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‘We are at war’: Hamas kills 22 in unprecedented, wide-ranging incursion into Israel

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea, catching the country off guard on a major holiday.Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 22 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.The Soroka Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba said it was treating at least 280 casualties, with 60 in serious condition. The Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, near Gaza, said it was treating 182 wounded people, including 12 in critical condition.There was no official comment on casualties in Gaza, but Associated Press reporters witnessed the funera...

Kendrick Lamar plays abbreviated set at ACL Friday

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After an announcement saying Kendrick Lamar's performance at Austin City Limits was delayed due to plane issues, an update from ACL said he will now play an abbreviated set.After delays to Kendrick Lamar's performance at the Austin City Limits, the festival said he will now play an abbreviated set. | Haley Cihock/KXAN NewsLamar was supposed to perform at 8:40 p.m., but now he will perform the set at 9:45 p.m., according to ACL.Lamar is set to perform on Weekend Two of the festival and is scheduled for the same time at 8:40 p.m., according to the ACL website.

Mexico denies producing fentanyl; Texas Republicans baffled

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – It was a summit meant to show solidarity in finding multinational solutions to the migrant crisis at the U.S. border and the fentanyl epidemic spreading through North America. But between talking points about agreements and praises for the partners, an apparent contradiction emerged after Thursday’s meeting of Biden administration cabinet members and Mexican officials in Mexico City.“We are going to advance prevention on drug trafficking, especially fentanyl, with action and awareness campaigns. And we will also address the causes of violence through universal programs so the population, especially the youth, will have growth opportunities,” Mexican Public Safety Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez Velazquez said at the post-summit press conference.“So we can also come to the deepest causes of economic growth and the trafficking of chemical precursors. Remember that Mexico is not a producer of fentanyl. Mexico is a country of transit. In Mexico, we have n...

Will Medicare Part B premiums go up again in 2024?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

Next year’s Medicare Part B premiums are expected to be announced soon and there is speculation that coverage of another pricey new Alzheimer’s medication could cause monthly costs to go up, echoing what occurred in 2022.Leqembi received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July, becoming the second drug of its kind to hit the market after Aduhelm. The drug comes with an annual cost of $26,500.While only approved for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia who are also confirmed to have a brain plaque called amyloid, the pharmaceutical industry expects Leqembi to be popular.While the medication is not a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, Leqembi is the first drug to demonstrate clinical benefits to patients by slowing down the progression of the disease. This is accomplished by targeting and reducing amyloid plaque in the brain, the buildup of which is linked to cognitive decline.Leqembi’s manufacturer Eisai estimates about 100,000 people will be ...

Northern Minnesota tree-planting project is building better forests for deer

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

Deer need two kinds of habitat to survive the snowiest winters in northeastern Minnesota, food and cover, and without both kinds, deer numbers tend to dwindle — just as they have for the past decade.While there usually is enough food, namely aspen browse from recently logged-off areas, the amount of winter cover for deer has been shrinking, in some areas alarmingly fast.A deer is dusted with snow while nibbling on balsam boughs in Duluth, Minn. on March 1, 2023. Dense forests of conifers — cedars, balsam, spruce and pines — are critical habitat for white-tailed deer to survive winter in northeastern Minnesota, especially with a trend toward heavier snow winters over the past decade. The evergreen trees keep snow off the ground, allow easier travel and can even keep deer warmer than the open forest. (Dan Williamson / Forum News Service)That’s the assessment of several Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists past and present, and it’s the reason behind a growing ...

With Meta’s Quest 3, mixed reality is here. So now what?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Last week, I spent several hours trying Meta’s latest goggles, the Quest 3. They ship next month. The headset runs virtual reality games with a novel twist: While shooting a blaster gun, snatching bats from midair and controlling a robot, I could see the real world through built-in cameras.This is what Meta — and its new rival, Apple, which recently unveiled the $3,500 Vision Pro headset — call “mixed reality” or “spatial computing,” interchangeable terms to describe computers that blend digital data with the physical world.These immersive computers, the companies say, could eventually become indispensable tools that change the way we live. Imagine reading a holographic recipe in the corner of your eye while cooking, for example, or staring at furniture parts with digital assembly instructions overlaid on them.But for now, the devices are primarily used for playing games, and killer apps have yet to surface.Meta’s $500 Quest 3 headset, arriving in stores ...

Grading the Week: Randy Gregory’s leaving Denver with $28M in his pocket. Could Broncos GM George Paton go with him?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

Randy Gregory is heading to San Francisco with a guaranteed $28 million in his pocket. If you’re curious, that averages out to $9.3 million per Broncos sack and $4.67 million per Denver start. Nice work if you can avoid it.All of which kinda begged this question from the usual gang of idiots inside the Grading The Week offices recently:What exactly, George Paton, would you say you … do here?George Paton’s Latest Job Review — DOK, now this, first off: In movie terms, Paton, the Broncos’ GM, no longer has what Hollywood calls “final cut.”League sources confirmed recently to the Grading The Week buzzards that coach/PR specialist Sean Payton has the last and loudest word on everything.Paton has a title. Sunshine Sean has all the power. That was part of the conditions that got the latter out of the makeup chair at Fox and into the hot seat at Dove Valley.Look, NFL general managers have to push a lot of buttons. But you’ve got to nail just four of...

Assaf: People think drug use causes homelessness. It’s usually the other way around

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

A common perception among many Californians is that substance abuse is a chief cause of people losing their housing and living on the streets. But research debunks this myth.Findings from the recent California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness encompassing more than 3,200 adults — the largest and most representative sample of homeless individuals since the 1990s — found that 50% have not used any drugs (methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine or nonprescription opioids) in the last six months.While drug use is much lower in California’s housed population, by no means does every person who is homeless actively use drugs.For those who did use drugs in the last six months, 40% of people started using — more than 3 times a week —after becoming homeless. Thirty-one percent of those individuals reported using methamphetamine and 11% used nonprescription opioids more than three times per week. Those who spent most of their nights unsheltered in a non-vehicle (sleeping out...

Cottle: Can anyone lead House Republicans out of the darkness?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

Who out there picked nine months in the office betting pool for how long Kevin McCarthy would survive as House speaker? Go ahead. Raise your hands. Looks like you’re due a victory lap.On Tuesday, the right-wing extremists made good on their long-dangled threat to depose McCarthy — whom they never wanted or trusted as speaker in the first place. The “motion to vacate” introduced Monday by Rep. Matt Gaetz, the self-appointed King of the Wingers, wound up passing with the support of eight Republicans and all of the 208 Democrats present. With this decapitation, the first ever in the House, McCarthy has indeed made history.But the conference’s clown car rolls on, with Republicans now scrambling to select their next driver. With no obvious candidate who can win full Republican support, the process promises to be messy. For now, Rep. Patrick McHenry is serving as the interim speaker, thanks to a 2003 rule that, ironically, required McCarthy to designate who his temporary successor would b...

Bretón: Newsom’s pick to replace Feinstein has a big hole in her resume

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:13:19 GMT

It hasn’t been emphasized enough that Laphonza Butler, California’s newest U.S. senator, has no legislative experience.This hole in her resume matters a great deal despite an erosion of public faith in legislative experience that is a bipartisan affliction in our politics. It was one of the factors that led to the election of President Donald Trump. In liberal, one-party California, the importance of legislative experience was disregarded by Gov. Gavin Newsom when he appointed the inexperienced Butler to fill the seat of the late Dianne Feinstein.Sworn in on Tuesday, Butler has been celebrated widely for her race, her gender, her orientation and her sterling credentials of a certain kind. She has also been lauded within an echo chamber of Democrats, many of whom have been elected to public office even if Butler never has.Lost in the aftermath of Butler’s appointment has been the kind of critical scrutiny that would normally accompany an important political appointment. Her appointme...