Top eight today

Top eight stories for today including a jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges including first-degree murder; Austria imposed a new nationwide lockdown and announced Covid-19 vaccination will become mandatory; The House narrowly passed the $1.85 trillion Build Back Better Act, and more.

National

Rittenhouse found not guilty on all counts in Kenosha protest shootings

A jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse of all charges including first-degree murder on Friday, finding the 18-year-old’s actions on the night last year when he killed two and injured a third with an AR-15 during a chaotic Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest did not amount to homicide, attempted homicide or reckless endangerment.

Kyle Rittenhouse closes his eyes and cries as he is found not guilt on all counts at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool)

House approves $1.85 trillion spending bill to expand social programs

After months of political negotiations and a record-breaking speech by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that delayed the vote, the House on Friday morning narrowly passed a $1.85 trillion spending package that marks the most profound and sweeping attempt to expand the American social safety net in decades.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presides over the chamber's passage of President Joe Biden's expansive social and environment bill on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Indicted Three Percenter fights to toss top charge, joining trend of Capitol rioters

A Three Percenter who brought guns to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is joining a growing number of rioters seeking to get their felony obstruction charges thrown out.

The government used this photo of Guy Reffitt in the case against him for his participation on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (Image via Courthouse News)

Holidays in mind, CDC backs Covid booster shots for all adults

Less than a week out from Thanksgiving with yet more family gatherings on the horizon, the vaccine advisory panel for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention agreed unanimously on Friday to back booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for all adults.

A sign notifies customers that Covid-19 vaccinations are available at a pharmacy in a grocery store in Monument, Colo., in October 2021. (David Zalubowski/AP)

Regional

California unemployment rate inches down to 7.3% in October

A decline in new coronavirus cases helped jumpstart California’s economy as employers last month added nearly 100,000 jobs, the most of any state.

Each of California's main sectors added jobs last month as the state recovered 96,000 total positions.

Biden set to reverse Trump rule opening pristine Alaskan forest to logging

The Biden administration has proposed repealing a Trump-era exemption to the Alaska Roadless Rule for the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States and home to a cornucopia of unique flora and fauna, some of which are endangered.

Alaska's Tongass National Forest. (Mark Brennan via Wikipedia)

International

Austria announces nationwide lockdown, vaccine mandate for all

Faced with soaring coronavirus infections, Austria on Friday took the drastic steps of imposing a new nationwide lockdown and announced vaccination will become mandatory for the general population in February, a first for a Western nation.

People walk through a nearly deserted Christmas market in Vienna, Austria, on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. (Lisa Leutner/AP)

UK climate activists jailed, with controversial protest restrictions coming

The jailing of nine climate activists is the latest chapter in a standoff between protesters and the U.K. government that has led to controversial new legislation limiting disruptive demonstrations.

An Insulate Britain protestor stands on a police van during a demonstration in front of Parliament in London on Nov. 4, 2021. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

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