POLITICS 🏛️

Virginia woman who flipped off Trump was elected into local office

• In 2017, Juli Briskman was fired from her position as a government contractor for raising her middle finger at President Donald Trump’s motorcade
• On Tuesday, Briskman was elected supervisor-elect for the Algonkian District in Virginia’s Loudoun county, winning more that 52% of the vote
• Besides her infamous photo, Briskman's campaign was based on “education, women's rights, transportation and environmental issues”

WORLD 🌎

Anti-government protests continue in Baghdad during the Battle of the Bridges 

• During one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in Iraq since 2003, three shootings took place on and near Baghdad’s three main bridges, making them the focal point of the protests
• Since the protests began in October, protesters have continued to demand jobs and better public services despite violent force from the Iraqi government and military, which has resulted in more than 250 deaths and thousands more wounded

BUSINESS 💰

Airbnb modifies verification policies after Halloween shooting

• After a shooting at an unauthorized Halloween party in an Airbnb in Orinda, California, the company has announced changes to improve the overall process for guests and hosts, especially in reporting problems
• Key changes include 1) verification of all listings 2) a “guest guarantee” for situations in which guests arrive at listings that do not align with original listings 3) a 24/7 “neighbor hotline” and 4) manual company reviews of high-risk listings
• Airbnb says all hosts and listings will need to be verified by the end of 2020

TECH 📱

Google acquires FitBit

• In an attempt to become a bigger player in healthcare tech, Google signed a $2.1 billion deal to acquire the wearables company, FitBit
• Google will be able to use FitBit's data to improve health recommendation and intervention apps and services, while Fitbit will be able to get its data to medical professionals with Google Cloud for Healthcare APIs

US 🦅

Senate unanimously votes to make animal cruelty a federal felony

• On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that made the torture of animals a federal felony crime punishable by fines and up to 7 years in prison
• The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act was approved by the House last month and expands a previous law passed in 2010

HEALTH 💊

A new strain of HIV has been discovered

• For the first time in nearly two decades, researchers from Abbott  Laboratories identified a new strain of HIV, called HIV-1 group M subtype L, which is extremely rare
• According to Abbott, the new strain comes from the same family of virus subtypes responsible for the global HIV pandemic in the 1980’s and 90’s
• While current HIV treatments are effective in treating this new rare strain, scientists are continuing to research exactly how it affects the body differently than other strains

EXTRA BLING ✨

• Sports 🏈. A bold black cat eluded capture on Monday Night Football
• TV 📺. The Masked Singer Penguin has been revealed (spoilers!)
• Space 🚀. NASA wants astronauts to bake cookies in outer space
• Weird 🥪. The University of Alaska Anchorage is now taking PB&J sandwiches as payment for unpaid parking fines 
• Even weirder ⚰️. A South Korean service offers free funeral services for living people

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