The Biggest Election Year in History (www.newyorker.com)
US sees largest COVID wave since omicron (www.semafor.com)
Skipping School: America’s Hidden Education Crisis (www.propublica.org)
Absenteeism has nearly doubled since the pandemic. With state and federal governments largely abdicating any role in getting kids back into classrooms, some schools have turned to private companies for a reimagined version of the truant officer....
Secret Service investigating vehicle crash into gate of White House complex (www.theguardian.com)
Special counsel Jack Smith was targeted by attempted swatting on Christmas Day (www.nbcnews.com)
Police were dispatched toward Smith’s residence but were called off when they learned it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe....
Trump loses ‘immunity’ appeal in E Jean Carroll defamation case (www.independent.co.uk)
A trial is scheduled to begin next week. His attorneys have suggested appealing to the Supreme Court...
Central US walloped by blizzard conditions, closing highways, schools and government offices (www.independent.co.uk)
A sprawling storm that pelted much of the nation’s midsection under more than a half a foot of snow created whiteout conditions in several cities and closed schools and public offices as officials warned motorists to stay home...
Gaza cease-fire protests in New York block bridges, and over are 300 arrested (apnews.com)
Hundreds of protesters calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war blocked traffic in New York City at crucial bridges and a tunnel, disrupting the Monday morning commute and leading to more than 300 arrests....
Red Cross facing severe blood shortage (thehill.com)
2023 smashes record for world’s hottest year by huge margin (www.theguardian.com)
2023 “smashed” the record for the hottest year by a huge margin, providing “dramatic testimony” of how much warmer and more dangerous today’s climate is from the cooler one in which human civilisation developed....
A Glimpse Inside a Devastated Gaza (www.nytimes.com)
As we traveled through central Gaza on Monday, every village bore the marks of war. Some buildings had collapsed entirely, their floors stacked on top of the other like piles of books. Tower blocks, missing whole sections, stood precariously. The house in Bureij was missing an outer wall. A grove of trees next door had been...
South Korea passes bill to ban eating dog meat, ending controversial practice as consumer habits change (www.cnn.com)
South Korea’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday banning the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption, ending the traditional yet controversial practice of eating dog meat after years of nationwide debate....
Chinese-origin US Navy officer jailed for selling military secrets to China (www.independent.co.uk)
Wenheng Zhao pleads guilty to transmitting secret files to Chinese spy...
Minnesota doctor accused of fatally poisoning wife indicted on murder charges (www.nbcnews.com)
A medical examiner determined Betty Bowman died after being poisoned by a drug that a tipster told police her husband had researched....
UK Government Blocks Woman Of Color Joining Channel 4 Board Amid Diversity Row (deadline.com)
EXCLUSIVE: The British government has blocked a woman of color from being appointed to Channel 4’s board for a third time, raising further questions about ministers meddling in media appointm…
Michelle Obama says she’s terrified about potential outcome of 2024 election (edition.cnn.com)
“What’s going to happen in this next election? I’m terrified about what could possibly happen, because our leaders matter. Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit, it affects us in ways sometimes I think people take for granted,” Obama told Jay Shetty on his podcast “On Purpose.”...
Greenland startup begins shipping glacier ice to cocktail bars in the UAE (www.theguardian.com)
Pardon?
LaPierre turned NRA into 'Wayne's World,' NY lawyer says at graft trial (www.reuters.com)
Wayne LaPierre ran the National Rifle Association (NRA) as “Wayne’s World” for decades, a lawyer for New York state said at the start of the gun rights group’s corruption trial, three days after LaPierre suddenly resigned as chief executive....
Russia painted fake fighter jets at its airfields, new satellite images show, likely to trick Ukraine into not blowing up the real deal (www.businessinsider.com)
Respiratory illnesses elevated to high or very high in 38 states, according to CDC (abcnews.go.com)
We’ve Been Thinking About America’s Trust Collapse All Wrong (www.theatlantic.com)
TheAtlantic.com...
Researchers demonstrate that quantum entanglement and topology are inextricably linked (lemmy.world)
The team hopes that this might become a powerful tool that paves the way for new quantum communication protocols that use topology as an alphabet for quantum information processing across entanglement-based channels....
United Airlines finds loose bolts on door plugs on several 737 Max 9 planes following Alaska Airlines mid-air door blowout incident (www.cbsnews.com)
The data is in: RTO policies don't improve employee performance or company value, but controlling bosses don't care (www.businessinsider.com)
Billionaire CEOs were quick to sing the praises of working from home at the start of the pandemic, calling it the way of the future — but over the last three years, they’ve slowly changed their tune....
21 injured in explosion at downtown Fort Worth hotel (www.nbcnews.com)
The explosion at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel appears to have been caused by “some type of gas leak," the Fort Worth Fire Department said, noting that the cause had not been confirmed....
