US retail group retracts claim that half of $94.5bn inventory loss was from theft (www.theguardian.com)
National Retail Federation says 2021 data was flawed and based on congressional testimony from president of an advocacy group...
Texas attorney general says he will sue doctor who gives abortion to Kate Cox (www.theguardian.com)
Ken Paxton issues threat after judge ruled this week that Cox, a pregnant woman with a lethal fetal diagnosis, can get an abortion...
Israel-Gaza war live: Israeli forces continue push into southern Gaza amid ‘apocalyptic’ humanitarian situation (www.theguardian.com)
Hamas claims Israel launched series of ‘very violent raids’ targeting city of Khan Younis on Sunday, a day after ordering fresh evacuations
Los Angeles to allow increases on rent-controlled units (www.nbclosangeles.com)
Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah killed by Israeli tank, investigation finds (www.reuters.com)
An Israeli army tank killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists in Lebanon while they were filming cross-border shelling on Oct. 13, a Reuters investigation has found....
Gazan men questioned by IDF over Hamas ties claim they were abused (www.timesofisrael.com)
A day after Israel confirmed it was rounding up suspected Hamas members in Gaza for interrogation, some released Palestinian men tell The Associated Press they were treated badly, providing the first alleged accounts of the conditions under which they were detained.
Smugglers are bringing migrants to a remote Arizona border crossing, overwhelming US agents (apnews.com)
Gerston Miranda and his wife were among thousands of migrants recently arriving at this remote area on Arizona’s southern border with Mexico, squeezing into the United States through a gap in the wall and walking overnight about 14 miles (23 kilometers) with two school-aged daughters to surrender to Border Patrol agents....
Russian cities cancel New Year celebrations to save money for war (kyivindependent.com)
For those who don’t know, New Year’s in Russia is like Christmas in the west.
California teenager who passed bar exam at 17 is now practicing attorney (www.theguardian.com)
A teenager from California’s Central Valley has become the youngest person to ever pass the state’s bar exam and is now working as a practicing attorney....
Crews search for survivors, survey damage after Tennessee tornadoes leave at least 6 dead (www.cnn.com)
Crews are searching for survivors and surveying the damage after tornadoes and strong thunderstorms tore through Tennessee, overturning cars, ripping apart buildings and leaving at least six people dead....
Meet the "magic" mushroom shop salesman hoping to demolish Canada's war on drugs (www.salon.com)
The health care busts that follow mining’s boom-time benefits (www.politico.com)
Good mining jobs with good benefits can counterintuitively hurt access to care....
Feds grant $6 billion for high-speed rail projects (www.nbcnews.com)
Public support for the projects has overcome some concerns about costs, as the U.S. plays catchup with other parts of the world that have built extensive high-speed networks....
Black Woman Arrested Attempting to Set Fire to MLK Jr.’s Birth Home (www.youtube.com)
House Speaker Mike Johnson says God will punish “depraved” U.S. because more teens identify as LGBTQ+ (www.lgbtqnation.com)
Scientists discover unknown prehistoric world — on Earth (mashable.com)
Failure to agree fossil fuel phase-out at Cop28 ‘will push world into climate breakdown’ (www.theguardian.com)
US skips congressional review to approve emergency sale of tank shells to Israel (www.reuters.com)
Michigan teen gets life in prison for Oxford High School attack (apnews.com)
Sudan: Designation of War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity Committed in Sudan (allafrica.com)
Deaths from tainted cantaloupe increase to 3 in U.S. and 5 in Canada (apnews.com)
A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people — three in the U.S. and five in Canada, health officials reported Thursday....
Greedflation: corporate profiteering ‘significantly’ boosted global prices, study shows (www.theguardian.com)
Multinationals in particular hiked prices far above rise in costs to deliver an outsize impact on cost of living crisis, report concludes
South Carolina jury convicts inmate in first trial involving deadly prison riots (apnews.com)
Smith was imprisoned at the time of the riot after being convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of a University of South Carolina student. That conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court three years ago. He’s been held since then at a Columbia detention center.
University of Pennsylvania president steps down amid criticism of antisemitism testimony (www.nbcnews.com)
Moms for Liberty founder leaves rightwing leadership role amid queer sex scandal & rape allegations (www.lgbtqnation.com)
The co-founder of the anti-LGBTQ+ extremist group Moms for Liberty seems to have resigned from her most recent position in the wake of rape allegations against her husband and her own involvement in a same-sex sex scandal....
