Top news  Iran’s Top Nuclear Scientist was Killed in an Attack, State Media Say, the New York Times’ Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman reported.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was considered to be the force behind Iran’s nuclear weapons program. He died in a hospital after being attacked in a vehicle, according to news reports in Iran. The BBC labeled the incident an assassination. And the Washington Post’s headline referred to the victim as a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist However, according to the Times’ live updates on this developing story, “Fakhrizadeh was an academic, but a series of classified reports, notably a lengthy 2007 assessment done by the C.I.A. for the George W. Bush administration, said the academic role was a cover story.” Curt Mills also shared that, “The killing of Mr. Fakhrizadeh could complicate the effort by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, as he has pledged to do.” Tweeting the AP’s story — Iran scientist linked to military nuclear program killed, written by Jon Gambrell — Bassem Mroue said, “Israel declined to immediately comment on the killing of MohsenFakhrizadeh, who Israeli PM Netanyahu once called out in a news conference saying: ‘Remember that name.’” Farnoush Amiri added further context, “Besides the symbolism of this alleged attack, this underscores how the streets of Iran have now become a setting of these political assassinations. First with Al Qaeda’s No. 2 in August and now as we see reports of Iran's most senior nuclear scientist.” Amazon is hiring  Pushed by the Pandemic, Amazon Goes on a Hiring Spree Without Equal, Karen Weise reported in the New York Times, revealing that the company added 427,300 employees in 10 months, bringing its global workforce to more than 1.2 million employees. Ian Tucker did some more math and found that “Amazon is hiring…2,800 people a day.”
While news of new job opportunities seems positive, Tiffany D. Cross pointed out that “Amazon employees top the list of those receiving public assistance like SNAP. ‘Of its 810,000 workers who are in the United States, about 85 percent are frontline employees in warehouses and operations who earn a minimum of $15 an hour.’” Peter Eavis asked, “Question I have is whether Amazon’s efficiencies enable it to pay the newly hired workers more than they were getting at other companies pre-pandemic. Are they even earning more, on average.” Erika Strassburger had a really good suggestion: “Amazon is convenient, but tomorrow is Small Business Saturday and there are a whole lot of local shops doing all they can to get your business, including delivery & contactless pick-up.” Weekend reading  If you’re taking it easy today and this weekend (maybe with some pie for breakfast and the latest season of “The Crown” on Netflix, just a thought), here are some articles to read while you’re chilling out:
- A big read on Son Heung-min ahead of his signing his new THFC deal. “Everyone from [his] former coach, team-mate and manager to experts on Asian markets explain how he has transformed into an elite forward and global brand,” Charlie Eccleshare said of The evolution of Son Heung-min in The Athletic. The publication is also offering a Black Friday subscription deal — $1/month for 12 months (or £1/month for 12 months, if you’re in the UK). That offer is available from now until Monday.
- An investigation on the Huge wealth of Sunak's family that’s not declared in the ministerial register, from The Guardian’s Juliette Garside. “Dishy Rishi? More like Rishi Rich! His wife and her family hold a multimillion-pound portfolio of shareholdings and directorships that are not declared in the official register of ministers’ interests,” Nick Chowdrey tweeted. Molly Blackall added, “Rishi Sunak is facing questions over financial transparency after Guardian investigation found his wife + her family hold a multimillion-pound portfolio of shareholdings + directorships that are not declared in the official register of ministers’ interests.”
- A look Inside Black Workers’ Struggles at the King of Crypto Start-Ups from Nathaniel Popper at the New York Times. “In case you didn't already have enough reasons to #DeleteCoinbase, here's another one,” Alex Lielacher said.
- Also from the New York Times, what Geneva Abdul hailed “a powerful story”: A Mother, Her Son — and Their 1,500-Mile Search for Home, written by Julie Turkewitz and Isayen Herrera. “‘Could it be that I will never have a home? That I will never be able to rest?’ Jessika and her family are among millions of migrants displaced by the pandemic. We spent six months following them on a 1,500-mile trek in search of a safe home,” Turkewitz tweeted.
- The Houston Chronicle’s exploration of A loophole that allows Houston ambulance trips to leave door open for high, unexpected bills, as told by Jenny Deam. “Think with insurance that huge ambulance bill will be fully covered? Think again. @HoustonChron investigation found ALL city-run ambulances in Houston are out-of-network. Statewide it's 90 percent. And ambulances excluded from new surprise billing law,” Deam wrote.
- And the latest Lunch with the Financial Times in which Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson sits down with McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski and hears, “Our menu is very Darwinian.” “At this point in a Lunch with the FT it is customary to describe the food. But what can I say? The Quarter Pounder is unmistakably a Quarter Pounder,” Emiko Terazono quote from the piece. Alice Ross also “Points to @Edgecliffe for smuggling a bottle of cabernet sauvignon into the restaurant to accompany his burger.”
One more  Pope Francis has a new book coming out and to promote it, he released an excerpt in the New York Times:
The Covid-19 Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts. "The pandemic has reminded us that no one is saved alone. What ties us to one another is what we commonly call solidarity," Christopher White quoted. Amna Nawaz tweeted, “Pontifex on how we must use empathy, faith, and grace to fight ‘the virus of indifference.’” Michael Balter added, “‘To come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we must let ourselves be touched by others’ pain.’ [Is that right? Is that why the Catholic diocese in NY wants to spread coronavirus?” Covid updates  According to Jack Stubbs’s Reuters exclusive, suspected North Korean hackers targeted COVID vaccine maker AstraZeneca. The suspected hackers reportedly tried to break into the computer systems at the COVID-19 vaccine developer.
Speaking of the vaccine, HuffPost‘s Rachel Wearmouth revealed exclusively that No.10 'Demanded UK Flag Be Printed On Oxford Vaccine Doses'. Brian Whelan called the news “Extraordinary.” Rob O'Hanrahan shared this direct passage from the story: "@HuffPostUK understands No.10′s newly-formed ‘Union unit,’ tasked with fighting calls for Scottish independence and other campaigns to break up the UK, wanted injection kits to bear the flag.” Maeve Shearlaw labeled it, “Completely normal country, exhibit 3456.” In The Standard UK, David Ellis tries to make sense of the country’s Tier 2 rules, which say diners and drinkers must leave pubs and restaurants once food is finished. “No 10 says you can't drink once your meal is finished,” he tweeted. Matt Wells confirmed that per the new rules, there is to be “No mingling, no lingering.” “It has not been clarified why the virus is more likely to spread to over a glass of wine than a mug of cocoa,”Sabah Meddings shared directly from the article. Across the pond On the topic of very British things, Sir Philip Green's TopShop empire Arcadia Group faces collapse within days, according to Mark Kleinman at Sky News. The situation will put 15,000 jobs at risk. “As reported by The Sunday Times the weekend before last (and as denied by Arcadia), Sir Philip Green's Topshop retail empire is about to go into administration,” Oliver Shah wrote. The Guardian’s Diane Taylor writes that Black public figures are urging airlines not to carry out a Home Office deportation. “Naomi Campbell and Thandie Newton are among the 82 Black public figures calling on airlines known to have previously worked on deportation charter flights urging them not to carry up to 50 Jamaicans the Home Office wants to deport next week,” Dionne Grant explained. Pointing out the “really important letter,” Frances Grahl urged, “Public (and celeb) pressure has an effect: we must keep it up.” Trump news  Weeks before he is set to leave office, Trump’s Interior department finalized a key step in its effort to weaken the limits on killing birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Juliet Eilperin and Sarah Kaplan wrote at the Washington Post. James Hohmann added, “While you’re still digesting your Thanksgiving dinner, Trump’s apparatchiks are hard at work: The president’s men at Interior have just finalized a key step in their effort to weaken limits on killing birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 🦅 🦢 🐦”"
Frances Sellers added more perspective: “Three days after Trump pardoned a turkey, his administration has moved to weaken a century-old law holding energy companies and other industries legally liable for killing birds.” And Will Wilkinson tried to make sense of Why Did So Many Americans Vote for Trump? With an opinion piece in the New York Times. Tiffany Cross pointed out that, unfortunately, “Bigotry and white supremacy are not mentioned here at all. Like. At all.” Friday headlines  From Hannah Wolansky at The Onion, Introduction Of Giancarlo Esposito Suggests Main Character Now Totally Fucked. - NASA’s Yvette Smith published It's Black Hole Friday! “What is a black hole? A black hole is an astronomical object with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape it,” she explained.
- Marsha Lederman alerted us to some “huge news for Toronto.” That being that Rogers Centre faces demolition as the Blue Jays owner plans a new stadium, written by Andrew Willis at The Globe and Mail. Simon Houpt said, “Whoa: Skydome aka Rogers Centre to face the wrecking ball? Rogers Communications Inc. is considering demolishing the 31-year-old stadium, to replace it with a smaller ballpark and condos etc.”
- And Music Legends Eric Clapton, Van Morrison Team for Anti-Lockdown Single ‘Stand and Deliver’, Variety’s Naman Ramachandran revealed. The blues single, written by Morrison and performed by Clapton, will support Morrison’s Save Live Music campaign. The Late Era Podcast tweeted, “RED ALERT: Late Era levels lethally high. Shelter in place.” Less enthused, Marlow Stern labeled it the “latest fuckery.”
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Yesterday, we asked: What financial flop of a film bankrupted Liberty Films?
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