10 things you need to know today: October 22, 2022

1. Appeals court places temporary block on President Biden’s student debt relief

A federal appeals court on Friday placed a temporary block on the student debt relief program enacted by the Biden administration, throwing a wrench into one of the president's key agenda items. While the White House had said the relief could begin as early as next week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit granted a motion to stay the program, at least temporarily. The move comes in response to an appeal filed by a coalition of six GOP-led states that had a lawsuit against the Biden administration's debt relief tossed out. The appeals court gave the president until Monday to file a response to its motion.

CNN The New York Times

2. Former President Trump officially subpoenaed by Jan. 6 Committee

The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol officially subpoenaed former President Donald Trump on Friday, compelling him to present himself for an under-oath deposition as well as provide documents. The Committee released the subpoena in its entirety, in which they wrote to the former president that they had "assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power." Trump himself has not said whether or not he will comply with the subpoena, and his lawyers said they would review the document and "respond as appropriate."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

CNN

3. Canada bans sale, purchase and importation of handguns throughout country

Regulations went into place in Canada on Friday banning all sales, purchases, and transfers of handguns within the country. The move comes as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's previous calls to reduce gun violence and halt firearm imports. The government initially announced its intentions to ban handguns this past May, following the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children killed. Trudeau immediately took action to try and push through legislation to dampen the sale of guns within the country. The move comes as Canada has seen a 70 percent rise in the number of handguns throughout the country since 2010, USA Today reported.

Reuters USA Today

4. Thousands of people in central Ukraine without power following Russian attacks on infrastructure

Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine were reportedly without power on Saturday morning following intensified Russian attacks on the nation's infrastructure. Though Ukrainian anti-air defenses were attempting to stave off the Russian airstrikes, targeted drone attacks were being used to damage critical power stations, infrastructure hubs, and water supply systems. While Ukrainian officials said it had successfully shot down 18 out of 33 Russian cruise missiles, "critical infrastructure" was damaged throughout many large cities. A barrage of rockets also targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, though they were successfully shot down. In western Khmelnytskyi, all 275,000 residents of the city were reportedly left in the dark.

Associated Press

5. Boris Johnson back in U.K. amidst rumors he will push to become prime minister again

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived back in the U.K. on Saturday, in an apparent attempt to re-take the reigns of the nation's government in the midst of an economic and political crisis. Johnson was ousted as prime minister just weeks ago, but has emerged as a potential front runner after his replacement, Prime Minister Liz Truss, herself resigned after just 45 days on the job. While Truss' controversial and historically short run as the government's leader was marred by record-low approval ratings, Johnson himself was also similarly unpopular, and is likely to joust with other Conservative Party leaders for a chance to be elected prime minister once again.

BBC News Associated Press

6. Far-right politician Giorgia Meloni sworn in as first female Italian prime minister

Far-right political leader Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as the new prime minister of Italy on Saturday, making her the first female to hold the position and securing Italy's most hard-right government since World War II. The 45-year-old officially formed her government before President Sergio Mattarella, and her Brothers of Italy party, which she co-founded in 2012, will rule in conjunction with the right-wing League of Matteo Salvini party and the conservative Forza Italia party. The triple coalition has controversially followed a rise in far-right sentiments across Italy and much of Europe, with some fearing that it could pave the way for similar extremism seen in the years preceding Benito Mussolini's rise.

Associated Press

7. Former Chinese President Hu Jintao rushed out of Communist Party congress

Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was abruptly rushed out of the closing ceremonies of the nation's Communist Party congressional meeting on Saturday. The former president, who served in the office from 2003 to 2013, was seated directly next to President Xi Jinping. Sources told Reuters that Hu was approached by two steward and led off the congress' main stage, with video reportedly showing the aides attempting to pull him from his seat. He was then reportedly seen placing his hand on a piece of paper held by Xi, who quickly covered the sheet. Witnesses said that Hu appeared "distressed" as he exited. It is unclear what led to the altercation.

Reuters

8. Texas judge rules victims of Boeing 737 Max crashes are “crime victims”

A U.S. District Judge in Texas ruled Friday that the victims of two deadly Boeing 737 Max plane crashes should be classified as "crime victims," adding that the Justice Department violated their rights when it reached a prosecution deal with Boeing following the crashes. The judge declared that the 346 people, who perished aboard crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, were entitled to due process that the prosecution deal did not allow them. That agreement saw Boeing admit to a widespread conspiracy, in which they conspired to defraud federal regulators about the true dangers of the 737 Max. Some family members of the victims are pushing for Boeing executives to be prosecuted.

The Washington Post Reuters

9. CDC discusses using oral polio vaccine in New York for first time in 20 years: Report

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are considering using the oral polio vaccine for the first time in more than 20 years in order to control an outbreak in New York City, CDC officials told CNBC on Friday. Dr. Janell Routh, the CDC's head for domestic polio, told the network that they were in talks with New York City officials as well as the state government to determine the best course of action. Notably, the oral vaccine that the CDC is considering using is a newer form of the virus that carries less risk of mutation. The move comes as at least one adult was left paralyzed by the disease this past summer.

CNBC

10. Hollywood Foreign Press Association will not have any press conferences for upcoming season

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization responsible for hosting the annual Golden Globe Awards, said Friday that it would not be hosting any press conferences ahead of the upcoming awards season. HFPA president Helen Hoehne said that the group was focused on "the expansion of the voting body and the increase in eligible content this year," adding that press conferences were never a required part of the nomination process for the Golden Globes. The news comes following continued scrutiny over a 2021 exposé in the Los Angeles Times revealing that the HFPA had no African-American members and had also supported unethical practices within the industry, something the organization has pledged to change.

The Hollywood Reporter