promoearn: War with Iran? Trump would ‘like to avoid it’

Monday, September 16

War with Iran? Trump would 'like to avoid it'

A deadly explosion rocks Maine, and Trump's thoughts on war with Iran. It's Monday's news.

A war with Iran in question. A billion-dollar bankruptcy deal. And we get to the bottom of the "Corn Pop" situation. Here's the news to know Monday.

First, we know the guac is extra: But has anyone noticed a change in Chipotle's guacamole?

Trump doesn't want war with Iran

A day after threatening an armed response over an attack on Saudi Arabia oil facilities, President Donald Trump said Monday that he doesn't want war. When asked if Iran was responsible for missile and drone strikes this weekend on a major source of oil for the Saudis and the world, Trump said "it's looking that way." Trump added that he doesn't want war with Iran – who has denied it was involved in the attack – but said the United States is "more prepared" for conflict than any country in history. "With all that being said, we'd certainly like to avoid it," Trump told reporters.

•	Trump said the U.S. doesn't need Middle East oil production. Here's why the country is less dependent than ever on Saudi oil.
•	Energy prices surged worldwide Monday after the oil facility attack that disrupted more than 5% of the world's daily supply.
•	The Dow fell more than 100 points as oil prices jumped following the attack on Saudi supplies, raising the prospect of higher gas prices.

A deadly blast heard for miles

A hole is all that's left after a propane blast leveled a building in Farmington, Maine, leaving one firefighter dead and six people injured. Firefighters arrived to investigate the structure Monday after the smell of gas was detected, prompting the evacuation of the building. The blast was heard for miles around. The building, where a company served people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, was only a couple of weeks old, Farmington Town Selectman Scott Landry said. The blast had such force that only debris remained from the two-story building. "The building is gone," Landry said.

A man works at the scene of a deadly propane explosion on Sept. 16, 2019, which leveled new construction in Farmington, Maine. The explosion leveled a new building, which housed a nonprofit.

Jacob Gage, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	She swallowed her engagement ring while sleeping. It wasn't a dream.
•	John Legend doesn't agree with Felicity Huffman's prison sentence.
•	A teen died from an allergic reaction on his 18th birthday, a coroner ruled.
•	Rod Stewart opened up about his private battle with prostate cancer.
•	From opinion: Democrats should listen to Andrew Yang on Trump, jobs and automation.

Purdue Pharma's billion-dollar bankruptcy deal

Pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy late Sunday, an expected step in the Oxycontin maker's billion-dollar settlement to curb the opioid crisis it is accused of facilitating. To catch you up: Purdue Pharma is being sued by almost every state, and about half the states agreed to a settlement. The deal could be worth up to $12 billion over time. Why dissent? Some lawyers say the proposed payouts, even if they are made, won't be enough to fund needed opioid mitigation efforts. Will Purdue Pharma survive? Sort of. The company could operate with profits used to pay for the settlement, or the the judge could order it to be sold.

Trump: Kavanaugh is the one 'being assaulted'

Democrats called for Brett Kavanaugh's impeachment, but the president stood firm in his support of controversial Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In a report published Saturday, The New York Times resurfaced claims of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. Trump disagrees on the victim in the situation, tweeting Monday, "The one who is actually being assaulted is Justice Kavanaugh." Since publishing the report, the Times clarified part of the story, which is based on a forthcoming book, regarding "an assertion by a Yale classmate that friends of Brett Kavanaugh pushed his penis into the hand of a female student at a drunken dorm party." In an editor's note, the Times said the female student declined to be interviewed and does not recall the incident.

Real quick

•	Ben Roethlisberger is hurt: The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to navigate the season without their quarterback.
•	"SNL" fired Shane Gillis over racist comments, just days after hiring him.
•	GOP 2020 candidate Joe Walsh says, "The Republican Party is a cult."
•	The Northern Hemisphere experienced the hottest summer on record.
•	The General Motors strike could affect far more than the autoworkers and the company.

Will the real 'Corn Pop' please stand up?

Yes, "Corn Pop" is a real person. This weekend, a 2017 clip of presidential candidate Joe Biden recalling his time as a Wilmington, Delaware, lifeguard in the 1960s went viral. In Wilmington, where the pool he worked at as a college student was being named after him, Biden told the story of Corn Pop. "Corn Pop was a bad dude," Biden said. "And he ran a bunch of bad boys." The story ended in words exchanged, straight razors, an apology and Corn Pop walking away. The two-minute clip made many people wonder on Twitter who Corn Pop is and if the incident actually occurred. In short, William L. Morris was very much a real person.

Former Vice President Joe Biden sits in the lifeguard chair and cheers along with the crowd as they reveal the renaming of the pool facility being dedicated in his honor to the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Aquatic Center.

Suchat Pederson/The News Journal

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