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Lawmakers war-game conflict with China, hoping to deter one

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s April 22, 2027, and 72 hours into a first-strike Chinese attack on Taiwan and the U.S. military response. Already, the toll on all sides is staggering.It was a war game, but one with a serious purpose and high-profile players: members of the House select committee on China. The conflict unfolded on Risk board game-style tabletop maps and markers under a giant gold chandelier in the House Ways and Means Committee room. The exercise explored American diplomatic, economic and military options if the United States and China were to reach the brink of war over Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own. The exercise played out one night last week and was observed by The Associated Press. It was part of the committee’s in-depth review of U.S. policies toward China as lawmakers, especially in the Republican-led House, focus on tensions with President Xi Jinping’s government.In the war game, Beijing’s missiles and rockets cascade down on Ta...

Alabama education director ousted over book’s stance on race

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday announced she replaced her director of early childhood education over the use of a teacher training book, written by a nationally recognized education group, that the Republican governor denounced as teaching “woke concepts” because of language about inclusion and structural racism.Barbara Cooper was forced out as as head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education after Ivey expressed concern over the distribution of the book to state-run pre-kindergartens. Ivey spokesperson Gina Maiola identified the book as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, 4th edition. Maiola said she understands that the books have been removed from the state classrooms.“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission. Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have ze...

Elephant dies at Pakistani zoo days after procedure

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — An ailing elephant who underwent a critical medical procedure by a team of international veterinarians earlier this month has died at a Pakistani zoo, officials said Saturday.Noor Jehan, 17 years old, was brought to Karachi with three other elephants more than a dozen years ago. She died after an accident just days after the procedure performed by a team of experts based in Austria to assess her condition, said Kanwar Ayub, a top official at the Karachi zoo.Syed Saifur Rehman, the top local government official in Karachi, said city and zoo administrators did all they could to comfort the long-ailing elephant after the procedure this month.“Sadly we could not save Noor Jehan despite making all efforts including bringing in a team of foreign experts for her treatment,” he said. Videos of Noor Jehan leaning her head against a tree and struggling to stand caused alarm in Pakistan and around the world.An eight-member team from the Austrian animal welfare organiza...

Rare big tornado near Myanmar capital kills 8

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A tornado that tore through two villages in central Myanmar near the capital Naypyitaw killed eight people and destroyed more than 200 houses, a rescue worker said Saturday.The tornado hit Aung Myin Kone and Tadau villages on Naypyitaw’s southern outskirts at around 6:10 p.m. on Friday, Thet Paing Soe, a leading member of the Doh Lewe charity organization, told The Associated Press. He said local charity organizations had transported 128 people to hospitals, and 232 houses in the two villages were destroyed.“The tornado blew for approximately 40 minutes. Almost all the houses in the villages are quite badly damaged. The restoration will take months,” Thet Paing Soe said.Major tornadoes are rare in Myanmar.However, tornadoes of a size that rarely cause death and serious damage often occur in the summer and pre-monsoon periods when the temperature rises, said Kyaw Moe Oo, a director-general at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.“During this period, there are fr...

Serbian, Hungarian leaders attend military display in Serbia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The populist leaders of Serbia and Hungary observed a Serbian military exercise Saturday, an event seen as a display of lethal firepower amid the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Balkans.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Serbia on a previously unannounced visit. He was greeted by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who said he was happy “to once again welcome a great friend of Serbia.”“Serbian-Hungarian relations are at the highest level in the history of our countries,” Vucic wrote on Instagram.Both leaders have maintained political and economic ties with Russia despite its aggression in Ukraine. Their relations with Moscow have been a sore spot with other European nations and with the U.S.Although Serbia formally seeks membership in the European Union, Vucic has refused to join international sanctions against Russia or publicly condemn the war in Ukraine. And while Hungary is a member of both the EU and NATO, Orban has criticized war-relate...

Saturday Forecast: Windy and cloudy, showers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

Saturday: Increasing clouds & wind. A few scattered showers. W 10-20, G30 mphHigh 47Saturday Night: Clearing skies, breezy & colder. WNW 10-20, G30 mph. Low 31Sunday is looking mostly cloudy, chance of a few rain/snow mix showers. WNW 15-20 mph. High 46Full forecast details at the WGN Weather CenterExtended outlook calls for milder weather as we get back to the work-week as we end up partly cloudy and milder with highs in the mid 50s. A cooler than normal week ahead with highs stay in in the mid 50s with a mix of clouds & sun. Next chance for precip after Sunday looks like next Friday when a chance of showers returns. =-=-=

Teen, 17, shot in moving vehicle on South Side overnight

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

CHICAGO — A 17-year-old boy was shot in the Back of the Yards neighborhood overnight. The boy was in a moving car near the 1800 block of West 50th Street around 11:40 p.m. when an unknown individual fired shots from the sidewalk. Chicago man killed in hit and run on LSD overnight Police say the boy was transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the back and right arm. He is in fair condition. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

New COVID vaccine guidance explained: Are you due for a shot?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

(The Hill) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday released updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations, in what the agency described as a move to “simplify” future immunizations.Much of the FDA’s simplification involves recommending only a single dose of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines created by Pfizer and Moderna for most people. These are the vaccines that target the original Wuhan strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus along with the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the omicron variant, and were first made available about 7 months ago. The original COVID vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the U.S. after the FDA’s vaccine advisory panel in January voted unanimously to essentially phase them out for the bivalent boosters. FDA officials believe this new schedule will boost vaccine coverage throughout the country.With the official end of the national COVID-19 public health emergency less than a month away, this move towards shorter, simpler vaccine schedules marks...

House GOP, Bragg reach agreement for ex-prosecutor to testify in Trump indictment probe

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

(The Hill) – The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the House Judiciary Committee on Friday came to an agreement for Mark Pomerantz, a former senior prosecutor in the office's criminal investigation of former President Trump, to testify before the panel.The committee subpoenaed Pomerantz as part of its probe into the DA's office that began after Trump predicted his forthcoming arrest in the investigation. District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) initially sought to block the subpoena, but a federal judge denied that effort earlier this week. A day later, a federal appeals court temporarily delayed Pomerantz's deposition hours before it was scheduled to take place amid an appeal from the DA's office."This evening, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office withdrew its appeal in Bragg v. Jordan. Mr. Pomerantz's deposition will go forward on May 12, and we look forward to his appearance," a spokesperson for House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said in a statement on Friday...

Risk of severe storms, flooding Saturday night

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Quiet weather returned following Thursday night's severe thunderstorms and flash flooding.Our cool and clear morning will give way to a mostly sunny and warm afternoon with high temperatures returning to the upper 70s and low 80s. Most of the day will be quiet, but conditions change this evening as our next disturbance and incoming cold front approaches.Isolated storms will favor the Hill Country late evening then become more scattered tonight into the overnight hours. There is a significant risk of large hail, up to egg-size, as well as damaging winds and flash flooding.Slight risk (2 out of 5) of severe storms Saturday evening into the overnight hoursSlight risk (2 out of 4) for flash flooding Saturday evening into the overnight hoursA cooler and wetter Sunday will follow with more widespread showers and storms late Sunday afternoon and evening. Temperatures will fall well short of average with most of us not leaving the 50s and 60s.Daily rain chances continue thr...