5 things to know for November 23: Walmart shooting, Trump, Student loans, Layoffs, Covid
By Andrew Torgan, CNN
AAA predicts that nearly 55 million people in the US will be traveling this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The 5 Things team is also heading out to spend time with family and friends, so we’re taking a few days off. We’ll be back on Sunday. Until then, here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.
Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
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1. Walmart shooting
At least six people were killed in a mass shooting Tuesday night inside a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. The shooter is also dead, city officials said earlier this morning. Officers responded to the store less than an hour before closing around 10:12 p.m. and found the victims and evidence of a shooting, Chesapeake Police public information officer Leo Kosinski told CNN. Five patients were being treated at Sentara General Hospital in nearby Norfolk, Virginia, a spokesperson for Sentara Healthcare told CNN affiliate WTKR. An update on their conditions was not immediately available. “We’re just a couple hours past the initial incident, so everything is very fluid, very new right now,” Kosinski said earlier. A news conference is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET, the city of Chesapeake said on Twitter.
2. Trump
The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the IRS to release former President Donald Trump’s tax returns to a Democratic-led House committee. The high court’s move is a major loss for Trump, who has sought to shield the release of his tax returns for years and is currently under multiple investigations. Trump’s legal team has continuously sought to keep his returns secret and turned to the Supreme Court — composed of three of Trump’s nominees — after he lost at the lower court level. Separately, a New York state judge set an October 2023 trial date for the New York attorney general’s $250 million lawsuit against Trump, his eldest children and the Trump Organization, alleging they were involved in an expansive fraud lasting over a decade that the former president used to enrich himself.
3. Student loans
The Biden administration is yet again extending the pause on federal student loan payments, a benefit that began in March 2020 to help people who were struggling financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This latest extension comes as the administration’s student loan forgiveness program remains tied up in the courts. Officials had told borrowers the program, which is worth up to $20,000 in debt relief per borrower, would be implemented before loan payments were set to resume in January 2023. The pause will last until 60 days after the litigation is resolved. If the program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023, payments will resume 60 days after that, according to the Department of Education.
4. Tech layoffs
Computer maker HP said Tuesday that it will lay off up to 6,000 workers over the next three years, becoming the latest tech company to significantly reduce staffing amid fears of an economic downturn. The company disclosed the job cuts in a statement accompanying its lackluster quarterly earnings report, where it also said sales dropped more than 11% compared to the same period last year. The news makes HP the latest in a growing list of once-high-flying tech companies that are now announcing major job cuts. Facebook-parent Meta, Amazon and Twitter all announced large layoffs in recent weeks.
5. Covid-19
The Biden administration has launched a critical, six-week push aimed at stepping up Americans’ Covid-19 booster vaccinations heading into the holiday season. Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, kicked off the campaign on Tuesday during his final White House press briefing before he retires in December. The push comes as more than 35 million Americans have already received the updated, bivalent booster shot — including more than 16 million seniors — White House Covid-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said during the briefing. But that’s a fraction of the 267 million Americans who have received their primary Covid-19 vaccine, according to data from the CDC. The campaign will focus on reaching seniors and the communities that were hardest hit by Covid-19 by expanding access, increasing awareness and more.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
We now know what Budweiser will do with the beer it can’t sell at the World Cup
Budweiser plans to ship all the unsold Buds to the country that wins the tournament — assuming that country does not prohibit alcohol consumption.
A group of Indonesian islands is about to hit the auction block
To some billionaires, islands are like potato chips: you can’t buy just one.
You can thank ‘The Sims’ for the rise of luxury fashion in gaming
Luxury labels like Balenciaga, Burberry and Louis Vuitton want your avatars to look their very best — for a price of course.
How to answer those dreaded personal questions at holiday gatherings
Here’s what you should do before the dinner rolls start flying.
‘Love Actually’ cast to reunite for 20th anniversary TV special
All I want for Christmas is … oh you know the rest.
QUIZ TIME
Turkey is typically the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner. Which US state raises the most turkeys?
A. Arkansas
B. Indiana
C. North Carolina
D. Minnesota
Take CNN’s Thanksgiving Quiz here to see if you’re correct!
TODAY’S NUMBER
$27 million
That’s how much money Bob Iger could wind up making now that he’s returned to the helm of Disney. Yes, $27 million is a lot of money, but it’s significantly less than the roughly $46 million he made in total compensation when he left the company at the end of last year.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“I’ll let other people judge the value or not of my accomplishments, but I would like people to remember about what I’ve done, is that every day for all of those years I’ve given it everything that I have and I’ve never left anything on the field.”
— Dr. Anthony Fauci, during his final White House briefing before departing his official positions. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden, has served under seven US presidents and became a household name in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY
How Ocean Spray Harvests 220 Billion Cranberries A Year
Before you slide that delectable ridged cylinder of jellied cranberry sauce out of the can and onto a serving dish Thursday, take a moment to learn where it came from. (Click here to view)
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