Wednesday morning news - November 3, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Youngkin wins Va. gubernatorial election » Virginia has elected a Republican governor for the first time since 2009.

Glenn Youngkin defeated Democratic candidate and former governor, Terry McAuliff Tuesday. It was a race that went down to the wire.

McAuliffe told supporters last night that he was not ready to concede.

MCAULIFFE: Gonna to have to wait a little while longer than we had hoped. We’re going to wait for every vote to be counted and that’s how our democracy works.

News outlets began calling the race a little before 1 a.m. Eastern Time with about 95 percent of the votes counted. At that point, Youngkin held a lead of nearly 3 percentage points.

Voters in New Jersey also went to the polls to elect their next governor. As of early this morning, that race was too close to call.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was trailing GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli by less than 1 point. That was with 80 percent of the votes counted.

And in New York City, voters elected Democrat Eric Adams as their next mayor.

CDC authorizes Pfizer shots for young children » The CDC has officially signed off on kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky made the final call just hours after a panel of advisers voted to recommend the shots for young kids.

Walensky said the risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 remains low for young children but not low enough.

WALENSKY: Still, the risk is too high and too devastating for our children, and far higher than for many other diseases for which we vaccinate children.

The Pfizer shots are already in use for kids 12 and up. It is the only COVID vaccine approved for minors, though Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also seeking authorization.

The kid-size Pfizer doses began shipping nationwide in advance of Tuesday’s decision. In some places, those shots are available as of today.

Migrant deaths along southern border shatters record » The Border Patrol is reporting a record number of migrant deaths along the southern border. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Officials say 557 migrants died along the border in the 2021 fiscal year. That more than doubled the number of fatalities the previous year. And it easily topped the previous record of 492 deaths in 2005.

So far this year, officials have seen what Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called an “unprecedented” surge of traffic at the border.

National Border Patrol Council President, Brandon Judd said more traffic is leading to more deaths. And he added—quote—“The only way it stops is if you put policies in place that don’t incentivize illegal immigration.”

The causes of migrant deaths include exposure to elements, drownings in the Rio Grande, and falling while trying to climb border barriers. Many have also died in human smuggling operations gone wrong.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Yahoo pulls out of China » Tech giant Yahoo said Tuesday that it is pulling out of China. The company said it’s getting tougher to operate in the communist country.

China's digital censorship had already blocked many of the company's services. But recent government moves to expand its control over tech companies generally may have been the last straw for Yahoo.

The company’s move comes as the American and Chinese governments feud over technology and trade.

Yahoo is the latest foreign tech company to exit China. Google gave up several years ago, and Microsoft’s professional networking platform LinkedIn said last month it would shutter its Chinese site.

At least 7 killed in Kabul hospital bombing » A bombing at a hospital in Afghanistan killed at least 23 people on Tuesday. WORLD’s Leigh Jones has that story.

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: Taliban officials blame ISIS militants for setting off two explosions at a military hospital in Kabul. The first blast happened at the hospital’s entrance. Taliban security forces then opened fire against the militants.

Taliban officials said the victims included civilians and guards. A spokesman said five attackers were also killed, and the attack was over within 15 minutes.

The spokesman also said guards stopped the attackers from entering the hospital, thwarting ISIS plans to target medical staff and patients.

ISIS has stepped up its terror campaign since the Taliban took over the country. In recent weeks, militants have carried out a series of bombing and shooting attacks.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leigh Jones.

Braves defeat Astros to win World Series  Major League Baseball has a new champion.

The Atlanta Braves shut out the Astros in Houston in game-6 by a score of 7-to-nothing to win the World Series.

Max Fried pitched 6 scoreless innings, picking up the win for Atlanta.

Jorge Soler, Dansby Swanson, and Freddie Freeman homered for the Braves.

Soler was named World Series MVP. He tallied 6 hits and 3 home runs during the 6-game series.

This was the Braves’ first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1999 … and their first World Series victory since 1995.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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