Winter Weather Could Impact Thanksgiving Travel

Good Monday morning. If you have ever wondered what would happen if 18 minutes worth of fireworks went off in 29 seconds due to a computer glitch, this is the video to watch. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

• Colorado: Fatal air crash

• UAE: Rabbi killed

• Gaetz: No going back

• DirecTV: Dish merger off

• Chuck Woolery: Dies at 83

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Get ready

Mother Nature will likely complicate the holiday week.

• The news: Forecasters expect winter storms from coast to coast before, during and after Thanksgiving later this week. Rain and snow are expected in California and in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions starting today, with storms potentially on the horizon for the East Coast at the end of the week.

• Turkey Day: A low pressure system is expected to move from the Southeast and bring rain and winds from New York to Boston on Thanksgiving and then carrying into Black Friday. But if there is any snow, it will likely come further north in New England as well as in the Adirondacks. And even then those areas could still get rain.

• Big picture: A record-setting 80M Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, so bad weather is less than ideal. Rains could also put a damper on events like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan. But the weekend should be clear, which means travelers will have safe conditions as they return home.

2) Family feud

The Philippines' vice president has threatened to have its president assassinated.

• The news: VP Sara Duterte said if she is killed, she has hired a hitman to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and a top legislative leader. She also warned her claim was not a joke, leading a government official to refer her to an elite presidential security force as an "active threat."

• Catch up: Marcos is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, the infamous late Philippine strongman. Duterte is the daughter of polarizing former president Rodrigo Duterte. The scions ran together as a unity ticket but have since had an explosive falling out; Rodrigo Duterte is also outspoken against Marcos.

• Big picture: The latest flare-up in the war of words was sparked by Sara Duterte's chief of staff becoming embroiled in an investigation. Her assassination comments are technically against the law, but it is unclear if she could be prosecuted. The Philippine military has pledged it will remain above the political fray.

3) Campus tragedy

Two fraternity members and a sorority face misdemeanor charges in connection to the death of an Ivy League student.

• Catch up: Won Jang, a 20-year-old Delaware man who attended Dartmouth College, was found dead in the Connecticut River in July. Police in New Hampshire began investigating whether his death was the result of a hazing incident after friends said he had attended an event involving alcohol before his death.

• Current news: Two members of Jang's Beta Alpha Omega fraternity face one count of providing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. The Alpha Phi sorority was charged as a corporation with one misdemeanor violation of facilitating an underage alcohol house. The organizations remain suspended indefinitely at Dartmouth.

• More details: Police said party attendees "made a spontaneous decision to swim in the river" and that many left when a heavy rainstorm hit. But no one knew Jang was unaccounted for. The man reportedly could not swim and had a blood alcohol level that was over double the legal limit for a 21-year-old. 

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• Two died in a Civil Air Patrol plane crash in Colorado. The flight's pilot and an aerial photographer were killed; the co-pilot survived with serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital (More)

• A Connecticut couple is accused of running a multi-state Lululemon theft ring. Officials say the intricate shoplifting operation may have stolen over $1M in goods from the popular athletic apparel company (More)

• Police in Puerto Rico arrested a man accused of killing a 20-year-old mother and her 4-month-old son in a New England drive-by shooting. The incident occurred in Hartford; the suspect then fled to the U.S. territory (More)

World News

• An Israeli Moldovan rabbi was murdered in the United Arab Emirates. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the slaying; Israel called the killing a "criminal antisemitic terrorist event" (More)

• An ultranationalist, pro-Russia Romanian presidential candidate took a surprising lead in the first round of voting. Calin Georgescu, who has questioned the country's ties with the European Union and NATO, will likely face Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff (More)

• Nicaragua's strongman leader has gained more power over the South American nation. The country's legislature amended the constitution so President Daniel Ortega has more control over the media and a longer term; his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, is now effectively a "co-president" (More)

Political News

• Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said he "does not intend" to return to the House after withdrawing as Attorney General nominee. The controversial Republican was re-elected to the upcoming Congress and likely could still be sworn in (More)

• Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent was tabbed for Secretary of the Treasury. President-elect Donald Trump also nominated outgoing Washington Rep. Lori Chavez-DeReimer for Secretary of Labor, among other cabinet picks (More | More)

• Outgoing Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said he could seek a return to the Senate after losing his re-election bid. The state is expected to have a special election in 2026 for the remainder of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance's term after GOP Gov. Mike DeWine names an interim replacement (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher on Friday. The Dow Jones was up over 400 points (Dow +0.97%, Nasdaq +0.16%, S&P 500 +0.35%).

• DirecTV has called off its long-awaited acquisition of Dish, its satellite television rival. The deal fell apart after Dish bond holders rejected the terms of a debt swap that would have cost them $1.6B (More)

• The SEC has followed up Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's federal fraud indictment with its own summons. Department of Justice prosecutors allege that India's second-richest man and his nephew paid over $250M in bribes to secure energy contracts, some of which were funded by U.S. investors (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Chuck Woolery died at 83. The game and talk show host helmed the original Wheel of Fortune and Love Connection, among other programs, before becoming a conservative pundit and podcast host (More)

• South Carolina women's basketball had its win streak snapped at 43 games. The No. 1-ranked Gamecocks, the reigning national champions, fell to No. 5 UCLA yesterday in Los Angeles, 77-62 (More)

• Red Bull's Max Verstappen clinched his fourth straight Formula 1 championship. The Dutch racing star finished fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix to secure the circuit's title with two events left in the season (More)

Quick Hitters

• Feel Good: Many Americans plan to help others in some way this holiday season. A new study found 43% of respondents are actively working to donate and volunteer more through the end of the year.

• Take Note: No one wants to find mold growing in their homes. But if you do, make sure you know all the pertinent facts before panicking.

• Go Deep: There is a lot of online shopping occurring right now, and things will only get busier. Here is what happens to all of the items that get returned.

• Unusual Law: Only blind people can become licensed masseuses in South Korea. The mandate, which dates back to Japan's colonial rule, was started to ensure people with visual impairments could find empowering and stable employment.

• Life Hacks: Don't ever say television isn't education. You never know when a show can deliver some helpful hints to make everyday things easier. 

Watch This

How America's education level has evolved.

Links

• Protests that changed the world 📢

• Debuking myths about the blood donation process 🩸

• When Grandma breaks out the family heirloom cell phone 📱

• States that produce the most Christmas trees 🎄

• How to avoid Thanksgiving Day dinner disasters 🦃

• Artificial intelligence could help save the planet 🌎

• These are the actors people are tired of 🎬

• Russia's military has begun using movie props 🪖

• We're still waiting on South Carolina monkey updates 🙊

• The safest countries to go visit ✈️

Looking Ahead …

We have a sneak peek at the third season of The Traitors, which debuts in January on Peacock.

Question of the Day — Monday Trivia

Yesterday’s results:

Have you ever deep-fried a turkey?

• No (76%)

• Yes (24%)