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A plea deal for 9/11 suspects?

Laura L. Davis   Paste BN

Two decades after the 9/11 attacks, could the suspects' lives be spared with a plea deal? "Sobering" data shows the U.S. has already seen a record year for climate disasters. And a new round of vaccines is coming as COVID cases are on the rise.

👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. Hope you had a nice weekend! Let’s get you caught up with Monday’s news.

But first, a really lucky bird! 🦩 After being blown to the Tampa area by Hurricane Idalia, a flamingo was rescued after it was found exhausted out in the water with waterlogged wings. Meet Peaches!

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A plea deal to spare lives of 9/11 suspects?

A full two decades after the capture of five suspected leaders of the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. military commission trial looked as if it were on track. Then in August, a bombshell: The Defense Department disclosed that prosecutors were considering a plea deal to spare the lives of accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices in exchange for admissions of guilt. But Terry Strada, a representative of many 9/11 families, said the possibility of such an agreement is a slap in the face for those demanding answers and accountability for al-Qaida’s suicide hijackings. 👉 Here's a closer look.

A deadly year in the US

It has already been a record catastrophic year for weather disasters across the nation – and we've still got nearly four months to go. As of Monday, the U.S. has endured 23 separate weather and climate disasters that have each led to at least $1 billion in damage, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. More than 250 people have been killed, and the total cost of these events exceeds $57.6 billion, NOAA said. And if you live in any of these seven states – Louisiana, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, Mississippi – it was among the top 10 hottest summers of your life. 🌤 We break down the data.

What everyone's talking about

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'Time quickly running out' in Morocco quake search

Hopes of finding survivors began to dim Monday as the Moroccan military and rescue teams from multiple nations struggled to reach remote villages devastated by Friday's earthquake that killed nearly 2,700 people, a figure that's likely to rise. The Moroccan Interior Ministry said 2,681 people have been confirmed dead, almost 1,600 of them in the High Atlas Mountains province of Al Haouz, which took the brunt of the destruction. Part of the growing pessimism stems from the dust and debris created by collapsing wood-and-dirt homes, choking out air pockets that might allow people to remain alive under rubble. 👉 Here's the latest.

Fresh round of COVID shots OK'd

Get ready to roll those sleeves up again. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines aimed at more recent variants. Though totals remain well below previous peaks, COVID-19 infections have been rising since early July, according to the CDC. Hospitalizations are up nearly 16% and deaths nearly 17% in the week that ended Thursday, compared with the week before. There's still some debate within the medical community about whether everyone stands to benefit substantially from another booster. But experts say it's clear that people who have multiple health problems or weakened immune systems should get boosted at least once a year. 💉 Here's what to know.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at Paste BN. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to Paste BN here.

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