News Wrap: Workers on strike in France demand pay hike to keep up with inflation

Amna Nawaz:

Ukraine is sounding new alarms tonight about Russia's reign of destruction on its water and power supplies.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says missile and drone strikes have knocked out nearly one-third of the country's power plants in just the last week. Today, strikes on the city of Zhytomyr blacked out all 250,000 residents for a time.

We will take a closer look after the news summary.

In France, tens of thousands walked off their jobs today, striking for pay hikes to keep up with decades-high inflation. The work stoppages built on recent walkouts at oil refineries that have led to long lines at gas stations. Today, it snowballed to include teachers, rail workers and hospital employees. They said they have to have compensation for soaring prices.

Gabriel Gaudy, French Union Leader (through translator):

The increase of the cost of living is major. There's a rise in the price of basic goods, but also a very important increase in energy costs. All of this has an impact on salaries.

Amna Nawaz:

Strikes have also swept other parts of Europe, as the continent teeters toward recession.

The ongoing protests led by women and girls in Iran spread today to a rock climber, Elnaz Rekabi, who did not wear a mandatory hijab while competing for her country. That was Sunday in South Korea. She left abruptly today. A statement on her Instagram page said not wearing the hijab was unintentional. Activists and independent reports said Rekabi was forced back to Iran and could be jailed. The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for dress code violations.

A new report says Afghanistan's ruling Taliban tied up and executed 27 men last month in a hunt for resistance fighters. The open-source Afghan Witness Project verified a video showing Taliban fighters firing into one group of men for 20 seconds. The group calls the killings a — quote — "orchestrated purge."

The Taliban has claimed the men were killed in battle.

Back in this country, the French cement company Lafarge pleaded guilty in New York to paying millions of dollars to the Islamic State terrorist group. The payments ensured that ISIS would let a Lafarge plant in Syria remain open. The company now faces nearly $780 million in U.S. penalties.

President Biden vowed today that his top priority will be legalizing abortion nationwide if Democrats keep control of Congress. The president spoke in Washington three weeks before the midterm elections. He said everything depends on sending more Democrats to Washington.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: If we do that, here's the promise I make to you and the American people. The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v. Wade.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

President Joe Biden:

And when Congress passes it, I'll sign it in January, 50 years after Roe was first decided the law of the land.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Amna Nawaz:

For that to happen, Democrats would have to hold the House of Representatives and the Senate and abolish the filibuster, the 60-vote requirement for most bills to advance in the Senate.

A federal jury in Virginia acquitted Igor Danchenko today of lying about his ties to a discredited dossier on then-candidate Donald Trump. He helped create much of the so-called Steele dossier. It included allegations that the 2016 Trump campaign colluded with Russia. A special counsel investigated the FBI's probe of those allegations. This was the third case resulting from that investigation.

Amazon workers at a warehouse in Upstate New York have overwhelmingly voted against unionizing. Today's announcement said 66 percent of the votes opposed joining a union composed of current and former Amazon employees. It's the fourth such election at an Amazon facility this year. Unions have won one and lost two. The other remains too close to call.

And on Wall Street, stocks kept Monday's rally going, as a number of companies reported solid profits for the third quarter. Major indices rose roughly 1 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 338 points to close at 30523. The Nasdaq was up 96 points. The S&P 500 added 42.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": a look at key issues voters will see on their ballots in the upcoming election; what's causing the Great Salt Lake to dry up; a photographer documents immigration to the Southern border and life inside a detention facility; plus much more.