Midday Roundup: Conservatives bemoan Boehner's budget deal

Lame duck dealing. Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he didn't want to leave a mess for his successor, but the budget deal he struck last night with President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders leaves the GOP caucus as frustrated and fractured as ever. The two-year deal avoids a government shutdown, but raises defense and national spending by $80 billion and lifts the national borrowing limit. Both moves are anathema to conservatives, who protested their lack of involvement in the negotiating process. Boehner’s method of concentrating power among party leaders and expecting rank-and-file members to follow along helped oust him from his leadership role. “We’re not just here to take commands,” said Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. “People back home expect us to participate in the process.” The GOP conference will vote on Boehner’s successor, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., tomorrow, with a floor vote scheduled for Thursday.

Making a point. Just weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping enjoyed an official state dinner at the White House, his foreign minister is excoriating the United States for intentionally sailing a warship within 12 miles of disputed territory in the South China Sea. China has been building islands on reefs in what used to be international waters, attempting to expand its influence and control in the region. The Chinese foreign minister called the USS Lassen’s recent tour a threat to Chinese sovereignty that could damage peace in the area, as well as U.S.-Chinese relations. U.S. officials insist they will send ships anywhere they are legally allowed to go. “Make no mistake: The United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as we do around the world, and the South China Sea is not and will not be an exception,” U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a recent speech in Boston.

Cleanup begins. The death toll from Monday’s earthquake in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan continues to rise. More than 300 people were killed when the 7.5-magnitude quake hit impoverished regions of the two countries. It shook buildings across South Asia and knocked out power and communications to already-isolated areas. The United States is flying surveillance and reconnaissance missions to survey the damage, giving the Afghan government better information about where to direct humanitarian aid and assistance. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has mobilized agencies to support government-led relief operations if asked. Even the region’s militant Islamic insurgents are pitching in. Taliban commanders have ordered their fighters not to interfere with aid efforts and to help victims when they can. The quake struck near Kunduz, where the Taliban temporarily set up shop earlier this month before being ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces.

Abortion and slavery. GOP White House hopeful Ben Carson riled abortion advocates this week when he likened abortion to slavery. In an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press, Carson said that during slavery, slave owners had the right to do what they wanted with their slaves—and he said that is exactly what abortion has become, with unborn lives devalued. Carson added he would like to see the Roe v. Wade decision entirely reversed. Carson does believe abortion may be acceptable in the rare instances of preserving the life of the mother but does not support any other exceptions. The retired neurosurgeon now stands in second place in national polls but has edged ahead of Donald Trump in Iowa. Two recent polls show Carson leading in the Hawkeye State heading into tomorrow’s presidential debate.

WORLD Radio's Mary Reichard contributed to this report.