QUICK HITS

1 U.S. will continue to back leader: The State Department’s top official on Venezuela said the Trump administration will continue recognizing Juan Guaido as the nation’s interim president even if President Nicolas Maduro’s government ousts the opposition from its control of congress. Maduro’s government set a Dec. 6 election to renew the National Assembly. As the body’s leader, Guaido last year claimed the nation’s presidency, arguing Maduro’s reelection was fraudulent.

2 Wildflower jeopardizes mine: A botanist hired by a company planning to mine one of the most promising deposits of lithium in the world believes a rare wildflower at the Nevada site should be protected under the Endangered Species Act, a move that could jeopardize the project, new documents show. Ioneer Ltd. plans to dig near the only population of Tiehm’s buckwheat known to exist on earth, and a federal listing of the plant could scuttle the mine.

3 Alabama to search shipwreck: Alabama will study and remove artifacts from the submerged wreckage of the Clotilda, the last slave ship known to land in the U.S.. The Alabama Historical Commission released a request Tuesday seeking a contractor to provide divers who can assess and document the remains of the Clotilda, located near Mobile.

4 Coach sentenced: A former Michigan State University head gymnastics coach was sentenced to 90 days in jail for lying to police during an investigation into former Olympic and university doctor Larry Nassar. Kathie Klages, 65, was found guilty of a felony and a misdemeanor for denying she knew of Nassar’s abuse prior to 2016, when survivors started to come forward publicly. Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison for molesting young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.