JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: Early voting began in Georgia's
two U.S. Senate run-offs to determine which party will control the chamber.
In one race, Republican incumbent David Perdue faces Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff.
Another Republican senator, Kelly Loeffler, is up against Democrat Raphael Warnock.
The elections are scheduled for January the 5th.
The Trump administration slapped sanctions on NATO ally Turkey today
for buying a Russian-made air-defense system. U.S. officials say the Russian
missiles pose a threat to allied security, but Turkey has begun testing the weapons anyway.
The Turks condemned the sanctions -- condemned the sanctions.
The United States also formally blamed Iran today for the abduction and presumed death
of Robert Levinson. The former FBI agent disappeared in Iran in 2007,
and his family received images of him years later. U.S. officials believe that he died in captivity.
Two Iranian intelligence officers will face economic sanctions.
In India, thousands of farmers called today for a new national strike,
the second in a week. The crowds staged a sit-in on a major New Delhi highway
over laws they say will drive down crop prices. They insisted they will not give up.
HARVINDER KAUR, Communal Kitchen Volunteer (through translator):
There's no question we have to protest. It's the government's responsibility
to provide social benefits. And, if they don't, people will have to come together.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The farmers have blockaded highways leading to the Indian capital for three weeks.
Back in this country, a federal judge has denied a Trump administration request
not to release documents on how the 2020 census numbers are processed.
Government attorneys wanted more time to redact confidential information.
A panel of magistrates will review any documents that are deemed sensitive.
The United Auto Workers union reached a settlement today, ending a federal probe of bribery and
embezzlement. It calls for an independent monitor and it staves off a federal takeover.
In Detroit today, USA president Rory Gamble said it's good for his 400,000 members.
RORY GAMBLE, President, United Auto Workers: We're putting our union back to the way it should be,
a strong beacon and voice for working families in America.
And we're not going to let a small group of individuals disturb that.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Two former UAW presidents are among those convicted in the five-year investigation.
Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians are changing their name after next season.
The franchise owner announced it today. He said -- quote -- "The name is no longer acceptable in our
world." The team will play as the Indians in 2021, while it decides on a new name.
On Wall Street today, the market mostly gave ground, except for tech stocks, as investors
waited for Congress to act on economic relief. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 184 points,
the Nasdaq rose 62 points, and the S&P 500 slid 16 points.
And John le Carre, the master of Cold War espionage thrillers,
is being mourned tonight. He died on Saturday from pneumonia. Le Carre's
works included "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."
He discussed his genre on "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour," a predecessor of this program, in 1989.
JOHN LE CARRE, Author: The spy story was not invented by the Cold War. It
will continue after the Cold War. Its classical roots are much older.
And any form of literature, to survive and to be any good and to give us pleasure and
to give us relevance and to provoke us, must surely chronicle the changes in its own time.
JUDY WOODRUFF: John le Carre was 89 years old.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": the president tweets that William
Barr is out as attorney general; Russia is suspected in a major cyberattack against the U.S.;
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political news; plus more.