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Parts of Midwest under blizzard warnings, winter weather advisories. Plus: More top stories this morning

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Parts of the Midwest are under blizzard warnings, winter weather advisories

Portions of the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains are under a winter weather advisory with possible blizzard conditions forecast from Thursday night into Friday, according to the National Weather Service. 

Areas in east central South Dakota and southwest Minnesota are expected to see wind gusts as high as 50 mph and a total snow accumulation of up to three inches. In North Dakota, some areas could see up to six inches of snow with winds of up to 55 mph. And the National Weather Service predicts up to eight inches of snow could fall in northern Minnesota along the Canadian border and in eastern North Dakota. 

The gusty wind conditions could knock tree branches down as well as significantly reduce visibility in the area, the National Weather Service warned. 

Blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of Minnesota, Michigan and South Dakota, including the cities of Wheaton, Ortonville, Britton, Sisseton, Webster, Clark, Watertown, Milbank, Hayti and Clear Lake.

Residents under blizzard warnings are advised to travel only in an emergency. Those under winter weather advisories should use caution while driving and expect slippery and hazardous road conditions. 

By Tori B. Powell
 

97,000 pounds of ground chicken recalled, including Trader Joe's products

Innovative Solutions Incorporated is recalling approximately 97,887 pounds of raw ground chicken patty products due to a possible contamination of foreign matter, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service

The products were shipped to retail locations nationwide, including grocery store Trader Joe's, between August 16 and September 29. 

Trader Joe's is recalling their Chile Lime Chicken Burgers and Spinach Feta Chicken Sliders after customers complained about finding bones in them. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement to CBS News that all potentially affected products have been removed from their stores and destroyed. No injuries have been reported and no other products sold at the store are included in this recall. 

"Nothing matters to us more than the health and safety of our customers and Crew," the Trader Joe's spokesperson said. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises consumers who have purchased the recalled products not to eat them, and instead throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. 

By Tori B. Powell
 

Gas prices soar above $5 a gallon in San Francisco Bay Area

Prices at gas pumps in many San Francisco Bay Area communities have soared over $5 a gallon, according to California AAA. 

The price of a gallon of regular, unleaded gas at one Shell Station in San Francisco was posted at $5.85 on Wednesday night, CBS SF Bay Area reports.

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CBS SF Bay Area

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said the price at the pump was at least $1.30 higher than a year ago. Lundberg also said Bay Area residents were paying the most at the pump in the entire nation — $4.77 per gallon. The lowest average was in Houston, at $2.98 per gallon.

Nationwide, AAA is projecting this Thanksgiving to be the third-busiest on record, with 53.4 million travelers expected compared to 56 million in 2019 and 53.7 million in 2018. Most will travel by automobile, said AAA spokesman Doug Shupe.

According to Gasbuddy.com there were a few deals to be had. At one Valero station in California's Redwood City, a gallon of regular unleaded was at $4.21. In Concord, the Bonfare on Grand was at $4.27. The ABC on Mission Ave in Hayward was at $4.29 and the Smart Stop on San Pablo Avenue in Pinole was at $4.27.

Katie Cox was aghast when she gassed up her car at a station in Alamo on Wednesday.

"I literally was like, oh my gosh, it's almost $5 a gallon. It's crazy," she said. "It makes you think twice about how much you're driving."

According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gas in California on Thursday morning was $4.647, up from $3.177 at the same time last year.

 

Travis Scott looking to connect with families affected by Astroworld tragedy, team says

Travis Scott's team say they and the rapper "have been actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy" at his Astroworld music festival in Houston last Friday.

The death toll in the event rose to nine on Thursday when an attorney for the family of 22-year-old Bharti Shahani announced she has died. She was critically injured at the concert, where a crowd surge unfolded.

Scott's team said in a statement Thursday he is "distraught by the situation and desperately wishes to share his condolences and provide aid" to affected families as soon as possible, but that he "wants to remain respectful of each family's wishes on how they'd best like to be connected."

The statement said families who would like to reach out to Scott's team should email AW21information@gmail.com.

By Tori B. Powell
 

Student who was critically injured at Astroworld has died, attorney says

Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old Texas A&M student who was critically injured at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday, has died, her family's attorney announced on Thursday.

Her death brings the total death toll to nine, including two teenagers. Scores of others were injured in a crowd surge at the music festival

The Houston Police Department and the FBI are investigating the incident. Houston police chief Troy Finner estimated on Wednesday the investigation could take weeks or months to complete. They are working to review video footage and interview victims as well as witnesses. 

Finner said he does not believe an independent investigation is necessary.

Read more here.

By Sophie Reardon
 

Most Americans try to hold onto their electronic devices as long as they can - CBS News poll

Are you the sort of person who goes out and gets the latest electronic gadget, or the type who holds onto what you have until the bitter end? For most Americans, it's the latter. 

Seventy-one percent say they hold onto their electronic devices for as long as they can, while just 15% say they buy new ones as soon as they come out. For another 13%, it depends.

This is true of Americans of all ages, though there are differences: younger adults are more likely than older Americans to buy new electronic devices as soon as they come out. Twenty-four percent of adults under 45 do, too, compared to just 5% of adults 55 and older.

Income also plays a factor, indicating perhaps that more Americans might buy new electronic devices as soon as they come out if they have the means to do so. While just 11% of adults earning less than $50,000 a year buy a new electronic device as soon as it comes out, this rises to 20% of those earning $100,000 a year or more.

Read more here.

By Fred Backus
 

U.N. chief warns of "catastrophic" climate change consequences at COP26

The head of the United Nations called on world leaders and communities Thursday to "radically, credibly and verifiable" reduce emissions to combat the repercussions of climate change. 

Speaking at the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the planet is still on track for a "catastrophic temperature rise" despite recent pledges and commitments from negotiators to cut emissions. 

"We need pledges to be implemented," Guterres said. "We need commitments to turn concrete. We need actions to be verified. We need to bridge the deep and real credibility gap."

He announced he will establish a group of high-level experts to measure climate commitments from officials. The group will submit recommendations based on their analysis next year. 

"Promises ring hollow when the fossil fuels industry still receives trillions in subsidies, as measured by the IMF," Guterres said. "Or when countries are still building coal plants or when carbon is still without a price."

By Tori B. Powell
 

IRS says it's boosting tax brackets due to faster inflation

The IRS said the income thresholds for tax brackets will be higher in 2022, reflecting the faster pace of inflation. That means a married couple will need to earn almost $20,000 more next year to enter the top tax bracket, with the tax rate set to remain at 37%. 

The tax agency typically adjusts tax brackets each year to account for rising consumer prices, but this year's increases are greater than usual. What's not changing are the basic income tax rates that were set by Congress under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which set the lowest threshold at 10% and the highest at 37%. 

The IRS said it is adjusting other thresholds to reflect inflation, such as the standard deduction for married couples, which will rise 3.2% to $25,900 next year. Even so, that increase won't match the pace of inflation, which has accelerated this year due to supply-chain snarls, labor shortages and other issues. 

Read more here.

By Aimee Picchi
 

Police question person of interest in case of missing 1-year-old, mother's murder

Police are questioning a person of interest in Missouri in connection with the disappearance of 1-year-old Jaclyn "Angel" Dobbs and the murder of her mother, 21-year-old Ja'Nya Murphy.

Jaclyn was still missing Thursday, two days after her mother was found dead in their Wheeling home Tuesday night, CBS Chicago reports.

Police said they believe Murphy was strangled, and that Jaclyn was taken away in a Dodge Grand Caravan. The vehicle was later located in western Missouri, but Jaclyn was not with the vehicle and is believed to be in danger.

Police do not believe Jaclyn is in Missouri. They also said investigators identified a person of interest based on video evidence and that the person has been located in Missouri and is being questioned.

Read more from CBS Chicago.

 

Trump asks appeals court to delay transfer of Jan. 6 docs

Former President Trump has asked a federal appeals court to delay the transfer of his White House Documents to the House Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In an emergency motion filed Thursday, lawyers for the former president asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to issue a "brief" injunction halting the transfer of the court documents so as to allow further time for litigation and procedural questions.

"President Trump respectfully moves this Court to enter an administrative injunction enjoining release of the privileged documents while the Court considers President Trump's Motion for a Stay Pending Appeal," the filing reads.

The appeal says this will give both the Trump legal team and the House Committee lawyers time to write up positions on a longer delay as the appeal goes forward.

According to the filing, "The DefendantAppellees' take no position on the request for an administrative injunction," which means, according to the filing, both the National Archives and the House Committee accept the request for a brief pause.

The appeals court must rule on the emergency motion before any delay in the document transfer can occur.

The request comes after a lower court judge refused to pause her own decision that would allow the Trump records to be handed over to the House Committee as requested. The former president initially sued the Committee after President Biden refused his claim of executive privilege. 

Read more here.

By Robert Legare
 

Lawmakers introduce bill to provide reparations to families of Black veterans

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock is slated to introduce legislation in the Senate on Thursday that would aid the descendants of Black World War II veterans who did not receive benefits from the G.I. bill due to discriminatory Jim Crow laws.

The Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2021, also known as the GI Bill Restoration Act, was introduced in the House in December last year by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn and Representative Seth Moulthon. It would provide the families of Black World War II veterans a transferable benefit toward attending college, securing housing and starting businesses. 

"We all know the GI Bill lifted up a generation of WWII veterans and built the American century," Moulton, who authored the bill, said in a statement on Thursday. "It's been called the most successful piece of legislation ever. But most Americans don't know that many Black veterans were left out: denied benefits, denied homes, denied the generational wealth that comes from going to college."

"We can never fully repay those American heroes," Moulton said. "But we can fix this going forward for their families. While our generation didn't commit this wrong, we should be committed to making it right. This legislation honors our nation's commitment to America's vets."

By Tori B. Powell
 

LA City Council considers changes to COVID vaccine proof mandate

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday will look at whether to tweak a sweeping new mandate that took effect earlier this week requiring people to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to enter restaurants, coffee shops, gyms and other establishments, CBS Los Angeles reports.

The SafePassLA mandate took effect on November 8. The city, however, said it will not begin enforcing it until November 29 to give businesses more time to comply.

The council will consider a few changes, most notably removing "malls and shopping centers" from the list of indoor public spaces that require proof of vaccination.

It is also considering only requiring proof of vaccination for those who are 12 and older, and not children 11 and under.

When enforcement of the new law begins, businesses who violate it will be issued a $1,000 fine for a second violation, $2,000 fine for a third violation and a $5,000 fine for a fourth and subsequent violations.

 

FDA recalls 2.2 million Ellume COVID-19 home tests due to false positives

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of 2.2 million home COVID-19 tests made by Ellume due to "higher-than-acceptable false positive test results." Ellume, the first company to get FDA approval for over-the-counter COVID tests, had last month recalled 200,000 kits for the same issue.

About 35 false positives through the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test were reported to the FDA, with no deaths reported, the agency said. But false positives could lead to negative outcomes such as getting unneeded COVID-19 treatment from a health care provider or a delayed diagnosis for the person's actual illness, the FDA added.

The FDA said that the reliability of negative test results aren't impacted by the issue. But people who have bought an Ellume home COVID-19 test should check the product by entering the lot number at this Ellume website, which will determine whether the consumer has one of the impacted tests. The lot number is found on a sticker on the side of the product carton.

If a consumer received a positive test within the last two weeks by using one of the affected lots, they should contact their health care provider, the agency said.

Read more here.

By Aimee Picchi
 

New York City Veterans Day parade returns for 1st time in 2 years

New York City is hosting its first Veterans Day Parade in two years. Roughly 200 marching units, including bands, floats and vintage vehicles, are marching up Fifth Avenue from 29th to 45th Street, CBS New York reports. 

U.S. Air Force Veteran Kevin Carrick was selected to serve as the parade's Grand Marshal, and said it was an honor.

"Representing the United States military, the Airforce in the Big Apple is a big deal," Carrick said. "I hope I represent them well, and I'm going to be very proud to see all the kids and stuff cheering us on."

The in-person return of the 102nd annual parade began with a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month at the Eternal Light Flag Staff in Madison Square Park. Every branch of the country's armed services were proudly represented.

"We feel their commitment, and we know we could not make our lives work without them," Mayor Bill de Blasio told the crowd.

Last year, most Veterans Day celebrations were either scaled back or virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not this year, though.

While Memorial Day honors those who died in military service, Thursday honors all the brave men and women, both the living and the dead.

 

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree cut down for journey to NYC

The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was cut down Thursday to begin its trip to the city. It is expected to arrive in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday, CBS New York reports

Last week, the 79-foot Norway Spruce was bound and packed up in Elkton, Maryland. This is the first year the tree is from Maryland.

Workers will wrap it more than 50,000 lights, and the tree will be lit on December 1.

 

Most Americans approve of Biden's handling of COVID-19 pandemic, poll finds

The majority of Americans continue to say that President Joe Biden has handled the pandemic well, according to a recent poll conducted by Monmouth University. His COVID-19 response approval rating grew from 52% of Americans in September saying he has done a good job to 53% in November.

Sixty percent of Americans say their state governors have done a good job responding to the pandemic, while 53% continue to say federal health agencies have handled the pandemic well.

The poll also found that 61% of Americans support requiring students, teachers and staff to wear face masks in schools. The majority of parents supported teacher vaccine mandates, while only 40% supported vaccine mandates for older students.

"The dramatic images of parents protesting at school board meetings has not shifted overall public opinion on mandates one way or the other since the beginning of the school year," Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

By Tori B. Powell
 

Legal analyst on Kyle Rittenhouse's self-defense testimony

CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman joined CBSN to discuss the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with killing two people and wounding another last year at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse testified Wednesday he was acting in self-defense. 

Legal analyst on Kyle Rittenhouse's self-defense testimony 17:57
 

Kyle Rittenhouse trial continues after defense asks for mistrial

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old charged with killing two people and wounding a third during demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year, is continuing Thursday, a day after he took the stand in his own defense and his attorneys asked for a mistrial.

Defense attorneys accused prosecutors of asking improper questions of Rittenhouse and intentionally trying to provoke a mistrial to avoid an acquittal, because the case is going badly for them, and they want to start over, CBS Chicago reports. The defense is seeking a mistrial "with prejudice," meaning prosecutors would be barred from trying Rittenhouse a second time.

At issue were questions prosecutors asked Rittenhouse about his silence after his arrest last year, and the propriety of using deadly force to protect private property.

Judge Bruce Schroeder did not immediately rule on the defense's request, saying he would give the prosecution a chance to respond. 

Read more here.

 

10 states sue Biden administration over COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers

A group of 10 states is taking the Biden administration to federal court over its new rule requiring health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, claiming the requirement violates the Constitution and federal law governing the agency rule-making process.

Led by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, the states argue that the vaccine requirement will compound shortages of health care workers, particularly in rural areas, and threatens the jobs of "millions" of health care workers who put their lives at risk in the initial days of the pandemic.

"This case illustrates why the police power over compulsory vaccination has always been the province of - and still properly belongs to - the states," the states argued in their complaint filed with a federal district court in St. Louis. "Vaccination requirements are matters that depends on local factors and conditions. Whatever might make sense in New York City, St. Louis, or Omaha could be decidedly counterproductive and harmful in rural communities like Memphis, Missouri or McCook, Nebraska."

Read more here.

By Melissa Quinn
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