10 things you need to know today: November 24, 2015

(Image credit: Haberturk TV via AP)

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1. Turkey downs Russian fighter jet near Syria border
2. Five shot near Black Lives Matters protest camp in Minneapolis
3. U.S. issues global travel alert due to terror threats
4. Explosive vest found in Paris
5. Appeals court calls Wisconsin abortion clinic law unconstitutional
6. Family demands $15 million over boy's arrest for homemade clock
7. White officer expected to face murder charge for fatal shooting of black teen
8. Carson rescinds support of Trump's 9/11 cheering claim
9. Ex-Benghazi committee staffer files suit saying he was wrongfully fired
10. Trump rivals get free NBC ad time to offset SNL appearance

published 24 November 2015

1. Turkey downs Russian fighter jet near Syria border

Russia confirmed Tuesday that one of its fighter jets had been shot down near Syria's Turkish border. Turkey's military had reported earlier that two of its F-16s had fired on the aircraft after it violated Turkish airspace "despite several warnings." Russia denied its jet crossed into Turkey. One of the plane's two pilots was reportedly found dead by Syrian rebels; the fate of the other was not immediately clear. Turkey, a NATO member, had warned Russia against violating its airspace in October. Two weeks later it shot down a Russian drone, but the downing of a fighter jet marks a potentially dangerous escalation.

Five people were shot Monday night near a Black Lives Matter protest camp a block from a police station in north Minneapolis, according to police. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Witnesses said the shooting occurred as a dozen protesters tried to herd away three counter-protesters — one wearing a mask — and they opened fire. Protest leaders said the attackers were white supremacists. The demonstrations have been ongoing outside the police station since Jamar Clark, a black assault suspect, was shot on Nov. 15 in contested circumstances. He later died.

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The State Department on Monday issued a worldwide travel alert for American citizens, citing terror threats from ISIS, Boko Haram, and other Islamist extremist groups. The alert, starting just before Thanksgiving, expires on Feb. 24. Such broad warnings typically stem not from credible intelligence of specific plots, but from concerns that terrorist groups are plotting new strikes. The alert came as the U.S. and its allies have pledged to crack down on ISIS and other terror groups following the deadly Nov. 13 Paris attacks.

A Paris street cleaner on Monday found what appeared to be an explosive vest in a garbage can. It was similar to the ones used by suicide bombers in the Nov. 13 Paris terror attacks, which killed 130 people. The vest did not have a detonator, however. It was found in the area where fugitive suspect Salah Abdeslam's cellphone was located by GPS on the day of the attacks. He is believed to have fled to Belgium. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the country would remain on its highest terror alert level for at least another week.

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that a Wisconsin law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital was unconstitutional. The law said doctors had to be able to admit patients at a hospital within 30 miles. Abortion providers challenged the law as a needless burden, but supporters said it guaranteed patients steady care. Earlier in November, the Supreme Court agreed to consider a challenge of a similar law in Texas.

The family of Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old boy who was arrested in September after bringing a homemade clock to school, is asking for $15 million in damages and an apology from city and school officials in Irving, Texas. Charges that Mohamed's clock was a hoax bomb were dropped after Mohamed was handcuffed and suspended from Irving MacArthur High School. The family says top officials tried to "kneecap" Mohamed in the media to cover up their mistake. The family's lawyer said in a letter they would sue if the money and apologies don't come within 60 days.

A white Chicago police officer will be charged with murder for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 17-year-old, Laquan McDonald, according to The Associated Press. An official close to the investigation said the veteran officer, Jason Van Dyke, was expected to be indicted Tuesday. The news came as the city braced for the release of squad-car dashcam video of the incident. McDonald was shot 16 times, and city and community leaders fear the video could prompt angry demonstrations. A judge has ordered the video released by Wednesday.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Monday backed away from his claim that he had seen video of Muslims celebrating in New Jersey after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. GOP rival Donald Trump said twice over the weekend that he had seen people cheering in New Jersey neighborhoods with "large Arab populations" — a claim critics say is false. Carson told reporters Monday that he "saw the film." A spokesperson later said Carson had been thinking of videos of celebrations in the Middle East.

A former House Benghazi Committee investigator filed a lawsuit Monday claiming he was wrongfully fired. Air Force Reserve Maj. Bradley Poliska said he lost the job because he left active military duty, and because he resisted what he said was committee members' efforts to target Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time of the 2012 Benghazi attacks and is now the leading Democratic presidential candidate. Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) denies Poliska's allegations, saying the committee is only interested in the facts. His spokesman called the lawsuit "meritless."

NBC is giving four Republican presidential candidates free ad time next week to compensate for rival Donald Trump's appearance on the Nov. 7 episode of Saturday Night Live. Trump was on air for 12 minutes and five seconds on the show, so four candidates who filed for equal time under FCC rules — Ohio Gov. John Kasich, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Gilmore — will each get 12 minutes on 18 NBC affiliate stations in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. George Pataki also asked for equal time, but declined NBC's offer.

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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.