5 things you need to know happening Friday in U.S.
1. Obama to meet with families of Oregon shooting victims
President Obama will travel to Roseburg, Ore., on Friday to meet with families of the victims of last week’s mass shooting at Umpqua Community College. Student Christopher Harper Mercer, 26, killed eight classmates and an instructor in a classroom before committing suicide during a gunfight with police. After the shooting, a frustrated Obama said that “our thoughts and prayers are not enough” and that voters should demand changes to the nation’s gun laws.
2. House GOP continues search for new speaker
House Republicans are meeting Friday to try and find a nominee to succeed John Boehner as speaker after the presumed top candidate, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, shocked his colleagues by abruptly dropping out of the race. There is no obvious front-runner from several potential candidates, except Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has said several times he is not going to run. The unusually contentious leadership race is largely due to the hard-line conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus who are demanding rules changes that will reduce the speaker’s authority and allow more conservative amendments to come to the floor for a vote.
3. 27 Cosby accusers to tell stories in TV special
Twenty-seven of the more than 50 women who have accused Bill Cosby of drugging and raping them will tell their stories in a prime-time TV special Friday. The Cosby Accusers Speak, hosted by NBC News journalist Kate Snow, airs at 9 p.m. ET on NBC’s Dateline. Cosby has denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. Lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents dozens of Cosby accusers and is pursuing a civil lawsuit against him, is scheduled to take a deposition from Cosby on Friday in Los Angeles.
4. Draconid meteor shower could be a twilight delight
Going out Friday night? Make your first stop the Draconid meteor shower, which will be most visible just after sunset. The name comes from the way the meteors seem to come from the northern constellation Draco the Dragon, which sits just above the Little Dipper. The meteors, which appear every October, are the result of dust and debris left behind by the Giacobini-Zinner comet. If you take pictures, upload your best shot to Your Take or tweet them to @yourtake, and we may feature them on USA TODAY.
5. Baseball’s post-season heats up
The American League Division Series kicked off Thursday, but baseball playoffs will be full swing Friday when all eight teams alive in the postseason will take the field. The action starts in Toronto at 12:30 p.m. ET with the Blue Jays hosting the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of their best-of-five matchup. That will be followed by Game 2 between the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros. The National League takes the spotlight in the evening. Fresh off their defeat of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card game, the Chicago Cubs travel to open their series against the rival St. Louis Cardinals in the first game. The nightcap will see the Los Angeles Dodgers and ace Clayton Kershaw host the New York Mets, who are making their first postseason appearance since 2006.
And the essentials:
Weather: A cold front is expected to bring chills and rain to the East Coast.
Stocks: Asia stocks rose Friday after the release of the Fed’s Sept. policy minutes.
TV tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at.
Courtesy: US Today