10 things you need to know today: October 28, 2015

Federal investigators look into S.C. school arrest, Republican presidential hopefuls gather for their third debate, and more

A video captured a student being thrown across a room by a police officer.
(Image credit: AP Photo)

1. Federal investigators look into controversial South Carolina school arrest

The Justice Department on Tuesday launched an investigation into an incident at a South Carolina high school in which a white school resource officer was seen on video yanking a black girl out of her desk, and hurling her across a classroom. The officer, Richland County Sheriff's Deputy Ben Field, was called in when the student refused to leave the classroom at Spring Valley High School. A new video shows the student hitting the officer before he drags her away.

2. GOP candidates head into third primary-season debate

The Republican presidential candidates meet in Boulder, Colorado, on Wednesday for their third primary debate. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will have a chance to solidify his status as frontrunner after surging into the lead nationally in a New York Times/CBS News survey released Tuesday, and a double-digit lead over Donald Trump in Iowa. "We'll see how Ben holds up to the scrutiny," Trump said. Ten candidates will be on stage battling for attention in CNBC's two-hour forum — an hour shorter than the last debate.

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The Associated Press

3. Walgreens to buy Rite Aid

Walgreens announced Tuesday that it was buying smaller rival drug store Rite Aid in a $17.2 billion deal, including acquired debt and $9.4 billion in cash. If regulators approve, the merger of the nation's second and third biggest pharmacy chains will step up Walgreens' already fierce competition with CVS Health. The move would continue consolidation in the industry as stores seek the power to squeeze better deals out of drug-makers and branch out by providing basic health-related services.

USA Today

4. U.S. vows to fight ISIS "on the ground" when necessary

U.S. forces will start "direct action on the ground" against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday. He pointed to a rescue operation last week that freed dozens of ISIS hostages in northern Iraq as an example of the kind of "opportunistic attacks" American forces will undertake to help "capable partners" confront the Islamist extremist group. In that case, U.S. commandos worked with Kurdish forces.

NBC News

5. Doctors Without Borders hospital in Yemen hit by airstrikes

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes destroyed a small hospital in Yemen run by Doctors Without Borders, the aid group said Tuesday. Nobody was killed, but one person was injured. Doctors Without Borders is the organization that ran a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, where 30 people were killed by U.S. airstrikes. The group's mission head in Yemen, Hassan Boucenine, said the attack there was "another illustration of a complete disregard for civilians in Yemen, where bombings have become a daily routine."

The New York Times

6. Three suspected Palestinian attackers killed in Israel

Three Palestinians were fatally shot Tuesday after allegedly trying to stab Israeli soldiers. Two of the Palestinians reportedly were acting suspiciously near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, and shot after attacking soldiers who approached them. The other was shot in the Palestinian city of Hebron. The incidents were the latest in the worst wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence since the 2014 Gaza war.

Reuters

7. L.A. approves rule requiring locked storage of handguns

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance requiring handgun owners to store their weapons in locked containers or disable them with trigger locks. Violators could face misdemeanor charges under the new law, which gun rights advocates have threatened to challenge with lawsuits. Before the vote, City Councilman Paul Krekorian said the ordinance could stop accidents and suicides among children, saying that currently more preschoolers than police officers are killed with guns each year.

Los Angeles Times

8. U.N. condemns U.S. embargo on Cuba, again

The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba for the 24th year in a row. Only the U.S. and Israel voted against the measure. President Obama told the General Assembly last month that he was confident Congress would "inevitably lift" the sanctions. Ronald Godard, U.S. senior adviser for Western Hemisphere affairs, said Cuba's decision to push for the resolution ran counter to Obama's efforts to renew diplomatic ties with the communist Caribbean nation.

Reuters

9. House Republicans start bid to impeach IRS commissioner

House Republicans on Tuesday launched an effort to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. The GOP-led House Oversight Committee introduced a resolution accusing Koskinen of violating the public trust and misleading Congress about IRS targeting of conservative groups. Koskinen was appointed after the scandal broke, but Republicans say backup tapes with emails from Lois Lerner, the central IRS figure in the case, were erased under his watch. The Justice Department recently closed its investigation with no charges against IRS officials.

USA Today The Washington Post

10. Royals take Game 1 of the World Series in 14 innings

The Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the New York Mets 5-4 after 14 innings Tuesday night in the first game of the World Series. Alex Gordon's ninth inning home run kept the Royals in the game. They clinched the victory in the 14th when Alcides Escobar, who kicked off play with an inside-the-park home run on the first pitch, scored on a sacrifice fly. The marathon, back-and-forth game tied for the longest Series game ever, at 5 hours, 9 minutes.

Fox Sports

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.