After 'Killing' AOC In Video, Congressman Earns House Censure

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ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Thursday, Nov. 18, and today is an astronomical day — one where skywatchers across the country will get to witness the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century. Get your naps in now before heading to your watch parties — but before then, catch up on the headlines we’re following today:

• In a rare move, the U.S. House voted to censure a member who posted a violent video depicting him killing another lawmaker.
• Deliberations continued Wednesday in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.
• More than 50 years after his death, two of Malcolm X’s killers are set to be exonerated.
• A Maryland resident who recently returned from Nigeria has been diagnosed with monkeypox.

In a rare rebuke, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to censure Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona for posting an animated video that depicted him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword, a move that highlights the political strains testing Washington and the country.

Calling the video a clear threat to a lawmaker's life, Democrats argued Gosar's conduct would not be tolerated in any other workplace — and shouldn't be in Congress.

Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the vote an "abuse of power," while Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the actions of Gosar “demand a response.”

Ocasio-Cortez herself said in an impassioned speech, "When we incite violence with depictions against our colleagues, that trickles down to violence in this country. And that is where we must draw the line." » House Censures AZ Rep. Gosar For Violent Video In Rare Rebuke, via Phoenix Patch

Fight For Gun Was 'Life Or Death'

The man who shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery was the first witness to take the stand Wednesday afternoon, describing his struggle with the slain Black man in the trial in which he and two other white men face murder charges.

Travis McMichael told the jury the apex of their attempts to corral the man he and his father, Gregory McMichael, believed had been breaking into homes was when he came face-to-face with Arbery, and he believed the Black 25-year-old was trying to take his shotgun. » Arbery Shooter Travis McMichael Calls Fight For Gun Life Or Death, via Atlanta Patch

No Verdict Yet In Rittenhouse Trial

Jury deliberations continued Wednesday in the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial. The panel, which is made up of seven men and five women, resumed discussing the case around 9 a.m. following eight hours of deliberations on Tuesday. They are tasked with deciding whether Rittenhouse acted in self-defense in the shootings of three protesters — two fatally — on Aug. 25, 2020. » Jury Deliberations Continue In Kyle Rittenhouse Case, via Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant, Wisconsin, Patch

• RELATED: Rittenhouse Verdict Comes Amid A Fraught Gun Landscape

Malcolm X Killers Will Be Exonerated

Two men who were convicted more than 50 years ago for assassinating Malcolm X in Harlem will be exonerated, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Wednesday, a stunning move that upends the official narrative about who was responsible for the civil rights leader's 1965 killing. » Men Convicted In Malcolm X Assassination To Be Exonerated, via Harlem Patch

Deer ‘Prays’ On Opening Day

While the puns are endless, what happened Monday at a church in Sturgis, Michigan, is no joke. A frantic 10-point buck trapped in the auditorium at Grace Christian Fellowship Church was literally climbing the walls when the Rev. Amanda Eicher and her family walked in.

The buck "had come into prayer in the auditorium on opening day of gun season," the church wrote on Facebook. » 10-Point Buck Goes To Church On The Opening Day Of Gun Season, via Grand Rapids Patch

More national headlines on Across America Patch and others:

• U.S. Overdose Deaths Topped 100K In One Year, Officials Say
• How A Right-Wing Provocateur Is Using Race To Reach Gen Z
• U.S. Invests In Production To Boost Global Vaccine Sharing
• Egg McMuffin Turns 50, And McDonald's Drops The Price To 63 Cents
• Leonid Meteors, Rich In Fireballs, Peak Ahead Of Lunar Eclipse
• As Disney Cruise Line Relaunches, COVID-19 Vaccines Required For Guests 5 And Older, via Orlando Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

An assistant professor who teaches sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University is on administrative leave after saying it isn't necessarily immoral for adults to be sexually attracted to children, via Norfolk, Virginia Patch

A College of Staten Island student has filed a federal lawsuit against his school after he received an A- grade instead of an A, via New York City Patch

A Maryland resident who recently returned from Nigeria has been diagnosed with monkeypox, via Baltimore Patch

More local news:

• Iconic Mel Blanc Items Up For Grab At Auction, via Beverly Hills Patch
• Earthquakes Strikes California’s Tri-Valley Wednesday, via San Ramon Patch
• After Woman Killed In Baltimore Church, State Offers $100K Reward, via Baltimore Patch
• 3 Indicted For Trafficking 'Ghost Guns' From Pennsylvania To NJ, via Gloucester Township Patch
• LGBTQ-Themed Memoir 'Gender Queer' Stirs Debate, via Downers Grove, Illinois, Patch
• After Unsuccessful Ivermectin Lawsuit, South FL Teacher Dies From COVID-19, via Miami Patch
• Satanic Temple's SatanCon 2022 Coming To Scottsdale, via Scottsdale, Arizona, Patch
• California Monarch Butterflies Fluttering Back After Record Low, via Santa Cruz Patch
• Ghostbusters Ectomobile Replica Created By Seminole Fan, via Pinellas Beaches, Florida, Patch
• Defense Dept. To Send Medical Staff To MN Amid COVID-19 Surge, via Southwest Minneapolis Patch

House Hunting

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This Day In History

In 1963, the first push-button — or Touch-Tone — telephones debuted in the United States, eventually replacing most rotary-dial models.

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