McCarthy passes 1st House speaker test, but hurdles remain
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has cleared the first major step toward becoming House speaker. The California Republican won the nomination Tuesday from his GOP colleagues in a secret ballot election. But it’s just the start. Republicans are on the cusp of House control and McCarthy will face a formal vote when the new Congress convenes in January. McCarthy will need to shore up support from no fewer than 218 lawmakers with potentially just a few votes to spare. He is backed by Donald Trump, but that’s no guarantee after many Republicans blame the former president for disappointing midterm election results.
Life sentence sought for teen in Michigan school shooting
Prosecutors say they’ll seek a life sentence with no chance for parole for a teenager who killed four fellow students at a Michigan school and pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism. Prosecutors in Oakland County, Michigan, disclosed their plans in a court filing Monday. Sixteen-year-old Ethan Crumbley recently withdrew a possible insanity defense and pleaded guilty to 24 charges. The shooting occurred nearly a year ago at Oxford High School. A first-degree murder conviction typically brings an automatic life prison sentence in Michigan. But teenagers are entitled to a hearing where their lawyer can argue for a shorter term and an opportunity for parole. Crumbley’s lawyers believe he can be rehabilitated in prison. A hearing is scheduled for February.
Walmart offers to pay $3.1 billion to settle opioid lawsuits
Walmart has agreed to pay $3.1 billion to settle lawsuits nationwide over the impact of the prescriptions its pharmacies filled for powerful prescription opioid painkillers. The deal would still need to be approved by 43 states to take effect. It also includes $78 million for Native American tribes. Pharmacy chains CVS Health and Walgreen Co. each said they would pay about $5 billion over time to settle their suits. All told, the opioid crisis has been linked more more than 500,000 U.S. deaths over the past two decades. Other major drugmakers and distributors have already finalized settlements in some cases.
Florida’s Scott takes on McConnell in bid for Senate leader
Florida Sen. Rick Scott is mounting a long-shot bid to unseat Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. It’s the opening of the latest front in an intraparty battle between allies of McConnell and former President Donald Trump over the direction of the GOP following a disappointing showing in last week’s midterm elections. Scott is the leader of the GOP’s Senate campaign efforts and has long feuded with McConnell over the party’s approach to reclaiming a Senate majority. In a letter to Senate Republicans, Scott wrote, “If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me.” Republicans are holding their leadership elections on Wednesday.
Killer who stabbed 4 Idaho students to death still at large
Police say the killer or killers who stabbed four University of Idaho students to death remains at large, and the violence has prompted many students to leave town. The Moscow Police Department said Tuesday that the attack was targeted and maintained there is no imminent risk to the community. But so many students have left campus that university officials said a candlelight vigil originally scheduled for Wednesday would instead be held after the Thanksgiving break. Police say a knife or sharp weapon was used in the attack on the students. Autopsies expected to be completed later this week could provide more information about how the victims were killed.
Haiti fears spike in cholera cases as fuel blockade lifts
Cholera cases are overwhelming Haiti and experts warn the situation could worsen now that the country is bustling once again after a paralyzing fuel blockade that lasted two months. A spokesman for Haiti’s Ministry of Health, tells The Associated Press that people are back on the streets and likely spreading cholera as the government struggles to find life-saving equipment including IV supplies amid an ongoing discussion on whether to request cholera vaccines. The Pan American Health Organization said Tuesday that at least 175 people have died and more than 7,600 have been hospitalized with suspected cholera. Officials believe the actual numbers are much higher.
Fight over election tally threatens Arizona certification
The two Republicans who control the elected board in a rural Arizona county have sued their own election director to force her to conduct a greatly expanded hand-count of ballots cast in the Nov. 8 election. The standoff could affect certification of the results. They want the Cochise County election director to hand over the roughly 12,000 ballots cast on Election Day to the county recorder, an elected Republican. The county’s elected top prosecutor attorney warned the private lawyers representing the two Republican board members that taking ballots without authorization could subject their clients to felony charges. The lawsuit contends the Republican board members have concluded that the expanded hand-count is needed to certify the election results.
US Navy: 70 tons of missile fuel from Iran to Yemen seized
The U.S. Navy says it found 70 tons of a missile fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a ship bound to Yemen from Iran, the first-such seizure in that country’s yearslong war as a cease-fire there has broken down. The Navy said Tuesday that the amount of ammonium perchlorate discovered could fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles. The apparent rearming effort comes as Iran has threatened Saudi Arabia, the United States and other nations over the monthslong protests calling for the overthrow the Islamic Republic’s theocracy. The Houthis and Iran could not be immediately reached for comment.
By wire sources
