10 things you need to know today: November 29, 2018

1. Democrats nominate Pelosi to be House speaker

House Democrats voted overwhelmingly to nominate Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to be the chamber's next speaker. The 203-32 vote came despite vocal opposition from some Democrats who insist the party needs new leadership. Pelosi has led the Democratic caucus since 2003, and was elected speaker in 2007, which made her the first woman to serve in the job. Pelosi ran uncontested for the nomination, but she could face a tough battle in the first week of January when the full House meets to vote. To win, Pelosi will need a majority of the whole chamber, so she will need to win over some of the Democrats who opposed her nomination.

The Hill

2. Trump says Manafort pardon 'not off the table'

President Trump told the New York Post on Wednesday that a pardon for his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was "not off the table." Trump said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators have asked Manafort, former Trump political adviser Roger Stone, and Stone associate Jerome Corsi to lie and implicate others in improper dealings with Russia and other crimes. "If you told the truth, you go to jail," Trump said in an Oval Office interview with the Post. "This is McCarthyism," he added. Mueller's team has accused Manafort of lying repeatedly, violating his promise to cooperate fully under a plea deal on financial crimes. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Manafort's lawyer continued briefing Trump's legal team about his talks with Mueller's team after the plea deal.

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New York Post CNN

3. Pompeo, Mattis urge senators not to pull support for Saudi-led coalition in Yemen

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday urged senators to keep backing U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen, despite rising calls to distance the U.S. from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over suspicions that he ordered the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Despite the plea, senators advanced legislation calling for ending the assistance, as punishment for the murder. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the crown prince, the oil-rich kingdom's de facto leader, likely ordered the killing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said this week that "some kind of response" was necessary. Pompeo said a Senate vote was "poorly timed" because a diplomatic push was underway to end the Yemen conflict.

The Associated Press

4. Stocks surge after Fed chief hints rate hikes could slow

The main U.S. stock indexes shot higher on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell expressed confidence in the economy and suggested that the central bank could be close to ending its slow push to raise interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped by 2.5 percent. The S&P 500 rose by 2.3 percent and the Nasdaq Composite surged by nearly 3 percent, although stock-index futures edged lower early Thursday. President Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell over the Fed's rate increases, with another hike expected in December. Powell said the current rate range from 2 to 2.25 percent is "just below" most assessments of a neutral level. In October, after the last rate hike, Powell said the Fed's benchmark rate was "a long way" from neutral.

The New York Times Fox Business

5. Controversial Trump judicial nominee advances to Senate confirmation vote

The Senate narrowly voted Wednesday to advance the nomination of Thomas Farr, President Trump's pick to be a federal judge in North Carolina. Vice President Mike Pence had to cast a tie-breaking vote after all of the Senate's Democrats and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) voted no. Flake, who is leaving the Senate in January, has vowed to oppose all Trump judicial nominees until Congress passes legislation protecting Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Farr faced a backlash for defending voting laws that a court ruled were designed to disenfranchise minority voters, and Democrats had hoped that Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate's only African-American Republican, would help block a confirmation vote. Scott has not said how he will vote in the final roll call next week.

The Washington Post

6. California Democratic chair seeks treatment after sexual misconduct allegations

California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, already on leave over a sexual misconduct investigation, said Wednesday that he would seek treatment for alcohol use and other health issues. The announcement came after the Los Angeles Times reported that 10 party staff members and political activists said in interviews with the newspaper that Bauman had made crude sexual comments and engaged in unwanted touching or physical intimidation in professional situations. "I deeply regret if my behavior has caused pain to any of the outstanding individuals with whom I've had the privilege to work," said Bauman, who is gay and a fixture in California and LGBTQ politics. "I appreciate the courage it took for these individuals to come forward to tell their stories."

Los Angeles Times

7. Cox victory in California gives Democrats 40th congressional pickup

TJ Cox defeated three-term Republican Rep. David Valadao on Wednesday in California's House race, clinching victory three weeks after election day. Cox had trailed by 4,400 votes on election night but steadily gained as more ballots were counted. He pushed his lead over Valadao to 529 votes Wednesday when updated results were released from Fresno and Kings counties. His victory gave Democrats a gain of seven House seats in California and 40 nationwide, the Democrats' best midterm showing since the mid-1970s in the Watergate era. One other congressional seat remains in the air: North Carolina election officials are refusing to certify Republican Mark Harris' 905-vote victory over Democrat Dan McCready as they investigate possible irregularities with absentee ballots in the state's 9th Congressional District.

Los Angeles Times The Washington Post

8. U.S. economic growth slows but remains solid

The U.S. economy expanded at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said in a report released Wednesday. The figure came in below the robust expansion of 4.2 percent in the previous quarter. The solid but slower growth was boosted by lower but still healthy consumer spending and business investment that exceeded expectations. The economy is now on track to grow this year at its fastest pace in 13 years, although economists expect growth to slow further in the fourth quarter as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates and President Trump's trade war with China continues. "A trade war remains the biggest downside risk to near-term growth," said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC.

The Associated Press

9. Military investigators accuse South Carolina inmates of 'sextortion' ring

Agents from military criminal investigative organizations on Wednesday accused a group of South Carolina inmates of operating a "sextortion" ring. The suspects allegedly used smartphones to pose as underage girls and trick U.S. service members into paying them a total of $560,000. An estimated 442 service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps were affected in the scam. "With nothing more than smartphones and a few keystrokes, South Carolina inmates along with outside accomplices victimized hundreds of people," said Daniel Andrews, director of computer crime investigations for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Investigators said the inmates got help from people on the outside in their effort to target military service members on social media and dating websites.

NBC News

10. Margaret Atwood writing Handmaid's Tale sequel

Author Margaret Atwood announced Wednesday that she is writing a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, a landmark 1985 book about life under a totalitarian regime that takes over the U.S. In the original dystopian story, the leaders of the fictional new nation, Gilead, enslave women and force them to bear children. The Handmaid's Tale was adapted in 2017 into a Hulu original series, which completed its second season in July. Atwood said the new book, The Testaments, is inspired by "everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings," as well as "the world we've been living in." The follow-up is set 15 years after the end of the original novel and will be narrated by three female characters. It is scheduled to be released in 2019.

BBC News Margaret Atwood