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In our news wrap Friday, the Secret Service acknowledged communication lapses and complacency in the days leading up to the Trump assassination attempt in July, torrential rains across Western and Central Africa triggered the worst floods the region has seen in decades and the Federal Trade Commission is suing the nation’s three largest pharmacy benefit managers for inflating the price of insulin.
Geoff Bennett:
The day’s other headlines begin with the heightened scrutiny over the work of the U.S. Secret Service. Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would boost protections for presidential candidates. Senate leaders haven’t yet said whether they will consider the bill.
Meantime the Secret Service is acknowledging communication lapses and what it calls complacency in the days leading up to and during Donald Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally back in July. That’s according to a new internal review.
Acting Director Ronald Rowe vowed to hold the agency accountable and he called for major change.
Ronald Rowe, Acting U.S. Secret Service Director:
We’re at a pivotal moment in the history of the Secret Service and at a pivotal moment in the history of our country. And I have directed that the Secret Service embark on a significant paradigm shift that will redefine how we conduct protective operations.
Geoff Bennett:
Rowe defended the Secret Service’s actions in the apparent second assassination attempt against Mr. Trump in Florida this past weekend. But he called for more resources, saying the agency is simply spread too thin.
A severe storm left one person dead in a small city in Northeast Oklahoma. Winds up to 72 miles an hour and golf-ball-sized hail battered Pawnee about 60 miles West of Tulsa. The storm flipped multiple camping vehicles and brought down trees and power lines. City officials said the fatality was due to an overturned camper. Many roads and schools were closed today to deal with the damage.
There are also torrential rains across Western and Central Africa that have triggered the worst floods the region has seen in decades. Nearly 1,000 people have died across Chad, Niger, Mali and Nigeria. Rescue operations are still under way in some areas more than a week after the flooding started. In Northeastern Nigeria, the downpours caused the collapse of a major dam.
The full scope of the devastation can only be seen from the air. On the ground, refugee camps grow increasingly crowded as hundreds of thousands have been displayed.
Yakaka Idris, Displaced Nigerian (through interpreter):
With our small children, we don’t know where to stay now. The government should be sympathetic to allow us to stay longer in the camp, because, if we go back to our house now, we will not have a place to sleep with our children.
Geoff Bennett:
Meantime, the worst flooding to hit Central Europe in at least two decades is now swapping parts of Hungary, outside the capital, Budapest, residents dealing with flooded streets due to the rising levels of the Danube. The river is expected to peak later today or tomorrow.
And upstream, in parts of Poland, the water has receded to reveal the extent of the devastation there. At least 24 people have died across the region. The European Union has pledged billions of dollars in aid.
The Federal Trade Commission is suing the nation’s three largest pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, for inflating the price of insulin. The case accuses CVS Health’s Caremark, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx of steering diabetes patients toward higher-cost insulin and reaping millions of dollars in rebates.
Such companies are considered the middlemen of the industry. The PBMs defended their practices, with CVS Caremark saying they’re being blamed for the high prices set by drug companies.
Wall Street ended on a quieter note today after what’s been a record-setting week. The Dow Jones industrial average rose by nearly 40 points, inching up to another record. But the Nasdaq fell, losing more than 60 points on the day. The S&P also dipped just beneath its all-time high.
And you don’t have to be a baseball fan to appreciate greatness. In a record-breaking performance last night, L.A. Dodger star Shohei Ohtani put on a show unlike any of the game has ever seen.
Announcer:
Sends one in the air. Back it goes. Gone!
Geoff Bennett:
It’s a game that will go down in history.
Announcer:
Shohei Ohtani starts the 50/50 club.
Geoff Bennett:
Shohei Ohtani now the first player ever to slug 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season, blowing by both milestones on one unforgettable night.
Shohei Ohtani, The Los Angeles Dodgers (through interpreter):
I’m happy, I’m relieved, and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before who played this sport of baseball.
Geoff Bennett:
The Japanese superstar, often called a modern-day Babe Ruth, accomplished the feat in typically superlative fashion.
Announcer:
But he got his foot in!
Geoff Bennett:
Going six for six from the plate with three home runs, 10 RBIs and two steals, a historic feat of its own. Fans in Japan celebrated, while at home commentators called it one of the greatest single-game performances in sports history.
Announcer:
Shohei Ohtani, the greatest day in baseball history!
Geoff Bennett:
Last night’s win was storybook for another reason. It secured the Dodgers a spot in the postseason, and with the team now poised for a run at the World Series, fans are hoping for more Shohei magic deep into October.
Announcer:
This is not real life.