J&J Boosters; Justin Trudeau Reelected; Texas Doctor Sued

Plus, a Chinese real estate company is walloping your stocks. [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Korva Coleman and Carol Ritchie First Up [This photo made available by the Library of Congress shows a demonstration at the Red Cross Emergency Ambulance Station in Washington during the influenza pandemic of 1918.]( Library of Congress/AP Here's what we're following today: Johnson & Johnson says a booster shot of its single-dose vaccine increases protection against getting severely ill from COVID-19. The data shows [a booster at six months provides a 12-fold increase in antibodies](. COVID-19 has now killed about as many people in the U.S. as the 1918-19 flu did — approximately 675,000. [That pandemic was once considered the worst in human history](. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau narrowly won reelection Monday, but [his gamble to win a majority of seats in parliament failed](. The Texas doctor who was the first to reveal that he performed an abortion in defiance of the state's new ban [is being sued under the new law](. The two people who sued him actually oppose the law and want to test its legality in court. Trouble at a massive Chinese real estate conglomerate is [doing a number on the U.S. stock market](. The Dow slumped more than 600 points Monday over worries that the China Evergrande Group could face a potentially devastating debt default. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Picture Show [Citlaly Olvera Salazar dances with an image of her grandfather, Antonio Salazar, and father, Cesar Olvera, in their absence during her Quinceañera.]( Maridelis Morales Rosado for NPR COVID delayed quinceañera celebrations in 2020, but now party planners say they are overrun by families who want to make up for lost time. For 17-year-old Citlaly Olvera, who postponed her quince amid devastating family loss, [this year's ceremony is bittersweet](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today’s Listen [Kara (voiced by Chinatsu Akasaki in Japanese and Kimiko Glenn in the English dub) in "The Ninth Jedi."]( Lucasfilm Ltd. George Lucas has been inspired by Japanese entertainment ever since his original Star Wars trilogy. So [the pairing of the franchise with Japanese anime in the new Star Wars: Visions]( was as destined as Luke's mastery of the Force. Read the story or [🎧 listen to an interview with the Japanese creators here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Lake Mckenzie sits in the middle of K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, in Australia. The Aboriginal people in the region, the Butchulla, had been advocating for the name change for years.]( ullstein bild via Getty Images - Australia’s Fraser Island regained its original indigenous name: K’gari, [after years of activism by the Butchulla aboriginal people](. - Fungi, parasites and root rot fueled by climate change are afflicting trees and [causing power outages across the country]( threatening public health. - Members of a string quartet played and floated through a canal in Venice last weekend [aboard a giant wooden violin (really)](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]