Nation: President Obama is getting ready to bypass Congress as early as next week and order an overhaul of the immigration system that will protect five million illegal immigrants from deportation. One big feature will be to allow non-citizen parents of children born in the US to get legal permission to work without fear of being thrown out of the country. Obama has previously said he will act if Congress doesn’t, and if they come up with sensible reforms, their reforms will override his own.

On immigration, air pollution, and even the Internet, some angry Republicans say Obama is defying the will of voters who turned against the Democratic Party just last week.

Deep Freeze: Parts of New England can expect a dusting of snow todayas unusually cold weather covers 80 percent of the country. Snow also is falling in the West and the central plains. Missoula, Mt, 12; Steamboat Springs, Co., 26; Mobile, Ala., 36; Cleveland, OH, 26; Des Moines, 16.

Open House: A series of flaws, bumbles, equipment failures and a Secret Service officer too small to subdue the intruder led to him penetrating deep inside the White House, according to a Homeland Security report. The incident happened Sept. 19^th, when a disturbed veteran armed with a knife eluded several layers of security. Agents couldn’t see well at dusk, thick hedges failed to stop the intruder, and construction along the fence obscured the view. The Secret Service says the holes in security have been patched.

Ebola: Another doctor who caught the Ebola virus treating patients in Sierra Leone is heading to the Nebraska Medical Center this weekend. Martin Salia is a surgeon and Sierra Leone national who lives in the US.

Teacher’s Pet: Lawyers for the Los Angeles Unified School District made the unique argument in a civil lawsuit that a 14-year-old student was mature enough to consent to sex with her middle school math teacher. The girl and her family sued the school district, but lost the case. The story was revealed by reporter Karen Foshay at the public radio station KPCC in Pasadena. It’s settled law that minors are not considered mature enough to make such a decision, and that, for a teacher, sex with a child student is an abuse of power. Despite the school district being found not liable, the teacher was sent to jail.

Permawar: Iraqi officials say they have pushed Islamic State fighters out of the oil refinery town of Baiji, 130 miles north of Baghdad, an important win for the shaky Iraqi army.

Meanwhile Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was reported wounded or even killed a week ago, may at least be alive. In an audio recording released yesterday a man believed to be al-Baghdadi calls upon his followers to “Erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the Earth with fire.”

Comet: Operators of the comet lander have activated the robot’s exploration drills to take samples of the comet’s composition. It’s a risky move because the drills drain batteries and the comet landed in a place where it’s not getting enough sun to recharge. The European Space Agency fears that the lander that was supposed to operate for months could go dead as early as tonight.

Love and Money: Sue Ann Hamm, the ex-wife of Oklahoma oil billionaire Harold Hamm is appealing her $1 billion court-ordered divorce settlement. It’s not that it isn’t enough money, she says, but that it’s not a fair share of assets accumulated in 26 years of marriage. Harold Hamm’s company, Continental Resources, is worth about $14 billion and shrinking as world oil prices fall.

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