News Wrap: McConnell cleared to continue working a day after news conference freeze up

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got the green light to continue working.

  The Kentucky Republican froze up during a news conference Wednesday for the second time in two months. He suffered a concussion back in March. Today, the attending physician of Congress cleared the senator.

  In a statement, he said: "Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery."

  Separately, President Biden today said he's been told the same.

  Joe Biden, President of the United States: It's not at all unusual to have the response that sometimes happens to Mitch when you have had a severe concussion. It is part of the recovery. And so I'm confident he's going to be back to his old self.

• Geoff Bennett:

  McConnell is 81 years old. President Biden said he's spoken with the senator, and has no concerns about his ability to do his job.

  The White House asked Congress today to pass a stopgap funding bill and prevent a partial government shutdown on October 1. That's when the new federal fiscal starts. Leaders of both parties have agreed on the need for a short-term measure, but House Republicans are sharply divided over the details.

  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has confirmed taking three trips last year on a Republican donor's private plane. The donor, Harlan Crow, also owns the Georgia house where Thomas' mother lives, and he paid private school tuition for a child raised by the justice. Thomas filed his financial disclosure today, and he defended not reporting earlier trips.

  In South Africa, a fire in Johannesburg killed at least 74 people early today and injured more than 50. Officials say the inferno consumed a rundown apartment building that was occupied primarily by squatters and other recently unhoused people. When the flames were extinguished, only a burned-out shell remained, and responders laid out dozens of bodies on the pavement.

  The city manager pledged action on the longstanding problem of derelict buildings.

• Floyd Brink, Johannesburg City Manager:

  An incident and one that is unprecedented given the number of lives that has been lost, we will do our best to ensure that we act diligently in investigating the fire and equally in our pursuit to reclaim the hijacked and illegally occupied buildings in the city.

• Geoff Bennett:

  As the search continues, authorities warn that the death toll could go higher still.

  A fire at a small clothing factory in the Philippines killed at least 15 people today Northeast of Manila. The early morning blaze left the two-story building in ruins. It's believed many of the victims were asleep when it started.

  Iran accused Israel today of the most extensive plot yet to sabotage the Iranian ballistic missile program. State TV said faulty electrical connectors could explode and wreck the missiles and drones that use them. The report alleged that Israeli spies helped supply the parts. The Israeli government declined to comment on the claim.

  In Missouri, a judge ordered that the 84-year-old white man who shot a Black teenager after he mistakenly went to the man's house must stand trial. Ralph Yarl had gone to the wrong home to pick up his younger brothers. Andrew Lester shot the 16-year-old twice, the first time in his head and again when he was on the ground.

  Yarl is still recovering from a brain injury, but has started his senior year in high school.

  And on Wall Street, stocks advanced early, then gave back most of its gains. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 168 points to close below 34722. The Nasdaq rose 15 points. The S&P 500 was down seven.

  And the University of Nebraska has set a new world record for the largest crowd to attend a women's sporting event. More than 92,000 people turned out in Lincoln last night to see the Cornhuskers beat Omaha in volleyball. The school canceled classes and held a daylong series of events to pump up attendance, including a country music concert.

  And still to come on the "NewsHour": the U.S. commerce secretary on her trip to China during a critical moment for the two countries' economies; a look at the rise in anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism in America; and federal health officials recommend moving marijuana to a lower-risk drug category.