Krakow paused its trumpet call after a gunman killed six, while customers backed Philadelphia restaurants targeted by a boycott. Also inside: a disputed Houdini death date, matching tattoos, and three White House stories.
7. Krakow paused trumpet call after deadly shooting
St. Mary’s Trumpet Call was suspended overnight to honor the six people killed in Krakow’s Main Square, The Associated Press reported. It was the first interruption since World War II for the five-note tune, which normally sounded every hour from the basilica’s tallest tower.
AP reported that a 24-year-old man drove into the square Saturday afternoon and began shooting. Six people died and another 15 were wounded; police wounded the attacker with gunfire. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect held ultranationalist views and appeared fascinated by far-right ideologies.
The regional governor said the Polish victims included three women and one man. AP identified the other two people killed as a British man and an Austrian woman. According to AP, both officers who stopped the gunman were conscious by Sunday afternoon but remained hospitalized, while the suspect was in critical condition following several operations.
Prosecutors said Sunday that they were investigating murder and attempted murder as a terrorist offense, including attacks against police officers. AP reported that authorities also discovered the suspect’s parents and sister dead at the family home. Local officials said 11 weapons had been recovered, with seven at the home and four on the suspect or in his car.
Poland began a two-day period of national mourning Sunday, AP reported, as people brought flowers and candles to the square. A memorial service took place at St. Anne’s Church that afternoon. The square reopened after the service, and residents and tourists returned.
Sources: WSVN, WJXT, WKMG
6. Customers backed Philadelphia restaurants targeted by boycott
Mac Mart owner Marti Lieberman said local customers, supporters and police officers shielded her Philadelphia shop from the commotion during Sunday’s boycott protest. In an email, she said she spotted some protesters, but they moved on without directly confronting the shop.
The ride targeted six Jewish-owned restaurants near Rittenhouse Square: Mac Mart, K’Far Café, Huda, Goldie, Schlesinger’s and Dizengoff. Organizers led by Philly Bike On Your Left said they promoted the boycott in solidarity with Palestinians and because of the businesses’ support for Israel.
Action News reported long customer lines outside K’Far and Goldie as supporters gathered at some of the targeted restaurants. Schlesinger’s Deli owner Allan Domb told the station the community’s response was heartwarming, while Lieberman said customers lined up at Mac Mart throughout the day.
Police officers worked to separate opposing demonstrators, and both Action News and NBC Philadelphia reported confrontations. NBC News reported that about 300 pro-Palestinian protesters and roughly 200 pro-Israeli counterprotesters were involved.
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson said three people were arrested. The spokesperson said the charges were assault for a woman, disorderly conduct for a man and assault on police for a 17-year-old. Police said the demonstrators had dispersed by early afternoon and no property damage had been reported.
Mayor Cherelle Parker and Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the planned boycott. Organizers said they opposed racism and oppression, including antisemitism, and said another boycott bike ride was planned for the following Sunday.
Sources: ABC13 Houston, NBC News
5. Book challenged Houdini’s Halloween death date
A bowl of vegetables and sour cream caused the intestinal blockage that killed Harry Houdini, forensic medical researcher Larrian Gillespie argued in her book, “Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice.” She placed his death on Oct. 30, 1926—one day before Halloween—and wrote that a doctor had allowed the meal while Houdini recovered from surgery.
That explanation challenged the official cause of death: diffuse peritonitis after appendicitis. The state death certificate and news coverage at the time dated his death at Detroit’s Grace Hospital to Oct. 31; no autopsy was performed.
Gillespie drew on medical records, the death certificate and other documents. She cited a doctor’s affidavit and additional papers listing Oct. 30, and argued that Houdini’s inner circle wanted a Halloween death date to ensure he would be remembered.
Houdini scholar Bruce Averbook disputed that reasoning in comments to The Associated Press. “The family was in significant grief and not thinking about legacy,” he said, adding that Houdini’s personal assistant had recorded Oct. 31 in his writings.
Houdini blogger John Cox also expressed doubts to the AP, although he credited the book with new information about the performer’s career. Cox said another opinion on the death was still needed and acknowledged continuing confusion over it. Both men were experts Gillespie praised in the book.
Sources: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (The Associated Press), Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (The Associated Press)
4. Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa got matching tattoos
Julia Stiles had “diva check” tattooed on her ribs—the phrase her “Dancing With the Stars” partner Ezra Sosa used to ask how she was doing each day.
Sosa posted a photo on Nov. 5 showing matching small stars tattooed on their wrists. He explained that each star represented one of the eight routines they had danced together during their time on the show.
Their final performance was a paso doble to “Satisfied” from the musical “Hamilton,” TODAY reported. The pair’s bid for the Mirrorball trophy ended that night, when they were sent home following the Disney-themed competition.
After the elimination, Stiles explained on Instagram why she had joined the competition: “I did this for the little girl in me that stopped dancing,” she wrote. She also addressed Sosa, saying they had won in many ways and expressing her love for him.
Sosa shared a separate video in which he read Stiles a poem modeled on the one her character delivered in “10 Things I Hate About You.” His poem described her support during difficult moments and how close they had become; TODAY reported that it brought Stiles to tears.
Sources: NBC New York, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, NBC Washington
3. Trump blamed midterm results for stock market losses
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the stock market lost $3 trillion in a single day, blaming the midterm election results for the past week’s sell-off. In his social media post, he called the election a “giant step back in History” for America.
Democrats won control of the House and Senate in Tuesday’s elections, ABC News reported. Trump linked those results to the market’s decline, but the $3 trillion figure and the explanation for the losses were his claims.
The president’s criticism followed a Saturday social media post ordering the Justice Department to investigate Democrats who had outlined plans for oversight investigations of administration officials. Trump alleged that Democratic leaders had sent threatening letters and messages to Republicans, but offered no evidence for that allegation, ABC News reported.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that investigations of Democrats seeking oversight probes were possible. Asked about that prospect on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Blanche said, “It depends on what’s said. So, yes, there could be.”
Blanche said people had the right to criticize Trump and his administration, but argued that some threats could cross a line. ABC News reported that there was no evidence that the calls for congressional oversight amounted to criminal threats.
Source: ABC News
2. CAISSI asked to report informally to White House
CAISSI lost one director within days of his hiring in April, then lost his replacement to resignation a few months later, The Associated Press reported. The center remained without a permanent leader; the official who leads its parent institute took on the director’s duties temporarily.
Two former government officials told AP that CAISSI officials were recently asked to report informally to a White House office. Both knew about the continuing discussions and requested anonymity to protect current staff members from repercussions.
AP reported that the center received an annual allocation of $10 million and had stopped releasing its research.
Lawmakers began seeking an explanation in August for the halt in public reports on AI systems’ safety, AP reported. OpenAI also urged policymakers to give the center additional funding and support.
AP reported that critics feared closer White House ties could expose safety findings to political pressure or lead to their suppression. Others argued that the arrangement could raise the center’s profile and help it secure more money.
The White House did not answer AP’s specific questions about CAISSI. It said President Donald Trump had established a Super Intelligence Force and asked his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to prepare a report on risks.
In September, Trump called on leading AI companies to undertake “tremendous self-policing” through a voluntary safety agreement, AP reported. His administration had not said how it would check whether the companies followed through.
Sources: ABC News, PBS NewsHour
1. Trump said Dana White job offer was joke
President Donald Trump said the list of fighters he wanted as Dana White’s assistants showed that his job offer was a joke. He told reporters Sunday that he had not been serious about offering the UFC chief the White House press secretary position.
Trump had announced the offer on Truth Social on Saturday and urged White to accept. He proposed Amanda Nunes and Daniel Cormier as assistants, along with Justin Gaethje, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Trump said Sunday that putting fighters in those roles was his signal that the offer was not serious.
White had posted a photo of himself behind the White House press briefing podium Saturday, captioned “On to the next chapter.” At a news conference in London, White said he was flying to Washington and had a meeting with Trump scheduled for Monday. He said he expected to have more to discuss after that meeting.
Trump said Sunday that White’s Monday visit was still planned, but that he was coming “for other reasons.” Trump also said some people had liked the press secretary idea even though he had meant it as a joke.
The position had been vacant since Katie Zacharia left in October after five days in the job, according to NBC News and CBS News. CBS News said it had sought additional comment from the White House and UFC but had received no response.
Sources: NewsNation, NBC News, CBS News
Photos: ישראל הרשקוביץ, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons; Thomas Quine, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons; David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jar.ciurus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, Wikimedia Commons; Fons Heijnsbroek, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; PattayaPatrol, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Myotus, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; عکاس: محمدمهدی دورانی, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons; Frypie, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Justin Moore, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons; Émile Gilliéron, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
For more quick-hit news, catch the November 8 roundup, then explore Jimmy Stewart’s wartime service and five newly released Britney Spears songs.
