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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, November 22, 2021:

CHRISTMAS PARADE HORROR

At least five people are dead and dozens more injured after an SUV sped through a Christmas parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, Wis. Many of the victims are said to be children. Police have a person of interest in custody, but have not provided any details on their identity or possible motive. Waukesha is about 50 miles from Kenosha, where Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on Friday, but there are no indications that the events were related. JOURNAL SENTINEL

COVID LATEST

More people in the U.S. have now died of Covid in 2021 than died in 2020, according to the Johns Hopkins tally, despite vaccines being widely available for most of this year. The pandemic’s death toll in America is approaching 800,000 as cases and hospitalizations are spiking once again in places like New England and the upper Midwest. In Europe, there is growing unrest over new restrictions going into effect in countries like The Netherlands and Austria. Violent protests broke out in The Hague and Rotterdam in response to Dutch officials instituting a three-week partial lockdown, while in Austria, demonstrators filled Vienna’s main square ahead of a nationwide lockdown that goes into effect today. NPR

SMASH AND GRAB

Looters have been getting increasingly brazen in targeting luxury stores around the Bay Area, smashing windows, stealing merchandise and terrorizing customers and employees before getting away. Thieves hit a mall in Hayward and a Lululemon store in San Jose late Sunday, a day after dozens of people in ski masks looted a Nordstrom outside Oakland. On Friday night, looters ransacked high-end stores like Louis Vuitton in the Union Square neighborhood of San Francisco. The city’s leaders, including controversial District Attorney Chesa Boudin, have promised to crack down on the looting. Boudin is facing a recall next year over the city’s public safety breakdown. SF CHRONICLE

JERUSALEM TERROR ATTACK

A Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli tour guide near the holiest site in Jerusalem, the first killing of a Jewish civilian by a Palestinian since May. The shooter was killed by Israeli security forces. The attack happened just outside the entrance to the Temple Mount, which is sacred to both Jews and Muslims. Tensions at that site contributed to the outbreak of the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas earlier this year. NY TIMES

HOLMES ON THE STAND

Elizabeth Holmes is expected to be back on the stand at her criminal fraud trial this morning after the defense surprised the court by calling the Theranos founder to testify on Friday. Holmes spoke for about an hour about the early days of her blood-testing startup, before it collapsed amid allegations that its main technology didn’t work. Prosecutors will have the chance to grill Holmes on cross-examination as soon as today. WSJ

PENG SHUAI APPEARS

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai resurfaced over the weekend, holding a video call with the International Olympic Committee where she assured the IOC’s chief that she was “safe and well” at home in Beijing. The call came after Chinese state media posted videos of Peng at a restaurant and tennis tournament, which led to more speculation about her well-being. Peng disappeared from public view earlier this month after she made a sexual assault allegation against a former leader of the Communist Party. BLOOMBERG

ADELE KILLS SHUFFLE

Spotify has stopped shuffling albums by default, all because Adele asked them to. The streaming service has taken the shuffle button off all album pages after Adele made the request, tweeting: "We don't create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason” and that getting rid of the shuffle button was the one ask she made ahead of the release of 30. Spotify users can still shuffle albums, but the default will now be to play a record in the order chosen by the artist. BBC

SPOTTED...

… VP Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, affixing a mezuzah to the doorway of the Naval Observatory. It’s the first time a mezuzah has been placed on an executive residence: SEE IT

...Jussie Smollett, making his first red-carpet appearance in two years. Smollett is set to go on trial next week on charges of lying to the police when he claimed to be the victim of a hate crime: SEE PICS

...Olivia Rodrigo, rocking a purple sequined gown at the American Music Awards: RED CARPET PICS

LEFTOVERS: CASH GRAB

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of grabbing cash that flew out of an armored truck driving on a California highway last week. Bags of money fell out of the truck when a door popped open, bringing a section of I-5 to a standstill as drivers stopped to pick up as many bills as they could carry. The whole incident was caught on video, of course, and police arrested a couple who had locked themselves out of their car after they joined in the free-for-all: SEE IT

ATL GUN DISCHARGE

Police in Atlanta have issued a warrant for Kenny Wells, the man whose gun went off during a luggage search at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Saturday. Wells, a convicted felon who would not be legally allowed to own a firearm, lunged for the gun after it was found in his bag during a routine security screening, according to TSA. The gun apparently went off by accident, causing passengers at the busy airport to panic and flee as departures were temporarily halted. AJC

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

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