10 things you need to know today: November 26, 2022

1. Trump dines with Holocaust denier after announcing presidential bid

Former President Donald Trump dined this past Tuesday with Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and self-proclaimed Holocaust denier, along with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The meal comes just one week after Trump announced his 2024 candidacy for president, and drew renewed scrutiny from media outlets who decried the president's association with Ye and Fuentes, the latter of whom has been called a "white supremacist" by the U.S. Justice Department. Sources told Axios that Trump "seemed very taken" with Fuentes during their conversation. However, in a statement, Trump said, "Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about."

CNN Axios

2. Elon Musk says he would back potential Ron DeSantis candidacy

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said Friday that he would support Ron DeSantis if Florida's Republican governor were to launch a bid for president. DeSantis, who was re-elected in a landslide during the recent midterm elections, is widely seen as a potential frontrunner for the GOP nomination in 2024, along with former President Donald Trump. "My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist," Musk wrote on Twitter. "I had hoped that would the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far." When a user followed up by asking if he would support DeSantis, Musk replied, "Yes." He also claimed to have been a prior supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency.

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NBC News

3. Black Friday marked by smaller crowds as retailers battle economy

The tradition of Black Friday, once a pandemonium-filled day for retailers across the United States, was marked by decisively thinner crowds this year as shoppers used caution when making purchases in the inflation-heavy economy. Data pulled from cities throughout the day indicated that crowds were significantly smaller in brick-and-mortar stores than they had been just a few years ago. While experts said many shoppers wanted to return to stores after years of COVID-19 fears, many agreed that the emergence of the online retail market, combined with higher prices, caused less foot traffic at malls than was normally seen during the holiday season.

The Washington Post Reuters

4. Rare public protests blossom in China over COVID-19 lockdowns

Public protests erupted in China on Friday in a rare show of dissidence throughout the country. Anger over China's COVID-19 lockdown restrictions — among the most stringent in the world — caused tensions to boil over in the western region of Xinjiang, as well as the capital city of Beijing. As nationwide COVID infections set a new record, crowds took to the streets to demand an end to the lockdowns, reportedly chanting and pumping their fists in the air. The protests were reportedly triggered by a deadly fire in the city of Urumqi, in which residents were reportedly unable to escape a burning building due to a lockdown.

Reuters

5. Xi Jinping reportedly reaffirms relationship with North Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his close relationship with North Korea on Saturday, according to reports out of the hermit state. "I attach great importance to China-DPRK relations," Xi said, per a report from North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. "The world, the times, and history are now changing in an unprecedented way. Under the new situation, I am ready, together with you, to make a fresh and positive contribution to provide the peoples of our two countries with greater well-being." Xi's remarks come amidst heightening tensions between North Korea and the Western world, as the reclusive country continues to conduct missile tests across the Korean Peninsula.

Bloomberg

6. Taiwanese president steps down as party leader following election losses

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced Saturday that she was stepping down as the leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party following significant election losses by the party. The move is one that is traditionally seen following a loss from the party in power, and comes after the opposition Nationalist Party overwhelmingly won several key races across Taiwan. This includes picking up the mayoral seat in the country's capital city of Taipei. While Tsai will remain president of Taiwan, she said in a statement to reporters following the election that the results "were not as expected," adding, "I should shoulder all the responsibility and I resign as DPP chairwoman immediately."

The Associated Press Barron's

7. At least 3 dead, 11 wounded in rare school shooting in Brazil

At least three people were killed and 11 more were injured on Friday after a mass shooting at two separate schools in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. The shooting occurred about 50 miles north of the state's capital city of Vitoria. Brazilian authorities said the alleged shooter was seen on security footage dressed in military combat and holding a semi-automatic weapon. Authorities did not identify the suspect, but sources told CNN they were 16 years old. Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the shooting an "absurd tragedy." While events such as this remain rare in Brazil, the country has seen a large increase in gun ownership under the tenure of ousted President Jair Bolsonaro.

CNN

8. England and U.S. play to scoreless draw in World Cup

The U.S. men's soccer team held their own in a surprising match Friday at the 2022 World Cup, fending off a push from powerhouse England to play to a scoreless draw. The tie could be taken as nothing less than a positive for the Americans after they squandered a lead earlier in the week to Wales to play to yet another draw, tying the Welsh team 1-1. While the draw against England keeps the U.S. in competition, it forces them into a must-win game against Iran this coming Tuesday. A loss, or even another tie, will bring the American's bid at the World Cup to an unceremonious end.

The Washington Post

9. At least 12 people missing, feared dead on Italian island following landslide

At least 12 people are still missing after torrential rains triggered a large landslide on the Italian island of Ischia on Saturday. The severe overnight storm caused the landslide to cascade through a number of villages on the island, flooding numerous homes and causing vehicles to be swept out to sea. A number of buildings across Ischia were said to have collapsed, and while previous reports indicated that a number of people had been confirmed deceased, officials later corrected this to say that no bodies had been recovered. A number of people were reported to be trapped under the mud, and a 25-year-old woman and her newborn baby are said to be among the unaccounted for.

The Guardian BBC News

10. Missing cruise ship passenger found alive after hours overboard

In what is being called a Thanksgiving miracle, the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday evening rescued a passenger who had gone overboard from a cruise ship, after he had likely been stranded in the water for hours. The man was reported missing on Thanksgiving Day from the Carnival Valor cruise ship. According to a statement from the cruise line, the man was with his sister on Wednesday evening but never returned to his stateroom. The Coast Guard launched rescue crews on Thursday afternoon, and the man was spotted in the water about 20 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. While he was reportedly suffering from mild hypothermia and shock, he was said to be in overall good condition.

The Associated Press