10 things you need to know today

Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest after state funeral, kidnapped American Mark Frerichs is freed in a Taliban prisoner exchange, and more [Try 6 risk free issues of The Week magazine. Order now.]( [The Week Logo]( [Subscribe to The Week magazine]( [Subscribe to The Week magazine]( 10 things you need to know today 1. [Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest at Windsor Castle]( Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Monday after her funeral at Westminster Abbey in London. The queen was interred with her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who died last year. Royal officials described the closed-door ceremony as a "deeply personal family occasion." The chapel is also the final resting place of Elizabeth II's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and numerous other British monarchs, including Henry VIII and the beheaded Charles I. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby noted during the funeral that when Elizabeth turned 21 she vowed in a radio address to devote her life to serving Britain and the Commonwealth. "Rarely has such a promise been so well-kept," he said. [[USA Today]( [NBC News]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Queen+Elizabeth+II+laid+to+rest+at+Windsor+Castle&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 2. [American Mark Frerichs released in Taliban prisoner exchangeÂ]( Mark Frerichs, a Navy veteran held captive in Afghanistan since he was kidnapped in late January 2020, has been [released in a prisoner exchange]( Biden administration officials said Monday. Under the deal, the United States granted clemency to Haji Bashir Noorzai, a prominent Taliban member who was serving 17 years in a U.S. prison on drug trafficking charges. "Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark's freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly," President Biden said in a statement released by the White House. Frerichs was a contractor doing construction work in Afghanistan when he was kidnapped, likely by the Haqqani network, a Taliban faction. [[CNN]( [White House]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=American+Mark+Frerichs+released+in+Taliban+prisoner+exchange &body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) Advertisement by Enbridge [Progressing towards net-zero. Learn what we're doing today.]( [Advertisement by Enbridge]( 3. [Hurricane Fiona moves on after devastating Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic]( Hurricane Fiona [hit the eastern Dominican Republic]( on Monday, after drenching parts of Puerto Rico with more than two feet of rain and causing what Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Pierluisi described as "catastrophic" destruction. Ponce, Puerto Rico's second largest city, got more than 21 inches of rain in 24 hours. The rain caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides. Homes, roads, and bridges were washed out, and most of the U.S. territory remains without power. Pierluisi said the damage would be in the "billions." Fiona hit as a Category 1 storm with top winds of 85 mph, but it [strengthened to a Category 3 storm]( early Tuesday as it bore down on the the Turks and Caicos Islands. [[Fox Weather]( [The Washington Post]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Hurricane+Fiona+moves+on+after+devastating+Puerto+Rico,+Dominican+Republic&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 4. [Russian missile hits near 2nd Ukrainian nuclear power plant]( A [Russian missile hit near a nuclear power plant]( in southern Ukraine on Monday, striking just over 300 yards from the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant's three reactors but not damaging them. The missile did cause some destruction to nearby industrial equipment and caused a hydropower plant to temporarily shut down. Ukrainian authorities called the strike an act of "nuclear terrorism." The plant is Ukraine's second-largest nuclear power station after the massive Zaporizhzhia plant, where close-by shelling has sparked warnings of a potential radiation disaster. The latest strike followed warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin of possible attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure after an unexpectedly strong counteroffensive forced Russian forces to retreat in parts of eastern Ukraine. [[The Associated Press]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Russian+missile+hits+near+2nd+Ukrainian+nuclear+power+plant&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) ADVERTISEMENT BY ENBRIDGE [Progressing towards net-zero. Learn what we're doing today.]( [ADVERTISEMENT BY ENBRIDGE]( 5. [Pro-Russia separatists plead for annexation votes as Ukrainian counteroffensive expands]( Pro-Russia leaders in eastern Ukraine's separatist Luhansk and Donetsk "republics" on Monday called for Russia to rush votes to annex the areas. Lina Vokalova, deputy head of the Luhansk People's Republic's "public chamber," demanded a public referendum to approve annexation and "fulfill our dream of returning home — to the Russian Federation." The urgent pleas came as Ukrainian forces extended rapid gains in their counteroffensive, which has sent Russian forces into an embarrassing retreat from northeastern Kharkiv province. Ukrainian troops are now reportedly pushing into cities in Luhansk and Donetsk, raising the possibility that Russia could start losing territory it controlled in the eastern Donbas region before its forces invaded Ukraine in February. [[The Washington Post]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Pro-Russia+separatists+plead+for+annexation+votes+as+Ukrainian+counteroffensive+expands&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 6. [Texas sheriff investigates DeSantis' migrant flights to Martha's VineyardÂ]( Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, Texas, on Monday announced a [criminal investigation into the effort spearheaded by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis]( (R) to fly 48 Venezuelan asylum-seekers from San Antonio to Martha's Vineyard last week. Salazar, an elected Democrat, said the migrants were "in the country legally," and "somebody came from out of state, preyed upon these people, lured them with promises of a better life," then "unceremoniously stranded" them for "nothing more than political posturing." Immigrants' rights groups and Democrats have made similar complaints. DeSantis said the migrants signed a waiver and left willingly. "Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected," DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said. [[The Texas Tribune]( [The Associated Press]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Texas+sheriff+investigates+DeSantis'+migrant+flights+to+Martha's+Vineyard &body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 7. [China says Biden remarks 'severely violate' U.S. policy on Taiwan]( China on Monday reacted angrily to President Biden's statement during a TV interview that the United States would defend Taiwan if China invaded. China's foreign ministry said Biden's remarks, which he made in a CBS 60 Minutes segment that aired Sunday, "severely violate" Washington's policy of formally recognizing Beijing as the sole government of China. China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province. "We are willing to do our best to strive for peaceful reunification," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. "At the same time, we will not tolerate any activities aimed at secession." Tensions between China and the U.S. over Taiwan have escalated recently following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) visit to the self-governing democratic island. [[AFP]( [Reuters]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=China+says+Biden+remarks+'severely+violate'+U.S.+policy+on+Taiwan&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 8. [Powerful earthquake hits Mexico's Pacific coastÂ]( A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Mexico's Pacific coast on Monday. Little major damage was reported, but at least one person was killed under a wall that collapsed at a mall in the port city of Manzanillo, Colima, according to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said via Twitter that there were no reports of damage in the capital city. The powerful [quake struck on the anniversary of major earthquakes in 1985 and 2017](. Earthquake alarms went off less than an hour after alarms that sounded during a nationwide disaster simulation marking the previous temblors. [[USA Today]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Powerful+earthquake+hits+Mexico's+Pacific+coast &body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 9. ['Grand Theft Auto VI' maker confirms major leak]( Rockstar Games confirmed Monday that about 90 videos of in-development footage from the next installment of its [blockbuster Grand Theft Auto game were leaked online]( Sunday. "We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto," the publisher said. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier described it as "one of the biggest leaks in video game history." The breach was particularly significant because little information had previously been available about the game, Grand Theft Auto VI, which Rockstar only confirmed was in development in February, nearly a decade after the release of Grand Theft Auto V. [[Rockstar Games]( [Axios]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject='Grand+Theft+Auto+VI'+maker+confirms+major+leak&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 10. [Maryland judge vacates murder conviction of 'Serial' subject Adnan Syed]( Judge Melissa Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court on Monday [vacated the conviction of Adnan Syed]( 41, for the murder of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, whose body was found buried in a Baltimore park in 1999. Syed was 17 when Lee was killed, and was serving a life sentence. He has always maintained his innocence. The case was featured in the first season of the Serial podcast. Phinn said she was freeing Syed "in the interests of justice and fairness" because prosecutors had failed to turn over evidence that could have helped in his defense. Prosecutors had asked Phinn to vacate the conviction, saying new evidence pointing to two other possible suspects called its "integrity" into question. [[The New York Times]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Maryland+judge+vacates+murder+conviction+of+'Serial'+subject+Adnan+Syed&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20220920&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) [Read more things you need to know at theweek.com]( MOST POPULAR [Related image]( [Princess Charlotte wears horseshoe brooch that the queen gave her at funeral]( Brendan Morrow [Related image]( [Christians in the U.S. are on their way to becoming a minority]( Joel Mathis [Related image]( [Who does Lindsey Graham's abortion ban help?]( Harold Maass [Related image]( [Inside the queen's funeral]( Catherine Garcia [Related image]( [9 cartoons about Putin's faltering war]( The Week Staff [Speed reads banner] [Article image]( [Republicans are threatening to tank Manchin's pro-oil bill over 'bad blood' from climate deal]( September 20, 2022 [Article image]( [Trump is overtly embracing and amplifying QAnon now]( September 20, 2022 [Article image]( [Texas sheriff opens criminal probe of DeSantis-led scheme to 'lure' migrants to Martha's Vineyard]( September 20, 2022 [Article image]( [Trump lawyers acknowledge criminal peril from classified documents in 1st filing with special master]( September 20, 2022 [Read more of today's best articles at theweek.com]( [Try 6 risk free issues of The Week magazine. 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