Новости за 30.12.2023

Special counsel Jack Smith is urging a federal appeals court to reject former President Donald Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution. 

The U.S. Coast Guard said a large cargo ship with an active fire in its hold is being kept 2 miles offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames. There were no injuries to the 19 crew members aboard the Genius Star XI, which was carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries across the Pacific Ocean, from Vietnam to San Diego. The fire was noticed Christmas Day, and the ship was directed to Alaska's Dutch Harbor, one of the nation's busiest shipping ports. Читать дальше...

Perdimos Twitter y obtuvimos X. Probamos Bluesky y Mastodon (bueno, algunos de nosotros). Nos inquietamos por los bots de inteligencia artificial y la salud mental de los adolescentes. Nos acurrucamos en chats privados y nos desplazamos con el dedo sin cesar como hicimos en años anteriores. Para los usuarios de las redes sociales, 2023 fue un año de comienzos y finales, con un poco de examen de conciencia en medio.

The top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East says Yemen’s Houthi rebels are showing no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. But Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview on Saturday that more nations are joining the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic is beginning to pick up. Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago. Cooper said that since then, 1,200... Читать дальше...

A chaotic year for the House is coming to a close with more Democrats than Republicans deciding to leave the chamber. It's a disparity that could have major ramifications in next year’s elections. A few more retirements can be expected after the holidays when lawmakers have had a chance to spend time with families and as filing deadlines approach. Many of the Democrats not seeking another term in the House are running for higher office, but their exodus could give Republicans better chances to win competitive seats. Читать дальше...

Consulting firm McKinsey and Co. has agreed to pay $78 million to settle claims from insurers and health care funds that its marketing work with Purdue Pharma helped fuel an opioid addiction crisis. The agreement was revealed late Friday in documents filed in federal court in San Francisco. The settlement must still be approved by a judge. Under the agreement, McKinsey would establish a fund to reimburse insurers, benefit plans and others for their prescription opioid costs. The insurers argued that... Читать дальше...

The New Year is almost upon us. And as the world prepares to ring in 2024, many are winding down from the holidays and getting back into their regular routines (give or take some fresh resolutions). If you’re planning on grabbing groceries or doing some other shopping to kick off the new year, it’s wise to double check stores’ hours. While more businesses typically stay open on New Year’s Day compared to Christmas, a handful of chains still cut back on hours or close their doors to commemorate the holiday ... Читать дальше...

The tradition of Watch Night services in the United States dates back to Dec. 31, 1862, during the Civil War. Many Black Americans gathered in churches and other venues that evening, waiting for President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Emancipation Proclamation into law. That momentous evening is still being observed each New Year’s Eve, in services at many multiracial and predominantly Black churches across the country. As currently observed, the services commemorate not only freedom from slavery, but also celebrate the importance of faith... Читать дальше...

U.S. officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes. But industry data shows thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China. The rise in new products continues despite a record number of vaping shipments seized at U.S. ports in recent months. The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping market. They also raise questions about how to stop the flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes used by 1 in 10 American teens and adolescents.

Bulldozers have built giant sand berms to protect beachfront homes in one of the California coastal cities hit hard this week by extraordinary waves generated by powerful swells from Pacific storms. The emergency barriers are being built Friday in the Pierpont area of the city of Ventura, where a rogue wave on Thursday smacked spectators and vehicles as it overran the beach and flowed into a neighborhood. Eight people were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries after the Pierpont incident,... Читать дальше...

Since passage of the Endangered Species Act 50 years ago, more than 1,700 plants, mammals, fish, insects and other species in the U.S. have been listed as threatened or endangered with extinction. Yet they’re not treated equally: federal government spending data reveals striking disparities among biological kingdoms. About $1.2 billion a year is spent on species in the U.S. and about half goes toward recovery of just two types of fish: salmon and steelhead trout along the West Coast. Tens of millions... Читать дальше...

The Iowa frenzy is typically in full force by now. With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses formally usher in the presidential nomination process, White House hopefuls are usually in a heated competition. But this year, the campaign is almost subdued. While the schedule is filling up, former President Donald Trump is such a commanding force in the party that some voters worry the contest that normally transforms Iowa into the center of the political world may turn out to be something of a snooze.

California will soon become one of the first states to provide free health care to all low-income immigrants living in the state illegally. Starting Monday, more than 700,000 immigrants will gain access to health care coverage through the state's Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. It's one of the biggest coverage expansions in California in a decade. Health care and immigrant advocates say the expansion will be life-changing for the population. Critics worry the changes will further strain the... Читать дальше...

Break out those fuzzy dice. They're finally free to dangle in Illinois. A law taking effect Monday will prohibit police there from pulling over motorists solely because they have something hanging from the review mirror of the windshield. It's one of hundreds of state laws taking effect across the U.S. with the start of the new year. Other laws create restrictions on guns in Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota, and target pornography in North Carolina and Illinois. Numerous states will have laws cutting... Читать дальше...

Authorities say a man who fatally shot his mother two days after Christmas and set off a high-speed police chase through the suburbs of Las Vegas was armed with two rifles. One of them had been stolen from a gun show in Las Vegas and the other had an obliterated serial number. A police official identified the suspect as 36-year-old Justin Davidson. They say that Davidson stole a police cruiser and carjacked bystanders at gunpoint during the chase. A father of seven was killed in the final carjacking... Читать дальше...

For the second time this month, the Biden administration is bypassing Congress to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel. The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had told Congress that he had made a second emergency determination covering a $147.5 million sale for equipment that is needed to make the 155 mm shells that Israel has already purchased function. The emergency determination means the purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales. Читать дальше...

Federal prosecutors have told a New York judge that they will not proceed with a second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on charges not in the case presented to a jury that convicted him in November. Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in a letter late Friday that evidence at a second trial would duplicate evidence already shown to a jury and would ignore the “strong public interest in a prompt resolution” of the case. They said the judge can consider the evidence that would... Читать дальше...

Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging it spied on people who used the “incognito" mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar “private” modes in other browsers — to track their internet use. The lawsuit filed in 2020 says Google misled users into believing that it wouldn't track their internet activities while incognito. The settlement was reached Thursday. It must still be approved by a federal judge. Terms weren't disclosed, but the suit originally sought $5 billion on behalf of users. Читать дальше...

Visitors to Times Square got a small preview of New York City’s famed New Year’s Eve party as the event’s organizers heaved handfuls of colored paper skyward in a promotional event to test their confetti. The actual New Year’s confetti release sees an estimated 3,000 pounds of paper trucked into Midtown, Manhattan, then carried to rooftops of office buildings overlooking Times Square. About a hundred volunteer “dispersal engineers” then drop the haul on the street below to ring in the new year. The confetti's test run took place on Friday. Читать дальше...

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered a recall of toys sold at Walmart.com containing powerful magnetic balls that could pose a hazard to children if swallowed. The agency said Friday that the balls, which are 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter, exceed federal standards for magnetic strength and could clump together to block parts of the digestive system when ingested. The CPSC estimates that 2,400 magnet ingestions were treated in hospital emergency rooms between 2017 and 2021 and... Читать дальше...

Maine's top election official could face an impeachment attempt in the state Legislature over her decision to keep former President Donald Trump off the primary ballot. At least one Republican lawmaker has vowed to pursue an impeachment against Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows despite long odds in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Bellows said Friday that she had no comment on the impeachment effort. She noted that she suspended her decision pending an anticipated appeal in Superior Court. Читать дальше...