10 things you need to know today: November 26, 2015

Amtrak travelers pass through New York&#039;s Pennsylvania Station ahead of Thanksgiving Day 2015.

(Image credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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1. Turkey releases tapes to show it warned pilots before downing Russian bomber jet
2. Chicago releases more videos of officer fatally shooting black teen
3. U.S. military blames deadly Afghan hospital strike on human error
4. Obama assures Americans Thanksgiving travel is safe
5. Pope condemns using religion to radicalize young people
6. 2015 is the hottest year on record
7. FSU releases depositions on handling of sexual assault allegations
8. Ex-boxing champion killed in Atlanta robbery
9. West Point bans pillow fights after injuries
10. Casey Kasem's children sue stepmom over late radio host's care

published 26 November 2015

1. Turkey releases tapes to show it warned pilots before downing Russian bomber jet

Turkey released audiotapes Thursday that it said proved that before it shot down a Russian SU-24 bomber it warned the pilots several times to change course, as they were approaching Turkish airspace. Turkey insists it issued several warnings before its warplanes shot at the Russian aircraft Tuesday. With tensions rising between the two nations, Russia, which argues its jet never left Syrian skies, began holding up Turkish goods at its border, citing a possible terrorist threat.

Chicago officials released four more police dashcam videos Wednesday showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Laquan McDonald, a black teenager, 16 times on a city street in 2014. The city has now released videos from five of the eight police vehicles that were at the scene. One of the new videos, which were all unexpectedly without audio, came from the squad car that carried Van Dyke, who was charged with murder this week. Protesters marched Wednesday expressing anger over police handling of the case and demanding reform.

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A U.S.-led October airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, was the result of "human error," compounded by technical problems, Gen. John Campbell, the top NATO and U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Wednesday. The intended target was a Taliban command center nearby. The personnel most closely involved in the strike, which killed at least 30 staff members and patients, have been suspended until the case is resolved.

President Obama assured Americans that they were safe as nearly 46.9 million people in the nation set out to travel over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving is the busiest U.S. travel holiday of the year. Authorities have increased security at airports in response to the deadly Paris attacks two weeks ago. New York City is deploying a record number of police officers for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, which is expecting record crowds. "We are taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe," Obama said.

Pope Francis on Thursday condemned the radicalization of young people "in the name of religion to sow discord and fear" as he met with religious leaders in Kenya at the start of a three-country Africa tour. Francis called Islamist extremist attacks that have killed thousands in Kenya since 2013 "barbarous." He urged Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in dialogue while remaining vigilant against terrorists trying to "tear at the very fabric of our societies."

The World Meteorological Organization announced Wednesday that 2015 is the hottest year on record. NOAA's chief climate monitor, Deke Arndt, said something "game-changing massive" would have to happen in December "for it not to be a record." 2015 saw temperatures soar worldwide as a result of a strong El Niño and man-made global warming, with the planet likely having warmed by 1 degree Celsius, an alarming climate change milestone that has been blamed for extreme weather worldwide.

Florida State University on Wednesday released two key officials' depositions taken as part of a lawsuit by Erica Kinsman, who says the school did not properly investigate when she accused former FSU star quarterback Jameis Winston of raping her in December 2012. Winston was not charged and has countersued. Head coach Jimbo Fisher said he was not aware of the school policy on reporting such allegations. An ex-director of FSU's victim advocate program said 20 sexual assault allegations were made against FSU football players in nine years.

Former world cruiserweight boxing champion O'Neil Bell was killed Wednesday during a robbery in Atlanta. Police said Bell, 40, was getting off a public bus with another person when two men robbed them. After an argument one of the robbers shot Bell in the chest. He died at the scene. The thieves stole the bag of the second victim — who was shot in the hip — and fled. Bell, who was from Jamaica, held four titles over his 13-year career, including the WBA, WBC, and IBF. He retired with a 27-4-1 record.

West Point on Wednesday banned pillow fights after one on Aug. 20 left two dozen freshman cadets with concussions. Six others had other injuries. Pillow fights are a tradition at the U.S. Military Academy, helping new cadets build camaraderie as they start a tough first year. Some of the injured may have been hit with pillowcases stuffed with hard objects. The school's superintendent, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., said he would "send a clear message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated."

Three of the late radio host Casey Kasem's children and his brother filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against his widow. The lawsuit says Jean Kasem neglected the longtime American Top 40 host's medical care in his final months, and hastened his death in June 2014 at age 82. Jean Kasem's attorney did not immediately comment, but a former attorney for the widow said Kasem's daughter Kerri, who won control over her father's care in a court fight, sped up his death to cash in on a $2 million insurance policy.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.