remains unclear whether more people will be allowed to leave Gaza in coming days.
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) says it has been forced to make the decision to cut ship crossings due to the driest October since records began in 1950. The El Niño weather phenomenon associated with warmer-than-usual water in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean is contributing to Panama’s drought, the ACP says, and this drought is expected to increase the cost of shipping goods around the world. The Panama Canal greatly reduces the time and distance for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It operates 24 hours a day year-round and is used by between 13,000 and 14,000 ships annually.
