1. The White House pushed back against claims by North Korea Monday, asserting President Donald Trump had not “declared war” on the nation. North Korea’s top diplomat says President Donald Trump’s tweet that leader Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer” was a declaration of war against his country, meriting the ability to shoot down warplanes in international airspace. (WGME)
2. The government of Puerto Rico says the death toll from Hurricane Maria on the island is now 16, and that brings the overall toll across the Caribbean to 49 lives lost. Puerto Rico’s governor says FEMA has done a “phenomenal job” with assistance that includes water and diesel fuel for generators. The FEMA chief Long said that about 10,000 U.S. federal employees are in the U.S. territory helping with recovery. (WGME)
3. Maine Sen. Susan Collins likely drove a stake through the latest Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, announcing Monday that she’s a firm “no” vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill. Collins has been telegraphing her vote for weeks but she did not officially cement her opposition until Monday evening, when the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis saying that “millions” more would be uninsured under the bill. (PH)
4. Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday for exchanging lewd messages with an underage girl. “The crime I committed is my rock bottom,” a crying Weiner told a U.S. District Judge. In May, the 53-year-old pleaded guilty to sending obscene material to a 15-year-old girl. It was recently reported that he also got the girl to strip for him on Skype. (CNN)
5. Target announced on Monday that it will raise its minimum hourly rage to $11 in October. It will rise to $15 an hour by the end of 2020. The wage increase comes as Target prepares to hire more than 100,000 hourly workers for the busy holiday season. Target said in a statement that it hopes that “with this latest commitment, we’ll be providing even more meaningful pay, as well as the tools, training and support our team needs.” (BF)
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