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With the holiday season in full swing, several retailers are dangling enticing sales – and might’ve already inundated your email inboxes with Black Friday discounts. Many online shoppers are expected to snag Cyber Monday deals today and then participate in Giving Tuesday, a day of heightened generosity when people give to their favorite charities.
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A severe weather system moving into the Pacific Northwest is causing delays and headaches for millions of travelers across the US. As of Sunday night, more than 6,000 flights into, out of, or within the US were delayed, according to FlightAware – and more than 170 were canceled. The large storm system caused trouble on one of the busiest travel days of the year as many people tried to fly back from their Thanksgiving destinations. The Storm Prediction Center has issued an early forecast warning, calling for “a significant severe-weather event” in the South which could affect more than 25 million people on Tuesday from eastern Texas to southern Indiana.
Unprecedented protests are sweeping China over the country’s Covid lockdowns. Numbers swelled at demonstrations in multiple major cities from Shanghai to Beijing over the weekend in a rare show of dissent against the ruling Communist Party. Among the thousands of protesters, some have even called for the resignation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who for nearly three years has overseen a strategy of mass-testing, brute-force lockdowns, enforced quarantines and digital tracking. Demonstrations are occurring in at least 16 locations nationwide, but China’s zero-Covid policies have been felt particularly in Shanghai, where a two-month long lockdown earlier this year left many without access to food, medical care or other basic supplies.
President Joe Biden last week said he would be urgently working with Congress “to try to get rid of assault weapons” after a recent spate of mass shootings in the US. However, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told CNN on Sunday that Senate Democrats don’t have the 60 votes needed to advance an assault weapons ban. While Murphy did express optimism that something could get done in the next Congress if Democrats keep their seat in Georgia, he emphasized there needs to be a conversation in the Senate about funding law enforcement in counties that are refusing to enforce state and national gun laws. His comments come after the recent shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, involved an assault-style weapon and a handgun, while officials said the alleged shooter at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, last week was armed with a handgun and multiple magazines.
University of Idaho students are expected to return to campus today from Thanksgiving break despite the lack of a suspect or arrest in the stabbing deaths of four students at an off-campus home. It remains unclear how many students will show up to campus, but many have expressed hesitancy about returning until a suspect is in custody. It’s been two weeks since the killings and dozens of local, state and federal investigators are still working to determine who carried out the brutal attack. Investigators have yet to identify a suspect or find a weapon – believed to be a fixed-blade knife – and have sifted through more than 1,000 tips and conducted at least 150 interviews. The stabbings have unsettled the campus community and the town of about 25,000, which had not seen a murder since 2015.
Ukraine’s national power supplier says it’s back at about 80% capacity following Russian strikes that have wreaked havoc on the country’s energy grid ahead of winter. Power, water, heat and internet are “almost completely restored” in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv after a scramble to make repairs, city leaders said today. The head of Ukraine’s nuclear energy provider also said Russian forces may be preparing to leave the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which provided up to 20% of the country’s electricity before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February. It has been under Russian control since March. The plant and the area around it have endured persistent shelling that has raised ongoing fears of a nuclear accident.
Children scream for joy after they spot Biden out shopping
President Biden stopped to take selfies with ecstatic kids who spotted him shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Watch the video here.
Stars reveal their favorite Christmas movies – and one had a controversial pick
Tom Hanks, a few celebrities, and some of your favorite CNN journalists say these are the movies they love to watch during the holidays. Enjoy!
What NASA’s discovery means for life beyond Earth
Watch astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson react to the discovery of organic matter on Mars and what it could mean for life beyond Earth.
Abandoned Greek airport to be transformed into a 600-acre park
View the impressive renderings of a coastal park that will bring much-needed green space to the Greek capital of Athens.
Make the perfect butter board for the holidays
Take a little risk and ditch the charcuterie (however you say it). Butter boards are the new party favorite – and I promise you, they won’t disappoint.
2.2 million
That’s about how many people in Houston received a notice to boil their water last night due to a loss of pressure at a purification plant, officials said. Water for drinking, cooking, washing hands and faces and brushing teeth should be boiled for at least two minutes before use to destroy all potentially harmful bacteria and other microbes, the city said. Officials also announced all public schools in Houston will be closed today, impacting nearly 200,000 students.
“We look forward to a peaceful and competitive match on the field.”
– A spokesperson for the US State Department, commenting on the upcoming World Cup match Tuesday between Iran and the US. The statement comes after Iran’s state media called for the US to be kicked out of the World Cup after the US Soccer Federation changed Iran’s flag on its social media platforms to show support for protesters in Iran. The State Department told CNN it was not involved in the decision to temporarily alter the image of the country’s flag.
Severe storm threat for parts of the South Tuesday
02:14
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The best home-cooked meals from grandmas
Even if you’re still stuffed from Thanksgiving, you’ll enjoy this video of five grandmas around the world cooking their favorite dishes with their grandkids. (Click here to view)