Adobe Analytics says Cyber Monday online sales have dropped by 1.4% from last year

• According to information from Adobe Analytics, this year’s Cyber Monday sales marked a 1.4% decrease from 2020 to $10.7 billion 
• So far, from Nov. 1 through Cyber Monday, consumers in the United States have spent $109.8 billion online, which is up 11.9% year over year
• Adobe anticipates digital sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 will hit $207 billion, which would represent record gains of 10%

SpaceX staff told that Starship crisis creates bankruptcy risk by Elon Musk

• In a company-wide email, Elon Musk wrote, “The Raptor production crisis is much worse than it seemed a few weeks ago,”
• These raptor engines that are in development will power the company’s Starship rocket but if they are not developed in time, Musk says that the company faces a “genuine risk of bankruptcy…”

BMW unveils its XM hybrid-electric concept vehicle aimed towards high-performance 

• On November 29, BMW unveiled its high-performance concept vehicle that showcases an electrified crossover 
• The vehicle is expected to begin US production as soon as late 2022 in South Carolina
• This new vehicle is called the BMW XM and will be available exclusively as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle 

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CDC updates its COVID-19 vaccine/booster recommendations during Omicron outbreak

• According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, she said that all US adults “should” receive the Covid vaccine booster
• Previously, the agency said that all adults “may” receive the booster but the Omicron variant has urged the CDC to strengthen their recommendation 

Virginia and Kentucky to deploy National Guard Soldiers to Africa 

• Amid the shift in US war efforts away from the Middle East, the Virginia and Kentucky National Guard has deployed 1,000 troops to the bottom of Africa
• It is unclear if the 1,000 Guardsmen is an increase in the Pentagon’s force in Africa, or if those troops are replacing others currently deployed

Zion National Park officials report death of a Virginia man and rescue of two others in park

• On November 28, a Virginia man died and two others were rescued while hiking in Zion National Park
• The Virginia man was found suspended from rope 260 ft. above Upper Emerald Pools along with 2 others stranded on a rock perch nearby
• Luckily, the two survivors were able to contact the National park Service, and rescue teams helped them to rappel safely to the ground 

National COVID measures are upheld by top German court

• On November 30, Germany’s highest court upheld COVID-19 restrictions despite complaints against the curfews and other restrictions imposed
• The ruling from the Federal Constitutional Court came hours before outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor, Olaf Scholz, planned to hold discussions on the situation with the country’s 16 state governors

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Nissan plans to invest $17.6 billion over 5 years towards EVs

• Over the course of 5 consecutive years, Nissan plans to invest about 2 trillion yen or $17.6 billion US into efforts related to electric vehicles
• On November 29, Nissan said that the company would aim to roll out 23 new electric car models by 2030, and 15 of which will be fully-electric
• The firm is also planning to introduce all-solid-state batteries, or ASSB, to the market by 2028

Box office sites crash as demand for Spider-Man: No Way Home tickets surge

• At 12 AM EST, tickets for Marvels “Spiderman: No Way Home” film went on sale and the amount of ticket requests crashed domestic box office sites
• Box office analysts say that this amount of anticipation for a film has not happened since 2019 when advanced ticket sales for Avenger’s Engame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker came on sale

Price of oil increases after experiencing heavy losses Nov. 26

• On November 29, oil prices increased which helped to recoup part of the heavy losses on Friday, November 26
• The incitial drop in price was prompted by fears that teh new omicron Covid variant would curb demand for petroleum products
• West taxas Intermediate crude futures gainied about $2.72 (4%) on November 29, to trade at $70.87 

Lululemon files patent lawsuit against Peloton for copying sports bras and leggings designs

• In a growing feud over the designs of its sports bras and legging, Lululemon has filed a patent lawsuit against Peloton
• On November 29, in the case filing, Lululemon said it is seeking control against Peloton’s infringement of its intellectual property rights
• Peloton has said that its own athletic apparel merchandise is easy to decipher from Lululemon’s but there is still much debate as Lululemon says Peloton has infringed on 6 of its patented designs

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• On November 28, the California Department of Public Health said that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has not reached California yet
• California officials urge anyone who has traveled to South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Nambia, Botswana, Eswatini, or Zimbabwe within the last 14 days to follow CDC guidelines and get tested 3-5 days after arrival in another country

LA Sheriffs Dept. finds 4 children and woman shot to death in home

• According to a report from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, 4 children and a woman were found shot to death in a home 
• The main suspect is a man believed to be the children’s father and is currently detained
• The victims were discovered on the night of November 28, in the city of Lancaster 

New report shows that California is falling behind on creating affordable housing

• According to the Southern California News group, cities and counties in the state didn’t permit enough housing last year to keep pace with production goals 
• Housing permits that were approved also were not affordable for most residents
• In 2020, about 109,000 housing permits were issued which is about ¾ of what was needed to issue to meet state mandates in regards to rpoviding housing for people of all income levels 

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• In comparison to mass disruptions earlier in 2021, current cancellations are minimal
• US airlines over Thanksgiving week had some of their busiest days since before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic as travelers returned to reunite with their families
• From Nov. 22 through Nov. 28, 14.4 million people passed through TSA, more than double the 6.4 million a year ago but down from 16.4 million in 2019

President Biden says he doesn’t think more travel restrictions will be imposed with Omicron 

• As the new Omicron variant begins to spread around South Africa, the US, on November 26 said that it would ban visitors from South Africa and 7 other African national 
• In addition to the US, Japan, the UK, and Israel have all put travel restrictions to stem the spread of the Omicron variant
• President Joe Biden on November 29, said he doesn’t expect the U.S. to impose any additional travel restrictions to stem the spread of the omicron Covid-19 variant

 New York City reinstitutes Covid mask advisory “at all times”

• On November 29, New York City announced an advisory that recommends that everyone in the city wear masks indoors at all times, regardless of vaccination status
• The Outgoing Mayor, Bill de Blasio said that New York City has not yet identified any Omicron variant cases but he still urges mask wearing

CEO of Moderna says a new Omicron Covid variant vaccine will take months

• According to Stephane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, it could take months to develop and ship a vaccine targeting the Omicron variant of COVID-19
• Bancel says that he beelives that the variant may already be present in most countries
• Bancel said Moderna believes the omicron variant is highly infectious, but it will take at least two weeks to determine how much the mutations have impacted the efficacy of the vaccines currently on the market

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Vaccine mandate at Disney World, Florida paused

• Disney’s policy that requires Florida-based employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine has been paused as new legislature in the state restricts employer’s power to require vaccinations
• Any Disney employees who are not fully vaccinated will be required to wear face coverings, and observe social distancing and other safety protocols

Kansas proposal is failing to gain GOP support on COVID-19 mandates

• Legislators representing the GOP in Kansas are struggling to rack up support among Republicans for a proposal providing unemployment benefits to workers who lose their job for refusing the vaccine
• Top Republicans in the House were unsure enough about support for the unemployment proposal that they left it out of legislation before their chamber

Judge rules Iowa Medicaid doesn’t cover sex-change surgery

• In a ruling on November 22, a Judge said that an Iowa law that prohibits Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgeries for transgender residents actually violated the state law and constitution
• Judge William Kelly ordered the Iowa Department of Human Services to provide coverage for sex reassignment surgeries when ordered to treat gender dysphoria
• 12 additional states have already excluded these types of surgeries in Medicaid coverage 

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White House reports that 90% of federal workers have received dose of COVID-19 vaccine

• A senior administration official from the White House has said that approximately 90% of federal employees are vaccinated
• The White House also reports that the federal workforce has reached 95% compliance with the vaccination mandate 
• The federal guidance states that Federal personnel who have not been immunized or submitted proof of vaccination may eventually be terminated

UK government says new homes in England must have EV charging points

• Authorities in the United Kingdom have announced plans that will require new homes in England to have charging points 
• During the Confederation of British Industry’s annual conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated his remarks on the new regulations which will allow 145,000 new charging points to be installed

The US National Guard has helped combat the labor crisis 

• As employers across the US are experiencing a substantial labor shortage, with slowdowns in the supply chain, politicians have looked to the US military for support’
• So far, the US has used the National Guard to help fill in gaps in the healthcare sector, and in schools as well

Target to keep its stores closed on Thanksgiving going forward

• In an announcement from Target, the company will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day and will make a permanent shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season
• On November 22, Target said its distribution and call centers will have some staff on thanksgiving Day but stores will remain closed

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• Authentic Brands Group has canceled its plans for an IPO and instead has planned to sell significant equity stakes in its business to private equity firm CVC Captial, and other current shareholders which value the company at $12.7 Billion
• The CEO of Authentic Brands, Jamie Salter said that that the company will move its IPO target date to 2023 or 2024 

Electric boating start-up, Pure Watercraft sells 25% share to GM

• On November 22, General Motors acquired a 25% share of Pure Watercraft, a start-up that makes fully electric outboard motors for all kinds of boats
• With this investment, General Motors will become a supplier for Pure watercraft and a co-developer of fully electric boating products

Shares of Astra increased by 30% after the company reached orbit successfully

• A rocket-building company called Astra has its stock surge by 30% in trading on Monday after the company reached orbit for the first time on November 20
• Astra’s rocket LV0007 launched from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska
• Astra is currently trading at $11.39, up from its previous price of $9.53

Target to keep its stores closed on Thanksgiving going forward

• In an announcement from Target, the company will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day and will make a permanent shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season
• On November 22, Target said its distribution and call centers will have some staff on thanksgiving Day but stores will remain closed

More visa-holders will be allowed back into Australia as it recovers from a skills shortage

• Taking place on December 1, Australia will allow eligible vis shoulders to enter without needing to apply for a travel exemption 
• This announcement was made on November 22 by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and he says that those eligible include: skilled workers, students, and refugees

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California mother helps to rescue missing children, says OC Sheriff

• After speaking to reporters on November 18, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called Julia Bonin a “superhero” after she spotted two missing children when walking her son to school
• The missing kids were Noah Clare (age 3) and Amber Clare (age 16) walking with a wanted man named Jacob Clare at the Doheny State Beach in Dana Point
• According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Jacob Clare has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and is now in custody 

Two arrested after allegedly stealing spilled cash on California freeway

• According to the California Highway Patrol, two people who allegedly stopped on a freeway to grab spilled cash were arrested after locking themselves out of their car
• Approximately around 9:15 am, on the I-5, the back door of an armored truck flew open and the CHP began receiving calls about motorists stopping to take up $1 and $20 bills

COVID-19 surge in Colorado poses urgent warning for California population

• As California heads into the holiday season, new weekly COVID-19 cases have become stable along with high vaccination rates in comparison to other states
• The COVID-19 case rate in Colorado poses as a warning for California as Colorado has an almost identical vaccination rate but cases are spiking
• CDC data shows that Colorado has a 62.8% vaccination rate for their population while California has a 62.7% vaccination rate

California BLM advocate accused of driving into crowd

• According to a new report, a judge ruled that a California Black Lives Matter supporter had her constitutional rights violated at a recent hearing over whether she should face trial over accusations of a crime
• The supporter’s name is Tatiana Turner and was accused of deliberately driving into a crowd of counterprotesters of the Black Lives Matter movement 

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• On November 19, President Joe Biden transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris for a short period of time while he is under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy
• The White House said it will publicly share a written summary of the 78-year-old Biden’s physical later Friday afternoon

Mandatory vaccinations and new lockdown to affect Austrian citizens

• On November 19, Alexander Schallenberg, the Chancellor of Austria said that the country will go into a national lockdown in order to contain the 4th wave of COVID-19 cases
• This new lockdown will be effective starting November 22 and will last for up to 10 days with most stores and cultural events closed or canceled

Rich and Ultra-wealthy have new restrictive retirement rules as Biden plan passes 

• On November 19, President Biden’s Build Back Better Act was passed by House Democrats with legislation that restricts retirement plans for wealthy people
• This bill requires minimum distributions for retirement accounts of more than $10 million; eliminates Roth IRA loopholes, and restricts new contributions to large accounts

Former Colorado House Speaker appointed EPA regional head

• I an announcement on November 18, President Joe Biden has appointed a former Colorado House Speaker, KC Becker as a regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency
• As administrator of the EPA’s Region 8, Becker will oversee the agency’s work in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 28 Tribal Nations

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