National News at a Glance

McCain Will Cease Treatment for Brain Cancer, Family Says

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has been battling brain cancer for more than a year, will no longer be treated for his condition, his family announced Friday, a sign that the Republican war hero is most likely entering his final days. McCain, 81, had been undergoing treatment since July 2017 and has been absent from Washington since December. McCain’s family has gathered in Arizona, and people close to him say his death is imminent. From his ranch in Arizona, McCain had managed to maintain a voice in key foreign policy and military policy debates.

Ohio Race Is Settled; Next Comes a Rematch

Republicans succeeded in holding on to a traditionally safe congressional district in Ohio on Friday when state Sen. Troy Balderson eked out a narrow victory over a Democratic challenger, Danny O’Connor, according to The Associated Press, in a special election whose result was too close to call for nearly three weeks. Balderson will hold the seat for just over two months before he faces O’Connor again in the general election in November. Party leaders celebrated Balderson’s win, but the nail-biting result — and the prospect of repeating the race so soon — amplified Republican anxieties about the midterm elections.

Former Head of CDC Arrested on Sex Abuse Charge

Dr. Thomas Frieden, who ran the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for eight years under President Barack Obama, was arrested in Brooklyn on Friday and charged with groping a woman in his apartment in October 2017, the police said. A 55-year-old woman came forward to police in July and said Frieden squeezed her buttocks against her will nine months earlier, on Oct. 20, police said. She told investigators the incident happened as she was leaving a gathering at Frieden’s residence. Frieden was arraigned Friday afternoon and released without bail. Neither he, nor his lawyer, Laura Brevetti, commented as they left the courthouse.

Hurricane Lane Stalls and Weakens but Threats Still Loom

As Hurricane Lane inched toward Hawaii on Friday, bringing landslides, floods and power failures, the mayor of Maui hoped for the last thing he expected to want: rain. Three fires had broken out in Maui, he said. By afternoon, two fires were contained but still burning; the third was about 40 percent contained. The hurricane was moving north at 2 mph Friday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. The National Weather Service downgraded it to a Category 1 but warned residents and visitors to gird themselves for a lengthy storm that could keep dumping rain on parts of the state until next week.

Maria Butina Did Not Use Sex in Covert Russian Plan, Her Lawyers Say

Federal prosecutors who said a Russian gun-rights activist traded sex as part of an influence campaign had only weak evidence to support that claim, the woman’s lawyers argued in court papers filed Friday. They said the government distorted years-old text messages from Maria Butina and quoted others out of context to trump up salacious allegations. It was all part of a “sexist smear” that spread widely and prejudiced public opinion against Butina, her lawyers argued. Butina was arrested last month and charged with acting as a covert Russian agent who got close to prominent American conservatives and infiltrated the National Rifle Association.

19 Noncitizens Voted Illegally in 2016 in North Carolina, U.S. Charges

Nineteen foreign nationals have been charged with illegally voting in the November 2016 election in North Carolina, the Justice Department said Friday. Nine of the 19 were also charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to get on voter rolls. A 20th man was charged with helping one of the foreigners falsely claim citizenship. The charges, listed in grand jury indictments issued last month, target citizens of 14 nations. At least nine lived in the United States as legal permanent residents. One other, Ramon Esteban Paez-Jerez of the Dominican Republic, had been deported in the 1980s but returned under a false identity and gained citizenship in 1999.