“Hungarian voters reject Orbán after 16-year rule,” The Wall Street Journal says on Monday’s front page. “Orbán concedes in Hungary, slowing global tilt to the right,” The New York Times says. “Blockade of Iran announced after fruitless meeting,” The Washington Post says. “Swalwell suspends campaign for governor,” the Los Angeles Times says. “GOP passes on candidate endorsement,” The Mercury News says.

“Detainee’s wife: Local ICE facility overcrowded,” with “33 men sharing one cell,” the Arizona Republic says. “Alligator Alcatraz phones were cut off. Then the beatings began, court docs say,” the Miami Herald says. “ICE’s echoes of Latin American regimes” evoke “painful memories of ‘disappearances’ in the ’70s and ’80s,” says the Chicago Sun-Times. “People united around Artemis II’s big, small moments,” USA Today says. “NASA has next voyage in its sights,” says The Dallas Morning News. “More glory for Rory: McIlroy again wins Masters,” says The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

President Joe Biden has vowed to "stay in the race" and "beat" Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal says on Friday's front page. But even at his "high-stakes" news conference yesterday, Biden "made some flubs". The president's "make-or-break Q&A" was the "Blunder of the World", says the New York Post. 

Biden isn't the only one feeling the heat, amid record-high temperature that are "stunning even forecasters", says The New York Times, as Las Vegas "hits 118". But in Vermont, a year after floods devastated the region, there is a "painful deja vu" for locals, says The Boston Globe, after tributaries of the Winooski River "burst their banks again" amid "heavy storms".

There was some good news for the nation though. As inflation eases, rates cuts "may not be far behind", says The Washington Post, giving "long-awaited relief" to households and businesses.

1. Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win

Former President Donald Trump won New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary on Tuesday, beating former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in what political analysts had considered her last and best chance to slow his march to the Republican nomination. Trump, who also dominated last week's Iowa caucuses, now turns to the February primary in Haley's deeply conservative home state, hoping a blowout in South Carolina will wrap up the nomination. Haley, who was popular with New Hampshire independents, argues she can beat President Joe Biden more easily and vowed to stay in the race. Biden wasn't on the ballot due to a primary-scheduling clash, but he easily beat lesser-known Democrats after an organized write-in effort. The Boston Globe, The Washington Post

2. 'Oppenheimer,' 'Poor Things' lead Oscar nominations

"Oppenheimer," the blockbuster film about the dawn of the Atomic Age, led the Oscar nominations announced Tuesday with 13 nods. "Poor Things" was close behind with 11. "Killers of the Flower Moon," a historical crime drama about murders targeting members of the Osage Nation over their oil wealth, followed with 10 nominations. Box-office smash "Barbie" picked up eight nominations, including Best Picture alongside "Oppenheimer" and "Killers of the Flower Moon," but director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were among this year's notable snubs. Lily Gladstone made Oscars history as the first Native American to be nominated for Best Actress for her role in "Killers of the Flower Moon." Variety

3. 20 Israeli soldiers killed in blast, UN warns of 'catastrophic hunger' in Gaza

Israeli leaders on Tuesday reiterated their vow to destroy Hamas after the country's military suffered its worst day of losses in its Gaza offensive. Twenty-four Israeli soldiers were killed, 20 of them in a blast after an Israeli engineering unit came under fire while setting explosives in buildings being destroyed to create a buffer zone near Israel's border. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would "not stop fighting until absolute victory." Palestinian health officials said 195 Palestinians had been killed in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from Israel's offensive to 25,490. The United Nations warned Tuesday that more than half a million Gazans face "catastrophic hunger" because of Israel's restrictions on supplies allowed into the Palestinian territory. Reuters, The New York Times

4. Biden focuses on abortion access in first 2024 rally

President Joe Biden campaigned on abortion rights Tuesday in Virginia at his first 2024 political rally. Biden slammed former President Donald Trump, his likely opponent in the November presidential election, for the overturning of Roe v. Wade — the Supreme Court decision that protected abortion rights for half a century — by a conservative majority expanded with Trump's three appointees. "Donald Trump is betting you won't vote on this issue," Biden said. "Well guess what? I'm betting he's wrong." The rally took place in a state where Democrats won control of the legislature last year in a campaign centered on abortion access. A dozen protesters interrupted Biden's speech with shouted criticism of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Wall Street Journal, CNN

5. Turkish lawmakers ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO

Turkey's parliament on Tuesday backed Sweden's bid to join NATO, removing a key obstacle to adding the Scandinavian nation to the Western military alliance. Sweden applied in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine and other nations wondered if they would be next. Turkey had delayed its approval, demanding Sweden stop supporting Kurdish separatists Ankara views as terrorists. Hungary is now the sole NATO member that has not ratified Sweden's accession. "Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote in a social media post. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Hungary to quickly ratify the change, too. BBC, The Associated Press

6. US attacks Iran-backed militia in Iraq

U.S. forces carried out strikes Tuesday against Iran-backed militias in western Iraq near the Syrian border in a "direct response" to "escalatory attacks" against U.S. and coalition allies in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. The strikes targeted the headquarters, training locations and weapon storage facilities of the Kataib Hezbollah militia blamed for a Saturday attack on a major base in Iraq. U.S. Central Command said at least four U.S. service members were injured in that attack. A senior Iraqi official called the U.S. strikes a "flagrant violation of Iraq's sovereignty." The fighting, like strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, underscored how the Gaza war threatens to trigger broader conflicts. BBC, The New York Times

7. Appeals court declines to reconsider Trump's gag-order challenge

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday declined former President Donald Trump's request to have the full appellate court hear his challenge of a gag order in his federal election interference case. A three-judge panel upheld but narrowed Judge Tanya Chutkan's gag-order ruling, which limited what Trump can say in the case and barred him making statements that "target" witnesses, prosecutors or court staff. The appeals court's refusal to hear the case set the stage for a likely appeal to the Supreme Court, where Trump can ask the justices to pause the gag order while they considers the case. If the high court steps in, it will be the first time it has done so in Trump's four criminal cases. The Hill

8. School shooter's mother goes on trial

Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Jennifer Crumbley, charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a deadly 2021 mass shooting her son, Ethan Crumbley, carried out at Oxford High School in Michigan. Jennifer Crumbley and her husband, James Crumbley, are being tried separately, and both have pleaded not guilty. Jennifer Crumbley is the first U.S. parent prosecuted in connection with a mass shooting by their child. James Crumbley goes on trial in March. They are accused of buying the gun their son used in the shooting, which left four people dead and six injured, and disregarding warnings about his mental health struggles, including an alert from a teacher the day of the shooting. Detroit Free Press, The Washington Post

9. S&P 500 sets another record

The S&P 500 closed at a record high for a third straight day on Tuesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 4,864.60 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.4% as investors digested a wave of earnings reports and anticipated more, including from electric vehicle maker Tesla, later in the week. Netflix's surge following an unexpectedly large subscriber gain last quarter helped keep a tech rally going. "It's a crescendo of reports tomorrow and Thursday, and then next week will be even busier," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. "We've got a lot of things to contemplate." Reuters

10. Powerful earthquake hits remote region in China

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Tuesday in a remote part of China's western Xinjiang region, killing at least three people. Officials in the region said the "very strong" quake caused extensive damage, but they attributed the low death toll to the sparse population in the hardest hit areas. The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake struck around 2 a.m. in freezing weather. About 1,000 rescuers had rushed to the area by midday, bringing coats, tents and other emergency supplies for the thousands of people forced to flee their homes. The epicenter was in a mountainous area 9,800 feet above sea level. The Associated Press

A woman was "left in stitches" after discovering a hidden shrine dedicated to Nicolas Cage under her house, said The Mirror. The shrine, with candles, goblets and cinema memorabilia, was uncovered when workmen were laying new cables. Commenting on the discovery, one online wag suggested this could become part of a new trend. "We should all do this - a couple hundred years from now it will be a religion," they wrote.

Kebab caller tops 999 oddities

Eating too much kebab topped the list of bizarre 999 calls in Wales over the past year. "Yesterday evening, we had some kebab, and I might have had a little bit more than I'm used to," the caller told emergency operators. Among the 414,149 calls the Welsh Ambulance Service received were other curiosities, including losing false teeth and getting a hand stuck in a letterbox, noted the BBC. An ambulance spokesman said inappropriate 999 calls put additional strain "on an already over-stretched service".

Woman claims arm hair record

A Californian woman is celebrating after she grew the world's longest female arm hair. Speaking to Guinness World Records, Macie Davis-Southerland said she didn't discover her unusually long arm hair until 2012, when she was at school and her friend's brother offered to pull it out. But she decided she would try to grow the hair for a world record. Her arm hair was officially measured at 7.24 inches and she plans to continue growing it to claim the overall arm hair record, noted UPI.

1. Haley barnstorms in bid to upset Trump in New Hampshire

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dashed from one campaign event to another Monday before voting got underway early Tuesday in New Hampshire's Republican primary. Political observers say the New Hampshire primary could be her last chance to prevent former President Donald Trump from sealing the nomination. "Do we want more of the same or do we want a new generational leader?" Haley said. Some polls showed Trump extending his lead after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, once considered his main rival, dropped out and endorsed him. A tracking survey released Monday by Suffolk University showed Trump ahead 57% to 38%. Trump suggested Haley should drop out, too, and rally behind him in his expected rematch against President Joe Biden. The New York Times, New Hampshire Union Leader

2. Supreme Court backs US over Texas in border fight

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday that the U.S. Border Patrol could remove concertina wire that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered installed as part of his broader fight with federal government over immigration authority on the U.S.-Mexico border. The decision reversed a federal appeals court order for Border Patrol agents to stop removing the wire on a small stretch of the Rio Grande. The ruling was a temporary blow to Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton but their underlying lawsuit will continue. "This fight is not over," Paxton said. The Biden administration's lawyers argued the appeals court decision turned the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, giving federal laws precedence over state laws, "on its head." The Dallas Morning News, USA Today

3. New Hampshire investigates fake Biden robocall

The New Hampshire attorney general's office said Monday it was investigating fake robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden urging New Hampshire residents not to vote in the state's primary on Tuesday, claiming it "only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again." The message begins with a term Biden has used many times — "What a bunch of malarkey!" It ends with a phone number belonging to Kathy Sullivan, a former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair running a super PAC urging voters to write in Biden's name in the primary. Biden won't appear on the ballot because New Hampshire Democrats defied the national party's decision to make South Carolina its first primary this year. NBC News

4. Arab states prepare proposal for postwar Gaza

Arab countries are developing a proposal that would create a pathway toward a Palestinian state in exchange for Saudi Arabia's recognition of Israel after the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ends, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing Arab officials. The proposal was passed on to Israel by the United States. Five Arab states are jointly working on the plan's final terms. Israeli officials made no immediate comment. President Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, arrived in the region Monday to join the talks on the war and the fate of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Israel sent Hamas a proposal through Qatari and Egyptian moderators offering a two-month pause in its Gaza offensive as part of a deal that would include releasing the remaining hostages. The Wall Street Journal, Axios

5. Biden announces contraception, emergency abortion protections on Roe anniversary

The Biden administration marked the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade — the Supreme Court decision that protected abortion rights nationwide for half a century — on Monday by announcing several measures aiming to ensure access to contraception, abortion medication and emergency abortions at hospitals. Vice President Kamala Harris warned of what she called "the horrific reality that women are facing every single day" since the high court, with a conservative majority expanded under former President Donald Trump, overturned the landmark decision 18 months ago. "He intended for them to take away your freedoms," Harris said. "And it is a decision he brags about." Trump said at a recent Fox News town hall he was "proud" to get "Roe v. Wade terminated." The Washington Post

6. US commander says Iran 'directly involved' in Houthi attacks

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and the Navy's top Mideast commander, told The Associated Press on Monday that Iran is "very directly involved" in Houthi rebels' attacks from Yemen on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Cooper stopped short of accusing Iran of directing individual missile and drone attacks, but said the strikes demonstrated clearly that Iran's belligerence was expanding across the region. Houthis have launched at least 34 attacks on ships traversing the important trade route since Hamas attacked Israel in October, sparking the Gaza war. The U.S. and Britain launched the latest in a series of attacks on Houthi missile sites on Monday. The Associated Press, NBC News

7. Judge delays Trump defamation trial after juror falls ill

Judge Lewis Kaplan on Monday delayed the trial in writer E. Jean Carroll's sexual abuse defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump until at least Wednesday. Kaplan didn't give a reason for the decision, but it came after a juror fell ill. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, had requested a postponement until after Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. Trump has been alternating between appearing at the trial and on the campaign trail, although he has also combined both activities by complaining outside court that he is being unfairly persecuted, The New York Times reports. Trump's lawyer said in court that her client wanted to testify but couldn't do it Tuesday because of the primary. The New York Times

8. Dow, S&P 500 set fresh records

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 climbed to fresh record highs on Monday, adding to gains from a Friday rally fueled by surging technology companies. The Dow rose 0.4% to close above 38,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, reaching a new high mark after Friday's record close, its first in roughly two years. The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.3%. Stocks ended 2023 strong but retreated at the start of 2024 before rebounding, thanks partly to a strong start to the earnings season and new data showing the economy remains strong as inflation cools. The Wall Street Journal

9. Suspect in suburban Chicago killing spree kills himself in Texas

A man suspected of killing eight people in the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois, fatally shot himself in Texas after a confrontation at a gas station with federal and local law enforcement agents. U.S. Marshals and other agencies caught up to the suspect, 23-year-old Romeo Nance, near Natalia, Texas, after the Medina County Sheriff's Office received a call about a person fitting the suspect's description heading into the area on Interstate 35. Seven of the victims in Joliet were found in two homes. Those victims, who have not been publicly identified, are believed to be from the same family. Nance did "know the victims," although investigators are still trying to determine a motive, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said Monday. The Associated Press, CNN

10. Dexter Scott King dies at 62

Dexter Scott King, the third of the four children of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died Monday after a "valiant battle with prostate cancer," the King Center announced Monday. He was 62. Dexter King was 7 years old when his father was assassinated. He "turned that pain into activism, however, and dedicated his life to advancing the dream Martin and Coretta Scott King had for their children" and others, the Rev. Al Sharpton said. Dexter King's life was enmeshed in his parents' civil rights legacy. He served as chair of the nonprofit King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, cowrote "Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir," and portrayed his father in the 2002 film "The Rosa Parks Story." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press

A wildlife park will move its "swearing parrots" to a new flock to reduce their use of expletives, said The Times. After five of the resident African greys at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park were removed from public display in 2020 for swearing at visitors, naughty words have since popped up in the repertoire of three more parrots. The park admitted the profanity cannot be entirely eliminated, as "once it's in their vocabulary, it’s usually there for good".

Brits 'sob in bed' over crisp axe

Walkers has left "heartbroken" customers "sobbing on their beds" after it scrapped an "iconic crisp flavour", said the Daily Star. Brits are "devastated" after the Marmite flavour was "ditched", said the tabloid. "Why are you discontinuing Marmite?" asked one customer on social media. "The only crisps my son eats and he's now sobbing on his bed."

Actress eats snow

Reese Witherspoon has defended herself after she was criticised for eating snow, reported Sky News. After the Hollywood actress shared a TikTok video showing herself enjoying a "Chococinno" made of snow collected from outside her home, topped with cold brew coffee and sweeteners, she was warned she could get "seriously sick". But Witherspoon insisted "it was so good".

1. DeSantis drops out, endorses Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Sunday and endorsed former President Donald Trump. DeSantis, once considered Trump's main rival, was polling in the single digits ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and said in a video posted on X that he couldn't ask supporters for their time and money "if we don't have a clear path to victory." Trump's campaign said it was "honored" by DeSantis' endorsement and called for Republicans to rally behind the front-runner. DeSantis' departure left former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as Trump's last viable rival ahead of the vote in New Hampshire, where she trails Trump by double-digits in polls. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Washington Post

2. US, Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are pressuring Israel and Hamas to agree to a phased diplomatic process that aims to free Hamas' remaining hostages and eventually includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war in Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing diplomats involved in the talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas' demand to end the war as a condition for freeing the rest of the hostages it seized in its Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters that Israel's refusal to end its Gaza offensive "means there is no chance for the return of the (Israeli) captives." The Wall Street Journal, Reuters

3. Iconic New Hampshire newspaper endorses Haley

The New Hampshire Union Leader on Sunday endorsed Nikki Haley in the state's Tuesday Republican primary, saying the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador is the most qualified candidate running for the White House. "It would be challenging to dream up a more solid résumé for a candidate to guide our country through the troubled world which we face," the iconic newspaper's editorial board wrote. Without mentioning by name the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump, or the "'inevitable,' but very vulnerable, Democratic nominee," President Joe Biden, the Union Leader said Haley offered "an opportunity to vote for a candidate rather than against" the "dinosaurs" leading the primary-season polls. New Hampshire Union Leader, The Hill

4. Russian energy company idles fuel terminal after drone attack

Russian energy company Novatek said Sunday it suspended operations at its giant Ust-Luga Baltic Sea fuel export terminal due to a fire started by an apparent Ukrainian drone attack. Novatek ships oil and gas products to international buyers from the complex on the Gulf of Finland. The company did not say how long the terminal would be out of commission or how many tankers would be stuck waiting for it to reopen. Russia put other critical infrastructure facilities in the surrounding Leningrad region on high alert after the attack, which the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing unnamed sources, said was the work of Ukraine's security services. Reuters

5. Modi opens Hindu temple on site of demolished mosque

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday opened a Hindu temple built on the ruins of a 16th-century mosque, delivering on a key Hindu nationalist promise months before he seeks a rare third term in national elections. The consecration of the controversial temple, dedicated to Hinduism's Lord Ram, marked the "unofficial start" of Modi's reelection campaign, according to Al-Jazeera. The temple was built on the site of the Babri mosque, which was torn down in 1992 by a Hindu mob, triggering India's worst religious riots since independence. More than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the violence. Many members of the Hindu majority are celebrating, said CNN, but for the country's minority Muslim population, it's a "painful reminder of religious divisions." Al-Jazeera, CNN

6. Sen. Tim Scott gets engaged

Former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who endorsed Donald Trump last week and is considered a possible vice presidential nominee, got engaged on Saturday to his girlfriend, Mindy Noce. Scott, 58, proposed at the beach on South Carolina's Kiawah Island. Scott's love life stirred interest on the campaign trail before he ended his White House bid in November — he would have been the first unmarried president in more than a century. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, campaigned with Trump in New Hampshire last week and was met with chants of "VP!" at a rally. He declined to rule out being Trump's running mate in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday's "State of the Union." The Washington Post, The Hill

7. Tara VanDerveer sets record for most wins as NCAA basketball coach

Stanford's Tara VanDerveer surpassed former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to become the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history on Sunday when the Stanford women's basketball team beat Oregon State 65-56, giving the 70-year-old VanDerveer her 1,203rd career victory. The record win came on the Cardinal home court, with dozens of former players in attendance. VanDerveer's career record is now 1,203-267 overall and 1,051-216 over 38 seasons at Stanford, where she led the team to NCAA titles in 1990, '92 and 2021. She has been Pac-12 Coach of the Year 17 times and national Coach of the Year five times. She also coached the 1996 U.S. women's Olympic basketball team to a gold medal. The Associated Press, ESPN

8. Percentage of teens working reaches highest level since 2009

An increasing number of high schoolers are working after-school and summer jobs these days as more part-time work becomes available, The Washington Post reported Sunday. At least 250,000 more teens are employed now than before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, 37% of 16- to 19-year-olds had a job or were looking for one, the most since 2009, according to the Labor Department. Economists said a gradual shift toward more teen employment was supercharged by the abundance of post-pandemic jobs available in businesses like restaurants and stores amid a tight labor market. "They're energetic and ready to work, which wasn't really the case with the previous generation of millennials," Albuquerque pizzeria owner Nilo Gonzalez told the Post. The Washington Post

9. Sarah Ferguson diagnosed with malignant skin cancer

Sarah, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with a malignant skin cancer detected during her treatment for breast cancer, The Associated Press reported Sunday. A spokesperson said the second cancer diagnosis was "distressing but the duchess remains in good spirits." The melanoma was found after doctors removed several moles while performing reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy. The former Sarah Ferguson, known as "Fergie," is the ex-wife of Prince Andrew and mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. The announcement of her medical issues came five days after Britain's royal family announced that Kate, the Princess of Wales, had abdominal surgery and King Charles III is scheduled to have prostate treatment this week. The Associated Press

10. Chiefs, Lions advance to NFL conference championships

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions advanced to their conference championship games on Sunday. The Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 27-24 on Sunday to advance to their sixth straight AFC Championship game. Bills kicker Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 1:43 remaining. It was the third time in four years the Chiefs ended the Bills' playoff hopes. The Chiefs play the Ravens in Baltimore next Sunday for a shot at the Super Bowl. The Lions advanced to the NFC Championship for the second time in the football team's history by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 on Sunday. They will play the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday. The Athletic, Yahoo Sports

Dentures, a clown costume and witchcraft paraphernalia were among items left behind at European hotels, said UPI. One hotel reported staff found thousands of old German Mark coins stashed behind the water tank of a toilet, with prosthetic limbs, a glass eye, a grandma's "lucky" tea cup, an inflatable boat, caviar and rosary beads among the other forgotten items at holiday venues. "We're pleased to see that our customers have been enjoying themselves," said a spokesperson for easyJet Holidays.

Chatbot swears for customer

A delivery company has disabled its artificial intelligence chatbot after a customer was able to make the bot swear and write a poem criticising the firm, noted Sky News. "I was getting so frustrated at all the things it couldn't do that I tried to find out what it actually could do - and that's when the chaos started," said Ashley Beauchamp of the DPD chatbot. The chatbot told him: "F*** yeah! I'll do my best to be as helpful as possible, even if it means swearing."

Barbie boosts pink car sales

Barbiemania has boosted sales of pink cars, said The Telegraph. After the summer blockbuster led to a rise in sales of pink handbags, trainers and cookware last year, the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 210 pink vehicles were registered in the UK in 2023, reversing a lengthy decline in the colour. Pink cars were most likely to be bought in Berkshire, which made up around a tenth of all registrations.

1. Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000

More than 25,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, officials from Gaza's health ministry said Sunday. An additional 62,000 Palestinians have reportedly been wounded. This far and away marks the deadliest moment in the Israel-Palestinian conflict in decades and comes as Israel has continued to push for the total destruction of Hamas. However, it appears that an end to the fighting is not on the horizon, as Hamas continues to hold dozens of Israelis hostage and daily bombardments of the Gaza Strip by Israel continue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a two-state solution, saying it is not currently feasible. The Associated Press, Reuters

2. Top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks

A senior adviser to President Joe Biden will visit Egypt and Qatar this week to try and reenergize the countries to help secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, Axios reported Sunday. Brett McGurk, a National Security Council coordinator, will visit the region for the second time in a month, where he will meet with top intelligence ministers from both countries. Egypt's intelligence service was a key mediator in prior negotiations, and the Biden administration is hoping to bring them in for additional talks this time around. The trio of countries are continually pushing Israel and Hamas to try and find a proposal that would eventually end the war. Axios, The Wall Street Journal

3. At least 25 people reportedly killed during market shelling in Ukraine

At least 25 people were killed in Ukraine on Sunday during a shelling of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, the region's leader said. Denis Pushilin, who was installed by Russia to oversee the occupying forces, said the strike also injured an additional 20 people. Alexei Kulemzin, the Russian-installed mayor of Donetsk, said the shells fell on a busy area of the city filled with a number of shops and markets. Pushilin claimed the attack was perpetrated by Ukrainian forces, though Ukraine's military has not commented on the shelling. Moscow claimed the attack was carried out "with the use of weapons supplied by the West," though this has not been verified. BBC, Reuters

4. Haley questions Trump’s mental capacity after he confuses her with Nancy Pelosi

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley questioned former President Donald Trump's mental stability on Saturday after he confused her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times. "Trump is at a rally and he’s going on and on, mentioning me several times as to why I didn’t take security during the Capitol riots. Why I didn’t handle Jan. 6 better," Haley said during a rally in New Hampshire. "I wasn’t even in DC on Jan. 6." Haley added that when "you’re dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do it." The two GOP candidates have been sparring ahead of the New Hampshire primary. CNN, The Hill

5. North Korea expresses willingness for Putin to visit country

North Korea's state news agency said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon visit their country. The invitation comes as the two authoritarian states have been working closer together, causing concerns among Western nations of an enhanced alliance. North Korean officials said Putin's visit would create "a new multi-polarized international order." The Russian president reportedly "expressed his willingness to visit [North Korea] at an early date" and thanked North Korea for the invitation. Putin last visited North Korea in 2000. North Korea has reportedly been selling weapons to Russia to use in their war against Ukraine, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia last year to shore up support. Politico, Bloomberg

6. Thousands protest in Germany against the country’s far-right

More than 100,000 people marched in cities across Germany on Saturday to protest the rise of the country's leading far-right party. Anger toward the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party began brewing after it was revealed that members of the far-right faction discussed implementing mass deportations of migrants. Opponents labeled the plan a vestige of the Nazi era and took to the streets in numerous cities. At least 35,000 people marched in Frankfurt, many carrying banners saying, "Defend democracy — Frankfurt against the AfD." Similar protests were also seen in the cities of Hamburg, Stuttgart, Dortmund and Nuremberg. A large demonstration in Berlin is also being planned for Sunday. The Guardian, CNN

7. Cold temperatures cause deadly chills across much of the US

Large swaths of the United States continue to experience deadly winter weather this weekend as dangerously cold temperatures take hold over much of the country. At least 89 people have died over the past week due to the weather, according to a CBS News tally, including 25 deaths in Tennessee alone. Many of the coldest temperatures were seen in traditionally moderate climates across the South; Louisville, Kentucky, saw a high of just 5 degrees Fahrenheit, while Atlanta reached just 21 degrees. Single-digit temperatures were also seen in states throughout the Midwest and New England. Dangerously cold temperatures are expected to continue into the coming week before a gradual warm-up. CBS News, The New York Times

8. NASA reestablishes contact with Ingenuity helicopter on Mars

NASA was able to reestablish communications with its Ingenuity helicopter on Mars two days after it lost its signal, the agency said Saturday. The helicopter's signal was lost last Thursday during a "quick pop-up vertical flight" to test its systems, NASA said. The Ingenuity was shown to have ascended to an altitude of 40 feet before the signal was lost. After a few days of trepidation, though, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote on X that contact with Ingenuity had been reestablished after a Martian rover performed "long-duration listening sessions for Ingenuity's signal." NASA said it was reviewing the data to understand why Ingenuity went offline for a time. NPR

9. Ravens and 49ers advance in NFL playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers advanced to their respective conference championship games on Saturday with a pair of wins. The Ravens were able to easily dispatch the Houston Texans 34-10, with Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson going 16 for 22 passing with two touchdowns. The 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers in a heart-stopping 24-21 match that featured a star effort from 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Brock Purdy. The final two divisional games take place Sunday, with the Detroit Lions playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Buffalo Bills. Sports Illustrated

10. 'Saturday Night Live' returns to mock Trump’s courthouse appearances

"Saturday Night Live" returned following its holiday hiatus Saturday with host Jacob Elordi and musical guest Reneé Rapp. The show's cold open featured James Austin Johnson back in his role parodying former President Donald Trump. Johnson spoofed Trump's ongoing legal troubles and headline-making courtroom behavior, saying that 2024 would see him either "go to jail, be president, or frankly, 'The Purge,'" a reference to the horror franchise where all crimes are legal for a day. Johnson also made mention of Trump's dominating win in the Iowa caucuses and the poor performance of Ron DeSantis, saying he "went to 99 counties but bitch couldn’t win one." The Hollywood Reporter

1. Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response

A special grand jury was seated on Friday to examine the response of law enforcement officers in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, multiple media outlets reported. The jury will determine whether to criminally charge any first responders in the shooting in what will be the first criminal justice actions related to the police response at Uvalde. The jury selection comes one day after a scathing Justice Department report described widespread police failures that likely led to further deaths at the school. The May 24, 2022, shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers, and the delayed response by police has been the subject of harsh criticism. Uvalde Leader-News, USA Today

2. Families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal

Dozens of families of Israeli hostages protested outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, expressing anger toward his government for their loved ones' continued captivity by Hamas. A group representing the protesters said they were angered that it had been over 100 days since the hostages had been taken and asked for Netanyahu to come speak to them. "The days of grace in which you dragged your feet are over," the families said in a statement. The protest is a continuing display of anger in Israel over Netanyahu's handling of the ongoing war, and the prime minister has reportedly rejected calls for a two-state solution to the problem. The Times of Israel, The Associated Press

3. Biden signs stopgap measure to avoid government shutdown

President Joe Biden signed a congressional stopgap bill on Friday, the White House said, officially avoiding a partial government shutdown one day before it was slated to begin. The legislation was finalized late Thursday by both chambers and extends the expiration date for four government funding bills from Jan. 19 to March 1. Eight other bills related to the measure are now set to expire on March 8 instead of Feb. 2. While Biden was able to put pen to paper on these bills, continued fighting within the House of Representatives is likely to make ongoing negotiations difficult, particularly due to in-fighting between the center and far-right factions of the House GOP. ABC News, The New York Times

4. Iran and Hezbollah reportedly helping coordinate Houthi attacks

Commanders from the Iranian military and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group are overseeing attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, Reuters reported Saturday. Sources told the outlet that military leaders from both factions are on the ground in Yemen to help coordinate the attacks, and that Iran is continuing to fund the Houthis directly with weapons and training. This includes the provision of drones, anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles and medium-range missiles, sources said. Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea in response to anger over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which they see as a sign of Israeli aggression. Iranian and Hezbollah officials have repeatedly denied involvement in the Houthi attacks. Reuters

5. Alec Baldwin charged for second time in deadly 'Rust' shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust." This marks the second time that Baldwin has been indicted on charges related to the shooting. Baldwin was charged by prosecutors in New Mexico after new evidence was reportedly found in relation to the prop firearm that caused Hutchins' death. If convicted, Baldwin could face up to 18 months in prison. The actor was previously charged with Hutchins' death last year. Those charges were eventually dismissed last April, but prosecutors left the door open to re-filing charges if new evidence came to light. NBC News, CNN

6. Harvard creates task forces on antisemitism and Islamophobia

Harvard University on Friday announced the creation of task forces devoted to combating antisemitism and Islamophobia. "Incidents of bias and hate against Jews and against Muslims, Palestinians, and other people of Arab descent have risen across the country," Harvard Interim President Alan Garber said in a statement. "We need to understand why and how that is happening—and what more we might do to prevent it." The creation of the two task forces comes after criticism of the Ivy League institution's handling of racism on campus related to the Israel-Hamas war. The controversy culminated in the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay, who faced backlash for comments made during a congressional hearing on the matter. The Associated Press, Bloomberg

7. NYC mayor vetoes ban on solitary confinement in city jails

New York City Mayor Eric Adams vetoed a bill Friday that would have banned solitary confinement in the city's jails. "Vetoing this bill will keep those in our custody and our correction officers safer," Adams said of the legislation, which was passed in the city council by a large margin. The mayor added that the bill would mean corrections officers would "no longer be able to protect people in custody, or the union workers charged with their safety, from violent individuals." Adams has already claimed that the city does not use solitary confinement, though others have argued that New York's current "restrictive housing" policy amounts to basically the same thing. ABC News, The Hill

8. Sports Illustrated lays off nearly entire staff as financial woes mount

Amid continued financial woes, Sports Illustrated on Friday announced a series of widespread layoffs. These layoffs affected the sports magazine's writers and editors, and could reportedly impact all of the remaining editorial staff of the publication. The layoffs come as Sports Illustrated was unable to finalize payment of its licensing deal, resulting in a breach of its publisher's contract. The magazine's entire staff could be laid off within three months if the issue is not resolved. The layoffs are occurring weeks after Sports Illustrated stirred controversy by publishing articles that were allegedly generated by artificial intelligence. The magazine's union pledged to fight for its employees in a statement on X. Front Office Sports, The Washington Post

9. Russia was China's top oil supplier in 2023, data shows

Russia was China's top supplier of crude oil in 2023, surpassing Saudi Arabia, data released Friday showed. This represents a large circumnavigation of Western sanctions by China in order to purchase cheap petroleum for its workforce. Russia shipped 107.02 million metric tons of oil to China last year, significantly more than any other nation. This equates to nearly 2.14 million barrels of Russian crude oil per day entering the country. The second-place Saudis shipped just 85.96 million metric tons of oil to China, a decrease of 1.8%. Russia was able to take the top spot in China as the majority of the Western world shunned its oil industry. Reuters

10. Malia Obama debuts short film at Sundance Film Festival

Malia Obama debuted her short film "The Heart" at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday. The 25-year-old daughter of former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama wrote and directed the short film using her middle name Malia Ann. The film was previously screened at the Telluride Film Festival in 2023 and won an award at the Chicago International Film Festival. Obama has spent the last few years working in Hollywood writers' rooms, including internships on the HBO show "Girls" and as a CBS production assistant. She also worked as a writer on the Donald Glover-created series "Swarm" for Amazon Prime Video. IndieWire

1. Congress averts a government shutdown

Congress on Thursday approved a stopgap measure to keep the federal government funded into March, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature just before a deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. The legislation — the third short-term spending deal since October — extends the deadlines to March 1 and March 8, giving lawmakers time to pass a dozen spending bills totaling $1.66 trillion to fund government agencies through the fall. The shutdown would have affected about 20% of the federal government, including the Transportation Department. The House passed the bill in a 314-108 vote over the strong objections of far-right Republicans, who had demanded deeper spending cuts and a crackdown on immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The New York Times, The Washington Post

2. DOJ report finds 'cascading failures' during Texas school shooting

The Justice Department on Thursday released a long-awaited report on the "cascading failures" in the slow law enforcement response to the May 2022 school shooting that left 19 students and their two teachers dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The report said no one took full command and attempted to stop the gunman from killing people after he shut himself into adjoining classrooms. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference in Uvalde that the best way to honor the victims was working to "prevent anything like this" from happening again. "Law enforcement response at Robb Elementary School on May 24 and in the hours and days after was a failure that should not have happened," Garland said. Austin American-Statesman

3. Netanyahu opposes Palestinian state in postwar Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday rejected U.S. calls for a path to establishing a Palestinian state after Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu said he told the Biden administration he opposes including the creation of a Palestinian state in postwar plans. He also reiterated Israel's plan to continue its offensive in Gaza until it achieves a "decisive victory over Hamas." The comments came a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would never have "genuine security" until Palestinians were on track toward independence. The U.S. has also been pressing Israel to reduce the intensity of the fighting to protect civilians. The Hill, The Associated Press

4. Defamation trial judge shuts down Trump lawyer

The judge in Donald Trump's defamation trial denied a request for a delay from Trump's lawyer Alina Habba as the former president attended the funeral of his mother-in-law in Florida. It was not the first time Habba had cited the funeral as a reason to slow the trial. "The application is denied. I will hear no further argument on it," U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said. Kaplan later lost patience with Habba as she cross-examined E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s then sued for defamation when he called her a liar. "Come on, this is Evidence 101!" Kaplan said as Habba grilled Carroll about her social media history and how much money she makes. The New Republic, CNBC

5. Biden says strikes against Houthis will continue

President Joe Biden said Thursday that U.S. attacks against Houthi rebels in Yemen would continue as long as the militant group continued launching missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea. The fifth round of U.S. strikes "took out a range of Houthi missiles" that had been readied to be fired, White House spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday. The strikes came after a Houthi drone struck a U.S. ship. The Houthis started attacking vessels in the Red Sea last year to show support for Hamas in its war with Israel. A Houthi leader said in a televised speech it was a "great honor" for the group to be in "direct confrontation" with Israel, the United States and Britain. BBC

6. Drugmakers hiked prices in first 2 weeks of 2024

Pharmaceutical companies raised prices for their medicines by a median 4.5% at the start of 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing an analysis by 46brooklyn Research, a nonprofit drug-pricing analytics group. The list prices for widely used drugs, including Ozempic and Mounjaro, were among those hiked. Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk, Mounjaro maker Eli Lilly and other companies raised prices on 775 brand-name drugs in the first two weeks of January, according to the Journal. The increases were not as big as hikes in previous years, but still higher than inflation, which hit 3.4% in December, so they could increase scrutiny from the Biden administration as it works to reduce federal drug spending. The Wall Street Journal

7. Hunter Biden agrees to House deposition

Hunter Biden has agreed to appear for a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee in February, ending months of wrangling over his testimony, the committee's chair, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said Thursday. Republicans want to question Hunter Biden about foreign business dealings they claim, without evidence, benefited President Joe Biden; the White House says that's untrue. "The president's son is a key witness in this investigation and he's gonna be able to come in now and sit down and answer questions in a substantive, orderly manner," Comer said. Hunter Biden had resisted testifying behind closed doors, calling the House's first subpoena invalid and offering a public hearing instead. USA Today, The Associated Press

8. Judge schedules hearing on Fani Willis allegation

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's criminal election-subversion case in Georgia scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing on a co-defendant's allegation that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is romantically involved with Nathan Wade, a top prosecutor she hired for the case. The accusation surfaced last week in a court filing by lawyers for Trump 2020 campaign operative Mike Roman. Trump said Willis was "totally compromised" and the case should be dropped. Lawyers for Wade's estranged wife, Joycelyn Wade, subpoenaed Willis to give a pretrial deposition in the couple's divorce case. Willis' lawyer filed to quash the deposition, writing that Joycelyn Wade "has conspired with interested parties in the criminal election interference case" to use the divorce case to "embarrass" Willis. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Hill

9. Spelman College receives a record donation

A billionaire couple, Ronda Stryker and her husband William Johnston, announced Thursday they were giving $100 million to Atlanta's Spelman College. The women's school said the gift from Stryker — a longtime Spelman board member and the granddaughter of medical-device maker Stryker Corp.'s founder — and Johnston, chair of money management firm Greenleaf Trust, was the largest single donation ever received by a historically Black college or university. HBCUs have received increased donations since the police killing of George Floyd sparked a wave of racial justice protests, helping them add to small endowments. "I think it says that it's worth investing in HBCUs more broadly, schools that have been far too underinvested in," Spelman College President Helene Gayle told CBS News. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CBS News

10. Peregrine lunar lander meets a fiery end

The Peregrine lunar lander burned up over the South Pacific Ocean as it reentered Earth's atmosphere Thursday, after a fuel leak had prevented it from landing on the moon. Peregrine, made by Astrobotic Technology, would have been the first U.S. spacecraft to make a soft lunar landing since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, and the first private venture ever to accomplish the feat. It launched successfully on Jan. 8 atop a Vulcan Centaur rocket developed by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. But hours into Peregrine's solo flight the leak forced Astrobotic to scrap the moon mission. The company tested scientific instruments and other systems instead before crashing the lander into the atmosphere. CNN, BBC

A zoo in the US is offering the romantics of the world the chance to have a Madagascar hissing cockroach named after their Valentine. "You don't always have the right words, but you can still give them goosebumps, said the Bronx Zoo. "Name a Roach for your Valentine, because roaches are forever." Meanwhile, noted UPI, The San Antonio Zoo is offering a candle "bearing the scent of hippo poop" as a "potential Valentine's Gift for that special someone".

Porn boss offers 'self pleasure' breaks

An adult film company boss has made masturbation breaks a "permanent policy" for her 40 plus staff. The boss of Erika Lust Films said she is giving workers "an extra 30-minutes off every day to use for their self-pleasure routine", with a private room in the office known as "the masturbation station" to provide them with a "safe, comfortable space" for their personal break. "Not sure why people would need 30 minutes, but there you go," said Lad Bible.

Ye goes for Jaws look

Kanye West has fitted $850,000 titanium teeth implants in a new look he compared to Jaws, the James Bond villain. The hip hop star, also known as Ye, posted a photo to his Instagram account with his mouth wide open to show off his new metallic dentures. The Washington Post said the "technical term" for the fittings are "fixed prosthodontics". It added that this is "another massive stunt from the controversial producer and recording artist who is nearing the release of another album".

1. Judge threatens to remove Trump from civil defamation trial

Writer E. Jean Carroll testified Wednesday in her defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump that her life changed after she accused the former president of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the 1990s. "I was attacked on Twitter. I was attacked on Facebook. I was living in a new universe," said Carroll, who is seeking $10 million in damages from Trump for claiming she was lying and he didn't know her. Trump, sitting at the defense table, scoffed, gesticulated and spoke audibly to his lawyer. Carroll's lawyer said she heard Trump say, "it really is a con job." Judge Lewis Kaplan threatened to eject Trump from the courtroom if he didn't keep quiet. "I would love it," Trump said. Axios

2. Medicine for hostages, Palestinian civilians reaches Gaza

A shipment of medicine and other supplies for Hamas-held hostages and Palestinian civilians arrived in Gaza on Wednesday under a deal mediated by France and Qatar. The agreement was the first between Israel and Hamas since a weeklong cease-fire in November. The five trucks were allowed to cross into Gaza after undergoing security checks by Israel. The shipment included medicine for Israeli hostages, many of whom have chronic conditions requiring prescription drugs, who have been held by Hamas since its militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, igniting the war. A senior Hamas official said the shipment included 1,000 boxes of medicine for Palestinians for every box intended for the hostages. Al-Jazeera, The Times of Israel 

3. Johnson digs in against Ukraine aid without border crackdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) held out against new Ukraine aid, reiterating after a White House meeting Wednesday that the Republican-led House won't consider defense funding for Kyiv without increased measures to crack down on migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. "We must insist — must insist — that the border be the top priority," Johnson said after meeting with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders. But Johnson and other leaders expressed optimism. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) said everyone agreed they had to address both Ukraine and the border. Schumer said he would put the chances of an agreement in the Senate "at a little bit greater than half now, and that's the first time I can say that." The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal

4. Conservative justices appear inclined to limit federal regulatory power

Members of the Supreme Court's conservative majority asked questions Wednesday suggesting they might limit or overturn a 1984 precedent that has protected the regulatory power of federal agencies, frustrating business groups. Conservative justices pressed Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to justify the so-called Chevron deference, which instructs courts to defer to federal agencies' interpretation of laws that could have multiple meanings. The precedent has bolstered the ability of presidential administrations to regulate everything from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency to environmental protections. Prelogar said overturning the doctrine would cause "unwarranted shock to the legal system." Justice Brett Kavanaugh said "Chevron itself ushers in shocks to the system" with every new administration. The Hill, The New York Times

5. Pakistan hits separatist targets in Iran in retaliatory strikes

Pakistan's air force launched airstrikes against alleged Baluch separatist camps in Iran early Thursday in retaliation for Iran's strikes against a similar separatist militant group in Pakistan. Pakistan's attacks reportedly killed at least nine people. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the "precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts" were launched based on "credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities." The tit-for-tat strikes between the neighboring countries came as tensions rise in the Middle East over Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas, an Iran ally. Iran also attacked targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday in response to an Islamic State suicide bombing that killed more than 90 people in early January. Reuters, Hindustan Times

6. Maine judge freezes Trump ballot ban pending Supreme Court decision

Kennebec County, Maine, Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy on Wednesday suspended Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' decision to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on presidential primary ballots while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a similar case out of Colorado. Murphy ordered Bellows to wait and issue a new ruling after the Supreme Court decides the Colorado case. Bellows had found that Trump is ineligible to run because his incitement of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars from public office anyone who has engaged in insurrection. Trump appealed her decision earlier this month. Oral arguments in the Colorado case are scheduled for Feb. 8. Portland Press Herald

7. Shell halts shipments through the Red Sea

British oil giant Shell has halted shipments through the Red Sea due to fears that attacks on vessels by Houthi rebels in Yemen could escalate following U.S. and U.K. strikes against Houthi targets, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The United States and Britain hit Houthi military sites after the Iranian-backed militants launched dozens of missiles and drones at commercial ships in the region, purportedly in a show of support for Hamas as it battles Israel in Gaza. A tanker chartered by Shell was targeted by a drone and Houthi boats last month. Shell CEO Wael Sawan told the Journal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that rerouting ships will increase costs. The Wall Street Journal

8. Prosecutor investigating TV attack assassinated in Ecuador

A prosecutor in Ecuador who was investigating last week's gang attack on a television studio during a live broadcast was assassinated Wednesday in Guayaquil, according to the South American nation's attorney general, Diana Salazar. Armed men stormed the public TV channel TC and threatened employees at gunpoint amid a wave of violence following a gang leader's prison escape. Police later arrested the TV studio attackers. Salazar said the murder of the prosecutor, Cesar Suarez, would not stop the investigation. "I am going to be emphatic," Salazar said. "The organized criminal groups, criminals, terrorists will not stop our commitment to the Ecuadorian society, we will continue with more strength and commitment." CNN

9. Minnesota man freed after 25 years in prison sues medical examiner

A Minnesota man, Thomas Rhodes, freed last year after nearly 25 years in prison for his wife's death has filed a lawsuit against a former medical examiner and other authorities. Rhodes, 64, accuses former Ramsey County medical examiner Michael McGee and others of contributing to his conviction by fabricating and withholding evidence. Rhodes' wife lost her balance and fell overboard during a late evening boat ride. Rhodes searched frantically but couldn't find her. Fisherman found her body the next day. Rhodes cooperated with investigators. A breathalyzer test found no alcohol in his system. Rhodes was convicted of first- and second-degree murder, but last month he became the first person freed by the state's new conviction review unit. Star Tribune, The Associated Press

10. King Charles, Kate Middleton undergo medical procedures

The British royal family announced Wednesday that King Charles III and the Princess of Wales, formerly Kate Middleton, are both undergoing medical procedures. King Charles will have a "corrective procedure" for an enlarged prostate next week, a condition common in older men. Buckingham Palace described his condition as benign, not cancerous. The princess, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, will receive care at a private hospital in London for as long as two weeks as she recovers from planned abdominal surgery, her office said. The twin announcements provided unusual detail about the health of members of the royal family. But the openness was seen an effort to avoid speculation if the royals miss events scheduled in the next few weeks. BBC, The Associated Press

NHS Scotland has advised people to “walk like a penguin” to avoid falling in icy weather conditions, noted STV News. As an amber alert in place for snow was put in place in north-west Scotland and the Northern Isles, NHS Scotland said "penguins know best" and advised people to try a waddling, penguin-like gait while walking in the ice and snow because "NHS staff say adopting their stance is an effective way to move without falling".

New blow for UK's 'worst city'

A city that has frequently been named the "worst place to live in the UK" has received a new blow after it was also dubbed the nation's most unhealthy. According to a study, Peterborough is the most unhealthy in the country due to high rates of self-reported kidney and liver disease, diabetes and poor mental health. The city currently sits at the "bottom of the pile" of nice places to live, noted the Daily Star.

Snake on a plane

A live snake has been discovered on an AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phuket. The Blanford's bridle serpent was spied above the overhead compartments on the AirAsia Airbus A320 as the plane was preparing to land at Phuket airport. The snake was stowed safely until landing, according to local media. The snake "clearly went through airport security in someone's luggage with no issues", an expert told The Telegraph.

1. US strikes Houthi targets for third time

The U.S. military carried out more strikes Tuesday against Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile sites in Yemen, knocking out several missiles as they were being prepared for launch, U.S. officials said. Also Tuesday, a suspected Houthi missile hit a Greek-owned ship in the Red Sea. The U.S. has targeted the Iran-backed militants at least three times in the last week as it steps up its response to the disruptive Houthi attacks on vessels, which began in November in a show of support for Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza. The Biden administration also plans to put Houthi militants back on a list of terrorist organizations to help cut off their funding and weapons, two officials told Reuters. Reuters, The Washington Post

2. Trump sex defamation trial begins

Hours after decisively winning the Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump sat in a New York courtroom on Tuesday during the start of his second defamation trial for comments he made about writer E. Jean Carroll after she said Trump raped her in the 1990s. Judge Lewis Kaplan told potential jurors that a May defamation trial had already determined that Trump "did sexually assault Ms. Carroll." The current case will focus on damages. Carroll's lawyer said in an opening statement that Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, used "the world's biggest microphone" to destroy Carroll's reputation by calling her a liar, and should "pay dearly." Trump's attorney said Carroll is going after him over "a few mean tweets from Twitter trolls." The Associated Press, Politico

3. Trump turns focus to Haley in New Hampshire

Donald Trump and his two remaining rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, pivoted to New Hampshire on Tuesday. The Jan. 23 contest in New Hampshire, the next primary battleground following Trump's big win in the Iowa caucuses, is widely considered Haley's best and possibly last chance to establish herself as the top Trump alternative. DeSantis edged ahead of Haley in Iowa to place a distant second behind Trump. The former president focused his attention on Haley on Tuesday, telling New Hampshire Republicans she "is counting on the Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary" and give her a boost. Haley's campaign said Trump is "more vulnerable than commonly believed." The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times

4. Iran attacks sites in Pakistan

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned Iran for strikes that killed two children and three others. Pakistan called the attacks, which reportedly targeted two sites linked to the militant group Jaish al-Adl, "illegal acts" that would have "serious consequences." Tehran also attacked sites in Iraq and Syria this week as regional tensions spread over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Iraq recalled its ambassador from Iran in protest over an Iranian missile strike in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. Tehran said the missile hit an Israeli espionage center, which Baghdad denied. Iraqi security and medical officials said the attack hit the home of Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, killing him and several relatives. BBC, Reuters

5. Report: Austin security detail asked for ambulance without sirens

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's security detail asked in a 911 call for the ambulance summoned to his Northern Virginia house on Jan. 1 to keep its lights and sirens off because they were "trying to remain a little subtle," USA Today reported Tuesday, citing a copy of the call the newspaper obtained. Austin, 70, has faced a backlash in Washington, D.C., for hiding his prostate cancer diagnosis and hospitalization for complications from surgery, declining to tell anyone, including the White House, until he had been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for days. Austin was released from the hospital Monday and is continuing his recovery at home. USA Today

6. Supreme Court declines to review Indiana school transgender bathroom policies

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to consider whether schools can bar transgender students from using a bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. The decision left in place a lower court ruling that let an Indiana transgender boy use the boys' bathroom at his middle school. The school district had asked the justices to rule in the case, saying schools "desperately need" definitive guidance on transgender policies. "This is a step in the right direction in our ongoing fight to protect LGBTQ+ youth from anti-equality extremism," the Human Rights Campaign said on X. USA Today, The Hill

7. Negotiators reach bipartisan tax deal but obstacles remain

Leading congressional Democrats and Republicans released a $78 billion bipartisan tax proposal on Tuesday that would revive expired business tax breaks and expand the child tax credit through 2025. The leaders hope to push the compromise legislation through Congress in the next few weeks, in time for tax filing season, but they face opposition from some members of both parties. The agreement includes $33 billion to restore expired business tax benefits related to research, business and capital deductions, and another $33 billion to extend the child tax credit included in the 2021 pandemic assistance law. The New York Times

8. Club Q shooter expected to plead guilty to hate-crime charges

Anderson Aldrich, the 23-year-old serving multiple life sentences for a deadly 2022 mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub, plans to plead guilty to federal hate crimes in a deal that would rule out the death penalty, according to court documents made public Tuesday. Aldrich in June pleaded guilty to state charges that included five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder, one each for every person who was in Club Q during the mass shooting. Aldrich, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, entered an initial not-guilty plea Tuesday on the federal charges. The Denver Post, The Associated Press

9. Judge blocks JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger

A judge on Tuesday blocked Spirit Airlines' proposed merger with JetBlue, sending Spirit's stock plummeting 47%. A federal judge in Boston ruled against JetBlue's planned $3.8 billion acquisition of the discount carrier over concerns that the deal would increase fares for passengers, especially Spirit's customers, and saddle JetBlue with big debts. The two airlines said they disagreed with the decision. "We continue to believe that our combination is the best opportunity to increase much-needed competition and choice by bringing low fares and great service to more customers in more markets while enhancing our ability to compete with the dominant U.S. carriers," they said in a joint statement emailed to CNN. CNN

10. Woman accuses James Dolan, Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse

A woman who worked as a masseuse on a 2013 Eagles tour filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Madison Square Garden CEO and Chair James Dolan and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and trafficking. The woman, Kellye Croft, said Dolan pressured her into unwanted sex, then hired her for the tour. Croft accuses Weinstein of sexually assaulting her during the tour, and says Dolan dismissed the allegation when she told him about it. Croft said in a statement she "suffered so profoundly" and "to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability." Dolan lawyer E. Danya Perry said there was "absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan." Rolling Stone, The New York Times

Scientists believe they have discovered why dogs wag their tails. The "mystery" of why dogs wag their tail so much has "long fascinated humans," said The Telegraph. Now, a team of animal experts, including from the Max Planck Institute for psycholinguistics and the University of Rome, has concluded that humans have "deliberately bred dogs that wag their tails because we find the rhythm of it soothing and enjoyable".

Man breaks coffee record

Many people have necked a morning coffee quickly but a German man took it to a new level when he downed a steaming cup of coffee in 3.12 seconds. Guinness World Records has announced that Felix von Meibom earned the title for fastest time to drink a cup of coffee. His time of 3.12 seconds "shaved" .05 seconds off the previous record, which was set by fellow German and "serial record-breaker" Andre Ortolf in 2021, said UPI.

Bride arrested in wedding dress

A Mexican bride appeared for a police mugshot in her wedding dress after being arrested for alleged extortion of chicken farmers. The bride was detained during her nuptials and accused of taking part in an extortion racket targeting poultry producers in the state of México, which borders Mexico City. The woman "didn't even make it into the church as officers ambushed the ceremony", said Sky News.

1. Trump wins Iowa caucuses in a landslide

Former President Donald Trump cemented his dominance in the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday, winning the Iowa caucuses with a record 30-percentage-point margin of victory over his nearest rivals, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. The Associated Press declared him the winner 31 minutes after the first votes were cast in the party's first 2024 nominating contest. Florida Gov. DeSantis came in second, narrowly ahead of Haley, a former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador. Vivek Ramaswamy finished fourth and dropped out of the race. The remaining candidates next compete in the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary, where Trump holds a big lead but is expected to face a stronger challenge. Des Moines Register, The Wall Street Journal

2. Houthi missile hits US commercial ship

Houthi rebels in Yemen hit a U.S. cargo ship, the Gibraltar Eagle, with an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, U.S. Central Command said. The strike appeared to be the first successful Houthi attack on a U.S.-owned and operated vessel since the Iran-backed group began strikes in the area to show support for Palestinians after the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza. Eagle Bulk Shipping confirmed that its vessel, which was carrying steel products, had been hit "by an unidentified projectile" about 100 miles offshore. The damage was limited and nobody onboard was injured, and the ship continued its journey. The U.S. and the U.K. last week struck 28 Houthi sites in retaliation for previous attacks. CNN

3. Hamas video appears to show 2 dead hostages

Hamas on Monday released a video it said showed the bodies of two Israeli hostages, Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirsky. The Palestinian militant group, which had warned Sunday that the hostages might be killed if Israel didn't stop bombing Gaza, said they were killed by Israeli strikes. Israel's military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said that at least one of the hostages shown in the video, Svirsky, had not been killed by Israeli forces. "That is a Hamas lie. The building in which they were held was not a target and it was not attacked by our forces," Hagari said. Reuters

4. Trump's second defamation trial set to start

The trial in writer E. Jean Carroll's second defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump starts Tuesday. A Manhattan jury will be tasked with deciding how much money Trump must pay Carroll for defaming her by calling her a liar after she accused him of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room decades ago. In May, a jury awarded Carroll $2 million for the sexual assault and nearly $3 million for defamation over Trump's branding of her allegations as "a complete con job" in a 2022 statement. The new trial focuses on a 2019 statement in which Trump said Carroll's allegation was "totally false" and intended to sell copies of her book. The New York Times

5. Austin released from hospital

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from a hospital on Monday after treatment for complications from prostate cancer surgery in December. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1 and failed to notify the White House for several days, a breach of protocol that sparked investigations and widespread condemnation. Austin's doctors said he would not return immediately to the Pentagon but would work remotely as he continues his recovery. Pentagon officials have struggled to explain why Austin kept the illness secret for so long. The Washington Post

6. Navy searches for 2 Navy SEALs lost at sea off Somalia

U.S. Navy ships and planes searched the Gulf of Aden for two Navy SEALs who went missing during a mission to board and seize a vessel carrying Iranian missile components to Somalia, a U.S. defense official said Monday. The SEALs were on a small combat craft traveling from the USS Lewis B. Puller to intercept the unflagged vessel carrying the missile parts, including warheads and engines. Waves knocked one of the SEALs overboard as he boarded the boat in high seas, and the other went in after him. Both remained missing Monday. U.S. officials said the SEALs are trained for such an emergency and could survive in the warm waters of the Gulf of Aden. The Associated Press

7. Winter weather disrupts MLK Day activities in parts of South

Extreme winter weather hit much of the South with ice and snow on Monday, forcing several governors to declare states of emergency and limiting commemorations of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in the region. The National Civil Rights Museum, which is located at the Memphis site of King's 1968 assassination, closed and held its M.L.K. Day programming virtually. San Antonio, Texas, called off its annual walk honoring King due to "dangerously low temperatures and potentially hazardous walking conditions." Tennessee lawmakers canceled the week's legislative meetings after parts of the state got six inches of snow. The New York Times

8. Iran says it hit Israeli 'spy' site in Iraq with missile

Iran said its Revolutionary Guards had destroyed an Israeli "spy headquarters" in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Monday. The Kurdistan Region Security Council said the strike killed four people and wounded six. The United States condemned Iran for what it called "a reckless and imprecise set of strikes." Iraq denounced the attack as a violation of its sovereignty. Kurdistan authorities also said they had shot down three armed drones flying over the airport in the northern city of Irbil, where U.S. and other international forces are based. The Iranian strikes fueled fears that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would spread to other parts of the region. BBC, The Washington Post

9. Washington sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger

Washington state's attorney general, Bob Ferguson, filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to block the merger of Kroger and Albertsons, the two largest U.S. supermarket chains. Ferguson said the $24.6 billion proposal to combine No. 1 grocery operator Kroger — owner of Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and other chains — and No. 2 Albertsons would give shoppers "fewer choices and less competition," eventually forcing customers to pay higher prices. Kroger and Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Vons, say they need to join forces to compete with giant, nontraditional rivals such as Amazon, Costco and Walmart. NPR

10. 'The Bear,' 'Succession' win big at Emmys

"The Bear" and "Succession" led the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday night with six wins each. HBO's "Succession" won best drama and FX's "The Bear" took best comedy. The Netflix show "Beef," created and written by showrunner Lee Sung Jin, won five Emmys, including best limited/anthology series. "The Last of Us" and "Ted Lasso," among the shows with the most nominations, both came up empty on Monday, although "The Last of Us" picked up two guest acting awards in last week's Creative Arts ceremonies. Elton John won for outstanding variety special, joining the exclusive EGOT club of artists who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. USA Today

The "oldest ever dog" has lost his title as an investigation is launched by Guinness World Records. Bobi, who lived in Portugal, was said to have been 30 years and 268 days when he received the title last year. But armchair sleuths have wondered why photos purportedly of Bobi in his youth would show him with white paws when they were brown in his later years, noted Sky News.

Couple stunned by video discovery

An influencer and his wife were "stunned" after discovering a video of them in the same place taken 10 years before they met, said Unilad. YouTuber, Roman Atwood, said "basically there's a video of Brittney and I in the same place, at the same time, on camera in 1996 at a festival", even though neither knew who the other one was at the time. "That is LITERALLY mind blowing!!" remarked one commenter. "Y'all were really meant for each other," commented another fan.

Old goats 'put out to grass'

A seaside town's popular herd of goats is being "retired" and "put out to grass", said The Telegraph. For the past eight years, the herd of a dozen Bagot "mobile lawnmower" goats have wandered the cliffs at Cromer, looking out over the North Sea. But North Norfolk district council said the cost of veterinary checks means it has taken "a tough but sensible decision to retire our much-loved herd of Bagot goats from their council duties".

1. Freezing Iowa caucuses to mark first voting of 2024 election

The opening battle of the 2024 presidential election will begin Monday as Iowa's Republican caucuses get underway. Former President Donald Trump is widely expected to win the state, putting the quadruply indicted former president on his clearest path yet to securing the Republican nomination. Nikki Haley is in second place in the latest Des Moines Register poll, and a strong showing for her could mean the end of the road for Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy. All of this comes under the shadow of frigid temperatures throughout the state as this year's caucuses are expected to be the coldest in Iowa's history. Wind chills are expected to be as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The New York Times, The Hill

2. Subzero temperatures place stranglehold on much of US

An Arctic vortex continued to bring subzero temperatures across large swaths of the United States on Monday. More than 110 million people are under wind chill warnings and advisories as the weather drops to dangerous levels. Wind chills below -30 degrees Fahrenheit are expected from the Rocky Mountain region into parts of the Midwest, with temperatures anywhere from 25 to 40 degrees below average, according to the National Weather Service. The extreme cold was seen as far south as northern Texas, while New England is expected to see another winter storm Monday night. That storm is expected to ride a jet stream and affect large portions of the country into the coming week. USA Today, Axios

3. US shoots down Houthi rocket fired at Navy warship

A U.S. fighter jet shot down a rocket fired toward an American warship by Houthi rebels on Sunday, officials said. The missile was fired from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen at the destroyer USS Laboon. It was then "shot down in [the] vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah by U.S. fighter aircraft," U.S. Central Command wrote on X. Houthi rebels have been sparring with ships in the Red Sea as part of a retaliation for the Israel-Hamas war, and this was the first attack against the Americans since a joint U.S.-U.K. task force began striking Houthi targets in Yemen. No injuries or damage to the USS Laboon was reported. ABC News, BBC

4. Climate protesters interrupt Trump rally in Iowa

Former President Donald Trump was interrupted by protesters multiple times during a rally in Iowa on Sunday, the first such incident at one of his events in years. The former president was speaking in the town of Indianola when a group of protesters holding climate change banners began heckling him, and at least one held a sign calling him a "climate criminal." They accused Trump of having "taken in millions," seemingly a reference to the millions of dollars he has accepted for his 2024 campaign from oil and gas industry donors. The former president told the protesters to "go home to mommy" as they were escorted out. Rolling Stone, The Messenger

5. US commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The United States commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, celebrating the life of the pastor and civil rights icon on what would've been his 95th birthday. Numerous cities across the country were planning to host parades, though a number of these events were forced to be postponed due to the freezing weather in much of the country. President Joe Biden is expected to mark the holiday by participating in a service event in Philadelphia, while Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to South Carolina to headline an NAACP prayer event while delivering a speech. Many people traditionally use the holiday to participate in services or volunteer efforts. USA Today, Reuters

6. Microsoft passes Apple as world’s most valuable public company

Microsoft entered this week with a new title; the tech conglomerate is now the world's most valuable publicly traded company, surpassing its rival Apple. At the end of last Friday's trading day, Microsoft's market capitalization grew by 3% to stand at $2.887 trillion, its highest-ever, while Apple's market cap had fallen to $2.875 trillion. Once left in the dust by Apple, Microsoft has seen its market value soar in recent years due to its focus on developing AI technologies. The company's ability to incorporate OpenAI into much of its software has helped turbocharge this rise, and Microsoft's valuation has risen by more than $1 trillion in the last year. CNBC, Reuters

7. Taiwan loses diplomatic ally 2 days after presidential election

The island nation of Nauru on Monday severed diplomatic recognition from Taiwan in favor of China, less than two full days after Taiwan's presidential election. Nauru's government said it was recognizing the diplomacy of the Chinese mainland and that diplomacy with China was "in the best interests of [China] and people of Nauru." The island nation's decision leaves Taiwan with just 12 formal diplomatic allies as China continues its threats to proceed with an invasion. Relations between China and Taiwan were further strained by the election of Lai Ching-te as president in what was seen as a blow to Chinese efforts. Lai has long been seen as a strong supporter of Taiwanese independence. The Guardian, The Washington Post

8. Icelandic volcano erupts for second time in under a month

The Icelandic town of Grindavík is in dire straits after a nearby volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday. The Fagradalsfjall volcano blew its top hours after an evacuation notice had been given for the area, sending lava flows and volcanic ash into the fishing town. Several homes were destroyed along with water and electric supplies. Fagradalsfjall also erupted on Dec. 18, but residents had already been evacuated as a precaution. However, some in the area are casting doubt about whether the dual eruptions will leave Grindavík inhabitable at all. The town sits about 25 miles from Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. The Guardian

9. Detroit Lions win first playoff game in 32 years

The Detroit Lions on Sunday accomplished what many fans thought could never be done — they won a playoff game. The Lions ended a 32-year playoff victory drought by beating the Los Angeles Rams 24-23. The nail-biter of a game saw Lions quarterback Jared Goff dominate the gridiron, completing 22 of 27 pass attempts while throwing for one touchdown. His 277 passing yards led the Lions to victory over the Rams and former longtime Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who left the team in 2021. The Green Bay Packers also advanced in their playoff game, beating the Dallas Cowboys 48-32. Two more games are on the docket on Monday to complete the wild card round. Yahoo! Sports

10. Hollywood’s television stars to gather for Primetime Emmy Awards

The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Monday, arriving four months later than usual due to last year's Hollywood strikes. The ceremony is expected to draw less attention than normal due to its postponement and the fact that many of the nominees are for seasons that are long over. HBO continues to dominate awards season with the three most nominated shows this year: "The Last of Us," "The White Lotus" and "Succession." The latter received 27 nominations, the most of the night, while "The Last of Us" came in second place with 24 nods. Other notable shows to receive nominations include "The Bear" and "Ted Lasso," among others. The Associated Press

Two "alien mummies" that showed up in a Peruvian airport last October are not genuine extraterrestrials, it turns out. The curious characters were "shipped off for forensic analysis", said Metro, but Flavio Estrada, an archaeologist with Peru's Institute for Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, concluded that "they're not extraterrestrials" but rather "dolls made from animal bones from this planet joined together with modern synthetic glue".

Kentucky tourism board reaches out to ET

Come to Kentucky, the local tourist board has told aliens. VisitLEX used a modified infrared laser to send a "coded message" to the Trappist-1 system, which is 40 light years from Earth, noted The Times. The signal, which should reach its destination in 2063, includes "bucolic" pictures of Lexington, known as the horse capital of the world. It told any ETs thinking of paying a visit that the city has wide open spaces that are "perfect for landing a spacecraft".

Snake found in kid's underwear drawer

A mother discovered a venomous snake in her three-year-old's underwear drawer, noted UPI. Aussie snake catcher Mark Pelley, also known as The Snake Hunter, was called to a home where a woman found a five-foot eastern brown snake. He believed the serpent had hidden inside some clothes the mother had brought in from the clothesline the previous day, and ended up being placed in the drawer with the clothing.

1. Israel and Hamas mark 100th day of war

Sunday marks the 100th day of the war between Israel and Hamas, with no end in sight and the violence ramping up on a continuing basis. Thousands in Israel commemorated the events of Oct. 7, in which Hamas launched a terrorist attack against the country that left more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds as hostages of Hamas. Protests were also seen throughout the Middle East in response to Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza, which has killed more than 23,000. Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has claimed that Hamas has been severely weakened by the ongoing attack and has pledged to continue the fight until the terrorist group is destroyed. The New York Times, BBC

2. GOP candidates campaign on final day before frigid Iowa caucuses

Republican presidential candidates on Sunday participated in the last full day of campaigning before voting begins in the Iowa caucuses. A highly anticipated Des Moines Register/NBC News poll released yesterday shows former President Donald Trump with 48% support, far ahead of all other contenders. Nikki Haley appeared to seize the second place spot from Ron DeSantis, with the former South Carolina governor now polling at 20%. This could prove to be the final blow for those looking in from the outside, including DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy. The jostling comes as voters in Iowa will face record-low temperatures in what is expected to be the coldest caucus day ever in the state. The Washington Post, Des Moines Register

3. Winter storms cause plummeting temperatures and snowfall

Winter storms continued to blanket large portions of the United States on Sunday, bringing snowfall and deadly low temperatures along with them. The Arctic chill led to more than 44 million people being placed under a winter weather advisory as of Saturday evening, with a further wind chill warning affecting 29 million people, according to the National Weather Service. Southern states were also bracing for their first winter weather of the season, as more than 250 cold records could be broken this week from Oregon to Mississippi. Temperatures in southern cities such as Atlanta, Dallas and Nashville are expected to reach the teens. Many of these cities are expected to see extended cold streaks throughout the coming week. CNN, NBC News

4. Denmark proclaims new king as Queen Margarethe abdicates

Denmark's Queen Margarethe II signed her instrument of abdication on Sunday as her son acceded to the throne as King Frederik X. The 83-year-old Margarethe, who had served as the queen of Denmark for more than half a century, became the first Danish ruler in 900 years to voluntarily step down from the throne. In Copenhagen, crowds gathered outside of the royal palace, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new king and his family. Frederik's wife, born in Australia, will become Queen Mary, while his son, 18-year-old Christian, becomes heir to the throne as Denmark's new crown prince. Margarethe had announced her intention to abdicate last year on New Year's Eve, citing health concerns. Reuters, The Associated Press

5. North Korea reportedly launches mid-range ballistic missile

North Korea launched a suspected mid-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, officials from Japan and South Korea said. Officials said the weapon was apparently fired from North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, toward the East Sea around 3 p.m. local time. It traveled about 621 miles before hitting the water, officials said. South Korean officials were monitoring the missile's metrics along with Japan and the United States. The South Korean military decried the launch in a statement, saying it "seriously threatens peace and stability." The test comes as North Korea in recent weeks has pledged to ramp up its nuclear capabilities against its southern counterpart and the West. ABC News, Reuters

6. 2 Navy SEALs missing after nighttime mission off Somalia

Search-and-rescue operations were underway Saturday for a pair of Navy SEALs that went missing following a mission off the coast of Somalia. The incident occurred last week when the two SEALs fell into the ocean while attempting to board a ship. The SEALs were reportedly operating in rough seas and fell off a ladder, officials told The Washington Post. It is unclear why the SEALs were attempting to board the ship, and no details about the mission were given. It was reported that the vessel had been marked as suspicious by the Navy and was being boarded for further inspection. The missing SEALs have not been identified. The Washington Post, The New York Times

7. Diplomats meet in Davos to discuss Ukraine’s path to peace

Representatives from 81 countries and international groups met in Davos, Switzerland, on Sunday in an attempt to rehash Ukraine's path to peace against Russia. The meeting came prior to the start of the World Economic Forum, and featured national security advisers and top officials. Many of them were from countries in the Global South, an area that has been less supportive of Ukraine's efforts than northern countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the meetings and give a headlining speech. The meetings are also expected to address Ukraine's potential reconstruction after the war as well as the use of any frozen Russian assets. Bloomberg

8. John Kerry stepping down as US climate envoy

John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate, will step down from his role in the Biden administration to help the president's reelection campaign, it was reported Saturday. An exact timeline hasn't been set, but he is expected to step down in the coming months. The 80-year-old Kerry reportedly wants to ensure Biden's victory because it is the "single biggest" difference that can be made in terms of the global climate this year, an administration official told Axios. Kerry, who previously served as secretary of state and was the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, is reportedly planning to channel environmental causes for the campaign, as well as the ongoing threat of global warming. Axios, Business Insider

9. Texans, Chiefs emerge victorious in NFL wild card games

The wild card round of the NFL playoffs began Saturday with a pair of raucous games. The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who have at times struggled this season under quarterback Patrick Mahomes, defeated the Miami Dolphins 26-7 in one of the coldest NFL games ever. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans, led by rookie quarterback sensation CJ Stroud, dispatched the Cleveland Browns 45-14. Stroud's three touchdown passes in the first half tied the league's rookie record, and he also became the youngest quarterback to earn a postseason victory. The remaining four wild card games will be played on Sunday and Monday. USA Today

10. Bill Hayes, star of 'Days of Our Lives,' dies at 98

Bill Hayes, a star of the NBC soap opera "Days of Our Lives," died Friday at the age of 98. Hayes was best known for playing Doug Williams on the show since his debut in 1970, and would become famous over the next five decades for portraying the character. "I have known Bill for most of my life and he embodied the heart and soul of ‘Days of our Lives,'" executive producer Ken Corday said in a statement. Hayes met his wife, Susan Seaforth, on the set of "Days of Our Lives," and like the real-life couple, their characters on the show would also get married. Variety

1. Winter storm blankets large swath of northern United States

A powerful winter storm blew across large portions of the northern United States Friday into Saturday, causing snow buildups, plunging temperatures and rain in a number of states. The storm continued an ongoing week of winter weather in the United States and more than 70 million people from California to New York remained under a winter weather advisory heading into Saturday. There are currently 36 states that have winter storm advisories, warnings or watches. Most of Iowa remains under a winter storm warning with six to 10 inches of snow expected, causing most of the Republican presidential candidates to cancel campaign events ahead of the state's upcoming caucuses. CNN, The Associated Press

2. More than 30 Palestinians reportedly killed during overnight airstrike in Gaza

More than 30 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip during a series of overnight airstrikes by Israel on Saturday, local officials said. The dead reportedly included women and children. One of these attacks reportedly landed on a home in Gaza City, as video provided by the state's civil department shows rescue workers appearing to comb through the rubble. At least 20 people were killed in this specific attack, which occurred in the city's Daraj neighborhood, Gaza officials said. The airstrikes come as Israel and Hamas approach their 100th day of war, with no end to the conflict in sight and the death toll continuing to rise. The Associated Press

3. Ruling party candidate wins Taiwan’s presidential election

Lai Ching-te was elected president of Taiwan on Saturday, securing a third straight victory for the island's ruling political party in a blow to China's hopes of controlling the country. Lai, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, won the election as part of a three-way contest that saw bitter campaigning from all sides, though each of the trio of candidates promised to protect the island from Chinese pressure. China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and has threatened to launch an invasion, while Taiwanese leaders view the island as an independent state. China's morale on the matter will likely be deflated by the victory of Lai, who China has called an "instigator of war." NPR, Bloomberg

4. US military launches strike against Houthi stronghold in Yemen

U.S. military forces launched another airstrike on a Houthi-controlled site in Yemen on Saturday, marking the second time in two days that Western forces have attacked the rebel group. The destroyer USS Carney conducted the strike around 3:45 a.m. using Tomahawk missiles. No additional details were provided, though witnesses in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, reportedly heard one loud boom. The airstrike came following an additional barrage of attacks against the Houthis by a joint U.S.-U.K. strike team that left at least five Houthis dead. The back-and-forth has come in response to Houthi rebels attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea, angered over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The New York Times, CBS News

5. Trump ordered to pay The New York Times nearly $400,000 in legal fees after failed lawsuit

Former President Donald Trump must pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and a trio of Times reporters, a judge ruled Friday. The former president was ordered to pay $393,000 to cover the legal fees of his lawsuit against the newspaper that was dismissed last year. Trump had sued the Times and the three reporters, Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russ Buettner, over a 2018 story about his family's history of tax schemes. Trump had sought $100 million in damages, but the newspaper and its reporters were dismissed from the lawsuit after it was determined that his claims "fail as a matter of constitutional law." Politico, CNBC

6. Federal prosecutors to seek death penalty for Buffalo mass shooter

The U.S. Justice Department said Friday it was seeking the death penalty for Payton Gendron, the white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in 2022. Prosecutors believe that "the circumstances in Counts 11-20 of the Indictment are such that, in the event of a conviction, a sentence of death is justified," the Justice Department wrote in a court filing. Gendron, now 20, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to a slew of state charges including murder and domestic terrorism. New York state does not have capital punishment, but federal prosecutors are seeking death as part of a separate hate crimes statute. The Guardian, ABC News

7. Cockpit window crack forces Japanese ANA Boeing 737-800 flight to turn back

A Japanese ANA Boeing 737-800 flight was forced to return to the airport Saturday after a crack was discovered in the cockpit window, an ANA spokesperson said. The flight, headed to Toyama airport, was forced to return to Sapporo-New Chitose airport after a crack was found on the outermost of four layers covering the plane's cockpit. No injuries were reported. The incident marks the latest in a series of mechanical failures and close calls for airline manufacturers, in particular Boeing and Airbus. The recent blowing off of a cabin door on an Alaska Airlines Boeing flight has led to renewed scrutiny of the industry. Reuters

8. Supreme Court to hear dispute over Starbucks firing of pro-union workers

The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it would hear oral arguments in a case pitting Starbucks against its former employees. The coffeehouse giant is appealing a ruling that ordered the company to re-hire seven terminated employees who were part of a push to get their store to unionize. The case will likely have a wide swath of implications for labor and union rights across the country, and the court will decide the proper standards to be held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against employers in these types of cases. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is supporting Starbucks, arguing that the company was within its right to fire the employees. The Hill, The New York Times

9. Kansas Proud Boy sentenced to more than 4 years for Jan. 6 attacks

A Kansas man was sentenced Friday to more than four years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. William Chrestman, 50, a member of the far-right Proud Boys movement, was sentenced to 55 months behind bars, with the judge saying he added "fuel to the fire" during the attack. Chrestman brought a large ax to the Capitol and admittedly threatened to kill a Capitol police officer. He was also seen shouting and egging on the crowd, telling them to "take back their house." Chrestman became notable for his garb, as he arrived at the building dressed in tactical gear and a gas mask. The Washington Post

10. Air Canada passenger falls onto tarmac after opening cabin door

An Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dubai was delayed for almost six hours this week after a passenger opened a cabin door and fell onto the tarmac, Peel Regional Police said. Authorities reportedly responded to the airport after receiving a call of a man who "opened an aircraft door and fallen out onto the tarmac while the aircraft was at the gate and boarding," police said in a press release. The man had minor injuries and was later taken into custody. Air Canada said in a statement that the man boarded the plane and opened the door instead of taking his seat, adding that the airline had followed all proper boarding procedures. USA Today

1.Trump slams judge, New York attorney general in fraud trial closure

Former President Donald Trump bashed New York Judge Arthur Engoron during closing arguments in his $370 million civil fraud trial on Thursday, despite being told by the judge not to speak unless he agreed to refrain from criticizing the court or making a campaign speech. Trump claimed he was "an innocent man" being "persecuted" by New York Attorney General Letitia James for political reasons. He also said Engoron had his "own agenda" before the judge told Trump's lawyer to "control your client" and called a lunch break. James accuses Trump of fraudulently inflating his properties' values to get preferential treatment from banks. Kevin Wallace, a lawyer for James' office, said Trump and his co-defendants "acted knowingly and intentionally." The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times

2. US, UK hit Houthi military sites in Yemen

The United States and Britain on Thursday attacked Houthi military targets in Yemen with fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles fired from Navy ships. President Joe Biden said the strikes targeted Houthi-controlled areas where rebels were firing at ships in the Red Sea and endangering "freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways." Biden said the strikes, supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, showed that the coalition would "not tolerate" Houthi aggression. Nasr Aldeen Amer, vice president of the Houthi Media Authority, called the attacks, which hit the capital Sanaa and other cities, "a brutal aggression against our country, for which they will pay absolutely." NBC News, BBC

3. Putin ally Medvedev issues nuclear warning

A former Russian president and powerful Vladimir Putin ally, Dmitry Medvedev, warned Thursday that any attacks by Ukraine on missile launch sites in Russia using long-range missiles supplied by the United States and other Western allies could prompt a nuclear response. Medvedev, currently serving as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, said some Ukrainian commanders were considering such strikes. He noted in a post on the Telegram messaging app that a clause in Russia's 2020 nuclear doctrine says Russia could use a nuclear weapon in response to an attack with conventional weapons "when the very existence of the state is put under threat." "This should be remembered," he wrote. Medvedev has threatened nuclear strikes on Ukraine before. Reuters

4. Maryland election official resigns after Jan. 6 riot arrest

A top Maryland election official, Carlos Ayala, resigned Thursday after being arrested on charges of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Ayala, wearing a "Stop the Steal" button, allegedly scaled a police barricade during the riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump. He was carrying a black flag that said "We the People" and had an image of an assault-style rifle, according to the criminal complaint unsealed after his Tuesday arrest. The flag was captured on video being hoisted through a window where Capitol Police were trying to block rioters. The Maryland Senate in March 2023 confirmed Ayala as one of the state GOP's two representatives on the five-member Board of Elections, which oversees elections. The Washington Post

5. Inflation ticked higher in December due to housing, fuel costs

Inflation edged up in December due largely to higher housing and energy costs, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The consumer price index rose 3.4% in December from a year earlier, slightly more than economists had expected and up from November's 3.1%. Core inflation, excluding volatile fuel and food costs, fell slightly to 3.9% year-to-year, just above estimates but below 4% for the first time since May 2021. Inflation dropped by nearly half in 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported, while real wages grew. The inflation declines in previous months fueled hope the Federal Reserve would soon start cutting interest rates, but December's data showed it will still be challenging to get inflation down to the central bank's 2% target. The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press

6. Pentagon watchdog investigates Austin hospitalization secrecy

The Defense Department inspector general's office announced Thursday it would start an investigation this month into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's secrecy over his recent hospitalization. Austin was sent to the Walter Reed Medical Center on Jan. 1 after developing serious and painful complications from prostate cancer surgery in December, none of which the White House knew about until several days after Austin returned to the hospital. The apparent breach of protocol sparked outrage from politicians. The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee has indicated it also plans to hold an inquiry, which could involve public hearings later in the year as President Joe Biden campaigns for reelection. CNN, The Washington Post

7. Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to tax charges

Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty Thursday in a Los Angeles federal court to tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that would have averted a trial while his father, President Joe Biden, runs for reelection this year. Hunter Biden was indicted last month on charges that include neglecting to pay federal income tax on time from 2016 to 2019. During that period, Hunter Biden was fighting alcohol and crack cocaine addiction. The indictment says he "willfully" failed to pay $1.4 million he owed the Internal Revenue Service, instead spending heavily on such things as "drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels" and "exotic cars." Biden's lawyers say he has since paid what he owed, with interest. Los Angeles Times, Reuters

8. Taiwan heads into elections amid tensions with China

Political parties in Taiwan are making a final appeal for votes Friday ahead of Saturday presidential and parliamentary elections being held as the self-governed island faces increasing pressure from China, which views it as a rogue province. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which promotes Taiwan's separate identity, is running Vice President Lai Ching-te — whom Beijing has called a dangerous separatist — as its presidential candidate, hoping to win a third straight term for the party. Opposition candidate Hou Yu-ih, whose Nationalist Party favors a conciliatory approach to China, trails by just a few percentage points in polls. Third-party candidate Ko Wen-je has been gaining support with a focus on domestic issues but remains a long shot. The New York Times, Reuters

9. Spain's first parliamentarian with Down syndrome breaks barrier

Mar Galcerán, 45, has become the first person with Down syndrome to serve in a regional parliament in Spain. Galcerán joined the conservative People's Party when she was 18, attracted by its embrace of tradition, according to The Guardian. She slowly worked her way up the ladder in the party until being added last May to a list of candidates in Valencia's regional elections. When she won, she joined a small number of people with Down syndrome who have broken barriers to enter politics in the last few years. "It's unprecedented," Galcerán told The Guardian. "Society is starting to see that people with Down syndrome have a lot to contribute. But it's a very long road." The Guardian

10. Patriots, Bill Belichick part ways after 24 years

The New England Patriots and longtime coach Bill Belichick announced Thursday that they "mutually agreed" to part ways, ending a 24-year tenure in which Belichick led the football team to six Super Bowl wins in nine appearances. Belichick and legendary quarterback Tom Brady built a "19-year dynasty," The Boston Globe reported, during which most opponents "regarded Brady as the greatest quarterback and Belichick as the greatest coach of all time." But the team went downhill after Brady left in March 2020. The Patriots have gone 29-38 since then, missing the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. The team just finished their season with a 4-13 record. The Boston Globe

A woman has said it was "super weird" when she realised she'd unknowingly married her cousin while pregnant. Marcella Hill explained she found out her husband was a blood relative while researching their respective family trees. LadBible said the couple "took the words 'keep the family close' a bit too seriously", but looking on the bright side, Hill explained that "when I go to my family reunion, he gets to go to his too — at the same time".

Chatty cockatiel found

The RSPCA is on the hunt to find the owner of a loquacious parrot found wandering down a street, reported the BBC. The male cockatiel was found to have an extensive vocabulary and an impressive repertoire of songs after being rescued near a bench in Bolton. "He sings 'If you're happy and you know it' and waits for you to clap, as well as a few other songs and phrases," said rescue officer, Helen Chapman.

Haribo breaks world record

Confectionary giant Haribo broke a Guinness World Record when it used its Goldbear gummy candies to build a 353.1-square-foot mosaic of the company's mascot. It took around 150,000 gummy bears to create the image of its mascot, Goldbear, in the gymnasium at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, noted UPI. "We hope this larger-than-life mosaic brings smiles to our fans' faces," said a spokesperson.

1. Haley and DeSantis clash as Trump skips debate

Republican presidential hopefuls Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis exchanged attacks Wednesday night in their first head-to-head debate in a battle to show who was the best alternative to former President Donald Trump, the odds-on favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination. Trump stayed away and held his own town hall. The Iowa forum took place five days before the state's caucuses, which start the GOP primaries. Former South Carolina Gov. Haley and Florida Gov. DeSantis "called each other liars and insulted each other's records and character in the opening minutes," The Associated Press reported. Haley said trouble in DeSantis' campaign operation showed he couldn't lead the country; DeSantis accused Haley of flip-flopping on conservative issues. The Washington Post, The Associated Press

2. UN court hears South Africa genocide case against Israel

The International Court of Justice on Thursday started two days of hearings on South Africa's allegation that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in its war with Hamas in Gaza. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called the allegation "atrocious and preposterous," noting that Hamas is the one with a charter calling for the annihilation of Israel, "the only nation-state of the Jewish people." Israel is defending itself in person against the claim for the first time, "attesting to the gravity of the indictment and the high stakes for its international reputation and standing," The New York Times reports. Initially, South Africa is asking the United Nations' top court to order an immediate halt to Israel's military operations in Gaza. The New York Times, NBC News

3. Chris Christie suspends presidential campaign

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, just days before the Republican primary season kicks off with Monday's Iowa caucuses. "There isn't a path for me to win the nomination," Christie said at a New Hampshire town hall. Christie set himself apart from the rest of the GOP field by harshly criticizing former President Donald Trump. Christie's decision to bow out now could boost former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has battled with Christie for anti-Trump voters and gained on Trump in New Hampshire ahead of its Jan. 23 primary. Christie was caught on a hot mic saying Haley was "going to get smoked." Axios

4. Judge says Trump won't speak during civil fraud case closing arguments

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's New York civil fraud case said Wednesday that Trump would not speak during Thursday's closing arguments, as the former president had requested, after his lawyers rejected the judge's conditions. Trump attorney Chris Kise had informed Judge Arthur Engoron in a Jan. 4 email that Trump intended to speak. Andrew Amer of state Attorney General Letitia James' office objected, saying letting Trump participate in closing arguments "would effectively grant him an opportunity to testify without being subject to cross-examination." Engoron had said he was leaning toward letting Trump speak but he could not "testify," "deliver a campaign speech" or "impugn" court employees. Kise said Trump couldn't agree to those terms. NBC News

5. Al-Shabab militants seize UN helicopter, crew in Somalia

The Somali armed Islamist group al-Shabab seized a United Nations helicopter that made an emergency landing Wednesday. Armed members of the al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group set the helicopter on fire and abducted most of the four Europeans and five Africans who were onboard. The attackers reportedly killed one crew member. Two others were unaccounted for and might have escaped, a Western official told The Washington Post. A U.N. memo said there were no U.N. staff involved. All the passengers and crew were third-party contractors, according to AFP. BBC, The Washington Post

6. House committees recommend holding Hunter Biden in contempt

Two committees in the Republican-led House on Wednesday approved a report recommending holding Hunter Biden in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena for closed-door testimony. Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, made a brief appearance as the committees began to consider the contempt resolution, angering Republicans. "You are the epitome of white privilege," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said, accusing Biden of ignoring the subpoena then showing up and "spitting in our face." Biden and his lawyers left after 10 minutes. Last month, on the day Biden was called to appear, he held a news conference outside the Capitol, offering to testify in public. Republicans allege, without proof, that the president benefited from his son's foreign business dealings. CNN

7. Ecuador, drug mafias declare war on each other

Ecuador's new president, Daniel Noboa, and drug gangs declared war on each other Wednesday as soldiers patrolled mostly empty streets following a drug boss' prison escape that triggered an outburst of gang violence. "We are in a non-international armed conflict," Noboa said in a radio interview. "We are in a state of war. We cannot give in to those terrorist groups." The small, once-calm South American nation has faced years of increasing power by transnational drug cartels, which use Ecuador's ports to ship cocaine to the United States and Europe, according to CBS News. A series of attacks left at least 11 people dead Tuesday in the port city of Guayaquil and nearby towns. The Wall Street Journal, CBS News

8. SEC approves bitcoin ETFs

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved 11 applications to offer exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to bitcoin. The decision came a day after someone hacked the regulator's account on X and claimed the decision had already been made. The authorization of bitcoin ETFs marked an important moment for the cryptocurrency industry. The new financial products will give people an easier way to invest in digital assets. Major financial firms, including asset managers BlackRock and Fidelity, were among the firms approved to offer the products, which could start trading as soon as Thursday. SEC Chair Gary Gensler, a critic of crypto-market fraud and volatility, stressed that the SEC hadn't endorsed bitcoin and urged investors to "remain cautious." The New York Times

9. Amazon, Google lay off hundreds in post-pandemic cost cuts

Amazon and Google on Wednesday announced hundreds of layoffs, the latest sign that tech giants are trying to reverse their over-expansion during the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon, which has cut 27,000 employees since late 2022, is laying off hundreds of workers at its studio division and its subsidiary Twitch. Google said it was cutting hundreds of employees in divisions including Google's Assistant program and hardware and internal software tools. Tech companies laid off tens of thousands of employees last year as consumers continued their return to normal life after the end of the coronavirus crisis, which had forced them to work, play, shop and study online, sparking a boom for the tech industry. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal

10. Avalanche kills 1 at California ski resort

An avalanche crashed through expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday amid a major storm with heavy snow and gusty winds. One person was killed and another injured. The resort, Palisades Tahoe, closed 30 minutes after it opened, and search crews rushed to see if anyone else was hurt or buried. The avalanche hit steep "black diamond" slopes for skilled skiers and snowboarders. The victims were out-of-town guests at the resort. Two others hit by sliding snow were pulled out unhurt. Skier Mark Sponsler, a veteran weather forecaster, said a person who saw the avalanche hit recounted that "there was screaming, there were skis and poles and a hand sticking up out of the snow." The Associated Press

A woman said she was horrified after accidentally "washing her nan" in the washing machine, reported Lad Bible. While unloading her freshly laundered clothes, Brilley Coates, 30, spotted a small black bag at the bottom of the machine. She then realised it was a bag that contained her late grandmother's ashes. She said she was "massively confused as to how she got in there - she was meant to be in a drawer upstairs". She has blamed her cat, explaining that he "really is a menace".

Ancient pollen shows climate change killed King Kong

The real King Kong species was killed off by climate change, according to evidence from Chinese caves. The fictional creature "may be able to fight off Godzilla, climb the Empire State building and swat helicopters out of the sky", said The Telegraph, but "ancient pollen" shows his "real-life counterpart" was wiped out because "the climate was altering and the seasons were becoming more extreme and varied". They disappeared 215,000 years ago.

Man hopes to cash in on large Hula Hoop

A man who discovered the "world's longest Hula Hoops" crisp has put it up for sale on eBay. Adam Potter, 28, found the 4.72-inch crisp while having a snack at home in Birmingham. He said he only listed it for sale on eBay "as a bit of a laugh", but "bidding has already reached £4.20, which is more than a multipack of Hula Hoops", said The Mirror. Potter said whatever money he makes will be put into his small business. "I am hoping it will be a nice little cash injection," he said.

1. Appeals court judges question Trump immunity claim

A three-judge federal appeals court panel asked deeply skeptical questions Tuesday about former President Donald Trump's claim he is immune from charges of trying to subvert the 2020 election. Trump lawyer D. John Sauer argued that Trump couldn't be prosecuted for anything he did while in the White House. Judge Karen Henderson, the panel's only Republican appointee, appeared to reject Trump's claim he was duty-bound to try to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden. "It's paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed allows him to violate the criminal law," Henderson said. Sauer also appeared to agree a president could get away with ordering SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival. The New York Times

2. Ecuador violence explodes after prison break, TV takeover

Heavily armed gang members stormed an Ecuador television station Tuesday during a wave of attacks that left several police officers and others dead two days after drug kingpin Adolfo Macías, alias Fito, escaped from prison. Ecuador's new president, Daniel Noboa, declared a state of emergency Monday and, after Tuesday's violence, ordered the military to "neutralize" gangs as chaos erupted in the streets and in prisons. Inmates took dozens of guards hostage. Soldiers searched for Macías, convicted head of the powerful Los Choneros drug gang. At the TC Televisión studio in Guayaquil, the South American nation's biggest city, masked men carrying guns and dynamite disrupted a live broadcast, holding employees hostage until police stormed in and arrested all 13 gunmen. The Guardian, The New York Times

3. Blinken presses Israel on postwar Gaza plan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Israel to discuss plans for postwar Gaza with moderate Palestinians and other countries in the Middle East. Blinken said neighboring nations would help rebuild the war-torn, Hamas-run Palestinian enclave but only if the plans included a "pathway to a Palestinian state," The Associated Press reported. The U.S. supports Israel in the war but backs calls from Arab allies to resume a long-stalled peace process Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative government adamantly opposes. Blinken's comments came as he toured the region to push for preventing the Hamas-Israel conflict from spreading, as Israeli attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon intensify fears of a broader war. The Associated Press

4. Austin had surgery for prostate cancer

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had an operation to treat prostate cancer in December and was returned to the hospital on New Year's Day due to complications from the "minimally invasive" surgery, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said in a statement Tuesday. After Austin was readmitted for nausea and "severe abdominal, hip and leg pain," doctors discovered he had a urinary tract infection. The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that Austin had kept his medical issues secret. Nobody in the White House — including President Joe Biden and Austin's stand-in, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks — knew about his hospitalization for several days, prompting criticism for a lack of transparency. CNN

5. Trump claims Willis allegation 'totally compromised' Georgia prosecution

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against him "totally compromised" after a co-defendant filed a motion alleging, without evidence, that Willis and a top prosecutor are romantically involved. "The case has to be dropped," Trump said after a hearing in his federal election-subversion case in Washington, D.C. Political operative Mike Roman, who served as Trump's director of Election Day operations in 2020, said the seven criminal charges he faced were "fatally defective" because "sources close" to Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade said they had an "ongoing" romantic relationship. Willis and Wade have not commented. The Hill, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

6. US, UK intercept biggest Houthi barrage yet in Red Sea

U.S. and British warships on Tuesday shot down the biggest barrage of drones and missiles fired at commercial ships in the Red Sea from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthi militia has targeted vessels in the Red Sea to disrupt global trade in a show of support for Hamas in its war against Israel. The United States and Britain said U.S. fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and four other warships blocked the "complex attack," which included 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile. Houthi attacks have forced major shipping companies to reroute vessels, causing delays and added costs for oil and other goods. The New York Times, Reuters

7. Top 1% pay lowest tax rate in most states

The wealthiest people pay lower tax rates than everyone else in most states, according to a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy. "On average, the lowest-income 20% of taxpayers face a state and local tax rate nearly 60% higher than the top 1% of households," according to the analysis. The study found that the lower someone's income, the higher their tax rate, which lets the wealthy off the hook and hampers states' ability to raise revenue. "In other words, not only do the rich, on average, pay a lower effective state and local tax rate than lower-income people, they also collectively contribute a smaller share of state and local taxes than their share of all income," the study found. The Hill

8. Rule could make companies treat more 'gig' workers as employees

The Labor Department on Tuesday issued a final rule requiring companies to treat workers as employees — not independent contractors — if they are "economically dependent" on the company. Business groups are likely to challenge the change. The rule could increase labor costs for companies that rely heavily on contractors and freelancers, including trucking firms, health care groups and app-based "gig" services. Studies indicate that employees can cost businesses 30% more than independent contractors, according to Reuters. The Labor Department said the rule would boost enforcement against businesses that misclassify workers as contractors to save money. Reuters

9. NASA postpones plan to put astronauts on the moon

NASA announced Tuesday it would delay its long-awaited mission to return astronauts to the moon. The latest in a series of postponements was prompted by anomalies on 2022's uncrewed Artemis I mission. Four astronauts in the Artemis II mission will now make a planned flyby in 2025. Their lunar landing on Artemis III has been pushed back from 2025 to 2026. Artemis IV, the first scheduled trip to the extraterrestrial space station Gateway, is still planned for 2028, according to NASA. "The safety of our astronauts is NASA's top priority," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. Axios

10. Storms continue, flood risk rises

Much of the United States faces continuing extreme weather on Wednesday. Severe weather Tuesday spawned Gulf Coast tornadoes that left three people dead. Millions were under flood warnings. Heavy snow, dangerous winds, and thunderstorms have knocked out power, disrupted air travel and forced schools to close from the Great Lakes to the Florida panhandle, The New York Times reported. Flood risk could continue through Thursday, after the storm passes. "The worst time for flooding is right after the rain stops," said Patrick Wilson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Virginia. A second powerful winter storm, already hammering the Northwest, will sweep across the central and eastern U.S. this weekend. The New York Times, The Weather Channel

The Pope's controversial doctrinal chief has been accused of blasphemy after the rediscovery of a book he wrote 26 years ago praising "mystical orgasms". Víctor Manuel Fernández's book also depicts a "passionate encounter between Jesus and a young girl", said The Times. The chief is "currently at loggerheads" with traditional bishops after allowing the blessing of gay couples last month.

Woman's costly cocktail shock

A woman's New Year celebrations were "absolutely wrecked" after she mistakenly ordered an "extremely expensive drink", said the Daily Express. Lynsey Bennett, from Belfast, ordered a cocktail that she thought cost £18.90 while at a five-star hotel in London, England, only to "realise to her horror" it cost £1,890. She said her husband was "furious at me so he left the bar and left me there on my own to deal with it". The hotel agreed to waive the bill and Lynsey spent the rest of the night drinking with the hotel manager.

Punch bag record broken

An Indian martial artist broke a Guinness World Record when he spent 55 hours, 15 minutes punching a punch bag, reported UPI. Sidhu Kshetri, 42, was required by the rules to throw at least one punch every 2 seconds and was allowed a five-minute break per hour. "The pain started around the 20-hour mark," he said. "At that point, I reminded myself that it was a test of my limits. I believed that if I stayed emotionally strong, I could endure the pain."

1. Israel shifts to more targeted phase of Hamas war

Israel's military said Monday it had started shifting its ground and air offensive in Gaza to a more targeted phase against Hamas leaders and fighters. The disclosure came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is touring the Middle East in a bid to keep the war from spreading, was expected to urge Israeli leaders to narrow their offensive to protect civilians. The threat that the fighting could spread increased on Monday as Hezbollah, a Hamas ally in Lebanon, said an Israeli strike killed one of its commanders a day after another Israeli attack killed senior Hamas leaders in Lebanon. The New York Times

2. Trump asks judges to rule him immune from prosecution

Former President Donald Trump's lawyers filed a motion Monday asking a Georgia judge to dismiss felony election-interference charges against him, arguing that he was immune from prosecution because his efforts to overturn his election loss were part of his duties as president. "From 1789 to 2023, no president ever faced criminal prosecution for acts committed while in office," Trump attorneys Steve Sadow and Jennifer Little argued. Legal experts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the immunity argument is unlikely to prevent Trump's prosecution but could delay the case until after November's presidential election. Trump on Tuesday is asking an appeals court in Washington, D.C., to consider his immunity claim in his federal election-subversion case. A lower court rejected that claim in December. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press

3. Peregrine moon landing off due to propulsion failure

Astrobotic Technology abandoned its plan for the first U.S. moon landing in a half-century — and the first ever by a private business — after a "critical" fuel leak developed shortly after its Monday launch from Florida. The company said it turned its Peregrine spacecraft toward the sun so its solar panel could charge its battery, and was now focusing on getting the lander, which carries experiments but no people, as close to the moon as possible before it loses power. The 202-foot-tall Vulcan Centaur rocket developed by the United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, had a successful first launch after years of delays, powering the lander into space. Spaceflight Now, The Wall Street Journal

4. Austin moved from intensive care as calls for accountability continue

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin left intensive care on Monday as he faced intensifying criticism for failing to tell the White House about his emergency hospitalization for days. Austin, 70, was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Jan. 1 in "severe pain" due to complications from a Dec. 22 elective medical procedure that included an overnight stay. He remains under doctors' supervision at Walter Reed. The Pentagon has given halting explanations for why Austin's staff failed to notify the White House immediately. Republicans and Democrats have demanded accountability. Politico reported that President Joe Biden would not accept Austin's resignation if offered. The Washington Post, Politico

5. Pakistan high court lifts lifetime ban on politicians with criminal convictions

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday threw out a law that barred people with criminal convictions from running for political office, clearing the way for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to run in February parliamentary elections. A seven-justice panel headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa ruled 6-1 that politicians could be barred for five years but not for life. Sharif has served as prime minister three times, but never completed a term due to corruption allegations and military opposition. He was disqualified from elections for life in 2017. Sharif's political party, the Pakistan Muslim League, called the ruling a "vindication," saying Sharif had been the victim of political persecution. The New York Times

6. Florida GOP ousts leader accused of rape

The Republican Party of Florida on Monday formally removed its scandal-plagued chair, Christian Ziegler, in an overwhelming vote as he continued to fight a weeks-long sexual assault investigation. A woman accused Ziegler of raping her after his wife — Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the far-right Moms for Liberty group — backed out of a planned three-way sexual encounter. The accuser said she and the Zieglers previously had a three-way tryst. Both Zieglers resisted calls to resign — Christian Ziegler from his GOP position and Bridget Ziegler from her seat on the Sarasota County, Florida, School Board. Three weeks before the closed-door vote to oust Ziegler, the state GOP had stripped him of all authority and cut his salary from $120,000 to $1. The Miami Herald, The Washington Post

7. France's prime minister resigns

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne submitted her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, less than 20 months after he appointed her. Macron accepted it, praising Borne for showing "courage, commitment and determination" during her time as prime minister. He appointed Gabriel Attal to replace her; at 34, Attal will be France's youngest prime minister in modern history. Bourne was the second woman to hold the job. Her departure came as Macron gets started with an overhaul of his government's leadership, hoping to boost his political strength six months before European elections. Borne's chances of holding onto the position had been sinking for weeks, particularly after the passing of a divisive "immigration" law. Le Monde, BBC

8. Michigan beats Washington to take college football national championship

The University of Michigan Wolverines won the College Football Playoff national championship Monday, beating the University of Washington Huskies 34-13 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Michigan held Washington's quarterback, Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr., to 255 yards and one touchdown, plus two interceptions, as he completed 27 of 51 passes. The win gave Michigan its first national title since 1997. Michigan senior running back Blake Corum had 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns, increasing the Wolverines' lead after his backfield mate Donovan Edwards scored the game's first two touchdowns to help Michigan complete its return to the top under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Athletic

9. Plains, Midwest hit by back-to-back winter storms

An intense storm crossing the Plains states is hitting the central and eastern United States with dangerous weather into early Wednesday. The system is expected to whip much of the Lower 48 states with strong tornadoes, blizzard conditions, torrential rains and powerful winds. The low-pressure system first appeared near Oklahoma and is heading northeast across the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys toward Quebec. Areas from southern Texas to eastern North Carolina could face damage from high winds and tornadoes through Tuesday. An even stronger and colder storm is forecast to hit the Plains and the Midwest on Friday and Saturday, possibly shutting down travel and putting anyone caught outdoors at risk. The Washington Post, Accuweather

10. Tiger Woods and Nike split after 27-year partnership

Golf legend Tiger Woods on Monday announced the end of his longtime partnership with Nike. "Over 27 years ago I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world," the 15-time major champion wrote. "The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever." Woods, who had worn Nike shoes and golf apparel since turning pro in August 1996, deflected speculation about a possible split with the athletic shoe and clothing brand in December, saying, "I'm still wearing their product." Nike confirmed the breakup on Instagram, thanking Woods for challenging "the entire institution of golf." Sports Illustrated, ESPN

A woman said she spotted an "angel" in the sky over a church, just moments before she won the lottery. Tracey Preston was leaving the church of St Endellion in Port Isaac, Cornwall, on New Year's Eve when she spotted clouds shaped like a giant angel reaching down towards her, she told Lad Bible. "When I got home that day, I had an email from the National Lottery saying I’d won £214," she said. "A good omen indeed."

Sun returns to Canadian town

A Canadian town has celebrated the return of the sun after 30 nights. The Inuvik sunrise festival in the Northwest Territories marks the return of the sun after more than 30 days of "polar nights and no official sunrise", said the BBC. A polar night, when the night lasts for more than 24 hours, is caused because Earth rotates on a titled axis, meaning there are periods where the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle are either completely exposed or obscured from the sun.

Trucker reunited with cat

A US trucker was reunited with his cat after the moggy fled from his vehicle during a pit stop at a truck stop in Nevada. Chad McIntyre said he often takes his cat, Tyler, on his long-haul drives. "It's nice that he's lying there in the passenger seat, and yeah, he doesn't talk back, but it's nice to have somebody, something to talk to," he told Fox 13. The missing cat was discovered 670 miles away and identified through his microchip.

1. Congressional leaders agree on spending levels as shutdown looms

House and Senate leaders announced a tentative spending deal Sunday in a step toward averting a government shutdown later this month. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) settled on funding levels that included $886 billion for defense spending and $773 billion in non-defense spending for a total of about $1.66 trillion for fiscal year 2024. Congress still must approve funding bills or a stopgap resolution ahead of Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 funding deadlines to prevent a shutdown. Johnson said Republicans won concessions like IRS funding cuts, while Schumer said Democrats protected health care and nutrition assistance from "draconian cuts sought by right-wing extremists." CNN, The New York Times

2. 'Oppenheimer' leads Golden Globes with 5 wins

"Oppenheimer" led the winners of the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday, taking five awards, including best film, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy) in the drama category. "Barbie," "Poor Things," "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Holdovers" also received multiple awards. "Barbie" won a new award for cinematic and box office achievement. Emma Stone took her second Golden Globe for her performance in "Poor Things." Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous woman to win for best actress for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman whose relatives were murdered for their oil money, in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon." "Succession" led TV shows with four wins. The Hollywood Reporter, Variety

3. Lawmakers demand answers on Lloyd Austin's hospitalization

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faced intensifying criticism over the weekend for failing to notify the White House for days that he had been hospitalized for complications from recent elective surgery. Congressional leaders from both parties demanded clarification on unanswered questions, including details about the surgery and complications, and Austin's current health status. House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said they were "concerned with how the disclosure of the secretary's condition was handled," and wanted details "as soon as possible," adding, "Transparency is vitally important." Austin said Saturday he "could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed." Axios

4. Blinken meets with Arab leaders in push to contain Israel-Hamas war

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Sunday in an urgent push to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading in the Middle East. Blinken will also visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt before he returns to Washington at the end of his fourth diplomatic trip to the region since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct 7, sparking the current war. Blinken said Palestinians who fled their homes must be allowed to return once it's safe, doubling down on the Biden administration's rejection of calls from some Israeli government ministers for Palestinians to be resettled outside Gaza. The Associated Press, The Hill

5. Report: Investors, executives concerned about Musk's alleged drug use

Elon Musk's alleged use of drugs — including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and ketamine — has become a concern for some executives at the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's companies, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. People close to Musk told the Journal they worried Musk's drug use could result in a health crisis or damage the companies. Illegal drug use could violate federal policies and threaten SpaceX government space-flight contracts worth billions of dollars. Musk is a big part of the value of the companies, which employ tens of thousands of people and account for $1 trillion in investor assets. A Musk lawyer said the billionaire is "regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test." The Wall Street Journal, Fortune

6. Boeing 737 Max 9 jet groundings spread

Groundings of Boeing 737 Max 9 jets spread from the United States to Panama and Turkey over the weekend as regulators rushed to inspect the planes after a piece of an Alaska Airlines jet blew out in midflight, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. The groundings mark the biggest setback for Boeing's most popular aircraft since the entire fleet of Max jetliners was taken out of service in 2019 after two deadly crashes. Federal investigators prioritized the search for the Alaska Airlines plane's missing "plug door" for clues about what caused it to fall off. The piece was found in the backyard of a home in the Portland, Oregon, area, officials announced Sunday. CNN, NBC News

7. Iowa students plan walkout to protest school shooting

Iowa students plan to walk out of class Monday and march to the state Capitol to call for lawmakers to take action to prevent gun violence in the wake of last week's deadly shooting at Perry High School. Police say a student at the school killed sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff, 11, and wounded seven others before taking his own life. March for Our Lives Iowa — a nonpartisan group that encourages youth political involvement — organized the walkout in response to student frustration over the shooting, the Des Moines Register reported. Akshara Eswar, one of the group's state executive directors, said the goal was to let lawmakers know "we are not happy with the state of the gun laws in Iowa." Des Moines Register

8. Bangladesh prime minister wins as opposition boycotts

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won her fourth straight term in a controversial Sunday election boycotted by the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The opposition called the vote a "sham" after mass arrests targeting BNP leaders and supporters, according to BBC. Hasina's Awami League party and its allies won 152 of the 300 parliamentary seats, giving her another five years and her fifth term overall. Human Rights Watch estimated that police arrested nearly 10,000 activists after violence broke out at an Oct. 28 opposition rally, leaving at least 16 people dead and more than 5,500 injured. BBC, The Associated Press

9. First commercial moon mission launches

The Peregrine lunar lander developed by Astrobotic headed for the moon early Monday atop a Vulcan rocket made by a Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture, the United Launch Alliance. The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral on a mission aiming for a Feb. 23 soft landing on the moon — America's first lunar landing in more than 50 years and the first-ever commercial mission to the moon. The Peregrine lander, launched under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, is carrying five NASA instruments. It will also deliver nonscientific items, including payloads for Elysium Space and Celestis, companies that offer "space burials" of cremated remains. CBS News, NBC News

10. 'Wonka' leads box office for third weekend

"Wonka" held onto the top spot at the domestic box office for the third straight weekend, with the Warner Bros. musical featuring Timothée Chalamet bringing in another $14.4 million in ticket sales. Weekend ticket sales lifted the total domestic haul of the prequel about Roald Dahl's mysterious chocolatier to $164.7 million. "Night Swim," the only other big new movie in theaters and the first nationwide release of 2024, brought in $12 million from 3,200 North American theaters, enough for second place. Overseas, it collected just $5.7 million in 36 markets. Variety, The Associated Press

A mouse has been filmed tidying up a man's shed every night, reported the BBC. After repeatedly discovering that things had been "mysteriously tidied" overnight, retired postman Rodney Holbrook set up a night vision camera. The resultant footage showed a mouse picking up clothes pegs, corks, nuts and bolts and sorting them into order. "I don't bother to tidy up now," he said.

Historic spider found down under

The largest male example of the world's most venomous spider has been discovered in Australia. The lethal Sydney funnel-web spider was found on the Central Coast, north of Sydney, and now lives at the Australian Reptile Park. "It is unreal to see him, reptile park spider keeper Emma Teni told the Sydney Morning Herald, "words cannot explain how unreal it is". The spider will be used in an antivenom programme.

Old stripper performed at funeral

Britain's oldest male stripper said that the oddest gig he has ever been hired for was a 250-person funeral. Mike Stratton, 55, started stripping in 1986. He runs his own stripper agency and has no plans to slow down as he's still "receiving bookings and wowing crowds", said Metro. "If you met and talked to me, you wouldn’t think I was a 55-year-old man," he insisted. "In my head, I'm still 25 and I'll do my best to act it."

1. White House reportedly left unaware of defense secretary’s hospitalization

The Pentagon did not tell the White House for more than three days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized, U.S. officials said Saturday. The revelation caused alarm across the federal government given that Austin is the top official in charge of the Defense Department. Austin was hospitalized for an elective medical procedure on New Year's Day, but national security adviser Jake Sullivan was not informed of this fact until Jan. 4, officials told Politico. It is believed that President Joe Biden was also unaware of Austin's hospitalization until Sullivan told him. In a statement, Austin wrote, "I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed." Politico, The Washington Post

2. Biden to deliver State of the Union address on March 7

President Joe Biden will deliver the State of the Union address on March 7, in what will be the third such speech of his presidency. In a letter to Biden on Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) formally extended an invitation to address Congress, asking him to deliver the speech during "this moment of great challenge for our country." Biden replied on X that he was "looking forward" to the speech. The speech will notably fall at a late date; the State of the Union is typically given in February, such was Biden's 2023 speech which took place on Feb. 7. The date also falls after a pair of deadlines to keep the government funded. The New York Times, Bloomberg

3. Special counsel reportedly finds new details about Trump’s inaction on Jan. 6

Special Counsel Jack Smith has uncovered new information about the inaction of former President Donald Trump during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, ABC News reported Sunday. Many of the details came from Trump's former deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, who spoke with Smith's team last year. Scavino reportedly said that Trump "was just not interested" in doing anything to stop the violence as it unfolded. When Trump was told that his vice president, Mike Pence, had to be taken to a secure location, Trump reportedly replied, "So what?" Scavino reportedly told Trump on that night, "This is all your legacy here, and there's smoke coming out of the Capitol." ABC News

4. Israeli strike reportedly kills 2 Palestinian journalists

A pair of Palestinian journalists were reportedly killed during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday. The pair of freelancers, Hamza Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, reportedly died following an airstrike on a car in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Al-Dahdouh had worked as a reporter for Al Jazeera television while Thuraya was a video stringer for the AFP news agency. A third freelancer traveling with the pair was also wounded. The Israeli Defense Force has continued to ramp up airstrikes and bombing attacks in its war with Hamas, which has now been ongoing for exactly three months. Hamas' government office said 109 journalists have been killed in the war. Reuters, AFP

5. FAA grounds additional Boeing 737-9s after Alaska Airlines emergency landing

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday ordered the temporary grounding and inspection of dozens of Boeing 737-9 Max airplanes. The move comes one day after an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a piece of its fuselage blew out in the air, causing a rapid decompression of the cabin. No injuries were reported, and Alaska Airlines said it was grounding its entire fleet of 737-9s as a result. The FAA followed suit by grounding 171 more 737-9s across numerous U.S. airlines, saying in a statement that it was "requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight." CBS News, CNBC

6. Winter weather to cause ongoing issues across US

Large swaths of the United States are already dealing with winter storms and there doesn't appear to be any respite on the horizon. Winter weather struck both ends of the country on Saturday, as storm and snow warnings enveloped the East Coast while a snowstorm battered the Sierra Nevada mountain range on the West Coast. Winter storm warnings in the Northeast also caused icy conditions as far south as North Carolina. Blizzard-like conditions, flooding and tornadoes are also possible this coming week as the winter weather pattern carves its way through the central portion of the United States. More than 10 million people remain under winter weather advisories. CNN, The Associated Press

7. Michigan Republicans vote to oust controversial chairwoman

A group of Michigan Republicans voted Saturday to remove the head of their state's party, Kristina Karamo, from office. Republicans reportedly cheered as Karamo was ousted from power, with around 88% of the 45 people participating in the vote choosing to remove her. The exact number remains unclear as the vote was conducted using secret ballots. Karamo said that she would not accept the results of the vote, calling it illegitimate, amid continuing signs of division growing within Michigan's Republican Party. Karamo and party leadership have been criticized for the GOP's string of losses at the ballot box as well as mounting financial troubles and infighting with party members. The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press

8. Italian foreign minister calls for EU to create its own army

Italy's foreign minister said Sunday that the European Union should form its own army to play a role in peacekeeping across the continent. Antonio Tajani told Italian newspaper La Stampa in an interview, "If we want to be peacekeepers in the world, we need a European military. And this is a fundamental precondition to be able to have an effective European foreign policy." Tajani, who is also the deputy prime minister of Italy, said that forming an EU army was a priority for his Forza Italia political party. "Italian, German, French or Slovenian citizens can only be protected by something that already exists, namely the European Union," Tajani added. Reuters

9. ‘Barbenheimer’ to lead controversially renewed Golden Globes

The 81st Golden Globe Awards will take place Sunday night in Los Angeles, as the award show that appears to be impossible to kill will play host to one of Hollywood's biggest nights. The night will likely be dominated by Warner Bros.' "Barbie" and Universal's "Oppenheimer," the two films that defined a social media sensation last summer; both films are up for numerous awards. The Globes will also take place under the shadow of controversy, as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, long accused of racist standards, no longer has control; the Globes are now co-owned by Penske Media, the parent company behind the largest Hollywood trade publications. The Associated Press 

10. World’s largest cruise ship arrives in Puerto Rico ahead of maiden voyage

The world's largest cruise ship is preparing for final inspections ahead of its maiden voyage this month. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas arrived in Ponce, Puerto Rico this week for its last "regulatory inspections" before officially setting sail. The ship will embark on its maiden voyage from Miami on Jan. 27. The 20-deck vessel dwarfs its competitors and has room for 5,610 guests and another 2,350 crew members. The ship was handed over to Royal Caribbean upon its completion last November after taking 900 days to construct. The ship's features include a large waterpark, different neighborhoods and more than 40 dining and bar options. CNN

1. Supreme Court to rule on Trump being kept off 2024 presidential ballots

The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it will decide whether former President Donald Trump can be listed on primary ballots for the 2024 election. The high court will consider whether or not states have the right to kick Trump off their ballots due to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In a legal order, the court said it would review the basis of these efforts: a recent decision from the Colorado Supreme Court that removed Trump from the state's ballot. Colorado found that Trump was ineligible to run for president under the 14th Amendment restricting insurrectionists from holding office. Politico, The Washington Post

2. Hezbollah fires rockets toward Israel following Hamas leader’s death

The militant group Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets toward northern Israel on Saturday in what it called an "initial response" to the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon. There were no initial reports of injuries from the attacks, as the Israeli Defense Force said some 40 rockets had been fired toward a military installation near Mount Meron. The IDF said it responded by attacking one of the Lebanese groups that had assisted with the rocket launches. The Beirut-based Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas and has pledged continued retaliation following the death of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas commander, last week. Israel has not claimed responsibility for al-Arouri's death. The New York Times, The Times of Israel

3. Supreme Court temporarily upholds strict Idaho abortion ban

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed Idaho to temporarily enforce its strict abortion ban, even in cases of certain medical emergencies. The court's decision marks a blow to a Biden administration effort to require hospitals to circumvent abortion bans in red states. The federal law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, requires emergency rooms to perform abortions if the mother's life is at risk, even in states where abortion is banned. The Biden administration claims that the law circumvents state abortion bans, but Idaho criminalizes abortions unless the mother's life is in imminent danger. The Supreme Court is allowing Idaho's ban to remain in place while arguments are heard. CBS News, USA Today

4. Biden marks third anniversary of Jan. 6, calls Trump a danger to democracy

President Joe Biden marked the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Friday by blasting former President Donald Trump's actions on that day. Speaking near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Biden sought to paint the upcoming election as a referendum on democracy. "We nearly lost America — lost it all," Biden said of Jan. 6, adding, "we all know who Donald Trump is. The question we have to answer is who are we?" The president said that Trump's actions on Jan. 6, in which he has been accused of inciting the violent mob that overtook the Capitol, were "among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history." The Associated Press, Axios

5. Wayne LaPierre resigns from NRA ahead of corruption trial

Wayne LaPierre resigned as the leader of the National Rifle Association on Friday, ending his control of one of the country's most prominent and controversial gun rights groups. LaPierre, who served as executive vice president and chief executive officer, announced his decision in a statement, saying he "will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom." LaPierre's resignation comes days before he is set to begin a civil trial in New York. The trial pits LaPierre and other former NRA leaders against the state, which is alleging that the NRA misused millions of dollars of funds and violated tax laws for nonprofit groups. NBC News, CNN 

6. Alaska Airlines grounds all its Boeing 737-9s after emergency landing

Alaska Airlines on Friday said it was temporarily grounding its Boeing 737-9 Max fleet after a window blowout forced a plane to make an emergency landing. The flight, bound for Ontario, California, was forced to return to Portland, Oregon, after the cabin depressurized following the blowout, reports said. The window damage occurred despite the plane in question being brand-new, and Alaska Airlines said in a statement that it was grounding its 65 other 737-9s as a result. The planes will be put back into service "only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections," the airline said. Boeing said it was aware of the incident and was working to gather more information. ABC News, Reuters

7. Michigan Republicans to vote on ousting controversial chairwoman

Michigan Republicans on Saturday will vote on the removal of their statewide leader, Kristina Karamo, amid ongoing chaos and problems within the party. Karamo, the chairwoman of the Michigan GOP, has said she will not accept the results of the vote if she is ousted, paving the way for a potential fight in Michigan's court system. The Michigan Republican Party suffered a wave of losses during the 2022 midterms and has since been hit with issues of financing and widespread infighting between the state's more moderate wing and its far-right leadership. Eight of the 13 GOP congressional district chairs in Michigan have called for Karamo to resign. The Associated Press

8. Death toll in Japan earthquake passes 100

The death toll from the earthquake in Japan on New Year's Day passed 100 on Saturday as hope of finding more survivors dwindles. At least 110 people have been confirmed dead, Japanese officials said, and more than 200 people are still missing. "I am keenly aware of the extent of the damage caused," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. The 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Hokuriku region, destroying buildings and infrastructure in the area and forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate. Kishida has ordered government officials to hasten emergency efforts, as rescue workers currently number around 5,400. Reuters

9. Actor Christian Oliver and his daughters die in plane crash

Actor Christian Oliver and his two young daughters died in a plane crash in the Caribbean, the Grenadines Police Force announced Friday. Oliver, 51, and his daughters, Madita Klepser, 12, and Annik Klepser, 10, passed away Thursday after the small one-engine plane they were on crashed off the coast of Petit Nevis, a small island in the Grenadines. The pilot, Robert Sachs, also died in the crash. No other passengers were aboard the plane. Oliver was best known for appearing in the live-action adaptation of "Speed Racer" in 2008 and also had a role in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" last year. Variety

10. Mark Cuban to distribute $35M in bonuses to Dallas Mavericks staff

Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said Friday that he would distribute more than $35 million in bonuses to the team's employees. In a memo obtained by ESPN, Cuban said the payout was a "thank you for all your hard work making the Mavs an amazing organization." The amount of each bonus will be calculated by how long an employee has worked for the team, Cuban said. The billionaire investor recently sold his controlling interest in the Mavericks to the Adelson and Dupont families of Las Vegas fame. The exact details of the transaction weren't disclosed, but reportedly valued the Mavericks franchise at around $3.5 billion. CNN

1. Islamic State claims responsibility for Iran bombings

The Islamic State claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack that killed more than 80 people gathered Wednesday to honor Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq four years ago. The twin suicide bombings marked the deadliest militant attack in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The attack came as Middle East tensions escalate over Israel's war against Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that runs the Gaza Strip and is linked to Iran. The bombers likely hoped to prompt Iran to strike Israel, according to Aaron Y. Zelin, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. NPR, Axios

2. US drone strike kills Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad

A Thursday U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed a senior figure in an Iran-linked militant group, the Harakat al-Nujaba, the Pentagon said was linked to recent attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq. An Iraqi government spokesperson called the attack a "flagrant violation of the sovereignty and security of Iraq" that was "no different from a terrorist act." The missile hit a vehicle near a headquarters of the 12th brigade of Nujaba, part of the Popular Mobilization Forces security group, and killed brigade commander Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi and two others. The State Department designated Nujaba a terrorist organization in 2019. Nujaba has tried to help Hamas in its war with Israel, and the strike fueled fears of a wider war. The New York Times, Reuters

3. Israel outlines 'new combat approach' ahead of Blinken visit

Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, on Thursday described the scaled-down "new combat approach" Israeli forces plan to use in the next phase of fighting in northern Gaza and said the war against Hamas would continue in southern Gaza "for as long as necessary." The comments came ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for weekend talks. The U.S. has urged Israel to shift to less intense fighting in Gaza and do more to protect civilians. On Thursday, an Israeli strike flattened a home in part of Gaza's southern coastline that Israel had designated a safe zone. Palestinian hospital officials said the blast killed at least 12 people, including 10 children. The Associated Press

4. China, other countries paid millions to Trump properties

Governments and state-linked entities from China, Saudi Arabia and other countries paid at least $7.8 million to Donald Trump's hotels in Washington and Las Vegas and his properties in New York while he was president, according to public documents and internal financial records obtained by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. China's government and entities were the biggest spenders, paying Trump businesses more than $5.5 million, according to a report published Thursday by the committee's Democratic minority. The report came out as House Republicans conduct an impeachment inquiry focused on unproven allegations that President Biden benefited from his son Hunter's overseas business dealings. The Wall Street Journal

5. Poll: 25% of Americans believe FBI instigated Jan. 6 attack

Twenty-five percent of Americans believe the FBI "probably" or "definitely" organized and encouraged the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack by a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released Thursday. Among Republicans, 34% say the FBI was behind the insurrection — a conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing media and denied by federal law enforcement agencies — compared to 30% of independents and 13% of Democrats. The poll confirms that "misinformation about Jan. 6 is widespread as the United States heads into a presidential election year" with Trump the strong favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination, according to the Post. The Washington Post

6. Sixth grader killed, 5 injured in Iowa school shooting

An Iowa high school student armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small-caliber handgun allegedly shot six people, killing a sixth grader and injuring five others at Perry High School about 40 miles northwest of downtown Des Moines on Thursday. Police said the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Perry student Dylan Butler, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the school. Investigators also said they found an improvised explosive device on the campus. The Iowa State Fire Marshall disarmed it. The wounded victims reportedly included Perry High School's principal, Dan Marburger. Des Moines Register

7. Flu, Covid surge hits much of US

Thirty-three states are reporting high to very high case counts of flu and similar illnesses, with the flu season expected to continue getting rougher as students return from winter break. So far, health officials have recorded about 4,500 flu-related deaths, including 20 children, since the season began in October. The flu outbreak comes as a new coronavirus variant, JN.1, causes another Covid-19 wave. The new dominant variant appears to be more likely than many other variants to infect those who have been vaccinated or previously infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 29,000 people were hospitalized with Covid in the week before Christmas, compared to 39,000 a year earlier. NBC News, The Washington Post

8. Second release of Epstein documents details sex-crime allegations

A court released a second trove of documents related to the late financier and sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday. The papers, related to Virginia Giuffre's now-settled lawsuit accusing jailed Epstein associated Ghislaine Maxwell of helping Epstein abuse her as a minor, includes a deposition from Palm Beach, Florida, Detective Joseph Recarey, describing how Epstein and Maxwell allegedly recruited girls "to perform massages and work at Epstein's home." Documents released Wednesday didn't include much new information, but mentioned former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, and a few other celebrities, without accusing them of wrongdoing. Epstein died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. CNN

9. Dozens protest police raid at iconic Berkeley, California, park

Nearly 100 protesters rallied near historic People's Park in Berkeley, California, on Thursday after police conducted a surprise raid overnight and barricaded the iconic property. The University of California, Berkeley, plans to build student housing in part of the park. The protesters chanted, "Hey, hey, what do you say, People's Park is here to stay." During the raid, law enforcement officers removed several dozen activists and homeless campers from the park before building a wall around the perimeter using about 160 empty shipping containers. The move came while most of the university's students were still away on winter break. San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times

10. Oscar Pistorius released on parole

South African former Paralympic star sprinter Oscar Pistorius was released on parole from a South African prison on Friday after nearly nine years behind bars and seven months under home arrest for the murder of his girlfriend, model and law school graduate Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day nearly 11 years ago. Pistorius, dubbed "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, has insisted he fired four shots through his bathroom door, killing Steenkamp, because he thought an intruder was inside. Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, said under Pistorius' supervised release he will have to attend anger management and gender-based violence programs. NBC News, Reuters

A US couple whose dog ate an envelope filled with $4,000 cash said they were able to salvage $3,550 but only after some unpleasant work. Clayton Law said he left an envelope filled with $4,000 in $100 and $50 bills on the kitchen counter for workers who were installing a fence. After Cecil, a seven-year-old goldendoodle, ate the cash, the couple were able to retrieve some bills when he vomited, but saving more money involved "a lot of waiting and a whole lot of very dirty work", said UPI.

Football club sorry over colours gaffe

Sunderland AFC has apologised to its fans after a stadium bar was decorated in the colours of its local rivals, just days before the teams meet in the FA Cup. The club has admitted it made a "serious error in judgement" after banners saying "Keep the Black and White Flying High" and "We are United" were hung at the Stadium of Light, ahead of Saturday's tie against Newcastle United. The Championship club said sorry to fans for "the understandable concern they have fairly voiced", noted Sky News.

Art critic 'demanded bribes'

An eminent art critic demanded gifts from artists whose work he was writing about, claimed an author. Julian Barnes has "stirred up an artistic hornets' nest" with his claims that David Sylvester, who died in 2001, expected two pieces from each artist, said the Daily Mail. But this has "infuriated" Sylvester's daughters, Xanthe and Naomi, who described Lucian Freud, who started the rumour, as a malicious gossip who was probably "p***** off" by their father's honesty.

1. Dozens die in blasts at gathering for slain Iranian general

Two blasts in the central Iranian city of Kerman killed at least 95 people during a gathering commemorating the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. More than 200 people were injured in the explosions, Iran's health minister, Bahram Eynollahi, said, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. The deputy governor of the city, Soleimani's hometown, called the explosions about a half-mile from the general's burial site a "terrorist attack." Thousands of mourners were crowded into the streets in a slow-moving procession before the blasts. The Washington Post

2. Trump asks Supreme Court to get him back on Colorado ballot

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate a decision by Colorado's highest court to keep him off the state's presidential primary ballot. Colorado's Supreme Court ruled last month that Trump engaged in insurrection during and before Jan. 6, 2021, and was ineligible under the Constitution's post-Civil War insurrection clause. Maine's secretary of state last week decided that Trump should be barred from that state's ballot, too. Trump also is appealing that ruling. Several other states are considering keeping Trump off their ballots. Trump's lawyers argued that the Colorado decision "would unconstitutionally disenfranchise millions of voters in Colorado and likely be used as a template to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters nationwide." The New York Times

3. Court releases papers naming Epstein associates

A federal court late Wednesday released documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019, that mention dozens of prominent people, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Stephen Hawking — none of whom are implicated in any wrongdoing. The papers include an allegation of groping against Britain's Prince Andrew, which he has denied. The documents were part of a lawsuit against longtime Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison on sex trafficking and other charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of facilitating her abuse, settled the suit in 2017. Axios, BBC

4. Utah becomes first state to give RFK Jr. ballot access

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. formally filed papers to appear on Utah's presidential ballot, making the state the first where the former Democrat secured access to the ballot in his longshot bid for the White House. "Utah has once again shown that it's the pioneer state," Kennedy said. To qualify in Utah, unaffiliated candidates must gather 1,000 signatures from registered voters and get the signatures verified by county election clerks. They also must pay a fee and submit a certificate of nomination required of unaffiliated candidates. Kennedy's campaign aims to get him on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. CNN, Deseret News

5. Junior doctors strike in Britain

Thousands of junior doctors started a six-day strike in England on Wednesday to demand better pay. The strike as planned will be the longest in the history of the 75-year-old National Health Service. The agency was forced to cancel thousands of appointments during a period of peak winter demand. Doctors represented by the British Medical Association and workers in other sectors have held a wave of shorter walkouts in the last year to demand better pay to help them keep up with high inflation. "Morale across the health service is at an all-time low," the BMA said, adding that "the government has the chance to show those doctors they still have a future working in this country." Reuters

6. Russia, Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners

Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Wednesday. Ukraine said 230 Ukrainian prisoners returned home in the swap, the biggest yet since Russia invaded in February 2022. Russia's Defense Ministry said 248 Russian soldiers were freed. The United Arab Emirates brokered the deal, citing its "strong friendly relations" with both countries. The two sides have exchanged prisoners 49 times, according to Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets. The exchange came as Ukraine steps up bombardment of the Russian border city of Belgorod in an apparent effort to discredit President Vladimir Putin's claim that life in Russia remains normal despite the war. The Associated Press

7. Education official resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza

A senior Education Department official resigned Wednesday in protest of President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. On the same day, 17 Biden reelection campaign staffers released an anonymous letter urging Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, warning the issue could cost him votes. Tariq Habash, a Palestinian American student-debt expert who was special assistant in the Education Department's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, said in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona he could not "stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives." The U.S. has pushed Israel to reduce civilian deaths in Gaza. The Washington Post, Reuters

8. State Capitol buildings evacuated after emailed threat

Officials in multiple states temporarily closed and evacuated their Capitol buildings Wednesday due to an emailed bomb threat. CNN reported that the email listed 23 states as recipients, warning that explosives had been placed in "your state Capitol," without mentioning further specifics. "It was a mass email sent to several (Secretaries of State) and state offices across the country,” said Michon Lindstrom, a spokesperson for the Kentucky of Secretary of State's office. The closures disrupted Capitol proceedings in Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Mississippi, although none of the states reported finding anything threatening in their buildings. CNN

9. House Republicans push to impeach Mayorkas over border policies

House Republicans are moving forward with an effort to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of a wave of migrants trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States, CNN reported Wednesday, citing a GOP source. A spokesperson for the House Committee on Homeland Security said in a statement that the panel had spent nearly a year conducting a "comprehensive investigation into Secretary Mayorkas' handling of, and role in, the unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border." The committee next "will be conducting hearings," according to the statement. The news came as House Speaker Mike Johnson led a group of Republican lawmakers on a visit to a busy stretch of the border. CNN

10. New Jersey imam killed outside mosque

An imam was killed in a shooting outside a Newark, New Jersey, mosque on Wednesday. The victim, identified as Imam Hassan Sharif, was shot twice in the parking lot of the mosque and died after surgery in a nearby hospital, according to Imam Wahy-ud Deen Shareef, a convener of the Council of Imams in New Jersey. Sharif also worked as a Transportation Security Officer at Newark Airport. Sharif was attacked at gunpoint several months ago but wrestled the weapon out of the hands of the gunman, who fled and was never caught. The killing came as Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents escalate in response to the war between Israel and Hamas, the New York Daily News noted. New York Daily News

A 13-year-old Tetris "fanatic" has become the first person to beat the game, said The Times. For "almost 40 years" gamers have been "trying to arrange falling bricks into the perfect position", said the paper, but it took Willis Gibson, known as Blue Scuti, to beat the game. "Oh my God, yes," he said when he realised he'd won. "I'm gonna pass out. I can't feel my fingers. I can't feel my hands."

Has Nostradamus' prediction come true?

One of Nostradamus's 2024 predictions has already come true, claim his followers. Some of his predictions for 2024 include King Charles III abdicating the throne, a naval battle and a new pope. He also wrote that "the dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen". "Followers of the psychic reckon the Frenchman was referring to the earthquake that shook Japan on 1 January", said Lad Bible.

'Off-grid' island job ad

The owners of an "off-grid" Welsh island are on the hunt for two wardens to live and work there. The pair who land the gig on Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) off the coast of the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales will enjoy perks including one boat trip to the mainland per month. They will be paid £11.44 per hour. The island, which measures 0.69 square miles, has a population of 11 and is said to be the burial site of mythical wizard Merlin, noted Sky News.

1. Hamas deputy leader killed in Beirut blast

An alleged Israeli drone attack killed the deputy head of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, in a Beirut suburb on Tuesday. Israel did not comment officially, but two senior U.S. officials confirmed to The New York Times that Israel was responsible. Hamas condemned the strike, which Lebanon's prime minister called an attempt "to drag Lebanon into" the Israel-Hamas war. A U.S. official told the Times the killing was likely the first of many covert strikes against Hamas leaders linked to the group's deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. Hamas's leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said two leaders of the group's armed wing had been killed in the explosion. Reuters, The New York Times

2. Harvard President Claudine Gay resigns

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday after weeks of intense pressure that started with criticism of her testimony during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. Harvard's board backed Gay, the first Black person to serve as the school's president, but her failure during the hearing to specify that calling for genocide against Jews would violate the school's rules triggered scrutiny that resulted in allegations of plagiarism in her academic work. Gay, who served just six months in the post, wrote in a letter to the Harvard community that she decided to resign "so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual." The Boston Globe, NBC News

3. 5 confirmed dead in fiery collision on Tokyo runway

Five people were confirmed dead on a Japanese Coast Guard earthquake relief plane after a collision on the runway of Tokyo's busy Haneda Airport with a Japan Airlines flight. The Japan Airlines plane, which was carrying 379 passengers, caught fire but all of its passengers and crew managed to escape on inflatable slides just before the aircraft was engulfed in flames. Former commercial pilot Rodger Whitfield told The Guardian, "We just witnessed a miracle," adding, "The way they got all those passengers off that airplane is almost beyond belief." One person on the Coast Guard plane survived. Regulators and police are investigating how the planes wound up on the same runway. The Guardian, The Associated Press

4. U.S. asks Supreme Court to let it cut Texas razor wire on border

The Biden administration on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to restore the federal government's authority to cut razor wire that Texas officials placed along the U.S.-Mexico border to deter migrants crossing into the United States. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans last month sided with Texas, which sued the Department of Homeland Security under state trespass laws after Border Patrol agents cut barbed wire installed by state officials. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued in court papers that Congress had given the Border Patrol the right to enter private property to enforce federal border laws, and that state governments can't override federal authority over immigration. The Wall Street Journal

5. Trump appeals Maine's decision to keep him off ballot

Former president Donald Trump on Tuesday challenged Maine's decision to keep him off the state's presidential primary ballot. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled last week that Trump's actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack disqualified him under the 14th Amendment's clause barring insurrectionists from office. The Republican frontrunner called Bellows, a Democrat, "biased" and asked the Kennebec County Superior Court to put her decision on hold while he appeals. Trump reportedly is preparing a separate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over a decision by Colorado's top court to bar him from that state's ballot. Several other states are considering whether Trump's actions made him ineligible to run. The Washington Post, USA Today

6. Japan earthquake death toll rises as rescuers 'battle against time'

The death toll from central Japan's powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake rose to at least 62 on Tuesday as aftershocks continued to shake the Noto peninsula. Authorities warned of possible landslides as rescuers rushed to find survivors in freezing rain. "Rescue efforts are a battle against time," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Tens of thousands of homes were knocked down, according to Japanese media. Toshitaka Katada, a University of Tokyo disaster expert, told The Associated Press that people were prepared for the disaster with evacuation plans and emergency supplies because they had lived through previous quakes. "There are probably no people on Earth who are as disaster-ready as the Japanese," Katada said. The Associated Press, CNN

7. Russia hits Ukraine's biggest cities with intense air strikes

Russia launched a wave of major air strikes against Ukraine's two biggest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, on Tuesday. The attacks killed at least five civilians and injured 135 others, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes caused widespread damage and hurt power supplies. Russia has intensified its attacks in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Monday that Ukraine's strike on the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukraine border would "not go unpunished." That air strike killed 25 civilians in Belgorod, according to Moscow. Reuters

8. Tesla sets a quarterly record for EV sales

Tesla delivered a record 484,507 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2023, exceeding anaylsts' expectations of 475,000 to 480,000. The production brought the U.S. electric vehicle maker's total for the year to more than 1.8 million vehicles. That was enough for Tesla to remain the world's No. 1 EV maker for the year, but China's BYD sold 526,409 fully electric vehicles to beat Tesla in quarterly EV sales for the first time thanks to its broader lineup of cheaper models in China. A year ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told analysts Tesla might produce two million cars in 2023, but price cuts failed to boost demand enough for the company to hit that target. Electrek, The Detroit News

9. Maersk halts shipping in Red Sea after weekend attack

Danish shipping giant Maersk said Tuesday it was halting voyages in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden "until further notice" after Houthi militants from Yemen attacked one of its cargo ships over the weekend. "An investigation into the incident is ongoing and we will continue to pause all cargo movement through the area while we further assess the constantly evolving situation," the company said in a statement. Maersk is the world's largest container shipping company. A major rival, Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, also said it would halt shipping through the area until Jan. 9 or later. Houthi rebels have attacked ships with missiles, drones, and gunfire from small boats since November in support of Hamas' war with Israel. USA Today

10. Former Kentucky official ordered to pay same-sex couple's lawyers

A federal judge has ruled that former Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk Kim Davis must pay $260,104 in fees and expenses to attorneys who represented one of the same-sex couples whose request for a marriage license she denied due to her personal beliefs. The judgment added to the $100,000 in damages a jury said Davis should pay after losing a lawsuit over the 2015 case. Davis' lawyers had argued the request for fees was excessive, but U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning disagreed. Bunning said the couple, David Ermold and David Moore, "sought to vindicate their fundamental right to marry and obtain marriage licenses" and won, so Davis must pay their attorneys' fees. Lexington Herald-Leader, The Associated Press

A US couple has welcomed twins who were born not only on different days, but in different years. Ezra Humphrey was born at 11:48pm on 31 December at a hospital in Voorhees, but his fraternal twin Ezekiel emerged at 12:28am on 1 January. Their father, Billy Humphrey, wrote on Instagram that his newborn sons are "so special, they couldn't even share being born in the same year."

Pub bans flute glass for kid

A pub refused to serve a five-year-old girl apple juice in a champagne flute because it “encourages alcohol”, reported The Telegraph. When a couple and their daughter were dining in the restaurant at the Old Bull & Bush in north London on New Year's Eve, they wanted to clink their glasses and asked a waiter for apple juice to be served in one too so their daughter could join in. But they were told "it could encourage her to drink alcohol and it's not a great look".

Confusion over medieval cemetery

A "rare, early medieval cemetery" has been discovered in Wales and has left archaeologists "scratching their heads", said the BBC. The site, which is thought to date to the 6th or 7th Century, includes "well preserved skeletons" that have been "found lying in unusual positions", said the broadcaster. Unexpected artefacts are also emerging from the site. "What exactly is going on?" wondered Tudur Davies, from the University of Cardiff.

1. Powerful earthquake kills dozens in Japan

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook part of central Japan on Monday, killing at least 48 people, toppling buildings and knocking out power to tens of thousands of utility customers. Around 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas as authorities issued tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia.  Japan dispatched army personnel to help in rescue efforts. A Japan Coast Guard plane that was to deliver supplies to the region collided with Japan Airlines jet at a Tokyo airport, causing the airliner to burst into flames on the runway. All passengers were evacuated, but five of the six people on the Coast Guard plane are confirmed dead. CNN, The New York Times

2. Israel announces new phase of Gaza war

Israel pulled tanks out of parts of Gaza City on Monday as the government announced a tactical change in its war against Hamas. Israel said it was pulling out thousands of the troops it had in Gaza, much of which has been reduced to rubble, but signaled that it expected its war against Hamas to continue through 2024. An Israeli official told Reuters that reducing troop strength would allow some reservists to return home while remaining forces continued "mopping up" in parts of the Palestinian enclave, where local health officials say more than 20,000 people have died since Israel attacked in response to Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. Reuters

3. Israeli high court overturns Netanyahu's judicial overhaul

Israel's Supreme Court on Monday narrowly struck down a controversial judicial reform law pushed through by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative government, saying it threatened "severe and unprecedented harm" to Israel's democracy. The law, which seeks to restrict the high court's ability to review government decisions, had sparked widespread anti-government protests. The ruling threatened to reignite a constitutional and political crisis as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza, according to Axios. Netanyahu's Likud party said the decision conflicted with "the nation's desire for unity, especially in a time of war." Opposition leader Yair Lapid said if Netanyahu's government resumes its "fight over the Supreme Court it will show they didn't learn anything"  from Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel. The Washington Post, Axios

4. Russia, Ukraine exchange New Year's Day attacks

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of New Year's Day attacks against civilians. A Russian-installed official in Donetsk said Ukrainian shelling killed four people in the eastern Ukraine city. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the shelling a "terrorist act" targeting civilian infrastructure, according to Reuters. Russia hammered Kyiv with a large-scale missile attack that came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate for a Saturday bombardment that killed 24 people in the Russian city of Belgorod, just north of the Ukraine border. Local officials in several Ukrainian regions said Russian air attacks had damaged civilian areas and killed at least one person. Reuters, The New York Times

5. Navy helicopters sink 3 small Houthi boats

U.S. Navy helicopters sank three boats in the Red Sea that were believed to be carrying Houthi militants from Yemen over the weekend, military officials said. The helicopters exchanged fire with the boats after responding to a distress call from a Maersk container ship, the Singapore-flagged Hangzhou, that reported being attacked by four small boats. The boats "fired crew-served and small-arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel," U.S. Central Command said. The Houthis, responsible for numerous Red Sea attacks since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, said they lost 10 fighters and warned that the U.S.' "dangerous behavior" would have "negative repercussions." ABC News

6. South Korean opposition leader stabbed

A man stabbed the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, in the neck on Tuesday after approaching him saying he wanted his autograph. Lee, 59, had just toured the site of a planned airport in the port city of Busan. The suspect, a 66-year-old man, was immediately detained. Lee's injury was not believed to be life-threatening. Lee, leader of the liberal Democratic Party, narrowly lost to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea's 2022 presidential election. Division between his supporters, who see him as a champion of the poor, and conservatives, who consider him a corrupt populist, has deepened South Korea's political polarization in recent years, according to The New York Times. The New York Times

7. Delayed federal financial aid form launches with glitches

The delayed launch of the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid got off to a bumpy start Sunday and Monday. The new FAFSA form, which millions of students will be filling out to qualify for financial aid in the 2024-25 academic year, was only accessible sporadically, higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz told CNBC. "I am convinced that nobody has been able to submit the form," he said. "Congress required the FAFSA to be available before Jan. 1, 2024. They missed that deadline." The Education Department said Sunday it had "identified some minor issues" and was "working to resolve them." Financial aid consultant Kalman Chany urged families not to panic, and simply wait for the problems to be fixed before applying. CNBC

8. Colorado mother accused of killing 2 of her kids arrested in UK

A Colorado mother accused of killing two of her three children was arrested over the weekend in the United Kingdom, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a statement. British police did not immediately provide details on the arrest. The woman, Kimberlee Singler, 35, and her 11-year-old daughter were found injured in their home by police responding to a Dec. 19 burglary call. Her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son were dead. Singler initially cooperated in the investigation and was considered a witness rather than a suspect. She now faces charges of first-degree murder, child abuse, attempted murder and assault, according to police. USA Today

9. 24 EVs lose tax credits

The number of electric vehicles eligible for federal tax credits of up to $7,500 fell from 43 to 19 on Monday as updated rules on battery sourcing took effect in the new year. The Treasury Department issued guidelines in December eliminating the credits for vehicles with batteries made in China. The change stripped eligibility from the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive, some Tesla Model 3s, Chevrolet Blazers, and other vehicles, the Treasury Department said. Tesla, Nissan, and Volkswagen said they were optimistic that some of their vehicles would regain eligibility after battery sourcing changes. Reuters

10. Denmark's Queen Margrethe II to abdicate

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced that she plans to step down on Jan. 14 and hand the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik. The day will mark the anniversary of the 83-year-old monarch's accession to the throne after the death of her father, King Frederik IX, 52 years ago. Margrethe said as she announced her abdication that she started having "thoughts about the future" in 2023 after undergoing back surgery, and had decided "now is the right time." The role of the monarch in Denmark, home to Europe's oldest ruling monarchy, is largely ceremonial, but Margrethe is one of the country's most popular public figures. She has been known for walking around Copenhagen virtually unescorted. The Associated Press

Baba Vanga, known as the "Nostradamus of the Balkans", made "terrifying predictions" for 2024, said Unilad. Having foretold the September 11 terrorist attacks, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Chernobyl disaster, for 2024 the late mystic predicted biological weapons and increased terrorist attacks, more terrifying weather events, and an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin.

Rats cause car breakdowns

Breakdowns caused by animals making their way inside vehicles have reached record levels. Rats are responsible for "most of the mischief", said Sky News, as the RAC was called out to 303 incidents of animal damage in the first 11 months of 2023, more than the same period during any other year on record. Rats are "often found gnawing away at fuel hoses, infesting engine bays and breaking headlights", said the outlet.

Lost wallet found 65 years late

A wallet lost at an Atlanta cinema has been found 65 years later, reported UPI. A contractor working on renovations found the old wallet behind a wall at the Plaza Theater and handed it to the venue's owner, who checked online and discovered the wallet's owner, Floy Culbreth, died at age 87 in 2005. But he was able to contact her daughter, Thea Culbreth Chamberlain, 71.

1. Student kills 14 at Prague university

A student fatally shot at least 14 people and injured 25 others on Thursday at Prague's Charles University, in the Czech Republic's worst-ever mass shooting, local police said. Photos posted on social media showed students barricading themselves inside classrooms. Multiple news outlets identified the suspected shooter as David Kozak, 24, a history student who had written on the Telegram messaging app that he "always wanted to kill." Police posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the suspected attacker had been "eliminated." Gun violence is rare in the Czech Republic, but Prague's mayor, Bohuslav Svoboda, said "our world is also changing and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well." BBC, The Telegraph

2. Giuliani files for bankruptcy protection

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, an ex-lawyer for former President Donald Trump, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday, a day after being ordered to expeditiously pay $148 million in damages for defaming two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of ballot fraud. Giuliani's bankruptcy lawyers said the filing in New York should surprise nobody because Giuliani clearly can't "pay such a high punitive amount." Giuliani has been overwhelmed with legal bills in civil and criminal cases over his pushing of debunked claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump. Giuliani has complained he doesn't have enough money to defend himself. His filing listed debts of $500 million and assets of $10 million. Bloomberg

3. UN agency says 1 in 4 Gazans are starving

"Woefully insufficient" food supplies have reached Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted 10 weeks ago, leaving more than a quarter of the Palestinian enclave's population of 2.3 million starving, according to a United Nations World Food Program report released Thursday. "I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed," said Arif Husain, chief economist for the U.N. agency. Israel says its military has nearly cleared Hamas fighters out of northern Gaza, but will continue fighting in the south for months. The Hamas-run Gaza government says 20,000 Palestinians have died in the war, which started when Hamas executed a deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The Associated Press

4. Report: Scant evidence of Hamas presence at hospital

A Washington Post analysis published Thursday concluded that evidence provided by the Israeli government "falls short" of proving that Hamas was running a command-and-control center at Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital. Before and after Israeli forces stormed the complex on Nov. 15, Israeli Defense Forces officials said they had "concrete evidence" that Hamas was operating in tunnels and bunkers under the medical complex, the Palestinian enclave's largest. "Terrorists came here to command their operations," Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Nov. 22. But the Post reported that rooms connected to a tunnel the IDF found showed no sign of militant activity, and none of the five hospital buildings Hagari pointed to had access to tunnels. The Washington Post

5. Seattle hospital sues Texas AG over request for trans-care records

The Seattle Children's Hospital is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to block his demand for information about gender-affirming treatment that Texas youths may have received across state lines, according to court filings. The dispute signaled an escalation of efforts by Paxton's office to crack down on the availability of transgender health care more than two months after Texas enacted a law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth. The Seattle hospital argued that Paxton's request violates Washington and federal laws, his office lacks jurisdiction over a medical facility in Washington state, and his demands under the guise of a consumer-protection investigation are "sham requests." The Seattle Times, The Texas Tribune

6. Mortgage rates fall to lowest level since June

U.S. mortgage rates fell for the eighth straight week to their lowest level since June, according to data released by Freddie Mac on Thursday. The rate on the popular 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which dropped below 7% last week for the first time in four months, continued declining this week to an average of 6.67%. A year ago, the average rate on the long-term loan was 6.27%. The Federal Reserve's aggressive campaign to raise interest rates to cool the economy and bring down inflation pushed mortgage rates up from historic lows. Combined with high housing prices, that created the "least affordable housing market since the 1980s," according to CNN. Mortgages have fallen as inflation edged down, stoking anticipation of Fed rate cuts next year. CNN

7. Jury acquits 3 Tacoma officers in Manuel Ellis' death

A jury on Thursday found three Tacoma, Washington, police officers — Matthew Collins, Christopher Burbank and Timothy Rankine — not guilty on all charges in connection with the 2020 death of Manuel "Manny" Ellis, a Black man who died after being shocked, beaten and held face down on a sidewalk, pleading for breath. Police said they were trying to arrest Ellis, who was unarmed and walking home after buying donuts from 7-Eleven, for trying to open the doors of occupied cars. Three witnesses said they didn't see Ellis do anything suspicious. Matthew Ericksen, a lawyer representing the Ellis family, said they were "emotionally devastated" by the decision. About 100 protesters gathered at a mural of Ellis in Tacoma. The Associated Press, The Seattle Times

8. US, China military leaders resume dialogue

Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Liu Zhenli, in a teleconference call on Thursday, restoring direct military dialogue between the two world powers after a dangerous 16-month rupture, The Wall Street Journal reported. China's Defense Ministry said the generals discussed Taiwan and the South China Sea. The call occurred just over a month after President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked at a summit outside San Francisco and agreed to restart military contact in an effort to ease U.S.-China tensions. U.S. officials said China has also cracked down on illegal trade in chemicals used to make fentanyl. The Wall Street Journal

9. Honda recalls 2.5 million US vehicles

Honda's American arm said in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it was recalling more than 2.5 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States and a total of 4.5 million worldwide to address a fuel pump defect, multiple news outlets reported Thursday. The problem can cause the engines of affected cars and SUVs to fail or stall. The automaker said it would replace the fuel pumps at no cost, but that it would notify drivers in phases because it didn't have enough parts to fix all of the vehicles at once. Dealers are expected to start notifying owners this week, Honda said in the NHTSA filing. NPR, Reuters

10. Vin Diesel accused of sexual assault

A former assistant to actor Vin Diesel filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Thursday accusing the "Fast & Furious" star of groping and sexually assaulting her in 2010. The woman, Asta Jonasson, said the incident occurred in Atlanta during the filming of "Fast Five." Jonasson said Diesel's production company One Race hired her to help organize Diesel's activities and accompany him to social events. She said Diesel assaulted her at the St. Regis hotel late at night after entertaining hostesses from a club. Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Diesel, said the actor "categorically denies this claim in its entirety," and that the lawsuit "is the first he has ever heard about this more than 13-year-old claim made by a purportedly 9-day employee." USA Today

A grandmother who charges her family for their Christmas dinner has raised the price for 2023, noted Lad Bible. For the past six years, Caroline Duddridge from Cardiff has been insisting that her guests cover the cost of the meal. "Obviously there were a few moans and grumbles saying 'I've got a few children'," she said, "but at the end of the day that's not my problem really, is it?" This year, she said she has got "a bit of stick" after putting up prices by £2. 

King 'hasn't got sausage fingers'

Royal watchers are "hanging out the bunting" after "King Chas III" announced that his son Wills "does not have ginormous sausage fingers", said the Daily Star. William was filmed closing a small clasp that held a lavish robe around his regal father during coronation rehearsals. “On the day, that’s not going to go in," quipped William, making his father laugh. “No, you haven’t got sausage fingers like mine," replied the monarch.

Santa Claus' reindeers get US clearance

Santa Claus and his deer have been given clearance by the US Department of Agriculture to enter the US. The government department said its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a transit permit "to Mr. S. Nicholas Claus of the North Pole, a distributor with Gifts and Good Cheer, Inc". Last week, Santa Claus was granted official permission by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to enter Irish airspace, noted the Daily Mail.

1. Security Council prepares for cease-fire vote after delay

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday delayed for another day a vote on a resolution calling for an Israel-Hamas cease-fire and increased aid to civilians in Gaza. The United States lobbied for more time for negotiations as it sought to avoid using its veto power for the third time since Hamas started the conflict with its deadly Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel. The draft resolution, now scheduled for a Thursday vote after several delays, seeks to dilute Israel's control over inspections of aid deliveries to the war-torn Palestinian enclave through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Hamas' political leader was in Cairo amid a diplomatic push for another cease-fire with hostage swaps. Reuters, NPR

2. US, Venezuela exchange prisoners

The United States and Venezuela exchanged prisoners Wednesday. The U.S. freed Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; the South American nation released 10 Americans and handed over fugitive defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, widely known as "Fat Leonard." Francis, a Malaysian ship-servicing company owner, is the central figure in a major Pentagon bribery scandal. The trade marked the Biden administration's "boldest move yet to improve relations" with the oil-rich nation, according to The Associated Press. The White House agreed several weeks ago to suspend sanctions against Maduro's government in exchange for his pledge to work toward a free and fair presidential election next year. The Associated Press

3. Boston's mayor apologizes to men falsely implicated in 1989 murder

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday apologized on behalf of the city to two Black men falsely implicated in the 1989 murder of a pregnant white woman, Carol Stuart. Charles Stuart told investigators a Black man carjacked him and his wife after a birthing class and shot them. Police stopped and searched men and boys in the Black community. News outlets identified Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett as suspects, although neither was formally charged. Charles Stuart later killed himself. His brother told friends that Charles Stuart was the murderer. Wu apologized to Swanson, Bennett and the Black community, saying: "What was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist and wrong." The Boston Globe

4. EU leaders reach an immigration deal

European Union leaders on Wednesday reached a landmark deal on new policies to curb migration. Exhausted EU lawmakers emerged after overnight talks and announced agreement "on the core political elements" of the Pact on Asylum and Migration. The agreement seeks to address waves of migrant arrivals over the last decade that have fueled a rise of far-right, anti-immigration parties across Europe. "It's truly a historic day," European Parliament President Roberta Metola said. But critics warned that the reforms would weaken the rights of people seeking asylum, many of them fleeing wars in Syria and Iraq. NPR, The New York Times

5. Oklahoma man declared innocent after 48 years in prison

An Oklahoma County District Court judge has formally declared Glynn Simmons, 71, innocent after he served 48 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit — the longest wrongful imprisonment in U.S. history, USA Today reported. "It's a lesson in resilience and tenacity," Simmons said. Simmons was convicted of the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers during a December 1974 liquor store robbery. Judge Amy Palumbo said that before granting a request for a declaration of "actual innocence" she reviewed decades of reports, testimony and other evidence. The hearing came at the request of Vicki Zemp Behenna, the Oklahoma County district attorney, who reviewed the case and found important evidence that wasn't turned over to defense lawyers. USA Today

6. India suspends 141 opposition lawmakers

India's government suspended 141 opposition lawmakers in a single day this week. Most of the members of parliament pushed out for the remainder of the legislative session belong to the INDIA alliance, an opposition coalition hoping to beat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in a general election next year. Modi, whose Hindu nationalist party has a majority in both houses of India's parliament, is expected to legislate unopposed until the current session ends Friday. "Unfortunately, we have to start writing obituaries for parliamentary democracy in India," lawmaker Shashi Tharoor said after being suspended. CNN, BBC

7. Stocks drop, ending Dow's 9-day winning streak

U.S. stocks plunged on Wednesday after a two-month hot streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had logged gains for nine straight days, dropped 475.92 points, or 1.3%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq fell 1.5%. The pullback came after the major U.S. indexes got a big boost from the Federal Reserve, which signaled last week it anticipated cutting interest rates three times next year now that inflation is cooling. Since then, Fed leaders have tried to douse expectations of a rate reduction in March. The Dow hit a string of record highs and the S&P 500 was nearing a record, too, before Wednesday's losses. The Wall Street Journal

8. Poland yanks public news channel off air to restore 'impartiality'

Poland's new government on Wednesday pulled a public news channel off the air and fired state media officials in what Prime Minister Donald Tusk's culture ministry said was a bid to restore "impartiality." Tusk's pro-European Union coalition took over last week from the nationalist Law and Justice party, which critics accused of damaging judicial independence and EU relations, and using state-owned media for propaganda. The crackdown on state media came a day after the new parliament passed a resolution calling for taking immediate "action aimed at restoring constitutional order in terms of citizens' access to reliable information." Reuters

9. Judge orders Giuliani to pay defamation damages immediately

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Rudy Giuliani must immediately pay the $148 million judgment he owes for defaming two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. Judge Beryl Howell wrote that Giuliani is unlikely to get the verdict overturned on appeal, and there is a strong danger he will hide his assets from Freeman and Moss, whom he falsely accused of committing fraud during ballot counting to steal votes from former President Donald Trump. "Giuliani has never denied that he has taken steps to hide his assets from judgment creditors," Howell wrote. Giuliani's lawyer had said the $43 million the plaintiffs sought "would be the end of Guliani," and the actual verdict was three times that. The Washington Post, Axios

10. Texas sends migrants to Chicago by plane after bus crackdown

Texas sent a chartered jet carrying more than 120 migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to Chicago. The flight escalated efforts by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to send asylum seekers who entered his state to cities run by Democrats. Abbott has bused more than 80,000 migrants to Chicago, New York and other Democrat-run cities since last year. Abbott's office said it was shifting to flights because Chicago was "targeting migrant buses from Texas" with a new ordinance letting city officials tow and impound buses. The first bus impounded under the enhanced rules tried to drop off 49 passengers from Eagle Pass, Texas, last week. Chicago Sun-Times, The Associated Press

Doctors have warned of an increased risk of penile fractures over Christmas, Sky News reported. Urologists at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, said the awkward sexual injuries, which are heralded by an audible crack, increased during the festive period: "If every day was like Christmas, 43% more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany from 2005 onwards," they observed. 

Missing dog found after six years

A dog which escaped from her new family within 24 hours of being adopted was found after living on her own in the woods for more than six years, UPI reported. After dog rescuers were alerted to a stray in Crawley Down, West Sussex, they identified her. The family who originally adopted Rose are unable to take her back so she will now be cared for by Last Chance Animal Rescue and will be available for adoption soon.

Old video games could sell for a 'cool million'

A collection of old video games from the stock room of a shop that closed in the 1990s may sell for $1 million after they were discovered in a storage unit in Nebraska. Among the treasures of the collection are "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", "Street Fighter II: Champion Edition", and a role-playing game called "Chrono Trigger", from 1995, The Times reported. An auctioneer has offered $500,000 for all the games, but the owner said: "If you want to buy it and have a cool million dollars, by all means." 

1. Colorado justices disqualify Trump

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday disqualified former President Donald Trump from running in the state's presidential primary after concluding he participated in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. The 4-3 ruling was "historic," The Washington Post reported — the first time a court had barred a presidential candidate from the ballot under the post–Civil War 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits insurrectionists from holding office. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the decision "completely flawed" and said the Trump campaign would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to end "these un-American lawsuits." Several other states are considering efforts to disqualify Trump. The Denver Post, The Washington Post

2. Hamas, rivals discuss governing Gaza after war

Hamas political leaders have met with Palestinian rivals to discuss governing Gaza and the West Bank after Hamas' war with Israel ends, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. "We don't fight just because we want to fight," said Husam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau in Qatar. "We want the war to end." The remarks suggested potential tensions with Hamas' militant wing, which started the war with its deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo to discuss Gaza with Egyptian officials as the fighting, which has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, continued. Israel and Hamas recently relaunched indirect talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar on a new cease-fire and hostage release deal. The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press

3. Biden eulogizes Sandra Day O'Connor as 'American pioneer'

President Joe Biden praised the late Sandra Day O'Connor, the Supreme Court's first female justice, as an "American pioneer" at her funeral Tuesday. O'Connor died Dec. 1 at age 93. "She was especially conscious of the law's real impact on people's lives," Biden said. "One need not agree with all her decisions in order to recognize that her principles were deeply held." Chief Justice John Roberts said in his eulogy that Justice O'Connor's leadership helped shape the legal profession, as she rose to the high court at a time when "most men in the established profession did not want women lawyers — let alone judges." O'Connor stepped down in 2006 to care for her husband, who had Alzheimer's disease. The Associated Press, CNN

4. New York becomes third state to look at reparations for slavery

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Tuesday signed a bill making the state the third in the nation to establish a task force to consider reparations for slavery. The commission will study the history of slavery, which was outlawed in New York in 1827, and examine its lingering effects, including housing discrimination, biased treatment by police and the disproportionate incarceration of Black Americans. So far, California and Illinois are the only other states to formally study the controversial issue of reparations for descendants of enslaved people. In California, the estimated multibillion-dollar cost has threatened to stall the project. The New York Times

5. Removal of Confederate memorial resumes

A federal judge on Tuesday cleared the way for the removal of a century-old Confederate memorial from Arlington National Cemetery, a day after halting the work to review a report that gravesites were being disturbed. U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston said he toured the site after receiving an urgent call from memorial supporters but "saw no desecration of graves. The grass wasn't even disturbed." An independent commission reviewing Army bases with Confederate names recommended removing the statue last year. The memorial includes a bronze woman on a 32-foot pedestal and also features enslaved Black people, one of them a woman holding the child of a white Confederate officer. Politico

6. Southwest Airlines, pilots reach preliminary deal

Southwest Airlines and the union that represents its pilots reached a preliminary deal Tuesday on a new five-year contract, after three years of haggling. The deal is expected to cost $12 billion. "We are finally at a place where we think the value of our pilots and their productivity is being realized," Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Casey Murray said in a statement. The union said its board would go over the proposal on Wednesday to decide whether to officially back it, setting up a vote by the union's nearly 11,000 members. Southwest called the agreement "a key milestone in the process, and we look forward to the next steps." Bloomberg, CNN

7. Immigrant advocates challenge Texas plan to deport border-crossers

Immigrant rights organizations filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block a Texas law that allows police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the southern border illegally and authorizes state judges to deport them. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Texas Civil Rights project said the law, signed Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and scheduled to take effect March 5, violates the Constitution because Congress has empowered only the federal government to enforce immigration laws. Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said it also "will disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status." State Rep. David Spiller (R), who sponsored the bill, defended it as "the Texas solution to a Texas problem." Houston Chronicle, The Texas Tribune

8. Spanish journalist files rape complaint against Depardieu

Spanish journalist and author Ruth Baza, 51, has filed a criminal complaint in Spain against French actor Gérard Depardieu, accusing him of raping her when she went to interview him for Cinemania magazine. Baza was 23, Depardieu was 46. Baza said in the complaint, first reported by Barcelona's La Vanguardia newspaper, that the alleged assault occurred in the offices of the former Roissy Films production company. She described what happened as "an intrusion without any consent, at any time." Depardieu was charged in 2021 with the alleged rape of actor Charlotte Arnould in Paris in 2018. He called the accusation "baseless." The Guardian

9. Murder suspect accused of luring victims with promise of gold

A Washington state man accused of killing a woman after luring her into the woods promising to dig up buried gold has been identified as a suspect in three other murders. The man, 40-year-old Richard Bradley Jr., was arrested in May 2021 and accused in connection with the killing of Brandi Blake, 44, whose body was found in Game Farm Park in a Seattle suburb. Prosecutors alleged that Bradley got all of the victims to follow him into the woods with the same gold-hunting ruse. He reportedly told them he had buried loot he stole in previous robberies. Investigators said he killed the victims and buried them deep in the woods. USA Today

10. Epstein documents to be unsealed

A federal judge in New York on Tuesday ordered the unsealing of court documents that include the names of more than 170 associates of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who committed suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Judge Loretta Preska scheduled the release for Jan. 1, giving anyone concerned time to object to making the documents public. The material was part of a settled lawsuit that accused Epstein's former paramour Ghislaine Maxwell of enabling the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and procuring girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. ABC News, BBC

A woman flummoxed by her neighbour's strange behaviour that saw him act kindly toward her one day and cold the next has solved the mystery. She said the man would seem "very friendly" but then "scowled" at her as they passed each other in the street, and his dog also seemed more aggressive on some days. The conundrum was solved when she found out she lived next to twins, noted The Mirror. "I legitimately thought they were the same person and the same dog for 2.5 years, folks," she wrote on Reddit.

Old Christmas tree sold for thousands

A 103-year-old artificial Christmas tree has been auctioned for more than $4,000. Hansons Auctioneers said the 2.5-foot-tall tree, described as the "humblest Christmas tree in the world," went for $4,296.13. The tree was one of the first Christmas trees to be mass produced. It was brought to Dorothy Grant's family home when she was eight years old in 1920 and it became a "staple of her holidays" for her entire life until her death at the age of 101, noted UPI.

Boy aims for long-term record

A Scottish schoolboy is working to break a world record for running but he will be 62 before he can realise his ambition. Seb Jellema, 11, wants to beat the record set by runner Ron Hill, who ran every single day for 52 years and 39 days. Since the beginning of the year, he has run at least 3km (1.9 miles) every day, even on school trips, a ski holiday and in "sweltering heat in France", said the BBC. So far Jellema has run 13,000km (808 miles).