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📝 Good afternoon and welcome to Notes on the News. Here’s what you should know today, Nov. 19: Democrats passed their social-policy and climate bill, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all counts and Covid-19 boosters could be available for all U.S. adults soon. Let us know what you think by replying to this email. Thanks for reading. |
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| Medical staff tend to a patient infected with Covid-19 at an intensive-care unit in Salzburg, Austria. BARBARA GINDL/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES |
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2. Union workers look for a stronger voice. As companies struggle with staffing shortages, labor organizations see an opening. Efforts by Starbucks workers to unionize in New York have spread to Arizona, and unions are increasingly demanding more from employers. Workers at Deere, Kellogg and Mondelez have gone on strike at various points this year. |
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4. The prosecution rests in the trial of Elizabeth Holmes. Prosecutors handed over the reins to the defense after calling 29 witnesses over the course of 11 weeks, seeking to prove that the Theranos chief intended to mislead patients and investors about its blood-testing technology. |
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5. U.S. concerns about a Chinese foothold in the Persian Gulf raised tensions with the U.A.E. Construction has been halted at a site American intelligence officials believe was a secret Chinese project to build a military facility at a port about 50 miles north of Abu Dhabi. The U.S. warned the Emirati government that such a presence by Beijing could threaten their alliance. |
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| What Everyone Wants To Know |
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| Tobacco companies and convenience stores scaled back a tax increase on nicotine products in the roughly $2 trillion House bill. MARK LENNIHAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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A self-defense argument helped clear Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges. On day four of deliberations, a Wisconsin jury acquitted the teenager of the criminal charges he faced for killing two people with an AK-15-style rifle during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., last year after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse testified on his own behalf during the closely watched case, at one point breaking down on the stand. The prosecution, which attempted to portray Rittenhouse as an outsider who lied about his status as an EMT, faced an uphill battle in the case. Under Wisconsin law, the defense must only cite some evidence for self-defense, putting the burden of proof on prosecutors to negate that claim beyond a reasonable doubt. |
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Boosters for all U.S. adults could be available as soon as this weekend. It is now up to the CDC to decide whether to recommend expanding access to Covid-19 booster doses for all adults, after the FDA signed off on an extra shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for anyone over 18 years old who was fully vaccinated at least six months ago. A determination by the CDC could come as early as this evening, which would make boosters a standard part of the vaccination routine. Health authorities have encouraged the extra dose to strengthen people’s immune defenses, and in recent weeks more states and municipalities have widened eligibility on their own, opting not to wait for federal guidance to change. “Streamlining the eligibility criteria and making booster doses available to all individuals 18 years of age and older will also help to eliminate confusion about who may receive a booster dose,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA center that oversees vaccines. What to know about Covid-19 boosters | When should you get one? |
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| ‘Leverage: Redemption’ is part of IMDb TV’s ambition to become a broadcast network. IMDB TV |
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Go: Stream something for free. If you can put up with a few commercials, take advantage of the streaming battle among free, ad-supported services. Check out “Yellowjackets,” starring Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis in a spooky Showtime drama about plane-crash survivors, or “Leverage: Redemption,” a reboot of a TNT series that is now streaming on Amazon’s IMDb TV. |
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Today's newsletter was curated by Carrie Reynolds and Taylor Nakagawa in collaboration with Rich Bellis in New York. We hope you’re enjoying Notes on the News. If you would prefer to receive a different newsletter, please check out all your options to keep up with the latest on markets, economics, politics and more. For members, we recommend The 10-Point. |
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