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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! This Veterans Day, the nation is honoring all who served in the military, past and present. If you're in the parts of the Pacific Northwest, you're in for a walloping of heavy rain. And, it's that time of year again: The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be felled, ready for its journey to becoming a New York City icon. |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Thursday's news. |
| 🎖 New this morning: The Army's top officer for personnel, Lt. Gen. Gary Brito, plans to travel to Tuskegee, Alabama, and honor the Tuskegee Airmen as he pushes for greater diversity in the ranks. |
| 🛣 Racism along this historic Maryland route was rampant. Then students helped ignite change. The latest installment of "Seven Days of 1961" looks back at Nov. 11, 1961, when hundreds of students drew attention to segregated restaurants along a popular travel route. |
| 🔴 F.W. de Klerk, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela and as South Africa's last apartheid president oversaw the end of the country's white minority rule, has died. He was 85. |
| 🌏 "We're just at the beginning": Great Lakes coastal communities have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to address damage caused by climate change. Experts say repair costs could climb to $2 billion. |
| 🔵 Alec Baldwin has been sued following the "Rust" film set tragedy that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, consumer travel reporter Eve Chen looks back at buffalo soldiers and how they helped shape America's national parks. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
It's Veterans Day |
| First recognized as Armistice Day in 1919, the origins of Veterans Day go back to the end of World War I. The date marks when Germany and the Allies signed a 1918 agreement to end war hostilities. The fighting ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. At the time, Nov. 11, 1918 was regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars," according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day and in 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law that changed the name to its current form: "Veterans Day" – shifting the holiday's focus from the original dedication of World War I veterans to veterans of all wars. |
| 🎖 Is it OK to say "Happy Veterans Day" or 'Thank you for your service'? Here's what veterans say. |
| 🎖 Where can veterans get free food on Veterans Day?IHOP, Denny's, Wendy's, Applebee's and more. |
| 🎖 More Veterans Day discounts: Deals at Walgreens, Kohl's, Staples; plus a free haircut and car wash. |
| 🎖 Many businesses will close their doors: Here is what will be open and closed on Veterans Day. Are stocks trading Thursday? |
Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial continues after heated day in court |
| The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse resumes Thursday, a day after jurors saw moments seldom seen in a courtroom: The accused killer cried on the stand, the judge berated a prosecuting attorney, and the defense asked for a mistrial. Rittenhouse broke down as he described the events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that led to him fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake last year. Rittenhouse is also accused of murdering Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. "I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself," Rittenhouse testified. Legal experts say while the jury wasn't present for all the theatrics of Wednesday's events, the day's proceedings could prove crucial in determining his fate. |
| ⚖️ Opinion: Kyle Rittenhouse deserves an award for his melodramatic performance on the witness stand, writes Carli Pierson, an attorney and a USA TODAY Opinion writer. |
 | | Kyle Rittenhouse cries while giving testimony | | COURT TV | |
Atmospheric river to wallop Pacific Northwest with heavy rain |
| Another round of heavy, potentially flooding rain is forecast across portions of the Pacific Northwest on Thursday and into Friday, thanks to an atmospheric river that's forecast to hit the region. The heavy rain will create areas of flash flooding and urban areas, roads and small streams will be the most vulnerable, primarily in Washington and Oregon, the National Weather Service said. The storm could drop nearly a month's worth of rain in some areas. The firehose of moisture is expected to wobble northward into Washington through the day on Thursday, potentially expanding the flooding threat into places like Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle, AccuWeather said. Because of the already saturated soils, this added rain will put western Washington under the threat of landslides, the weather service warned. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Mickey Guyton introduced by Black student sent home over braided hair |
 | | Faith Fennidy arrives at the 55th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, in Nashville. | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY Life graphic | |
| Acclaimed country artist Mickey Guyton performed "Love My Hair" from her debut album alongside Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards Wednesday night at the 2021 Country Music Association Awards in Nashville. |
| The song was inspired by the story of Faith Fennidy, a Black student in Louisiana who was sent home from school in 2018 after being told that her braided hair violated the school's policy. The story resonated with Guyton, who previously sang of the racism she encountered as a child in Texas on "Black Like Me." Ahead of their performance, Guyton, Spencer and Edwards were proudly introduced by Fennidy. |
4 astronauts expected to dock at the International Space Station |
| Four NASA and SpaceX astronauts launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center late Wednesday, kicking off a roughly day-long trek to the International Space Station. Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and Matthias Maurer marked their first day in space after the Crew Dragon capsule began flying on its own 12 minutes after launch. "It was a great ride. Better than we imagined," Chari said. Maurer, a 51-year-old materials science engineer from Germany, became the 600th person in space. In total, the astronauts will spend about six months on science experiments and station maintenance and are slated to dock with the ISS Thursday. Their mission – known as Crew-3 – got off to a rocky start due to inclement weather and a minor medical issue. |
Fact check: Let's clear up a few things |
| ✔ The claim: An image shows a news report in the "Minneapolis Red-Star Tribune" about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seeking to eliminate farms. Our rating: Altered. The "Red-Star Tribune" is not a real news publication, and there is no evidence she ever made the comments in the post. |
| ✔ The claim: Ads from other countries encourage support for Americans experiencing food insecurity. Our rating: False ❌ |
| ✔ The claim: USA TODAY's experts are checking subscribers' facts. All you need to do is send us a text. Our rating: True. To learn how to get your facts checked, click here. |
| ✔ The claim: An image shows Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk standing next to a robot he built as a child. Our rating: Altered. The original photo featured three young boys, none of whom were Musk. An artist digitally altered the photo to include the robot. |
| ✔ The claim: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla recently was arrested in the affluent suburb of Scarsdale, New York. Our rating: False ❌ |
| ✔ The claim: Navy SEALs recently raided a cargo ship "full of smuggled children." Our rating: False ❌ |
| 🔵 Did you know we've got a whole newsletter just devoted to fact checks? Get the real story by signing up here. |
Tree heading to New York's Rockefeller Center will be cut down |
| It's that time of year again: A tree that measures at over 70 feet tall will soon make its way to New York City's Rockefeller Center for the holidays. This year's tree, a Norway spruce estimated to be about 85 years old, will be cut down in Maryland Thursday and loaded onto a truck before arriving at the iconic New York City destination on Sunday. The tree will then be prepped and wrapped in 50,000 multi-colored LED lights, which is about five miles of wiring, and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. It will be lit on Dec. 1 and will remain on display at the plaza until Jan. 16. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories Wednesday |
| 📺 Cecily Strong is reflecting on a personal sketch about abortion she performed this weekend on "Saturday Night Live." |
| 🍔 The Mariah Menu: McDonald's next celebrity collaboration may be all you want for Christmas: The fast-food chain is teaming up with Mariah Carey for 12 days of free food. |
| ⚖️ "Presidents are not kings": Former President Donald Trump immediately appealed after a federal judge rejected his request to block the release of documents to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. |
| 🎞 Should only Jewish actresses play Jewish roles? Some say Hollywood has a "Jewface" problem. |
📸 The CMA Awards are back! See Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Nicole Kidman, and more 📸 |
 | | Carrie Underwood | | Andrew Nelles, Tennessean.com/USA TODAY Network | |
| The 55th CMA Awards returned to Nashville Wednesday night, bringing plenty of glamor in their wake. Eric Church and Chris Stapleton were the night's top nominees and performers included Carrie Underwood and Kane Brown. |
| See our gallery of stars assembling on the big night. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
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