Tense Southlake meeting after Holocaust remark, Powell's complex legacy and a glimpse into the end of our solar system

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     We have more on the fallout in Southlake, Texas, after a school administrator's comments that teachers balance Holocaust books with "opposing" views. We take a look at Colin Powell's complicated legacy across the world. Plus, a glimpse into how the end of our solar system may look.   Here's the latest on that and everything else we're watching this Tuesday morning.     Jewish residents condemn Southlake administrator's call for balance on Holocaust at tense meeting At a tense school board meeting Monday night in Southlake, Texas, a former student gave painful testimony about antisemitic bullying that he said he endured in the Carroll Independent School District.    Teachers grew emotional as they described feeling unsupported and under attack.     And many parents defended a district administrator who told teachers to offer students books showing "opposing" perspectives on the Holocaust, while also condemning her interpretation of the state's new law.    Monday's school board meeting was the first time local residents had a public forum to raise concerns about the remark. More than 50 speakers addressed the board, many demanding that the district take steps to repair its reputation.   Read the full story here.  Tuesday's Top Stories Iraqis remember Powell as both liberator and 'engineer' of endless war While Americans mourned Colin Powell as a soldier and a statesman, in Baghdad he will forever be tied to the 80-plus minute speech he delivered to the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, in which he laid the groundwork for an invasion that was launched on a lie. READ MORE With public defenders as judges, Biden quietly makes history in the courts Overall, Biden is outpacing every other president since Richard Nixon in confirming circuit court judges, who have the last word in most federal cases.  READ MORE How will our solar system end? A distant planet offers hints A darkened planet orbiting a burned-out star about 6,000 light-years from Earth shows what our own solar system will look like at the end of its existence, astronomers say. READ MORE OPINION How Steve Bannon could go to jail for helping Trump The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection will vote Tuesday on whether to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with its subpoena. The House's case for prosecuting Trump's former adviser is strong, writes Georgetown law professor Josh Chafetz. And the stakes couldn't be higher. READ MORE Also in the News White House dials up 'urgency' as Biden meets with Democrats on economic bill Washington State University fires head football coach for refusing Covid-19 vaccine Trump sues Jan. 6 committee, National Archives seeking to block handover of documents Family of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after a confrontation with police, settles with Aurora, Colorado Thomas Jefferson statue to be removed from New York City Hall  Vienna's museums turn to OnlyFans to promote lewd art Rapper formerly known as Kanye West is now just Ye Editor's Pick EXCLUSIVE  Ida's forgotten victims: Nearly all storm's basement deaths were Asian residents, obscured by climate injustice More than a month later, loved ones are still reeling from the loss, which experts say was the result of housing issues, climate change's hidden toll on low-income immigrants and more. READ MORE Select Here are some great gifts for every type of woman, from artists and foodies to bibliophiles and coffee connoisseurs. One Fun Thing 'Dune' is nearly here. The stakes are high for devoted fans — and a fragile box office "Dune" aficionados know all too well that Frank Herbert's famously complex and lengthy sci-fi epic has repeatedly proven difficult to bring to the screen, foiling maverick filmmakers' plans and disappointing many lifelong fans of the book.   Herbert's devoted readers are not the only people keeping their fingers crossed that Denis Villeneuve's film version  delivers the proverbial goods.   Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the project, also has a lot riding on the commercial success of a long-delayed movie believed to have cost at least $165 million  — and so do brick-and-mortar theaters, which are still trying to find their footing in the pandemic.   "They are obviously hoping this is the next 'Star Wars' franchise," said Jeff Bock, a senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations, an entertainment research firm. "I don't think the stakes get any higher in Hollywood when you spend this much on a sci-fi vision."   Read more about the great expectations surrounding the sci-fi epic here.  Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill     FOLLOW US     Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? 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