5 things you need to know Tuesday
1. Well-being: Where Panama has all of us beat
When it comes to subjective well-being — not just how much wealth or health people have, but how they feel about their lives — Panama ranks first, Syria and Afghanistan rank last and the USA ranks 12th in a new poll from Gallup-Healthways. The poll of 133,000 people in 135 countries asked people about their sense of purpose, along with their social, financial, community and physical well-being. Overall rankings are based on how many people appear to be thriving in at least three of these ways — ranging from 61% in Panama to 1% in Syria.
2. Obama heads south to thank Ebola-treating doctors
President Obama will visit Atlanta Tuesday to thank the doctors who are helping respond to the Ebola outbreak. He is expected to unveil a $763 million plan to help battle Ebola in West Africa that will be implemented by 3,000 military personnel. The president will meet with officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and receive a briefing on the spread of the virus in Africa. While there, Obama will also receive an update on the respiratory illness affecting people in at least 10 states," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. The visit to Atlanta is part of a two-day trip for Obama. The president will travel Wednesday to the U.S. Central Command in Tampa to discuss plans to attack the Islamic State.
3. Ebola, Syria, Ukraine top agenda for U.N. General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly begins in New York on Tuesday. The body of 193 countries will first hold a series of meetings about various crises and issues around the world, then world leaders, including President Obama, are expected to partake in a debate with a series of speeches next week. Top on the list of 172 agenda items is a report on the removal of Syria's chemical weapons, as well as crises in the Central African Republic, Ukraine, the question of Palestine, the Ebola disease spreading across Africa, economic development, and climate change. To note from last year, high level representatives from the United States and Iran arranged a first-ever telephone conversation between President Obama and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani.
4. Union expects to file Rice appeal Tuesday
The players' union on Tuesday plans to appeal the indefinite suspension the NFL handed to Ray Rice last week. NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah told the Associated Press on Monday "we are expecting to appeal before the deadline on Tuesday night." That deadline is 11:59 p.m. EDT. Rice originally was suspended two games under the NFL's personal conduct policy for striking his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator. When videotape of that incident was made public and showed Rice punching his now-wife Janay, knocking her unconscious, the Baltimore Ravens released the running back.
5. Trump Plaza to become the 4th Atlantic City casino to close in 2014
A downward spiral that saw it ranked dead last among the city's casinos will end Tuesday morning with the closing of Trump Plaza, the fourth Atlantic City casino to go belly-up this year. The demise of Trump Plaza could be seen a long way off as owners, Trump Entertainment Resorts, let it deteriorate in recent years, particularly after a sale for the bargain-basement price of $20 million to a California firm fell through last year.
And the essentials:
Weather: Lovely September weather will rule much of the Northeast and Midwest Tuesday while more rain pelts the southern tier.
Stocks: Stock futures were lower Tuesday as investors await the outcome of a range of items including the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting, which starts today, the Scottish independence vote, Thursday, and the arrival of Alibaba with what may be the largest initial public offering ever on Friday.
TV Tonight: What to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., New Girl and The Mindy Project.
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Contributing: The Associated Press