News Wrap: New York City lifting vaccine mandate for private sector workers

Judy Woodruff:

In the day's other news: Pro-Russian separatist leaders in Ukraine called for a vote starting Friday on officially becoming part of Russia. Referenda are set for the occupied Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions. They represent about 15 percent of Ukraine's territory.

In Washington, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it shows Moscow's desperation.

Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Adviser:

The bottom line is that Russia is throwing together sham referendums on three days' notice as they continue to lose ground on the battlefield and as more world leaders distance themselves from Russia on the public stage.

Judy Woodruff:

Sullivan also said that the White House is aware of reports that Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, might be considering a general mobilization, calling up far more manpower for military service.

On the pandemic, New York City is lifting its vaccine mandate for private sector workers as of November 1. Mayor Eric Adams announced the change today, nearly a year after the mandate was imposed. City employees, including firefighters and teachers, still have to be vaccinated.

Federal authorities in Minnesota have charged 47 people in the largest fraud scheme yet linked to pandemic aid. They're accused of stealing $250 million from a program that offered meals to low-income children. Federal officials say some of usual requirements for the program were waived during the pandemic.

World leaders got a stark warning today as they gathered in New York to open the United Nations General Assembly. Secretary-General António Guterres gave an alarming assessment, including the war in Ukraine, climate change, and poverty.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General:

We have a duty to act, and yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. Excellencies, progress on these issues and more is being held hostage by geopolitical tensions. Our world is in peril and paralyzed.

Judy Woodruff:

Guterres also warned that social media platforms are monetizing outrage and anger and compromising democracy.

The fight over documents seized from former President Trump went before a special master in New York today. The Trump legal team objected in advance to federal Judge Raymond Dearie's questions about the documents' classification status. Mr. Trump has claimed without evidence that all of the material was declassified.

An elected official in Las Vegas, Robert Telles, has been arraigned for the murder of a journalist. He allegedly stabbed Jeff German to death earlier this month for writing critical articles about him. Telles did not enter a plea today. He was ordered held without bond.

On Wall Street, major stock indexes fell 1 percent today ahead of tomorrow's Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 313 points to close at 30706. The Nasdaq was down 110 points. The S&P 500 slipped 44.

And baseball has lost a legend. Los Angeles Dodgers great Maury Wills died last night. He was an All-Star shortstop seven times, and his base-stealing helped L.A. win three World Series. Wills led the National League in stolen bases every year from 1960 through 1965. And, in 1962, he became the first player to steal 100 bases in a single season. Maury Wills was 89 years old.