PoliticsThe IndependentAOC and Ilhan Omar sign petition calling on Biden not to give Bruce Reed administration role
Progressive lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have signed a petition calling on president-elect Joe Biden not to appoint Bruce Reed to his administration. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Rep. Omar, of Minnesota, are supporting efforts to have Mr Reed, Mr Biden's former chief of staff, frozen out of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Reports emerged earlier this week suggesting that Mr Reed, who also served in the Obama administration, was top of the president-elect's list to head up the OMB.
U.S.The TelegraphGhislaine Maxwell woken up every 15 minutes in jail while she sleeps says lawyer
A lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite charged with finding girls in the 1990s for financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse, said Tuesday that her client is awakened every 15 minutes in jail while she sleeps to ensure she's breathing. Attorney Bobbi Sternheim told a Manhattan judge that Maxwell faces more restrictive conditions than inmates convicted of terrorism or murder. Maxwell has no history of mental health issues or suicidal ideation and no criminal history, either, she said.
PoliticsThe WeekPeople are skeptical that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will be able to easily slip back into NYC society
No one is really sure what Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will do after leaving the White House in January or where they will live, but people who know them are certain they plan on getting out of Washington, D.C., as fast as they can, The New York Times reports. President Trump's daughter and son-in-law have never fit in, several people told the Times, but it's not a sure bet that they will return to New York City. Donny Deutsch, a marketing expert and critic of the president, said he thinks Ivanka and Jared would have an "even harder time than Trump himself" moving back to Manhattan.
- WorldAssociated Press
Kurdish and Turkey-backed fighters clash in Syria, 18 killed
Clashes between Kurdish fighters and Turkey-backed opposition gunmen in northern Syria left at least 18 fighters dead in some of the most intense fighting in weeks, an opposition war monitor and a Kurdish news agency said Tuesday. Exchanges of fire and shelling between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkey-backed opposition gunmen who identify as the Syrian National Army have not been uncommon since Turkish troops invaded parts of northern Syria in October last year. The clashes began before midnight Monday near the town of Ein Issa and were triggered by an assault from Turkey-backed gunmen on SDF positions, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, and the Kurdish ANHA news agency.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden's team has made contact with Dr. Fauci, and the president-elect said he has been 'very, very helpful' in briefings with staff
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has reached out to President-elect Joe Biden's transition staff, Bloomberg reported. "I haven't had a chance to speak to Dr. Fauci," Biden said Tuesday, but Fauci himself confirmed to CNN that he has been talking to the president-elect's staff. The news comes a day after the General Services Administration recognized Biden as the apparent president-elect.
- U.S.Christian Science Monitor
The generous sauce that lifts this year's Thanksgiving
National events, from a pandemic to racial injustice to a recession, have pushed many into desolation at a time of holiday celebration. A few notable families – such as those of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery – will be in mourning. For tens of thousands, a Thanksgiving meal was available only from a drive-thru charity distribution.
HealthINSIDERDentists say young influencers who are filing down their teeth for the 'perfect smile' will need dentures by the time they're 40
There is a trend of TikTok users sharing their experience of getting their teeth ground down to pegs for the "perfect smile." The preparation for full coverage crowns is more aggressive than veneers and compromises more of the tooth, so dentists do not recommend this for young people. "She's going to have dentures by the age of 40," Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri, a London-based dentist, said while commenting on a video of a young influencer's "veneer vlog" on TikTok.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump to reportedly join Rudy Giuliani at Pennsylvania election event after aides 'tried talking him out of' going
President Trump is reportedly heading to Pennsylvania for a Republican meeting on voter fraud allegations, ignoring advice from some of his aides in the process. Trump is "expected to join" his lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday hold a "hearing" about claims of election "irregularities," CNN reports. The plans could reportedly still change, but they were confirmed by Bloomberg, which noted that the event doesn't appear on Trump's public schedule.
TechnologyArchitectural DigestA Few of Our Favorite Small Businesses Running Early Black Friday Sales
You don't have to wait until #smallbusinesssaturday to shop small Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
U.S.USA TODAY2 US citizens detained for speaking Spanish in Montana store settle border patrol lawsuit
Two U.S. citizens have settled a lawsuit with Customs and Border Protection after they were detained by a Border Patrol agent who heard them speaking Spanish at a convenience store in Havre, Montana, and demanded that they show identification. The monetary settlement was announced on Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi" Hernandez, alleging their constitutional rights were violated. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed at the request of the two women, said Cody Wofsy, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project in San Francisco.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe US Air Force has 'studied every single piece of concrete in the Pacific' to find new places to fight from
The vast distances of the Pacific region and the growing reach of the Chinese military has led the US to look for ways to disperse its forces and their bases. For the US Air Force, that means scouring the region for runways and facilities that can support its aircraft as they try to spread out and sustain potential combat operations. The prospect of a war with China, which has a rapidly modernizing military that can reach farther and farther across the Pacific, has the US military looking to spread out.
U.S.TheGrioGeorgia woman pulls gun on two Black boys riding their bikes
Patricia Compton was charged with aggravated assault counts, plus child cruelty and terroristic threats. Two children in Georgia say they were terrified when a woman pulled a gun on them as they were out riding bikes in a Byron subdivision on Sunday. Twelve-year-old Kaleb Barnes and his best friend, 13-year-old Ethan Hollis, were riding their bikes in the Autumn Cove subdivision when they heard animal noises and went to investigate.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Afghan migrant shocked by French police beating
"I am an Afghan citizen, and my name is Murtaza." When Murtaza Khademi left his home in Afghanistan and smuggled himself into France, he did so hoping to escape violence in his homeland. However, he says he found himself in a situation in a central Parisian square this week that was far from the safe haven he'd dreamed of.
WorldBBCIndia boy separated from conjoined twin dies after three years
A five-year-old Indian boy, who was separated from his conjoined twin in 2017, has died. Jaga and Kalia, who were conjoined at the top of their heads, underwent several major surgeries when they were two years old. Kalia died on Wednesday after falling ill with sepsis, doctors said.
PoliticsReutersTrump order could spark mass firings of civil servants, lawmakers warn
U.S. government civil servants could face mass firings under an October executive order before President Donald Trump leaves office and Democratic lawmakers, watchdog groups and unions are mobilizing to block the move. Leaders of 23 House committees and subcommittees asked the heads of 61 federal departments and agencies to provide a "full accounting" of any plans to reclassify federal workers under the Oct. 21 order, leaving them vulnerable to firing. They also asked for details about any Trump political appointees who have already been hired into career jobs or are being considered.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderBiden's rumored choice for secretary of defense may make history, but she won't do Biden any favors
President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly giving serious consideration to selecting Michèle Flournoy, a former Obama administration official, as secretary of defense. Flournoy would be the first woman to hold that job, but she would bring with her old thinking about the world and the US's role in it, writes Defense Priorities fellow and retired US Army Col. Daniel L. Davis. According to numerous media reports, President-elect Joe Biden is giving serious consideration to selecting Michèle Flournoy, a former Obama administration official, as Secretary of Defense.
U.S.LA TimesRick Schroder explains bail for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse: 'It made me mad'
Last week, Rick Schroder helped post bail for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., in August. “This was Kyle's life being destroyed,” Schroder told the New York Post Wednesday. The "Silver Spoons" and "NYPD Blue" star put up "hundreds of thousands" of dollars toward Rittenhouse's $2-million bail and his defense because he was upset that the teen was being tried in the media.
BusinessINSIDERMcDonald's has temporarily stopped distributing its Disney World-themed toys because they included QR codes that led to 'unintended search results' when scanned
McDonald's has temporarily stopped distributing its Disney World line of Happy Meal toys. WDW News Today previously reported that it learned through an "internal McDonald's Restaurant Brief Alert" that the toys included faulty QR codes that led to error messages and "unintended search results" when scanned outside of the McDonald's app. In a statement sent to Insider, representatives for McDonald's USA said the company regrets that its "current Happy Meal promotion did not operate as intended."
PoliticsThe IndependentGiuliani thinks Trump ‘may have won Virginia’ despite Biden winning state by nearly half a million votes
Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's lawyer leading his challenge to the 2020 election results, claimed that the president may have won the state of Virginia, despite losing it by nearly half a million votes. Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Mr Trump has disputed those results.
BusinessBusiness InsiderComcast faces backlash over plan to charge customers up to $100 for going over a home-internet data limit rolling out to 14 new states
Comcast is planning on adding data caps to its home-internet plans, starting in January. In 14 states and the District of Columbia, customers with Xfinity internet plans that aren't unlimited will be constrained to 1.2 TB of data per month, or face overage charges. Comcast has had data caps in other parts of the country since 2016.
WorldAssociated PressChina's Xi congratulates Biden, hopes for 'win-win' ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday and expressed hope for “win-win cooperation” amid conflicts over trade, technology and security that have plunged Sino-American relations to their lowest level in decades. Biden is widely expected to try to resume cooperation with China on North Korea, climate change and the coronavirus following the confrontational approach of President Donald Trump, who launched a tariff war and sanctioned Chinese companies. But analysts expect few major U.S. policy changes due to widespread frustration with Beijing over trade, human rights and technology theft.
U.S.Business InsiderAn Ohio man was arrested at Walmart after pulling out brass knuckles when asked to wear a mask, revealing a growing threat to retail workers this Black Friday
A Walmart shopper was arrested on Saturday, after police said he pulled out a pair of brass knuckles when he was told to wear a mask or leave the store. Two anti-mask Costco shoppers have been arrested recently, following clashes with employees. Workers have been facing harassment and violence from anti-mask customers for months.
HealthThe Independent‘I hope your last moments don’t look like this’: ICU doctor reveals what a dying Covid patient sees
A doctor has recorded a video of what it looks like when a patient dies from Covid-19, in order to convince people to protect themselves by wearing face masks. Dr Kenneth Remy, who works in the intensive care unit at Missouri Baptist Medical Centre in St Louis posted the 90-second video to Facebook on Saturday to show the “dire” circumstances faced by people dying from coronavirus. “This is what it looks like when you breathe 40 times a minute, have an oxygen level that's dipping well below 80,” Dr Remy says in the video as he simulates preparing a patient for intubation.
PoliticsThe Telegraph'You won't have to concede': How Donald Trump was nudged towards transition
It may never be known whether Donald Trump truly believed he won the 2020 US election, or if the last two weeks have been an extended face-saving exercise. It began on Nov 7 when all major US television networks "called" the election for Joe Biden. Instead, Mr Trump began making allegations of widespread voter fraud, and assembled a legal team to overturn counts in various battleground states.
HealthBusiness InsiderOne third of America is ruining Thanksgiving for the rest of us by ignoring COVID-19 — but it's easy to see why they have given up
Business Insider Public health experts have been warning for months that Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect place for the coronavirus to spread, and suggesting people limit their feasts, just for this year, to single-household affairs. Still, more than a third of Americans surveyed by Insider said they're not changing anything at all about how they run Thanksgiving 2020, despite the looming virus threat. Many said they are traveling, and most said they are going to be mixing households without wearing masks or opening up windows.
“Donald Trump defeated Donald Trump.”
“The victory was a vindication of a style of American politics that many feared was gone forever.”
“Mr. Biden’s victory — and Mr. Trump’s defeat — is a testament to the resilience of American democracy.”
“Trump’s 2020 reelection bid was doomed by his boorish behavior. Time and again, he refused to act like a president.”
“Biden took the opportunity to unite the Democratic Party.”