College playoffs looks for good matchups after snoozy first round of blowouts
AP National Writer The average final score over the first week of the College Football Playoffs: Winners 36, Losers 17. This bold, new experiment was…
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Thousands stream into Belgrade square to protest against populist Serbian leadership
The Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands streamed into a central square in Serbia’s capital on Sunday for a big rally…
Continue Reading Family killed in Israeli strike in northern Gaza, as aid reaches neighborhood cut off for 75 days
By Mohammed al Sawalihi, Ibrahim Dahman, Tim Lister and Dana Karni, CNN (CNN) — Eleven people were killed in an Israeli air strike in central…
Continue Reading When 2025 arrives, so will the end of the amateur athlete in college sports
AP National Writer When the page turns on 2024, it will be time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports. In…
Continue Reading Start your week smart: Government shutdown averted, German market attack, US Navy pilots, Texas mall crash, sleep apnea
By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN (CNN) — Do you hear that sound? No, it’s not jingling bells or reindeer hooves. It’s the sound of…
Continue Reading ‘Captain America’ rescued from Colorado highway
By Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN (CNN) — Sometimes even superheroes need rescuing. A Colorado deputy came to the aid of “Captain America” after…
Continue Reading NASA’s Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before
AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft aims to fly closer to the sun than any object sent before. The Parker Solar Probe was launched…
Continue Reading An architect designed custom clocks for Pennsylvania’s Capitol a century ago. They’re still ticking
Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Capitol buildings are almost always an imposing presence. The seat of government, they tend to be elegant…
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‘El Gordo’ lottery in Spain spreads Christmas riches worth $2.8 billion
Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Spaniards have been anticipating the arrival of “El Gordo” or “The Fat One” for weeks. That’s the name…
Continue Reading What is a biblically accurate angel? And do you need one to top your Christmas tree?
Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It was during the pandemic when the Rev. Kira Austin-Young and her puppet-maker husband, Michael…
Continue Reading Pope Francis calls for a ceasefire on all fronts in his prayer ahead of Christmas
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the…
Continue Reading Destructive Cyclone Chido unearths a rift between locals and migrants in France’s Mayotte
Associated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — When Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure, it also exposed deep-seated tensions…
Continue Reading Ukrainian drones hit a Russian fuel depot for the second time this month
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones have struck a major Russian oil terminal for the second time in just over a week, according to the Russian…
Continue Reading Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots
The Associated Press Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon…
Continue Reading Crowd crushes at two charity events in Nigeria kill at least 32 people
By Catherine Nicholls, CNN (CNN) — At least 32 people were killed in crowd crushes at two separate charity events in Nigeria on Saturday,…
Continue Reading ‘A rite of passage’: Why some parents buy guns for their children
By Eric Levenson, CNN (CNN) — Paul Kemp, a 64-year-old who lives outside Portland, Oregon, bought his son Nathan his first rifle for his 16th…
Continue Reading Prominent Lebanese figure meets Syrian insurgent who led Assad’s ouster, seeking better relations
Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A prominent Lebanese politician has met with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and…
Continue Reading A boy in north Georgia went for a walk down the road. It landed his mother in jail
By Thomas Lake, CNN (CNN) — It was near the end of an unusual day for the four Patterson children when the deputies came to arrest their…
Continue Reading Questions mount in Germany over deadly Christmas market attack as suspect appears in court
By Edward Szekeres, Sophie Tanno, Lucas Lilieholm and Inke Kappeler, CNN (CNN) — Authorities in Germany face growing accusations they could…
Continue Reading The US still has not had a woman leader – here are the countries that have
By Soph Warnes, CNN (CNN) — This year, 45 countries in the United Nations held national elections to decide their top leadership. Of those,…
Continue Reading 4 dead in Turkish ambulance helicopter crash
MUGLA, Turkey (AP) — An ambulance helicopter has crashed in southwestern Turkey, killing all four people on board. Two pilots, one doctor and one…
Continue Reading Stampedes in Nigeria leave at least 32 dead during Christmas food distribution
Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The death toll from stampedes during two Christmas charity events in Nigeria has increased from 13 to 32,…
Continue Reading German authorities received tipoffs last year about the suspect in Christmas market attack
Associated Press MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — German authorities said they received tipoffs last year about the suspect in a car attack at a Christmas…
Continue Reading Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 22 as Vatican envoy visits Christians for pre-Christmas Mass
Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 22 people,…
Continue Reading China says US is ‘playing with fire’ after latest military aid for Taiwan
BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government is protesting the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the…
Continue Reading AP PHOTOS: The iconic and unconventional sides of Christmas in New York
NEW YORK (AP) — The challenge of photographing Christmastime in New York is that there is so much of it. The big tree in Rockefeller Center. Ice…
Continue Reading Isolated Chicago communities secure money for a coveted transit project before Trump takes office
Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Adella Bass dropped her in-person college classes because it was just too hard to get there from the far South Side…
Continue Reading Caitlin Clark effect hasn’t reversed the decades-long decline in girls basketball participation
Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Plunging participation in girls basketball led one of Nebraska’s largest high schools to cancel its…
Continue Reading Winter is hitting Gaza and many Palestinians have little protection from the cold
Associated Press KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the…
Continue Reading In Assad’s hometown, few shared in his family’s fortune. They hope they won’t share in his downfall
Associated Press QARDAHA, Syria (AP) — On the walls of the palatial mausoleum built to house the remains of former Syrian President Hafez Assad —…
Continue Reading As flooding becomes a yearly disaster in South Sudan, thousands survive on the edge of a canal
Associated Press AYOD, South Sudan (AP) — Long-horned cattle wade through flooded lands and climb a slope along a canal that has become a refuge…
Continue Reading 2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident, US military says
Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire”…
Continue Reading California man beheaded his 1-year-old son with a knife, authorities say
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Northern California authorities say a man has been arrested on suspicion of beheading his 1-year-old son. The Sacramento…
Continue Reading The water was their livelihood. Now Thailand’s sea nomads work to preserve a vanishing way of life
Associated Press SURIN ISLANDS, Thailand (AP) — When Hook was a child, he started his days by jumping off the boat that his family lived on and…
Continue Reading The water was their livelihood. Now Thailand’s sea nomads work to preserve a vanishing way of life
Associated Press SURIN ISLANDS, Thailand (AP) — When Hook was a child, he started his days by jumping off the boat that his family lived on and…
Continue Reading Pickup truck driver killed by police after driving through busy mall store is identified
KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — A pickup truck driver fleeing police careened through the doors of a JCPenney store at a busy Texas mall, injuring five…
Continue Reading How a teenager’s holiday romance led to prison time in Dubai
By Rebecca Cairns, CNN (CNN) — Holiday romances are the stuff of rom-coms and chick-lit — but not for 18-year-old Marcus Fakana, who is…
Continue Reading Lara Trump says she’s removing herself from consideration to be Florida senator
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump, says she’s removing herself from consideration to be a Florida…
Continue Reading Police identify driver who crashed into Texas mall before being shot by officers
By Zoe Sottile, Ashley R. Williams, Taylor Galgano, Sarah Dewberry and Alaa Elassar, CNN (CNN) — Police have identified the man they said drove…
Continue Reading New York’s governor orders firing of prison staffers involved in inmate’s fatal beating
Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s governor has ordered more than a dozen state prison staffers fired over the fatal beating of an…
Continue Reading Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, baseball’s stolen base king, has died at 65
AP Sports Writer OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined…
Continue Reading As Christmas nears, Ecuador’s homes get a break from power cuts but companies still face rationing
Associated Press QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — As Christmas approaches and people decorate their homes with lights, Ecuadoreans are getting some relief…
Continue Reading Trump taps ‘Apprentice’ producer, Mark Burnett, as special envoy to the United Kingdom
Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television…
Continue Reading Santa Claus joins sharks for a holiday swim at a Rio de Janeiro aquarium
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Santa Claus has arrived in Rio de Janeiro — under water. Starting on Saturday, he’ll be spotted at AquaRio Marine…
Continue Reading Greek authorities say boat capsizing victims and survivors were from Afghanistan. 2 Turks arrested
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard says it continues to search for survivors or victims of a speedboat that capsized carrying…
Continue Reading A Native American tribe is closer to acquiring more land in Arizona after decades of delay
Associated Press Federal officials have joined with the state of Arizona to begin fulfilling a settlement agreement that was reached with the Hopi…
Continue Reading Former walk-on DeLuca provides early spark, Penn State drills SMU 38-10 in CFP; Boise State up next
AP National Writer STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — In a time of incessant change, Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca is a throwback. The former…
Continue Reading Amazon and Starbucks workers are on strike. Trump might have something to do with it
AP Business Writer Amazon delivery drivers and Starbucks baristas are on strike in a handful of U.S. cities as they seek to exert pressure on the two…
Continue Reading What Trump’s decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in…
Continue Reading 38 people are dead and over 100 missing in Congo after a ferry capsizes on the Busira River
Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A ferry overloaded with people returning home for Christmas capsized on the Busira River in northeastern…
Continue Reading 14-year-old killed in Wisconsin school shooting shared gifts of music and art with many, friends say
Associated Press The 14-year old student killed at a Wisconsin Christian school this week is remembered as a talented teenager who shared her gifts…
Continue Reading Shutdown saga exposes new fault lines for Speaker Johnson and tests his grip on the gavel
AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next…
Continue Reading Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died
AP Technology Writer Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT…
Continue Reading A road accident in a remote part of western Iran left 9 dead and 14 injured
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — State media in Iran reports that an intercity bus has plunged into a ravine in the country’s west after the driver lost…
Continue Reading Tensions over Essequibo region resurface as Venezuela completes a bridge to a disputed border base
Associated Press GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s government has formally protested to Venezuela following the completion by Venezuela’s…
Continue Reading What we know about the deadly Christmas market attack in Germany
MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Four women and a 9-year-old boy were killed and 200 people were injured when a man drove into a Christmas market teeming…
Continue Reading Albania to close TikTok for a year blaming it for promoting violence among children
Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister said Saturday the government will shut down the video service TikTok for one…
Continue Reading How a European industrial rock band opposed to violence got tied to school shootings in America
By Alaa Elassar, CNN (CNN) — Searing guitar riffs, primal drums, and electronic textures collide with impassioned vocals to create a chaotic…
Continue Reading Blake Lively accuses ‘It Ends With Us’ director Justin Baldoni of harassment and smear campaign
Associated Press Blake Lively has accused her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie…
Continue Reading Hungary’s Orbán blames immigration and EU for the deadly attack in Germany
Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is drawing a direct link between immigration and an attack in…
Continue Reading Biden signs bill that averts a government shutdown and brings a close to days of Washington upheaval
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to…
Continue Reading Top-ranking NYPD officer abruptly resigns amid sexual misconduct allegations
Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned amid allegations he demanded sex…
Continue Reading Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for a deadly military checkpoint attack in the northwest
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani Taliban says it carried out a deadly attack on a military checkpoint in the country’s northwest.…
Continue Reading Vatican advances beatification process for Belgium’s king who abdicated rather than approve abortion
Associated Press ROME (AP) — The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified…
Continue Reading Here’s a look at the $100 billion in disaster relief in the government spending bill
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid to address extensive damage caused by hurricane…
Continue Reading Senate passes RFK Stadium land bill, giving the Washington Commanders a major off-the-field win
AP Sports Writer The Washington Commanders’ path to returning to nation’s capital is clear after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress…
Continue Reading How to kick back, relax and embrace a less-than-perfect holiday
Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — We all know the stressors: Social obligations. Family discord. Political rifts. Financial stress. And the desire…
Continue Reading 38 people die in a crash between a passenger bus and a truck in Brazil
Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — A crash between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday killed 38 people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state…
Continue Reading Syrian soldiers distance themselves from Assad in return for promised amnesty
Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Hundreds of former Syrian soldiers are reporting to the country’s new rulers for the first time since…
Continue Reading German Christmas market ramming is the latest attack to use vehicles as deadly weapons
Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A car-ramming at a Christmas market in Germany, which police are treating as an attack, is the latest in a grim…
Continue Reading In a calendar rarity, Hanukkah starts this year on Christmas Day
AP National Writer Hanukkah, Judaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since…
Continue Reading 13 people including children die in stampedes in Nigeria at Christmas charity events
Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 13 people, including four children, were killed in two separate stampedes in Nigeria as large…
Continue Reading What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated around the world
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive…
Continue Reading It’s eggnog season. The boozy beverage dates back to medieval England but remains a holiday hit
Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — At Scoma’s Restaurant in San Francisco, this holiday season ‘s batch of eggnog began 11 months ago.…
Continue Reading Ten people including children die in a stampede in Nigeria at a Christmas food distribution event
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities in Nigeria say ten people, including four children, have been killed in a stampede in the capital city as a large…
Continue Reading Senate review of Supreme Court ethics finds more luxury trips and urges enforceable code of conduct
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A nearly two-year investigation by Democratic senators of Supreme Court ethics details more luxury travel by…
Continue Reading False rape allegations like the Duke scandal aren’t common enough to justify withholding support from victims, advocates say
By Alaa Elassar, CNN (CNN) — When Katie Koestner was a college freshman, a boy she liked took her out to dinner. They went on a few more dates,…
Continue Reading Her surprise bestseller offers a holiday message Americans need to hear
By John Blake, CNN (CNN) — On a cool, breezy Monday afternoon, a crowd of drunken, rowdy men gathering in the nation’s capital stared in…
Continue Reading What we know about the suspect behind the German Christmas market attack
Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Authorities have not formally named the suspect in the car ramming in the city of Magdeburg that killed at least five…
Continue Reading France’s Mayotte struggles to recover as cyclone overwhelms hospitals
Associated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — A week after Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, the island remains in crisis.…
Continue Reading Cyprus can help rid Syria of chemical weapons and search for its missing, Cypriot top diplomat says
Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ top diplomat says his country stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons…
Continue Reading Thousands greet the winter solstice at the ancient Stonehenge monument
LONDON (AP) — Thousands of tourists, pagans, druids and people yearning for the promise of spring have marked the dawn of the shortest day of the…
Continue Reading Pope has a cold and will skip outdoor Sunday prayer ahead of a busy week
Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is suffering from a cold and will deliver his Sunday blessing from indoors, the Vatican said, announcing…
Continue Reading Ukrainian drones strike deep into Russian territory, hundreds of miles from the front line
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine brought the war into the heart of Russia Saturday morning with drone attacks that local authorities said damaged…
Continue Reading A rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, and Palestinians mourn a dozen children in Gaza
Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people injured by shattered glass,…
Continue Reading Germans mourn the 5 killed and 200 injured in the apparent attack on a Christmas market
Associated Press MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Germans on Saturday mourned the victims of an apparent attack in which authorities say a doctor drove…
Continue Reading Florida requires teaching Black history. Some don’t trust schools to do it justice
Associated Press/Report for America TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Thirty years after Florida required schools to teach African American history, how the…
Continue Reading Farmers are still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops across the South
Associated Press LYONS, Ga. (AP) — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after…
Continue Reading Santa and Mrs. Claus use military transports to bring Christmas to an Alaska Native village
Associated Press YAKUTAT, Alaska (AP) — Forget the open-air sleigh overloaded with gifts and powered by a tuckered herd of flying reindeer. Santa…
Continue Reading After shooting, Wisconsin school and church lean into Christmas message for comfort
Associated Press For Christians around the world, Christmas is the joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus. To affirm their beliefs — that God is…
Continue Reading Sectarian violence in Syria has been less intense than feared since Assad’s ouster
Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals…
Continue Reading Notre Dame protects home field in new postseason era with 1st playoff win, 27-17 over Indiana
AP Sports Writer SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more…
Continue Reading Tel Aviv hit by missile fired from Yemen, Israel and Houthis say
By Lauren Izso, Edward Szekeres and Kareem El Damanhoury, CNN (CNN) — A missile fired from Yemen hit Tel Aviv overnight into Saturday, Israeli…
Continue Reading Canyon de Chelly in Arizona will become latest national park unit to ban commercial air tours
CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT, Ariz. (AP) — Commercial air tours will soon be prohibited over Canyon de Chelly National Monument in…
Continue Reading Western New Mexico University president resigns after audit citing improper use of public funds
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — Western New Mexico University’s president has agreed to resign. Joseph Shepard’s resignation Friday comes after a…
Continue Reading Indonesians mark 2 decades since the tragic tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands
Associated Press BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — Two decades after a catastrophic tsunami destroyed her village, Tria Asnani still cries when she…
Continue Reading Senate passes Social Security benefits boost for many public service retirees
Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation early Saturday to boost Social Security payments for millions of people, pushing a…
Continue Reading 11 people, including Venezuelan gang members, facing potential charges in abduction, police say
Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Police say 11 people, including some members of a Venezuelan gang, are facing potential criminal charges in…
Continue Reading A court ruling could tip the majority to Republicans in the Minnesota House
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota House Republicans could start the 2025 legislative session in the majority after a judge ruled that a Democratic…
Continue Reading New damage delays I-40 reopening in North Carolina closed by Helene
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The reopening of a section of Interstate 40 in western North Carolina that collapsed during Hurricane Helene has been…
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