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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, November 3, 2021:
GOP COMEBACK
Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe to become Virginia’s next governor, the first GOP candidate to win a state-wide election in a dozen years. The Virginia results show that Youngkin won by threading a tough needle -- appealing to suburban voters who were put off by Donald Trump, while also turning out the Trump base of the GOP. Youngkin’s campaign focused heavily on education issues, and exit polls show that independents broke for him late. His lieutenant governor will be Winsome Sears, a conservative Republican and military vet who is projected to become the first female and first woman of color in the #2 job in Richmond. Meanwhile, the other governor’s race in New Jersey remains too close to call this morning -- a bad sign for the state’s incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, who was seen as a shoo-in for reelection. AP
OTHER NOTABLE RACES
New York City voters easily elected Eric Adams to be the city’s second Black mayor. In Buffalo, the Democratic incumbent Byron Brown declared victory over the socialist India Walton on a write-in campaign after Walton beat him in the primary. Boston elected the progressive Michelle Wu as mayor, ending a 199-year streak of white men leading the city. A pair of open House seats in Ohio went to a Democrat and Republican. Minneapolis voters rejected a proposal to replace the police department with a new public safety department, while voters in Austin overwhelmingly shot down a ballot measure to hire hundreds more cops. CNN
VAX FOR KIDS APPROVED
Nearly 30 million children in the U.S. can get a Covid vaccine, as early as today. The CDC formally endorsed the Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11, who will be inoculated with a smaller dose, spread over two shots. The CDC estimates that every million doses will prevent tens of thousands of cases in that age group. The question is how many parents will rush to get their young kids vaccinated. Recent surveys suggest only a third of parents plan to do it “right away.” STAT
BRAVES WIN!
The Atlanta Braves are World Series champs for the first time since 1995. The Braves cruised to a 7-0 win over the Astros in Game 6 in Houston, in a remarkable comeback for a franchise that was stuck below .500 as recently as August. Atlanta’s Jorge Soler put an exclamation point on the season with a monster 3-run homer that left Minute Maid Park, and pitcher Max Fried threw six shutout innings to close the series. ESPN
FACEBOOK AXES FACIAL REC
Facebook is shutting down its facial-recognition software. Parent company Meta says it will delete the facial scans of more than a billion users who have opted into the service over the last decade. That means Facebook will no longer be able to automatically identify people to “tag” in photos and videos. The social-media giant announced the change, saying it wants to “find the right balance” with the facial-recognition technology that’s been the subject of intense privacy concerns. CHEDDAR
METAVERSE, PARTY OF 2
Microsoft is working on its own version of the metaverse, complete with Excel and PowerPoint. The company is joining Facebook --er, Meta -- in the metaverse race with a plan to build out a virtual world inside its Teams software, specifically designed for office workers. Teams is also getting 3D avatars that can be used in both 2D and 3D virtual meetings as a replacement for your real face -- for those days when you really just don’t feel like firing up the webcam. BLOOMBERG
NFL STAR ARRESTED
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is being charged with felony DUI resulting in death after a fiery car crash near the Vegas Strip. According to police, Ruggs was behind the wheel of a Corvette that crashed into a Toyota Rav4, which then caught fire. The driver of the Rav4 died, and Ruggs and his passenger were seriously injured. The Raiders have released Ruggs and he is set to be arraigned today. SI
OPPENHEIMER BIOPIC
Director Christopher Nolan’s next movie is shaping up to be a must-see. Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. have signed on for roles in the upcoming World War II epic Oppenheimer, based on the story of the man known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Nolan has already cast Cillian Murphy in the lead role and Emily Blunt for an unspecified part. Filming starts next year with a release on the schedule for summer 2023. DEADLINE
SPOTTED...
...the tracklist for the forthcoming Adele album, featuring the instantly iconic song title I Drink Wine: SEE IT
…Kristen Stewart, revealing on Howard Stern that she’s engaged to her girlfriend of two years, the screenwriter Dylan Meyer: DETAILS
LEFTOVERS: CHRISTMAS COFFEE
It’s November 3. Mariah Carey has re-entered the charts, and now by law the country’s big coffee chains must debut their new seasonal menus and cups to signal that the holidays are upon us. Dunkin’ launches two new festive drinks today, featuring a white mocha hot chocolate, along with some other new food items (including pancakes, for the first time). Starbucks' holiday cups and menu debut tomorrow, featuring an iced sugar cookie almond-milk latte. DELISH
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