AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EST

Mixed signals sent on fate of tax bill’s health provision

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two of President Donald Trump’s leading economic advisers sent mixed signals Sunday on the fate of a health care provision in the Senate version of a $1.5 trillion measure to overhaul business and personal income taxes that is expected to be voted on after Thanksgiving.

The provision to repeal a requirement that everyone in the U.S. have insurance has emerged as a major sticking point for Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who has said that issue should be dealt with separately from the push by Trump and fellow Republicans to overhaul the tax code.

Collins’ vote is crucial in a chamber where Republicans hold a slim 52-48 edge.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has already declared his opposition to the bill, saying last week that it doesn’t cut business taxes enough for partnerships and corporations. GOP Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee, John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona, and Rand Paul of Kentucky also have concerns about the bill.

Republicans cannot afford to lose more than two senators on the final vote, which would allow Vice-President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking 51st vote in his capacity as president of the Senate. Democrats are not expected to support the bill, as was the case when the House passed its version last week.

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Zimbabwe president defies mounting pressure to leave office

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe defied calls to quit Sunday, saying he will preside over a ruling party congress in December in an announcement that could trigger impeachment proceedings this week and more protests demanding his ouster.

In a televised address, the 93-year-old Mugabe acknowledged what he said were “a whole range of concerns” of Zimbabweans about the chaotic state of the government and the economy, but he stopped short of what many people in the southern African nation were hoping for — a statement that he was resigning after nearly four decades in power.

The once-formidable Mugabe is now a virtually powerless, isolated figure, making his continued incumbency all the more unusual and extending Zimbabwe’s political limbo. He is largely confined to his private home by the military. The ruling party has fired him from his leadership post, and huge crowds poured into the streets of Harare, the capital, on Saturday to demand that he leave office.

Yet the president sought to project authority in his speech, which he delivered after shaking hands with security force commanders, one of whom leaned over a couple of times to help Mugabe find his place on the page he was reading.

The Central Committee of the ruling ZANU-PF party voted to dismiss Mugabe as party leader at a meeting earlier Sunday and said impeachment proceedings would begin if he does not resign by noon Monday. Mugabe made no reference to the party moves against him, instead saying he would play a leading role in a party congress planned for Dec. 12-17.

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10 Things to Know for Monday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. SEVERAL GOP SENATORS REMAIN TAX BILL SKEPTICS

Sen. Susan Collins is critical of a plan to repeal a key Obamacare provision as part of the $1.5 trillion tax bill, while Sens. Ron Johnson, Bob Corker and John McCain have other misgivings.

2. WHY TRUMP ISN’T STUMPING FOR MOORE

The president hasn’t campaigned for Roy Moore because of “discomfort” over sexual assault claims against the Ala. senate candidate, an aide says.

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Trump era sparks new debate about nuclear war authority

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s hard to overstate how thoroughly the U.S. military has prepared for doomsday — the day America gets into a nuclear shooting war.

No detail seems to have been overlooked. There’s even a designated “safe escape” door at the nuclear-warfighting headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska, through which the four-star commander would rush to a getaway plane moments before the first bomb hit.

Procedures are in place for ensuring U.S. nuclear weapons are ready for a presidential launch order in response to — or in anticipation of — a nuclear attack by North Korea or anyone else. There are backup procedures and backups for the backups.

And yet fundamental aspects of this nightmare sequence remain a mystery.

For example, what would happen if an American president ordered a nuclear strike, for whatever reason, and the four-star general at Strategic Command balked or refused, believing it to be illegal?

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Official says Trump doesn’t know who to believe about Moore

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump doesn’t know who to believe about sexual misconduct allegations involving Roy Moore, but isn’t campaigning for his party’s Senate candidate in Alabama because of “discomfort” with the claims made by a number of women, aides said Sunday.

One Republican senator urged Alabama voters to reject Moore in the Dec. 12 election even if that could mean ceding the seat to a Democrat and narrowing the GOP’s 52-48 Senate edge. A second GOP lawmaker suggested there was “a strong possibility” that a write-in candidate — “a proven conservative” — could win, though no name was mentioned and Moore has rejected the idea of quitting.

Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice twice removed from office, has denied the accusations that have surfaced only recently about incidents said to have occurred decades ago, and pledged to remain in the race.

The special election will determine who fills the remainder of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ term, until January 2020.

White House aides said Trump had “serious concerns” about Moore, but that Alabamans should decide Moore’s fate against Democrat Doug Jones, a former prosecutor.

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German government talks collapse; Merkel seeks to reassure

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged early Monday to maintain stability after the Free Democratic Party pulled out of talks on forming a new government with her conservative bloc and the left-leaning Greens, raising the possibility of new elections.

Merkel told reporters that the parties had been close to reaching a consensus on how to proceed with formal coalition talks but that the Free Democrats decided abruptly to pull out just before midnight Sunday — a move she said she respected, but found “regrettable.”

She said she would consult with Germany’s president later in the day to brief him on the negotiations and discuss what comes next.

Without bringing the Free Democrats back to the table, Merkel will be forced to try to continue her current governing coalition with the Social Democrats, although that centre-left party has said it will not do so, or she could try to form a minority government, which was seen as unlikely. Otherwise Germany will have to hold new elections.

“It is at least a day of deep reflection on how to go forward in Germany,” Merkel said. “But I will do everything possible to ensure that this country will be well led through these difficult weeks.”

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APNewsBreak: Neurologist faces sex allegations in 3 states

A prominent neurologist, already charged with groping patients at a Philadelphia clinic, is facing a growing number of accusations that he preyed on especially vulnerable pain patients at medical facilities in three states, using his impressive reputation as a healer to trap women in long-term doctor-patient relationships marked by abuse.

At least 17 women in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey have stepped forward to accuse Dr. Ricardo Cruciani of sexual misconduct that goes back at least a dozen years, either reporting him to police or retaining an attorney to pursue civil claims, according to an Associated Press review of documents and interviews with the lawyer and three of the accusers.

Women who say they were sexually abused by Cruciani tell the AP they felt they had no alternative but to continue seeing the Ivy League-trained neurologist, who specializes in rare, complicated syndromes that produce debilitating pain. Trapped in bodies that didn’t work, the women said, they viewed Cruciani as their only hope of getting better — and he knew it, taking advantage of their desperation.

Now, as police and prosecutors open a second investigation into Cruciani, some of the accusers and their lawyer want to know how closely the 63-year-old pain doctor was supervised and whether he could have been stopped sooner.

“These hospitals created this perfect storm of opportunity for him to victimize so many patients,” said Hillary Tullin, who saw Cruciani for years and said she was victimized repeatedly. “The system failed.”

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Tambor doesn’t see how he can return to ‘Transparent’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Following two allegations of sexual harassment against him, actor Jeffrey Tambor says he doesn’t see how he can return to the Amazon series “Transparent.”

In an ambiguous statement Sunday that heavily implies, though doesn’t confirm, an imminent departure from the Emmy-winning series, Tambor referenced what he calls a “politicized atmosphere” that has afflicted the set. He said that this is “no longer the job I signed up for four years ago.”

Two women have come forward over the past few weeks to accuse Tambor of sexual harassment, including “Transparent” actress Trace Lysette and his former assistant, who Tambor said was disgruntled.

“I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue,” Tambor said Sunday.

He has repeatedly denied the allegations made against him, which are both under investigation by Amazon Studios. Representatives for Amazon did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment.

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Clarkson, Pink honour victims of hurricanes, violence at AMAs

Kelly Clarkson and Pink kicked off the 2017 American Music Awards paying tribute to those affected this year by hurricanes, gun violence, hate crimes and other tragic events.

Before the pop stars sang R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” on Sunday, Jamie Foxx said this year “we needed the power of music to help us escape the news of the day … to help us heal.”

First responders stood behind the actor at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, earning loud applause from the audience.

“Together we can unite as a people and as a nation,” Foxx said.

Imagine Dragons echoed the positive vibes when the band won the first award of the night for favourite pop/rock duo or group.

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Rams-Vikings highlights early slate of Week 11 games

The highlight of Week 11 in the NFL includes a trip by the Rams to face the Vikings and a showdown between the Raiders and Patriots in Mexico City.

The Rams and Vikings are both 7-2 and barrelling toward the playoffs. Los Angeles has emerged as an offensive juggernaut behind quarterback Jared Goff, while the Vikings have one of the league’s most opportunistic defences.

The Saints go for their eighth straight win when they play the Redskins. The Chiefs return from a week off to visit the Giants. The Ravens head to chilly Lambeau Field to face the Packers, while the Lions face the Bears.

The Jaguars are visiting the winless Browns and the Cardinals are visiting the Texans.

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