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Daily Briefing: What's going on with LA City Council?

Nicole Fallert   | Paste BN

A leaked recording that revealed racist comments by Los Angeles City Council members came to a head during a rowdy – and at times chaotic – city council meeting. Also in the news today: President Joe Biden has acknowledged a "slight" recession could happen next year. We explain a potential railroad strike. Amazon Prime Day is back. The chonkiest bear has been crowned.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author.

It's Hump Day. Here's the news.

🌅 Up first: Are you ready to fall back? The future of Daylight Savings Time could depend on a federal vote.

LA City Council faces uncertainty following furor over racist remarks

The Los Angeles City Council's future is unclear. President Joe Biden has called for three members to resign after a recording surfaced of them participating in a meeting in which racist language was used to mock their colleagues. Read more

The bigger picture: Resignations from the city's top leadership complicate upcoming political races in the nation's second most populous city, where elections for mayor and councilmember seats are set for Nov. 8.  

  • What happened in the recording? The conversation reportedly took place during an October 2021 meeting between council President Nury Martinez, Ron Herrera – the president of Los Angeles County Federation of Labor – and councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León in discussion over the city's redistricting process, the Los Angeles Times reported. 
  • What's in the audio? In the recording obtained by The Times, Martinez could be heard making racist statements about a white councilmember's Black child. Martinez stepped down from her position as president Monday, but has stopped short of resigning from her seat.

Watch: Los Angeles official Mike Bonin addresses racist remarks made by former council president.

'Slight recession' is possible — but not guaranteed in 2023, Biden says

While he does not anticipate the U.S. will enter into a recession, President Joe Biden recognized in remarks Tuesday that a "slight recession" in 2023 is a possibility. His comments in an interview came hours after the International Monetary Fund forecast a global economic slowdown and a tightening of monetary and financial conditions in the United States. "In short, the worst is yet to come and, for many people, 2023 will feel like a recession," the IMF said. The IMF said high inflation, a slowdown in China, and Russia's war in Ukraine are contributing to global economic challenges. Read more

More news to know now

🌤  Is it sweater weather yet? Check your local forecast here.

What is the railroad strike of 2022? Why rail workers are striking and what it means for you

Threats of a railroad strike that could debilitate the economy linger after one of the country's largest railroad unions rejected its deal with freight railroads Monday. The majority of Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division union members voted against a proposed five-year contract, but the union agreed to hold off any potential strike until after Congress reconvenes in mid-November to allow time for further negotiations. Industry experts warn that a national railroad strike would disrupt travel because freight railroads own and maintain nearly all of the tracks on Amtrak’s system. And the supply chain – which has already seen pandemic-related challenges over the past few years – would see further impediments. Read more

Life became suffering: Illustrated stories from the siege of Mariupol

Paste BN interviewed four survivors from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, who shared their experience through interviews. Of the four, one provided extensive photographic evidence of the suffering there. Others said they had deleted the contents of their phones as they escaped, in order to avoid detection. The scenes are based on their provided images, their recollections, and independent research. But the stories, translated from their native language, are retold in their own words. These are illustrated memories of four people who endured one of the darkest moments of Russia's war on Ukraine. Read more

  • Latest Ukraine updates: As Ukraine endured a second day of intensified Russian strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined a plan to end the war – and it doesn't involve negotiating with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
  • Biden's ''Armageddon'' nuclear warning builds on increasing worries about a desperate Putin.

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The 10 most popular deals people are shopping during Amazon's October Prime Day Event

Amazon Prime Day is back and we're tracking all the best early Black Friday deals and gift ideas you can shop during the event. Some of our favorites: The 2021 Apple iPad is $60 off right now, going for just $269; A Dyson knockoff vacuum is on mega-sale, currently running 75% off its normal retail price, and our favorite Kindle is the Kindle Paperwhite, which is on sale for just $99 right now. Check out more deals

📷 Photo of the day: 2022 New York Film Festival 📷

Hollywood A-listers are stepping out to screen their new movies at the 60th New York Film Festival, which runs through Oct. 16 at the Lincoln Center. Click here to check out more photos from the star-studded event.

One more thing

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note, shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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