News

NBC News reports: Retirement announcements often come after the holidays, as lawmakers discuss their next steps with their families and weigh whether to continue in an increasingly dysfunctional Congress. And because Democrats need a net gain of just five seats to take control of the House in 2024, every seat is going to matter, and the dynamics can shift if …

Courthouse News reports: Judges in Amsterdam sentenced a man convicted of harassing a 15-year-old girl who later died by suicide to six additional years in prison on Thursday. The Amsterdam District Court was tasked with bringing Aydin Coban’s Canadian sentence for blackmailing teenager Amanda Todd in line with Dutch guidelines, opting for the legal maximum and exceeding the nearly four …

Reuters reports: Records and interviews reveal for the first time that the automaker has long known far more about the frequency and extent of the defects than it has disclosed to consumers and safety regulators. The documents, dated between 2016 and 2022, include repair reports from Tesla service centers globally; analyses and data reviews by engineers on parts with high …

Axios reports: A fast-spreading new COVID-19 variant called JN.1 could drive a new wave of disease across the U.S. this holiday season just as other respiratory viruses are cresting, experts say. COVID modeler Jay Weiland estimated on Monday that JN.1 would become the dominant strain within a week and that daily new infections, now around 965,000, aren’t close to peaking. …

The Messenger reports: The names of nearly 200 people connected to pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein are likely to be unsealed in the New Year, according to ruling by a federal judge on Monday. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ordered that sealed names and material related to 177 people be publicly filed in 14 days, according to court filings. That …

The BBC reports: A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland after weeks of intense earthquake activity. About 4,000 people were earlier evacuated from the fishing town of Grindavik and the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was closed. The region around the capital Reykjavik has been experiencing an increase in earthquake activity since late October. Images and …

NBC News reports: Mayim Bialik, who has been co-hosting “Jeopardy!” alongside Ken Jennings for more than a year, said Friday she will no longer host the syndicated version of the show. “Jeopardy!” said it would be going with one host for the show for continuity. “Ken Jennings will be the sole host for syndicated Jeopardy!” the show said in a …

NBC News reports: The lead contamination in recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches that potentially poisoned at least 65 children may have been intentional, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA has been investigating the lead contamination in the cinnamon-flavored applesauce products from Florida-based food manufacturer WanaBana since October. The agency has homed in on the cinnamon specifically as …

Variety reports: Matthew Perry died from “the acute effects of ketamine,” according to the toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. Contributing factors in the “Friends” actor’s death included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). The manner of death was ruled an accident. Perry died on Saturday, Oct. …

TMZ reports: Kanye West is apparently in the grips of a serious mental health episode … that’s the only conclusion to draw from his furious rant, attacking his ex-business partners, Donald Trump and, of course, Jewish people. Looking like a cult leader, Kanye was surrounded by a few dozen people early Friday morning somewhere in Las Vegas when he just …

Bloomberg News reports: President Javier Milei is moving preemptively to curb protests against his austerity measures in Argentina, which include deep budget cuts and reduced subsidies for energy and transportation. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced that Argentina’s federal forces will intervene in any protests or street blockades conducted without a permit. “The law is not obeyed in part. The law …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: A loose bull was spotted running on the New Jersey Transit train tracks in Newark, New Jersey on Thursday morning. The first reports came in just after 10:30 a.m. at Newark Penn Station. NJ Transit said there were delays of up to 45 minutes between Newark Penn Station and Penn Station New York due …

Goldsboro’s CBC affiliate reports: New congressional maps are causing a shake up for North Carolina’s lawmakers. Representative Wiley Nickel, a democrat who represents North Carolina’s District 13, tells CBS 17’s Russ Bowen that he will not run again for his seat. CBS 17 was the first to learn about the decision. Nickel revealed he does plan to run for a …

The Washington Post reports: Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles to fix Autopilot systems that U.S. safety regulators determined did not have enough controls to prevent misuse. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tesla’s method of ensuring drivers are still paying attention while the partially automated system is activated is “insufficient.” The recall comes after a years-long …

Variety reports: Andre Braugher, the two-time Emmy winning actor who starred in the hit television series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” died Monday after a brief illness. He was 61. Braugher’s publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed the news of his death to Variety. Braugher was known for his role as the upright Captain Raymond Holt on the police …

Ars Technica reports: Tesla has revived a contract clause that says the electric carmaker could sue Cybertruck buyers for $50,000 or more if they resell during their first year of ownership. As we reported a month ago, the Cybertruck-only clause was added to the public version of Tesla’s Motor Vehicle Order Agreement Terms & Conditions and then deleted after the …

The Washington Post reports: In a cathartic moment for many in Poland, centrist political veteran Donald Tusk got the nod on Monday to be the country’s next prime minister, marking the end of eight years of right-wing nationalist rule and a dramatic shift in the European political landscape. Tusk’s alliance secured a majority in October elections with a promise to …

The New York Daily News reports: A six-story Bronx apartment building partially collapsed Monday, officials said. First responders raced to the scene of the destruction on Billingsley Terrace near Phelan Pl. in Morris Heights just before 3:40 p.m., according to police. Numerous people were inside when the northeast corner of the 47-unit building crumbled, officials said. A man who works …

The Associated Press reports: On Monday, the California-based tech giant released its “Year in Search,” a roundup of 2023’s top global queries, ranging from unforgettable pop culture moments (hello, Barbenheimer ), to the loss of beloved figures and tragic news carrying worldwide repercussions. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war topped news trends in 2023, per Google’s global data, followed by queries related …

The Associated Press reports: Javier Milei was sworn in inside the National Congress building, and outgoing President Alberto Fernández placed the presidential sash upon him. Some of the assembled lawmakers chanted “Liberty!” Afterward, he broke tradition by delivering his inaugural address not to assembled lawmakers but to his supporters gathered outside — with his back turned to the legislature. He …