1. Trump signs temporary spending bill to delay government shutdown
Shortly after the House passed a two-week spending bill on Thursday, the Senate followed with a vote of 81-14. President Trump signed the bill Friday, temporarily averting a government shutdown. The stopgap measure will keep the federal government open through Dec. 22. Republicans, who are trying to finish work on their tax bill, will need Democrats' help to pass a two-year budget deal. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday Democrats "will not leave here without a DACA fix," meaning the budget must include deportation protection for undocumented young people who came to the U.S. as children.
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2. Trump rallies for Roy Moore in Florida
President Trump visited Pensacola, Florida, close to the Alabama border, Friday night to rally for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been credibly accused of sexual harassment and assault by multiple women, in a final push before Tuesday's special election. The president cast Moore as a champion of job creation who would "vote for our 'Make America Great Again' agenda." By contrast, he said, Moore's "liberal Democrat" rival, Doug Jones, is "completely controlled" by Democratic leadership and will "never, ever vote for us." Trump also touted his own administration, boasting that he has cut more regulations than Abraham Lincoln. On Twitter Saturday, Trump said the rally was "packed to the rafters."
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3. Iraq says its ISIS fight is over
The Iraqi government on Saturday announced the end of its combat operations against the Islamic State after three years of internal war on the would-be caliphate. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in Baghdad that Iraqi forces now have total control over the Iraqi-Syrian border, and Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said all "Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist [ISIS] gangs." In alliance with U.S.-led coalition forces, Iraqi troops have slowly recovered the third of Iraqi territory ISIS claimed beginning in 2014. Despite land loss, ISIS is not eradicated and has shifted its strategy toward attacks than can be carried out by individuals rather than armies.
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4. Southern California fires claim first life
The six wildfires sweeping through Southern California have claimed their first victim, authorities announced Friday. An unidentified 70-year-old woman was killed in a car crash Wednesday as she attempted to evacuate ahead of the flames. The fires are expected to grow this weekend thanks to seasonal Santa Ana winds, with gusts that could exceed 50 mph in the mountains near San Diego. About 160,000 acres have already been burned by the six fires combined. More than 200,000 people have evacuated their homes, and some 8,700 firefighters are battling the blazes.
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5. GOP Rep. Trent Franks expedites resignation date
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) announced his resignation Thursday, to be effective Jan. 31, 2018, after admitting to discussing surrogacy with female staffers. He insisted he never "had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact" with his employees. But on Friday, amid new reports about those conversations, Franks said he would instead leave office immediately. Politico reported "it was not clear to the women whether he was asking about impregnating [them] through sexual intercourse or in vitro fertilization," and one former aide told The Associated Press Franks badgered her on the issue, at one point offering her $5 million to carry his child.
Politico The Associated Press
6. Roy Moore accuser admits she added 'notes' to his inscription in her yearbook
A woman who accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of assaulting her when she was a teenager admitted Friday she added "notes" to his inscription in her yearbook, which she used as proof of her allegations. Beverly Young Nelson told Good Morning America she made "notes to the inscription, but the message was all Roy Moore." The message, which Moore has denied is in his handwriting, reads: "To a sweeter, more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love, Roy Moore, D.A." Nelson's attorney, Gloria Allred, said her client added a date and location to the inscription, but that a handwriting expert confirmed the signature itself is authentic.
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7. Muslims worldwide protest Trump's Jerusalem decision
Muslims around the world took to the streets after midday prayers Friday to protest President Trump's decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel because Palestinians seek eastern Jerusalem as their future capital. Protests were as widespread as Jordan and Indonesia, although the heart of the demonstrations were in the West Bank, where demonstrators reportedly "hurled stones at Israeli troops who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets." Hundreds were injured. Israel launched airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday, killing two. Militant groups like Hamas have called for violence in response to Trump's announcement, and the State Department issued warnings to U.S. embassies worldwide.
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8. Police release graphic video of Daniel Shaver's death
Mesa, Arizona, police on Friday released graphic body camera footage of the final moments of Daniel Shaver, an unarmed man who was fatally shot last year by a police officer, Philip Brailsford. In the video, Shaver is seen crawling in the hotel hallway, begging for his life as he attempts to comply with Brailsford's commands for how to position his body. When Shaver reached toward his waistband, apparently to keep his shorts from falling down, Brailsford opened fire with his AR-15 rifle. The footage was released after Brailsford was found not guilty of reckless manslaughter and criminal liability in Shaver's death. Shaver's family is suing the city of Mesa.
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9. Snowstorm blankets Deep South before heading northeast
A major winter storm brought snow to southern states from Texas to North Carolina Friday, with accumulation as much as seven inches in Texas and six inches in parts of Mississippi and Georgia. The unusual snowfall led to widespread closures of schools, government offices, and roads, as well as power outages and delayed flights. The storm is expected to move up the East Coast over the weekend, with snow falling from Maryland to New England. The highest accumulation Saturday is anticipated in the upper Mid-Atlantic region, while Lake Effect snow could lead to whiteout conditions further west.
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10. Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani signs with the Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels signed 23-year-old Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani on Friday, putting an end to an intense Major League Baseball-wide pursuit of the dual pitcher and outfielder. Ohtani's agent explained that "while there has been much speculation about what would drive Shohei's decision, what mattered to him most wasn't market size, time zone, or league but that he felt a true bond with the Angels." By joining the Angels, Ohtani rejected offers of more than $1 million from the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, and Seattle Mariners.
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