Amazon sets Black Friday, Cyber Monday records; COVID case anniversary

KARAH RUCKER: TESLA IS SET TO UNVEIL TODAY ITS NEW ELECTRIC SEMI-TRUCK.
AN 18-WHEELER THAT RUNS STRICTLY ON BATTERY POWER. THIS IS YOUR MIDDAY UPDATE.

FIRST COVID CASE IN CHINA 3 YEARS AGO

WE BEGIN WITH THE THIRD-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST COVID PATIENT IN CHINA.
THREE YEARS SINCE IT’S FIRST INFECTION…THERE ARE STILL MANY QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE VIRUS…INCLUDING ITS ORIGINS.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI | CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR: “What we would really like to know is the details with the original people who were infected. We keep a completely open mind as to what the origin is.”

RUCKER: COVID WASTED NO TIME SPREADING FROM CHINA TO AROUND THE WORLD. THE VIRUS ALTERING THE WAY OF LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. DEATHS IN THE U.S. TOPPED ONE MILLION THIS YEAR.

EU’S PLAN TO CAP RUSSIAN OIL STALLS

THE EUROPEAN UNION DECIDED MONTHS AGO IT WOULD BAN THE PURCHASE OF RUSSIA’S CRUDE OIL IN AN EFFORT TO HURT RUSSIA’S ECONOMY AMID IT’S CONFLICT WITH UKRAINE.

THEY SET A DEADLINE FOR DECEMBER FIFTH. BUT AN AGREEMENT ON HOW TO EXECUTE THE SQUEEZE ON RUSSIA HAS YET TO BE SETTLED AMONG THE 27 COUNTRIES.

THE WORLD IS TOO RELIANT ON RUSSIA’S CRUDE OIL FOR A COMPLETE BAN.

THE COUNTRIES CONCLUDED THAT WOULD ONLY SEND PRICES SOARING AND DISRUPT THEIR OWN MARKETS. SO INSTEAD, THEY’RE CONSIDERING A PRICE-CAP ON HOW MUCH THEY’LL PURCHASE RUSSIAN OIL FOR.

THE EU IS STILL AT ODDS OVER HOW MUCH TO SET THE CAP TO. MANY NATIONS AGREEING TO 60 DOLLARS PER BARREL. BUT WITHOUT A FULL CONSENSUS, RUSSIA WILL CONTINUE TO RAKE IN PROFITS WHILE THE WORLD CONSIDERS HOW TO IMPLEMENT REPERCUSSIONS ON RUSSIA.

FLORIDA PULLS $2 BILLION FROM BLACKROCK

REPUBLICAN STATES ARE MAKING THEIR BIGGEST MOVE YET AGAINST A GIANT INVESTMENT BANK THAT’S ACCUSED OF TAKING A POLITICAL STANCE WITH WHERE IT INVESTS MONEY.

FLORIDA IS PULLING TWO BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF ASSETS MANAGED BY “BLACK ROCK.” IT’S THE BIGGEST DI-VESTMENT BY A STATE OPPOSED TO BLACK-ROCK’S “ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE” POLICIES.

BLACKROCK IS ACCUSED OF FOCUSING ON ESG INVESTMENTS AND TURNING AWAY FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY.
LOUISIANA AND WEST VIRGINIA HAVE ALSO TRANSFERRED STATE FUNDS OUT OF BLACKROCK INVESTMENTS.

TESLA UNVEILS ALL ELECTRIC SEMI TRUCK

TESLA IS SET TO UNVEIL IT’S NEW ALL-ELECTRIC 18-WHEELER TODAY.
TESLA SEMI TRUCKS ARE FINALLY HITTING THE ROAD, THREE YEARS LATER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED.
PEPSI IS SET TO RECEIVE THE FIRST “E-V SEMI-TRUCK” DURING A DELIVERY EVENT AFTER ITS REVEAL.
THE TRUCK’S BATTERY-POWER CAN REPORTEDLY LAST ABOUT 500 MILES CARRYING AN 80 THOUSAND POUND LOAD.

RECORD HIGH OF HOLIDAY SALES ON AMAZON

FOR MANY AMERICANS, PACKAGES ARE NOW ARRIVING DAILY FROM ONLINE SHOPPING ORDERS PLACED OVER THE WEEKEND. FROM BLACK FRIDAY TO CYBER MONDAY, SHOPPERS SHELLED OUT A RECORD NUMBER OF SPENDING.

AMAZON NOW SAYING IT WAS THEIR BIGGEST EVER HOLIDAY SHOPPING WEEKEND ON RECORD.

INFLATION ON PRICES NOT A DETERRENT THIS YEAR, WITH AN ESTIMATED 200 MILLION AMERICANS PARTICIPATING IN THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING RUSH.

ROSA PARKS ARRESTED ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

IT WAS ON THIS DAY 67 YEARS AGO WHEN A BLACK SEAMSTRESS TOOK A SEAT ON THE BUS AND WAS TOLD TO GO TO THE BACK BASED ON HER SKIN COLOR.
ROSA PARKS REFUSED TO GIVE UP HER SEAT FOR A WHITE PASSENGER…AND WAS ARRESTED BY POLICE FOR HER PROTEST.

ROSA PARKS | CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: “As I look back on those days it’s just like a dream and only thing that bothered me was we waited so long to make this protest and let it be known wherever we go that all of us should be free and equal and have opportunities.”

RUCKER: ROSA PARKS WAS LATER NAMED THE FIRST LADY OF CIVIL RIGHTS. HER PROTEST CREATED A LAW THAT PREVENTED SEGREGATION ON CITY BUSES.