10 things you need to know today: October 28, 2016

1. Oregon wildlife refuge occupiers found not guilty

A federal jury on Thursday unexpectedly acquitted anti-government militant leader Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy, and five others of conspiracy charges for their armed takeover of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge early this year. The defendants and others occupied the Oregon refuge's headquarters for 41 days to protest two local ranchers being sentenced to five years in prison for arson on federal land, characterizing their actions as civil disobedience in opposition to federal government control over millions of acres of public lands in the West. The Bundy brothers still face assault, conspiracy, and other charges over a separate armed standoff at the Nevada ranch of their father, Cliven Bundy, after federal agents seized his cattle over his failure to pay fees for grazing his livestock on public land.

Reuters

2. Michelle Obama joins Hillary Clinton for North Carolina rally

First lady Michelle Obama made her first joint appearance with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Thursday at a Clinton campaign rally in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The event drew an estimated 11,000 people, one of Clinton's largest crowds in the campaign. Clinton, whose campaign has hailed Michelle Obama as its "not-so-secret weapon," introduced the popular first lady with praise for her work for children's health and lauding the "wise and beautiful speech" she gave at this summer's Democratic National Convention. Obama called Clinton a "friend" to her family and a "unifying force" for America, and repeated her declaration that Clinton is the most qualified candidate for president ever.

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The New York Times

3. 141 Dakota Access pipeline protesters arrested

Police in riot gear arrested at least 141 people in an attempt to break up an encampment of protesters blocking the path of the planned Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota on Thursday. The charges included criminal trespassing, engaging in a riot, and conspiracy to endanger by fire, the Morton County Sheriff's Department said. Native American demonstrators say the pipeline, which goes through an area they hold sacred, could contaminate the water. They say they are reclaiming land that was given to the Great Sioux Nation in the 1851 Ft. Laramie Treaty but later revoked. Most protesters were peaceful, although one reportedly set fire to tires that were part of a barricade.

Los Angeles Times

4. Mike Pence's plane slides off runway in NYC; no injuries reported

Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence's plane skidded off a runway Thursday night after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport. No injuries were reported. The chartered Boeing 737-700 jet, painted with the campaign's logo, reportedly fishtailed as it touched down in rainy weather, and slid into a grassy area beside the runway before stopping abruptly. Pence, Indiana's governor, then walked to the back of the plane to check on the press pool. There were 37 passengers — including Pence, his wife, daughter, and several advisers — and eight crew members on board. Pence canceled an appearance at a closed-door fundraiser at Trump Tower, but he called into the event.

New York Daily News CNN

5. Twelfth woman accuses Donald Trump of sexual misconduct

A 12th woman has come forward to accuse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. Former Miss Finland Ninni Laaksonen, now 30, told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat in an interview published Thursday that Trump grabbed her before an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in July of 2006. "Before the show, we were photographed outside the building. Trump stood right next to me and suddenly he squeezed my butt. He really grabbed my butt," Laaksonen said. She noted someone had told her at another event that year Trump liked her "because I looked like [Trump's wife] Melania when she was younger." Trump has denied the allegations of the other 11 women who have come forward in recent weeks.

The Guardian The Telegraph

6. Latest WikiLeaks emails show Hillary Clinton aides surprised by server details

Hacked emails published by WikiLeaks on Thursday show that two of Hillary Clinton's top campaign aides were taken aback by the first reports about the private email server she used as secretary of state. "Did you have any idea of the depth of this story?" Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, wrote to her campaign manager, Robby Mook, in a late-night exchange after news broke about the server in the basement of her Chappaqua, New York, home. Mook responded, "Nope. We brought up the existence of emails in research this summer but were told that everything was taken care of."

Reuters

7. Obama commutes sentences of another 98 inmates

President Obama commuted the prison sentences of 98 more federal inmates on Thursday. The move was part of Obama's push to reduce what he considers to be unfairly harsh sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. It pushed Obama's total commutations for the year to 688, more than any president has ever granted in a single year. He has now cut the sentences of 872 inmates during his presidency, the most since Woodrow Wilson.

USA Today

8. Poll finds Trump supporters believe claim that election is rigged

Sixty-four percent of Donald Trump's supporters say they will have serious doubts about the presidential election's legitimacy if he loses, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll released Thursday. The Republican nominee has been repeating dubious claims that the election is "rigged" for weeks. Just 35 percent of his supporters who were surveyed said they would most likely accept the results if Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, is declared the winner of the Nov. 8 vote. "Of course I believe it's rigged, and of course I won't accept the results," said Mike Cannilla, 53, a Trump supporter from the New York borough of Staten Island.

The Associated Press

9. Cruz says Republicans could block Supreme Court nominees if Clinton wins

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Thursday that there was "precedent" for leaving the Supreme Court with fewer than its full strength of nine justices. Analysts interpreted the remarks, delivered at a rally for a GOP Senate candidate, as suggesting that at least some of the Republicans controlling the Senate favor continuing to block President Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, and possibly Hillary Clinton's if she wins the Nov. 8 presidential election. Cruz said there would be "plenty of time for debate" on whether a Republican-controlled Senate should hold votes on a Clinton nominee. Leading Republicans are divided on the issue. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recently made remarks similar to Cruz's, but Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley said senators couldn't "just simply stonewall" on a Clinton nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

The Washington Post

10. Amtrak to pay $265 million in Philadelphia crash settlement

A federal judge on Thursday approved a settlement in which Amtrak will pay $265 million to victims of a train crash that killed eight people and injured more than 200 others last year. Victims of the crash, which occurred when a speeding train derailed on a curve in Philadelphia, will have until Nov. 21 to join the settlement. A judge, aided by two masters, will then be able to hold hearings and evaluate damages so that people will get their awards by June instead of waiting for years to get awards through lawsuits.

CBS News