Israelis Go to the Polls — Again

For the fifth time since 2019 Israelis are attempting to escape political stalemate. The central question for voters: Is former leader Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, who’s been fighting corruption charges since 2016, fit to serve? Netanyahu’s hoping alliances with extremist ultranationalists will help him to oust centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Bibi’s chief ally is far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocates a tougher line against Palestine and has vowed to demand a law that will cancel Netanyahu’s corruption trial. “If Netanyahu is triumphant,” wrote columnist Sima Kadmon, “these will be the final days of the state of Israel as we have known it.” (Source: AP)

After Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Sets Its Sights on Affirmative Action

Following hours of heated debate Monday, the affirmative action programs of Harvard and the University of North Carolina seemed in dire peril. The court’s conservative supermajority raised concerns about any policy that could advantage someone based on the color of their skin, and bemoaned the fact that neither program had a defined end date. Justice Samuel Alito likened affirmative action to giving someone a 5-yard headstart in “a 100-yard dash.” But liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor pushed back, saying that colleges were taking into account limitations of upbringing “to try to put the students at the start as equals.” (Source: WaPo)

Paul Pelosi Attacker Wanted to Break House Speaker’s Kneecaps

Federal charges filed against David DePape Monday provided further details of the Oct. 28 attack at Nancy Pelosi’s home. After breaking into the San Francisco residence and being informed that the speaker wouldn’t be home for days, DePape got into a scuffle with her husband Paul who had surreptitiously dialed 911. When officers arrived, they saw DePape deliver a single hammer blow to the 82-year-old’s head that rendered him instantly unconscious. DePape told investigators he had wanted to break Nancy’s kneecaps as she was “the ‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party.” State charges were filed hours later. (Source: NYT)

Biden Hits Out at Oil Companies, BP & Aramco Post Record Profits

Saudi Arabia’s state oil producer Aramco posted a 39% jump in third-quarter net income Tuesday. Barely an hour later BP announced that its third-quarter profits had doubled to $8.15 billion since last year. The announcements came hours after President Joe Biden renewed calls for oil companies profiting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to invest in lowering prices at gas pumps. “Their profits are a windfall of war,” he said, warning offenders of “a higher tax on their excess profits” and “other restrictions.” Last week rivals including Shell, Exxon Mobil and TotalEnergies also reported bumper profits. (Source: Reuters)

Here are some things you should know about today: 

Mea culpa. South Korea’s police chief acknowledged the response to the Itaewon crowd crush was “inadequate” and promised a full investigation. He said he felt “limitless responsibility” over the stampede that killed 156 people. (Source: BBC) Staying mum. Almost 36 hours after being defeated in Brazil’s presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro still hadn’t said a word about the result. Bolsonaro’s expected to address the nation Tuesday — but will he concede defeat? (Source: Reuters) Not so fast. A federal judge blocked Penguin Random House’s plans to buy Simon & Schuster, ruling that allowing the world’s biggest publishers to merge would be bad for both authors and readers. (Source: CNBC)

The Race for a Nose Spray That Can Stop COVID in Its Tracks

Scientists have moved at lightning speed to develop vaccines that prevent severe infections and they’ve fine-tuned the use of antivirals to treat COVID-19 effectively. But researchers around the world are still working on nasal sprays that could directly block the virus’s ability to enter cells in the first place. “If we had something which was invisible and you self-administered and it gave you confidence to keep going, I think it would be a real game-changer,” said virologist Wendy Barclay. But many challenges remain, not least the need to counteract the nose’s natural instinct to flush foreign substances out with mucus. (Source: Nature)

The Wheelchair Activist Using TikTok to Reclaim the Streets of Hanoi

With potholed sidewalks that double as restaurants, parking lots and convenience stores — and chaotic, seemingly ruleless streets — Vietnam’s capital is a contender for world’s least wheelchair-friendly city. But Luu Thi Hieu, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around, is trying to change that on her TikTok channel @crazy_freewheeler. “When I called the bus company to ask if they have accessible buses, they don’t even know what accessible means,” she said. “When I mentioned the ramp, they don’t know what a ramp is, so I had to describe it. They cannot even imagine what it is.” (Source: The Guardian)

Chinese Government Phone Calls Pressure Newlyweds to Procreate

It’s bad enough when nosy relatives ask when the baby’s coming — imagine being asked the same question by a government health official. This is exactly what’s happened to thousands of recently married women in China, which is trying to undo the economic impact of its one-child policy. One woman who got married last year was asked, within months of her nuptials, if she was preparing to conceive — and urged to take folic acid. Not long after there was a follow-up: “You are married, why are you still not preparing for pregnancy? Take the time to have a baby,” she was told. (Source: Reuters)

Making History: Taylor Swift Fills Top 10 on Billboard Hot 100

In 2021 Drake turned heads when he occupied nine of the top 10 slots on the chart — but with the release of her Midnights album, which broke global Spotify records for the most streams in a day, Swift has gone one better. Leading the pack is “Anti-Hero,” her ninth number one hit, which has been criticized for being “fatphobic” by some. Swift also becomes the woman with the most top 10s in the chart’s history, with her 40 hits pipping Madonna’s 38. “10 out of 10 of the Hot 100??? On my 10th album??? I AM IN SHAMBLES,” Swift tweeted. (Sources: Billboard, The Guardian)

Cricket’s Kohli ‘Very Paranoid’ After Hotel Room Stalking Incident

Virat Kohli is the biggest star in a game that verges on being a religion for India’s 1.4 billion people. But even stars deserve some privacy. Kohli took to Instagram Monday to repost a video filmed by a stranger in his hotel room in Australia, where the T20 World Cup is being held. “This video here is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy,” he wrote. “If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all??” Crown Perth has sacked “a contractor” over the incident. (Source: BBC)

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