Here is what you need to know about this week’s headlines.
Give any friend a story
As a subscriber, you have 10 gifts to send every month. Anyone can read what you share.
(Want to receive this newsletter via email? This is registration.)
This is the headline news this week, looking to the future
1. Gas prices and Covid complicate Thanksgiving travel.
Millions of American drivers feel strongly the recent surge in gasoline prices, which reached its highest level since 2014 last month. The national average gasoline per gallon is US$3.41, which is US$1.29 higher than a year ago.
According to a survey by the fuel-saving platform GasBuddy, only 32% of Americans plan to drive on Thanksgiving, which is down from 35% at the peak of the pandemic last year and 65% in 2019.
Holiday travel brings together people from afar, and respiratory viruses can spread easily. Experts suggest that even if it is about to end, the rules for wearing masks should remain unchanged. "Maybe in February, we can say goodbye to masks," a researcher told The Times. The United States has taken several measures in the past week to change the course of the pandemic.
2. In Europe, which has once again become the epicenter of the pandemic, new restrictions have sparked protests.
In Austria, where there are an average of 10,000 cases per day, the lockdown will begin tomorrow, and nationwide vaccination regulations will take effect in February. The Austrians responded by taking to the streets yesterday. In Vienna, due to the protests of thousands of people, there were small-scale clashes with law enforcement officials.
In Germany, the number of cases has surged in recent weeks, mainly children, adolescents and unvaccinated adults, and some states with the highest infection rates will also implement lockdowns. Even Portugal, one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates in Europe, is preparing to increase restrictions.
3. The Rittenhouse trial is over. Disagreements still exist.
Kyle Rittenhouse's friend Dominick Black is facing two charges of deliberately supplying dangerous weapons to people under the age of 18 leading to death. If convicted, he could face up to six years in prison. But experts say Rittenhouse’s acquittal helped his case—and highlights the failure of efforts to implement even modest new gun restrictions.
Attention now turns to the three men on trial for the killing of Ahmed Abery in Georgia; the closing statement is scheduled for tomorrow. Although they chased him, they claimed to be in self-defense because they said that Arbery tried to control the shotgun carried by one of them. As in the Rittenhouse case, the trial raised the question of how the self-defense law will be established with the proliferation of guns.
4. After weeks of volatility, the House of Representatives approved a comprehensive social policy bill, which brought another victory for Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
However, her work has not yet been completed. The Senate now has an opportunity to reinvent this measure, and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is still calling for major changes, such as abandoning Pelosi's new 4-week paid family and sick leave program as a priority.
But Manchin privately expressed willingness to accept a plan that is more expensive than the plan he initially insisted on, and the spokesperson now says she believes that the plan will reemerge from the Senate largely intact.
how much does it cost? it's complicated.
5. Elizabeth Holmes returns to the Theranos trial seat.
The 37-year-old founder of the blood-testing startup only spent an hour in the stands before the court closed on Friday. Her lawyer argued that she was just a young, naive, and ambitious founder who relied too much on people who gave her bad advice.
Holmes was charged with 11 counts of defrauding investors about Theranos' business and what its technology can do.
Her lawyer said that her testimony may take place on Monday and Tuesday this week. This means that the prosecution’s cross-examination is expected to be very long and will not begin until after Thanksgiving.
In a social media post earlier this month, the Chinese tennis star accused a former deputy prime minister of sexually assaulting her. After the allegations, the Chinese government deleted almost all references to Peng on domestic social media, and Peng disappeared from public life.
Yesterday, the editor of a state-owned newspaper shared two suspicious videos on Twitter. One person in the video appeared to be Peng. But the seemingly unnatural conversation in a video, as well as the unknown location and date of the two, raised questions about Peng's safety and whether she appeared in the video voluntarily.
The case prompted the Women’s Tennis Tour to reconsider its high concerns about China. If it cannot verify her safety and investigate its allegations, it has threatened to cancel the tournament.
7. The power struggle surrounding cobalt is disrupting the green energy revolution.
Cobalt is essential for electric vehicles and the fight against climate change. A survey by The Times found that two-thirds of them were from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the country’s exploration of this metal proved how the clean energy revolution has fallen into a development cycle.
In particular, China and the United States are Congolese's opponents in a new "big game"-and China is winning. The president's son Hunter Biden is a founding board member of a company that helped China acquire one of the world's largest cobalt deposits.
8. Indiana drivers go around. It is safer and more suitable for the climate.
Carmel, Indiana has the most roundabouts in the United States. The main reason is safety; compared with conventional intersections, roundabouts have greatly reduced the number of casualties.
And because there are no red lights in cities, cars are parked and idle, and gasoline is burned, Carmel's cars emit far less carbon emissions from the earth's heating each year.
The reason Carmel has so many roundabouts is the city’s seventh Republican mayor Jim Brainard. When he was studying at Oxford University in the 1980s, he was attracted by European traffic. Brainard built Carmel's first roundabout in 1997. Now there are 140 of them, and a dozen more are still to come.
9. These 20 pre-made recipes will help you through Thanksgiving.
West African-style spicy peanut pumpkin soup; bread rolls with bagel seasoning; mushroom bread pudding; and of course, casseroles. Putting these together before the holidays will save time and counter space. You can finish any of them with this scallion and breadcrumb crunch.
Hanukkah immediately follows Thanksgiving this year. Lemon curd, chocolate cake and Greek honey biscuits are a sweet celebration. Also for Hanukkah (and the cold season in general), here is a comforting pot of matzo chicken ball soup.
At Wirecutter, the staff will recommend the best Thanksgiving kitchen tools and tableware.
10. Finally, learn some good stories.
A deaf football team swept California. Definitely the best pumpkin, apple and pecan pie for Thanksgiving. Women who brought sex education to the Arab world. Find these and eight other stories in The Weekender.
For more enjoyment, our editor recommends these nine new books; 15 new songs; three TV series; five international movies; and the stories of five eras, just for you to tell.
Have you followed this week’s news? Test your knowledge. This is the front page of our Sunday newspaper, from Opinion’s Sunday review and today’s Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If you want to play more games, please find all of our games here.
Hope your week will bring a moment of gratitude.
Shaminder Dulai organized photos for this briefing.
Your weekend newsletter will be released on Sunday at 6:30 am Eastern time.
Did a friend forward the newsletter to you? You can register here.
what do you like? What do you want to see here? Please let us know via newsletter @nytimes.com.
Browse our full range of Times Newsletters here.