Wild Weather Cont’d, TikTok Controversy & Cyber Monday Predictions 

All the news you need in less than 10 min:

Today's episode is brought to you by www.HelloFresh.com/newsworthy9

Story Summaries

All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...

Winter Weather Update:
The deadly storm that moved across the country over the Thanksgiving holiday is now hitting the Northeast. The storm is already to blame for hundreds of canceled flights and thousands of delays. Even though the storm has moved east, a new system is bringing rain and heavy snow to parts of California and Nevada.
Read more: AP, Weather Channel, AccuWeather, CNN

New Orleans Shooting:
At least ten people were shot in New Orleans near the famed French Quarter, with at least two people in critical condition. Police were on the scene when the shooting happened after an annual college football game, but they say it was too crowded to find the shooter. One person has been detained, but it’s not clear yet if that person was actually involved.
Read more: CBS News, NBC News, USA Today

London Bridge Terror Attack:
A man stabbed several people on the London Bridge Friday, killing two and wounding three others. The suspect was killed by British police. The man had planned a terror attack before and spent years in prison on terrorism-related charges. He was released last year.
Read more: CNN, ABC News

Impeachment Inquiry Update:
Members of the House Intelligence Committee will spend today reviewing their impeachment report. The panel is expected to approve the findings tomorrow in a party-line vote. The House Judiciary Committee will then hold its first impeachment hearing on Wednesday. President Trump and his lawyers were invited to take part, but they say won’t participate because it’s still not a fair process (though they didn't rule out taking part in the future).
Read more: AP, NBC News, Politico

Trump Visits Afghanistan:
President Trump made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving Day. During his trip, he announced that peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban are back on. The militant group has protected al-Qaeda extremists, but Trump says cooperation will be necessary in order to bring U.S. troops home. The last peace talks were called off a few months ago.
Read more: AP, The Hill , FOX News

Hong Kong Support:
President Trump signed the two bills Congress passed in support of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. One bill makes it illegal for the U.S. to sell certain riot gear to Hong Kong authorities, while another allows the U.S. to put sanctions on Chinese or Hong Kong officials who are behind human rights abuses. Protesters are thrilled, but mainland China is not happy.
Read more: Washington Post, Politico, NYT

TikTok Controversy:
Social media app TikTok is under review in the U.S. because of its ties to China. There are concerns that the app’s parent company ByteDance could give the Chinese government access to Americans’ user data. TikTok is working to reassure U.S. officials that the data held by TikTok is stored securely in the U.S.
Read more: Reuters

Rosa Parks Statue:
A new statue of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was unveiled in downtown Montgomery, Alabama yesterday, exactly 64 years after her historic refusal to give up her seat on a public bus. Her arrest was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.
Read more: AP, USA Today

First Cell Phone Detection Tech:
New tech is being used to target drivers using their cell phones illegally. For now, it’s being used in parts of Australia. The system uses cameras and artificial intelligence to catch drivers using their mobile devices illegally, then notifies authorities. Officials hope the tech helps cut the number of deaths on their roads.
Read more: The Guardian, CNN

Amazon Alexa Emotions:
Amazon is now allowing developers to put two different types of emotion into Alexa’s answers. The voice assistant will be able to sound disappointed or excited. There’s apparently a high, medium or low degree for both emotions.
Read more: CNBC, The Verge

Best in Show:
Thor the bulldog won Best in Show at the annual National Dog Show on Thanksgiving. The 2-year old, 60-pound dog was up against more than 2,000 competitors. Also, the Azawakh breed made its debut at this year’s show. It’s the only breed that is taller than it is long.
Read more: NBC News, People, CNN

Holiday Box Office:
Frozen 2 brought in a record $123.7 million during the five-day holiday weekend, beating previous record holder Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Frozen 2 is also the biggest Thanksgiving showing ever for a Disney animated film.
Read more: Variety, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter

Star Wars Script Leak:

The script of the new Star Wars movie The Rise of Skywalker ended up on eBay. One of the actors lost the script when he was moving apartments. Someone sold it for just $85, but apparently, a Disney employee caught it and bought it before anyone else could.
Read more: Entertainment Weekly, The Verge

Money Monday - Cyber Monday:

Analysts expect this year’s Cyber Monday to be the largest and fastest growing online shopping day of the year, bringing in more than $9 billion in sales. Keep in mind: Cyber Monday deals can change throughout the day as stores change prices based on how customers are shopping in real time. Also of note, this year was the biggest Black Friday yet when it comes to online sales. It was also the biggest day ever for U.S. mobile sales.
Cyber Monday: Adobe Blog, Axios, The Verge
Black Friday Shopping Record: CNBC, Reuters, CNN