Impeachment, Tiffany, Russian Doping: Your Monday Evening Briefing

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Good evening. Here’s the latest.

The Navy had sought to oust Chief Gallagher, who was convicted of posing for photos with the body of a teenage Islamic State captive. Instead, it was the Navy secretary, Richard Spencer, who was fired.


The commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command said the pace will pick back up “over the next days and weeks.”

An operation on Friday in Deir al-Zour province killed or wounded “multiple” ISIS fighters and resulted in the capture of more than a dozen others, the American military coalition in Baghdad said.


3. We asked two tough questions about the presidential race.

The first: Why aren’t more black voters supporting the black candidates? In dozens of interviews, we found a variety of reasons across regions, generations and economic classes.

Many moderate black voters, for instance, said nominating the candidate most capable of defeating Mr. Trump was their priority. Voters on the left, on the other hand, said upending unjust systems was more important than picking someone from their own community.

The second question looks at abortion rights. In a poll of Democratic candidates, we found a minimal divide between liberal and moderate aspirants on abortion-related issues, unlike on health care and taxes.

It’s a fundamental change in the party’s approach, which used to discuss the issue mostly on opponents’ terms. Now, almost every candidate says the next president should actively reframe the abortion debate. Here are their answers.


4. Tiffany is set to join Dior, Givenchy, Fendi and Dom Pérignon.

The American jewelry icon agreed to be purchased by the world’s largest luxury goods company, LVMH, in a $16.2 billion deal. We have a field guide to Bernard Arnault, the man behind the merger. He’s worth a cool $106.9 billion.

In other merger-mania today, Charles Schwab, which helped pioneer discount investing in the 1970s, is buying rival TD Ameritrade for $26 billion, a deal that underscores dramatic changes in how people manage their money. The combination would create a brokerage giant with roughly $5 trillion in assets.

And StubHub, the popular marketplace for sports and entertainment tickets, was sold by eBay for more than $4 billion to Viagogo, a smaller but aggressive competitor with a strong presence in Europe.

5. Three Afghan schools, 165 accounts of students being raped.

An advocacy group said it has documented methodical rape by teachers, principals and other authorities of dozens of boys in one rural area.

The prevalence of systematic sexual abuse of boys in Afghanistan has been a problem for generations and prosecutions are rare. Even so, the recent accusations point to a stunning breakdown in a relatively concentrated area.

Robert Destro, an U.S. assistant secretary of state, called on the Afghan government “to take action to protect survivors and bring perpetrators to justice.”


6. The Hong Kong election landslide signals more friction with Beijing.

Supporters of the pro-democracy movement, above, were emboldened after they captured 87 percent of the seats in local elections, a sign that residents are broadly sympathetic to their cause. The victors will be looking to drum up support for legislative elections next year.

Beijing, on the other hand, must now reckon with a resounding defeat. Some politicians are concerned that the vote could be seen by China as a sign that the territory is slipping further from its grip and that the protests require a harsher response.


7. Russia faces a four-year ban from global sports.

A key World Anti-Doping Agency committee made the recommendation after investigators discovered that Russian officials had erased test results from a database submitted to antidoping regulators.

If approved, Russian athletes and teams would be barred not only from next year’s Tokyo Olympics but from a series of other major competitions like soccer’s World Cup.

The full board meets Dec. 9 and is expected to agree with the recommendations, though any decision the board takes would be subject to appeal.

8. Consumers are spending. So why are things so tough for some retailers?

One word: Amazon. Sales at many large old-school chains like Kohl’s and Macy’s, above, have largely stabilized, but it seems like a never-ending race against the online behemoth. The more retailers spend to compete, the more their profits are sapped.

“Is this an arms race that never stops?” asked one retail industry specialist. “That has still to be determined.”

Retailers — and Thanksgiving travelers — may have another issue this year: A bunch of winter storms are expected to hit much of the country, potentially keeping shoppers home.


9. How to navigate the new skiing landscape.

Skiers are one group that will welcome the snowfall, and now they can try a new kind of ski vacation. There’s been an explosion in passes that let holders ride multiple mountains across North America for free or at discounted rates.

Here are some tips to make the most of the new American ski trip.


10. The 2010s are about over. What did we live through, culturally speaking?

Gwyneth Paltrow became a lifestyle brand, superhero spandex took over, Broadway persevered, black art and gay culture came of age, and bingeing became a thing. And then there was #MeToo.

Our Culture staff took a look back at what we watched, heard, read, liked and shared.

Have a nostalgic evening.


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