10 things you need to know today: October 28, 2018

Members and supporters of the Jewish community come together for a candlelight vigil, in remembrance of those who died earlier in the day during a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

(Image credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Jump to category:

1. Shooter kills 11 at Pittsburgh synagogue
2. Trump condemns 'assault on humanity' in Pittsburgh
3. Pittsburgh shooting suspect faces 29 federal charges
4. Feds search for possible additional suspects in package bomb case
5. Migrant caravan rejects offer to stay in Mexico
6. Saudi Arabia denies extradition of 18 Saudi nationals linked to Khashoggi death
7. Far-right candidate expected to win Brazilian presidency
8. Coast Guard suspends search for missing plane off Carolina coast
9. LeBron James wears 'Beto for Senate' cap
10. Powerball winners to split $687 million jackpot

last updated 28 October 2018

1. Shooter kills 11 at Pittsburgh synagogue

A shooter attacked Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday morning, reportedly shouting an anti-Semitic slogan. At least 11 people were killed and four more, including three police officers, were injured before the suspect, a 46-year-old white male identified as Robert Bowers, surrendered to authorities. He was reportedly injured, possibly by officer fire, when taken into custody just over an hour after the attack began. Saturday evening, mourners gathered for candlelight vigils in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere to commemorate the victims. The names of those killed will be released Sunday.

"This evil anti-Semitic attack is an attack on all of us; it is an assault on humanity," President Trump said Saturday night at a rally in Illinois of the morning's deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. "The scourge of anti-Semitism cannot be ignored, cannot be tolerated, and it cannot be allowed to continue. ... It must be confronted and condemned everywhere it rears its very ugly head." Earlier Saturday, Trump offered a different response, suggesting fewer people would have been killed had they been armed or guarded at worship, a take similar to his argument for training and arming teachers.

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Robert Bowers, the man arrested under accusation of killing 11 people and wounding four more in Saturday's shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue, now faces 29 federal charges. Among them are 11 counts of obstruction of the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death. An account on the social media site Gab believed to belong to Bowers is rife with anti-Semitic content, and he reportedly told arresting officers he attacked because "all Jews must die." The Anti-Defamation League said the shooting is "likely the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States."

Following Friday's arrest of Cesar Sayoc, the suspect thought responsible for mailing bombs to Democratic and media figures this past week, federal agents are reportedly still probing the possibility of additional suspects. Sayoc lived in his van and allegedly assembled his homemade bombs inside it as well. Investigators linked him to the case using a fingerprint found on one of the packages and reportedly found additional evidence inside the van. An interview Friday night with someone connected to Sayoc did not lead to any additional arrests.

The caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants heading toward the United States on Friday rejected an offer of temporary residency in southern Mexico, pledging instead to make an early start for another day of travel Saturday. The "You are at home" plan proposed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto would have allowed migrants to apply for education, jobs, housing, medical attention, and other support. "This plan is only for those who comply with Mexican laws," Pena Nieto said, "and it's a first step towards a permanent solution for those who are granted refugee status in Mexico."

The Istanbul prosecutor's office requested, and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on Saturday denied, the extradition of 18 Saudi nationals in connection to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the city's Saudi consulate. "They're detained in Saudi Arabia, and the investigation is in Saudi Arabia, and they will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia," Al-Jubeir said. Previously, on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Riyadh to surrender Khashoggi's body, which per some reports was dismembered. "He's dead, and this is very clear, but where is his body?" Erdogan said. "You have to show us his body."

Brazilians head to the polls Sunday for a runoff vote between the two presidential candidates who performed best in a prior round earlier this month. Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who has been compared to President Trump, is expected to win. He narrowly failed to secure an outright victory in the first vote, and polling gave him a shrinking but still sizable lead heading into this weekend. Bolsonaro's rival is Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers Party. Haddad has gained momentum in recent days but took less than one third of the initial vote. Results are expected Sunday night.

The Coast Guard on Sunday suspended its search for a small airplane that went down off the Atlantic coast midday Thursday while en route from South Carolina to the Bahamas. The twin-engine plane had five people on board when it disappeared; their identities have not been released. The Coast Guard searched over 3,500 square miles before ending its operation. "I have spoken with the family of those that were on this plane," said Capt. John Reed, "and extend my deepest sympathies to them and all those who have been hit by this tragic loss at sea."

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wore a "Beto for Senate" baseball hat in a photo shared by the team Saturday evening. The cap endorses Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) in his race to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a contest that has gathered national attention. In August, James thanked O'Rourke for his support of pro athletes' kneeling protests of police brutality and racial injustice. James called the viral clip of O'Rourke's comments a "must watch" and praised him "for the candid, thoughtful words."

Just four days after someone hit a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot, two lottery players won a $687 million Powerball prize on Saturday. The winners, located in Iowa and New York, will split the jackpot, which is the fourth largest in American lottery history despite being adjusted down from an initial estimate of $750 million. The largest Powerball jackpot of all time was $1.586 billion, split among three winners two years ago. If Saturday's two winners choose an annuity payout, their winnings will total around $343.9 million each; if they take a lump sum, it will be $198.1 million per person.

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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.