It’s Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018. Thanks for choosing to start here.
1. Trump defends Saudi denials in Khashoggi murder
Yesterday, the Trump administration issued a statement that said it would stand with Saudi Arabia despite a CIA assessment that found Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was complicit in the plot to kill Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” the president wrote.
Now Congress is demanding an investigation.
We speak to ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega and ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell, who say the administration has a variety of reasons for sticking close to the Saudis.
2. Huge selloff erases 2018 stock gains
Yesterday, the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted more than 551 points, led by disappointing Target earnings and concerns over holiday shopping.
All of the major U.S. stock indices now sit in negative territory for 2018 after posting record highs earlier in the year.
ABC News Chief Business and Economics Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis says the selloff doesn’t necessarily indicate how well the overall economy is doing.
3. Trauma surgeon responds to NRA’s call for medical professionals to ‘stay in their lane’
For years, scientists and doctors have been at odds with the National Rifle Association.
The NRA has discouraged them from treating gun deaths as a public health crisis, and, at times, conservative politicians have actually barred them from researching it.
A few weeks ago, the NRA blasted medical professionals on Twitter, writing, “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.”
Yesterday, just hours after a pharmacy resident was among three killed by a gunman, who also killed himself, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, this battle reignited — in public.
Over the last couple of days, doctors have been rallying around a hashtag: “This is our lane.”
Dr. Stephanie Bonnie, a trauma surgeon in Newark, New Jersey, tells us that while she’s not a gun-policy expert, “I can tell you is that an AR-15 is far more damaging a bullet than a handgun bullet.”
The NRA did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Other news:
‘The entire community of Paradise is a toxic wasteland right now’: The death toll from the California wildfires is up to 84.
‘He was driving to work’: A Tennessee man dies after a chunk of concrete tossed from a freeway overpass slams through his windshield.
‘A meaningful step forward’: North Korea blows up some of its guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone.
‘Intermittent problems across all apps globally’: For approximately 13 hours on Tuesday, people all over the world couldn’t use Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp.
But her emails: Democrats want to know why Ivanka Trump used a personal email account to conduct government business.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
Last ‘Nightline’:
‘Evil monster’: The gruesome case of Colorado man who killed pregnant wife, kids: Christopher Watts was sentenced to life without parole for killing Shanann Watts, 34, and their daughters Celeste, 3 and Bella, 4.
‘A very human story’: Hugh Jackman on playing disgraced candidate Gary Hart: “The Front Runner” focuses on a 1988 affair that consumed the country, and Donna Rice, the woman at the center of it all, responds to being back in the spotlight.
Today in history:
Nov. 21, 1980 — A fire breaks out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
The must-see photo:
The national Thanksgiving turkey is previewed in the briefing room of the White House. (photo credit: Shawn Thew/EPA via Shutterstock)
For more great photos from around the world click HERE.
Hot on social:
Watch as the president pardons two turkeys.
All right, you’re off and running. You can always get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the “Start Here” podcast are below. See you tomorrow!
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