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Today’s Top Stories from NBC News FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.
We have a deep dive into criticisms of the International Olympic Committee over its handling of the Peng Shuai situation, a look at what it's like for trans men in prison, and an unplanned IKEA sleepover.
Here's the latest on that and everything else we're watching this Friday morning. 
When Olympics organizers held a video call with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai this week, many activists and experts said it was merely a continuation of a decadeslong trend in which the International Olympic Committee has enabled and even emboldened authoritarian regimes.
Peng, a three-time Olympian and former doubles world No.1, wasn’t seen for three weeks after making sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier who was one of China’s most powerful officials.
The committee held a video call with Peng last month, reporting she was “safe and well” and saying that she asked for privacy. On Thursday, the IOC said it spoke with Peng again and was offering “wide-ranging support” — but it did not release video of the calls or mention the allegations.
“It was typical IOC: take the Chinese Communist Party at its word despite all evidence to the contrary,” said Kelley Currie, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues.
Currie is among critics who see the episode as the latest in a long list of examples where the IOC has allowed human rights abusers to wield the world’s largest sporting event as a soft-power tool.
The IOC said in a statement it had “taken a very human and person-centered approach" to the situation.
Read the full story here. Friday's Top Stories
Transgender men say they are often harassed, denied medically necessary care and “forced to be someone” they're not while incarcerated. 
On Thursday, health officials from Minnesota, New York, and Colorado announced cases of the new, highly mutated variant, one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first individual detected with omicron in California. 
Congress passed a short-term government funding bill Thursday that will prevent a shutdown before the Friday night deadline, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature. 
OPINION The racist and classist way poor people are talked about in the U.S. is part of the reason why failed policies stay in place, says Michael Tubbs, author of “The Deeper the Roots” and former mayor of Stockton, California. Also in the News
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“I never in my head would have thought that I would be able to or I would be in truck driving,” says Tracy Barajas, a Latina trucker from California Select
The Vitamix E310 blender makes a great Christmas gift — it can be used to make hot soup, bread dough, almond milk, and more. One Fun Thing
Ever wanted to spend a night at IKEA?
That's what happened to six shoppers and two dozen staff in Aalborg, Denmark who had an unplanned sleepover in their local store after being left stranded by a snowstorm.
The group played cards, watched television and slept in the store’s display beds.
Hundreds of people were stuck at the local airport as 12 inches of snow fell outside.
Watch the video here. 
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: patrick.smith@nbcuni.com.
Thanks, Patrick Smith
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