Friday morning news - August 6, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington.

Biden seeks to tighten fuel economy, boost electric car market » President Biden spoke on the South Lawn of the White House Thursday with two all-electric Jeeps parked behind him.

BIDEN: Today, I’m announcing new steps we’re taking to set a new pace for electric vehicles. First, I’m following through on the campaign commitment to reverse the previous administration’s shortsighted rollback of vehicle emissions and efficiency standards.

The Trump administration eased Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. The Obama administration required 5 percent annual improvements in fuel efficiency. President Trump’s EPA reduced that requirement to 1.5 percent each year.

The new proposed rules would reportedly be 25 tougher than the Trump rules, with the new standards phased in over four years.

President Biden later sat down at a desk perched on the South Lawn, and put pen to paper. He signed an executive order … which aims to make half of the cars and trucks made in the country zero-emissions by the year 2030.

U.S. vaccinations continue to rise amid delta varient surge » Jeff Zients, the White House virus response coordinator said Thursday that more Americans continue to get vaccinated.

ZEINTS: Over the past 24 hours, we’ve recorded 864,000 vaccinations, the highest in a day since July 3rd.

That comes as the delta variant continues to fuel a surge in new cases. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky ...

WALENSKY: 83 percent of our counties in the United States are experiencing moderate or high transmission, with the delta variant continuing to be the predominant circulating virus.

The delta variant is also fueling surges across the globe. Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, went into a sixth lockdown on Thursday. A state government leader blaming the nation’s slow vaccine rollout.

Melbourne joins Sydney and Brisbane in locking down due to the spread of the highly contagious delta strain.

Meantime, Tokyo again reported a new record high in daily cases, with more than 5,000 infections reported on Thursday.

At least 10 dead as van carrying migrants crashes in Texas » An overcrowded van carrying nearly 30 immigrants crashed on a remote South Texas highway, killing at least 10 people, including the driver. Twenty others were injured.

Sgt. Nathan Brandley with the Texas Department of Public Safety ...

BRANDLEY: They were traveling in the right lane here on 281 northbound, and they tried to make a right turn onto the FM road, and they were traveling at a speed way too fast to try to maneuver that curve and went into the metal utility pole.

The crash happened about 50 miles north of McAllen.

Authorities believe the passengers entered the country illegally. The driver may have been involved with a human smuggling operation.

A surge in illegal border crossings has resulted in an uptick in the number of crashes involving vehicles jammed with migrants who pay large amounts to be smuggled into the country.

The Dallas Morning News has reported that the recruitment of young drivers for the smuggling runs, combined with excessive speed and reckless driving by those youths, have led to horrific crashes.

Police allege Hillsong founder concealed child sex abuse » Authorities have charged the founder of the Sydney-based global Hillsong Church with concealing child sex offenses.

WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown reports.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Detectives said Brian Houston stands accused of concealing a serious indictable offense.

Investigators claim that Houston knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to report that information to police.

The 67-year-old Houston responded, suggesting the charges related to allegations that his late father, preacher Frank Houston, abused a boy over several years.

Brian Houston said, “These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent I’ve always been about this matter.” He added, “I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges.”

A government inquiry back in 2015 found that Houston became aware of allegations against his father in 1999. It found that he allowed his father to retire quietly rather than report him to police.

His father confessed to the abuse before he died in 2004 at age 82.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumpka dies » Richard Trumka, the powerful union boss of the AFL-CIO, has died.

Trumka rose from the coal mines of Pennsylvania to preside over one of the largest labor organizations in the world.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reacted to news of his death.

SCHUMER: The working people of America have lost a fierce warrior at a time when we needed him most.

Trumka was known for his aggressive style of leadership. He had served as AFL-CIO president since 2009, after 14 years as the organization’s secretary-treasurer. Trumka reportedly suffered a heart attack on Thursday. He was 72 years old.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.