10 things you need to know today: October 12, 2016

1. Trump slams 'disloyal' Republicans as party's infighting worsens

Donald Trump on Tuesday unleashed harsh criticism against Republican leaders who have abandoned him over a 2005 video in which he made lewd comments about women. In reference to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said he would no longer actively support Trump, the GOP presidential nominee slammed congressional Republicans' "very weak" and "ineffective" leadership. Trump also derided Sen. John McCain, saying the Arizona senator is "very foul-mouthed" but "dropped me over locker room remarks!" Trump hinted at open conflict in the GOP, saying with "disloyal" Republicans leaving him, "It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to."

The New York Times CNN

2. Al Gore makes first appearance campaigning with Hillary Clinton

Al Gore appeared with Hillary Clinton at a rally in Miami on Tuesday, the former vice president's first appearance alongside the Democratic presidential nominee in her 2016 campaign. Gore was the vice president of Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton. He also was the party's presidential nominee in 2000, losing the key swing state of Florida by just 537 votes, and he used the example of his narrow loss to George W. Bush to encourage Clinton supporters to turn out in November. "Your vote really, really counts a lot," Gore said. "You can consider me exhibit A."

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The Washington Post The New York Times

3. Trump gets debate boost, but still down in polls

Donald Trump got a poll boost from his combative second debate performance, although he did not regain all of the ground he lost when a recording surfaced in which he made lewd comments about women, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Over the first two days of interviews, after a recording of Trump's lewd comments about women surfaced but before Sunday's debate, Hillary Clinton led Trump by 11 percentage points among likely voters in a four-way race including third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. On Monday, Trump closed the gap to just 7 points as he won back some wavering Republicans, putting him 9 points behind Clinton over the course of all three days of interviews. A Reuters/Ipsos conducted after the debate found Trump trailing Clinton by 8 points, compared to 5 points last week.

NBC News Reuters

4. Glenn Beck backs Hillary Clinton as the 'moral' choice

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck said that the election of Hillary Clinton is a "moral, ethical choice" for Republicans if it keeps an "immoral man" out of the White House. "If the consequence of standing against [Donald] Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it," Beck wrote on Facebook. Beck has long been an outspoken critic of Trump, although he is no fan of Clinton either. "Her tactics are blatant and juvenile," he said, but "if she is elected, the world does not end." Beck is the latest in a series of high-profile leaders on the right who have disavowed the Republican nominee since Friday's release of a 2005 recording in which he brags about groping women.

CNN

5. Billy Bush negotiating separation from NBC

Today show anchor Billy Bush reportedly is negotiating his departure from NBC due to his role in a hot-mic video from 2005 in which Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump makes lewd remarks about groping women. At the time, Bush worked for Access Hollywood, and Trump was with him to film a segment for the show. Bush is heard on the video laughing with Trump and ogling women. NBC suspended Bush on Sunday and by Tuesday had removed his image from Today's digital billboards at 30 Rockefeller Center. Bush apologized on Friday, the day the video was released, saying he was "embarrassed and ashamed."

The Washington Post

6. 14 killed in shooting at Kabul Shiite shrine

A gunman fatally shot 14 people at a Shiite shrine in Kabul on Tuesday before Afghan security forces killed him after a two-hour gun battle, according to a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs. A police officer and a child were among the dead. No group immediately claimed responsibility. The shooting was the latest in a series of deadly attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. Attackers killed 13 people at Kabul University in August. Another 80 or more were killed in an attack on a peaceful demonstration by a minority group in July.

CNN

7. North Carolina hurricane flooding continues

North Carolina authorities warned that waters would continue to rise in some flooded areas on Wednesday as inland rain from Hurricane Matthew swells rivers flowing to the coast. The National Weather Service warned that the Neuse River, which flows through coastal flatlands, will crest in one area on Saturday at "dangerous flooding levels" near 27.5 feet, almost double its 14-foot flood stage. North Carolina's death toll from the storm rose to 18 as several more drowning victims were found, bringing the U.S. death toll to at least 25. Hundreds more died, most of them in Haiti, as the storm made its way north from the Caribbean.

The Weather Channel The Washington Post

8. Podesta blames email hack on Russian agents out to help Trump

John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, said Tuesday that Russian intelligence agents were behind the hacking of his email account. In his first comments about a WikiLeaks release of thousands of messages purportedly from his account, Podesta blamed the hacking on Russian officials trying to sway the presidential election to Republican nominee Donald Trump. "This definitely is the first campaign that I've been involved with in which I've had to tangle with Russian intelligence agencies," Podesta said. One newly released email suggested a Clinton campaign aide contacted the Justice Department about the release of Clinton's State Department emails, which Donald Trump's campaign said was evidence of collusion.

The New York Times

9. Justice Department to pursue criminal case against Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Justice Department prosecutors said Tuesday that they would pursue a criminal contempt-of-court case against controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A federal judge has said the fiery Maricopa County lawman willfully defied his orders to stop detaining suspected undocumented immigrants without legal justification. Mel McDonald, Arpaio's attorney, said the sheriff "vehemently denies that he was ever knowingly and willfully contemptuous of any court order."

The Washington Post

10. Cubs beat Giants, advance to National League Championship Series

The Chicago Cubs advanced to the National League Championship Series after beating the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. The Cubs came from behind to score four runs in the 9th inning for a 6-5 win to end their NL Division Series. The Cubs, trying for their first World Series pennant since 1908, move on to face the Los Angeles Dodgers or Washington Nationals, who will resolve their 2-2 tie in Game 5 on Thursday. A day earlier, the Cleveland Indians advanced by completing a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a 4-3 win at Fenway Park, putting an end to both the Red Sox's World Series hopes and slugger David Ortiz's career. The Indians next face the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.

The Associated Press USA Today