Taliban take down ISIS leader behind attack on US troops: April 26 rundown

COMING UP —
THE TALIBAN HAS KILLED THE ISIS LEADER RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING THE ATTACK THAT KILLED 13 U.S. TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN.
A TAKEDOWN THAT HAS BEEN PRAISED BY THE U.S.
AND —
THE LATEST ACTION FROM CONGRESS TO ADDRESS THE U.S. DEBT LIMIT AS FEARS OF A DEFAULT LOOM.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN STARTS RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS.
BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.
I’M KARAH RUCKER.
ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE THE DEADLY BLAST THAT KILLED 13 AMERICANS AND MORE THAN 100 CIVILIANS AT KABUL’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — THE ISIS LEADER WHO ORCHESTRATED THE SUICIDE BOMBING HAS BEEN KILLED BY THE TALIBAN.
SOMETHING THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HAS NOW CONFIRMED.
AMERICAN FORCES WERE NOT INVOLVED IN THE TALIBAN’S OPERATION THAT TOOK THE ISIS LEADER OUT.
THE BOMBING TOOK PLACE DURING THE CHAOTIC FINAL DAYS OF THE UNITED STATES’ WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN.
U-S OFFICIALS LEARNED OF THE ISIS LEADER’S DEATH WEEKS AGO, THOUGH NOT FROM THE TALIBAN.
INSTEAD, OFFICIALS MADE THE DETERMINATION FROM THEIR OWN INTELLIGENCE GATHERING.
THE PENTAGON IS NOT RELEASING THE NAME OF THE ISIS LEADER.

CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS HAS TOLD THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HE IS **DECLINING AN INVITATION TO APPEAR AT A HEARING ON SUPREME COURT ETHICS.
ROBERTS SAID TESTIMONY BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES IS “EXCEEDIGLY RARE” DUE TO CONCERNS OVER THE SEPARATION OF POWERS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE.
ALL NINE JUSTICES SIGNED OFF ON THE LETTER IN WHICH ROBERTS DECLINED TO TESTIFY.
THE SUPREME COURT ETHICS HEARING IS SET FOR MAY SECOND.
THE REQUEST CAME IN THE WAKE OF A PRO-PUBLICA REPORT THAT FOUND JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS WENT ON LUXURY TRIPS AT THE INVITATION OF A G-O-P MEGADONOR.
THE TRIPS WERE NOT DISCLOSED ON THOMAS’ PUBLIC FINANCIAL FILINGS.

THE HOUSE IS EXPECTED TO VOTE AS SOON AS TODAY ON ITS “DEBT CEILING PACKAGE.”
BUT WITH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS IN LITTLE-TO-NO AGREEMENT — THERE’S A RISK THE COUNTRY COULD DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT AS EARLY AS JUNE.
HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY TOLD REPORTERS HE BELIEVES THE REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED HOUSE WILL PASS A BILL TO RAISE THE NATION’S DEBT LIMIT BY ONE AND A HALF TRILLION DOLLARS FOR ONE YEAR.
MCCARTHY’S LEGISLATION ALSO CALLS FOR 4-AND A HALF TRILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL SPENDING CUTS.
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS THREATENED A VETO, SHOULD THE BILL MAKE IT THAT FAR.
“And to say to us that the only way you want to move forward here is to for us to agree on everything that they laid out in this bill is just ridiculous. And so that’s what we’re talking about, Right. We’re not going to negotiate on on of on something that they should be doing, which is avoiding default.”

THOSE LOOKING TO BUY AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE ARE ABOUT TO LOSE ONE OF ITS MOST POPULAR AND AFFORDABLE MODELS.
GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCED THEY ARE ENDING PRODUCTION OF IT’S BEST-SELLING E-V — THE CHEVROLET BOLT — BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
G-M SAYS IT NEEDS THE CAPACITY AT ITS MICHIGAN FACILITY TO BUILD ELECTRIC TRUCKS STARTING IN 20-24.
THE TRUCKS ARE LIKELY TO BE A MORE EXPENSIVE E-V MODEL.
THE BOLT IS ONE OF THE CHEAPEST EVS CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET WITH A STARTING PRICE OF AROUND 24 THOUSAND.

A JAPANESE MOON LANDER ATTEMPTED TO FIND ITS FOOTING ON THE MOON’S SURFACE ON TUESDAY — BUT LOST CONNECTION JUST ABOUT 33 FEET FROM HAILING SUCCESS.
IT WOULD HAVE MARKED THE WORLD’S FIRST LUNAR LANDING FOR A **COMMERCIALLY DEVELOPED SPACECRAFT.
THE LANDER — CREATED BY JAPANESE FIRM “ISPACE” — HAD BEEN ON A THREE-MONTH TREK TO THE MOON’S ORBIT.
THE SPACECRAFT HAD TRAVELED 870 THOUSAND MILES THROUGH SPACE.
ALL IT NEEDED TO DO WAS STICK THE LANDING.
“We could not complete the landing on the lunar surface … Our engineers will continue to investigate the situation and then we will update you with the further information once we finish the investigation.”
ACCORDING TO ISPACE — THE LANDER ENDED UP UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATING –PRESUMABLY CRASHING INTO THE MOON.
ISPACE’S CEO STILL DEEMED THE MISSION A SUCCESS — COLLECTING PHOTOS AND DATA ALONG THE WAY.

TOY COMPANY MATTEL HAS RELEASED ITS FIRST-EVER BARBIE DOLL TO REPRESENT PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME.
THE COMPANY COLLABORATED WITH THE NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY TO ENSURE THE DOLL IS ACCURATE IN ITS DESIGN FEATURES.
THE BARBIE COMES WITH “ANKLE-FOOT ORTHOTICS” — WHICH MANY CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME USE FOR SUPPORT.
THE BLUE AND YELLOW ON THE DOLL’S DRESS, ACCOMPANIED BY BUTTERFLIES, REPRESENT SYMBOLS AND COLORS ASSOCIATED WITH DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS.
AND THE THREE CHEVRONS ON THE BARBIE’S NECKLACE REPRESENT HOW PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME HAVE THREE COPIES OF THEIR 21ST CHROMOSOME.
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THANKS FOR WATCHING THE DAILY RUNDOWN.
WE’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING BACK TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM BY SERVING ONLY YOU — NOT AN AGENDA.
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WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.
UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!