10 things you need to know today: November 8, 2015

1. Donald Trump falls flat on SNL

Donald Trump hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time, marking his first appearance on the show as a presidential candidate. It was "a stilted and sometimes unfunny performance," The New York Times wrote. As part of Trump's opening monologue, Larry David heckled him, calling him a racist. About 200 protesters outside the studio were not joking when they did the same, drawing attention to Trump's previous comments about Latinos while criticizing NBC for allowing him to host.

The New York Times The Washington Post

2. Pope Francis condemns Vatican leak

Pope Francis condemned the leaking of Vatican documents to journalists in his first public comments since officials said Monday they arrested two people on those charges. "This sad fact will certainly not distract me from the work of reform that is moving ahead with the help of my aides and the support of all of you," Francis told the crowd Sunday at St. Peter's Square. He called leaking documents to journalists "a deplorable act."

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Reuters The Associated Press

3. Chinese, Taiwanese presidents hold historic meeting

Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan met Saturday in Singapore, marking the first such encounter between the two leaders. The nations' governments have been rivals since 1949, when the Chinese Nationalists fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war against the Communists. The two shook hands before starting a brief, televised talk about improving relations. The nations make up "one family with blood that is thicker than water," Xi said.

The New York Times

4. Sierra Leone declared Ebola-free

The World Health Organization declared Sierra Leone Ebola-free in a ceremony Saturday, marking 42 days with no new cases of the deadly virus. Since March 2014, more than 11,300 have died of Ebola, with West Africa hit hardest. Liberia is also Ebola-free, but Guinea is not. "People are happy, but also, many are depressed because they lost their families," a National Ebola Response Center spokesperson said of the celebration in Sierra Leone.

The New York Times Reuters

5. Missouri football players to boycott until president resigns

More than 30 football players at the University of Missouri said Saturday they refuse to play until Tim Wolfe, the system president, resigns or is terminated. A student group has been pushing for Wolfe's resignation since October, arguing his response to race-related incidents on campus has been insufficient. A graduate student protester who was struck by Wolfe's car at a homecoming parade announced he would go on a hunger strike Nov. 2. The athletics department is aware of the boycott, a spokesperson said.

USA Today SB Nation

6. Egypt calls out West over Russian plane intelligence

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry criticized Western governments for withholding intelligence about October's Russian plane crash in the Sinai Peninsula. "European countries did not give us the cooperation we are hoping for," he said in a news conference Saturday. U.S. and British officials have claimed the plane crash, which killed all 224 people on board in October, likely occurred due to a bomb on board. The FBI announced Saturday it would join Egypt's investigation of the incident.

The Associated Press

7. Romania nightclub fire death toll rises to 41

Nine more people have died from injuries sustained in an Oct. 30 Romanian nightclub fire, bringing the total death toll to 41. More than 40 are reportedly hospitalized in serious or critical condition, according to Sorin Cimpeanu, the nation's interim prime minister. Cimpeanu's predecessor resigned amid protests surrounding the botched fireworks incident. The mayor of the Bucharest district with the nightclub also resigned and has been taken into custody. Prosecutors say he allegedly granted the club a permit without firefighter authorization.

Reuters

8. Indian prime minister concedes defeat in crucial state election

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceded his party's defeat Sunday in Bihar state assembly elections, a contest some analysts considered a broader referendum of lessening confidence in Modi's leadership nationwide. "It is a clear and big setback for Modi," Ashok Malik, a New Delhi-based political analyst told The Wall Street Journal. "When you lose political capital, it affects your capacity to get things done." Official tallies showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party expected to win just 58 of the eastern state assembly's 243 seats, with rival Janata Dal set to snag 176.

The Wall Street Journal

9. Burma holds first democratic election in 25 years

Hundreds of thousands of Burmese residents voted Sunday in the country's first democratic election in 25 years. The official results could take days, but opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to have received strong support. A constitutional provision prohibits her from becoming president, but Suu Kyi, 70, has told reporters she would find a way to govern. Burma's current president, former military commander Thein Sein, said his government would respect the election's outcome. No matter what, the military will still hold a quarter of Burma's parliament seats.

The Washington Post

10. Woman auctions license plates from JFK's limo for $100,000

The license plates attached to President John F. Kennedy's limousine at the time he was assassinated sold for $100,000 at a Dallas auction Saturday. Jane Walker, 72, sold the plates via Heritage Auctions. After Kennedy's death, Walker's father had retrieved the plates from the garbage at his Ohio firm, which was tasked with refurbishing the vehicle. Walker has kept them for years in her kitchen junk drawer. The buyer of the license plates, who wanted to remain anonymous, is reportedly an avid Kennedy collector.

WFAA