10 things you need to know today

A jury orders Alex Jones to pay Sandy Hook families nearly $1 billion, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly condemns Russia's "illegal" Ukraine annexations, 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. [Connecticut jury says Alex Jones must pay almost $1 billion to Sandy Hook families]( A Connecticut jury on Wednesday decided that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should [pay $965 million in damages to the families of eight Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims]( and a law enforcement first responder. The damages, awarded in the second of three Sandy Hook defamation suits Jones faces, are compensation for the suffering he caused by falsely claiming on his Infowars show that the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax, staged to stoke support for gun control. Parents of some of the 20 first graders murdered testified that Jones' lies prompted disturbing threats that started before their children's funerals. Jones vowed to appeal and claimed he can't pay regardless. "Do these people actually think they're getting any of this money?" he said on his show. [[Hartford Courant]( [CNN]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Connecticut+jury+says+Alex+Jones+must+pay+almost+$1+billion+to+Sandy+Hook+families&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 2. [U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly condemns Russia's 'illegal annexation' in Ukraine]( The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to condemn Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of four regions of Ukraine. The 143-5 vote, with 35 abstentions, called for Moscow to immediately reverse its attempt to take over Ukrainian territory. It was the strongest support for a resolution against Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February. The vote marked a symbolic defeat for Russian President Vladimir Putin, although the U.N. can't enforce the resolution. Russian forces continued air attacks in retaliation for a blast that damaged a key bridge between Russia and Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. Russia hit areas around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, with Iranian-made kamikaze drones early Thursday. Ukraine said the drones targeted "critical infrastructure facilities." [[PBS Newshour]( [The Associated Press]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=U.N.+General+Assembly+overwhelmingly+condemns+Russia's+'illegal+annexation'+in+Ukraine&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) Advertisement by Enbridge [Progressing towards net-zero. Learn what we're doing today.]( [Advertisement by Enbridge]( 3. [Judge says Trump can't delay deposition in rape accuser's defamation lawsuit]( A federal judge on Wednesday rejected former President Donald Trump's effort to delay his deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, tied to Trump's dismissive denial of her allegation that he raped her in a department store in the mid-1990s. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan called Trump's effort to pause the deposition "inexcusable," saying that "completing those depositions — which have already been delayed for years — would impose no undue burden on Mr. Trump, let alone any irreparable injury." Trump's deposition is scheduled for Oct. 19. Carroll's deposition is set for Friday. Trump lawyer Alina Habba said the former president's team looks forward "to establishing on the record that this case is, and always has been, entirely without merit." [[CNN]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Judge+says+Trump+can't+delay+deposition+in+rape+accuser's+defamation+lawsuit&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 4. [Nury Martinez resigns from L.A. City Council over leaked audio]( Nury Martinez [resigned Wednesday as a Los Angeles City Council member after days of pressure]( over a leaked audio recording in which she made racist comments during a meeting on redistricting with other Latino political leaders. "It is with a broken heart that I resign my seat for Council District 6, the community I grew up in and my home," Martinez said in a statement. Her resignation came days after the Los Angeles Times published the leaked recording. Martinez earlier stepped down as City Council president, and labor leader Ron Herrera, who hosted the October 2021 meeting, has resigned from his position. Council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, who participated in the discussion, have apologized but resisted calls to resign. [[Los Angeles Times]( [NPR]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Nury+Martinez+resigns+from+L.A.+City+Council+over+leaked+audio&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 5. [Treasury Department confirms investigation of DeSantis migrant transport]( The Treasury Department's inspector general is [investigating whether Florida improperly used coronavirus aid to fly migrants]( from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, as part of a program to highlight President Biden's immigration policies. The Treasury Department watchdog confirmed the inquiry in a letter last week to Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and other Congress members who asked whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was using the aid illegally, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. DeSantis said he was using funds from a $12 million earmark in his state's budget, but the money allegedly came from interest Florida collected on $8 billion it got under the American Rescue Plan, the last federal COVID-19 stimulus package. [[The Washington Post]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Treasury+Department+confirms+investigation+of+DeSantis+migrant+transport&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 6. [Ukraine says Germany delivered 1st promised air defense system]( Ukraine said on Wednesday that it received the first of four air defense systems promised by Germany to help it battle escalating Russian missile and drone strikes. Defense officials from dozens of allies are meeting in Brussels to consider providing Ukraine with more weapons. The gathering came two days after Moscow launched "its broadest barrage of missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities since the war began, knocking out water and power systems and killing more than 20 people," The New York Times reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the ongoing strikes are retaliation for an explosion on strategically important bridge linking Russia to Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula occupied by Russia. [[The New York Times]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Ukraine+says+Germany+delivered+1st+promised+air+defense+system&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 7. [House Jan. 6 committee to release new Secret Service evidence in hearing]( The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol is holding what is likely to be its final public hearing on Thursday. The panel is expected to "highlight newly obtained Secret Service records showing how President Donald Trump was repeatedly alerted to brewing violence that day, and he still sought to stoke the conflict," The Washington Post reported, citing three people briefed on the records. The Jan. 6 committee plans to share surveillance video showing Trump supporters with paramilitary gear gathered just outside Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House. Secret Service records indicated some officials concluded they stayed outside the rally so agents wouldn't confiscate their weapons. [[The Washington Post]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=House+Jan.+6+committee+to+release+new+Secret+Service+evidence+in+hearing&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 8. [FDA authorizes updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5]( The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday [authorized two updated coronavirus boosters to be given to children as young as 5](. The FDA said the COVID-19 shots produced by Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, could be administered to children ages 5 through 11, and Moderna's new boosters could be given to kids 6 through 17. The updated vaccines, already approved for older people, combine protection from the original strain and the Omicron variants that have become dominant. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky recommended the updated boosters for people in the expanded age groups. "This is a critical step in our fight against COVID-19. An updated vaccine can help bolster protection for our children this winter," she wrote on Twitter. [[The Wall Street Journal]( [The Associated Press]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=FDA+authorizes+updated+COVID-19+boosters+for+children+as+young+as+5&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 9. [MacArthur Foundation announces this year's 25 'genius' grant recipients]( The MacArthur Foundation on Wednesday announced its 2022 MacArthur fellows. The 25 winners of the so-called genius award include a sociologist studying what drives people to own guns and an astrodynamicist working on how to manage "space traffic" orbiting Earth. The MacArthur Fellowship comes with an $800,000 grant with no strings attached (increased from the previous stipend of $625,000). One of the winners, Yejin Choi, uses computational linguistics to spot fake news and phony consumer reviews, among other things. "I didn't think much of myself," said Choi, 45. "I thought this award was supposed to be for other people out there — not ever for me. Being an immigrant, being a woman — I had to overcome a lot. I had impostor syndrome." [[MacArthur Foundation]( [The New York Times]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=MacArthur+Foundation+announces+this+year's+25+'genius'+grant+recipients&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) 10. [U.S. sends delegation to Haiti as humanitarian crisis worsens]( The Biden administration on Wednesday sent a delegation to Haiti to discuss the gang violence deepening a humanitarian crisis in the struggling Caribbean nation. The U.S. team is meeting with Haitian officials over Prime Minister Ariel Henry's request for international support for police seeking to take control back from the gangs. One of the gangs has blockaded the country's main fuel terminal, crippling transport and worsening food and drinking water shortages as Haiti faces its first cholera outbreak in years. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged foreign leaders to consider Henry's call for an international force of specialized troops to help Haiti confront the gangs. The U.S. also dispatched a Coast Guard cutter to patrol the waters around Haiti, as requested, and is sending humanitarian and security aid. [[CNN]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=U.S.+sends+delegation+to+Haiti+as+humanitarian+crisis+worsens&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20221013&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) [Read more things you need to know at theweek.com]( MOST POPULAR [Related image]( [Marmalade sales spike following Queen Elizabeth's death]( Anahi Valenzuela [Related image]( [The best October Prime Day deals, according to experts]( Kelsee Majette [Related image]( [Angela Lansbury, Beauty and the Beast and Murder, She Wrote star, dies at 96]( Brendan Morrow [Related image]( [Serial's Adnan Syed has all charges dropped in light of DNA evidence]( Theara Coleman [Related image]( [TikTok reportedly planning to open fulfillment centers to compete with Amazon]( Justin Klawans [Speed reads banner] [Article image]( [United Nations votes 143-5 to condemn Russia's 'attempted illegal annexation' of Ukraine provinces]( October 13, 2022 [Article image]( [Herschel Walker is claiming to be quarter Cherokee, citing story his mother won't back up]( October 13, 2022 [Article image]( [Biden national security strategy calls China biggest threat, sees Russia diminished by Ukraine invasion]( October 13, 2022 [Article image]( [At least 1 Trump employee told FBI about moving boxes of files on Trump's orders before Mar-a-Lago raid]( October 12, 2022 [Read more of today's best articles at theweek.com]( [Try 6 risk free issues of The Week magazine. Order now.]( [Unsubscribe from this list]( | [Privacy Policy]( © Future US LLC. Registered address: 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. [The Week Logo]( [Follow The Week at Facebook.com]( [Follow The Week at Twitter.com]( [The Week magazine cover]( Try 6 Risk Free issues of The Week [Try it out]( [Try it out]( [Subscribe]( [Subscriber login]( [Give a gift]( [Classroom subscriptions]( [Newsletters]( [RSS]( [Ad info]( [Privacy policy]( [Terms & conditions]( [The Week UK]( [Customer service]( [Contact Us]( [Accessibility](