10 things you need to know today: November 16, 2022

1. Trump announces 2024 presidential bid

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he is running for president again in 2024. In a speech delivered at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump said the "country is being destroyed before your very eyes," but he was running to "make America great and glorious again." "America's comeback starts right now," Trump said. The announcement came as many Republicans blamed the twice-impeached Trump, whose refusal to accept his 2020 election loss sparked an attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters, for the party's disappointing performance in last week's midterm elections. A flurry of new polls showed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis beating Trump by double digits in 2024 GOP primary matchups in several key states.

The New York Times The Palm Beach Post

2. NASA launches Artemis I moon mission

NASA's 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket blasted off from Florida early Wednesday for a 25-day test flight that will send its Orion crew capsule to the moon and back. The 1.2-million-mile Artemis I mission, with only mannequins in the crew capsule, is a key step in returning humans to the surface of the moon. The launch came after high-profile delays caused by hardware issues and hurricanes. If Artemis I goes as planned, the Artemis II follow-up mission will launch before 2025. That flight will orbit the moon like the first mission, but with four astronauts in the Orion capsule. Artemis III, planned before 2030, will attempt to land two astronauts on the moon.

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Florida Today NPR

3. Russian-made missile hits Poland near Ukraine border, killing 2

A Russian-made missile came down in eastern Poland near the Ukraine border on Tuesday, killing two people, the Polish Foreign Ministry said early Wednesday. President Biden called emergency meetings of G-7 and NATO leaders. Biden said the trajectory made it unlikely the missile was fired from within Russia. NATO leaders planned to meet Wednesday to discuss the strike in Poland, a NATO member, which came as Russia fired missiles at Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called that apparent strike in Poland a "very significant escalation" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A senior U.S. intelligence official confirmed that Russian-made weapons had hit a NATO country.

The Associated Press Reuters

4. House Republicans pick Kevin McCarthy as their leader in new Congress

House Republicans overwhelmingly voted Tuesday to nominate House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to be the next speaker of the House. The vote came as Republicans remained one seat shy of the 218 seats they need to claim a House majority, after the party failed to benefit from the "red wave" GOP leaders had hoped for in last week's midterm elections. They are still expected to take a narrow House majority, but McCarthy said Republicans "could have won bigger" if they had nominated stronger candidates in some "top-of-the-ticket" governor and Senate races. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who is chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, formally challenged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to lead the party in the Senate, exposing a long-simmering rift.

The Washington Post

5. Georgia judge blocks state's 6-week abortion ban

A Fulton County, Georgia, judge on Tuesday ruled the state must stop enforcing its abortion ban. The law, which bans abortion once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, prohibited most abortions about six weeks into pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The ruling restored earlier regulations, making abortion legal in the state up to about 22 weeks. Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney agreed with lawyers for abortion rights activists, who argued the law should never have been enforced because the Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion rights was in effect when it was passed in 2019. That meant the law was unconstitutional, and "void on passage," McBurney wrote. The Georgia attorney general's office said the state has filed an appeal.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution CNN

6. Biden asks Congress for $37.7 billion Ukraine aid package

President Biden on Tuesday asked Congress for another $37.7 billion in assistance for Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion. The money would include $21 billion to provide Ukraine's military with more weapons. Biden wants Congress to approve the funds during the lame-duck session, when Democrats will still control both the House and the Senate. Republicans are expected to hold a slim majority in the House in the next Congress. The U.S. has been sending Ukraine aid under a $40 billion bill Biden signed six months ago. The assistance "has been critical to Ukraine's success on the battlefield — and we cannot let that support run dry," Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The New York Times

7. Judge says U.S. must stop expelling migrants under pandemic rule

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in the District of Columbia on Tuesday struck down a public health policy known as Title 42 that had allowed U.S. border officials to quickly expel migrants to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Sullivan said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order, which denied people access to the asylum process, was "arbitrary and capricious." The Trump administration established the policy, but the Biden administration had kept it in place. The American Civil Liberties Union had sued on behalf of migrants who said the policy violated asylum laws, and sent asylum seekers back to places where they faced extreme danger. Immigrant rights advocates welcomed the ruling. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called it "dangerous."

The Texas Tribune The Washington Post

8. Stocks jump after latest data showing slowing inflation

U.S. stocks jumped on Tuesday after fresh data showed that supplier-price increases slowed in October. The producer-price index increased by 8 percent on an annual basis, down from 8.4 percent in September, and from March's 11.7 percent pace. The news boosted hopes that Federal Reserve interest rate hikes were starting to bring down the highest inflation in decades. The S&P 500 gained 0.9 percent Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1.4 percent. "We've obviously been through a very tough period for inflation, but there really is now good evidence that the worst is behind us," Charlie Bobrinskoy, portfolio manager and head of the investment group at Ariel Investments, told The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal

9. Judge drops 4 of 11 L.A. sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein

The judge in Harvey Weinstein's Los Angeles trial on Tuesday dropped four of the 11 sexual assault charges the disgraced movie producer faces. The change came after prosecutors said they could not move forward with the charges involving one of the accusers, identified in the indictment as Jane Doe #5. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office did not explain the change. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges, which include two counts of rape and five of sexual assault. Weinstein already is serving a 23-year prison sentence from a New York conviction.

The Associated Press

10. Beyoncé leads 2023 Grammy nominations

Beyoncé led the 2023 Grammy Awards nominations with nine nods, including several of the most coveted honors. The pop star's Renaissance is up for album of the year. Her No. 1 hit "Break My Soul" is up for song and record of the year. Her other nominations include three in R&B categories. Beyoncé's latest nominations brought her career total to 88, tying her for the most ever with her husband Jay-Z, who added five to his total this year. "To think about that power couple, holy mackerel," said Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. The list of nominees, which was announced Tuesday, also included Kendrick Lamar, who is up for eight awards, including album, record, and song of the year.

The Hollywood Reporter