Friday morning news: December 9, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Defense bill » Lawmakers in the House have voted to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military.

AUDIO: On this vote, the years are 350, the nays are 80. The resolution is agreed to.

The measure was part of a national defense bill worth nearly $860 billion.

To win bipartisan support for the bill, Democrats agreed to GOP demands to scrap the military mandate.

More than 8,000 active-duty service members were discharged for refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The White House disagreed with the move. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: Repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake.

But President Biden is expected to sign the defense bill into law.

“Respect for Marriage” Act to president’s desk » Hours earlier, the House okayed a much more controversial bill, which was already okayed by the Senate.

PELOSI: Today, Congress sends the Respect for Marriage Act to the president’s desk.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the 258-to-169 vote a “glorious triumph.”

The bill erases from federal law the traditional definition of marriage and repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

It does contain some religious-liberty protections, but critics say they don’t go nearly far enough. GOP Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler:

HARTZLER: This bill only serves to further demonize biblical values by establishing a private right of action against organizations who believe in natural marriage, opening the floodgates for predatory lawsuits against people of faith.

President Biden released a statement Thursday praising Congress for passing the bill.

Colorado shooter » Court documents unsealed from Colorado Thursday reveal that the alleged gunman in a mass shooting at a nightclub was arrested in June of last year. Anderson Lee Aldrich was accused of making a bomb threat, but the case was dismissed.

Colorado prosecutor Michael Allen:

ALLEN: His mother at that hearing describes him as loving and passionate. His grandmother described him as a sweet young man and that he did not deserve to be in jail.

Allen said the dismissal of that case also helps to explain why Aldrich wasn’t barred from buying a gun under the state’s red flag law.

Five people died in the shooting last month.

Iran executes protester » Iran said Thursday it executed a person arrested during nationwide protests. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Officials in Tehran said they put to death a man convicted for a crime allegedly committed during a protest. It marks the first known execution of a protester since recent demonstrations began.

The demonstrations started in mid-September as an outcry against the Iranian morality police. But they’ve expanded into one of the most serious challenges to Iran's Islamic regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Activists warn that others could also be put to death in the near future, saying that at least a dozen people so far have received death sentences over their involvement in the protests.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Griner release » WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner will be home for Christmas.

Russia released her Thursday in a prisoner swap for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was jailed in the United States.

But another American, Paul Whelan, remains behind bars in Russia.

The White House insisted that US officials did not choose Griner over Whelan. Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre.

PIERRE: Unfortunately, the choice became to either bring Brittany home or no one. As the president said this morning, he will never stop working to secure Paul’s release and he will not give up.

Whelan is a former Marine. US officials say Moscow appears more reluctant to release him.

Israel » Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking for more time to form a new ruling government. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has that story.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: Netanyahu has requested a two-week extension to give political partners more time to fill leadership roles.

But Netanyahu is moving closer to forming a government. He reached a deal Thursday with an ultra-Orthodox party after making agreements with three other far-right factions.

A new government coalition could bring an end to years of instability, which saw five elections in just four year’s time.

For WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

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

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