The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their efforts to advance freedom of expression. Ressa and Muratov founded independent news outlets that have become popular sources for investigative journalism in their respective countries. The Nobel committee chose from more than 300 candidates for the prestigious award. Favorites to win had included climate change activists like Greta Thunberg and scientists who worked to end the pandemic. GUARDIAN

Pfizer has formally requested an FDA approval for its vaccine in kids aged 5 to 11. Assuming the FDA’s timeline is similar to what it took to authorize that vaccine for older kids, the shots would become available to younger children in early November. The regimen would be the same -- two doses spaced a few weeks apart -- but with smaller quantities of the vaccine in each. CNN

The Senate passed legislation to avoid a looming federal credit default after 11 Republicans joined all 50 Democrats to allow a vote on a short-term debt ceiling fix. That final vote passed with just Dem support after Mitch McConnell said that the majority party needs to lift the debt ceiling on its own. For all the political maneuvering, the vote just punts the debate until December, when Congress also faces a deadline to fund the government for the next fiscal year. POLITICO

A small group of U.S. troops has reportedly been operating covertly in Taiwan for at least a year. About two dozen special operations forces and Marines are said to be helping train Taiwan’s military amid growing concerns that China could be laying the groundwork for an invasion of that island. Taiwan’s defense minister estimated this week that Beijing could have the capacity to launch a full-scale attack on Taiwan by 2025 with minimal casualties. WSJ

Elon Musk says he’s moving Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas, making good on a threat from last year when he called California’s Covid lockdowns “fascist.” Musk told shareholders he made the decision because “there’s a limit to how big you can scale in the Bay Area.” While Tesla HQ will move to Austin, the company’s huge manufacturing plant that’s in California will continue to expand. SF GATE

Last fall, YouTube shelved its annual Rewind video that highlights the best content of the year on account of the year being so uniformly bad. Now YouTube says it’s getting rid of the annual round-up video for good. YouTube will replace Rewind with something unspecified that involves its creators. TUBEFILTER

Eighteen former NBA players have been indicted on charges they conspired to defraud the league’s insurance plan. Federal prosecutors alleged that the players, including one-time Celtics stars Tony Allen and Glen “Big Baby” Davis, filed fraudulent medical and dental claims and then pocketed the reimbursements to the tune of $4 million. ESPN

Dave Chappelle is facing a growing cascade of criticism over his latest Netflix stand-up special, including comments he makes about LGBTQ+ people and specifically the transgender community. GLAAD condemned Chappelle for “ridiculing trans people” in his comedy, while the National Black Justice Coalition is calling on Netflix to pull the plug on the special entirely. The Closer marks Chappelle’s final special as part of his $60 million deal with Netflix. DEADLINE

…Diane Keaton, playing Justin Bieber’s muse in the new music video for his song, Ghost: WATCH

...Adele, looking stunning on the covers of Vogue and British Vogue’s November issues. The singer opens up about her upcoming album, her divorce and her weight loss in the rare interview:  SEE IT

...Kim Kardashian, out and about in NYC as she preps for her gig hosting SNL this weekend: SEE PICS

...William Shatner, admitting that he's 'terrified' ahead of his trip to space next week: READ IT

A mountain gorilla in Congo who achieved viral fame when she photobombed a park ranger’s selfie a couple years ago has died. Ndakasi was 14 years old. The national park where she lived announced her death in a statement, along with an incredible photo showing the gorilla as she lay dying in the arms of the ranger who rescued her as a baby: SEE IT