Dorothy Abernathy, regional media director of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers:
. ASSAD MEETS PUTIN IN MOSCOW
This is the first known trip abroad for Syria’s embattled leader since the civil war erupted in his country in 2011.
2. AP FOLLOWS MIGRANT’S ‘JOURNEY OF DEATH INTO LIFE’
Mohammed al-Haj’s trek from war-torn Syria to Germany is part of an historic movement of humanity: More than 600,000 people this year have crossed land and sea, seeking sanctuary in Europe.
3. WHAT REP. RYAN SAYS ABOUT HOUSE LEADERSHIP POST
The Wisc. Republican suggests he will seek the speakership role if fellow GOP lawmakers unite behind him.
4. NEW PM PROMISES POLICY DEPARTURES IN POST-HARPER CANADA
Justin Trudeau’s victory over the most conservative leader in the Canadian history will reverberate beyond the country’s borders – the Liberal Party chief says he will remove six fighter jets from the U.S.-led bombing campaign against IS.
5. WHO CAUSES UPROAR BY LINKING PALESTINIANS TO HOLOCAUST
Netanyahu is under fire for suggesting that a World War II Palestinian leader convinced the Nazis to adopt their Final Solution to exterminate European Jews – a claim historians flatly reject.
6. WHY KOREAN REUNIONS MIGHT NOT HELP FAMILIES CATCH UP
South Koreans who’ve attended the past events say there are strict rules when talking with relatives from the authoritarian North.
7. AFTER DEBATE, VOTERS SAY CLINTON MOST ELECTABLE
Strong majorities of Democrats are viewing her favorably and more saying she can win the White House than any of her rivals, a new AP-GfK poll suggests.
8. NEW YORK CITY POLICE OFFICER DIES AFTER BEING SHOT IN HEAD
Randolph Holder, 33, is the fourth law enforcer murdered in the city in the last 11 months.
9. IT’S TIME FOR ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ DAY
Wednesday marks the date — Oct. 21, 2015 — when the characters Marty McFly, Emmett “Doc” Brown and Jennifer Parker journeyed from 1985 to 2015 in the sci-fi film trilogy’s second installment in 1989.
10. NO SIGN OF STEVE BARTMAN AT WRIGLEY FIELD
He is the most infamous Chicago Cubs fan, blamed by many for destroying dreams the same way Mrs. O’Leary’s cow is blamed for destroying the city more than a century earlier.