Monday briefing: Democrats keep Senate control; Biden meets with Xi Jinping; Charlottesville shooting; Dolly Parton; and more

(Jordan Robertson for The Washington Post)

1

Democrats will keep control of the Senate.

• The latest: Close races in Arizona and Nevada were called for Democrats this weekend. It gives the party at least 50 seats — a majority, with Vice President Harris’s tiebreaking vote — for the next two years.
• What’s next? The Senate seat in Georgia is headed for a runoff election on Dec. 6.
• What else to know: Control of the House remains up in the air. Many districts where votes are still being counted expected delays because of mail-in ballots.

2

Ukraine said it found evidence of Russian war crimes in a newly liberated city.

• Where? Kherson, in the country’s south. Ukraine retook the city — the only regional capital seized by Russia since its invasion — on Friday, marking another major victory.
• What Russia left behind: Evidence of atrocities and widespread damage to infrastructure, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a surprise visit to the city today.

3

President Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this morning.

• What to know: This was their first face-to-face meeting as presidents. The three-hour sit-down took place in Bali, Indonesia, a day before a G-20 summit, a global forum of the world’s most powerful governments.
• Why this matters: The relationship between the U.S. and China is at its lowest point in decades, which has huge economic ripple effects worldwide.

4

At least three people were killed in a shooting at the University of Virginia.

• What we know: A gunman opened fire on the Charlottesville campus late last night, officials said. At least two other people were injured. None of the victims have been named.
• The latest: The university identified a 22-year-old student as the suspect. Police were still searching for him as of this morning.

5

An explosion in one of Turkey’s busiest shopping districts killed six people.

• What we know: The attack took place in one of Istanbul’s main pedestrian thoroughfares yesterday and injured at least 81 other people, authorities said.
• The investigation: Police detained 46 suspects in connection with the attack, including a woman who they said had planted the explosives.

6

Your phone can now warn you before an earthquake hits.

• How? It’s a new early-warning system called ShakeAlert. It can give you a few crucial seconds to drop, cover and hold on before an earthquake reaches your location.
• How to get it: It’s active in California, Oregon and Washington state, and Alaska could be next. Find out how to turn on the alerts on Android and iPhones here.

7

Dolly Parton received $100 million from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

• What to know: She’s the second winner of the Courage and Civility Award. The Queen of Country can give the money to any charity she wants. (Bezos owns The Post.)
• Why this matters: Parton has spent years giving back. Her best-known program has gifted nearly 200 million books to children since 1995.

And now … an exciting reminder: The 7 is launching as a podcast this morning. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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