Monday morning news: October 10, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Pompeo/Kirby on Biden armageddon remarks » The White House is still trying to explain remarks by President Biden last week when he spoke of possible nuclear “armageddon.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC’s This Week that the president was reflecting the “very high stakes” of the moment, but…

KIRBY: His comments were not based on new or fresh intelligence or new indications that Mr. Putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons, and quite frankly, we don’t have any indication that he has made that kind of decision.

The president delivered his remarks during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday -- saying we haven't seen this kind of “prospect of armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis".

Vladimir Putin has continued to threaten the use of nuclear weapons. The White House has warned of “catastrophic” consequences for Russia if he does that, but won’t say publicly what that means.

Crimea bridge / Ukraine attack » Vladimir Putin on Sunday called an attack on a key bridge to Crimea “a terrorist act” by Ukrainian forces.

PUTIN: [Russian]

Putin ordered construction of the massive Kerch Bridge from Russia to Crimea after Moscow illegally annexed the region in 2014.

The bridge holds important strategic value as a vital supply route for the Kremlin’s forces.

Following the bridge blast, Russia fired 12 rockets into a residential area of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, killing 13 people and injuring more than 50.

Hurricane Ian aftermath » Some Florida residents over the weekend were allowed to return home. That is, those who had a home to return to.

Many of the homes still standing on Estero Island after Hurricane Ian lack basic utilities. So officials trucked in portable restrooms, shower trailers and other essentials. Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters …

DESANTIS: There’s some people that are going to have really significant damage. Some may have total loss. Some may have damage that they’re willing to live in their house for, and if it’s safe, they obviously have a right to do that. They have a right to be where they want to be.

While residents were initially allowed back on the island after the storm, officials shut down access to allow teams to finish searching building by building for possible victims.

Thai daycare aftermath » In northern Thailand, mourners gathered for weekend services to honor the victims of a massacre at a daycare center…

AUDIO: [Funeral]

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha joined the mourners.

Last Thursday, an ex-policeman murdered killed 36 people, including 24 children.

Meantime, one family is celebrating a miracle. Their three-year-old child was the only survivor of the incident. She was asleep under a blanket and slept through the entire ordeal.

Iran protests » In Iran, anti-government demonstrations erupted once again in several locations across the country. Marchers twirled headscarves in repudiation of strict religious dress codes.

AUDIO: [Iran protest]

Cell phone footage from the town of Sanandaj captured chaos in the streets after a man was fatally shot inside his car.

It’s unclear who shot him, but Iranian police have opened fire on protesters in other incidents. At least two people were killed on Saturday.

Gas prices rising » Gas prices are moving in the wrong direction again. AAA now puts the national average at $3.91 per gallon. That’s up 11 cents from a week ago and 15 cents from this time last month.

Patrick De Haan with GasBuddy.com told PBS News Hour…

DE HAAN: For the past few weeks, an onslaught of refinery issues, both on the West Coast and on the Great Lakes has brought supply to its lowest level on the West Coast in 10 years.

Patrick De Haan with GasBuddy.com told PBS News Hour that a combination of scheduled maintenance and unplanned outages have combined to cause big problems.

DE HAAN: These can be minor issues, but put together, it greatly limits the ability for refineries to produce gasoline. So it’s planned maintenance, but more so the unexpected outages, four of them in California alone.

The recent decision by OPEC nations to cut oil supplies also hasn’t helped.

De Haan says in California, prices are are up a dollar to a dollar-fifty in many places. And prices have gone up by 50 cents a gallon in much of the Great Lakes region.

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

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