U.S., China Pull Off Pre-Thanksgiving Prisoner Swap

Good Thursday morning and Happy Thanksgiving! The Northern Lights may be visible in certain parts of the country tonight. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• New Mexico: Malpractice record

• NATO: Sabotage response

• California: House flip

• Inflation: Inches up

• Macy’s Parade: The details

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Back home

Three Americans are free after spending years in Chinese prisons.

• The news: China and the U.S. made a prisoner swap yesterday. A trio of Americans previously declared wrongfully detained by the State Department were traded for unidentified Chinese citizens in U.S. custody. It is the second prisoner swap between the nations this fall; there was a one-for-one trade in September for David Lin, a pastor who served 18 years on contract fraud charges.

• Returning home: Kai Li and John Leung were held on espionage charges; Li was detained in 2016 and Leung in 2021. Mark Swidan had been imprisoned since 2012 on drug charges. The supposed details of each case are hazy; Chinese officials rarely explain the charges.

• Big picture: The swap is a late-game diplomatic victory for President Joe Biden's administration. There are no longer any other wrongfully detained Americans in China, so the travel advisory for U.S. citizens has already been downgraded.

2) Scary nuisances

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees were targeted with bomb threats and swatting hoaxes.

• The news: Incoming White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said "several" Cabinet picks were victimized by the bomb threats and swatting calls, when a fake emergency is reported at a location to draw a significant law enforcement response. Media reports indicate at least nine nominees were impacted.

• The details: All the incidents occurred Tuesday into Wednesday in various states. Most of the reported threats included claims of pipe bombs; former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, said there was a "pro-Palestinian" message along with the threat against him; he is Jewish.

• Big picture: There is no indication any of the bomb threats or emergency calls were legitimate. There was a wave of bomb hoaxes at polling places on Election Day; some officials blamed Russian operatives. Swatting calls against high-profile public figures have also become increasingly common.

3) Play ball

The NFL will play three high-profile games today, but for different reasons. 

• In Detroit: The NFC-leading Lions, who many consider the favorite to win the Super Bowl, kick the day off against the rival Chicago Bears (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS). Caleb Williams, the No. 1-overall pick in this year's draft, will make his Turkey Day debut for the Bears.

• In Dallas: The Cowboys are trying to make an unexpected surge back into relevancy after last week's upset of the Washington Commanders. They will host the shambolic New York Giants (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX), who may be starting their third quarterback in three weeks.

• In Green Bay: The Packers will face the Miami Dolphins in the nightcap at Lambeau Field (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The Fins are aiming for a third straight victory as they seek to climb back into the AFC playoff picture; Green Bay is battling to hold onto a wild card spot in the NFC.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A New Mexico man received an over $412M malpractice payout for fraud and botched injections, the biggest in U.S. history. The lawsuit alleged a 66-year-old man seeking treatment for fatigue and weight loss suffered irreversible damage when given "invasive erectile dysfunction shots" at a clinic (More)

• Three people died when a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in California and became engulfed in flames. A fourth person was injured; there is no indication a mechanical issue caused the wreck (More)

• South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds introduced a bill abolishing the Department of Education. The legislation would require a supermajority vote and is unlikely to pass, but the proposal has been pushed by President-elect Trump and other Republicans (More)

World News

• Germany's chief intelligence official said Russian sabotage acts could be grounds to trigger NATO's mutual defense clause. A U.S. intelligence assessment has concluded the Kremlin remains unlikely to deploy nuclear weapons despite provocative statements (More | More)

• The leader of Myanmar's military junta faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Min Aung Hlaing is accused of committing crimes against humanity targeting the nation's Rohingya minority, which is mainly Muslim; the court's judges will rule on the warrant request next year (More)

• Two London markets that have operated since the 11th century may close as soon as 2028. A bill relieving the city's governing body of the responsibility for operating the Billingsgate fish market and Smithfield meat market will be presented to Parliament (More)

Political News

• Democrat Derek Tran flipped the House seat in California's 45th Congressional District. He edged out incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican, after a weeks-long vote count; the result further narrows the GOP's majority in the chamber (More)

• President-elect Trump will nominate Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. The Stanford physician was critical of public lockdowns during the pandemic; retired Army Gen. Keith Kellogg was tabbed a special envoy to Ukraine and Russia (More | More)

• No Labels is battling to prove there was a concerted effort against the centrist organization. The group, which flirted with supporting a third-party presidential candidate, is fighting for discovery in three separate court cases; early records suggest Democratic operatives plotted against the effort (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed lower yesterday. The Dow Jones and Nasdaq were down over 100 points (Dow -0.31%, Nasdaq-0.60%, S&P 500 -0.38%).

• The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation metric met expectations in October, but ticked up. The personal consumption expenditures price index was 2.3% YoY and up 0.2% MoM (More)

• The Federal Trade Commission has opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft. It will be wide-ranging and touch on the tech giant's cloud computing, cybersecurity and software licensing businesses, among other divisions (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• The 98th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts at 8:30 a.m. ET in New York and will be televised on NBC. The event will feature close to two-dozen giant balloons and over 30 floats; rain is expected (More)

• Former NBA and NHL executive Scott O'Neil is expected to become LIV Golf's CEO and commissioner. He will replace Greg Norman, ending the two-time major champion's contentious tenure (More)

• The creator of Desperate Housewives wants to reboot the ABC drama. Marc Cherry said he would like to center a new series in the same universe, but in the 1960s; the original show ran from 2004-12 (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A German cleaning company used its power washers to create fitting art out of dirt, outlining a giant 131-foot-tall Godzilla illustration on a dam in Japan.

• Take Note: If you plan to have a few drinks today ... here are the facts that bust some popular myths about hangovers.

• Go Deep: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, are a fire-retardant chemical found in everything from a child's car seat to electronic devices and other everyday products. Exposure can negatively impact people, but a common probiotic may protect against the toxins.

• History Lesson: A group of Confederate spies conspired to burn down New York City during the Civil War. The plan did not work.

• Life Hack: Every little bit counts during the holiday season. Here are some tips on saving money on airfare, even as prices skyrocket during a busy travel period.

Watch This

The real story of the first Thanksgiving.Links

Links

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Looking Ahead …

The ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz are on the auction block. Bidding will end on Dec. 7; the current bid for the iconic footwear is $1.15M plus a buyer's premium.

Quesion of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

Trivia: Which NFL team is No. 3 in Thanksgiving Day wins behind the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions?

It is the Chicago Bears.