Senate Passes Defense Bill, Steering Clear of Far-Right Policy Dictates (www.nytimes.com)
The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed an $886 billion defense bill that would set Pentagon policy and provide a 5.2 percent pay raise for military personnel, defying the demands of hard-right Republicans who had tried and failed to attach a raft of deeply partisan restrictions on abortion, transgender care and diversity...
Lithium mining is about to go big on the Colorado River. Here’s what to know. (www.sltrib.com)
'We're reclaiming what we believed was ours to begin with': Tonkawa tribe buys Sugarloaf Mountain (www.kxxv.com)
Gaza a ‘living hell’ after heavy winter rains drench makeshift tents (www.theguardian.com)
7 students ate gummy bears from a bag that tested positive for fentanyl and fell sick. Now 2 people have been arrested (www.cnn.com)
Two people have been arrested and charged after seven Virginia elementary students ate gummy bears from a plastic baggie that later tested positive for the potentially deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday....
Indiana suspect arrested after leaving debit card at scene of killing (www.theguardian.com)
Police in Gary were able to track down the man after he allegedly shot a fellow customer during a fight at a grocery store...
Hannah Payne murder trial: Guilty on all counts (www.fox5atlanta.com)
Hannah Payne has been convicted on all charges in the death of 62-year-old Kenneth Herring.
House Approves Biden Impeachment Inquiry as G.O.P. Hunts for an Offense (www.nytimes.com)
The House voted on Wednesday to formally open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, pushing forward with a yearlong G.O.P. investigation that has failed to produce evidence of anything approaching high crimes or misdemeanors....
Judge puts hold on Trump's federal election interference case while appeals process plays out (abcnews.go.com)
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case in Washington, D.C., has stayed proceedings in the case while the appeals process plays out....
Boston fertility doctor accused of impregnating patient with own sperm (www.theguardian.com)
Dr Merle Berger told patient Sarah Depoian sperm had come from an anonymous donor, new lawsuit claims...
Appeals court rejects Trump’s use of presidential immunity in E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit (www.cnn.com)
A federal appeals court rejected Donald Trump’s use of presidential immunity in a bid to dismiss a civil defamation lawsuit brought by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll....
Boston Mayor Wu, city councilors answer questions after email invite to ‘Electeds of Color Holiday Party’ mistakenly sent to entire city council - Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News (whdh.com)
Witnesses Say IDF Troops 'Executed' Women and Children in Gaza School (www.commondreams.org)
Eyewitness testimony reported Wednesday by Al Jazeera accused Israeli troops of massacring forcibly displaced women and children sheltering at a school in northern Gaza,...
Israel-Hamas latest: IDF determined despite heavy losses in Gaza; ambassador says two-state solution not possible (news.sky.com)
The Israeli ambassador to the UK has rejected the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, Israel has vowed to continue its bombardments in Gaza in the face of wavering international support - despite heavy losses.
The "American Dream" costs far more than most people will earn over their lifetime (www.cbsnews.com)
The last residents of a coastal Mexican town destroyed by climate change (apnews.com)
Flooding driven by some of the world’s fastest sea-level rise and by increasingly brutal winter storms has all but destroyed El Bosque, leaving piles of concrete and twisted metal rods where houses used to line the sand. Forced to flee the homes they built, locals are waiting for government aid and living in rentals they can...
6,000 Los Angeles buildings are not retrofitted for earthquakes. Look up if yours is. (www.latimes.com)
Palestinian poll shows a rise in Hamas support and close to 90% wanting US-backed Abbas to resign (apnews.com)
The findings by a Palestinian pollster signal more difficulties ahead for the Biden administration’s postwar vision for Gaza and raise questions about Israel’s stated goal of ending Hamas’ military and governing capabilities....
Supreme Court will hear a case that could undo Capitol riot charge against hundreds, including Trump (apnews.com)
The justices will review an appellate ruling that revived a charge against three defendants accused of obstruction of an official proceeding. The charge refers to the disruption of Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump....
Heirs of Power (www.reuters.com)
The forebears of three members of Congress regained – and passed forward – wealth and power their families lost when slavery was abolished. Their success shows how the Southern elite exploited Black Americans in new ways....
Israel suffers worst combat losses since October, diplomatic isolation (www.reuters.com)
Intense fighting was under way both north and south Gaza, a day after the United Nations demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel’s “indiscriminate” bombing of civilians was costing international support....
Hamas not responding to attempts to get hostage negotiations back on track (www.cnn.com)
Supreme Court to decide whether to restrict abortion drug nationwide (www.cnn.com)
The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider whether to restrict access to a widely used abortion drug — even in states where the procedure is still allowed....
Florida fines high school for allowing transgender student to play girls volleyball (apnews.com)
Florida’s state athletic board fined a high school and put it on probation Tuesday after a transgender student played on the girls volleyball team, a violation of a controversial law enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature....