Many Republicans in Congress are calling for Roy Moore, a candidate for Senate in Alabama, to drop out of the race after multiple women have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Moore, 70, has been accused of sexual misconduct by five women. Leigh Corfman alleges that in 1979, when she was only 14 years old, the then 32 year old Moore inappropriately touched her without consent. Other women have said that when they were between 16 and 18 years old, Moore (who was in his 30’s at the time) “pursued them” but did not “force them into any sort of relationship or sexual contact”.
Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Paul Ryan and Jeff Sessions are among the prominent Republicans calling for Moore to drop out of the Senate race. Ryan, who is the Speaker of the House, said that “the allegations are credible” and that Moore “should step aside”.
Moore has maintained his innocence, stating that allegations are “absolutely false.” Moore argued the claims are “a political maneuver.” Moore’s wife also spoke for his innocence, saying “he has never one time lifted a finger to me.” New polling shows that Moore’s projected lead has diminished and that the Dec. 12 election is now a toss-up following the allegations.
Local News:
Last Thursday, Nov. 9, a State Trooper was driving Donald Morgan to court, when they passed by an accident on a highway in Providence. The state trooper followed protocol and went to assist those in the accident. However, while he was not in the vehicle, Morgan was able to move into the front seat and steal the cruiser. Most Rhode Island State Trooper cars do not have a barrier between the front and back seats. Morgan’s hands were handcuffed in front of himself, rather than behind his back, because of an injury.
The theft led to a police manhunt in Providence. Troopers eventually received a tip that Morgan was “hiding in the back of a white pickup truck.” Police then located a truck that they believed Morgan was in, pursued it and attempted to pull it over, but the driver did not stop. This resulted in the police firing 40 rounds into the truck and killing the driver, who has been identified as Joseph Santos. Morgan was not found in the vehicle. However, Santos’s ex-girlfriend claims that Santos and Morgan were close friends who met at a rehabilitation center. Police are investigating if Santos helped Morgan following his escape.
Morgan was arrested in Cumberland the next day. Morgan resisted arrest, which required police to use a taser following a physical altercation. He was arraigned Tuesday.
National News:
A gunman by the name of Kevin Janson Neal opened fire near an elementary school in Northern California on Tuesday. No children at the school were killed, but several were injured. Four people who were not at the school were killed. It is believed all four of the deceased are adults. Authorities are investigating multiple crime scenes that address the same shooter. Neal was stopped when he was shot and killed by police. Authorities say that while the shooting is tragic, quick thinking from school officials prevented it from being significantly worse. School officials locked classroom doors, which fortunately made Neal unable to gain entry into the rooms. A motive is not clear at the time, but it appears Neal picked various locations and victims at random. The investigation is ongoing.
Ten more students at Penn State have been charged in the alcohol related death of pledge Tim Piazza, which occurred in February. The criminal charges were filed after the FBI was able to restore a video that helped show what happened leading up to Piazza’s death. The video was originally deleted before police were able to obtain it. The video, according to Centre County, Pennsylvania district attorney Stacy Miller, depicted “criminal conduct.” Four of the students were “charged with involuntary manslaughter,” and the others face charges of “hazing, assault, and providing alcohol to a minor.” Two dozen have now been charged with various offenses as a result of Piazza’s death.
International News:
A devastating, 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred on the border of Iraq and Iran Sunday. 540 people have been killed and 8,000 people are injured as a result of the earthquake. There have reportedly been close to 200 aftershocks since Sunday. Several towns have still not received aid as of Tuesday.
Iran’s Kermanshah province is considered to be the hardest hit area. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed, especially state-built houses. The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, said “those responsible will be held accountable” for building low quality homes. BBC reported that one aid agency has said that “70,000 people need shelter and the UN said it was ready to assist if required.” Many have had to spend several nights in makeshift shelters. People in the shelters experienced two nights of near freezing temperatures, as well as a lack of food and water. The earthquake is one of the strongest earthquakes to occur this year. It was also the deadliest to occur this year.
On Sunday night, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Costa Rica. There were two “serious injuries” reported. The Costa Rica earthquake was not nearly as damaging as the Iranian earthquake. In Costa Rica, some residents lost power, but “no major infrastructure damage” occurred. The earthquake occurred in a low population area which limited the number of people impacted. There was reportedly no chance of a tsunami occurring following the earthquake.