by Jacob Solis

INTERNATIONAL

Protest erupts in Turkey after dozens killed in bombings

Over a hundred people died and more than 250 were wounded in Ankara, Turkey, after two bombs detonated off during a peace rally Saturday morning. On Sunday, thousands took to the streets of Ankara in protest, blaming the deaths on the government of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

No one has taken responsibility for the bombings, but the common sentiment in Turkey is that the Turkish government is at least partially responsible. Allegations have arisen that point to too-little security on the morning of the bombings and that police who arrived on the scene fired teargas at grieving families, according to The Guardian. The Turkish government, however, is focusing investigations on the so-called Islamic State.

NATIONAL

House GOP thrown into disarray as Kevin McCarthy withdraws from speaker’s race

California Republican Kevin McCarthy withdrew from the race to replace current Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Thursday morning. The move came as a complete surprise during what was supposed to be a meeting that would’ve secured McCarthy as the nominee.  As a result, House Republicans have been thrown into chaos as no candidate left in the race has the 218 votes needed to secure the speakership.

In a news conference following the announcement, McCarthy said, “For us to unite, we probably need a fresh face.” He later added that he was “not that guy.”

McCarthy’s withdrawal came just a day after the House Freedom Caucus, a collection of roughly 40 far-right representatives, threw their support behind another candidate for speaker, Daniel Webster, R-Fla. For now, only Webster and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, remain in the speaker’s race, though many Republicans have been lobbying for Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to enter.

Ryan, who ran for vice president alongside Mitt Romney in 2012 and currently chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, has repeatedly affirmed that he does not want the job. Even so, McCarthy’s exit from the race has intensified pressures for Ryan to throw his hat in the ring.

Though Boehner had been set to leave the speakership at the end of the month, he has now promised to stay on as speaker until a new one is chosen.

LOCAL

Elko seeks injunction against BLM plan for land management

Elko County joined Eureka County and two private mining companies in a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday. The lawsuit comes in response to BLM’s proposed plans to limit the amount of development in the region in order to protect the habitat of sage grouse, a native bird, in the area.

According to the Elko Daily Free Press, BLM is being challenged over what’s been called its “draconian land use prohibitions and restrictions.” In particular, the plaintiffs of this case object to restrictions put over 19 million acres of land, which, according to them, would hurt development prospects.

The injunction is set to be heard on Nov. 12.

Jacob Solis can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.