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Tuesday 11.23.21

If you're planning a trip to Target this Thanksgiving to get a jump on your holiday shopping, don't bother. Target will never be open on Thanksgiving again. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.
 

By Andrew Torgan

Roger Stone and Alex Jones have been subpoenaed by the House select committee.

Capitol riot

The House select committee investigating the January 6 riot issued a new round of subpoenas yesterday to five of former President Donald Trump's allies directly involved in planning "Stop the Steal" rallies, including longtime Republican operative Roger Stone and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

The latest batch of subpoenas indicates the committee continues to focus, in part, on organizers and funding of the "Stop the Steal" rallies that took place on January 5 and 6, as well as earlier rallies in the months leading up to the attack on the US Capitol. Separately, the Biden administration said in a court filing yesterday that former President Donald Trump's presidential records should be turned over to Congress.

Gas prices

Nearly a dozen Congressional Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to combat high gas prices by not only releasing barrels from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve but by banning US oil exports, according to a letter viewed by CNN.The letter sent yesterday to Biden adds to the pressure the White House is facing even from its own party to lower prices at the pump that are angering Americans and contributing to the biggest inflation spike in decades.

Biden plans to announce his decision to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve later today during a speech at the White House, but the timing of such a move is still contingent on other nations finalizing their agreements.

Coronavirus

With just a few days to go before Thanksgiving, Covid-19 cases are on the rise across the US. The daily case rate is about half of what it was at this time last year, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, but the current pace -- about 92,000 new cases each day -- is up 16% from just a week ago. The picture is even worse for children, with new cases up 32% from two weeks ago, according to new numbers published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Meanwhile, A federal judge said this weekend that she would not block the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for health care workers while a Florida lawsuit challenging the mandate moves forward.

Ukraine

The Biden administration is weighing sending military advisers and new equipment including weaponry to Ukraine as Russia builds up forces near the border and US officials prepare allies for the possibility of another Russian invasion, multiple sources familiar with the deliberations tell CNN. The discussions about the proposed lethal aid package are happening as Ukraine has begun to warn publicly that an invasion could happen as soon as January. The package could include new Javelin anti-tank and anti-armor missiles as well as mortars.

Wisconsin

Darrell E. Brooks Jr., 39, of Milwaukee has been identified as the suspect who drove an SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, leaving five people dead and 48 injured, authorities said yesterday. "We are confident he acted alone," Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said. "There is no evidence this is a terrorist incident." Brooks faces five charges of intentional homicide and more charges are possible. Among the dead are members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, who have been bringing joy to Wisconsin parade crowds for decades.

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Tiffany is selling its most expensive piece of jewelry ever
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but 578 diamonds are a girl's best friend!

Uber Eats to allow orders for cannabis in Canada
Ordering marijuana and food all in the same app? What could possibly go wrong? 

The UK says octopuses, lobsters and crabs are sentient beings that deserve protection
That accounts for the recent spike in passport applications for cephalopods and decapods.

Australian journalist apologizes for not listening to Adele's new album before interview
Her record label did not go easy on him ...

US government issues Thanksgiving ransomware warning
A Nigerian prince is not bringing $50 million to your holiday dinner if you click this link.

Today, prosecutors in the trial over the killing of Ahmaud Arbery will provide a rebuttal to closing arguments made by the defense before the jury begins deliberations. Some legal experts felt the defense's arguments were racially insensitive, and they led to Arbery's mother excusing herself from the courtroom.

in memoriam

Malikah Shabazz, the daughter of Black civil rights activist Malcom X, died Monday at her home in Brooklyn. She was 56. Malcolm X was one of the most powerful voices in the fight against racism before his shooting death in New York in 1965. Shabazz is the youngest of his six daughters.

$31 million

That's how much an arbitrator has ordered Kevin Spacey to pay to Media Rights Capital, the production company behind "House of Cards," the Netflix series in which the actor starred for five seasons until he was fired in 2017.

While it is possible that Peng is well, the history of the Chinese government disappearing people and then making videos of them to prove that they are unharmed when it is, in fact, the opposite, should make us worried about Peng's safety.

Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, commenting on a video call between Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, during which the three-time Olympian insisted she is "safe and well."

Need another side dish for Thanksgiving?
Why not give the world's most expensive potatoes a try? (click here to view)