10 things you need to know today: October 9, 2015

1. Tunisian group wins Nobel Peace Prize for democracy building

The National Dialogue Quartet in Tunisia won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its contribution to the building of democracy following the country's 2011 Jasmine Revolution. "It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war," the Nobel committee said in a statement. Thanks largely to the dialogue fostered by the four groups in the quartet, Tunisia is widely considered the Arab Spring's biggest success story.

Los Angeles Times

2. Kevin McCarthy unexpectedly quits race to succeed Boehner as House speaker

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) abruptly dropped out of the race to become the next speaker of the House, saying the GOP needed a "fresh face." The No. 2 House Republican was the frontrunner to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner, who announced in August that he would leave Congress at the end of October. McCarthy faced opposition from many of the same conservatives who pressured Boehner to be more confrontational with President Obama. House Republicans will meet Friday to discuss their sudden leadership void.

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Reuters The New York Times

3. 1 reported dead, 3 wounded in Northern Arizona University shooting

Northern Arizona University said Thursday that one person was dead and three wounded outside a dorm at the university's Flagstaff campus. The suspected shooter is in custody and the campus isn't on lockdown, the university added. NSU spokeswoman Cindy Brown didn't provide any details about the shooting, except that it happened outside Mountain View Hall, a dormitory that ABC News says houses most of the students involved in Greek organizations.

ABC News The Associated Press

4. U.S. ending effort to train Syrian rebels

The Obama administration has decided to end a $500 million program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels, U.S. officials said Friday. The move, which the Pentagon is expected to announce formally during the day, came after reports that the effort had not succeeded in developing ground forces capable of taking on the Islamic State. Training programs will be replaced with a smaller center in Turkey where opposition groups will learn operations such as calling in airstrikes.

The New York Times

5. Hero in French train attack stabbed in California brawl

Spencer Stone, who was hailed as a hero this summer for tackling a gunman on a Paris-bound train, was stabbed early Thursday in a fight outside a Sacramento, California, bar. Stone was stabbed several times in his upper body, but was expected to make a full recovery. The U.S. airman and four friends — one man and three women — were involved in an altercation with two or three men, who fled in a dark Toyota Camry. The fight was "not related to terrorism in any way," said Deputy Police Chief Ken Bernard.

Los Angeles Times

6. Russian cruise missiles crash in Iran

Four Russian cruise missiles fired at Syrian rebels crashed in a rural area in northern Iran, U.S. officials said Thursday. The missiles were among 26 fired from Russian warships in the Caspian Sea. Moscow denied the "Kaliber" missiles crashed, saying they had all hit their targets. The news came as U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter criticized Russia for what he called its "unprofessional" conduct as it escalates its military support for the Syrian regime.

CNN

7. Oklahoma appears to have used wrong drug in lethal injection

Oklahoma used the wrong drug in the January execution of Charles Frederick Warner, The Oklahoman newspaper reported Thursday. Records show that prison officials used bottles labeled potassium acetate to stop the convicted baby killer's heart, instead of potassium chloride as called for in the state's execution protocol. The report came a week after Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin granted a last-minute stay for another inmate, Richard Glossip, after the same wrong drug was delivered for his execution.

The Oklahoman

8. North Charleston reaches $6.5 million settlement with Walter Scott's family

The North Charleston, South Carolina, city council approved a $6.5 million settlement payment to the family of Walter Scott, a black South Carolina man who was fatally shot by a police officer after a traffic stop in April. Officer Michael Slager, who is white, was charged with murder after video taken by a bystander showed him shooting Scott in the back as he tried to flee. Scott's brother, Anthony Scott, said the city had sent the message that "this kind of reckless behavior" by police will not be tolerated.

USA Today

9. Facebook tests emojis in response to request for "dislike" button

Facebook is testing emoji options to let users express reactions to posts. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg last month said the company was building a much-requested "dislike" button. Instead, the social network is experimenting — for now, just in Ireland and Spain — with adding six options next to the thumbs-up "like" button for "love," "haha," "yay," "wow," "sad," and "angry." Facebook said it was trying to address "the spirit" of calls for a "dislike" button more broadly.

Gizmodo

10. Renowned Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme dies

Internationally acclaimed New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme died on Thursday. He was 75. Prudhomme has been credited with making Creole and Cajun cooking popular across the U.S. He gained fame after he and his future wife, K Hinrichs, opened K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in 1979, then fueled a craze with cookbooks and videos. "He had the guts to take the food he knew and grew up with as a poor Cajun boy and make it presentable in a white-tablecloth restaurant," said Prudhomme protege Frank Brigtsen, chef and a co-owner of Brigtsen's Restaurant.

The Times-Picayune