Speaker of the House John Boehner said Tuesday he supported President Barack Obama’s efforts for a military strike against Syria, which means the legislation before Congress has support from leaders in both parties. Administration officials also agreed Tuesday to rule out the use of U.S. combat troops in the potential retaliation to a suspected chemical weapons attack Aug. 21 that officials said killed 1,429 people.

A group of opponents to an Ohio law that effectively bans storefront sweepstakes parlors gathered enough signatures to keep the law from taking effect Wednesday. Local elections boards still need to verify the signatures to get a referendum on the ballot. Supporters say the law, which affects more than 620 Internet cafes in Ohio, is designed to regulate the industry and shut down “rogue operators.”

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Former NBA star Dennis Rodman says his visit to North Korea, which began Tuesday, is to hang out with leader Kim Jong Un and perhaps build some cultural bridges. Rodman said he will not be a diplomat and will not attempt to tackle the case of imprisoned U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae, whom a U.S. envoy planned to rescue during an official visit but saw the visit canceled by officials just days ago.

Microsoft bought cellphone provider Nokia for $7.2 billion late Monday. Microsoft is continuing its attempts to rebrand itself as more of a service provider on any device rather than a computer-specific software maker. Nokia’s patents, services and line of smartphones were all sold to Microsoft in the deal.

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Contact Carrie Blazina at [email protected].