Top Iranian Nuclear Scientist Assassinated – The architect of Iran’s nuclear program, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was killed in an ambush Friday morning near Tehran. It is believed that Fakhrizadeh’s assassination, as well as those of several bodyguards who were traveling with him, was carried out by either Israeli or US operatives. According to reports, several gunmen rapidly approached the vehicle Fakhrizadeh was traveling in and opened fire, before disappearing as quickly as they had arrived. There has not yet been any comment made by either US or Israeli officials about the incident. Iran’s Foreign Minister suggested that Israel was behind the attack, and called it an act of “desperate warmongering.”
Supreme Court Strikes Down Cuomo’s Edicts – The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s restrictions placed on shuls and other houses of worship were unconstitutional. The ruling came after Agudath Israel of America joined with the Catholic Diocese of New York in filing the suit with the US Supreme Court, alleging that Cuomo was discriminating against religious organizations. The Court found that Cuomo was clearly targeting Jews and other religious groups based on his own public statements.
Biden Rolls Out High-Level Appointments – Joe Biden announced several top-level picks for his Cabinet, national security, and foreign policy teams, as the apparent president-elect moves ahead with transition plans. Tony Blinken was nominated to become Secretary of State, Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence, Jake Sullivan for the National Security Advisor post, and Janet Yellen to become Biden’s Secretary of the Treasury. Additionally, Alejandro Mayorkas was nominated to become the Secretary of Homeland Security, Linda Thomas-Greenfield was tapped to become the Ambassador to the United Nations, and John Kerry will become the special envoy for climate issues.
Vaccine Shipments Could Begin Next Week – President Trump said in a Thanksgiving day address to military members that coronavirus vaccines could begin being delivered across the country as soon as next week. Several companies recently announced that data from large-scale studies show their vaccines to be over 90% effective, far beyond what most scientists were expecting when the effort to develop a vaccine in record time began. The two leading vaccines – from Pfizer and Moderna – both require super-cool refrigeration, making the logistics of getting them to people across the country – and the world – difficult, but still achievable.
GOP Officials Hold Election Fraud Hearing – Elected GOP lawmakers and officials held a hearing in a Pennsylvania hotel ballroom on alleged election fraud and irregularities in the state. A bunch of witnesses joined via Zoom to tell the lawmakers and officials present at the hearing of their own experiences on Election Day, and officials pointed out the extreme irregularities that have been observed. President Trump also called into the hearing, telling officials to continue working to uncover fraud in the election.
Trump Pardons Flynn – President Trump pardoned his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn this week. Flynn had pleaded guilty to two counts of lying to the FBI before reversing himself. The pardon was welcome news to many of President Trump’s supporters, who said that investigations into Michael Flynn were part of the deep-state attempts to topple Trump’s presidency.