5 things for November 22: Zimbabwe, Navy plane crash, Uber, David Cassidy

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Five Things is off Thursday, so we hope you have a wonderful holiday. As always, we are thankful for you and everyone in the Five Things family. Now, here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Zimbabwe

There were celebrations Tuesday in the streets of Zimbabwe when embattled President Robert Mugabe finally stepped down after a military takeover, impeachment proceedings and days of serious pressure from his own party. The 93-year-old was in power for 37 years — the only leader Zimbabwe has ever had as an independent country. However, his violent and oppressive tactics quickly made him unpopular and damaged Zimbabwe’s economy. 

It won’t be all celebratiions though. There is some trepidation over Mugabe’s successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa had been vice president, and Mugabe dismissed him earlier this month, apparently to pave the way for his wife, first lady Grace Mugabe, to rise to power. However, political experts and some Zimbabweans fear Mnangagwa may be as oppressive as his predecessor.

2. Roy Moore

President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended Alabama Republican Roy Moore, all but endorsing the Senate candidate who has been accused of sexual abuse.

“He denies it. Look, he denies it,” Trump said of Moore. “If you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours. He totally denies it. He says it didn’t happen.”

Trump’s comments mark a break between him and other prominent Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who have called on Moore to drop out of the race. The campaign arm for Senate Republicans and the Republican National Committee have also severed ties with Moore.

3. Navy plane crash

A US Navy aircraft carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed Wednesday into the Pacific Ocean, southeast of Okinawa.

Eight have been rescued, according to Japanese officials. The rest are missing, and both US and Japanese forces are searching for them. The US military said engine trouble caused the crash of the C-2 transport aircraft. 

4. Uber

Uber was the victim of a massive hack in 2016, and it didn’t report what happened until this week. It looks like last year, two people got hold of a massive amount of data from the company, including the personal information of 57 million Uber users, and driver’s license information from 600,000 Uber drivers. 

According to Uber, no location history, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers or dates of birth were downloaded in the hack. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he learned about the breach recently and launched an investigation into why the company did not alert authorities or individuals affected by the hack.

5. David Cassidy

David Cassidy, “The Partridge Family” star and teen idol of the 1970s, passed away Tuesday at age 67. He had been ill and was in critical condition and suffering from organ failure before his death. 

With him, a piece of the past has died as well. Not only did he help make “The Partridge Family” sitcom a staple of the era, he also recorded a dozen studio albums and had a long career. He struggled with personal problems, including stints in rehab and DUIs. He had recently revealed he was in the early stages of dementia.  

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

These are the happiest cities in America, according to a new study.
We won’t give them away, but we will say the Western United States is doing just fine.

Delayed flight in Canada turns into a party at the airport.
Somehow, the words “party” and “airport gate” feel wrong together.

That ‘water’ on Mars may actually be sand. 

Good, because frankly, we are not ready for life on another planet. 

Good news: The weather is going to be great for Thanksgiving travel.
Bad news: There will still be millions of other people traveling with you. 

Should you buy a real or fake Christmas tree?

Ha-ha, Christmas is only a month away! Ha-ha, definitely not freaking out!

NUMBER OF THE DAY

25
The number of women left leading S&P 500 companies after Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman steps down in February. 

 AND FINALLY …

Gobble, gobble, gobb — Aaaghh!
In case you didn’t know, turkeys can be mean, scary and vengeful birds. Please enjoy this holiday classic, which includes what is clearly a TV producer’s first run-in with a persistent, fast-moving and angry bird. (Click here to view)