Crunch time in debt standoff, new oil spill details and is your dog a 'genius'?

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     This morning we take a closer look at the potentially "catastrophic" fight looming in Washington over the debt limit. Plus, more on the chain of events that lead to California's massive oil spill. And is your dog truly a "genius?"   Here's what we're watching this Wednesday morning.     Congress is at an impasse on the debt limit. Here are 5 ways it could end. The United States is less than two weeks away from the government's deadline to breach the debt ceiling, and leaders in the nation's capital are at a stalemate about how to avert what could be a devastating default.    Democrats and Republicans are at polar opposites on how to resolve the issue and so far, neither side is budging.    The Treasury Department has set an Oct. 18 deadline to tackle the debt ceiling or risk "catastrophic" economic consequences.   NBC News' national political reporter Sahil Kapur explains five possible endgames — and the complications of each.   News analysis: Republicans are taking a decidedly Trumpian approach to the possibility of a U.S. default, writes NBC News' senior national politics reporter Jonathan Allen: Only a sucker pays debts. Wednesday's Top Stories Operator in oil spill didn't shut down for hours after leak alert, regulators say Federal regulators working on a timeline of the massive Southern California oil spill say that operators of the crude oil pipeline didn't shut it down for more than three hours after an alarm alerted them to a possible breach. Then they didn't alert federal authorities for another three hours. READ MORE New York City police union leader resigns after FBI raid on headquarters Ed Mullins had been the outspoken leader of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, the fifth-biggest police union in the country which represents 13,000 members of the NYPD, since 2002.  READ MORE Supreme Court to weigh Sept. 11 terrorism suspect's request to learn more about his torture Abu Zubaydah, the first Sept. 11 terrorism suspect known to have been tortured by the United States overseas, wants access to two former CIA contractors who helped devise the U.S. torture program.  READ MORE Convicted killer Ernest Johnson executed despite questions over his intellectual capacity Despite appeals from Pope Francis, two members of Congress and a former governor, Missouri executed Johnson by lethal injection at a state prison Tuesday. READ MORE Also in the News Nobel Prize in chemistry honors tool to build molecules A dozen Brian Laundrie sightings have been reported in North Carolina, officials say 96-year-old German woman released after going on the run to skip Nazi war crimes trial YouTube pulls two R. Kelly channels after sex-trafficking conviction  On Colombian border, migrant families embark on dangerous jungle passage Dave Grohl suggests Nirvana's iconic 'Nevermind' cover might change in wake of lawsuit Editor's Pick Facebook's outage was an annoyance in America. Elsewhere, it left 'everything in shambles.' Facebook is facing fresh scrutiny this week after the explosive whistleblower testimony and the social media giant's global outage. The blackout turned life upside down in parts of the world where its apps have become essential to commerce, health care and the basic functioning of government.  READ MORE Shopping From Apple AirPods and Dyson air purifiers to weighted blankets and exercise bikes, here are the most purchased Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals we've covered. One Fun Thing Is your dog a 'genius'? A rare few can learn a dozen new toy names each week OK, time for Border Collie owners to brag. Some of the dogs really are "geniuses," according to a new study.    The goal of a group of Hungarian researchers in the Genius Dog Challenge was to find dogs that were "gifted word learners," or had already shown an ability to learn the meaning of many objects.   "The dogs we found after two years of search for dogs of any breed that had learnt the name of their toys happened to be Border Collies," the study's first author, Shany Dror, said in an email.    But not all Border Collies are the same. Only some "genius" dogs can learn the names of up to 12 new toys a week, the new study found.    Read the full story here.  Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill     FOLLOW US     Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? SIGN UP HERE Check out all of NBC Newsletters here.     Get the NBC News Mobile App   30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 View in browser | Unsubscribe | Manage Subscription | Contact | Privacy