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B. Smith

The Short List: Ginsburg's stent; the truth about indictments; winter weather

Cara Richardson and Alia E. Dastagir
USA TODAY

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her Supreme Court chambers in Washington, D.C.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives us a scare

The 81-year-old Supreme Court Justice is a trouper. Today, a heart procedure. Next week, she's expected back on the bench. Ginsburg is "resting comfortably" after showing up at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on Wednesday morning. She had been experiencing discomfort since exercising the night before, and ended up having a stent put in to address a blockage in her right coronary artery. If you didn't know (we didn't), Ginsburg is a gym rat. She picked up the habit after a colon cancer diagnosis in 1999, and exercises twice a week in the court's gymnasium. Wikipedia tells us the basketball court there is aptly named "The Highest Court in the Land." Womp, womp.

Grand jury charges are easy — except against police

After the Ferguson verdict, a lot of people pointed out how rare it is for a grand jury not to return an indictment. They're right — except when it comes to police officers. "People do not want to believe officers do bad things," said Randolph McLaughlin, a law professor at Pace University in New York and a trial lawyer who has handled wrongful death cases against police. "Society gives them the benefit of the doubt. ... It's very difficult to indict a police officer." If you missed it on Tuesday, police officer Darren Wilson made his first public comments since the Michael Brown shooting. The cliff notes: He's married, expecting a baby and a return to the police force is unlikely.

Renla Session, center, chants during a protest in Detroit  Nov. 25 in response to the Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.

Ex-model B. Smith found in NYC diner after going missing

Today we were again reminded what a terrible disease Alzheimer's is. Famed restaurateur and former model B. Smith, who suffers from the disease, was found after being reported missing on Long Island Wednesday. She was discovered in a diner in Manhattan. The 65 year old revealed earlier this year that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after years of symptoms. She was one of the first African-American models to appear on the cover of Mademoiselle, and later became an acclaimed restaurateur, designer and decorator.

We keep writing about the weather so it must be winter ... right?

If you're going over the river and through the woods, count your blessings if you made it to your grandmother's house. It's a messy Thanksgiving eve — stormy skies, slick roads and snow snarled travel along the East Coast on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Motorists and fliers alike got jammed up trying to make it to the holiday table. "Travel is going to be difficult, but in some areas that have the heaviest snow, it may become next to impossible for a time," said David Robinson, a New Jersey state climatologist. Fun times. And if you're checking, nope, not winter. Not until next month.

Make your Black Friday list and check it twice

If you're really gung-ho on getting a jump on holiday shopping, get to bed early tonight. Then get to RadioShack or Kmart early Thursday morning. (Who are you people?) There are some nice deals out there, but for the best deals, here's what you've got to do: Get your maps. Download the apps. Skip the traps. Or, just skip the whole thing and play some Super Smash Brothers. Seriously, though, if you're getting your shop on, don't miss out on finding the best buys on 4K TVs and iPhones and all of the things.

Extra Bites

Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.

A protester in wolf's clothing holds a lamb during a demonstration in front of the European Parliament  in Strasbourg, France, on Nov. 26.

Have you seen it? This bird sculpture can flap its wings.

Did fliers really get out and "push"a frozen Russian jetliner?

HBO just gave us our first look at Game of Thrones season 5. More like a blink, but we'll take it.

The first comment from someone in Bill Cosby's family in response to the multiple rape allegations against him is a stout, Bible-quoting defense from his nephew.

It's a glum Thanksgiving weekend for the Redskins' Robert Griffin III.

A family reconnects with the heartbeart of their son who, in his death, gave the gift of life.

Amazon really wants to dominate the world. The latest? A handyman service. And the Fire Phone is now cheaper. We just want to know when all of this will come to our door via drone.

If you've got Thanksgiving Day movie-watching plans, make sure to digest USA TODAY's hilarious review of Penguins of Madagascar. (Here's what's on TV if you've got plans to veg out in your jammies.)

This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.

Contributing: Maria Puente, Richard Wolf, Doyle Rice, Marisol Bello, Greg Toppo, Peter Eisler, USA TODAY; Associated Press

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