Baldwin set shooting, CDC's Covid booster decision, and an expensive dinosaur

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.   Today we have the latest on the death of a movie crew member on an Alec Baldwin movie, why the U.K. is seeing a Covid spike, and a $7.7 million dinosaur.   Here's that and everything else we're watching.     Alec Baldwin shoots prop gun, killing 1, injuring another on set of 'Rust,' New Mexico officials say Producer and actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed a woman and injured a man on the set of the movie "Rust" in New Mexico on Thursday, Santa Fe County sheriff's office said.   The film's director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed, and director Joel Souza, 48, was injured when Baldwin, 63, discharged a prop firearm, the sheriff's office said in a statement Thursday evening.   Souza was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was receiving emergency care, officials said. Frances Fisher, an actress in the movie, later tweeted that Souza was out of the hospital, although NBC News could not immediately confirm that the director had been released.   "There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks," a spokesperson for Baldwin said in a statement. "Production has been halted for the time being. The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority."   Read the latest on this here.  Friday's Top Stories CDC expands eligibility for Covid booster shots, endorses 'mix and match' approach The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday officially endorsed booster shots for both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines, one day after the Food and Drug Administration authorized the additional shots. READ MORE Human remains found in Florida reserve confirmed to be Brian Laundrie, FBI says Partial remains found by authorities searching for Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's fiancé, were confirmed to be his after a review of dental records. READ MORE Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' trial set to begin four years after rally The case, the first major civil suit to be tried under the so-called Ku Klux Klan Act in years, could provide a model to hold those who incite right-wing extremist violence accountable READ MORE OPINION North Korea's ongoing nuclear missile tests prove it's time to normalize relations Given the history of repeated dead-end disarmament talks, déjà vu begs the question whether it is time to cut bait and accept the unacceptable, writes Bennett Ramberg, former policy analyst at the U.S. State Department. READ MORE Also in the News House asks DOJ to prosecute Trump adviser Steve Bannon for refusing to comply with Jan. 6 committee Queen Elizabeth spent the night in a hospital for 'preliminary investigations' D.C. assistant police chief says she was told to 'have an abortion or be fired' Elephants have evolved to be tuskless in response to ivory poaching, study finds Texas principal fights for his job as race roils school district Editor's Pick Map: Where do America's pumpkins come from? When it comes to pumpkins Illinois is king, producing 41 percent of the nation's crop last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. READ MORE Select Leaf blowers can be useful not just for fall, but all year round. Experts share their tips on what to look for when shopping for one. One Fun Thing Triceratops skeleton sold at Paris auction for over $7 million to American collector The world's biggest triceratops skeleton, known as "Big John," was sold for 6.6 million euros ($7.7 million) Thursday to a private collector at a Paris auction house.   The enormous skeleton, estimated to be over 66 million years old, was found in 2014 in South Dakota. The triceratops is known for its three horns on the head.   Big John, named after the owner of the land where it was found, is certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest documented skeleton of a triceratops.   The dinosaur died in an ancient flood plain on the island continent stretching from present-day Alaska to Mexico, allowing the conservation of its skeleton in mud.   Read more here.  Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: patrick.smith@nbcuni.com. If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Patrick Smith     FOLLOW US     Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? SIGN UP HERE Check out all of NBC Newsletters here.     Get the NBC News Mobile App   30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 View in browser | Unsubscribe | Manage Subscription | Contact | Privacy