Good morning, it's Wednesday, Nov. 11. Thank you to all of our veterans (and active military) for your service—we hope everyone has a happy and safe Veterans Day. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Vatican Releases McCarrick Report

A hotly anticipated Vatican report into the handling of disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has concluded that a number of senior officials overlooked or ignored claims of sexual abuse and misconduct, allowing McCarrick to rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church. The report, released yesterday, is particularly critical of Pope John Paul II, finding he elevated McCarrick to senior positions despite an internal probe that confirmed McCarrick had slept with priests in training. Pope Francis, who suspended and defrocked McCarrick in 2018, was largely spared criticism. 

Having entered the clergy in 1958, McCarrick became known as a prolific fundraiser, ultimately rising to Archbishop of Washington, DC, in 2000 (see timeline). Dogged by accusations of inappropriate relationships with adults for decades, McCarrick was ultimately forced out of the church after allegations of abuse of an altar boy ($$, NYT) in the 1970s. The report also included six previously unknown letters sent to officials accusing McCarrick of pedophilia in the early 1990s. 

In a relatively rare move, the Vatican published the full report—read it here (PDF).

Texas v. California

The Affordable Care Act returned to the Supreme Court yesterday, with justices hearing arguments on the law's individual mandate. It's the seventh time in eight years the court has heard a challenge to the ACA, and the second attempt to invalidate the entire law on constitutional grounds. However, it was the first with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whose arrival gave the court a 6-3 conservative lean. 

The core argument revolves around the legal concept of severability. The plaintiffs, led by 18 Republican states, argue a 2017 tax law change zeroing out the penalty for not purchasing health insurance made the mandate—previously considered a tax—a simple command, and is therefore unconstitutional. As the law didn't provide a severability clause, the mandate's unconstitutionality must extend to the entire ACA (the challenge argues). The court must decide both questions.

Throughout the arguments, justices appeared hesitant to dispose of the law wholesale—Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in particular, seemed skeptical.

Russia Steps In

A Russia-backed truce went into effect in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region yesterday, with dozens of Russian peacekeepers arriving to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The move gives hope that the most recent cease-fire in the conflict, which has killed more than 1,000—including at least 140 civilians—and seen multiple previous cease-fires ignored.

The mountainous, 1,700-square-mile territory is symbolic of the deep division between the two neighbors (see map). The region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, despite being predominantly ethnically Armenian and having practiced self-rule for more than three decades. Observers worried the violence might spiral into a larger regional war, pulling in Turkey, Iran, and Russia. See background on the conflict here. 

The agreement left many Armenians bitter—Azerbaijan will retain all captured territory, including the strategic town of Shusha. Violence erupted in the Armenian parliament when the deal was announced.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Asya Branch crowned Miss USA 2020 after being first Black woman crowned Miss Mississippi USA; Branch will represent the US at December’s Miss Universe pageant (More)

> NBA and players officially approve a reduced 72 game schedule for 2020-21 season which begins Dec. 22 (More) | Tom Heinsohn, basketball Hall of Fame player and coach, dies at 86 (More)

> NFL owners approve playoff expansion from 14 to 16 teams if games are canceled due to COVID-19 (More) | Alabama-LSU, Texas A&M-Tennessee matchups postponed this weekend due to numerous positive COVID-19 tests (More)

Science & Technology

> Apple debuts its first Macs with computer chips made in-house, following a decadeslong relationship with chipmaker Intel (More)

> Astronomers conclude Jupiter's moon Europa likely glows in the dark; effect linked to radiation from Jupiter interacting with the moon's salty oceans (More)

> Walmart and Cruise, General Motors' autonomous vehicle division, to partner on pilot project delivering online orders to customers via self-driving cars; begins in 2021 in Scottsdale, Arizona (More)

Business & Markets

> European Union files antitrust charges against Amazon, claiming company uses marketplace data to develop its own products (More)

> US stock markets mixed (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow +0.9%, Nasdaq -1.4%) as investors continue tech stock sell-off (More) | Beyoncé partners with connected fitness giant Peloton to produce exclusive content for workout classes, shares up 5% (More)

> Chinese online retailer Alibaba sees 583,000 orders per second during Singles' Day, an informal celebration of single people (symbolized by the one in the date 11/11) (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US hit record high, at nearly 62,000; more than 139,000 new cases reported yesterday (More) | See rolling averages (cases, deaths)

> Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) officially wins reelection; GOP eyeing a 50-48 advantage heading into Jan. 5 Georgia runoffs (More) | Democrats officially hold on to House majority, but face possible double-digit loss of seats (More)

Editor's note: If you have questions about claims of voting irregularities, check out the Department of Homeland Security's Rumor Control page, compiled by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

> Bahrain Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa dies at age 84 (More) | Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra steps down following impeachment over bribery allegations (More)

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ETCETERA

Five things to know about Veterans Day.

Watch a golfer skip a ball across a pond for a hole-in-one.

Winners of the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards.

From our partners: An inbound call represents a lot more than just a potential customer. This company helps marketers boost success and sustain growth by giving them visibility into their efforts. Start your free trial. #Ad

The internet can now be delivered via light beams.

How drones counted thousands of penguins in record time. (w/video)

Eight-year-old Blue Ivy Carter to narrate "Hair Love" audiobook. 

A snail's tongue tops October's best science images.

Men banned for cooking chickens in a Yellowstone hot spring.

Clickbait: If the Loch Ness monster, a T. rex, and an alligator had a baby.

Historybook: Nat Turner is hanged after organizing slave uprising (1831); General George S. Patton born (1885); Armistice signed by Germany and Allies, ending World War I (1918); HBD Demi Moore (1962);  HBD Leonardo DiCaprio (1974).

"If you can do what you do best and be happy, you're further along in life than most people."

- Leonardo DiCaprio

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