News Wrap: ABC reinstating Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: ABC is reinstating Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show. The network had suspended the comedian indefinitely after comments he made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In a statement, ABC's parent company, the Walt Disney Company, said — quote — "We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy and, after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

Kimmel's suspension had sparked protests and concerns about free speech in the aftermath of Kirk's killing, with a number of celebrities and Kimmel's fellow late night comedians among those who rallied to his defense. Kimmel has hosted "Jimmy Kimmel Live" since 2003. His contract is set to expire in May of next year.

At a U.N. summit today, France joined a growing list of countries in recognizing a Palestinian state.

Emmanuel Macron, French President (through interpreter):

I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine.

Geoff Bennett:

French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement follows similar moves by the U.K., Canada and others over the weekend and was followed soon after by Belgium. Israel and the U.S. boycotted today's event, with Israel's U.N. ambassador dismissing it as theater.

Meantime, Israel is continuing its offensive in Gaza City, which it considers one of the last strongholds for Hamas. Some Gazans say the recognition of a Palestinian state does little to help the situation on the ground.

Mohammed Al-Yazigi, Displaced Palestinian (through interpreter):

Where is the state, in the street, or in the tents? What state is this that they recognize? Are we able to find something to eat or a place to stay? Leave it to God.

Geoff Bennett:

Even before today's summit, roughly 150 of the U.N.'s 193 member states considered Palestine a sovereign nation, though, in many cases, such recognition is largely symbolic.

In Egypt, authorities announced a presidential pardon today for activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah. The British Egyptian dual citizen was a leading voice during Egypt's Arab Spring uprising back in 2011. He went on to play an active role in protests against human rights abuses, among other causes. That activism led to multiple arrests in more than a decade behind bars.

Both Abd El-Fattah and his mother have gone on hunger strikes in the past to press for his release. A lawyer tells the Associated Press that he could be released within days.

Russia and Ukraine traded deadly drone strikes today as world leaders get ready to discuss the ongoing war at the U.N. General Assembly. Local Ukrainian officials say Russian drone strikes killed three people in Zaporizhzhia overnight, while Russia says Ukrainian drones killed three in occupied Crimea. The strikes come as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he's preparing for a very intense week of diplomacy at the U.N.

Meantime, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting today to address Russia's violation of Estonia's airspace last week. Estonia is a NATO member.

And, in his first appearance as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Michael Waltz pledged American support for the security alliance.

Michael Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: I want to take this first opportunity to repeat and to emphasize the United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory. Russia must urgently stop such dangerous behavior.

Geoff Bennett:

Russia's Defense Ministry denied any violation of Estonian airspace by its planes, but the incident has only added to concerns that the fighting could spread beyond Ukraine's borders.

Here in the U.S., a 4.3-magnitude earthquake rattled the San Francisco area early this morning, with more than 20,000 people saying they felt the quake. It struck around 3:00 a.m. to the southeast of Berkeley, where some stores reported minor damage. Local media reported the effects could be felt as far south as Salinas about 100 miles away. City officials say there have been no injuries reported so far.

And an update to a story we told you about last week. A federal judge ruled today that a massive offshore wind project can move forward after it was abruptly halted by the Trump administration last month. The $6 billion wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut known as Revolution Wind was 80 percent complete. The Department of the Interior had called the project a national security concern.

Today's ruling marks a setback for President Trump, who has long opposed and sought to restrict the wind industry. The Trump administration can still appeal the decision.

On Wall Street today, stocks edged higher to start the week. The Dow Jones industrial average added 66 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose more than 150 points. The S&P 500 also ended in positive territory.

And NASA announced its newest astronauts today.

Man:

These 10 men and women are your 24th astronaut candidate class.

(Cheering)

Geoff Bennett:

The group includes engineers, earth scientists, military veterans and more. They were selected from a pool of more than 8,000 applicants and, for the first time ever, women outnumbered the men.

Only 370 people have ever been selected to serve as NASA astronauts, making it a very exclusive group. And this class must now complete two years of training before they're eligible for flight missions to the International Space Station, the moon or perhaps even Mars.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Brazil's president discusses increasingly tense relations with the U.S.; we speak with the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog about Iran's program; and Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines.