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
- 1. Federal investigators look into controversial South Carolina school arrest
- 2. GOP candidates head into third primary-season debate
- 3. Walgreens to buy Rite Aid
- 4. U.S. vows to fight ISIS "on the ground" when necessary
- 5. Doctors Without Borders hospital in Yemen hit by airstrikes
- 6. Three suspected Palestinian attackers killed in Israel
- 7. L.A. approves rule requiring locked storage of handguns
- 8. U.N. condemns U.S. embargo on Cuba, again
- 9. House Republicans start bid to impeach IRS commissioner
- 10. Royals take Game 1 of the World Series in 14 innings
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Can AI tools be used to Hollywood's advantage?
Talking Points It makes some aspects of the industry faster and cheaper. It will also put many people in the entertainment world out of work
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
'Paraguay has found itself in a key position'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Meet Youngmi Mayer, the renegade comedian whose frank new memoir is a blitzkrieg to the genre
The Week Recommends 'I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying' details a biracial life on the margins, with humor as salving grace
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published