10 things you need to know today: November 2, 2017

1. New York attack suspect charged with terrorism as Trump calls for death penalty

Federal authorities on Wednesday charged Sayfullo Saipov with terrorism offenses for allegedly killing eight people by driving a rented truck down a bike path in lower Manhattan. NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said Saipov executed the attack "in the name of ISIS" and planned it for weeks, picking Halloween to inflict maximum damage and following ISIS instructions posted on social media "almost exactly to a T." President Trump called for "quick" and "strong" justice for terror suspects, saying they target the U.S. because the justice system is so slow and lenient on terrorists that it is "a laughing stock." Trump said he would consider sending "this animal" to Guantanamo Bay, and that he should get the death penalty.

CNN The Washington Post

2. Astros beat Dodgers to win first World Series title

The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 to win the World Series at Dodger Stadium. The victory capped what Astros manager A.J. Hinch called "one of the most epic World Series in history" and gave the Astros their first Series title ever. Astros center fielder George Springer hit a two-run home run in the second inning, tying the record of five homers in a World Series shared by Reggie Jackson and Chase Utley. The All-Star center fielder also became the first player ever to hit home runs in four straight World Series games, a performance that helped him win World Series MVP honors. Springer also set records for extra-base hits (eight) and total bases (29) after striking out four times and going 0-for-4 Game 1. "When he's hot, we're hot," Hinch said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Houston Chronicle

3. Trump calls for ending visa program terror suspect used

President Trump on Wednesday called for ending the visa program that New York City terror attack suspect Sayfullo Saipov used to get into the U.S. from Uzbekistan seven years ago. The so-called diversity visa program offers a path to residency for people from countries with low rates of immigration into the U.S. "I'm going to ask Congress to immediately initiate work to get rid of this program," Trump said. He called the visa program "a Chuck Schumer beauty," suggesting a level of responsibility for the Democrat from New York. Schumer said Trump should focus on a real solution — increasing anti-terrorism funding he has "proposed to cut" — "instead of politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy."

Reuters

4. Trump calls for 11th-hour changes to Republican tax plan

President Trump called for last-minute changes to the House Republican tax bill on Wednesday, as GOP tax writers were rushing to complete it in time to unveil it on Thursday. Trump reportedly is pushing to name the proposal "The Cut Cut Cut Act," which Republican leadership has resisted. He also said on Twitter that the GOP should address an Affordable Care Act fix in the bill. "Wouldn't it be great to repeal the very unfair and unpopular individual mandate in ObamaCare and use those savings for further tax cuts," Trump tweeted. Trump also said he would blame his treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and national economic council director, Gary Cohn, if the tax plan fails.

ABC News The Washington Post

5. Congress releases samples of Russia-linked Facebook ads

Congress made public dozens of ads placed on Facebook by Russia-linked accounts aimed at dividing Americans and influencing last year's presidential election. The ads represented a small sample of the 3,000 or so ads Facebook has found and given to Congress. They were released as part of two days of testimony on Capitol Hill by representatives of Facebook, Google, and Twitter on content created by Russian operatives that Americans were exposed to during the campaign. The ads called for protests against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and stoked both support and opposition to Bernie Sanders, minorities, Muslims, and gays. They provide a window into how Russia allegedly sought to divide the U.S. public through bogus and incendiary posts on controversial topics.

The Associated Press

6. U.K. defense secretary resigns after sexual harassment allegations

British Defense Minister Michael Fallon resigned Wednesday after being accused of sexual harassment. Fallon admitted that he had "fallen short" in his past behavior toward women. Fallon apologized earlier this week after details emerged about an incident 15 years ago when he repeatedly placed his hand on the knee of journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer, although she said "No one was remotely upset or distressed" about it. Fallon said allegations recently surfaced about past actions by lawmakers, including him. He said some of the accusations were false, but he conceded in his resignation letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May that he had not met "the high standards that we require of the armed forces" he represented.

The Guardian

7. Fed leaves interest rates unchanged

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday at the close of a two-day meeting, stressing that economic and job growth remained solid. Fed policy makers played down negative impact from the summer's devastating hurricanes. The statement, which followed expectations, suggested that the Fed remained on track to make its third gradual interest rate hike of the year at its December meeting. The meeting wrapped up a day before President Trump is expected to announce that he is nominating Fed Governor Jerome Powell to replace Janet Yellen as Fed chair. Powell has supported Yellen's careful approach to raising interest rates and unwinding other monetary policies the central bank used to help boost the economy after the Great Recession.

Reuters

8. Navy report says deadly collisions were 'avoidable'

Adm. John M. Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said in a report released Wednesday that two deadly collisions between Navy destroyers in the Western Pacific this year were "avoidable." An investigation determined that the accidents, which killed 17 sailors, resulted from chains of crew and basic navigational errors. "Many of the decisions made that led to this incident were the result of poor judgment and decision making of the commanding officer," the report concluded. "The crew was unprepared for the situation in which they found themselves through a lack of preparation, ineffective command and control, and deficiencies in training and preparations for navigation." The report recommended sweeping changes in sailor training and safety procedures to correct systemic problems in the Pacific fleet.

The New York Times The Associated Press

9. Utah nurse reaches $500,000 settlement over rough arrest

Alex Wubbels, the nurse shown in body-cam video being roughly arrested at a Salt Lake City hospital, has reached a $500,000 settlement with the city and the university that owns the hospital. The July footage showed Wubbels telling a detective that an agreement between police and the hospital prevented her from letting him draw blood from an unconscious patient. The detective, who has since been fired but is appealing, then handcuffs Wubbels and pulls her outside as she says she has done nothing wrong. Wubbels said she would use some of the money to help people involved in incidents to get access to police body camera footage. "The police have to police themselves," she said. "This is something I never would have expected to happen."

NPR

10. Gunman 'nonchalantly' shoots 3 dead at Colorado Walmart

A gunman "nonchalantly" walked into a Walmart store in suburban Denver and began shooting randomly, killing two men and a woman, Thornton, Colorado, Police Department spokesman Victor Aliva said Wednesday. The killer, described as a Caucasian man dressed casually in a black jacket and jeans, said nothing during the shooting. He fled in a red Mitsubishi Mirage four-door hatchback. Customer Aaron Stephens, who was in the self-checkout line when he heard gunfire, said people screamed and ran for exits. "I feared for my life," he said. "A lady came running back, screaming about the shots. I got her out," said employee Jay Quawrn Thompson, 18, who was working in the back of the store. Hundreds of emergency responders surrounded the shopping center for hours after the shooting.

The Denver Post Reuters