Walmart manager 'just started shooting'
A deadly wave of gun violence in the United States continues. The Taliban brought back a brutal form of punishment from its 1990s reign. And a stowaway was found at the airport in a traveler's luggage.
👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. It's Thanksgiving Eve, which means my collard greens need to get cooking soon. In the meantime, here's Wednesday's news!
But first, happy birthday, Lorene! 🎂🥳 When her friends threw her first birthday party – at 105 – a North Carolina woman was hoping to get 105 cards. She got that, and a whole lot more.
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6 killed at Walmart in Virginia after manager opens fire
Flags across Virginia and Colorado were flying at half-staff on Wednesday, after a store manager opened fire at a Walmart, killing six people in the country’s second high-profile mass shooting in four days. As shoppers stocked up ahead of Thanksgiving, a man identified as a 31-year-old "team leader" who had worked for the company since 2010, opened fire in the break room during a team meeting of about 15 to 20 employees. The gunman, who apparently shot himself, was dead when officers found him, police said. There was no clear motive for the shooting, which also left at least six people wounded, including one critically. Follow our coverage.
🔎 Mass killings increased dramatically in 2022. See the database.
Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric surged ahead of Club Q shooting
Hours after a gunman opened fire in an LGBTQ nightclub late last weekend, Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert offered her prayers for the five people killed and the dozens of others wounded. The sympathetic words were a far cry from the language she often uses to denounce members of the LGBTQ community. A report in August that documented a surge in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric on social media by public figures named Boebert as one of the worst offenders. Police have yet to cite a motive in the Colorado Springs attack, and the suspect's defense team said in court documents that the suspect is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Whatever the motive, gay-rights activists and their allies say inflammatory language denigrating LGBTQ people fuels anti-gay stigma and, in a worst-case scenario, can lead to deadly violence. Keep reading.
Mass shooting suspect appears in court, ordered held without bail.
Colorado Springs worked to change its anti-gay image – then its sole LGBTQ nightclub was targeted.
What everyone's talking about
Wilko Johnson, 'Game of Thrones' actor and guitarist, dies at 75.
$400M of your money is gone: The how and why of COVID-19 fraud.
Valerie Bertinelli rejoices as divorce from Tom Vitale is finalized.
Recalls are up in 2022. See if something you own is affected.
Lindsay Lohan's Christmas film was cute. The brain injury plot wasn't.
Social Security benefits will increase in 2023. Here's what to know.
World Cup live updates: Belgium edges aggressive Canada; Spain dominates Costa Rica. Follow our coverage!
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12 people lashed by Taliban before stadium crowd
The Taliban lashed three women and nine men in front of hundreds of spectators in a provincial sports stadium Wednesday, signaling the religious extremist group’s resumption of a brutal form of punishment that was a hallmark of their rule in the 1990s. Hundreds of people attended the lashings, where those being punished received between 21 and 39 lashes each, after being convicted in a local court of theft and adultery, said an official in the governor’s office. Such public lashings, as well as public executions and stonings for purported crimes, were common during the first period of Taliban rule. After the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, they promised to be more moderate and allow for women’s and minority rights. Instead, they have restricted rights and freedoms, including a ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade.
Cat’s out of the bag
Well, that was quite a cat-ch. 😹 One very sneaky kitty apparently found its way into a traveler's checked luggage at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport last week, the Transportation Security Administration said. The cat's outline can be seen in an X-ray of the luggage the TSA shared of the "hiss-toric find." A TSA officer found the orange cat after the bag "triggered an alarm" while going through the standard X-ray screening for checked luggage. The TSA retrieved the cat, which was alive. So, did the traveler know about the cat? Not so much. The TSA said the traveler said the cat belonged to someone else in his household. The cunning kitty was returned home, and the traveler was able to rebook his cat-free flight for the next day. See the X-rays.
Real quick
Food banks struggle this holiday season as inflation creates 'perfect storm'.
Michigan State paid coach full $100,000 bonus marked for him, entire staff.
Red states slam Biden's student debt relief plan in Supreme Court case.
Workers beaten by police while protesting at iPhone factory in China.
Video shows Cleveland Browns field vandalized with tire treads, police investigating.
🌤 What's the weather up to in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast here.
What's on your Thanksgiving plate?
Thanksgiving is here! What y'all eating? Your Thanksgiving table might be filled with traditional favorites like turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. But Thanksgiving can also bring up some heated disagreements. Is it stuffing or dressing? (Stuffing.) Are sweet potatoes better with or without marshmallows? (Neither.) What's for dessert – pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or other treats? (Pecan all day, every day.) But what about the casseroles? Whether it be green beans, broccoli, corn, or yams, you can put just about anything in a pan and call it a casserole. Which one is the most popular in your state? Check out Google's list.
🎈 It's about that time: How to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
For your last-minute needs: What grocery stores are open on Thanksgiving?
A break from the news
🛍 Save before the feast: Early Black Friday deals available now.
🚗 Hitting the road? Pro road trip tips from pro truck drivers.
🤷♀️ Is Black Friday better than Cyber Monday? How you can save the most.
Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia Walmart shooting, Colorado Springs shooting, Taliban, TSA cat stowaway, Thanksgiving. Wednesday's news.
