Biggest news you missed this weekend
Hurricane Joaquin slams South Carolina:
While the South Carolina coast missed a direct hit from Hurricane Joaquin, the Category 4 storm has caused flash flooding, days of torrential rain and high winds that have left at least five motorists dead and thousands of residents stranded. President Obama approved federal disaster aid for South Carolina, where almost 100 roads and bridges are closed, and emergency management officials advised residents Sunday to "remain where you are if you are safely able to do so." Parts of Virginia and North Carolina are also facing flooding, high winds and rain.
Death toll rises after Afghanistan airstrike:
Doctors Without Borders withdrew Sunday from the northern Afghan city of Kunduz and increased to 22 the death toll from a U.S. airstrike that destroyed its hospital early Saturday. U.S. officials said the strike was conducted against Taliban insurgents who were firing on U.S. service members "in the vicinity" of the hospital. Afghan officials said insurgents were hiding in the hospital, which Doctors Without Borders denied. President Obama says he expects "a full accounting" from the Pentagon.
Hillary Clinton plays 'Val the bartender' on 'SNL'
Make hers a double: Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton helped kicked off Saturday Night Live's season but shed her usual political persona.
Another House speaker candidate steps up:
Don't get to know Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as your speaker of the House quite yet. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, announced Sunday that he will be running, too, which complicates expected McCarthy's path to succeeding Speaker John Bohener, who will step down at the end of the month. Chaffetz, who chairs the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, said on Fox News Sunday that he is getting support from within the party and doesn't think that McCarthy could get the votes needed. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., has said he is also running.
Four arrested for school shooting plot:
Four students were arrested Saturday after police discovered a shooting plot involving Summerville High School in Tuolumne, Calif. Among the evidence, deputies said they found a list of the names of the targeted victims. The students confessed. The arrests come as the nation mourns the mass shooting Thursday at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., that killed ten, including the shooter. The cause of death of the shooter was ruled a suicide Saturday.
An out-of-this-world box office showing:
Matt Damon and The Martian blasted to the top of the box office this weekend, making $55 million in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates. The Ridley Scott-directed film, about an astronaut stranded on Mars, came close to matching the record opening for October (2013's space-based Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock, which took $55.8 million). Paste BN critic Brian Truitt gives The Martian a rave 3 1/2 stars (out of four).
