5 Things to Know This Morning

5 Things to Know This Morning

ByABC News
October 16, 2013, 12:20 AM
Incoming Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., right, and incoming Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., talk during a photo opportunity on Capitol Hill, Nov. 15, 2006, in Washington.
Incoming Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., right, and incoming Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., talk during a photo opportunity on Capitol Hill, Nov. 15, 2006, in Washington.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

Oct. 16, 2013— -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.

1. Senate Leaders 'Very Close' to Debt, Shutdown Deal
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have re-opened negotiations on their bipartisan budget deal after House Republican proposals fell through.

2. Arrest in LA Airport Dry Ice Explosions
Dicarlo Bennett, a 28-year-old Servisair employee, has been arrested in connection with the dry ice explosion at Los Angeles International Airport.

3. Fitch Puts US Credit Rating on Negative Watch
The Fitch credit rating agency placed the U.S. on negative watch—a step preceding an actual downgrade—citing the impasse in Washington to raise the debt ceiling.

4. Police: Cal Ripken's Mom in Brush With Armed Man
Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken's mother was accosted by a man with a handgun in a Maryland parking lot. Police say 75-year-old Vi Ripken wasn't hurt and a suspect is in custody.

5. Monster 18-Foot Oarfish Called 'Discovery of a Lifetime'
An 18-foot-long oarfish was brought ashore off the Southern California coast—a find so rare the Catalina Island Marine Institute called it "a discovery of a lifetime."