Good morning. Here is today's selection of top stories from The Associated Press and Reuters to begin the day.
The Associated Press
Advancing the Power of Facts
The Rundown
Biden to warn Putin of economic pain if he invades Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to warn Vladimir Putin during a video call Tuesday that Russia will face economy-jarring sanctions if it invades neighboring Ukraine as the U.S. president seeks a diplomatic solution to deal with the...Read More
Omicron v. delta: Battle of coronavirus mutants is critical
As the omicron coronavirus variant spreads in southern Africa and pops up in countries all around the world, scientists are anxiously watching a battle play out that could determine the future of the pandemic. ...Read More
End of an era: Germany's Merkel bows out after 16 years
BERLIN (AP) — Angela Merkel was assured of a place in the history books as soon as she became Germany's first female chancellor on Nov. 22, 2005. Over the next 16 years, she was credited with raising Germany's profile and influence, working to ho...Read More
China says US diplomatic boycott violates Olympic spirit
BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday accused the United States of violating the Olympic spirit by announcing an American diplomatic boycott of February’s Beijing Winter Games. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s comment came amid a barrage of...Read More
Fallon teams with Grande, Megan Thee Stallion for holidays
Yes, he’s the host of the “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” And sure, he’s starred in movies, been a “Saturday Night Live” regular, and just launched a new show, “That’s My Jam.” But Jimmy Fallon has always wanted his “That Thing You Do!” ...Read More
OTHER TOP STORIES
Survivors gather to remember those lost at Pearl Harbor
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — A few dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor are expected to gather Tuesday at the site of the Japanese bombing 80 years ago to remember those killed ...Read More
Desperation drives thousands of Afghans a day across borders
HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — Over the course of an hour on a recent night, the bus waiting in the Herat station filled with passengers. Mostly young men, they had no luggage,...Read More
'Cheugy,' 'omicron' among 2021's most mispronounced words
“Cheugy” is apparently a lot to chew on. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce have something in common — broadcast...Read More
Smollett back on stand after calling hoax claim '100% false'
CHICAGO (AP) — Jussie Smollett will return to the witness stand Tuesday at his trial in Chicago, where the former “Empire” actor called claims that he staged an anti-gay, ...Read More
The Reuters Daily Briefing
Here's what you need to know.
U.S. officials to boycott Beijing Olympics, a British study shows mixing Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots with Moderna gives the better immune response and Elon Musk says Biden's EV bill shouldn't pass.
Today's biggest stories
The sunsets behind a building topped with the Olympic rings, in Shougang park near the Olympic venues of the 2022 winter games in China, October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
The U.S.
U.S. government officials will boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing because of China's human rights "atrocities", the White House said. Four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero greeted the announcement of the diplomatic boycott with relief, delighted that there was no suggestion athletes should also stay away.
Detectives questioned an artist linked to the Detroit studio where the parents of a 15-year-old accused Michigan school shooter were arrested after a manhunt, local law enforcement officials said.
Ghislaine Maxwell's trial was set to enter its seventh day, with prosecutors expected to show jurors photographs depicting the British socialite's relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he would probably end up supporting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's nomination for a second four-year term.
The United States will mark the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and killed 2,390 Americans, and the United States declared war on Japan the next day.
The U.S. government said it failed to prove a crucial witness lied 66 years ago in the lynching death of Black teen Emmett Till in Mississippi, closing without charges its probe into the killing.
Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Moderna coronavirus vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken on March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
World
A major British study into mixing COVID-19 vaccines has found that people had a better immune response when they received the first dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech shots followed by Moderna nine weeks later, according to the results.
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are suing Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, for $150 billion over allegations that the social media company did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech that contributed to violence.
A senior Myanmar junta official said the imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi showed that no one was above the law and the army chief had commuted her sentence on "grounds of humanity".
"Ashamed!! Sick to my stomach!": A shocking and deadly mob attack on a Sri Lankan factory manager accused of blasphemy in eastern Pakistan last week prompted days of soul searching as the man's remains were flown to his home country.
Austria's third conservative chancellor in two months, Karl Nehammer, took office seeking to bring the coalition government out of months of scandal-tainted turmoil and guide the country out of its coronavirus lockdown.
A general view of the downtown skyline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 12, 2021. The picture was taken on June 12, 2021. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
Business
The United Arab Emirates will shift to a working week of four and half days with a Saturday-Sunday weekend from the start of next year to better align its economy with global markets.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the U.S. Congress should not approve the Biden administration's bill to boost subsidies for electric vehicles, saying the proposal would worsen the country's budget deficit.
EU's antitrust regulator is taking a deeper look into Microsoft's $16 billion deal for transcription technology company Nuance Communications, asking customers and competitors to draw up a list of concerns, according to a questionnaire seen by Reuters.
Intel said it plans to take self-driving-car unit Mobileye public in the United States in mid-2022, a deal which could value the Israeli unit at more than $50 billion, a source told Reuters.
Ahead of a Congressional hearing, Instagram said it will be stricter about the types of content it recommends to teens in the app and will nudge them toward different areas if they dwell on one topic for a long time.
Just three months after narrowly avoiding collapse, China Evergrande is teetering on the brink again and investors are still unclear how much or for how long the problems could reverberate.
Quote of the day
"We don't have a president who is likely to nominate somebody for the Fed that would be my first choice and I'm probably going to end up supporting Powell."
Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senate Republican leader
Republican McConnell says he will probably support Powell's Fed nomination
Video of the day
GSK-Vir drug works against Omicron - data
British drugmaker GSK said its antibody-based COVID-19 therapy with U.S. partner Vir Biotechnology is effective against all mutations of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, citing new data from early-stage studies.
And finally…
China's winter sports industry hopes Olympic Games will yield white gold
China hopes hosting the Games will springboard the country towards becoming a winter sports destination and will help deliver on a target set by President Xi Jinping to get 300 million Chinese involved in winter sports, with an aim to build a $157 billion industry.
