Thanksgiving travel, zombie deer, and free AI classes.

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Big Stories

Strengthening storms likely to disrupt Thanksgiving travel

A series of storms are expected to hit a large portion of the U.S. this week and will likely cause delays for some of the 55.4 million people traveling.

• Dual threat: One storm could bring heavy rain, wind, severe thunderstorms, and other weather impacts to the Eastern two-thirds of the country over the next couple of days. Fast on its heels, a second storm is expected to blanket the Plains and Rockies with snow.

• Midwest airports: Major air travel hubs like Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, and Houston may be affected by weather as the system moves east.

• Wednesday is expected to be the busiest day on the roads for travel. Fortunately, the storm should be heading into the Atlantic Ocean by then. However, the snow left in its wake could still affect driving and flying conditions in the Northeast.

More than 200 convicted in Italian mafia trial

An Italian court has convicted and sentenced over 200 people to more than 2,200 years in jail in the country’s biggest mafia trial in 30 years.

• Details: The trial focused on the the powerful organized crime syndicate called the ‘Ndrangheta, which controls 80% of the European cocaine trade. Police arrested the accused in 2019 after an investigation that covered 11 Italian regions.

• The trial: The court exposed the Ndrangheta’s ruthless control over local communities through violence, corruption and election rigging. The trial included non-mafia members, such as police officers, mayors, and businesspeople, highlighting the depth of connections the mafia has in the region.

• Power: The Ndrangheta’s influence is a product of its profitability. It is estimated that their yearly income is €53bn ($69bn), more than Deutsche Bank and McDonald’s combined.

Hundreds of OpenAI employees threaten to follow Altman to Microsoft unless board resigns

Hundreds of OpenAI employees have signed a letter demanding that OpenAI’s board resigns or they will follow ex-CEO Sam Altman to his new venture at Microsoft.

• Catch up: Altman was forced out Friday by OpenAI’s board, which cited unspecified issues with his communications. That prompted a backlash from employees and investors. The board then attempted to negotiate Altman’s return, but was unsuccessful.

• In demand: It took Microsoft all of one day to invite Altman and OpenAi co-founder Greg Brockman to start a new independent venture. The employees’ letter also said that Microsoft “assured” them that they would have jobs at the new subsidiary should they “choose to join.”

• Whoops: Not only did OpenAI’s board force out arguably the two best thought leaders in artificial intelligence, they will lose most of their remaining workforce unless they resign — 667 of its 770 employees signed the letter.

Little Stories

U.S. News

• A federal appeals court decided on Monday that only the Justice Department — not individuals or Groups such as the NAACP — should be allowed to file lawsuits accusing state election policies of violating the Coting Rights Act’s ban on racial discrimination. (More)

• Interstate 10 in Los Angeles reopened on Monday in time for rush hour traffic after a fire shutdown the highway last week. Police still believe the fire was caused by arson and are asking for help locating a “person of interest.” (More)

• The Supreme Court denied an appeal by former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in the 2020 killing of George Floyd. Chauvin argued that he didn’t have a fair trial because jurors were afraid of more violence and riots if they acquitted him. (More)

World

• Israel’s military has released video it says shows a Hamas tunnel at Shifa Hospital. The tunnel leads to a blastproof door with a firing hole in it — the type of door used to keep Israeli forces from entering Hamas operations centers. (More)

• The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Monday to reemphasize the U.S.’ support in the country’s war with Russia. The Defense Department also announced a new $100 million security package for Ukraine. (More)

• Twenty-eight premature babies arrived in Egypt from Gaza on Monday after they were evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital in Northern Gaza. Many of the babies’ parents were not able to travel with their children because Gazan officials are disorganized and couldn’t locate close family members. (More)

Business & Economy

• U.S. stock markets closed higher on Monday (S&P +0.74%, Nasdaq +1.13%, Dow 0.58%). Strong tech gains helped the three major indexes finish green yesterday with Microsoft and Nvidia each rising 2%. (More)

• Kyle Vogt, The founder and CEO of GM’s self-driving car unit, Cruise, resigned following the company’s recent safety problems. Last month all of its robotaxis were indefinitely sidelined after one ran over a woman, stopped on her, then dragged her 20 feet before pulling over. (More)

• Gas prices are dropping just in time for Thanksgiving. The national average for a gallon of regular gas was about $3.31 Monday, 25 cents less than a month ago and 36 cents less than a year ago. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Star forward Angel Reese didn’t play for the LSU Tigers for the second consecutive game Monday night. No reason was given for her absence. However, there appears to be a rift between Reese and head coach Kim Mulkey. (More)

• Rapper A$AP Rocky will stand trial for allegedly firing a fun at a childhood friend. He is facing two counts of felony assault and could receive up to nine years in prison if found guilty. (More)

• Saudi-backed combat sports league PFL has acquired Bellator MMA under undisclosed terms. The acquisition will put the PFL on par with UFC in terms of Top-25 ranked talent and will make it the unquestioned No. 2 mixed martial arts organization behind the UFC. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Scientists at the University of Melbourne have found a connection between a gene pathway and brain issues in adults who stutter. The discovery could lead to better insights into why some adults persistently stutter. (More)

• Yellowstone National Park confirmed it first case of “zombie deer disease” — an illness that slowly shuts down the deer’s body. Officials say there isn’t much they can do besides monitor and investigate the presence of the sickness. The disease has been reported in 31 U.S. states as of November this year. (More)

• Scientists have discovered that the serotine bat is the only mammal that reproduces without having penetrative sex. The ritual was captured on surveillance camera in the St Matthias church in the Netherlands. (More)

Extra Credit

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