Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Protests erupt after no indictment in Michael Brown case
The decision not to indict Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Brown was announced Monday night, setting off a wave of protests in the St. Louis suburb and across the country overnight. The demonstrations were most violent in Ferguson, where at least a dozen businesses were burned down and looted, and police shot off tear gas in response to the crowds. At least 29 arrests were made and an automatic handgun was seized. "What I've seen tonight is probably much worse than the worst night we ever had in August and that’s truly unfortunate," said St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar. Brown’s family is expected to hold a news conference at noon ET Tuesday. Read more in NEWS.
2. Officer Wilson testimony: Brown was like ‘Hulk Hogan’
Grand jury records released Monday night provide the first testimony that Wilson provided about the fatal confrontation he had with unarmed teenager Brown in August. Wilson’s account to police closely matches what court records show he told the grand jury in four hours of testimony in September. Brown had just stolen mini-cigars from a local convenience store when he and a friend ran into Wilson on the street in Ferguson. Brown was so large and menacing, Wilson testified, that he "felt like a 5-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan.” Read more in NEWS.
3. Chuck Hagel out as defense secretary
President Barack Obama announced Monday that Hagel was stepping down as the head of the Pentagon, a position he’s held since February 2013. His resignation came amid criticism of the administration’s national security team, including the handling of the fight against terror group ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, there’s speculation about who will take up the role. The short list includes Michele Flournoy, an adviser to Obama’s 2008 campaign, and Ashton Carter, who served as the deputy secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013. Read more in POLITICS.
4. Snowstorm set to snarl Thanksgiving travel
After warmer temperatures blanketed the Northeast on Monday, cold weather — and the threat of snow — could disrupt travel plans Wednesday for some 41 million Americans ahead of the holiday. Winter storm watches are already posted for the Northeast for Wednesday and Thursday. While the New York area could see up to 10 inches of snow, other parts of the country could be slammed with wintry weather from Maine down to the Washington suburbs, and from New Jersey south to the mountains of north Georgia. Read more in NEWS.
5. UVA students say ‘enough’ after rape report
Students at the University of Virginia vowed to make the campus safer after a report in Rolling Stone revealed a student saying she was gang-raped at a fraternity in 2012. “Enough passivity. Enough stigma. Enough silence,” Ashley Brown, the president of a sexual assault education group called One Less, said Monday. The university suspended all fraternity activities through Jan. 9, and school President Teresa Sullivan said she was appalled and felt “great rage.” The school’s Board of Visitors, meanwhile, will convene an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss the claim and school policies. Read more in NEWS.
6. FSU shooting leaves one victim paralyzed
A student at Florida State University struck by a gunman’s bullet last week is now paralyzed from the waist down, his sister said Monday. But Farhan Ahmed, 21, hopes to continue studying to become a bio-medical engineer, and FSU President, John Thrasher, said Monday the school is “100 percent committed to do everything we can to fulfill Ronnie’s dream of graduating.” The gunman, identified as Myron May, a school alumnus and attorney, was killed by police during a shootout. Read more in NEWS.
And now this …
Sunfire GMBH has figured out a way to turn water into fuel using clean energy. The science seems sound, but will it be enough to stem the tide of climate change?