10 things you need to know today: November 18, 2015

French police target Paris attack mastermind in deadly raids, Bobby Jindal ends his presidential bid, and more

French police take up positions.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Francois Mori)

1. Two die and seven arrested in French police raid targeting Paris attack mastermind

French police raided two apartments in the northern Paris suburb of St. Denis early Wednesday, targeting a suspected mastermind of last Friday's Paris terror attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Police did not immediately say whether he was one of the people arrested. At least two people were killed and seven arrested in the operations. One of the dead was a woman who detonated an explosive vest after a shootout. Five police officers were lightly injured.

2. Bobby Jindal ends his presidential campaign

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Tuesday that he was dropping out of the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. "This is not my time," he said. Jindal tried to win over the party base with tough conservative rhetoric, but consistently drew just single-digit support in polls. He never earned a spot on the stage of the party's main debates. His departure came after two other former rising GOP stars — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas governor Rick Perry — also left the race.

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NPR

3. Blast kills 32 in Nigeria

An explosion killed 32 people on Tuesday in a Nigerian fruit and vegetable market. Another 80 people were injured. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility, but the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has been responsible for similar acts of violence. Boko Haram has been launching attacks for six years in an effort to establish Sharia law in northeastern Nigeria.

Reuters

4. Two Air France flights diverted over bomb threats

Two Air France planes bound for Paris from the U.S. were diverted Tuesday night due to bomb threats. Flight 65 from Los Angeles landed safely in Salt Lake City with 497 passengers. Flight 55 from Washington's Dulles Airport to Paris was diverted shortly afterward. It landed safely in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both planes were searched, but no explosives were found. The threats were made by telephone. Officials did not immediately know whether the same person had made both calls.

The Washington Post CNN

5. GOP pushes refugee security-check bill in wake of Paris attacks

The House Republican leadership plans a vote as early as Thursday on a bill seeking to ramp up security checks for refugees from Syria and Iraq. The measure would force the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to certify that every refugee poses no security threat. President Obama's plan to admit 10,000 more Syrians over the next year has faced renewed opposition due to suspicions that at least one terrorist involved in the Paris attacks entered Europe hiding among Syrian refugees.

Politico

6. Soccer match canceled in Germany over attack fear

Authorities in Hanover, Germany, canceled a Netherlands-Germany friendly soccer match on Tuesday due to intelligence indicating that terrorists had plotted "serious plans for explosions" inside the stadium. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been expected to attend the match. Another international match was canceled in Belgium because of a bomb threat. French President Francois Hollande was inside the Stade de France when terrorists detonated two bombs outside during Friday's Paris terror attacks.

CNN

7. France cites treaty in call for help fighting ISIS

France on Tuesday became the first country to invoke a mutual-defense clause in the European Union's Lisbon Treaty to seek help fighting the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris. The provision obliges the EU's 28 member nations to use "all the means in their power" to assist any fellow member that is "the victim of armed aggression on its territory." French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said EU allies could help "either by taking part in France's operations in Syria or Iraq, or by easing the load or providing support for France in other operations."

USA Today

8. Obama tells China to halt South China Sea construction

President Obama on Wednesday called on China to stop building on contested islands in the South China Sea, putting the dispute on the agenda at a two-day economic summit of Pacific Rim leaders. Obama urged Beijing to halt all military activity in the area to "lower tensions" with its Southeast Asian neighbors. The U.S. has not taken a position on conflicting territorial claims in the region, but it has aggressively defended rights of free navigation through the contested waters, angering China.

The New York Times

9. Unarmed black assault suspect shot by Minneapolis police dies

An unarmed black man shot by police in Minneapolis on Sunday has died, authorities said Tuesday. The shooting of Jamar ONeal Clark, 24, sparked angry protests and accusations that he had been shot while handcuffed. Officers were responding to a call that a woman had been assaulted and her attacker was interfering with emergency personnel trying to provide her care. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has called for a federal civil-rights investigation.

The Washington Post

10. Storm kills two in Washington state

Two people died and 360,000 homes and businesses were left without power when a powerful storm hit Washington state on Tuesday. The storm knocked down power lines and trees with wind gusts reaching 49 miles per hour. A motorist was killed northeast of Seattle when a tree fell from a cliff onto a car. Another fallen tree killed a women in Spokane. "Many roads are closed from downed trees, active power lines, flood waters," Snohomish County fire chief Merlin Halverson said. "It's a hell of mess here."

Reuters

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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.