NEWS

Latest news headlines for Thursday December 28, 2023 – Some New Year’s Eve celebrants argue that the experience of witnessing the live Times Square ball drop on December 31 is priceless. Exclusive New Year’s Eve party packages are being offered by hotels and restaurants near One Times Square, the iconic site of the New Year’s Eve ball drop. Ticket prices range from $450 to $12,500, typically covering access to food, beverages, live entertainment, and, in some cases, providing views of the Big Ball. — The U.S. declared what officials deem the potentially final package of military aid to Ukraine, contingent on Congress approving stalled supplemental funding legislation. Valued at up to $250 million, the weapons include a variety of air munitions, missiles, artillery, anti-armor systems, ammunition, demolition and medical equipment, and parts. This aid, facilitated through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, will be sourced from Pentagon stockpiles. — President Biden dispatched key officials to Mexico City this week amidst record numbers of migrants crossing the U.S. border and a lack of consensus in Congress on funding for border security. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Biden’s homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall traveled to Mexico on Wednesday. The visit aimed to address the surge in unauthorized border crossings that has strained federal and local resources across the U.S. — On Wednesday, the Colorado Republican Party appealed the state Supreme Court’s decision, which found former President Donald Trump ineligible for the presidency. This move marks a potential initial step toward a confrontation at the nation’s highest court over the interpretation of a 155-year-old constitutional provision barring those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office. The appeal extends the stay of the 4-3 ruling from Colorado’s highest court until Jan. 4 or until the completion of an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. — Two Florida brothers are facing charges after a Christmas Eve altercation ended tragically with the shooting death of their sister. In the midst of an argument over presents, a 14-year-old brother allegedly fatally shot their 23-year-old sister, Abrielle Baldwin, in the chest, as revealed by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. In response, the 15-year-old sibling then reportedly shot the 14-year-old. The 14-year-old is now charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm. — Former “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been incarcerated in state prison following his conviction for raping two women. The 47-year-old actor was admitted to North Kern State Prison in Delano, where he is undergoing the classification and reception process, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. — Herb Kohl, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin and ex-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, passed away at the age of 88. His death was announced by Herb Kohl Philanthropies, which did not disclose the cause but mentioned it followed a brief illness. The foundation emphasized Kohl’s love for Milwaukee and Wisconsin, where he chose to spend his final days. — Gas prices are projected to decrease in 2024 for the second consecutive year, according to exclusive GasBuddy projections shared with CNN. GasBuddy, known for its accurate forecasts, anticipates that U.S. gas prices will average $3.38 a gallon in the pivotal election year of 2024. This marks a notable improvement from the 2023 average of $3.51 a gallon and a significant drop from the 2022 average of $3.95.

Latest News Headlines for Wednesday December 27, 2023 – Israel escalated its offensive against Hamas, launching heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday. This included areas where Palestinians had been instructed to seek shelter earlier in the conflict. Residents reported substantial bombing in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, where tens of thousands sought refuge amid the destruction of northern Gaza. Rami Abu Mosab described it as a night of unprecedented bombing since the conflict’s onset. — Ukrainian officials reported that Russia fired almost 50 Shahed drones at targets in Ukraine, shelling a train station in Kherson where around 140 civilians were gathered. This attack resulted in at least five deaths and extensive power outages in the southern city. The bombardment struck residential areas, a mall, and the power grid, leaving approximately 70% of households in Kherson without electricity during the winter. The timing and restoration of power remain uncertain. — The United Nations appointed the outgoing deputy prime minister of the Netherlands, Sigrid Kaag, to oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. This appointment follows a UN Security Council resolution addressing the crisis in the Palestinian enclave. Kaag, named senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, will facilitate, coordinate, monitor, and verify humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza. She will also establish a UN mechanism to expedite aid delivery through states not party to the conflict. — In contrast to the dismal performance last year, the stock market surged to record highs in 2023. The S&P 500, tracking most people’s 401(k)’s, rose nearly 25%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 13%, and the Nasdaq, dominated by tech stocks, soared an impressive 44%. The central question facing Wall Street is whether the positive momentum will continue. The remarkable performance is largely attributed to optimism about the prospects for a “soft landing.” — Missing Texas teen Savanah Nicole Soto, who was due to give birth any day, and her boyfriend have been found dead following a multi-day search, a family member confirmed Tuesday. Soto and her boyfriend Matthew Guerra, who was also reported missing, were found dead inside a vehicle, a family member told CBS San Antonio affiliate KENS 5. The Leon Valley Police Department earlier told CBS News that Soto, 18, was reported missing by her family and was last seen on Friday, Dec. 22, a day before she was scheduled to be induced. — A fire at the Tides at Meadowbrook Apartment complex in East Fort Worth on Christmas Eve resulted in one fatality and over two dozen people becoming homeless. The building’s neighbor, Kyron Kelly, described the shock upon hearing sirens while celebrating Christmas with his family. — Two Indiana fishermen happened upon a crashed motorist who survived almost a week by drinking rainwater while trapped in his mangled truck after it overturned into a creek, police said. “Quite frankly, it’s a miracle that he’s alive,” Indiana State Police spokesperson sergeant Glen Fifield said during a press briefing Tuesday, after the 27-year-old driver was freed from the truck with severe, potentially life-threatening injuries. — Tom Smothers, who was half of the Smothers Brothers comedy team, died Tuesday at the age of 86 following a battle with cancer, the National Comedy Center announced Wednesday. “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” his brother and comedy partner, Dick Smothers, said in a statement. “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years.”

Latest News Headlines for Thursday Dec 21, 2023 – Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed directly to President Joe Biden at their recent summit that China plans to reunify with Taiwan. While the approach remains unclear, Xi suggested an initial preference for peaceful efforts. This statement, made bluntly during a summit aimed at improving relations, underscores the significance of China’s stance on Taiwan reunification. — After thwarting Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive, Russia is amassing resources for a winter stage of the war. This could involve extending gains in the east and dealing significant blows to Ukraine’s vital infrastructure. President Vladimir Putin seems to rely on military pressure, changing Western political dynamics, and global attention on the Israeli-Hamas conflict to weaken support for Ukraine. — As Israeli forces targeted over 300 Gaza Strip locations, the head of IDF’s Southern Command declared the military at “another significant phase of the offensive in new areas.” Israel Defense Forces hit more than 300 infrastructure targets, including a raid on a Hamas headquarters in Khan Yunis by the 55th Brigade paratroopers. — Former President Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to deny a request from special counsel Jack Smith and decline to consider Trump’s claims of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution before an appeals court can examine the matter. Trump’s attorneys argue that regular review procedures will let the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit address the appeal first. — A federal judge granted former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss’ request to expedite their $148 million judgment against Rudy Giuliani. The judge noted that Freeman and Moss have “good cause” to fear Giuliani may attempt to avoid paying them. Giuliani was ordered to pay nearly $150 million for defaming the women with false accusations related to the 2020 election. — Hackers exploited a vulnerability in a third-party vendor servicing Xfinity, leading to the theft of some customer information, according to a state attorney general’s report. Approximately 36 million people could be affected, and the hack originated from a vulnerability in Citrix software, initially patched by Xfinity but requiring additional measures. — Southern border towns in the U.S. are experiencing a familiar scene: thousands of migrants overwhelming Border Patrol agents. Last week, nearly 7,900 migrants were apprehended daily across the southern border, up from an average of 6,000 per day in October. On a specific Wednesday, more than 10,500 migrants crossed into the U.S., with over 4,000 in Texas’ Del Rio sector alone. — Toyota is recalling approximately 1 million cars in the U.S. due to a potential defect in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat. This defect could cause a short circuit, leading to improper detection of the passenger’s presence and weight, risking failure of the front passenger airbags to deploy properly in a crash.

News headlines for Wednesday Dec 20th: The U.S. is responding to the escalating crisis in the Red Sea by announcing the launch of an international task force for maritime security. However, only nine other politically similar nations have confirmed joining so far. Doubts arise about the coalition’s ability to end militia attacks on vessels in the region and calm anxious shipping companies. State Department officials stated that the Biden administration’s initial goal was to bring together a broad array of international powers to rein in the Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran controlling a significant amount of territory in Yemen. The Israeli army has raided and detained staff at two of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza’s north, where the defense minister said troops were working to completely clear out Hamas militants. Israel bombarded towns across southern Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians and pressing ahead with its offensive with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant warned that the campaign in Gaza’s south will persist for months. A volcano that began erupting on Monday in Iceland continued to spew lava and was accompanied by hundreds of earthquakes across the magma flow on the country’s southwestern coast. The volcanic activity in Sundhnúksgígar on the Reykjanes peninsula appeared to be diminishing, according to Iceland’s Meteorological Office. New aerial images analyzed showed that there are now three vents belching lava southeast of Stóra-Skógfell, down from five at the start of the eruption in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system. A federal judge in New York has ordered a vast unsealing of court documents in early 2024 that will make public the names of scores of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates. The documents are part of a settled civil lawsuit alleging Epstein’s one-time paramour Ghislaine Maxwell facilitated the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre. Terms of the 2017 settlement were not disclosed. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after she was convicted of sex trafficking and procuring girls for Epstein. The IRS is waiving penalty fees for people who failed to pay back taxes totaling less than $100,000 per year for tax years 2020 and 2021. The relief measure will waive $1 billion in fees for tax returns filed for those years, the IRS said. The tax agency is nixing the fees due to the disruption caused by the pandemic, which threw the IRS into operational turmoil and led to a massive backlog in unprocessed tax returns. The relief is aimed at resolving a quandary caused by the tax agency’s decision to suspend notices that taxpayers owed money. About 60 protesters were arrested Tuesday inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda, as they called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Capitol Police, who said the group entered the building as a tour group. “Not another nickel! Not another dime! No more money for Israel’s crimes!” the group of approximately 60 protesters chanted as they unfurled a “Stop Funding Violence” sign. A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced to more than three years behind bars for joining a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol nearly three years ago. Charles Donohoe was the second Proud Boy to plead guilty to conspiring with other group members to obstruct the Jan. 6, 2021, joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. His sentence could be a bellwether for other Proud Boys conspirators who agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Google will pay millions of U.S. consumers a combined $700 million as part of a settlement with state attorneys general over fees the tech giant charges for use of its app store. The company will shell out $630 million to a fund that will go directly to more than 100 million consumers nationwide, according to details of a settlement made public late Monday. An additional $70 million will be paid into a fund for states to disburse to consumers for similar claims. The settlement resolves a 2021 lawsuit brought against Google over the alleged abuse of its market dominance by charging exorbitant fees for app creators.

Latest News Headlines for Tuesday December 19, 2023: A group of House Democrats, including members with national security backgrounds, wrote to President Biden, expressing their strong opposition to the current military strategy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Gaza. The letter emphasizes deep concerns about the mounting civilian death toll, the humanitarian crisis, and the strategy’s divergence from American interests and the security of Israel. The lawmakers believe the current approach jeopardizes efforts to dismantle the terrorist organization Hamas and secure the release of hostages. The letter is signed by six lawmakers. As the war in Ukraine nears its two-year mark, U.S. officials and NATO allies are increasingly focused on Russia’s military buildup in the Arctic Circle. This expansion includes the recent unveiling of two nuclear submarines by Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling a significant strategic shift in the region. Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago, deep inside the Arctic Circle, holds the distinction of being the world’s northernmost permanent human settlement. Hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and supplies for desperate Palestinian civilians have entered the Gaza Strip since Sunday. Israeli authorities reopened the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, facilitating the flow of almost 200 truckloads of aid. An additional 191 trucks passed into Gaza on Monday, according to the Israeli civilian authority overseeing the occupied Palestinian territories. In 2024, millions of workers across the U.S. could see a pay hike as half of the states plan to increase their minimum wages. The baseline pay will rise to at least $16 an hour in three states: California, New York, and Washington. In 22 states, the new minimum wages will take effect on January 1, while Nevada and Oregon’s rates will increase on July 1, and Florida’s will rise on September 30. Hunter Biden is scheduled to appear in a California courtroom next month on nine tax counts, stemming from a special counsel investigation into his business affairs. The charges include three felony and six misdemeanor counts, such as filing a false return, tax evasion, failure to file, and failure to pay. Prosecutors allege that he spent millions on an extravagant lifestyle rather than fulfilling his tax obligations. Police have positively identified the body of Roger Dale Parham, a fugitive from the FBI, more than two decades after it was found in a Kentucky lake. Despite the identification, authorities are still searching for clues about Parham’s murder and how his body ended up at Lake Barkley. Advanced genealogy DNA testing was employed to identify Parham after previous attempts were unsuccessful. Pope Francis has formally approved allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples, marking a radical change in Vatican policy. A declaration from the Vatican’s doctrine office emphasizes that an exhaustive moral analysis should not be a precondition for conferring a blessing, and those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection. A Confederate memorial is set to be removed from Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia in the coming days. This decision follows a push to eliminate symbols commemorating the Confederacy from military-related facilities. Despite a demand from over 40 Republican congressmen to suspend removal efforts, safety fencing has been installed around the memorial, with officials anticipating completion by Dec. 22, according to Arlington National Cemetery.

Latest News Headlines for Monday December 18, 2023 – Israel’s military reported on Sunday the discovery of a substantial tunnel shaft in Gaza, near a once-bustling crossing into Israel. This development raises questions about how Israeli surveillance overlooked the conspicuous preparations by Hamas for the militants’ deadly Oct. 7 assault. The tunnel’s entry point is just a few hundred meters from the heavily fortified Erez crossing and a nearby Israeli military base. It stands as the largest and longest tunnel found by Israeli forces to date. Israel’s government faces calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European allies after a series of shootings, including the mistaken killing of three Israeli hostages, sparked global concerns about the conduct of the 10-week-old war in Gaza. Israeli protesters urge the government to renew negotiations with Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whom Israel has vowed to destroy. Pressure is expected to increase during U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit, as Washington expresses growing unease with civilian casualties while providing vital military and diplomatic support. Chilean voters rejected a proposed conservative constitution to replace the country’s dictatorship-era charter. With 96% of votes counted, about 55.8% voted “no” to the new charter, with approximately 44.2% in favor. This comes more than a year after Chileans resoundingly rejected a proposed constitution written by a left-leaning convention, characterized as one of the world’s most progressive charters. The Republican Party of Florida suspended Chairman Christian Ziegler and demanded his resignation during an emergency meeting Sunday, adding to calls by Governor Ron DeSantis and other top officials for him to step down as police investigate a rape accusation against him. Ziegler is accused of raping a woman with whom he and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, had a prior consensual sexual relationship, according to police records. “Christian Ziegler has engaged in conduct that renders him unfit for the office,” the party’s motion to censure Ziegler said. Five people, including three young children, have died in a house fire in northwestern Arizona, authorities said Sunday, adding it appeared no adults were home at the time. Bullhead City police said the fire broke out around 5 p.m. Saturday, and the victims did not make it out of the two-story duplex in that community near the Colorado River. A city fire department spokeswoman said the five victims were ages 2, 4, 5, 11 and 13. Their names weren’t immediately released Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the fire isn’t known yet. A car plowed into a parked SUV guarding President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed. While Biden was walking from the campaign office to his waiting armored SUV, a sedan hit a U.S. Secret Service vehicle that was being used to close off intersections near the headquarters for the president’s departure. The sedan then tried to continue into a closed-off intersection before Secret Service personnel surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and instructed the driver to put his hands up. Gunmen attacked a Christmas season party early Sunday, killing a dozen people in the town of Salvatierra in Mexico’s north-central state of Guanajuato, prosecutors said. State prosecutors also reported that four other people died in a shooting in the city of Salamanca, but did not describe the circumstances of that attack. Local media said the victims in Salvatierra were leaving an event hall following a Christmas party known as a “posada” when they were gunned down. At least 61 migrants drowned in a “shipwreck” off the coast of Libya, a migration organization said Saturday night. Women and children were among the dead, according to the International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental group that’s part of the United Nations network. “The Central Mediterranean continues to be one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes,” IOM Libya said on social media. The vessel left Zwara, Libya, with about 86 people onboard, survivors of the wreck told IOM Libya, according to the organization.