‘Empty Seats at Thanksgiving’

Virginia Police: Store Manager Was Behind Walmart Mass Shooting

A night manager killed five co-workers — including a 16-year-old boy and a 70-year-old man — before shooting himself around 10 p.m. Tuesday, Chesapeake police said. His motive hasn’t been identified, but Chesapeake Mayor Rick West vowed investigations will continue and the community will be notified. It’s the third mass shooting in less than two weeks, including another nearby tragedy in which three University of Virginia football players were killed by a former teammate. “There are now even more tables across the country that will have empty seats this Thanksgiving,” President Joe Biden said. (Sources: CNN, NYT, USA Today)

Kyiv Plunged Into Darkness as Pope Raises Historical Specter

More than two-thirds of Ukraine’s capital remained without electricity Thursday morning after attacks on the power grid. It’s the most widespread blackout since the invasion began in February, but Mayor Vitali Klitschko promised workers are moving “as fast as possible” to get back online. With winter setting in — temperatures dropped below freezing overnight as snow fell — officials are calling on Ukrainians to conserve energy. It’s becoming like the “genocide artificially caused by Stalin,” Pope Francis said Wednesday, referring to the 1930s Holodomor famine in Ukraine that killed more than 3 million people. “Let us pray for so many Ukrainians.” (Sources: Euronews, AP)

Prosecutors Want Pence in the Hot Seat While House Probe Falters

What does former Vice President Mike Pence know about ex-President Donald Trump’s movements on Jan. 6, 2021? That’s what Justice Department prosecutors reportedly want to know. Pence resisted testifying in the House committee’s hearings, and he could be protected by executive privilege. But recent public comments and a new tell-all memoir suggest he might be compelled to take the stand for the DOJ. Meanwhile, with the House committee winding down, staffers are worried the investigation focused too much on Trump at the expense of lower-profile targets. They blame Trump nemesis Rep. Liz Cheney for derailing the proceedings with her own agenda. (Sources: Politico, WaPo)

COVID-Zero Frustrations Spill Into Streets for China’s Workers

Factory workers in manufacturing hub Zhengzhou took to the streets Wednesday protesting poor pay and working conditions amid fears that a new five-day lockdown will drag on longer. Video footage posted online shows Hazmat-clad police tussling with factory workers and violently beating some protesters. Employees have been living in a “closed loop” between working in the factory and sleeping in a dormitory, unable to go anywhere else, to keep output up. Mega brands like Apple, whose iPhone is produced in the Foxxconn factory of Zhengzhou, warned would-be buyers to expect delays in the coming months as the policy continues. (Sources: The Guardian, Bloomberg)

Here are some things you should know about today:

Winners. Alaska Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola will keep her House seat for a full two-year term after defeating former Gov. Sarah Palin in the state’s first ranked-choice vote. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski also kept her seat, fending off a Trump-backed challenger. (Source: NBC) Miracle. Rescuers pulled an uninjured 6-year-old boy from the rubble two days after an earthquake destroyed homes in Indonesia’s West Java province. Authorities say at least 271 people have been killed. (Source: Al Jazeera) He’s in. Long-time Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, once jailed on dubious sodomy charges, has been sworn in as prime minister following five days of negotiations after Saturday’s election resulted in no clear majority. (Source: Reuters)

Afghan Kids Are Starving and Parents Are Desperate

Children are being tranquilized with escitalopram, sertraline and alprazolam — drugs prescribed for depression and anxiety — to fend off hunger pangs and allow for sleep. Five tablets cost less than a piece of bread in Afghanistan, but public health officials warn overuse of unprescribed medication, particularly in malnourished children, can lead to liver damage. But desperate families say there are few options. Others are selling their organs or even their daughters to help buy food. “Sometimes I feel it's better to die than to live like this,” said one Afghan man who sold his infant daughter. (Source: BBC)

Russian Hackers Down European Parliament Site After Terror Vote

Shortly after formally declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, the group’s website was knocked offline Wednesday. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola tweeted that a “pro-Kremlin group,” assumed to be Killnet, had claimed responsibility. The hacker organization, formed shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has previously staged attacks on the U.S. and European countries. Screenshot evidence of a distributed denial-of-service attack was posted to a known Killnet Telegram channel showing the parliamentary website was down in 23 countries — along with slurs aimed at the legislative body. The website has since returned to normal service. (Source: Ars Technica)

Alessandro Michele Says Arrivederci to Gucci

Reports earlier this week suggested the designer, who helmed the fabled fashion house as creative director for eight years, failed to “initiate a strong design shift” demanded by parent company Kering. In a statement announcing his departure, Michele referred only to “different perspectives” prompting the split. Gucci’s in-house team will take the reins while a replacement is found. “Today an extraordinary journey ends for me,” Michele said. He became a fashion icon in his own right during his tenure, drawing younger and more diverse customers while working with fashion-minded celebrities like Billie Eilish, Florence Welch and Harry Styles. (Sources: Deadline, WWD)

‘Rats Ate Our Cannabis Evidence’ Say Indian Police

Police in Mathura, a city in the northern province of Uttar Pradesh, told magistrates that 1,280 pounds of cannabis seized in a trafficking case five years ago have been eaten by rats. “There is no place in the police station where the stored goods can be saved from the rats. The remaining [cannabis] from the huge consignment was destroyed by officers,” public prosecutor Ranveer Singh told the court. Long wait times for trials and poor evidence facilities have previously seen confiscated hauls destroyed or go missing, but nothing of this magnitude. “Being small in size, the rats have no fear of police,” Singh said. (Source: The National)

Japan’s World Cup Win Shocks Fans, but Not This Psychic Otter

Japan is calling its stunning underdog win over soccer powerhouse Germany the “Miracle of Doha.” An impromptu gathering at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya crossing Wednesday night broke into celebrations when a late goal by Takuma Asano pushed the Samurai Blue past Germany 2-1. But Taiyo, a river otter at a Tokyo aquarium, wasn’t surprised: He predicted Japan’s win earlier in the day by putting a miniature soccer ball into a bucket marked with a Japanese flag — ignoring the German bucket and another marked “draw.” Fans, meanwhile, credit a strong showing in the second half. Japan will take on Costa Rica on Sunday. (Sources: Japan Times, The Guardian)

EPISODE 2 NOW STREAMING!

Featuring style influencer Marika B (better known as Br00klynBetty)
& WOODstack IVY buyer Tianna Weatherspoon