Brexit Fallout; Avenatti Charged With Domestic Violence; 'Auntie Maxine' Waters

Plus, NPR announces its first Student Podcast Challenge. [NPR] by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves No. 10 Downing St. for the Houses of Parliament on Thursday. Her address there defending the tentative Brexit deal did little to calm critics — both among her political rivals and within her own party.]( Tim Ireland/AP Here's what we're following today. Hours after British Prime Minister Theresa May announced a tentative deal over the U.K.'s exit from the European Union, two key ministers abruptly quit her government in protest. Now, May must persuade skeptical Brits to get on board with her Brexit plan. And with a mutiny afoot within her own party, [the prime minister may be battling for her political life as well](. Officials still are tallying losses and combating both growing and receding fires as several large blazes rage across California. [At least 56 people have died]( in the Camp Fire, which has destroyed entire neighborhoods and continues to burn. Meanwhile, the list of missing persons in Butte County is now seven pages long, totaling some 300 names. GOP Sen. Jeff Flake has threatened to block any judicial nominees until the Senate votes on the Mueller protection bill. [Flake, of Arizona, holds the deciding vote]( on a narrowly divided Senate Judiciary Committee where 21 judicial nominees now await votes. Mira Ricardel, President Trump’s deputy national security adviser, is leaving her post after criticism from Melania Trump. The first lady's office said on Tuesday that Ricardel "no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House." She is [headed to an unspecified role in the administration]( the White House says. “Auntie Maxine” Waters is ready for her close-up. The House Democrat from California has been a favorite target of President Trump and his supporters. Now [Waters is in line to chair the House Financial Services Committee]( where she could slow his agenda. Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' lawyer, has been charged with domestic violence. The outspoken Trump critic was booked Wednesday on a [felony domestic violence charge]( a day after police took a report of the alleged incident. He was released on $50,000 bail and has vehemently denied the allegations. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Good Want to be part of the first NPR Student Podcast Challenge? LA Johnson/NPR Big news: The first [NPR Student Podcast Challenge]( is underway. It’s an opportunity for students grades five through 12 – and their teachers – to take a topic, a lesson or a unit and turn it into a podcast. Entries open Jan. 1 – and the winning podcasts will be featured in segments on NPR in spring 2019. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper Well-Read Black Girl Glory Edim is at the helm of a genuine phenomenon. [Glory Edim]( Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Instagram Glory Edim knew she was onto something when her T-shirt, the one emblazoned with the names of Edim’s favorite black female authors, got so much attention from strangers in New York City that [she had to start a book club with her new friends](. Members found themselves discussing the works of influential black authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and James {NAME}. The book club grew, and Edim began inviting emerging authors to discuss their books. Then came a popular Instagram account and a newsletter. Her new collection of essays, Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves, features writers such as Jesmyn Ward, Tayari Jones and Jacqueline Woodson, among others — all women like her who love to read and write and talk about books. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen Hollywood’s not-so-golden age. [A new book examines billionaire filmmaker Howard Hughes and the sexual relationships he had with Hollywood actresses. He's shown above in 1947.]( Hulton Archive/Getty Images Fresh Air host Terry Gross talks to writer and film critic Karina Longworth about her new book, Seduction: Sex, Lies and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood, which examines the sexual relationships the billionaire filmmaker had with movie actresses during the 1920s until the late ’50s. Longworth also describes what Hollywood was like for women decades before the #MeToo movement. (Listening time, 28:52) [▶ LISTEN]( Chef Anita Lo celebrates the art of cooking for one. After working at restaurants such as Bouley and Chanterelle in New York, Lo ran her own restaurant, the Michelin-starred Annisa, from 2000 until last year. She has appeared on Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America and Chopped. As Thanksgiving approaches, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with Lo about her latest cookbook, Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One. (Listening time, 4:51) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [In this 1933 photo released by Alexander Historical Auctions, Adolf Hitler embraces Rosa Bernile Nienau at his mountainside Bavarian retreat in Germany. The photograph is inscribed by Hitler himself in dark blue ink.]( Heinrich Hoffmann/AP - [A photo of Adolf Hitler]( posing with a girl who had a Jewish grandmother has been auctioned off for $11.5K. - Buzz, buzz: [People who are sensitive to the bitterness of caffeine]( like coffee better. - Maybe Neanderthals weren't so [nasty, brutish and short]( after all. - [The first woman to head the PGA]( reflects on inclusivity in golf. - Oxford Dictionaries' [word of the year is “toxic”]( after it found a 45 percent increase in searches for the word. --------------------------------------------------------------- ✏️ What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) 📬 Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. 📧 Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! 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