
The Delta variant is keeping the US economy from getting back to normal
CNN
The US economy is further from being back to normal again. Thanks, Delta.
The more infectious variant of Covid-19 is making people anxious about being around others. That's bad news for the economy going into the winter months, and might mean it's time to get used to a slower recovery.
The Back-to-Normal Index created by CNN Business and Moody's Analytics, which tracks how the US economy is doing compared with pre-pandemic times, dropped to its lowest level since early June. After hovering in the low-90% area for months, America's economy dropped back to 89% of its pre-Covid strength as of September 17. South Dakota is the now the only state in the union that's stronger than it was before the pandemic.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.









