As we wind up the month, these are today’s biggest headlines in the world.
Missing words and a screaming match: Inside a wild day of impeachment testimony
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council official in charge of Ukraine policy, told impeachment investigators that the transcript of a call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was mostly accurate but missing some words.
Shouting match erupts in Vindman deposition as Democrats accuse Republicans of trying to out whistleblower
Democrats and Republicans got into a shouting match behind closed doors on Tuesday while interviewing a witness in the impeachment investigation, with Democrats accusing Republicans of trying to out the anonymous whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry, according to five sources from both parties.
Rising sea levels could submerge entire cities worldwide by 2050
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are at risk of losing their homes as entire cities sink under rising seas over the next three decades, according to researchers.
Bankrupt Forever 21 is closing 200 stores
As part of its restructuring after filing for bankruptcy last month, Forever 21 will close 200 stores, leaving the fast-fashion chain with a smaller footprint to help it emerge from Chapter 11.
‘Game of Thrones’ prequel coming to HBO
HBO is now home to “House of the Dragon.”
‘Mario Bros.’ creator Shigeru Miyamoto to be given one of Japan’s highest honors
Shigeru Miyamoto is a titan in the video game industry, having created beloved franchises such as “Mario Bros.” and “The Legend of Zelda.” For his work, he is being awarded the “Person of Cultural Merit” by the Japanese government on November 3.
Body found after live-streamer falls climbing Japan’s Mount Fuji
Authorities in Tokyo (CNN) – Japan searching for man who appeared to fall in the middle of a live-streamed ascent of Mount Fuji have found a body, they said Wednesday. The video — taken from the hiker’s point of view — shows what appears to be a scene near the top of the Japan’s iconic mountain, above the clouds.
Italian soccer stars banned for blasphemy
Two Italian soccer players have been given one-match bans for blasphemy after being filmed taking God’s name in vain while out on the field of play.
White House Official Who Listened To Trump Call Says Readout Had Key Omissions: Report
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the first person to testify as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry who personally listened in on Trump’s July 25 call with the Ukrainian president, told House lawmakers that the White House reconstruction of the discussion had key omissions, The New York Times reported.
Republicans Push For Whistleblower’s Identity In Impeachment Inquiry
WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) – Republican and Democratic lawmakers clashed on Tuesday over questions about the identity of the whistleblower whose complaint led to the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump.
Mountain Gorilla Numbers Get Much-Needed Boost Thanks To ‘Extreme Conservation’ Efforts
KINIGI, Rwanda (AP) – Deep in the rainforest of Volcanoes National Park, a 23-year-old female gorilla named Kurudi feeds on a stand of wild celery. She bends the green stalks and, with long careful fingers, peels off the exterior skin to expose the succulent inside.
HBO Unveils Sweeping New ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel, ‘House Of The Dragon’
Hours after canceling one ” Game of Thrones” prequel, HBO revealed it already had a replacement in the works. The new series, “House of the Dragon,” will be co-created by “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, who also co-created the USA Network series “Colony.”
Black Musicians Are Standing Behind Kirk Franklin’s Boycott Of Evangelical TV Network
Christian musician Kirk Franklin has announced a boycott of the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards and the conservative Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network after his reflections on police violence against Black Americans were cut from the award show’s broadcast for the second time.
HBO Reportedly Cancels ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Starring Naomi Watts
A prequel is not coming. Deadline reports that the hugely hyped prequel to ” Game of Thrones ” is not moving forward. HBO has reportedly scrapped plans for the series from showrunner Jane Goldman, which starred Naomi Watts and took place thousands of years before the original series’ storyline.
Donald Trump Jr. Mocked For His Rave Review of Kanye West’s New Album
Donald Trump Jr. is apparently a big rap fan. The president’s son tweeted Sunday to give an “amen” to Kanye West’s new album, ” Jesus Is King,” which is an expression of the rapper’s newfound faith.
HBO Max just announced how much you’ll pay for 10,000 hours of content
HBO announced on Tuesday that their streaming service HBO Max will launch in May 2020 for $14.99 a month (existing HBO customers and HBO Now direct subscribers will get it bundled for free), as well as a feature it calls “human-powered discovery.”
Facebook sues WhatsApp developer that allegedly put spyware on phones of journalists and political dissidents
Facebook is going to court. The social media giant, which owns the messaging service WhatsApp, has filed a complaint against the Israeli tech company NSO Group for allegedly developing and deploying spyware on approximately 1,400 users’ smartphones via the messaging app.
Xiaomi’s first smartwatch sure looks a lot like the Apple Watch
Xiaomi’s November 5 event is shaping up to be a pretty big one. On Monday we wrote about the company’s upcoming 108-megapixel phone, but now the company has shared many more details (via XDA Developers) about the smartwatch that’s about to be unveiled at the event.
Former ‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss bail on their ‘Star Wars’ deal
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have quit their planned series of Star Wars movies, leaving them with only their $200 million Netflix deal for comfort. The former Game of Thrones showrunners were announced as the writers and producers of a new Star Wars film series last February with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy complimenting their “command of complex characters, depth of story and richness of mythology.”
