CORKER WEIGHS RETIREMENT
WASHINGTON» Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., is considering whether to run for re-election or retire, he said Monday, drawing fresh attention to a dilemma with far-reaching implications for his party.
Corker is an influential Republican who at times has clashed with President Donald Trump. If he retires, it probably would put a seat that analysts expect to stay in GOP hands into a more uncertain state. It also would mark the end of the tenure of a well-respected member of the Republican Party’s mainstream governing wing, which has frequently collided with Trump and his allies.
Corker’s latest input came on the same day that a fourth House Republican representing a closely divided district targeted by Democrats said that he intends to retire from Congress. Rep. Dave Trott, R-Mich., said in a statement that he would not seek another term representing his suburban Detroit district.
Catholic leaders decry Dems’ questioning of judicial pick.
WASHINGTON»
Roman Catholic leaders are objecting to Democratic senators’ line of questioning for one of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, arguing the focus on her faith is misplaced and runs counter to the Constitution’s prohibition on religious tests for political office.
The outcry stems from the questioning last week of Amy Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor tapped to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Democrats focused on whether her personal views would override her legal judgment, especially with respect to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
Police find nine dead, including suspect, at Dallas-area home.
PLANO,
TEXAS» Nine people, including a suspect who was fatally shot by an officer, have died after a man opened fire during a gathering to watch football at a suburban Dallas home, police said Monday.
An officer responding to a report of shots fired about 8 p.m. confronted the suspected shooter and opened fire, killing the suspect. Police then found the nine gunshot victims — seven were dead and two were taken to a hospital. Police Chief Gregory W. Rushin said Monday that one of two people hospitalized had died.
Death toll from southern Mexico’s big earthquake rises to 96.
JUCHITAN, MEXICO»
The death toll from Mexico’s 8.1 magnitude earthquake rose to 96 on Monday as more victims were confirmed in the hard-hit southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas and residents worked to repair shattered homes and small businesses.
The Foreign Relations Department said 95 people had died nationwide in Thursday’s quake. Then Chiapas civil defense director Luis Manuel Garcia Moreno said the number of deaths there had risen from 15 to 16. Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat said the toll in his state increased to 76, and officials have reported that four people were killed in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.
As funerals continued, teams of soldiers and federal police with shovels and sledgehammers fanned out to help demolish damaged buildings across the southern city of Juchitan, which was hit particularly hard.