National News Round Up: Nov. 12-18

NATIONAL

CALIFORNIA SHOOTINGS

On Tuesday, Nov. 14, four people were killed and 10 wounded in a series of shootings in Northern California by Kevin Neal, 44, who was killed by police the same day.

    There were at least seven separate shooting scenes in or near Rancho Tehama Reserve, an unincorporated community of about 1,500 people, New York Times reports. After random shootings, Neal attempted to enter the elementary school, but the school went on lock down, which probably prevented more deaths, according to Tehama County District Attorney Gregg Cohen.

    Neal had a history of violence. Cohen called him a “deranged, paranoid killer,” CNN says.

    During the winter, a restraining order was issued against Neal after a violent dispute with neighbors. He was not allowed to have a gun, and, supposedly, he made the one he used in the shooting.

    The rampage might have been caused by Neal fatally shooting his wife on Monday night, CNN reports. Counting his wife, Neal killed five people, all adults.

AL FRANKEN ACCUSATION

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken’s future in the Senate is unclear after a radio news anchor Leeann Tweeden reported that he forcibly kissed and groped her back in 2006 when she was touring with him in the Middle East. Tweeden also released a photo where Franken grabs her breasts while she is asleep. Franken apologized, saying that his behavior was unacceptable. A Senate ethics investigation has been called for. Some democrats say that the accident can lead to Franken’s expulsion from the Senate.

TAX REFORM

On Thursday, House Republicans passed a tax reform bill along strict party lines that would revamp the U.S. tax code and affect every corner of the U.S. economy, CNN reports. The bill will mean tax cuts for all income groups in 2018 and the most groups in 2027, but the biggest benefits would go to the rich, according to the Tax Policy Center. The Senate’s tax bill moved out of committee and is expected to be voted on later this month.

ROY MOORE

Pressure towards Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore to resign from the race for the seat intensified since the allegation of his predatory behavior towards teenage girls in the past surfaced. In total, six women came out saying he surrounded them with unwanted attention, forcefully kissed, or attempted to rape them back in the 1970s and 1990s. For example, Beverly Young Nelson said Moore sexually assaulted her back in the 1970s when she just 16 years old and he was in his 30s. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others said that they believe the women and want Moore to step down, while Moore protests and believes he would win. McConnell and others “are looking at other options, like drafting a write-in candidate or expelling Moore from the Senate if he were to win,” CNN reports. The Alabama Senate special election is set for Dec. 12.

CLINTON

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, at the request of House Republicans, asked senior federal prosecutors to check alleged ties between the Clinton Foundation and the sale of Uranium One, a uranium mining company, to Russia’s Atomic Energy Agency, CNN reports.

INTERNATIONAL

IRAN-IRAQ EARTHQUAKE

Hundreds died after a powerful earthquake hit the Middle East. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 injured in the 7.3 magnitude quake that hit the border region between Iran and Iraq. The quake’s epicenter was in Iraq. Part of a dam was cracked in another town. The hit was felt across the region as far away as Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey.

    United Nations agencies have delivered medical supplies to the areas of Iran and Iraq affected by the quake, and “are urging vigilance against the possible outbreaks of infectious and waterborne diseases,” UN says.