Tuesday,  November 23rd, 2021 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a former soldier, announces that he will lead his country’s army from the battlefront beginning tomorrow. (The Washington Post) 

Ridley Scott blames his last movie bombing on ‘audiences who were brought up on these f—ing cell phones’ Why did Ridley Scott’s latest movie, The Last Duel, tank at the box office despite earning great reviews? He’s got a theory. The legendary director appeared on the WTF podcast and discussed the fact that his most recent film, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, was a huge box office disappointment, arguing it wasn’t because Disney dropped the ball on the marketing. Instead, Scott said, “I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these f—ing cell phones.” He went on to bemoan millennials who “do not ever want to be taught anything unless you told it on the cell phone.” Scott is currently promoting his second movie to debut this fall, House of Gucci starring Lady Gaga. Will the Little Monsters turn out for it and prove Scott wrong, or will he go off even harder on moviegoers in a few weeks? Stay tuned.  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Retailers start Black Friday sales early to counter supply, staffing problems Major retailers are spreading out “Black Friday,” offering discounts through November to soften the blow from supply-chain disruptions and a shortage of workers. Walmart said Monday it had already started offering price cuts that typically hit on the day after Thanksgiving. The world’s largest retailer, which said it would close stores on Thanksgiving for the second straight year, said its discounts included $30off AirPods and KidKraft dollhouses. Rival big-box retailer Target on Sunday started offering 30 percent off Samsung and TCL flat-screen TVs, and 50 percent off headphones. Target said Monday it would close its stores on Thanksgiving from now on. In-store shopping on Black Friday has been dropping in recent years, with the day’s online sales surpassing brick-and-mortar sales in 2019. REUTERS 

Federal contractors’ minimum wage rises to $15 an hour The Labor Department on Monday released a new rule that will require federal contractors to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for more than 300,000 maintenance, security, and child care workers. President Biden directed the department to raise the workers’ pay level in an April executive order. The wage hike will be tied to inflation, so it will rise in the following years along with consumer prices. The new pay floor applies to all federal contracts starting Jan. 30 or later. “Federal contract workers are essential workers,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in a call with reporters. “The people who we’re going to be covering clean and maintain federal buildings. They provide child care for kids, they repair roads and bridges all across this country.” CBS NEWS 

Jury hears closing arguments in Ahmaud Arbery murder trial Prosecutors and defense lawyers made their closing arguments in the trial of the three white men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger they chased down in their coastal Georgia neighborhood. The prosecution said Arbery was “under attack.” The defendants — father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan — chased him in pickup trucks “because he was a Black man running down their street,” prosecutor Linda Dunikoski told the jury. The defense said the men and their neighbors were tense after a series of crimes in their neighborhood. They said the men only wanted to detain Arbery until police arrived, but Travis McMichael fired his shotgun in a scuffle. The nearly all-white jury will hear the prosecution’s rebuttal early Tuesday before starting deliberations. NPR 

Ukraine warns of “combat preparedness” of separatist forces in eastern Ukraine as the Russian military presence on the border builds up, warning of a potential new conflict. The separatists began mobilization of reservists yesterday. (Reuters) 

Artifacts from the Battle of Magdala are returned to Ethiopia by the United Kingdom. (WION) 

The Turkish lira crashes to an all-time low of 13.44 to the U.S. dollar. The crash was sparked by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s defence of the Central Bank’s continued interest rate cuts amid soaring inflation. (CNBC) 

Swissmedic approves the extension of booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to people aged above 16 years as well as high-risk people aged above 12. (The Times of India) 

Elizabeth Holmes testifies that studies indicated Theranos devices had promise Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes testified for a second day in her fraud trial on Monday, pushing back against allegations that she lied about the company’s work with drug companies on its blood-testing technology. Holmes said she based her enthusiasm and predictions of her Silicon Valley startup’s success on positive studies conducted with several major pharmaceutical companies from 2008 to 2010 showing encouraging results from the third generation of a Theranos device known as the Edison. “We thought this was a really big idea,” Holmes said. Theranos sought to revolutionize medical tests by offering machines that scanned for multiple maladies using a few drops of a patient’s blood.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Roger Stone and Alex Jones The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack has subpoenaed several more allies of former President Donald Trump, including ex-GOP operative Roger Stone and InfoWars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The committee is seeking testimony and documents on the planning and financing of pro-Trump rallies in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, and the “subsequent march to the Capitol” and riot. “We need to know who organized, planned, paid for, and received funds related to those events, as well as what communications organizers had with officials in the White House and Congress,” the Democratic-led panel’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), said in a statement. Other Trump allies have refused to cooperate with the committee. NPR 

At least 46 people are killed when a bus carrying North Macedonian tourists returning from Istanbul crashes and catches fire near Bosnek, Bulgaria. (The New York Times) 

Biden nominates Fed Chair Jerome Powell for second term President Biden said Monday that he is nominating Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to serve a second term. The choice of Powell sent a message of continuity at the central bank that pleased investors. “Put directly: At this moment both of enormous potential and enormous uncertainty for our economy, we need stability and independence at the Federal Reserve. Jay has proven the independence that I value in a Fed chair,” Biden said at the White House on Monday. The decision upset many progressives who wanted someone who would be tougher on bank regulations and climate change, and had lobbied for Biden to pick Fed Governor Lael Brainard. Biden said he would nominate Brainard to be vice-chair of the Fed’s board of governors. CNBC 

Waukesha parade suspect has history of violent charges Police identified the man accused of plowing his SUV through a Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade on Sunday, killing five and injuring 48, as Darrell E. Brooks Jr., a Milwaukee man with a long history of charges for violent behavior. He was accused of using a vehicle as a weapon weeks before the parade and had just been released Friday on bail. Investigators believe that Brooks, 39, drove through the crowd in a maroon Ford Escape shortly after leaving the scene of an altercation involving a knife. He faces five counts of intentional homicide. Three of those killed were members of the “Dancing Grannies” troupe. Police identified the dead as Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; LeAnna Owen, 71; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81.  THE WASHINGTON POST 

DOJ settles with families of Parkland school shooting victims for $130 million The Justice Department has reached a settlement with survivors and families of people killed in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting over the FBI’s failure to properly investigate two tips about the gunman before the massacre, according to a joint court filing Monday. A person familiar with the settlement said it totaled $130 million. The first tip warned five months before the shooting that a YouTube user called “nikolas cruz” — the name of the gunman — had said he was going to be a “professional school shooter.” Six weeks before the shooting, Cruz posted on Instagram that he was gathering weapons, and a woman said on an FBI tip line she feared he “was going to slip into a school and start shooting the place up.” NPR 

Austria launches lockdown, Merkel says Germany needs tighter restrictions Austria on Monday became the first Western European country to impose a new coronavirus lockdown since vaccines came out. The country ordered non-essential stores, bars, and restaurants to close to curb a surge of infections. Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country, Europe’s largest economy, would need to tighten restrictions to counter a record-setting rise of COVID-19 cases. “We are in a highly dramatic situation. What is in place now is not sufficient,” Merkel told leaders of her conservative CDU party in a meeting, according to two participants cited in news reports. Several European governments are exploring or imposing new restrictions, and anti-lockdown protests have erupted in Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. REUTERS 

95 percent of federal workforce have complied with vaccine mandate As a Monday deadline arrived for federal employees to be vaccinated, the White House announced that about 95 percent of the 3.5 million federal employees covered by President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate have already complied. The Biden administration said any federal worker who is getting vaccinated or requesting an exemption is considered “in compliance” in time for the Nov. 22 deadline, although technically they would have needed to get the last dose by Nov. 8 to fully meet the deadline, according to guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. More than 90 percent of the workers have received at least one shot of an approved vaccine, with “the vast majority of those employees being fully vaccinated,” a senior administration official said. POLITICO 

Pfizer says vaccine 100 percent effective in younger teens Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that their vaccine was 100 percent effective in protecting 12- to 15-year-olds from coronavirus infection in a Phase 3 trial involving 2,228 participants. The results will be used to support the drugmakers’ application to the Food and Drug Administration to broaden their emergency use authorization to cover young people between those ages. The data showed no serious long-term safety concerns in follow-ups six months or longer after the second dose. The data “provide further confidence in our vaccine’s safety and effectiveness profile in adolescents. This is especially important as we see rates of COVID-19 climbing in this age group in some regions, while vaccine uptake has slowed,” Pfizer’s chairman and CEO, Albert Bourla, said in the statement. STAT NEWS 

Greece begins to implement measures that ban people who are unvaccinated or who have not recovered from COVID-19 from entering indoor public places and also mandates the wearing of masks in all workplaces in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Ekathimerini) 

The Kenyan government approves a measure requiring people to present proof of vaccination in order to enter businesses, restaurants and government offices. This is also to encourage vaccination in a country where only 5% of the population is vaccinated. (The New York Times) 

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó calls for unity and to rebuild the opposition’s fragmented strategy, after suffering a heavy loss at the regional elections and losing 20 gubernatorial races to the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. (Reuters) 

Kevin Spacey ordered to fork over $31 million after ‘House of Cards’ firing Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey has been ordered to fork over a whopping $31 million to the production company behind House of Cards after being fired for alleged sexual misconduct in 2017. An arbitrator ruled that Spacey breached his contract with the production company MRC by violating its sexual harassment policy, ordering the actor and his companies to pay $29.5 million in damages, as well as $1.2 million in attorneys’ fees. Spacey was fired from the show in 2017 while production was underway, forcing the sixth season to be rewritten, and MRC alleged it suffered millions in damages as a result. Could Spacey being tied up with this case be enough to spare us from another weird Christmas Eve video this year?  VARIETY 

‘Overwhelming evidence’ Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment The New York State Assembly’s eight-month investigation found “overwhelming evidence” that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed women while in office and abused his power by using his staff to help him write and promote his $5.1 million pandemic memoir. The Assembly Judiciary Committee’s report initially was expected to serve as a foundation for potential impeachment proceedings against Cuomo, but he resigned under pressure in August. The investigation relied on interviews with witnesses and a review of tens of thousands of documents. Cuomo has denied using public resources on his book, and has sought to discredit allegations by Attorney General Letitia James — who is running for governor — and the Assembly as politically motivated. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Eddie Redmayne says his role as a transgender character in ‘The Danish Girl’ was a ‘mistake’ Eddie Redmayne earned an Oscar nomination for playing a transgender character in The Danish Girl — but he now regrets taking the role in the first place. Redmayne starred as one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery in the 2015 film, which was criticized for not casting a trans actor. Years later, Redmayne told The Sunday Times, “I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake.” Redmayne added that the “bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table,” calling for “a levelling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates.” The star of the Harry Potter prequel series Fantastic Beasts previously blasted J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans tweets, speaking out last year in support of “my dear transgender friends and colleagues.”  VARIETY 

Jennifer Lawrence recalls thinking she was going to die in a plane crash Well, this isn’t the most comforting thing to hear before flying home for Thanksgiving. Jennifer Lawrence opened up to Vanity Fair about fearing she was going to die in 2017, when she was on a private plane that had to make an emergency landing. “I started leaving little mental voicemails to my family, you know, ‘I’ve had a great life, I’m sorry,’” Lawrence said. The Hunger Games star recalled that she began to pray, “Not to the specific God I grew up with, because he was terrifying and a very judgmental guy. But I thought, Oh, my God, maybe we’ll survive this? I’ll be a burn victim, this will be painful, but maybe we’ll live.” Luckily, everyone on board was fine — but Lawrence had to immediately get on board another flight right after. “Flying is horrific,” she lamented, “and I have to do it all the time.”  VANITY FAIR 

Keanu Reeves once randomly showed up at Sandra Bullock’s house with champagne and truffles Keanu Reeves is exactly who you hoped he would be, according to a new Esquire profile. Sandra Bullock, Reeves’ Speed co-star, described casually mentioning to him that she’s never had champagne and truffles — only for Reeves to show up at her house on his motorcycle days later unannounced, standing outside her door with champagne, truffles, and flowers. “I just thought you might want to try champagne and truffles, to see what it’s like,” Reeves told her. Bullock proceeded to invite Reeves in, where she and her girlfriend had been painting their nails, and Esquire writes that “Keanu put his hands out, without a word, and Bullock painted his nails black, same as hers.” Bullock said she and Reeves never dated because she didn’t want to ruin a friendship with him, but she added, “Who knows? Keanu’s a guy who, I feel like, is friends with every woman he’s ever dated. I don’t think there’s anyone who has something horrible to say about him. So maybe we could have survived.”  ESQUIRE 

Monday,  November 22nd, 2021 

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai ‘safe and well,’ IOC says Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai told the president of the International Olympic Committee that she was “safe and well” during a video call on Sunday, the IOC said. The exchange came after photos and videos showed Peng at a children’s tournament in Beijing earlier in the day, marking the first time she had appeared in public since she posted on Chinese social media that she had been coerced into sex by former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli. The IOC said in a statement that Peng started the call by thanking the organization’s president, Thomas Bach, and expressing gratitude for the IOC’s concern. France’s foreign minister earlier had demanded more reassurance from Chinese authorities of her wellbeing, repeating the Women’s Tennis Association’s conclusion that the photos of Peng were “insufficient” proof of her condition.REUTERS 

The Taliban issues new guidelines for television broadcasts, mandating that female presenters and journalists wear Islamic coverings, banning entertainment considered blasphemous or insulting to Afghans, and prohibiting films that promote foreign cultural values, among others. (BBC News) 

Smash-and-grab looters target Bay Area stores for 3rd day Dozens of smash-and-grab thieves wielding hammers ransacked stores in San Jose, California, and the Southland Mall in Hayward on Sunday in the third straight day of looting targeting San Francisco Bay Area businesses. The looters singled out a Lululemon store in San Jose and witnesses said about 40 to 50 thieves rampaged through the Hayward mall, breaking glass and stealing merchandise from a jewelry store and a Macy’s department store. Panicked shopkeepers closed nearby stores, and barricaded themselves inside. Hayward police said officers weren’t able to make any arrests. It was not immediately clear if the Sunday spree was connected to robberies at a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco’s Union Square on Friday and a Nordstrom’s in Walnut Creek on Saturday. CBS SF 

Red SUV plows through Wisconsin Christmas parade, killing at least 5 A person drove a red SUV through barriers and plowed into a Christmas parade in the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring more than 40, local authorities said. “There were pom-poms and shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere,” said Corey Montiho, a local school district board member whose daughter’s youth dance team was hit. His wife and daughters were unharmed, but many others were injured. Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly called it a “horrible and senseless act.” Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said an officer fired at the vehicle trying to stop it, adding that nobody was injured by the gunfire. Thompson said the suspected vehicle was recovered and a “person of interest” was taken into custody. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL 

At least five people are killed and over 40 injured by a hit and run driver who drove through an early Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. A person of interest is in custody. (ABC News) 

Protesters retrace Rittenhouse’s steps in Kenosha Demonstrators protesting Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal retraced the route the Illinois teen walked in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the night in August 2020 when he shot and killed two people and wounded a third during protests over the police shooting that paralyzed Jacob Blake, a Black man. The marchers carried signs reading “Reject Racist Vigilante Terror” and “THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS GUILTY!” The Rev. Jesse Jackson had been scheduled to join the demonstration but didn’t come. His Rainbow PUSH Coalition said the 80-year-old civil rights leader instead was preparing to ask congressional leaders to pressure the Justice Department to investigate the case. Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO, said Sunday that Rittenhouse’s Friday acquittal was “a warning shot that vigilante justice is allowed in this country.” Rittenhouse said he fired in self-defense.WLBT 

2 prominent conservatives quit Fox News over Tucker Carlson Jan. 6 special Fox News contributors Stephen Hayes and Jonah Goldberg have resigned in protest over what they described as incendiary and false claims by the conservative cable channel’s opinion hosts in support of former President Donald Trump. Both told NPR that the breaking point was Fox News star Tucker Carlson’s Patriot Purge, a three-part series on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by a mob of Trump supporters. “It traffics in all manner of innuendo and conspiracy theories that I think legitimately could lead to violence. That for me, and for Steve, was the last straw,” Goldberg said. Hayes and Goldberg in 2019 co-founded The Dispatch, an online publication they called “a place that thoughtful readers can come for conservative, fact-based news and commentary.” NPR 

35,000 protest tighter coronavirus restrictions in Belgium About 35,000 people marched in Brussels on Sunday to protest enhanced COVID-19 restrictions imposed to fight Belgium’s latest coronavirus surge. Demonstrators shouted “Freedom! Freedom!” After some of the crowd dispersed, several hundred lingering protesters clashed with police and set bins of garbage on fire. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons. Numerous European countries have announced renewed measures to curb infections since the World Health Organization identified Europe as a current pandemic hot spot last week. Lockdown protests also have erupted in Holland and Austria, which starts a partial nationwide lockdown Monday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Austria launches new COVID lockdown as Europe confronts surge Austria launched a nationwide lockdown Monday to curb a new surge in coronavirus infections. Shoppers flocked to Christmas markets in Vienna on Sunday to get in some last-minute shopping. The lockdown requires people to stay home except for essential trips like buying groceries or going to the doctor. Restaurants and most shops must close. Big public events are canceled. The restrictions will last up to 20 days, but authorities will reevaluate in 10 days. The rest of Europe will be watching how things go in Austria as other governments in the region struggle to contain their own outbreaks. Many have already tightened restrictions. Protests have erupted in Austria, Holland, and Belgium over the new measures. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  

Singapore partially eases its social gatherings restrictions that allow up to five vaccinated people to dine in at food and drink establishments, hawker centres, and coffee shops as the country moves to endemic phase due to decline of new COVID-19 cases. (Singapore Business Report) 

Supply-chain crunch easing but still far from normal Global supply-chain bottlenecks are starting to clear, but deliveries probably won’t return to normal until 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing manufacturing and retail executives. Major U.S. retailers say they have been able to stock most of the inventory they need for the crucial holiday shopping season. In Asia, problems blamed on the pandemic, including factory closures, power cuts, and port clogs, have started to ease. But strong consumer demand for imported goods in Western countries, along with U.S. port congestion, high freight rates, and an overloaded trucking network are delaying the return to a pre-pandemic normal, economists say. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Bulb Energy, which supplies 1.7 million customers in the United Kingdom, collapses into administration, becoming the largest energy supplier to collapse on record. The company will also be the first energy supplier to be placed under “special administration,” meaning it will be run by the government regulator Ofgem. (The Guardian) 

Bulgaria’s president wins re-election after anti-corruption campaign Bulgarian President Rumen Radev appeared to have won a second term in a Sunday runoff election, according to exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International. Radev, who ran on an anti-corruption theme, led challenger Anastas Gerdzhikov by about 64 percent to 32 percent in the run-off, the exit polls indicated. Public anger over graft drove former premier Boyko Borissov out of office in April after a decade in power. A new anti-corruption party dominated parliamentary elections last week in the European Union’s poorest country. Radev, whose post is largely ceremonial, gained popularity last year by supporting anti-corruption protesters. Gerdzhikov, backed by Borissov’s GERB party, accused Radev of turning Bulgarians against each other.REUTERS 

The United States expresses its “deep concern” over Bulgarian President Rumen Radev‘s remarks, referring to Crimea as “Russian”. Radev has expressed his views of maintaining “pragmatic ties” with Russia. The statement by the US comes after Ukraine summoned the Bulgarian ambassador to Kyiv three days ago. (RFE/RL) 

Haitian gang releases 2 of 17 kidnapped missionaries A notorious Haitian street gang has released two of the 17 foreign missionaries it kidnapped last month, the hostages’ Ohio-based humanitarian group, Christian Aid Ministries, said on its website Sunday. The organization said the two people who were freed “are safe, in good spirits, and being cared for.” The 16 Americans and a Canadian, ranging in age from 18 months to 48 years, were abducted by the 400 Mawozo gang as they returned from visiting an orphanage their organization supports. Gédéon Jean, who runs a Port-au-Prince think tank that tracks kidnapping, said the release was “a good step that indicates that the rest of the hostages could soon be free.” The gang has demanded a ransom of $1 million per person. THE MIAMI HERALD  

Chileans go to the polls to elect their new president, who will succeed outgoing president Sebastián Piñera. (Reuters) 

Far-right populist José Antonio Kast of the Republican Party and former student protest leader Gabriel Boric of the left-wing coalition Apruebo Dignidad qualify for the second round, after winning 27.94% and 25.75% of the vote respectively. The second round will take place on December 19. (Reuters) 

Venezuelan opposition returns to ballots but socialists win big Venezuelans voted Sunday in elections with candidates from top opposition parties on the ballot for the first time in nearly four years, but early results showed the ruling socialist party winning 20 of 23 gubernatorial offices. Opposition candidates in races for governor and mayor said beforehand they were unlikely to win, accusing the government of President Nicolás Maduro of rigging the contests in favor of his allies. The opposition had hoped to use the elections to inspire new hope for its demoralized supporters and revive the struggling pro-democracy movement. But analysts said the turnout of just 41.8 percent, one of the lowest rates in two decades, reflected voter apathy toward all ballot choices as living conditions deteriorate in the South American nation.THE WASHINGTON POST 

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ leads weekend box office Ghostbusters: Afterlife led the weekend box office with a solid $44 million in domestic ticket sales, slightly beating expectations but just below the $46 million debut of the previous 2016 reboot. Afterlife marked a renewed attempt to revive the franchise after 2016’s Ghostbusters, with a team of female Ghostbusters led by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, ultimately grossed $229 million, a disappointing haul given it cost $144 million to make. Another of the weekend’s new offerings, the acclaimed biopic King Richard, delivered an underwhelming $5.7 million, short of the $7 million to $10 million Warner Bros. was counting on. That film stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father of tennis icons Serena and Venus Williams. Smith is expected to be a contender for the best actor Oscar.THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

A Hamas gunman opens fire in the alleyways of Jerusalem‘s Old City, killing an Israeli man and wounding three others, before being shot and killed by Israeli forces. (BBC News) 

It is announced that France will deploy dozens of gendarmerie to Guadeloupe following occurrences of rioting and looting in the archipelago over COVID-19 measures. At least 31 people were arrested overnight. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin says that “the first message is that the state will stand firm”. (Al Jazeera) 

The End

Partial lunar eclipse to be longest since 1440 A lunar eclipse will leave 97 percent of the moon in darkness Thursday night and early Friday over North America. It will be the longest partial lunar eclipse since 1440, although it will be about 12 minutes shorter than the total lunar eclipse on July 27, which was the longest in recent history. These events only occur on the night of a full moon, when it passes through Earth’s shadow. Thursday’s full moon will be the smallest one of the year. This so-called micromoon, the counterpart of a supermoon, occurs when the moon is full near apogee, when its orbit is farthest from Earth. The November full moon is known as a “beaver moon,” because this is the time of year when beavers are building their winter dams. ACCUWEATHER 

Sunday, November 21st, 2021 

A Hamas gunman opens fire in the alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City, killing an Israeli man and wounding four others, two of them seriously, Israeli officials said. (The Times of Israel) 

It is announced that France will deploy dozens of gendarmerie to Guadeloupe following the outbreak of rioting and looting on the archipelago over COVID-19 measures. At least 31 people were arrested overnight. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin says “the first message is that the state will stand firm”. (Al Jazeera) 

Chileans go to the polls to elect their new president, who will succeed outgoing Sebastián Piñera. (Reuters) 

Biden says he’s running again President Biden has assured key donors and allies that he plans to run for a second presidential term in 2024. If elected, he would be 82 years old on Inauguration Day, shattering the record currently held by Ronald Reagan, who was 73. This announcement comes amid concerns over Vice-President Kamala Harris’s low approval ratings. Some party insiders have expressed concerns about the president’s health, while others suggest that his statements about running again are an insincere but necessary strategy to avoid turning himself into a “lame duck.” The Democratic National Committee has made no preparations for a contested 2024 primary. THE WASHINGTON POST 

This year’s COVID death toll tops 2020’s The number of U.S. COVID 19 deaths in 2021 has surpassed the 2020 death toll, according to data provided by the federal government and Johns Hopkins University. 385,343 Americans were reported to have died of COVID in 2020. About 59 percent of the country’s population has been vaccinated, but one epidemiologist has cautioned that the vaccine is “not a panacea.” Still, public health authorities are urging unvaccinated Americans to take the vaccine and encouraging those who have been vaccinated to get booster shots. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Lockdown protests erupt in Netherlands, Austria Dutch police arrested more than 30 people Saturday night as anti-lockdown demonstrations continued into their second night. These riots were not as violent as those that rocked Rotterdam Friday night, in which 51 people were arrested and three shot by police, but they were more widespread. Saturday also saw massive protests in Austria against a new lockdown that takes effect Monday. Over 40,000 people turned out in Vienna to express their outrage, but authorities made very few arrests. The Netherlands’ vaccination rate is among the highest in Europe while Austria’s is one of the lowest. Croatia and Italy also saw protests against new COVID restrictions.  BBC 

Chileans vote in polarizing presidential election 

Chilean voters head to the polls today to vote for Chile’s next president. Seven candidates are seeking the nation’s highest office, but most of the attention is on the two front-runners. Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old former student activist and leader of a leftist coalition that includes Chile’s Communist Party, is running on a platform that seeks to tackle income inequality and climate change. José Antonio Kast, a devout Catholic and staunch social conservative, emphasizes the need for law and order, increased immigration controls, and lower corporate taxes. Neither candidate is projected to win more than 50 percent of the vote, meaning the two will likely face each other in a runoff election next month. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Sudan reinstates ousted prime minister Sudanese military and civilian leaders have reached an agreement to reinstate Abdalla Hamdok, who was deposed in a military coup last month, as the country’s prime minister. The agreement also includes the release of all political detainees. In 2019, a popular uprising forced long-reigning Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir from power and marked the start of Sudan’s transition to democracy. The military coup that unseated Hamdok derailed that transition, sparking widespread protests, but this new agreement, brokered with the help of the U.S. and United Nations, appears to be a sign that it is back on track. BBC 

Peng Shuai reappears in Beijing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who was not seen or heard from publicly for several weeks following her allegation of sexual misconduct against a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official, attended a Beijing tennis tournament Sunday. On Nov. 2, Peng posted on Chinese social media that she had been coerced into sex by former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli. Chinese censors quickly deleted her account and banned all online discussion of the accusation. Despite the public release of photos and videos of Peng, a spokesperson for the Women’s Tennis Association told Reuters that this evidence was “insufficient” to ameliorate the WTA’s concerns for Peng’s wellbeing. REUTERS 

7 

Biden marks transgender day of remembrance 

President Biden released a statement acknowledging Saturday as Transgender Day of Remembrance. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 2021 is the deadliest year on record for transgender and non-binary people, with at least 45 killed so far. Biden lamented “those we lost in the deadliest year on record for transgender Americans” as well as “the countless other transgender people — disproportionately Black and brown transgender women and girls — who face brutal violence, discrimination, and harassment.” CNN 

Hamas-linked gunman kills 1, wounds 4 near Jerusalem Temple Mount A Palestinian gunman opened fire near an entrance to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount Sunday, killing one Israeli and wounding four others. The shooter, identified as Hamas member Fadi Abu Shkhaidem, was shot dead at the scene by Israeli security forces. Hamas released a statement calling the attack “heroic” but did not claim responsibility. A similar attack, in which a 16-year-old Palestinian stabbed two Israeli security officers before being shot and killed, was carried out in Jerusalem’s Old City Wednesday.   VOICE OF AMERICA 

Suspect sought after accidental discharge at Georgia airport A man accidentally discharged a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Saturday afternoon, fled the scene, and is being sought by police. Law enforcement has identified the shooter as Kenny Wells and issued a warrant for his arrest. Wells is a convicted felon. The gun went off when Wells reached inside his bag during a security check. Transportation Security Administration agents had already detected the firearm via X-ray and were about to confiscate it. No one was struck by the shot, but panic ensued as bystanders, fearful of an “active shooter” situation, ran for cover. One person suffered minor injuries from a fall and two others reported shortness of breath. FOX NEWS 

SNL cold open tackles Rittenhouse verdict The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict took center stage in last night’s Saturday Night Live cold open. Cecily Strong played Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro and began by describing Rittenhouse as a “lovable scamp.” Mikey Day then joined the show as Judge Bruce Schroeder to mock the judge’s supposed bias toward the defendant. The next panelists were a pair of progressive legal analysts played by Chloe Fineman and Chris Redd. Fineman, who is white, called the verdict “a call to finally change the system,” while Redd, who is Black, predicted that the “call” would “go right to voicemail.” James Austin Johnson rounded out the open with an appearance as former President Donald Trump. CNN BUSINESS 

Saturday, November 20th, 2021 

Belgium begins to implement mandatory face masks in indoor places and outdoor events. The country also enforcing teleworking four days a week for all companies until December 12. (The Brussels Times) 

The Czech Republic reports a record 22,936 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News) 

Thousands of people gather at the Khaju Bridge in Isfahan to protest the government’s water and energy policies. (Al Jazeera) 

Three people are seriously injured after being shot by police during protests against COVID-19 measures in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Fifty-one people are also arrested, half of whom are less than 18 years old. (Reuters) 

The End Sunday 

Saturday, November 20th, 2021 

Iraq receives 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX initiative. (AFP via Barron’s) 

The Czech Republic reports a record 22,936 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News) 

Thousands of people gather at the Khaju Bridge in Isfahan to protest the government‘s water and energy policies. (Al Jazeera) 

Three people are seriously injured after being shot by police during protests against COVID-19 measures in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Fifty-one people are also arrested, half of whom are less than 18 years old. (Reuters) 

Build Back Better bill passes House The House officially passed President Biden’s $2 trillion spending package 220-213 on Friday. All Republicans and 1 Democrat voted against the legislation, which includes provisions for climate and social safety net programs. The vote was delayed by a record-breaking 8.5 hour speech from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) opposing the bill Thursday night. The measure’s passage comes about two weeks after Congress passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which Biden signed into law on Monday. The bill will now move to the equally split Senate, where it is expected to be significantly modified and returned to the House for reconsideration. THE RECOUNT 

Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted Kye Rittenhouse has been found not guilty. Rittenhouse shot three protestors during civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year, killing two of them. He was 17 at time. Kenosha prosecutors argued that the defendant’s possession of an AR-15 and his behavior throughout the night provoked the attacks against him and that he used excessive force. Rittenhouse’s lawyers claimed he acted in self-defense. Friday morning, the jury acquitted him on all counts. Rittenhouse will make his first post-trial media appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight Monday at 7 p.m. Carlson has also announced that a documentary on Rittenhouse will air in December as part of his Tucker Carlson Originals series. NBC 

Portland protestors throw rocks, break windows after Rittenhouse verdict Protestors reacting to Kyle Rittenhouse’s exoneration broke windows and threw rocks at police officers in Portland, Oregon, Friday night. Local law enforcement said they had expected such a response to a not-guilty verdict, and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office declared a riot around 9 p.m. after demonstrators began breaking the windows of city buildings and hurling objects at cops. Protestors also defaced property with graffiti that read, “Kyle Rittenhouse is guilty” and “No just verdict.” The crowd had mostly dispersed by 11 p.m. As of late Friday night, no arrests had been announced. NEW YORK POST 

U.S. policymakers debate response to Russian troop assembly Ukrainian government sources report that an estimated 90,000 Russian troops have assembled on the Ukrainian border, prompting fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be planning an invasion. U.S. lawmakers and diplomats are divided on how to address the situation, since stepping up support for Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, could spark a wider conflict. Putin claims NATO naval exercises on the Black Sea and America’s policy of supplying weapons to help the Ukrainians fight Russian-backed rebels in the eastern part of the country have had the effect of “exacerbating the situation.” In July, an official Kremlin publication claimed that the Russians and Ukrainians are “one people.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Riots roil Rotterdam Dutch police shot and wounded at least two people Friday night during anti-lockdown riots in Rotterdam. The protests led to seven injuries and at least 20 arrests. Police used water cannons and lethal force in response to what a police spokesperson told Reuters was a “life-threatening” situation. Rioters threw rocks and fireworks at police and torched several police vehicles. These demonstrations come on the heels of similar clashes that took place Nov. 13 in The Hague after the Dutch government imposed new COVID-19 restrictions. These restrictions include a three-week lockdown, restaurant and store closures, a ban on crowds at sporting events, and the cancellation of New Year’s Eve fireworks. Infection rates in the Netherlands have spiked to over 1,000 new cases a day, the highest since the pandemic began. BBC 

Belarusian president says he ‘didn’t invite’ migrants Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told the BBC Friday that it is “absolutely possible” government troops helped migrants cross into the European Union but denied intentionally orchestrating the border crisis. Migrants, mainly from the Middle East, have been gathering along the Polish, Lithuanian, and Latvian borders for months. Lukashenko said he “didn’t invite them” but that he “won’t stop them” either. A former Soviet apparatchik who has been in power since 1984, Lukashenko is widely seen as an authoritarian dictator. The EU has accused him of weaponizing migrants in retaliation for 2020 EU sanctions against Belarus. BBC 

Chinese state media claim Peng Shuai is alive and well Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official of sexual misconduct on Nov. 2, is staying at home willingly and will appear in public “soon,” according to Chinese state media. Chinese censors quickly deleted the social media post in which Peng made her accusation and banned all online discussion of it. Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state publication The Global Times, has shared purportedly current pictures of Peng, but the authenticity of these pictures has not yet been verified. International athletic bodies, including the International Olympic Committee and Women’s Tennis Association, have floated the idea of pursuing sanctions against China if Peng suffers harm or disappears completely.   REUTERS 

Family of Elijah McClain wins $15 million settlement The city of Aurora, Colorado, will pay a $15 million settlement to the family of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died at the hands of police in 2019. Police accosted McClain, who was unarmed and on his way home, after receiving a report about a “sketchy” individual. After McClain became agitated, officers placed him in a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness. Paramedics arrived and administered an excessively large dose of ketamine, which may have contributed to McClain’s death. Three police officers and two paramedics still face criminal charges for their role in the incident, and McClain’s family is pursuing a federal civil rights lawsuit. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Cash blankets San Diego highway Motorists snagged handfuls of cash after the rear door of an armored car popped open on a Southern California freeway on Friday, showering the pavement with bills. Interstate 5 was briefly closed down after incident, and two people were arrested at the scene. According to the California Highway Patrol, around a dozen people have already returned the money they’d picked up. “People are bringing in a lot … People got a lot of money,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Curtis Martin told AP. Police have also warned that anyone who fails to return the money could face charges. CNN 

Friday,  November 19th, 2021 

The provincial government of British Columbia, Canada, declares a state of emergency in response to ongoing risks from floods and mudslides. Effective immediately until December 1, citizens in affected regions, including the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, are limited to 30 litres of diesel and gasoline purchased at fuel stations. Vehicles used for essential services, such as emergency response, commercial transport, and public transit, are exempt from this order and granted unlimited access to cardlock gas stations ordinarily used by the commercial trucking industry. Price gouging at retail gas stations and the resale of fuel is prohibited. Restrictions on non-essential travel along damaged highways are also set in place. (Global News) 

Austrian chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announces a full nationwide lockdown for the entire population starting on 22 November, amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed hospitals. Schallenberg also announces that COVID-19 vaccinations will become mandatory as of 1 February 2022. (The Independent) 

Austria reports a record for the second consecutive day of 15,809 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,027,274. (Kronen Zeitung) 

The southern German state of Bavaria cancels all Christmas markets and imposes a lockdown in all districts that have a seven-day incidence rate of over 1,000 per 100,000 people amid a substantial increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases. However, schools and kindergartens will continue to remain open. (Deutsche Welle) 

Hungary reports a record 11,289 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 998,488. (Budapest Business Journal) 

Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 1,254 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 261,589. (Interfax) 

Restrictions are further eased for fully vaccinated Victorians as 90% of adults are now fully vaccinated. Mask wearing is still required in some indoor spaces and limits remain on daily visitor numbers to care facilities. Additionally, unvaccinated people continue to be banned from entering all non-essential businesses and also from employment in many industries. (The Guardian) 

The United Kingdom outlaws Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which serves as the ruling party of the Gaza Strip, and declares the party as a terrorist group. Previously, only the party’s armed wing was outlawed. (Reuters) 

Kyle Rittenhouse, an 18-year-old who shot three people during the Kenosha unrest in Wisconsin, United States, in August 2020, is found not guilty on all counts. (NPR) 

Hundreds of people marched in Chicago, New York City and Portland to protest the verdict of the trial. (CBS) (CBS) (ABC) 

While Joe Biden undergoes medical treatment, Kamala Harris gains presidential power for a short period of time, making her the first female acting president in the United States. (Forbes) 

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announces that he is dissolving the Promised Day Brigade, the armed faction loyal to him. Yesterday, al-Sadr said that non-governmental armed militias should hand in their weapons. (Reuters) 

Jobless claims edge down to another pandemic-era low U.S. jobless claims inched closer to pre-pandemic levels last week, falling to 268,000 from a revised 269,000 the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. The latest figure marked the lowest level since the coronavirus crisis hit the United States more than a year and a half ago. Worker applications for unemployment benefits averaged 218,000 in 2019. Continuing claims, which indicate roughly how many people are receiving state benefits, dropped to 2.08 million from 2.21 million a week earlier as some people lost eligibility for unemployment benefits and others found work. Job openings have risen close to record highs, but many businesses are having trouble finding all the workers they need as they return to full operations after pandemic-induced disruptions. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

U.S. to pay Pfizer $5.29 billion for 10 million COVID-19 treatments The U.S. government has agreed to pay Pfizer $5.29 billion for enough of its COVID-19 antiviral treatment for 10 million people if regulators authorize distributing it. If all goes as planned, it will be the biggest purchase yet of a coronavirus therapy. Pfizer on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize emergency use of the experimental treatment, which Pfizer said cut hospitalizations and deaths by 89 percent among high-risk adults with early COVID symptoms. The FDA also is reviewing a similar pill developed by rival drug maker Merck. Pfizer’s drug costs $529 per course. The federal government also has agreed to buy 3.1 million of Merck’s treatments at a cost of $700 each. President Biden said his administration is working to make the treatments “easily accessible and free.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

House vote on $2 trillion spending plan delayed by McCarthy marathon speech 

The House opened debate Thursday on President Biden’s $2 trillion spending proposal, which would expand the social safety net, but Democratic leaders pushed back a planned vote to Friday morning as House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy made a marathon speech that stretched into early Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told members of the Democratic caucus in a letter that the spending plan “will create millions of good-paying jobs, lower families’ costs, and cut their taxes, while making the wealthiest few and big corporations pay their fair share.” The timetable for approving the bill, called the Build Back Better Act, was not clear. Moderates were awaiting the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, which was released Thursday evening and estimated the package would increase the deficit by $367 billion over a decade. CNN 

Alibaba shares fall by 11 percent after a disappointing quarterly report Alibaba’s U.S. shares dropped by 11 percent on Thursday after the Chinese online retail giant reported quarterly revenue and earnings that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Shares fell about the same amount in Hong Kong on Friday, the biggest one-day drop for the stock since it made its debut in the city in 2019. It is now down by 40 percent this year. The company cut its revenue guidance for the current fiscal year, trimming its growth expectations from 29.5 percent for the year to between 20 percent and 23 percent. With China’s economic slowdown hurting consumption, Alibaba reported revenue of $31.4 billion, about 2 percent below the Refinitiv consensus estimate. Earnings per share came in at 11.2 yuan ($1.75), about 10 percent below estimates and 38 percent below the same period a year ago. CNN 

Belarus clears controversial migrant border camp The Belarusian government on Thursday cleared out makeshift migrant camps near the country’s main border crossing with Poland. European Union leaders had accused the government of Belarus’ autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, of luring the migrants with the promise of easy passage to Western Europe to destabilize neighboring E.U. countries. Days ago, migrants clashed with Polish security forces, who responded with water cannon blasts. Belarusian authorities moved the migrants out of freezing conditions and into a warehouse, but it was not immediately clear what would happen to them next. At least one group was repatriated on a flight to Iraq. “I wish I had died and they were bringing my corpse back,” said Awara Abbas, 30, after spending $5,500 to leave the country only to be sent back to Kurdistan in northern Iraq.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Defendant concedes he wasn’t threatened before pointing shotgun at Ahmaud Arbery  

Travis McMichael, the white man who killed Ahmaud Arbery in February 2020, conceded during his trial Thursday that Arbery did not threaten him, say anything, or show a weapon before he pointed his shotgun at the 25-year-old Black jogger. Cellphone video replayed in court Thursday showed McMichael pointing the shotgun at Arbery as he runs around McMichael’s pickup truck, then raising it again when the two come face to face in front of the truck, and McMichael fires. “All he’s done is run away from you,” prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said. “And you pulled out a shotgun and pointed it at him.” McMichael was one of just seven witnesses defense lawyers representing him, his father Gregory McMichael, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan called before resting their case on Thursday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Biden meets with Mexico, Canada leaders in 1st summit in 5 years President Biden met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the White House on Thursday to discuss trade, migration, and other key issues. The leaders of the three North American nations used to hold these trilateral summits regularly, but this was the first one in five years because the Trump administration halted the tradition. Biden first talked separately with Trudeau, saying, “This is one of the easiest relationships that we have.” His discussion with Mexico’s leader covered the recent surge of migration toward the U.S.-Mexico border and creating more humane pathways and asylum or jobs for migrants displaced by climate change. “We can meet all of the challenges if we just take the time to speak with one another,” Biden said during a Thursday evening meeting with both leaders. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

U.S. charges 2 Iranians with trying to influence 2020 election The United States on Thursday announced that it was filing criminal charges against two Iranians accused of trying to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election through an online disinformation campaign. The Treasury Department also said it was imposing sanctions on six Iranian individuals and one Iranian organization for meddling in the election. Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi, 24, and Sajjad Kashian, 27, were charged with obtaining confidential U.S. voting information from a state election website and conspiring to spread disinformation to undermine voter confidence in election integrity. The indictment also says the hackers breached an unnamed media company’s computer, aiming to spread false information. Iran’s United Nation mission did not immediately comment. REUTERS 

U.S. to pay Pfizer $5.29 billion for 10 million courses of COVID drug The U.S. government has agreed to pay Pfizer $5.29 billion for enough of its COVID-19 antiviral treatment for 10 million people if regulators authorize distributing it. If all goes as planned, it will be the biggest purchase yet of a coronavirus therapy. Pfizer on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize emergency use of the experimental treatment, which Pfizer said cut hospitalizations and deaths by 89 percent among high-risk adults with early COVID symptoms. The FDA also is reviewing a similar pill developed by rival drug maker Merck. Pfizer’s drug costs $529 per course. The federal government also has agreed to buy 3.1 million of Merck’s treatments at a cost of $700 each. President Biden said his administration is working to make the treatments “easily accessible and free.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Oklahoma governor grants last-minute clemency to Julius Jones  Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) granted clemency to high-profile death row inmate Julius Jones hours before he had been scheduled to be executed. “After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones’ sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole,” Stitt said in a statement. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board had recommended reducing Jones’ sentence to life, but with the possibility of parole. Jones’ supporters say he was wrongfully convicted for the 1999 fatal shooting of insurance executive Paul Howell during a carjacking. Jones has maintained his innocence and said his co-defendant fatally shot Howell, then pinned the murder on him.  USA TODAY 

Judge exonerates 2 men convicted of killing Malcolm X Two men convicted of assassinating Malcolm X were exonerated Thursday afternoon after a renewed investigation uncovered evidence proving authorities had withheld evidence that they were not the ones who gunned down the civil rights activist who had risen to prominence as a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam. “There can be no question that this is a case that calls out for fundamental justice,” said Manhattan judge Ellen Biben, who threw out the convictions of both Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam. “The event that has brought us to court today should never have occurred,” Aziz said. “I am an 83-year-old man who was victimized by the criminal justice system.” Aziz and Islam had long maintained their innocence. Both were paroled in the 1980s. Islam died in 2009. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Florist who refused order for same-sex wedding drops Supreme Court challenge  Barronelle Stutzman, a Washington state florist who refused to make an arrangement for a same-sex wedding, is withdrawing her pending Supreme Court appeal and retiring. The decision came after Stutzman settled with the two men, agreeing to pay them $5,000. Her lawyers said she was “at peace” about the case’s conclusion, and able to “finally retire with her conscience intact.” The dispute came when Stutzman, citing her religious objection to same-sex marriage, refused a 2013 request from Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed for wedding flowers. The state Supreme Court ruled that Stutzman violated a state law against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Ingersoll and Freed said leaving the state ruling in place ensures that “same-sex couples are protected from discrimination and should be served by businesses like anyone else.” CNN 

Scientist says 1st person infected with coronavirus was Wuhan market vendor A scientist who has tracked the early spread of the coronavirus said in a report published Thursday in the journal Science that the first case was a vendor in a Wuhan, China, animal market. The finding contradicted a World Health Organization investigation’s conclusion that the first person infected was an accountant who lived miles away. The report by the University of Arizona’s Michael Worobey, a leading expert in tracing virus evolution, could revive debate over whether the pandemic started at the market or leaked from a Wuhan virology lab. “In this city of 11 million people, half of the early cases are linked to a place that’s the size of a soccer field,” Dr. Worobey said. “It becomes very difficult to explain that pattern if the outbreak didn’t start at the market.”  SCIENCETHE NEW YORK TIMES 

Thursday, November 18th, 2021 

Saad Hussain Rizvi, the leader of the far-right Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, is released from prison under a deal to end weeks of protests by his followers, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. (Reuters) 

The 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards are held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Colombian singer Camilo was the most awarded artist with four wins. (Billboard) 

The Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that a booster dose of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine should be given to all adults over the age of 18 years. (Deutsche Welle) 

Germany reports a record for the second consecutive day of 65,371 new cases of COVID-19. (Anadolu Agency) 

Austria reports a record 15,145 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,011,465. (Kronen Zeitung) 

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announces that beginning on November 22, unvaccinated people will be banned from entering all indoor venues for which they could previously present a negative test result, due to an increase in new COVID-19 cases. Mitsotakis also announces that vaccine passports will expire after seven months for people over the age of 60 years and urges people in this age group to receive a booster dose. (Greek Reporter) 

The Netherlands reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 23,860 new cases of COVID-19. (Dutch News) 

Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,251 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 260,335. (The Moscow Times) 

South Korea reports a record 3,292 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 406,605. (The Korea Herald) 

A lab in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, is placed on temporary lockdown by the CDC after several vials labeled “smallpox” are discovered in a freezer. (CBS News) 

Belarus suspends electricity supplies to Ukraine, in “accordance with the established procedure for interaction within the framework of contractual relations”, according to a statement from the Belarusian Ministry of Energy. (Ukranews) 

At the Birmingham Crown Court in England, Zephaniah McLeod is sentenced to at least 21 years imprisonment for manslaughter and four counts of attempted murder after killing one person and wounding seven others during a 90-minute stabbing spree in September 2020. (BBC News) 

The New York Supreme Court vacates the convictions of Muhammad Abdul Aziz (formerly Norman 3X Butler) and the late Khalil Islam (formerly Thomas 15X Johnson) for the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X. The two men were convicted alongside Thomas Hagan (formerly Talmadge Hayer) in 1966. An investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. discovered that the FBI and the NYPD had withheld evidence that would have acquitted Aziz and Islam. (The New York Times) 

The End Saturday 

Thursday, November 18th, 2021 

Rapper Young Dolph fatally shot in Memphis cookie shop Rapper Young Dolph reportedly was shot and killed while buying cookies at a Memphis, Tennessee, bakery on Wednesday. He was 36. The owner of Makeda’s Butter Cookies told FOX13 that the rapper, known for albums like King of Memphis and Rich Slave, entered the store at about 1 p.m. and someone drove up and shot him. The Memphis Police Department confirmed the killing. Young Dolph’s attorney, Scott Hall, told TMZ he was in the area for a Thanksgiving giveaway and was on his way to hand out turkeys. “The world has lost an icon, a great man and beloved artist who has been taken too soon,” a representative for the agency APA told Variety. “His dedication, drive, hard work, and loyalty to all those around him always came first and he will be deeply missed.” FOX13

Murder defendant says confrontation with Arbery was ‘life or death’ situation Travis McMichael, the white man accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, testified Wednesday he shot the Black jogger in self-defense. McMichael, who along with his father and another man chased down Arbery as he ran through their Georgia neighborhood, said Arbery tried to take away his shotgun and he believed he was in a “life or death” situation. Travis McMichael said he and his father, Gregory McMichael, thought they recognized Arbery as a man captured on video walking through a nearby house that was under construction. They chased him thinking he was a burglar, trying to make a citizen’s arrest, Travis McMichael said. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski suggested the men weren’t chasing Arbery to detain him. “Not once during your direct examination did you state that your intention was to effectuate an arrest of Mr. Arbery until your attorney asked you that leading question. Isn’t that right?” McMichael replied, “Yes.” CNN

U.S. overdose deaths hit record high The U.S. recorded 100,306 drug-overdose deaths in the 12 months that ran through April, the most ever, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. It was the first 12-month period in which overdoses surpassed 100,000. The record marked nearly a 29 percent rise compared to the same period a year earlier, indicating a sharp rise during the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s telling us that 2021 looks like it will be worse than 2020,” said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. About three-quarters of the deaths were opioid-related deaths, primarily linked to bootleg versions of the potent drug fentanyl. There is a lag in compiling the statistics because confirming drug overdoses requires investigations and toxicology tests. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Judge sentences ‘QAnon Shaman’ to 41 months in prison U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Jacob Chansley, the Jan. 6 Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman,” to 41 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in the insurrection. Chansley stormed the Senate chamber during the attack with his face painted red, white, and blue, and wearing a fur helmet with horns. He pleaded guilty in September to obstruction of Congress for his role in the attempt by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters to prevent lawmakers from certifying Trump’s loss to President Biden. Videos showed Chansley yelling at police officers and leading rioters through the Capitol’s halls. Lamberth told Chansley he appeared “genuine in your remorse,” but his crime was “horrific, as you can now see,” and merits prison time. CBS NEWS 

Bannon pleads not guilty to obstruction of Congress Steve Bannon, a longtime strategist of former President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a criminal contempt of Congress charge for defying subpoenas issued by the House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Bannon surrendered Monday and vowed to fight the charge, calling the case a politically motivated attack. The House voted three weeks ago to hold Bannon in contempt for refusing to provide documents and testimony to the committee, leaving the Justice Department to determine whether to file charges. Trump has told his former advisers not to cooperate with the investigation of the Jan. 6 attack by a mob of his supporters trying to prevent lawmakers from certifying his election loss to President Biden. REUTERS 

Belarus suspends electricity supplies to Ukraine, in “accordance with the established procedure for interaction within the framework of contractual relations”, according to the Belarusian Ministry of Energy. (Ukranews) 

Saad Hussain Rizvi, the leader of far-right Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, is released from prison under a deal to end weeks of protests by his followers, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. (Reuters) 

Soldiers open fire on civilians in Khartoum, Sudan, protesting against last month’s coup d’état, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. This brings the total death toll of civilians killed during the protests to 38. (Al Jazeera) 

The death toll from the attack at a military post in Inata, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, three days ago, increases to 53, including 49 gendarmes and four civilians. (Al Jazeera) 

At Birmingham Crown Court in England, Zephaniah McLeod is sentenced to at least 21 years imprisonment for manslaughter and four attempted murders. (BBC) 

Alec Baldwin sued by ‘Rust’ script supervisor after fatal shooting Alec Baldwin has been hit with another lawsuit after last month’s tragic shooting on the Rust set. Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor on Rust, filed a lawsuit against the actor and others after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when Baldwin discharged a prop gun. Baldwin “chose to play Russian Roulette with a loaded gun without checking it and without having the armorer do so,” the complaint claims, arguing he “should have assumed that the gun in question was loaded” and shouldn’t have relied on the assistant director telling him it was a “cold gun.” Famed attorney Gloria Allred is representing Mitchell in this latest lawsuit, which comes a week after Rust‘s gaffer also sued Baldwin and accused him of negligence. An investigation into the tragedy remains ongoing. DEADLINE

Meghan Markle chats with Ellen about crawling through her old car Meghan Markle is set for a surprise appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, her first daytime talk show interview since her marriage to Prince Harry. In a clip released from Thursday’s show, the Duchess of Sussex chats with DeGeneres about how she used to come to the studio lot for auditions when she was an actress, though to state the obvious, “the drive in today was very different.” She drove a “very, very old” car back then, she recalled, and the key on the driver door didn’t even work, meaning she would “open the trunk and climb in” and “crawl over all my seats” after auditioning. “It was not ideal,” she noted. It wasn’t clear how much the full Ellen interview will get into Meghan’s bombshell claims against the royal family, though it’s safe to say DeGeneres knows a bit about toxic environment allegations herself. PAGE SIX 

Bradley Cooper swears he and Lady Gaga were acting during their electric Oscars performance Almost three years later, Bradley Cooper is taking another look at his electric Oscars duet with Lady Gaga. The two delivered a jaw-dropping performance of “Shallow” from A Star Is Born at the 2019 Academy Awards, which didn’t exactly tamp down speculation there was really something going on between them. But Cooper stressed to The Hollywood Reporter they were both acting that night, as he imagined their Oscars performance playing out like a scene from the movie itself. “They kind of fall in love in that scene in the film,” Cooper said. “It’s that explosive moment that happens to happen to them on a stage in front of thousands of people.” Cooper added that it “would have been so weird if we were both on stools facing the audience,” though honestly, they probably could have managed to make that just as steamy.  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

LeVar Burton gets a trivia show gig after all LeVar Burton’s quiz show dreams will be realized — just a bit differently than he expected. The former Reading Rainbow host and Star Trek actor has been tapped to host a new trivia game show based on Trivial Pursuit, which is in development by Entertainment One but doesn’t yet have a network attached. Burton, of course, was a fan favorite candidate to become full-time host of Jeopardy!, only to be passed over as the show instead went with a guy who almost immediately had to step down over offensive podcast comments. The Jeopardy! gig is now open again, but Burton previously said he didn’t even want it anymore. “When you set your sights on something, they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” he said of the Jeopardy! job. Who needs ’em, right?  VARIETYTHE WEEK 

Biden asks FTC to look at fuel companies’ role in gas price surge President Biden on Wednesday told the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether oil and gas companies are engaging in “illegal conduct” that is pushing gas prices higher during the pandemic. “The bottom line is this: gasoline prices at the pump remain high, even though oil and gas companies’ costs are declining,” Biden said in the letter. The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has risen to a seven-year high of $3.41, up $1.29 from a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association. California’s average price set a record Tuesday at $4.687 per gallon. The jump in pump prices came as the price of U.S. benchmark crude oil nearly doubled over the last year. USA TODAY 

UAW workers approve contract ending John Deere strike United Auto Workers union members approved a contract Wednesday with Deere & Company, ending a five-week strike at the agricultural equipment maker. The workers ratified the six-year contract in a 61 percent to 39 percent vote after turning down two earlier proposals. The new deal with the company, which makes green-and-yellow John Deere tractors and other products, hikes wages and provides more generous performance pay. Chuck Browning, director of the union’s agricultural equipment department, praised the workers for their “courageous willingness to strike in order to attain a better standard of living and a more secure retirement.” John C. May, Deere’s chairman and chief executive, said he was “pleased our highly skilled employees are back to work” at the 14 affected facilities, most of which are in Iowa and Illinois.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Amazon to stop accepting U.K. Visa cards over high fees Amazon said Wednesday it would stop accepting Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom because of high fees. The change is scheduled to take effect Jan. 19. The online retail giant said high interchange fees on credit card transactions push prices up for shoppers. Every time a shopper uses a card, the retailer pays a fee to the bank that issued the card, often 2 percent or more of the transaction. Cards offering travel points or other perks often have steeper fees. “These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements,” an Amazon spokesman said, “but instead they continue to stay high or even rise.” Visa said it was trying to find a fix before the January deadline. “We are very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future,” a Visa spokesman said. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

House censures Gosar, removes him from committees  The House on Wednesday voted 223 to 207 to censure hardline Republican Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and strip him of his committee assignments for tweeting an anime video depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with a sword and attacking President Biden. Two Republicans — Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) — joined Democrats in favor of the measure, and Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) voted “present.” The vote marked the first such censure action in more than a decade. Gosar sat through the House debate wearing an American flag mask. He said “no threat was intended” by the post, and expressed no regret. “What is so hard about saying that this is wrong?” Ocasio-Cortez asked. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Biden asks FTC to look at fuel companies’ role in gas price surge President Biden on Wednesday told the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether oil and gas companies are engaging in “illegal conduct” that is pushing gas prices higher during the pandemic. “The bottom line is this: gasoline prices at the pump remain high, even though oil and gas companies’ costs are declining,” Biden said in the letter. The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has risen to a seven-year high of $3.41, up $1.29 from a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association. California’s average price set a record Tuesday at $4.687 per gallon. The jump in pump prices came as the price of U.S. benchmark crude oil nearly doubled over the last year.  USA TODAY 

Lawyers expect 2 to be exonerated in Malcolm X’s 1965 assassination Lawyers for two of the men convicted for the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X, a Black activist who rose to prominence as a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, expect them to be exonerated Thursday, The New York Times reports. Historians have long questioned the case against the men, Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam. Both spent more than 20 years in prison. Aziz, 83, got out in 1985; Islam was released in 1987 and died in 2009. A 22-month investigation by their lawyers and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office has concluded that the FBI and the New York Police Department withheld documents and other evidence of their innocence during their trial. “It’s long overdue,” said civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice initiative. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

U.S. bishops’ statement on communion avoids clash with Biden  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 222 to 8 on Wednesday to approve a document on Catholics and the sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion, the central rite of Catholic religious observance. Three bishops abstained. The 30-page document, titled “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” is the fruit of a yearlong debate on whether to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights, sparked by the election of President Biden, the second Catholic president. In the end, the National Catholic Reporter said, the U.S. bishops “approved a milquetoast text summarizing Catholic teaching on communion.” The document doesn’t name any Catholic politicians, only obliquely refers to their special responsibility to model Catholic teaching, and barely mentions abortion. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Disney Cruise Line expands vaccine mandate to passengers 5 and up Disney Cruise Line announced Wednesday that it would require all passengers ages 5 and up to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in January. The statement was in line with previous rules calling for all passengers who are eligible under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to be fully vaccinated before boarding. Children under 5 must have proof of a negative test 24 hours to three days before travel. The moves are among numerous steps cruise companies have taken to bounce back after being shut down early in the coronavirus pandemic. “As we set sail again, the health and safety of our Guests, Cast Members, and Crew Members is a top priority,” Disney Cruise Line said in a statement.  CNN

Spain’s panel of vaccine experts approves the extension of the COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to people between the ages of 60 and 69 and healthcare workers. (The Washington Post) 

South Korea reports a record 3,292 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 406,605. (The Korea Herald) 

Austria reports a record 15,145 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,011,465. (Kronen Zeitung) 

Russia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 1,251 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the nationwide death toll to 260,335. (The Moscow Times) 

A Royal Air Force F-35 Lightning II jet crashes into the Mediterranean Sea during a routine operation. The pilot successfully ejects from the aircraft and has been rescued. (The Guardian) 

Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been on a hunger strike for 48 days, is in critical condition. Yesterday, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze denied Saakashvili transfer to a civilian clinic, from a prison hospital where he is being treated. (France 24) 

The End

Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 

A new moon of Saturn, S/2019 S 1, is announced, bringing the total known moons of Saturn to 83. (Minor Planet Center) 

Olivia Munn slams people who ‘think they know’ her relationship with John Mulaney ‘so well’ Olivia Munn spoke with the Los Angeles Times about some of the intense online reaction to her relationship with John Mulaney, which was confirmed not long after his divorce was announced. Mulaney, who went to rehab last year, revealed in September they’re expecting a baby. Speaking to the Times, Munn slammed those “incorrectly” speculating about them and wrongly believing “they know our relationship so well” when “there’s no way anyone could know what any of his relationships were or what our relationship is.” The actress didn’t go into detail to rebut specific claims, though, saying she didn’t want to “feed into” a “false narrative.” So “the only way to win,” she argued, is “to not play the game at all.”  LOS ANGELES TIMES

Quentin Tarantino is being sued for his plan to sell ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFTs Move over, Scarlett Johansson vs. Disney. It’s time for Miramax vs Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino has been slapped with a lawsuit by Miramax after announcing plans to sell NFTs based on his classic movie Pulp Fiction. The director recently revealed he’ll get in on the NFT craze by auctioning off uncut scenes from the 1994 movie as non-fungible tokens. But the film studio that distributed the movie has now hit him with a lawsuit in California, accusing him of breach of contract and copyright infringement. “Left unchecked, Tarantino’s conduct could mislead others into believing Miramax is involved in his venture,” Miramax claims. Tarantino is presumably sifting through his record collection to find inspiration for his legal defense as we speak.  THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Kirsten Dunst refers to awards as ‘shrimps’ Have you heard? Kirsten Dunst’s latest movie is “pretty shrimpy.” Dunst recounted to The Associated Press that she and her girlfriends, fashion designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy, decided it’s “corny to talk about awards.” Their solution? “We call them shrimps instead.” The Spider-Man star explained, “You go, ‘This movie’s pretty shrimpy,’ or like, ‘We deserve some shrimps for this.’ It’s fun.” Her new movie The Power of the Dog does, indeed, have quite a bit of Oscar buzz, allowing the AP interviewer to ask its director the legendary question, “Is it exciting to be back in the shrimp conversation again?” And if the film doesn’t win Best Picture, well, there’s plenty of shrimps in the sea.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Yellen tells lawmakers to act or U.S. could default on debts Dec. 15 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress on Tuesday that the federal government probably will run out of ways to avoid a first-ever debt default around Dec. 15. That’s 12 days later than she predicted in October when Congress passed a stop-gap $480 billion increase in the federal debt limit. Yellen urged Congress in a new letter to act fast to eliminate any possibility of a potentially catastrophic default on the nation’s obligations. “To ensure the full faith and credit of the United States, it is critical that Congress raise or suspend the debt limit as soon as possible,” Yellen wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. Yellen has repeatedly warned lawmakers that letting the government default would probably trigger a recession. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Fauci warns of winter ‘double whammy’ from Delta variant, waning vaccine protection White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning of a possible “double whammy” from the coronavirus this winter as the highly infectious Delta variant spreads and vaccines’ protection wanes, putting “even the vaccinated people” at risk of infection. “You’re going to see breakthrough infections, even more so than we see now among the vaccinated,” Fauci said in a pre-taped interview aired Tuesday at the 2021 STAT Summit. Fauci’s statement added to concerns about a renewed rise in COVID-19 cases following a decline from the summer surge, with people preparing to gather for the holidays. He added that because immunity from vaccines decreases over time, a third shot with a booster dose might become the standard for “full” COVID-19 vaccination. ABC NEWS 

Gas prices for the United Kingdom and the European Union increase by 17% after the German energy regulator suspends the approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany. The regulator says that the pipeline needs to comply with German law before they can certify the €10 billion project. (BBC News) 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson states that the west will have to choose between reliance on Russian gas and supporting Ukraine amid reported buildups of the Russian military near the border with Ukraine. (The Guardian) 

Estonia summons 1,700 reservists for a snap drill, which will include installing a 40 kilometer-long razor wire barrier along its border with Russia as the migrant crisis with Belarus intensifies. (Reuters) 

The Canadian government sends the Air Force to the Pacific coast to assist with supplies after torrential rains in several parts near Vancouver suffer blocked highways. Bill Blair says that landslides and floods affected Agassiz, British Columbia, blocking the town, and is now assisted by the military. (Al Jazeera) 

The Northern Ireland Executive votes to introducing the COVID-19 vaccine passport beginning from next months, which will contain vaccination status or negative COVID-19 test result to enter bars, restaurants, or pubs. (BBC News) 

Harry Potter stars to reunite sans J.K. Rowling for 20th anniversary special J.K. who? WarnerMedia announced Tuesday the cast of Harry Potter will reunite, as the first movie distressingly turns 20 years old. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson will “travel back to Hogwarts for the first time” for an anniversary special in January, which will also feature director Chris Columbus and stars including Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, and Tom Felton. But The Hollywood Reporter noted one name left off the guest list: author J.K. Rowling, who reportedly won’t appear (besides in some archival footage). An appearance might have been a bit awkward considering Radcliffe is among those who have called Rowling out for her controversial anti-trans tweets. “Transgender women are women,” the actor said last year.  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Retail sales surged in October despite high inflation Retail sales rose by 1.7 percent in October, a significant improvement compared to September, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. The surge, which came despite new data showing consumer confidence at a 10-year low, came as Walmart and Home Depot reported third-quarter sales that beat expectations. Consumers spent mostly on goods, including cars, electronics, fitness equipment, and other big purchases, rather than services. The data showed that despite complaints about rising gas and grocery prices, Americans are willing to pay more as they return to more normal lives with coronavirus infections down since the summer surge. “The fact is, the world shut down for the better part of 2020 and people have savings because they haven’t been out and about,” said Mark Cohen, director of retail sales at Columbia Business School. “They have a lot of disposable cash — and now that things are coming back to normal, they’re going to dispose of it.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Lucid’s market value surpasses Ford’s before debut of its 1st EV Lucid Group’s market value shot higher than Ford’s on Tuesday after the high-end electric-vehicle startup’s leaders said reservations for its first cars had surged, sending its shares rising by 24 percent. Lucid’s stock gains brought its market capitalization to $89.9 billion, just below General Motors’ $90.9 billion. The company on Monday reported a third-quarter net loss of $524 million as it started vehicle production and hired more sales and service employees. Lucid said the reverse merger deal it used in the summer to go public raised $4.4 billion, enough to ramp up and launch its first model, the Lucid Air, in 2022. Also on Monday, MotorTrend picked the Lucid Air for its Car of the Year award, the first time a new car maker’s debut model had won the honor. CNBCTHE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Lowe’s sales beat forecasts as Americans continue fixing up homes Lowe’s on Wednesday reported better-than-expected sales and raised its full-year forecast due to sustained high demand from builders and contractors. Big-spending home-improvement professionals have been investing in tools and snapping up materials as Americans, encouraged by rising home prices, invest in sprucing up their houses and apartments. Lowes said same-store sales rose by 2.2 percent in the third quarter. Analysts had expected a 2.9 percent decline, according to IBES data from Refinitive. Larger home improvement rival Home Depot on Tuesday reported a 6.1 percent increase in sales, also beating predictions. Lowes said sales for the 2021 fiscal year should reach $95 billion, up from its previous forecast of $92 billion. REUTERS 

Biden, Democrats rally public support for infrastructure law President Biden and other Democratic leaders went on the road Tuesday to rally public support for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Biden signed into law this week. “This is not something abstract,” Biden said at a decrepit bridge in rural New Hampshire. “This is real. This is real stuff.” Democratic members of Congress have planned 1,000 events in November and December to publicize “what we’re doing in this package,” said the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.). The bill passed with the support of some Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Biden and Democrats are proudly touting their role, but a new ABC News/Washington Post poll found that most Americans aren’t giving Biden credit for pushing the bill through Congress.  ABC NEWS 

U.S. to buy enough Pfizer COVID pills for 10 million people The Biden administration plans to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill to help treat infected people and reduce severe illness and death from the coronavirus, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing two people with knowledge of the deal. As the two sides negotiated final details for the $5 billion purchase, Pfizer asked federal regulators to authorize the five-day antiviral treatment with the pill, Paxlovid. The drug, which Pfizer has agreed to license so it can be produced around the world, would join a pill developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics as the second oral treatment to help newly infected people avoid hospitalization. Health officials hope COVID drugs will help reduce the pandemic’s toll by protecting people from severe symptoms. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Biden, Xi agree to explore arms control talks President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take steps to renew nuclear-arms control talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday, a day after the two leaders held a virtual meeting. If the arms control talks happen, they will be one of just a few concrete achievements coming out of the more than three-hour discussion, which covered trade, Taiwan, and a host of other issues that have contributed to rising tensions between the two superpowers. The U.S. and China also announced Tuesday they would ease restrictions on foreign journalists. China last year expelled several U.S. reporters. Under the deal, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times will be able to send journalists back to China. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Frustrated migrants in Belarus clash with Polish border forces Hundreds of frustrated Middle Eastern migrants in Belarus stormed a border checkpoint and clashed with Polish security forces. Some of the migrants said they were pushed by Belarusian officials to press toward the border fence, where some of the people seeking entry into Poland threw stones and debris at border guards, who responded with water cannons and tear gas. “I am angry. Everyone is angry. This is the last thing we could do. There is no other solution if we ever want to get to Europe,” said Rawand Akram, a 23-year-old Iraqi Kurd. Tuesday’s confrontation came after a month-long impasse. European officials have accused the government of Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, of luring refugees to the border with the promise of passage to Europe in a bid to destabilize Poland and neighboring countries.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Retail sales surged in October despite high inflation Retail sales rose by 1.7 percent in October, a significant improvement compared to September, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. The surge, which came despite new data showing consumer confidence at a 10-year low, came as Walmart and Home Depot reported third-quarter sales that beat expectations. Consumers spent mostly on goods, including cars, electronics, fitness equipment, and other big purchases, rather than services. The data showed that despite complaints about rising gas and grocery prices, Americans are willing to pay more as they return to more normal lives with coronavirus infections down since the summer surge. “The fact is, the world shut down for the better part of 2020 and people have savings because they haven’t been out and about,” said Mark Cohen, director of retail sales at Columbia Business School. “They have a lot of disposable cash — and now that things are coming back to normal, they’re going to dispose of it.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

New York City announces Times Square New Year’s event is back New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that the city will bring back its famous Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration at “full strength” in a sign of a return toward pre-pandemic life. One hitch: Anyone who wants to be there to watch the ball drop at midnight in person must be vaccinated against COVID-19. “We want to welcome all those hundreds of thousands of folks, but everyone needs to be vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “Join the crowd, join the joy, join a historic moment as New York City provides further evidence to the world that we are 100 percent back.” The famous event was scaled down last year due to the pandemic. It will be de Blasio’s last New Year’s Eve celebration as mayor as he prepares to leave after eight years in office and possibly run for governor. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Las Vegas man who made vote-fraud claim pleads guilty to voting twice A Las Vegas man who claimed he had evidence of fraud in the 2020 presidential election pleaded guilty Tuesday to voting twice in the election. Last November, Donald “Kirk” Hartle told a local TV station, KLAS, someone cast a ballot for his wife, Rosemarie Hartle, who died of breast cancer in 2017. The Nevada Republican Party publicized the case, tweeting that “this isn’t the only case of a deceased person voting in NV.” State officials investigated and found Hartle had cast his late wife’s ballot, and his own ballot, too. Hartle agreed to plead guilty to avoid serving prison time. Judge Carli Kierny told Hartle his “cheap political stunt” backfired and showed “our voting system actually works because you were ultimately caught.” KLAS 

 

Tuesday,  November 16th, 2021 

Pfizer and the Medicines Patent Pool sign a global licensing agreement that will allow Pfizer’s experimental COVID-19 oral drug Paxlovid to be manufactured under a royalty-free license in 95 low and middle-income countries. (The Wall Street Journal) 

Researchers at the American cybersecurity firm Mandiant report that the Belarusian government has ties to the hacker group Ghostwriter, which was accused of targeting various German politicians and ministries in September and has since been accused of launching misinformation campaigns against Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Ukraine. (RFE/RL) 

The Mexican Secretariat of National Defense announces that Rosalinda González Valencia, the wife of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera “El Mencho” Cervantes, is re-arrested. González was previously detained in 2018 for allegedly running the finances of the cartel, but was released on bail. (BBC News) 

The impeachment against Chilean President Sebastián Piñera is defeated in the Senate, after the motion fails to meet the minimum two-thirds threshold in a vote. (Bloomberg) 

Bannon vows to fight contempt charges Steve Bannon surrendered Monday to face federal contempt charges for his refusal to comply with subpoenas issued by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by a mob of former President Trump’s supporters. Bannon, a former Trump strategist who no longer worked in the White House when the insurrection occurred, was released pending his trial. He faces two counts of defying a House subpoena seeking documents and testimony. If convicted, he could get from 30 days to a year in jail on each charge, plus a fine of up to $100,000. Bannon was defiant as he left the courthouse, saying the Justice Department was going after the “wrong guy this time.” “I’m telling you right now, this is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden,” Bannon said. U.S. Magistrate Robin Meriweather required Bannon to surrender his passport and report weekly to court authorities until his trial. USA TODAY 

Russia carries out a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon test on the defunct Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 1408, creating a cloud of debris that threatens the International Space Station. (SpaceNews) 

Fifteen Armenian soldiers are killed and 12 more captured by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during border clashes, amid mutual recriminations before a Russian-brokered ceasefire is agreed at 7 pm local time. (JAMnews) 

Judge drops gun charge against Rittenhouse, jury starts deliberations Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder on Monday dropped the gun possession charge against Kyle Rittenhouse shortly before lawyers gave closing arguments in the teen’s trial for fatally shooting two men and wounding another during a protest sparked by the police shooting of a Black man last year. Rittenhouse had faced a misdemeanor charge for illegal possession of the AR-15-style rifle he used to kill Joseph Rosenbaum and Kyle Huber and wound Gaige Grosskreutz, but Schroeder said the law on rifle possession could be interpreted to mean that people who are 17 years old, as Rittenhouse was at the time of the killings, can legally carry firearms unless they are short-barreled rifles. It was not Schroeder’s first controversial decision. Before the trial started, he faced criticism for barring prosecutors from calling Rosenbaum and Huber “victims,” but allowing the defense to call them “rioters” and “looters.” The jury starts deliberating Tuesday. NEWSWEEK 

Gas prices for the United Kingdom and the European Union increase by 17% after the German energy regulator suspends the approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany. The regulator said it needed to comply with German law before certifying the €10 billion project. (BBC News) 

California pump prices hit record high California gas prices rose to a record high of $4.682 per gallon on Monday, according to the American Automobile Association. Monday’s prices were six-tenths of a cent above a record set Sunday when AAA reported that pump prices in the state had edged above the previous record of $4.671 per gallon set nine years ago. The average price nationwide reached $3.415 on Monday. AAA blamed Northern California rainstorms for reducing production capacity, creating a temporary supply crunch. “Drivers are paying $1.50 more per gallon than a year ago,” Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for AAA, told CNN. “It means the person who has the typical midsize sedan with a 14-gallon size fuel tank, they’re paying $21 more to fill up that tank today than last year.” CNN 

South Korea reports a new single-day record of 495 critical cases of COVID-19. (Yonhap News Agency) 

Russia authorizes Pfizer to conduct clinical trials for its experimental COVID-19 drug named Paxlovid, where the trials will continue until March 2023. (The Hill) 

The number of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine supplied worldwide surpasses two billion. (Medical Xpress) 

Pfizer and Medicines Patent Pool sign a global licensing agreement that will allow its experimental COVID-19 oral drug Paxlovoid to manufactured and grant royalty-free license in 95 low and middle-income countries. (The Wall Street Journal) 

Japan detects the H5N8 bird flu strain at a farm with about 11,000 egg-laying chickens in Izumi in Kagoshima Prefecture. (Reuters) 

President Rodrigo Duterte orders the lifting of the distinct mandatory usage of face shields under areas under Alert 3 and below that presently includes the National Capital Region. The policy is retained under places under Alert 5 and areas being retained under granular lockdown. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

A peer-reviewed study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine announces that an Argentinian woman has allegedly been “functionally cured” of HIV by her own immune system. If confirmed, she would be only the second individual in history whose own immune system successfully destroyed the disease without any form of stem-cell transplantation. (USA Today) 

Migrants at a temporarily closed checkpoint in Kuźnica throw stones at Polish border guards, while attempting to destroy the border fence to break through the Belarus–Poland border. The guards respond with water cannons and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the mob. The Polish ministry accuses the Belarusian military of aiding the attacks along Poland’s borders. (BBC) 

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson states that the west will have to choose between reliance on Russian gas and supporting Ukraine amid reported buildup of the Russian military near the border with Ukraine. (The Guardian) 

Princess Charlene of Monaco swiftly cancels all her activities, including those of Monaco’s national celebrations, due to ill-health, according to the princely palace. The Princess is said to be suffering from “deep fatigue”. (Reuters) 

Britney Spears gets ‘my first glass of champagne’ after being freed from her conservatorship It’s official: Britney Spears is free. A judge on Friday finally ended the pop star’s conservatorship after 13 years, and on Monday, Spears wrote on Instagram that she had an “amazing weekend” and felt like she was “on cloud 9 the whole time.” In fact, Spears said she “actually got my first glass of champagne” to celebrate and declared she’ll be “celebrating my freedom and my B day for the next two months !!!!!!!!!!!” Spears also commented on videos of her elated fans outside the court, writing, “What a sight seeing so many people celebrating my victory.” She didn’t reveal what else might be next for her, though TMZ reported she “wants to go back in the studio.”  TMZ 

Adele opens up about her divorce and weight loss in Oprah interview Adele opened up about her divorce in a CBS special on Sunday, telling Oprah Winfrey she’s “embarrassed that I didn’t make my marriage work.” When Winfrey asked if there’s a specific moment when she realized things weren’t working, she recalled taking a magazine personality quiz with her friends. One of the questions asked for “something that no one would ever know about you,” and Adele says she shocked her friends by admitting, “I’m really not happy.” The “Hello” singer also told Winfrey she lost around 100 pounds after working out to deal with her anxiety, and while she feels “bad” if this “made anyone feel horrible about themselves,” it’s “not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies.”  VULTURE 

Miles Teller shows up in Taylor Swift’s new music video after vaccine controversy Miles Teller stars in Taylor Swift’s new video, and some Swifties aren’t taking it all too well. On Monday, Swift dropped a Blake Lively-directed “I Bet You Think About Me” music video, which stars Teller as her ex. It wasn’t clear when the video was shot, but his appearance raised eyebrows after The Daily Mail reported in September that Teller’s series The Offer was shut down when he contracted COVID-19 after allegedly not being vaccinated. “I’m a little confused as to why she went with Teller who doesn’t exactly have a great reputation,” one fan wrote on the Taylor Swift subreddit, while another said, “I can’t believe she chose to work with someone like that.” Was Aaron Rodgers not available?  VARIETY 

Kristen Stewart is developing a ‘gay ghost-hunting reality show’ Kristen Stewart hopes to transition from possibly taking home an Oscar to making a gay ghost-hunting show, as all Academy Award-winners should. A New Yorker profile on Stewart, who could win Best Actress for playing Princess Diana in Spencer, reveals she’s “developing a gay ghost-hunting reality show with a friend.” Stewart described the show as a “paranormal romp in a queer space,” adding, “Gay people love pretty things. So we are aiming for a richness.” The Twilight star previously told the Los Angeles Times she’s never personally had any paranormal encounters but did get some “spooky, spiritual feelings” working on Spencer, suggesting there were “moments where I kind of got the sign-off” from Princess Diana herself.  THE NEW YORKER 

‘House of Gucci’ dialogue coach thinks Lady Gaga’s Italian accent ‘sounds more Russian’  Lady Gaga didn’t exactly nail her House of Gucci accent, according to a House of Gucci dialogue coach. Gaga stars as Patrizia Reggiani in the movie, and she told British Vogue she spoke with the Italian accent she adopted for the movie for nine months. But dialect coach Francesca De Martini admitted to The Daily Beast, “I feel bad saying this, but her accent is not exactly an Italian accent, it sounds more Russian.” De Martini says she was brought on the movie to specifically work with Salma Hayek on her accent and was “surprised” to find “there wasn’t a dialogue coach on set.” Well, if Gaga ends up winning an Oscar, we know who she won’t be thanking.  THE DAILY BEAST 

Biden signs bipartisan infrastructure bill into law President Biden on Monday signed the more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The package was pared down from Biden’s original proposal to spend $2.3 trillion to upgrade the nation’s roads, bridges, ports, power lines, and broadband internet, but Biden said the version that passed showed that Republicans and Democrats can work together for the good of the nation. “America’s moving again, and your life’s going to change for the better,” Biden said. Biden said the upgrades would help America compete with China and other nations in emerging industries. The law contains $550 billion in new funds, including $66 billion for Amtrak and other rail lines, $65 billion for broadband, $47 billion for responding to wildfires and increasingly frequent storms, and $7.5 billion for electric-vehicle charging stations. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Biden administration proposes Chaco Canyon drilling ban The Biden administration on Monday proposed banning new oil and gas drilling projects for 20 years in and around Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico. The area is rich in oil and gas, but it’s also a sacred tribal site. Biden announced the move at the White House Tribal Nations summit where he also signed an executive order telling his Cabinet to come up with a strategy to improve public safety, health, education, and justice for Indigenous Americans. He also promised that his administration would work with tribes to incorporate their “tribal ecological knowledge into the federal government’s scientific approach.” “No group of Americans has created and cared more about preserving what we inherited than the tribal nations,” Biden said. “We have to continue to stand up for the dignity and sovereignty of tribal nations.”  THE WASHINGTON POST 

Film crew members narrowly approve deal averting strike Film industry crew members have approved two contracts with Hollywood producers, averting the chance of a strike that could have halted TV and film productions across the country, union leaders said Monday. The deals passed 56 percent to 44 percent in a system similar to the Electoral College in U.S. presidential races. But the margin in the popular vote among members of the 36 local unions of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees was razor-thin, with 50.3 percent voting yes and 49.7 percent voting no. In their last vote, 98 percent of union members supported giving their leaders authority to call a strike. Union leaders reached the three-year deal with producers a month ago, two days before a strike deadline. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Biden and Xi pledge better communication after virtual summit President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to improve communication between the U.S. and China after discussing a wide range of issues in a three-and-a-half-hour virtual meeting Monday. The leaders of the world’s two biggest economies covered topics that included human rights, climate change, trade, and Taiwan, as well as geopolitical tensions over Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iran. The meeting did not yield any breakthroughs. Biden raised concerns about human rights abuses in China, and about Beijing’s “unfair trade and economic policies,” the White House said. Xi warned that the U.S. was “playing with fire by supporting Taiwan,” which China views as a rebel province. But both sides called for calm and cooperation: “It seems to me we need to establish some common-sense guardrails,” Biden said. Xi said he was ready to push relations between the two countries, which have been tense, “in a positive direction.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Judge rules Infowars’ Alex Jones liable in Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled Monday that conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones is liable for all damages in the defamation lawsuits the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting filed against him for claiming that the massacre was a hoax. Jones — who has since acknowledged that the shooting really happened — and entities he owns failed to turn over financial and web analytics data in “callous disregard of their obligation” in the discovery process, Bellis said. She found them liable by default for withholding the information “the plaintiffs needed to prove their claims.” The ruling “shows just how unwilling Mr. Jones was to have his conduct exposed to the light of day in front of a jury,” said lawyer Chris Mattei, who represents Sandy Hook families. The defendants plan to appeal. HARTFORD COURANT 

Liverpool taxi driver praised for quick response to bomber Liverpool, England, Mayor Joanne Anderson on Monday credited the driver of a taxi that burst into flames outside a hospital with preventing a worse disaster. The driver, identified locally as David Perry, fled the vehicle and locked the alleged bomber inside after spotting explosives. “The taxi driver, in his heroic efforts, has managed to divert what could have been an absolutely awful disaster at the hospital,” Anderson said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the driver’s “incredible presence of mind and bravery.” The driver picked up the passenger about a 10-minute drive from the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. As the taxi arrived at the facility’s drop-off area, the passenger detonated a homemade bomb, killing himself and injuring Perry, who was treated and released from a hospital. BBC NEWS 

Three suicide bombers blow themselves up near a police station and the entrance of Parliament in Kampala, killing three people and injuring 33 others. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks. (Reuters) 

Judge denies defense request to remove Jesse Jackson from courtroom in Arbery case A judge on Monday denied a request to remove the Rev. Jesse Jackson from the courtroom made by the lawyer of one of the three white men on trial in the killing of Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery. Lawyer Kevin Gough, who represents defendant William “Roddie” Bryan, said Jackson is “an icon of the civil rights movement” whose presence could influence the jury in a case where race has been a focus. Jackson was sitting in the back of the courtroom with Arbery’s parents. “How many pastors does the Arbery family have?” Gough said. “We had the Rev. Al Sharpton here earlier, last week.” Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said he would not “single out any particular individual or group of individuals as not being allowed to be in this courtroom as a member of the public.” He added: “If there is a disruption, you’re more than welcome to call that to my attention.”  NBC NEWS 

Myanmar releases U.S. journalist Danny Fenster Myanmar on Monday released American journalist Danny Fenster, who was held for a half-year by the Southeast Asian nation’s military junta and was sentenced to 11 years on Friday with the possibility of another 40 years on murky allegations. Fenster promptly left the country with Bill Richardson, the former U.S. diplomat who helped negotiate Fenster’s freedom. “This is the day that you hope will come when you do this work,” said Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Fenster told reporters on a stopover in Qatar that he had been “arrested and held in captivity for no reason.” He said he was not “starved or beaten.” It was not immediately clear whether the U.S. promised the junta anything in exchange for Fenster’s release. The military has cracked down on pro-democracy protesters since a February coup. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Monday,  November 15th, 2021 

The death toll from yesterday’s mass shooting at a military post near a gold mine in Inata, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, increases to 32, including 28 gendarmes and four civilians, making the attack the deadliest against security forces in the country. (Reuters) 

Yesterday’s taxi explosion in Liverpool, England, that killed bomber Emad Al-Swealmeen and injured the driver outside the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, is declared a terrorist incident by police. Mayor Joanne Anderson says that the driver locked the bomber inside the vehicle after noticing that the bomber was wearing an explosive device. (BBC News) 

Three al-Shabaab members escape from a maximum security prison in Kenya, including one of the perpetrators of the 2015 Garissa attack, in which 148 people were killed. (Reuters) 

U.S. President Joe Biden signs the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. (The Washington Post) 

Merritt, British Columbia, Canada is evacuated after severe flooding inundated the city of about 7,000. Several highways throughout southern British Columbia were also washed out by heavy rain, leaving at least 10 people stranded. (CBC) (CBC) 

Berlin begins to implement “2G” rule that limiting access to restaurants, cinemas, bars, and cultural and entertainment venues to those who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases across Germany. (VOA) 

Latvia ends its 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and allows companies to fire employees who are unvaccinated against COVID-19. Unvaccinated people are also banned from taking their duties for parliament and entering shopping malls with a size greater than 1,500 square metres (16,000 sq ft). (Medical Xpress) 

Egypt begins to ban unvaccinated public sector employees and university students from entering workplaces and universities unless they show a negative PCR test from the previous 72 hours. (Arab News) 

US President Joe Biden holds a virtual bilateral meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping. (AP News) 

The European Union says it will impose new sanctions on Belarus in response to the migrant crisis on the Belarus–Poland border. (CNN) 

With nearly all votes counted, the ruling Peronist government loses control of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. This is the first time since the return to democracy in 1983 that Peronists do not have a majority in either house. (El Mostrador Chile) 

COVID cases rise again after decline from summer surge  Coronavirus cases have started rising again in parts of the U.S. following a decline from the summer surge that was driven by the highly infectious Delta variant. The trends have been most alarming in the upper Midwest, Southwest, and parts of the Northeast. Nationally, the seven-day average of new cases has edged up to about 80,000 after stalling at just over 70,000 infections per day for several weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing Johns Hopkins University data. Public health officials are concerned to see progress against the pandemic stall as Americans prepare to gather for Thanksgiving. Minnesota, for example, recently saw new cases jump to more than 3,500 per day, the most since April. During a summer reprieve, the state reported just two new cases per day. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Southwest employee hospitalized after alleged assault by passenger A Southwest Airlines employee was hospitalized after a passenger assaulted her during boarding in Dallas, airline officials said Sunday. Dallas police said 32-year-old Arielle Jean Jackson boarded the New York-bound flight and started a “verbal altercation” with a flight attendant in the rear of the plane. The flight attendant told Jackson to get off the plane, and as she was leaving she allegedly punched an airline operations agent in the head. Police arrested her on an aggravated assault charge, a Dallas police spokesperson, Juan Fernandez, said Sunday. The operations agent was taken to a hospital in stable condition. “Southwest Airlines maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding any type of harassment or assault and fully supports our Employee as we cooperate with local authorities regarding this unacceptable incident,” the airline said in a statement. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Yesterday’s car explosion in Liverpool, England, that killed one person and severely injured another outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital, is declared a terrorist incident by police. Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson says the vehicle’s driver, a local cabbie named David Perry, locked a suicide bomber inside the vehicle after noticing he was wearing an explosive device. (BBC) 

The government of New Zealand vows to help islanders in Banaba, Kiribati, to access to fresh water as the island suffers from frequent droughts and depends on rainfall. (RNZ) 

With nearly all votes counted, the ruling Peronist government loses control of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate; the first time since the return to democracy in 1983 that Peronists do not have a majority in either house. (El Mostrador Chile) 

Trump to sell controversial D.C. hotel for $375 million Former President Donald Trump’s family real estate company has reached a deal to sell the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., for at least $375 million. CGI Merchant Group of Miami is buying the hotel and plans to have it branded and managed by Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria group. The sale could be finalized in early 2022. The hotel is operated in the leased former Old Post Office building, which is owned by the federal government. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform plans to continue investigating “conflicts of interest and potential constitutional violations raised by Donald Trump’s lease of this hotel from the federal government while he was President,” adding that the matter “won’t be fully resolved by selling off this hotel.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Global media critical of COP26 climate deal Global media gave mixed reviews Sunday to the COP26 summit climate deal reached in Glasgow, CNBC reported. The Scottish Mail praised the “ambitious” agreement, but Scotland on Sunday was among those disappointed about the watering down of language on coal insisted on by India and China — both major coal burners. “We are still on the road to hell,” Scotland on Sunday said. The New York Times and The Washington Post noted that the summit failed to produce enough commitments necessary to limit global temperature from rising to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, a key goal. In China, the world’s biggest carbon polluter, the state-backed Xinhua news agency noted the deal called for doubling support to help developing countries adapt to climate change. CNBC 

Biden picks former New Orleans mayor to supervise infrastructure plan President Biden has chosen former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to supervise the work to be done under the more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan Biden is expected to sign Monday, the White House said Sunday. Landrieu helped guide his city’s recovery after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. He took office in 2010, when recovery efforts had stalled five years after the storm. He secured billions in federal funding for roads, schools parks, and infrastructure, and turned New Orleans “into one of America’s great comeback stories,” the White House said. His job now is to coordinate federal agencies’ work on roads, ports, bridges, airports, and broadband infrastructure. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Trump calls U.S. ‘radicalized mess’ after Bannon indictment President Trump on Sunday criticized the indictment of his former strategist Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress, saying it showed that the United States had become a “radicalized mess” under President Biden and Democrats in control of Congress. “This country has perhaps never done to anyone what they have done to Steve Bannon,” Trump said in a statement spokesperson Liz Harrington posted on Twitter. Bannon is expected to turn himself in Monday on charges related to his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump’s supporters. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Bannon’s indictment “without a doubt” would prompt other Trump allies to testify. ROLLING STONE 

Austria imposes lockdown for unvaccinated people Austria is imposing a lockdown Monday on anyone age 12 or older who is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced. About 65 percent of Austrians are fully vaccinated, giving it one of the lowest rates in the European Union. Schallenberg called the rate “shamefully low.” Under the lockdown, unvaccinated people will only be allowed to leave home for limited essential activities. Police officers will make spot checks on anyone moving freely in public. Unvaccinated people already are prohibited from going to entertainment venues, restaurants, hairdressers, and other places open to the public. The move comes as central Europe is experiencing a wave of coronavirus infections. The Netherlands announced a three-week partial lockdown on Friday. CNN 

3 arrested under U.K. terror law after Liverpool taxi explosion kills 1 British authorities said Sunday they arrested three men under the U.K.’s Terrorism Act after a taxi exploded outside a Liverpool hospital, killing one person and wounding another. Police did not release the names of the suspects, aged 21, 26, and 29. Investigators could not immediately determine the cause of the blast, which occurred after the taxi pulled up outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital. “Work is still ongoing to establish what has happened and could take some time before we’re in a position to confirm anything,” Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of the Merseyside Police said, adding that police were “keeping an open mind” about the case. No details were immediately available about the victims. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Florida lawmakers to counter vaccine mandates in special session Florida lawmakers are scheduled to meet Monday to start a week-long special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis to pass bills designed to discourage businesses and local governments from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The Republican-dominated legislature will consider four bills imposing penalties on businesses or governments in the state requiring workers to show proof of vaccination without providing exemptions. “No cop, no firefighter, no nurse, nobody should be losing their job because of these jabs,” DeSantis said in a statement. The bills would back up rules and executive orders DeSantis has already issued. “This is a combination of policy and politics,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. “DeSantis knows that Trump supporters don’t like masks or this vaccine.” REUTERS 

Biden, Xi head into virtual meeting aiming to reduce frictionsPresident Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet virtually on Monday in a bid to improve rising tensions over Taiwan, the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, and trade. It will be the first substantial meeting between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies since Biden took office in January. Both sides downplayed expectations and declined to make the agenda public. People familiar with the planning say Biden and Xi will seek agreement on several initiatives developed by bilateral working groups to find common ground. “Both sides recognize they have real differences, that they are going to compete, but it is essential to keep it peaceful,” said Winston Lord, former assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under President Bill Clinton. POLITICO 

Sunday, November 14th, 2021 

Gunmen open fire at a military post near a gold mine in Inata, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, killing 19 gendarmes and a civilian. (Al Jazeera) 

A passenger is killed and the driver injured when a taxi explodes in front of the Liverpool Women’s Hospital in Liverpool, England. Three men are subsequently arrested under the Terrorism Act. (BBC News) 

A bomb explodes near a vehicle carrying troops in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, killing four soldiers and a general. (The New Arab) 

Two Ugandan soldiers are sentenced to death and three more receive 39-year prison sentences in Somalia for killing seven civilians during a gun battle in Golweyn, Lower Shabelle, three months ago. (BBC News) 

A 9-year-old boy, injured during a crowd crush at the Astroworld Music Festival, who had been in a medically-induced coma, dies, bringing the death toll to 10. (CNN) 

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes Hormozgan Province, Iran, at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and is felt in many southern Iranian cities. A man killed by a falling pole is the sole death reported. (Reuters) 

Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announces a nationwide lockdown for those over the age of 12 years who are unvaccinated against COVID-19, which prohibits them from leaving their homes except for essential reasons beginning at midnight, amid a record increase in new COVID-19 cases. (AP) 

The Egyptian government announces the start of clinical trials for COVI-VAX, which is the country’s first domestically-made COVID-19 vaccine. (Ahram Online) 

Peru announces that people over the age of 18 years who want to enter indoor spaces must show a proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 beginning in December, either physical or virtual vaccination cards. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Bulgarians go to the polls to elect the President and the National Assembly. (MSN) 

The End