WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: the Federal
Communications Commission rolled back Obama-era rules that safeguarded equal access to the
Internet. The so-called "net neutrality" guidelines
were repealed in a three to two vote along party lines. The decision grants more power to Internet
service providers like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T, allowing them to prioritize certain
Websites over others. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the move will also
increase competition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AJIT PAI, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
CHAIRMAN: By removing heavy-handed regulations that stand in the way of deploying digital
infrastructure, especially in rural and low income urban areas, Im also confident that
more consumers will enjoy better, faster and cheaper Internet access. (END VIDEO CLIP) WOODRUFF: New York's attorney general said
that he will lead a multi-state lawsuit to try to reverse the FCC's decision. In Southern California, the devastating "Thomas
Fire" is now the fourth largest in that states history. The wildfires already scorched more than 242,000
acres, and still threatens communities north of Los Angeles.
It's now only 30 percent contained. And today, it claimed a second life, a firefighter,
who died fighting the fire. Texas U.S. Representative, Republican Blake
Farenthold, says that he will not seek re-election when his term ends next year.
The announcement comes amid a swirl of claims
from former staffers accusing him of sexual misconduct. He's now the fourth member of Congress in
two weeks to announce resignation or retirement over sexual harassment allegations. Television host Tavis Smiley contends that
PBS, quote, "overreacted", in its decision to suspend distribution of his show, after
investigating misconduct claims against him. In a Facebook post, Smiley denied the allegations.
He said, quote: This has gone too far. And he vowed to fight back. A PBS spokeswoman said that the public broadcaster
stands by the investigation's integrity, after finding, quote, a pattern of multiple relationships
with subordinates, and other conduct inconsistent with PBS standards. Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock
confessed in an online post to sexual harassment, infidelity, and being accused of rape.
Spurlock said, quote: Ive come to understand
after months of these revelations, that I. Am not some innocent bystander. I am also a part of the problem. U.N.
Ambassador Nikki Haley called today for
a strong international response against what she called Iran's, destabilizing behavior. She accused Iran of fanning the flames of
conflict in the Middle East, flouting a U.N. Resolution. Haley spoke standing in front of what she
said were remnants of a missile she said Iran supplied to Houthi rebels in Yemen, that was
fired at a Saudi airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.:
This is absolutely terrifying. And this is why it has to stop. We have said multiple times that this is not
just about the nuclear program.
This is about everything else they're doing
because Iran believes that they have been given a pass. It is incumbent on the international community
to show not only are they not being given a pass, but all of these actions have to stop
and stop immediately. WOODRUFF: Iran's mission to the U.N. Claimed
that the missile on display was fabricated.
A Doctors Without Borders investigation has
found that at least 6,700 Rohingya Muslims were killed in majority Buddhist Myanmar in
August and September. More than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh
since August, to escape the brutal military crackdown. The aid group said Rohingya men, women and
children were, quote, routinely and systematically targeted because of their ethnicity. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NATALIE ROBERTS, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS:
Military soldiers, armed militias would come to their villages.
Some people would say that they would then
come and shoot people, individuals or in groups but also, that then there was elements of
sexual violence that was occurring as well or they would set fire to the houses and the
people living inside those houses would burn to death. (END VIDEO CLIP) WOODRUFF: Meanwhile, the United Nations' secretary
general is demanding the release of two "Reuters" journalists. They were arrested by Myanmar's security forces
while documenting the Rohingya crisis, and they could face up to 14 years in prison. Back in this country, the speaker of the U.S.
House, Paul Ryan, proposed a way to save the social safety net in the U.S.: Have more children.
Ryan said the government entitlement programs
like Medicare and Social Security were strained as millions of baby boomers retire or pass
away. The U.S. Birth rate plummeted to a record
low in 2016. The former start of the TV show "Apprentice"
spoke out today about leaving her position as a senior White House aide.
On ABC's "Good Morning America," Omarosa Manigault
Newman alluded to situations at the Trump White House that concerned her, as one of
only two African- American members of the senior staff. She denied reports that she was fired, but
teased that she has a story to tell. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OMAROSA MANIGAULT NEWMAN, WHITE HOUSE AIDE:
I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me
deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people. And when I can tell my story, it is a profound
story that I know the world will want to hear.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WOODRUFF: When asked about Manigault Newman's
concerns today, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, quote: it's something
that we take seriously and something that we want to see improve. And on Wall Street today, stocks took a downward
turn over lingering worries about last minute changes in the tax bill working its way to
Congress. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 76 points
to close at 24,508. The Nasdaq fell 19, and the S&P 500 slipped
nearly 11..
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