News Wrap: Justice Department sues to block California redistricting plan

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day's other headlines in California.

The Justice Department is suing to block the state's new redistricting plan, which would give Democrats a shot at picking up five seats in next year's midterm elections. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the new congressional map a brazen power grab.

Last week, California voters overwhelmingly backed the measure. It came in response to a similar effort by Republicans in Texas in what has become a nationwide battle over redistricting.

More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers are on strike today over stalled contract negotiations. The action at some 65 stores across the country is intended to disrupt the company's Red Cup Day. That's when customers are given free reusable cups with a holiday drink purchase. Talks over better hours and wages have been stalled since the spring.

This worker in New York City said that their demands are not unreasonable.

Rey Shao, Starbucks Worker:

What we're asking for is pretty simple and basic. We want enough hours to meet the benefits,we want enough staffing in our stores so we're not overworked, and we want to be paid enough to live in the city.

Amna Nawaz:

Starbucks management says — quote — "When they're ready to come back, we're ready to talk."

The company also stressed that the vast majority of its 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S. are not affected by the strike.

In West Virginia, a coal miner was found dead today following a massive days-long search-and-rescue effort. Foreman Steve Lipscomb had been missing since Saturday, when workers struck a pocket of water that caused the mine to flood. He was last seen trying to help his fellow miners to safety.

It's the third death this year at a facility operated by Alpha Metallurgical Resources in West Virginia. Governor Patrick Morrisey said his state is grieving, writing that — quote — "Mining is more than an industry here. It's a brotherhood, a way of life and a source of pride."

In Oklahoma, at least four people are in critical condition after a tanker truck spilled dangerous ammonia gas in a hotel parking lot. Officials in the small city of Weatherford say the fumes cause respiratory distress for people near the area, sending dozens to the hospital and hundreds more to evacuation sites. The gas is used as a farm fertilizer and can be deadly, especially in high concentrations.

A shelter-in-place order has been lifted. And police say the air quality is under control, but they add that a full cleanup could take several days.

We have an update to a story we have been covering this week. The BBC apologized today to President Trump over a misleading edit of his speech to supporters before they stormed the Capitol on January 6, but the broadcaster denied its actions amounted to defamation. Trump lawyers had threatened the BBC with a billion-dollar lawsuit.

The dispute stems from a documentary that aired in the lead-up to last year's election that included separate parts of Trump's speech that were spliced together. In its retraction, the BBC said the edit — quote — "gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action."

In the Middle East, Israeli settlers have burned and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the West Bank. An Associated Press reporter found that walls and carpeting were scorched, as were multiple copies of the Koran, and there were hateful messages written on the building's exterior.

The torching comes a day after Israeli leaders condemned an earlier attack by settlers on two Palestinian villages. Today, a government official said the Israeli military does not condone any such acts of violence.

Shosh Bedrosian, Israeli Government Spokesperson:

Any incidents of lawlessness are dealt with to the full extent of the law. The IDF operates under strict ethical guidelines and international law in Judea and Samaria.

Amna Nawaz:

Palestinians and human rights groups say that Israel's far right government does little to prevent the growing acts of settler violence in the West Bank. So far, there have been no arrests in the mosque attack.

In France, the city of Paris has been marking 10 years since the terrorist attack that claimed more than 100 lives and left a lasting mark on the nation's identity. The bells of the famed Notre Dame Cathedral rang out tonight as people laid flowers at a makeshift memorial to honor those killed. A memorial garden was also unveiled to honor the 130 people killed by Islamic State militants that night.

Earlier in the day, President Emmanuel Macron led tributes at each attack site, which included cafes, the Bataclan concert hall, and the national stadium. It was the worst bloodshed in France since World War II.

And Wall Street saw one of its worst days since April on worries about overinflated A.I. stocks and the outlook for interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged nearly 800 points on the day. The Nasdaq sank more than 500 points. The S&P 500 pulled back even further from its recent all-time high.

And for a second night in a row, stargazers in many parts of the country were treated to a dazzling solar display known as the Northern Lights. This composite satellite image shows just how active it's been these past two nights. The brightness is heaviest near the U.S.-Canada border, but there are flashes extending far down into the continental U.S.

And the view from the ground hasn't been bad either, with sights like this from Lincoln, Illinois. The dazzling lights are a wonderful spectacle, but they are also known to disrupt some GPS communications and even the power grid.