Know Right Now

Kobe Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan’s record for points on Sunday night, putting him at third place on the NBA’s top scorers list, behind first place Karl Malone and second place Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Bryant scored his 32,293rd point in a game between his Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves — crossing over the record mark when shooting a free throw. Bryant said the achievement was a “huge honor,” and Michael Jordan congratulated Bryant, saying, “I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.”

Watch today’s Know Right Now to find out more.

The House passed a $1.1 trillion spending package late Thursday to ensure that the government will avoid another damaging shutdown. “This compromise proposal merits bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and hopefully will arrive on the President’s desk in the next few days, and if it does, he will sign it,” stated White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

A tropical storm called the Pineapple Express pummeled the Pacific Northwest on Thursday. In drought-stricken California, flooding and mudslides prompted rare school closures in the north of the state. Powerful winds knocked out power to more than 150,000 homes in Washington.

Gas prices hit a 4-year low this week, with the average price of gas in the United States sinking to $2.72 per gallon. That’s the lowest gas prices have been since November 2010. Prices are dropping due to higher North American oil production and less demand. New Mexico has the lowest gas prices at $2.38 per gallon, and San Francisco has the highest gas prices at $3.04 per gallon.

And lastly, on Wednesday, TIME Magazine chose the Ebola fighters as 2014’s Person of the Year. “They risked and persisted, sacrificed, and saved,” TIME editor Nancy Gibbs wrote.

The LA Lakers donned “I Can’t Breathe” shirts before Tuesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, showing their support for protesters in the wake of the Eric Garner grand jury decision. Every player wore the shirt, except for backup center Robert Sacre. Kobe Bryant stated, “It’s important that we have our opinions. It’s important that we stand up for what we believe in and we all don’t have to agree with it, and it’s completely fine. That’s what makes this a beautiful country.”

Other NBA athletes have joined in the silent protests as well. Earlier this week, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose donned an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt, and members of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets also followed suit. LeBron James commented, “As a society we know we have to do better, but it’s not going to be done in one day.”

The NBA’s official apparel provider is Adidas, but the league says it won’t fine players for wearing unauthorized “I Can’t Breathe” shirts. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver added, “As long as they’re informed, and to be careful and make sure they understand the issues before they speak out but that I encourage them when they have genuine authentic views on a subject to let them be known.”

American drivers may have noticed a smaller bill at the pump recently– that’s because the average price of U.S. regular gas has recently reached $2.72 a gallon, the lowest it’s been in four years.

In the last two weeks alone, the average price has dropped 12 cents. But what is the reason for these dropping prices? Watch this video to find out what’s causing the cheaper fuel, and where you can find the most affordable gas in the country.

This week, Cyber Monday shattered records with sales surpassing $2 billion. Sales were up 17% compared to last year, making it the biggest shopping day ever.

Protests flared around the country after a grand jury decided there would be no indictment in the case of Eric Garner, a black man who died while being violently subdued by the NYPD. Protesters blocked major roadways in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington D.C., and more than 200 protesters were arrested in New York alone.

The Orion spacecraft successfully launched Friday morning, orbiting 3,600 miles above the planet, 15 times higher than the International Space Station. The spacecraft orbited Earth twice before landing in the Pacific Ocean.

And finally, Warner Bros. revealed the cast for its movie Suicide Squad this week. The film will feature Will Smith as Deadshot, Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg, Jared Leto as The Joker, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. It’s slated for release in 2016.

In today’s top trending stories, Cyber Monday sales surpassed the $2 billion mark this year, making it the biggest online shopping day ever. Sales were up 17% compared to last year.

Meanwhile, Black Friday sales were down 5% compared with last year. Experts blame downturn on consumers shopping weeks before Thanksgiving weekend. Others say that the increase in Cyber Monday shopping may have contributed to the decline on Black Friday.

And lastly, Amazon used 15,000 robots to keep up with Cyber Monday orders. In 2013, Amazon shoppers ordered 426 products per second. Amazon is still the leader among its other cyber-competitors, including Walmart and Target.

A 60-year-old cricket umpire in Israel died from injuries sustained after being struck in the face with a cricket ball during a match Saturday.

Just two days prior to that, Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, 25, died after being hit in the head by a ball as a result of a quick, rising pitch called a “bouncer.” Deaths in cricket—one of the world’s most popular sports—are extremely rare, but bowlers pitch their balls at speeds of up to 100 mph, and most on the field don’t wear protective gear.

Following the tragic events, Australia’s chief executive for cricket, James Sutherland said Cricket Australia will be reviewing safety procedures and protocol for players.

This week the country watched as a grand jury in Ferguson ruled on the shooting of teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson, deciding not to charge the officer in the young man’s death.

Another member of Barack Obama’s cabinet left office, with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stepping down.

And finally, across the country Americans were bracing against the cold weather and searching for the best retail deals on Black Friday.

In today’s trending stories, winter weather will wreak havoc for the 41 million holiday travelers expected to hit the roads on Wednesday and Thursday. Storms could dump as much as 18″ of snow in northern New Jersey, and will affect most of the northeast.

Airports in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Newark, NJ are expected to experience the most cancellations and delays. Interstates 76, 81, and 90 will experience the worst weather and traffic.

And lastly, many major airlines are allowing customers to rebook without fees. More than 200 flight cancellations have already been announced for Wednesday.

The billionaire CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, decided to show off his new rockets Saturday. He revealed SpaceX’s newly improved rocket, the Falcon 9R, which now has four adjustable wings. The 9R’s “X Wings” are designed to deploy after takeoff and will work with rocket thrusters for navigation, which Musk showed in a video he shared on Twitter.

Musk also revealed that SpaceX is creating rocket landing pads at sea, which will be used as refueling stations for rockets before launching back into space.