If you’re reading this while standing in line at a Black Friday sale, we wish you the best of luck! Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Florence Henderson
The matriarch of the “Brady Bunch” has passed away at age 82. Henderson, who was best known for her iconic role as Carol Brady, died of heart failure on Thursday. Her manager said the beloved actress had not been sick, so her death came as a shock to fans and loved ones.
2. School bus crash
More developments from Monday’s deadly crash in Chattanooga: Investigators say the bus was not on its intended route at the time of the accident. Police also say the driver did not have alcohol or drugs in his system. Sadly, a sixth child involved in the crash died of his injuries on Wednesday.
3. China
Millions of Chinese citizens in the country’s Xinjiang region have been ordered to give up their passports. They now have to ask special permission if they want to leave the country. Human rights groups are balking, saying the move is an attack on personal freedom and that it targets the Uyghur people who are native to the region. Uyghur separatists have been blamed for several terror attacks in China in recent years.
4. Jill Stein
The former Green Party presidential nominee has raised more than $4.5 million for vote audits and recounts in three key swing states Trump narrowly won. Stein began fundraising this week after voting security experts reportedly claimed votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could have been tampered with. Election fraud was a hot topic for Trump and his supporters before the election, but it is now Clinton supporters casting the doubt.
5. Iraq
The battle for Mosul, a strategic city in Iraq currently held by ISIS, continues to claim scores of innocent lives. ISIS fighters have taken to killing indiscriminately as Iraqi-led forces surround the city. The Iraqi government has advised the 1.5 million citizens in Mosul to stay in their homes, since a large-scale exodus could be dangerous and hard to organize.
Breakfast Browse
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The teen who got a Thanksgiving invite from a random grandma actually showed up
And wow, it is super adorable and exactly the kind of holiday news we need.
A college has stopped flying the American flag…for now
Staff and students want to discuss what the flag represents to them.
Outrage after a man allegedly killed a teen for bumping into him
“That’s another piece of trash off the street,” he allegedly told police.
Pipeline protests were peaceful during Thanksgiving
For those protesting the DAPL in North Dakota, the holiday and its history were nothing to celebrate.
Christmas commercials are here, and they’ll make you blubber like a baby
They also carry a message for these uncertain times.
3 – 4 days: How long you have to eat that leftover turkey in the fridge before it starts getting a little dodgy.
And finally …
Make no mistake, Mrs. Claus runs the show!
We stole this from the holiday commercial article above, but we couldn’t resist. This has to be one of the coolest ads of the season. (Click to view)