WASHINGTON
Congress readies measure
Republicans and Democrats put finishing touches Tuesday on a $6.3 billion medical research bill as GOP leaders prepared to try pushing the measure through the lame-duck Congress by next week. The White House said it backs the measure, all but ensuring its approval. Government drug approvals would be accelerated, there would be more money for biomedical research — including on cancer, a priority for the White House and Vice President Joe Biden — and there would be added funds for battling abuse of addictive drugs like opioids. The House was planning to consider the 996-page package Wednesday, with Senate action expected next week.
CHICAGO
Protesters rally in cities
Dozens of people were arrested Tuesday as they participated in protests nationwide for a $15 per hour minimum wage. Fast-food restaurant workers and home and child-care workers rallied in cities including Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. In Chicago, hundreds of protesters at O’Hare International Airport chanted outside terminals: “What do we want? $15! When do we want it? Now!” Detroit police say they arrested about 40 protesters who blocked traffic.
YARNELL, Ariz.
Park dedicated to crew
A memorial park and a hiking trail were dedicated Tuesday to 19 elite Arizona wildland firefighters who died in 2013 in a brush-choked box canyon while battling one of the state’s most devastating wildfires. Relatives of the Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighting team gathered at a trailhead for the somber ceremony dedicating the site as an Arizona state park.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
Blood drinker is stabbed
A 19-year-old Springfield woman allowed her intoxicated boyfriend to cut her arm and drink her blood while discussing vampires, and then stabbed him during an ensuing argument, according to police. Victoria Vanatter pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action in connection with the Nov. 23 incident. She remained jailed Tuesday on $150,000 bond. Her court-appointed public defender declined to comment on the case Tuesday, saying he had not yet spoken with Vanatter. Officers responding to Vanatter’s 911 call said they found the bloodied couple and a heart drawn in blood on a wall.
Compiled from wire reports