Kenosha on edge ahead of Rittenhouse verdict, Myanmar frees U.S. journalist and fans fear for Britney Spears despite freedom

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     Kenosha, Wisconsin, is on edge ahead of closing arguments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. American journalist Danny Fenster has been freed from a Myanmar prison and is heading home. Plus, what to expect from President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping's virtual summit later today.    Here's what we're watching this Monday morning.     Why Rittenhouse verdict could mean so much to Kenosha — and America Ahead of closing arguments in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the city of Kenosha is on edge and bracing for a verdict in the controversial case.    Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with reckless homicide, intentional homicide and attempted intentional homicide after he gunned down two men and wounded a third during protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake last year.    Wisconsin has dispatched 500 National Guard troops to be on standby as a precaution to ensure public safety during the conclusion of the trial.   Some experts believe the case's closing arguments and verdict will be a pivotal moment for America.   "All signs are this is going to be the case that vindicates white people," said John Eason, an assistant sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He added, "If the peak of the country's social justice reckoning was George Floyd, then this is the pendulum swinging back."   Rittenhouse's mother spoke out ahead of the trial's conclusion, arguing that it was his life or the shooting victims' lives.    "If he didn't have that gun, my son would've been dead," Wendy Rittenhouse said in an interview with NBC's "Nightly News." Monday's Top Stories U.S. journalist freed from Myanmar jail with ex-diplomat's aid American journalist Danny Fenster, sentenced only days ago to 11 years hard labor in Myanmar, has been freed and is on his way home, according to former U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson.   READ MORE Long history, tough politics at home loom over Biden-Xi summit Biden and Xi meet virtually on Monday for perhaps their most consequential summit to date — one that comes as both leaders face complicated political situations at home and an escalating rivalry between superpowers that's drawing comparisons to a new Cold War.  READ MORE Covid is surging in Europe. Experts say it's a warning for the U.S.   As Europe finds itself "back at the epicenter" of the Covid-19 pandemic once again, experts say it should serve as a warning to the U.S. and other countries about the coronavirus's unremitting nature.  READ MORE Fans fear repeating history with Britney Spears post-conservatorship  Pop star Britney Spears may finally be freed from her conservatorship, but observers and fans worry that society will fall back into the same behavior that helped put her there more than 13 years ago.  READ MORE Also in the News 9-year-old boy becomes 10th and youngest Astroworld victim Car blast outside women's hospital declared terrorist incident as U.K. praises 'hero' cab driver WTA calls on China to investigate tennis star Peng Shuai's sexual assault allegations Standoff between Cuban government and activists begins ins ahead of march Schiff says Jan. 6 committee preparing to refer Meadows for criminal contempt charges Southwest Airlines employee hospitalized after passenger punched her, police say Editor's Pick The new steel? Hope and fear as a new plastics factory rises in Appalachia Some see a plastics complex near Pittsburgh as a boon for a struggling region. Others fear a return to a toxic past for a product they say the world needs less of just as the U.N. Climate Change Conference wraps up with a warning that our "fragile planet is hanging by a thread." READ MORE One Fun Thing Michael Che talks about 'SNL' and using humor through hardship    In this week's Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, comedian Michael Che talked about his long road to becoming a writer and "Weekend Update" co-anchor on "Saturday Night Live," including selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his car to make ends meet.    This week's show included mocking Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for picking a fight with the "Sesame Street" character Big Bird.    See highlights from "SNL" here and watch Che's full interview 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? 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