Three things for November 2
1. Biden reassures leaders about climate goals for the US
On Monday, President Joe Biden attended COP26 in Glasgow. The annual summit is an opportunity for world leaders to come together and discuss various climate issues and solutions for the future.
Earlier this year, Biden pledged the U.S. would slice greenhouse emissions 50-52% by 2030.
“We’ll demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table but hopefully leading by the power of our example,” the president said.
Biden hopes to show the world his administration will hold up to its pledge through a $1.75 trillion spending bill currently being voted on by Congress. According to National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy, the bill contains $555 billion for climate spending, the largest single investment the US has ever made towards combating climate change.
2. Electric plane crosses New Zealand straight for first time
Gary Freedman, 40 minutes into his solo flight, saw a wind turbine along the coastline of Wellington, New Zealand. The wind turbine signaled Freedman had completed his mission to officially be the first person to fly across the Cook Strait in an electric aircraft.
The flight took place on Monday and was designed to coincide with the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The goal of the flight was to draw attention to the possibilities of greener flying.
Freedman, the founder of ElectricAir, said the technology worked better than he ever hoped.
“We still had 40% left in the battery. We could have almost flown back again,” he said.
The aircraft was a Pipistrel Alpha Electro and weighs less than 880 pounds. During the 48-mile trip, Freedman flew at around 1,000 feet and at the speed of 81 miles per hour to conserve the battery life.
3. Robert Durst indicted for murder
Robert Durst, the subject of the HBO series “The Jinx” is being indicted for murder. Already convicted of murdering his best friend, Susan Berman, he is now indicted for murdering his wife.
Handed down on Monday, the indictment states on Jan. 31, 1981, Robert Durst caused the death of his wife Kathleen McCormack Durst. The indictment comes after he was convicted last month of killing Berman in 2000. Durst was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for Berman’s murder.
Durst killed Berman in her Beverly Hills home, just hours before she was supposed to speak with investigators regarding the disappearance of his wife. McCormack Durst was last seen in 1982 and legally declared dead in 2017.
