IN THE NEWS TODAY
Republicans on Capitol Hill were set to vote today to catapult their sweeping $1.5 trillion tax legislation through the House. Quickly following, a vote later in the day or tomorrow is expected in the Senate to seal the deal.
GOP Sens. Mike Lee and Susan Collins said they will support the tax plan, solidifying party hopes to pass a bill to overhaul the American tax code. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who won't be seeking re-election next year, is the only GOP senator publicly undeclared. (AP & CNBC)
* Pence delays Mideast trip in case his vote is needed on the tax bill (CNBC)
* Poll: Early half of Americans oppose GOP tax bill ahead of final votes (CNBC)
House GOP lawmakers have unveiled legislation that would approve $81 billion in disaster aid for victims of recent storms. The move, however, drew a backlash from conservatives about its potential impact on the federal deficit. (WSJ)
Special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and alleged collusion by the Trump campaign will continue through 2018 "at a minimum," the Washington Post reports, citing sources.
The Trump administration publicly blamed North Korea for unleashing the so-called WannaCry cyberattack earlier this year, which crippled hospitals, banks and other companies across the globe. It infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries. (Reuters)
Iran said today President Trump could not cause its nuclear deal with six major powers to collapse. In October, Trump declined to certify that Iran was complying with the nuclear agreement. (Reuters)
Cooperation between China and the U.S. will lead to a win-win outcome for both sides, China said today, but added confrontation will result in mutual losses. The comment came after the United States branded it a competitor. (CNBC)
At least three people have died after an Amtrak train derailed near Seattle on Monday and landed on Interstate 5. The National Transportation Safety Board said the train was travelling 80 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone. (CNBC)
* Amtrak safety record under scrutiny even before deadly derailment (Reuters)
* Trump uses Amtrak crash to push infrastructure; then sends his condolences (CNBC)
Two new studies found that health treatment for African-Americans is often different than whites when they are dying, and that blacks report higher rates of discrimination when being treated for chronic diseases. (CNBC)
STOCKS TO WATCH
Jack in the Box (JACK) plans to sell its Qdoba restaurant franchise to private equity firm Apollo Global Management (APO) for about $305 million in cash. Jack in the Box acquired the fast casual Mexican food chain in 2003.
Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) agreed to be bought by McDermott International (MDR) in an all-stock transaction worth about $6 billion. The two companies provide construction and engineering services for the oil and gas industries.
MetLife (MET) is under scrutiny by regulators in both Massachusetts and New York, after the insurance company said last week that it had not paid pensions to thousands of retirees. MetLife did say the group missing out on payments represent less than 5 percent of those who receive some type of benefit from its retirement business, and that it's committed to fixing the issue.
Cars.com (CARS) now has activist investor Starboard Value as a 9.9 percent stakeholder. Starboard believes the online auto marketplace operator's stock is undervalued and that it can boost its profit margins, according to the Wall Street Journal. Cars.com was spun off from Tegna (TGNA), the company formerly known as Gannett.
Roku (ROKU) shares could get a boost after an SEC filing revealed that Morgan Stanley (MS) has a passive 5.1 percent stake in the maker of streaming media devices.
WATERCOOLER
NBC is reportedly in early talks to revive the popular American TV comedy "The Office." Actor Steve Carell, who portrayed the lead character for seven seasons before leaving, would apparently not be involved in the new installment. Comcast owns NBC and CNBC. (Variety)
There were nearly 7.2 million complaints about violations to the U.S. "Do Not Call" registry this year, a big surge from the more than 5.3 million complaints in 2016 and the the nearly 3.6 million complaints in 2015. (CNBC)