10 things you need to know today: October 15, 2018

1. Saudi Arabia vows retaliation against any sanctions

Saudi Arabia on Sunday threatened retaliation if President Trump follows through with a threat to inflict "severe punishment" on the kingdom if it is proven responsible for the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Turkey says it has evidence that Saudi agents killed Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get a document he needed to get married. Saudi King Salman reportedly has ordered an internal investigation. Khashoggi's disappearance prompted a growing list of attendees and sponsors to drop out of this month's "Davos in the Desert" investor conference in Riyadh. The Saudi stock exchange fell by 4 percent before bouncing back with a 2 percent rise on Monday.

The Associated Press

2. Trump to visit Florida Panhandle to survey hurricane damage

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to head to the Florida Panhandle on Monday to survey damage from Hurricane Michael. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to visit hard-hit south Georgia towns on Tuesday. Trump told Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) over the weekend that "the federal government is fully available and committed to helping state and local agencies," the White House said. About 200,000 Floridians remained without power days after last week's storm, down from a peak of 400,000. The death toll from the storm has risen to 18, and authorities warn the number could rise as dozens more people remain missing.

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

Palm Beach Post The Washington Post

3. Georgia Democrat accuses rival of trying to suppress minority vote

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, vying to become the nation's first African-American female governor, said Sunday that the state's "exact match" voter registration verification process overseen by her Republican opponent, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, is suppressing the minority vote. About 53,000 voter registrations have been placed on hold under the system due to minor differences between applications and other official data on file. Abrams said on CNN's State of the Union that Kemp was trying to "tilt the playing field in his favor or in the favor of his party." Kemp campaign spokesman Ryan Mahoney has told The Associated Press that Kemp is "fighting to protect the integrity of our elections and ensure that only legal citizens cast a ballot."

USA Today

4. Trump suggests Mattis might leave

President Trump sought to downplay the record rate of turnover in his administration in a Sunday evening 60 Minutes interview, but he also suggested Defense Secretary James Mattis might soon leave his post. "I have a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is [leaving]," Trump said. "I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth," he continued. "But Gen. Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That's Washington."

CBS News The Hill

5. Merkel's allies lose ground in Bavaria election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's allies in Bavaria made their worst state-assembly election showing since 1950 on Sunday, losing ground against both the far-right and the pro-environment, pro-immigrant Greens. Merkel's conservative Christian Social Union allies won 37.3 percent of the vote for the state assembly, losing their absolute majority for just the second time in more than five decades, according to preliminary election results. The Greens came in second with 17.8 percent, and the right-wing Alternative for Germany party won representation in the state parliament for the first time. "The political earthquake was in Bavaria, but the aftershocks will be felt in Berlin ... Talk will increase ever more about the end of the Merkel era," said Fred Kempe, president of the Washington-based Atlantic Council think-tank.

Reuters

6. Former campaign volunteer accuses N.J. governor's aide of sexual assault

A former volunteer for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's (D) campaign, Katie Brennan, has accused one of the governor's former staffers, Albert Alvarez, of sexually assaulting her during Murphy's 2017 campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Brennan, now the chief of staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, said Alvarez forced himself on her when both worked on the campaign, an allegation Alvarez's attorney said he "absolutely, positively denies." Brennan said she contacted police, told friends, and went to a hospital for an examination after the alleged assault. Prosecutors reportedly decided against prosecuting Alvarez after concluding that a conviction was unlikely. Brennan said Alvarez offered a settlement but she refused.

The Wall Street Journal The Hill

7. Sears files for bankruptcy protection

Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, aiming to cut its debts and keep the struggling department store chain operating at least through the holiday shopping season. The announcement came on a day when Sears had a $134 million loan payment. Eddie Lampert will remain chairman but step down as CEO, with a three-person committee taking over to lead the restructuring. Lampert's hedge fund will put up $300 million in bankruptcy financing. The company, once a leading retail innovator, has cut its work force from 302,000 a decade ago to 68,000 today as it shut more than 1,000 stores due to plunging sales and overwhelming competition from big-box stores and online rivals. Sears will close another 142 of its remaining stores by year's end.

The New York Times Fox Business

8. Venom, Star is Born hold their ground as First Man launches

Sony's Venom continued its box-office dominance in its second weekend with an industry-leading $35.7 million haul, bringing its domestic total to nearly $143 million. The film also earned another $70 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to $378 million. A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper's directorial debut in which he stars with Lady Gaga, followed with $28 million. Universal Pictures' First Man, a critically acclaimed film that follows astronaut Neil Armstrong in the years leading up to the historic 1969 moon landing, brought in $16.5 million domestically over its opening weekend.

The New York Times Variety

9. Brewing innovator Bill Coors dies at 102

Bill Coors, former chairman of the Adolph Coors Company, has died at the age of 102. Coors was a pioneer of the U.S. brewing industry. He started working for his grandfather Adolph Coors' brewing company in 1939 and took over as the company's chairman 20 years later. Coors created and developed the aluminum can, a key innovation. The earlier tin-lined steel packaging was costlier and affected product taste. "His dedication, hard work, and ingenuity helped shape not only our company but the entire beer industry," Mark Hunter, president and CEO of Molson Coors, said in a statement.

USA Today

10. Britain's royal family announces that Meghan Markle is pregnant

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who married in May, are expecting their first child, the royal family announced Monday. "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019," Kensington Palace said in a statement. "Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world" since their wedding. The royal couple arrived in Australia early Monday to start their first royal tour together. Harry's older brother Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and 6-month-old Prince Louis.

People