Wednesday, November 10th, 2021 

China reports an outbreak of African swine fever at a pig farm that contains 1,063 animals in the island province of Hainan. (U.S. News and World Report) 

Japan announces that it will cull 143,000 chickens after reporting an outbreak of the “highly pathogenic avian influenza” at a poultry farm in Yokote, Akita Prefecture. (The Himalayan Times) 

GE to split into 3 companies General Electric said Tuesday it would split into three companies. The plan to break up the more than century-old American manufacturing icon was part of an effort to stabilize the troubled company that was unveiled three years ago. GE already has sold off its locomotive and home appliances business, and most of its once-huge financial services arm, which dragged down the company after the 2008 financial crisis. It also has spun off its oil-and-gas business operations. The remaining three businesses — aviation, healthcare, and power — will be transformed into three publicly traded companies. “This is the best way to fully realize the potential of these businesses,” CEO Larry Culp said. GE shares gained 2 percent Tuesday afternoon following the announcement. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Oklahoma high court tosses $465 million J&J opioid ruling The Supreme Court of Oklahoma on Tuesday threw out a landmark 2019 ruling that called for Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million to help it address the opioid epidemic. The 5-to-1 decision found that Johnson & Johnson can’t be held liable for its role in the crisis. The ruling came less than two weeks after a California judge invalidated another decision seeking to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the aggressive marketing of highly addictive opioids. Oklahoma had argued that J&J violated “public nuisance” laws by exaggerating the benefits of its prescription opioid painkillers and downplaying the risks. The state’s high court said the laws weren’t meant to apply to such a big public crisis. NPR 

Shailene Woodley rips the ‘sh—y media’ amid Aaron Rodgers controversy  Shailene Woodley went off against the “sh—y media” in defense of her fiancé, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, amid major backlash to revelations that he’s unvaccinated. The Divergent star posted on her Instagram Story on Tuesday to request everyone “calm the f— down,” claiming news outlets are “STILL grasping at straws to disparage Aaron.” Specifically, she called out a report featuring photos supposedly of the NFL star grabbing coffee in Los Angeles after recently contracting COVID-19, even though Woodley says this was actually just some random man and not Rodgers. “I know Aaron’s body,” Woodley wrote. “VERY well. First off, his feet, ahem and no offense to this rando dude, are a LOT bigger. ;).” Please, don’t go on!  E! ONLINE 

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki blames Russian President Vladimir Putin for orchestrating the migrant crisis on the Belarus–Poland border, saying that the crisis “has its mastermind in Moscow”. (BBC News) 

Prosecution rests, defense calls 1st witness in Rittenhouse trial Prosecutors rested their case in the murder trial of teenager Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people and wounded another when he clashed with people protesting the police shooting and wounding of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse, now 18, killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, after going to Kenosha, Wisconsin, from his home in Illinois and wandering the streets with an assault-style semiautomatic rifle, ostensibly to protect property from protesters. Rittenhouse says he acted in self-defense. The defense team’s first witness was with Rittenhouse and other armed men who said they were protecting a car dealership. REUTERS 

Squid Game creator has ‘no choice’ but to make another season A second season of Squid Game has the green light, according to creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. “There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season,” Hwang told The Associated Press. “So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” He added, “There will indeed be a second season.” For those just joining us from underneath a rock, the South Korean series has become an absolute phenomenon, scoring Netflix’s biggest debut ever. Though Hwang previously said it was “quite tiring just thinking about” making another season, he’s now in the “planning process,” and he confirmed Lee Jung-jae will be back as Seong Gi-hun. “He will do something for the world,” Hwang said.  VARIETY

Pete Davidson hints at the Kim Kardashian dating rumors Are Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian a thing? Seth Meyers didn’t quite ask the comedian that question Monday, but the two had fun hinting at the rumors. “I want to address something,” Meyers said. “I feel like I want to confirm if it’s real or a rumor.” The Late Night audience grew audibly excited about where this was going, and after saying he’s been “wanting to talk about this,” Davidson confirmed, “It is true.” Specifically, he said, what’s true is that “I do have a show on Tubi coming out” — though “a lot of people are shocked that I could get on a show like Tubi.” Uh-huh, and you held hands with the Tubi show on a rollercoaster, right?   ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Miller, McEnany  The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack on Tuesday issued another round of subpoenas to top aides of former President Donald Trump. The 10 people targeted included some of Trump’s highest-ranking White House staff members, including adviser Stephen Miller, senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, and former Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. McEnany’s subpoena focused on her statements pushing Trump’s baseless voter fraud claims, which the committee said “individuals who attacked the U.S. Capitol echoed on Jan. 6.” The committee demanded testimony from another six Trump allies on Monday. “We need to know precisely what role the former president and his aides played in efforts to stop the counting of the electoral votes,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).CNN 

Watchdog finds 13 Trump aides violated Hatch Act Thirteen of former President Donald Trump’s top aides illegally campaigned for him in violation of a law prohibiting federal workers from abusing their positions to help candidates, the Office of Special Counsel Henry Kerner said in a report released Tuesday. Kerner said Trump’s advisers, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief of staff Mark Meadows, committed “myriad” violations in “willful disregard for the law” known as the Hatch Act, in some cases up to days before the November 2020 election. “Senior Trump administration officials chose to use their official authority not for the legitimate functions of the government, but to promote the re-election of President Trump in violation of the law,” the report found. Trump representatives did not immediately comment. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

U.N. researchers warn temperature rise set to exceed target Global temperatures are on a path to rise to 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, United Nations scientists warned Tuesday at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. That much of an increase in average global temperatures exceeds the world’s shared target by a full degree Celsius, and could result in catastrophic damage from climate change, scientists say. In their preliminary analysis, the U.N. researchers determined there is a huge divide between countries’ vows to reach net zero carbon emissions around 2050 and their more immediate plans for concrete actions to cut greenhouse-gas pollution. The Earth already is 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than it was before the Industrial Revolution. THE WASHINGTON POST 

E.U. close to imposing tougher sanctions against Belarus The European Union plans to tighten sanctions against Belarus, which it accused of “inhuman, gangster-style” actions on the country’s border with Poland. The E.U. said the government of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made false promises to Middle Eastern refugees of an easy migration path into Western Europe across Belarus’ border into Poland. The Polish government accused Belarus of weaponizing migrants to destabilize Poland, and released videos on Tuesday showing migrants trying to knock down makeshift fences along the border, where thousands have gathered seeking to illegally cross into Poland. The State Department said the U.S. stands with NATO allies Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia as they faced “unacceptable actions” by Belarus.  BLOOMBERGBBC NEWS 

Judge rules House Jan. 6 panel can get Trump records U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., ruled late Tuesday that hundreds of pages of former President Donald Trump’s White House records can be handed over to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by a mob of Trump’s supporters. The House panel and the Justice Department argued that finding “the causes underlying the January 6 attack is a matter of unsurpassed public importance because such information relates to our core democratic institutions,” Chutkan wrote. “The court agrees.” Trump, whom the panel suspects of fomenting the insurrection, objects to the release of the documents, claiming executive privilege. His lawyers immediately appealed Chutkan’s ruling, seeking to prevent the National Archives from handing over the documents pending a ruling by a federal appeals court. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven resigns after seven years in the office, although he will remain in office ad interim until a new government is formed. Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson, who succeeded Löfven as leader of the Social Democratic Party on 4 November, is expected to become the first female prime minister in the country’s history. (ABC News) 

Pelosi calls for McCarthy to condemn Gosar over video House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to condemn Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) for tweeting an animated video depicting himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and attacking President Biden. Twitter has since flagged the post as a violation of the platform’s “hateful conduct” rules. “Threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President of the United States must not be tolerated,” Pelosi wrote on Twitter, saying that McCarthy should “join in condemning this horrific video and call on the Ethics Committee and law enforcement to investigate.” A group of other Democratic lawmakers issued a joint statement asking McCarthy to take action against Gosar. NANCY PELOSITHE HILL 

Emilio Estevez swears he’s ‘not anti-vaxx’ Emilio Estevez vehemently denied a report suggesting he’s not returning to the Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers because of the show’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The actor insisted in a lengthy statement to Deadline he’s “not anti-vaxx” and isn’t taking “an anti-vaccine position.” Instead, he said his departure was because of a “good old fashioned contract dispute” and involved a “myriad of creative differences.” In fact, Estevez promised he’s taken the pandemic “very seriously,” to the point that he was reluctant to shoot the first season last year, and he revealed he suffered from a long-haul case of COVID-19 himself. One thing suspiciously absent from the actor’s nearly 700 word statement, though, was confirmation that he’s been vaccinated against COVID-19.   DEADLINE 

Pfizer asks FDA to approve its booster for all adults Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand authorization of their coronavirus booster shot to cover all adults. If approved, the change could significantly broaden the pool of fully vaccinated people eligible to get another dose to increase protection against COVID-19, which is shown to wane months after vaccination. Because the federal government has backed mixing and matching vaccines made by different companies, all adults who got the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson could get a Pfizer booster. An advisory board of outside experts recommended that the FDA limit emergency authorization of Pfizer’s booster to those 65 and older or at high risk of COVID-19 due to medical conditions or jobs, covering 60 percent of the population. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Tom Holland promises ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is ‘not fun’  Looking to have fun watching the new Spider-Man movie? According to Tom Holland, you’re not in luck! Holland teased next month’s Spider-Man: No Way Home to Total Film by declaring that what ” people will be really surprised about is that it’s not fun.” He described the sequel as “dark” and “sad,” featuring characters going through “things that you would never wish for them to go through.” To be clear, he means this in a good way, considering he boldly described No Way Home as the “best Spider-Man film that we’ve ever made.” But Holland added, “It’s going to be brutal.” If those rumors that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are coming back really aren’t true, it certainly will be. GAMESRADAR 

Rivian IPO pricing values electric truck maker at $70 billion Electric truck and van maker Rivian Automotive said in a securities filing Tuesday that it was pricing its highly anticipated initial public offering at $78 per share. Rivian stock (RIVN) debuts Wednesday on the Nasdaq exchange. The price, which exceeded recently raised expectations, promised to raise nearly $12 billion and put the company’s value at nearly $70 billion, approaching that of Ford Motor, which has a market capitalization of $80 billion and sold more than four million vehicles last year. Before the IPO, Rivian raised $10 billion from Amazon, Ford, and other investors. The company needs billions to ramp up production of its upscale pickup, an SUV, and a delivery van it developed with Amazon, which has ordered 100,000 of the vehicles. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Tesla stock plunges further after Musk proposes share sale Tesla shares continued to fall on Tuesday following CEO Elon Musk’s proposal to sell 10 percent of his shares. The electric car company’s stock closed down by 13 percent, its biggest single-day drop of the year. The decline followed a nearly 5 percent decline on Monday. Tesla shares are still up by more than 47 percent this year, and have more than doubled in the last year as the company widened its profit margins, ramped up production, and got through a computer-chip shortage with less damage than rivals. Musk reportedly faces a massive tax bill due to an expected windfall as he sells stock options he received instead of a salary in 2012. REUTERSCNBC 

Pfizer asks FDA to approve its booster for all adults Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand authorization of their coronavirus booster shot to cover all adults. If approved, the change could significantly broaden the pool of fully vaccinated people eligible to get another dose to increase protection against COVID-19, which wanes months after vaccination. Because the federal government has backed mixing and matching vaccines made by different companies, all adults who got the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson could get a Pfizer booster. An advisory board of outside experts recommended that the FDA limit emergency authorization of Pfizer’s booster to those 65 and older or at high risk of COVID-19 due to medical conditions or jobs, covering 60 percent of the population. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

The lawyer for American journalist Danny Fenster says that Myanmar’s authorities have charged him with terrorism and sedition, in addition to three charges that he had already been facing. His lawyer says that, under counterterrorism law, Fenster faces life imprisonment. (Al Jazeera) 

President Emmanuel Macron announces that beginning from December 15, people aged above 65 years old will be required to receive the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to maintain their Health Pass. He also announces that people aged 50 to 64 years old will become eligible for the booster dose from early December. (CNBC) 

Health Secretary Sajid Javid announces that frontline NHS workers in England will be required to be vaccinated beginning in April 2022 in order to keep their jobs or risk being fired. (Sky News) 

Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for the first time since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war ten years ago, to discuss “ways to develop cooperation in different sectors that are of common interest”. (France 24) 

Man wounded by Rittenhouse testifies in murder trialA protester and volunteer medic wounded by Kyle Rittenhouse in a Kenosha, Wisconsin, racial-justice protest testified Monday that he unintentionally pointed his own gun at Rittenhouse when the teen shot him in the arm. Gaige Grosskreutz said in Rittenhouse’s murder trial that he drew his pistol after Rittenhouse fatally shot two other protesters in the summer of 2020. “I thought the defendant was an active shooter,” Grosskreutz, 27, said, and that “I was going to die.” Grosskreutzc conceded to Rittenhouse’s lawyers that Rittenhouse didn’t fire until he drew his gun. Rittenhouse, now 18, says he went to Kenosha from his home in Illinois to protect private property during the demonstrations that erupted after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white Kenosha police officer. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Vin Diesel asks The Rock to make a ‘Fast & Furious’ return: ‘Fulfill your destiny’ Has the time come for a family reunion? In a hilariously dramatic Instagram post on Sunday, Vin Diesel asked “my little brother” Dwayne Johnson to return to the Fast & Furious series for the upcoming 10th film, declaring, “You must show up.” Diesel and The Rock, of course, have been in a feud for years that got so bad they couldn’t even film scenes together, and in July, Johnson said he had no plans to return for Fast 10 or Fast 11. But Diesel appealed to Johnson by writing, “Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.” Can he convince The Rock to finally come back?  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

 
Obama slams Trump over hostility toward climate science Former President Barack Obama returned to the world stage on Monday at the United Nations’ COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, saying that there had been some progress in the fight against global warming despite four years of “active hostility toward climate science” from the Trump administration and other Republicans. Obama also accused China and Russia of showing a “dangerous lack of urgency” toward cutting their greenhouse gas emissions. Obama said “we are nowhere near where we need to be” in the fight to avoid the most catastrophic damage from climate change by keeping temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. “There are times where I am doubtful that humanity can get its act together before it’s too late,” Obama said, but “we can’t afford hopelessness.” NPR 

Most Americans think Biden hasn’t focused on key problems Fifty-eight percent of respondents in a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS said that President Biden hadn’t paid enough attention to America’s most important problems. More than a third of respondents said the economy was the nation’s most urgent problem. Among those people, 72 percent said Biden hadn’t been attentive enough to the most important matters. Among the 20 percent who said the coronavirus pandemic was the No. 1 problem, the numbers were essentially reversed, with 79 percent saying Biden was setting priorities right. More broadly, 48 percent of adults said they approved of Biden’s job performance, while 52 percent disapproved. The poll was conducted before Congress passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill. CNN 

Trump says he’ll ‘probably’ announce 2024 plans after midterms Former President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview broadcast Monday that he would “probably” announce whether he would run for the White House in 2024 after the 2022 midterm elections. “I am certainly thinking about it and we’ll see,” Trump said. He added that the fact that he is entertaining the possibility of running again “doesn’t mean I will.” He has repeatedly suggested he might try a comeback since leaving office in January, and demonstrated his enduring hold on the Republican base by endorsing some Republican candidates and holding campaign-style rallies. Some political analysts have said that Trump would make it harder for Democrats to make him an issue in the midterms if he is still on the sidelines. THE HILL 

The death toll from the fuel tanker explosion in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which occurred four days ago, rises to 115. (Reuters) 

Russia reports a record 1,211 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours after lifting workplace shutdown, bringing the nationwide death toll to 249,215. (The Moscow Times) 

Human rights organizations urge Singapore to cancel the execution of a 33-year-old Malaysian mentally impaired man who was convicted after being caught, in 2010, with 42.72 grams of heroin. The court had postponed an initial execution date for past week but the man was due to hang today. However, the court postponed the execution again after the man was diagnosed with COVID-19. (Al Jazeera) 

The process of impeachment against Chilean President Sebastián Piñera moves ahead after passing the lower-chamber overnight. It will now move to the Senate. In order to remove Piñera from power, the Senate will need two-thirds of the votes. (Reuters) 

A man threatens passers-by with a knife in Bislett, Oslo, Norway, before being shot dead by police. The motive behind the perpetrator’s act is unknown. (The Washington Post) 

DOJ charges Ukrainian national over ransomware attack The Justice Department announced Monday that federal prosecutors had charged a Ukrainian national, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, with deploying the REvil ransomware against an American company in July. Vasinskyi was arrested in Poland last month. The Justice Department also said it had seized $6 million in ransom payments. Vasinskyi, 22, allegedly spearheaded the attack over the Fourth of July weekend against Florida-based software firm Kaseya, infecting up to 1,500 businesses around the world, according to an indictment unsealed Monday. Another alleged REvil operative, Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin, faces several charges alongside Vasinskyi, including conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. CNN

Pfizer, BioNTech to seek booster authorization for all adults Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to request authorization for giving their coronavirus vaccine booster shot to anyone 18 or older, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing three officials familiar with the matter. The individuals said the application could come as soon as this week, and the Food and Drug Administration was likely to support it. Approval would help the Biden administration meet the goal announced in August to make boosters available to all adults as concerns mount over waning protection from initial vaccinations. Pfizer spokesperson Kit Longley declined to confirm the report. The summertime surge fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant has subsided, but there are still more than 70,000 new U.S. cases and more than 1,000 deaths daily. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Quarles to step down as Fed governor at end of year Randal Quarles announced Monday that he plans to resign from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors when he finishes his four-year term at the end of 2021. Quarles had broad authority over the banking system as the Fed’s first vice chair of supervision. His deregulatory approach sparked criticism from progressives and resistance to the potential for a second term for Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who has backed Quarles on regulatory changes. Quarles’ departure gives President Biden three vacancies to fill on the board. Biden also is expected to decide this month whether to offer Powell a second four-year term leading the central bank. Biden is considered likely to keep Powell in the job, although he could instead pick Lael Brainard, the only Democrat on the Fed’s seven-member board. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

42 countries pledge to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from health systems The United States and 41 other countries have pledged to cut carbon emissions from their health-care systems, World Health Organization officials said late Monday. “This announcement is huge,” said Josh Karliner, the international director of program and strategy at Health Care Without Harm, a nonprofit working on curbing the health sector’s environmental impact. Twelve of the countries that committed to lowering their health industries’ greenhouse emissions have vowed to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions before 2050. Nearly five percent of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the health sector. Many of the pledges have not been translated into concrete plans to cut pollution. Delegates at the United Nations COP26 climate summit have increased the focus on public health compared to past meetings. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

‘Wicked’ fans demand James Corden be barred from the movie More than 40,000 people have signed a Change.org petition with an urgent plea for Universal Pictures: “Keep James Corden out of Wicked the movie.” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande recently joined the film adaptation of the Broadway show in the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, and now that casting is underway, the petition brutally proclaims Corden “in no way shape or form should be in or near the production.” The Late Late Show host has appeared in a number of musicals including the infamous Cats film, though to be clear, there’s been no indication he’s actually being considered for Wicked. But thousands of people want to ensure it stays that way, with one signee declaring, “We’ve suffered enough.”  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Travis Scott faces lawsuits after Astroworld tragedy Travis Scott is facing numerous lawsuits after eight people were killed and dozens injured in a crowd surge at his Astroworld music festival Friday. One of the lawsuits accused the defendants, including Scott and the entertainment company Live Nation, of having “failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner” and ignoring “the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers.” According to TMZ, an injury attorney in Houston filed seven lawsuits in one hour alone. A criminal investigation into the deadly crowd surge is ongoing, and The New York Times reported Houston’s police chief personally raised concerns to Scott about the crowd before the show. The rapper says he’s “absolutely devastated” and that police have his “total support.”   TMZ 

Star Wars’ return to movie theaters hits a snag There has been a disturbance in the Force. The next Star Wars film has hit a bit of a snag, as The Hollywood Reporter revealed Monday that Rogue Squadron has been “taken off the production schedule.” The movie is set to be directed by Wonder Woman filmmaker Patty Jenkins, and the plan has been for it to debut in late 2023, serving as Star Wars‘ return to the big screen after a four-year hiatus. The movie was to begin production in 2022, but the crew has reportedly realized this won’t be possible given Jenkins’ schedule. Rogue Squadron hasn’t been officially pulled from its December 2023 release date, but we have a bad feeling it won’t stay there. VARIETY 

Alec Baldwin calls for hiring police officers to monitor weapon safety on set  In the wake of the fatal shooting on the set of his movie Rust, Alec Baldwin argued Monday “every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety.” The suggestion came after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza was injured, in an accidental shooting on Rust. An investigation into the tragedy remains ongoing, but Hutchins’ death sparked calls to ban real guns from film and TV sets, and Dwayne Johnson has pledged to only use rubber guns on his projects going forward. Baldwin previously said a push to “limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I’m extremely interested in.”  DEADLINE 

House Jan. 6 committee subpoenas 6 Trump allies The House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters issued subpoenas Monday to six of Trump’s former top advisers. Two of the targeted officials participated actively in the Willard hotel “command center” where Trump loyalists oversaw efforts to reverse Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Biden: scholar John Eastman, who developed a legal strategy in early January to delay or block Biden’s presidency, and former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who spearheaded a search for evidence of voting fraud in key states. The list also includes Trump reelection campaign manager Bill Stepien, senior campaign adviser Jason Miller, campaign national executive assistant Angela McCallum, and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn. THE WASHINGTON POST 

DOJ charges Ukrainian national over ransomware attack  The Justice Department announced Monday that federal prosecutors had charged a Ukrainian national, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, with deploying the REvil ransomware against an American company in July. Vasinskyi was arrested in Poland last month. The Justice Department also said it had seized $6 million in ransom payments. Vasinskyi, 22, allegedly spearheaded the attack over the Fourth of July weekend against Florida-based software firm Kaseya, infecting up to 1,500 businesses around the world, according to an indictment unsealed Monday. Another alleged REvil operative, Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin, faces several charges alongside Vasinskyi, including conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. CNN 

Poland faces off with migrants massing across border in Belarus Migrants seeking to enter Poland are gathering across the border in Belarus. Poland has dispatched riot police to the area and put up coils of razor wire. Polish police posted video early Tuesday showing migrants who camped overnight just over Poland’s eastern border as tensions escalated as a wave of thousands of people, mostly from Iraq and Syria, have sought to enter Poland with Belarus’ encouragement. Migrants also have tried to push into Lithuania and Latvia, which also have borders with Belarus, in an effort to get to Germany and other countries in Western Europe. The European Union says Belarus’ president, Alexander Lukashenko, is trying to destabilize Europe in retaliation against Western sanctions. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Monday,  November 8th, 2021 

Gunmen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo seize the villages of Tshanzu and Runyoni in North Kivu, near the borders with Uganda and Rwanda. (Reuters) 

Ukraine’s oldest English language newspaper the Kyiv Post suspends publication after 26 years in print following a dispute between its owner and journalists. All of the newspaper’s journalists have been fired with immediate effect. (The Guardian) 

Three French climbers who went missing two weeks ago after attempting to reach Mingbo Eiger, near Mount Everest, are found dead by Nepali police. (NDTV) 

A large crowd of migrants escorted by the Belarusian military attempts to break through the Belarus–Poland border near Bruzgi, Grodno Region. Several migrants are reported dead, with seven being found on the Polish side of the border and more deaths reported in Belarus. (The Guardian) 

During a high-level state visit to Israel, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano declares the Islamic Republic of Iran to be an enemy of Colombia despite both nations continuing to maintain diplomatic relations. (Infobae) 

Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on a hunger strike for 39 days, is moved to a prison hospital as his condition continues to deteriorate. (France 24) 

Monday,  November 8th, 2021 

L.A. becomes latest large city to impose vaccine mandate Los Angeles’ coronavirus vaccine mandate takes effect on Monday, requiring people to provide proof they have had the shots before entering restaurants, shopping malls, theaters, and many other businesses. “This is going to be hard for us,” said Lucila Vazquez, manager of a struggling nail salon. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City are among a growing number of U.S. cities across the U.S. requiring people to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before they go into a wide variety of businesses as new infections edge higher in many places after a sharp drop from an August peak fueled by the fast-spreading Delta variant. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

COP26 shifts from goals to negotiating climate action The United Nations’ COP26 climate conference starts its second and final week on Monday with a shift from setting long-term goals to forging a concrete agreement on what countries will do to fight global warming. COP26 President Alok Sharma told delegates it was time to shift to “a more political, high-level phase of the conference.” Heads of state have left and negotiators from nearly 200 countries will start debating the wording of an agreement that could determine what nations will do to meet the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). “The next week will be tense, but has to be productive,” said Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Retailers hike wages, benefits to recruit holiday workers Retailers are offering higher wages and benefits in a scramble to recruit the workers they will need as a promising holiday shopping season hits in a tight labor market, The New York Times reported Monday. Macy’s is offering employees who recruit friends and relatives referral bonuses of up to $500 per hire. Walmart is paying starting wages as high as $17 an hour.  Some Amazon warehouse jobs come with up to $3,000 in signing bonuses. “Folks looking to work in retail have typically had very little choice,” said Mark A. Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia University’s business school. “Now they can pick and choose who’s got the highest, best benefits, bonuses, and hourly rates.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Ethiopian rebels advance toward capital Fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and allied militias advanced toward Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa on Sunday. Rebels captured two towns about 230 miles away, expanding the civil war in Africa’s second-most populous nation. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, ordered citizens to register for military training in a bid to bolster government forces. Last week, Ahmed promised to win back ground gained by the rebels and defeat them “with our blood and bones.” Tens of thousands of people marched in the capital on Sunday to express support for Ahmed and accuse foreign media and Washington of trying to undermine him. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Gunmen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo seize the villages of Tshanzu and Runyoni near the borders with Uganda and Rwanda. (Reuters) 

Poland reports outbreaks of the H5N8 bird flu at one chicken and five turkey farms. Four of the outbreaks happened in the eastern part of the country. (Reuters) 

An outbreak of the H5 bird flu is reported at a small poultry unit in central England. The infected birds will be culled. (Reuters) 

Japan reports no deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time since August 2020. (Asian News International) 

Austria restricts access to restaurants, bars, hotels and social and cultural events to those who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 due to the rising number of new cases and hospitalizations. (EURACTIV) 

Health secretary Sajid Javid urges citizens to get a booster dose and continue to follow COVID-19 restrictions over Christmas, amid an increase in the number of cases in the country. (Politico) 

Singapore and Malaysia announce that they will establish a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) beginning on 29 November between Changi Airport and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for fully vaccinated international travellers paving the way for cross-border travel between the two countries. (CNA) 

Tesla shares fall after Musk signals share sale Tesla shares fell by 7 percent in premarket trading after CEO Elon Musk suggested he would sell 10 percent of his shares in the electric-car company. “Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10 percent of my Tesla stock,” he tweeted. Musk asked Twitter users to decide whether he should go through with the sale, saying he would “abide by the results of this poll, whichever way it goes.” Fifty-eight percent of respondents said he should. Musk faces a tax bill of more than $15 billion on stock options in coming months. He was awarded 22.8 million shares at $6.24 per share in 2012. With Tesla shares closing at $1,222.09 on Friday, his gain totals just under $28 billion.  MARKETWATCH

Biden denounces Nicaragua’s ‘pantomime election’  Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, are expected to claim victory after national elections Sunday in which they faced only nominal opposition from little-known candidates representing parties seen as friendly to Ortega’s Sandinista Front. The Ortega government arrested seven potential opposition candidates starting in May, as well as 32 leading businessmen, journalists, political foes, and student and peasant leaders. President Biden, in a statement Sunday night, called it “a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic.” Biden said the U.S. would work with the international community to “use all diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to support the people of Nicaragua and hold accountable the Ortega-Murillo government.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Concertgoer sues over deadly Astroworld crowd surge A concertgoer has filed a lawsuit over the Astroworld music festival crowd surge that killed eight people and injured dozens more in Houston on Friday. Manuel Souza, who was injured in the tragedy, “suffered serious bodily injuries when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert knocked him to the ground and trampled him,” said the lawsuit, which Souza’s lawyers filed against rapper and concert organizer Travis Scott, entertainment company Live Nation, concert promoter Scoremore, and others involved in the event. “Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” the lawsuit said. Concert organizers and Houston city officials were aware of the possibility of crowd problems ahead of the event, The New York Times reported. CNN 

Ivy League bomb threats deemed not credible Cornell, Brown, and Columbia evacuated campus buildings on Sunday after bomb threats, officials at the Ivy League schools said. Police determined that the reports of bombs at Columbia and Brown were not credible, and buildings on their campuses were reopened. Cornell administrators told students to stay away from four buildings after a call warning that bombs had been placed in them. Investigations at all three schools were ongoing. Another Ivy League school, Yale, received a bomb threat Friday. Ohio University’s Athens Campus and Miami University of Ohio received similar threats, which also were deemed to be unfounded. THE WASHINGTON POST 

A policeman is attacked with a knife in Cannes, supposedly by a perpetrator who had converted to Islam, and was acting “in the name of the Prophet”.(Reuters) 

‘The Eternals’ leads the weekend box office Walt Disney Co.’s latest Marvel superhero movie, The Eternals, led the weekend box office despite mixed reviews. The film brought in $71 million in the U.S. and Canada in its debut, short of the $75 million to $80 million projected. The film brought in another $90.7 million internationally. The Eternals was the second Marvel movie in two months to get crowds into theaters as the film industry struggles to lure back moviegoers used to streaming films during the coronavirus pandemic. The Eternals had the fourth-largest debut haul since the pandemic hit the U.S. a year and a half ago, behind Marvel films Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($95 million) and Black Widow ($80 million), and Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90 million).VARIETYTHE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Protests continue nationwide and an intensive civil disobedience movement begins in cities across the country, as pressure mounts on the military to transfer power back to civilian leaders. Police use tear gas to disperse the crowds. (Deutsche Welle) 

A large crowd of migrants escorted by the Belarusian military tries to break through the Belarus–Poland border near Bruzgi, Grodno Region. (The Guardian) 

Police in Nepal say that they have recovered the bodies of three French climbers who had lost contact since October 26. The three climbers were attempting to reach Mingbo Eiger, part of Mount Everest. (NDTV) 

The End