QUICK HITS

Opioid case: A jury was seated in Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday for the first federal trial on the opioid crisis. Officials for distribution companies Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and McKesson, along with manufacturers Teva and Johnson & Johnson, were expected to gather for further talks toward a settlement before Monday’s opening arguments. The companies have the outlines of a settlement to thousands of opioid-related lawsuits that could be worth $50 billion over time.

Storm warning: A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of Florida as the tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico was given a 90% chance of becoming a tropical depression within the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Historic spacewalk: U.S. astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will step out of the International Space Station about 8 a.m. today to replace a broken battery charger. It will be the first spacewalk ever undertaken without a male astronaut.

Teachers strike: Chicago teachers went on strike Thursday, marching on picket lines in defense of their union’s “social justice” agenda after failing to reach a contract deal in a dispute that canceled classes for more than 300,000 students. The strike follows months of talks that failed to resolve disputes over pay, benefits, class size and preparation time.

Afghan casualties: Civilian deaths from fighting in Afghanistan increased 42% in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, reaching a record number of 1,174, the U.N. reported Thursday. The report said 2,563 civilians were killed and 5,676 were wounded in the first nine months of this year.