10 things you need to know today: September 18, 2015

1. Fed keeps interest rates unchanged

The Federal Reserve announced Thursday that it was holding off on raising its benchmark interest rate, which it has held near zero since 2006. At the end of a two-day meeting, Fed policymakers said they were waiting a bit longer to get a better idea of how tighter lending conditions would affect the economy as a global slowdown threatens to "restrain economic activity somewhat" in the U.S. The decision did not surprise experts, although some had expected the Fed to go ahead with a slight hike.

The New York Times

2. Croatia, overwhelmed with migrants, closes border crossings

Migrants continued rushing into Croatia on Friday, even though the country closed most border crossings with Serbia after 11,000 people rushed in the day before. Many of the new arrivals broke through police to get into Croatia, seeking a new path to Western Europe after Hungary closed its border to contain a wave of migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. Croatia has been trying to move migrants arriving via Serbia to refugee centers where they can apply for asylum, but most want to keep going to Germany or other countries in Western Europe.

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Reuters USA Today

3. Showdown over abortion threatens budget talks

Republicans advanced two abortion-related measures on Thursday, intensifying a fight over the issue that is threatening to disrupt budget talks and potentially force a government shutdown at the end of the month. Senate Republicans said they were taking up legislation seeking to ban all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and House Republicans advanced a bill that would block federal funding for Planned Parenthood. While the showdown looms, some congressional leaders have started discussing fallbacks to keep the federal government funded temporarily.

The New York Times

4. GOP debate sets audience record for CNN

Nearly 23 million people watched the second primetime GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night, making it the most viewed program ever for host network CNN. The news channel said Thursday that the debate smashed a record of 16.8 million viewers set by a Larry King Live episode in which Al Gore and Ross Perot debated NAFTA. CNN's old record for a primary debate was 8.3 million viewers, set by a 2008 Democratic forum. This year's first primetime GOP debate, hosted by Fox News, had 24 million viewers.

CNN Time

5. Democrats block third GOP bid to reject Iran nuclear deal

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked the third and final GOP attempt to block the Iran nuclear deal. In a 56-42 vote, Republicans fell short of the 60 votes needed to move the legislation forward. There are no more Senate votes on the matter scheduled for this week, which virtually assures that Republicans will not be able to meet a deadline for rejecting the Iran deal, which is arguably President Obama's greatest foreign policy victory in his two terms in office.

Reuters

6. Chile earthquake death toll rises to 10

The death toll from the powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake that struck off Chile's coast rose to 10 on Thursday, with one person still missing. About one million people were evacuated from the Coquimbo region before a 16-foot tsunami created by the quake came ashore. Authorities credited advance planning and a quick response for the limited damages. "The response to this earthquake has been very efficient," President Michelle Bachelet said.

KTLA

7. GM reaches settlement over failure to reveal deadly defect

General Motors announced Thursday that it had settled a federal criminal investigation and hundreds of private lawsuits over its decade-long failure to disclose a safety defect linked to at least 124 deaths in older small cars. GM agreed to pay $900 million for failing to tell regulators about the faulty ignition switch. The automaker also agreed to set aside $575 million to settle private lawsuits filed by about 1,380 people. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) criticized the deal, saying in a joint statement that it "fails to require adequate and explicit admission of criminal culpability from G.M."

The New York Times

8. Sanders pushes ban on private prisons

Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday introduced bills seeking to ban private prisons, or, as he called it, the "private, for-profit prison racket." The "Justice is not for Sale Act" calls for ending federal private prison contracts within two years. In 2013, about 8 percent of the 1.7 million federal and state prisoners were in facilities run by for-profit companies. Sanders said the criminal justice system should be in the hands of "those who answer to voters, not those who answer to investors."

USA Today

9. Trump declines to correct man saying Obama is a foreign-born Muslim

Donald Trump declined to correct a supporter who said in a Thursday town hall in New Hampshire that President Obama — a Christian born in Hawaii — is a Muslim who's "not even an American." The man told Trump that Muslims were a problem, and asked when the U.S. was going to shut down terrorist training camps "where they want to kill us." Trump, who once fueled the birther movement but has distanced himself from it since launching his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, did not directly address the man's claim that there were terrorist camps on U.S. soil. Instead, he replied, "You know, a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening. We're going to be looking at that and many other things."

The Washington Post The Associated Press

10. FIFA suspends secretary general

FIFA indefinitely suspended Secretary General Jerome Valcke on Thursday, hours after a World Cup partner said he was selling black market tickets to the 2014 tournament at three times their face value. Soccer's international governing body also announced an investigation into Valcke, who has served in the role under President Sepp Blatter for eight years. The new allegations came as FIFA already faces a broad corruption scandal that has resulted in U.S. indictments against several top-ranking officials.

The Associated Press