Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas again a finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Associated Press
A France-trained and armed force aims to strengthen Ukraine's defenses at critical juncture in war
A French military task force with a festive name — “Champagne” — is wrapping up a mission that's no party: Training a whole new brigade of several thousand Ukrainian troops who will be joining the fight against Russia's invasion armed with France-supplied tanks, artillery canons and other heavy weaponry. The approaching return to Ukraine of the “Anne of Kyiv” brigade, after more than two months of intense military training in eastern and southern France, comes at another critical juncture in the almost three-year war. Russian forces are driving westward in an effort to capture all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
Associated Press
The Latest: Republicans take House as Democrats sound alarm over Matt Gaetz as attorney general
Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Trump's pick of conservative loyalist Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general has Democrats sounding the alarm with Sen. Dick Durbin saying Gaetz “would be a disaster” in part because of Trump’s threat to use the Justice Department “to seek revenge on his political enemies.”
Associated Press
Natural gas flares sparked 2 wildfires in North Dakota, state agency says
Natural gas flares at oil wells sparked two North Dakota wildfires earlier this fall, according to reports from the North Dakota Fire Marshal's Office. Investigators concluded that flares combined with high winds and extremely dry weather and started a wildfire near the town of Keena and another near New Town, the Bismarck Tribune reported Thursday. Officials with ConocoPhillips and Hess Corp., which operate the oil wells, say they're still reviewing the reports.
CBS News
Ben & Jerry's sues Unilever, saying parent company censored it over Gaza
Ben & Jerry's independent board accuses Unilever of preventing the ice cream brand from advocating for Palestinian rights.
Associated Press
Former Slovak President Andrej Kiska loses pension after fraud conviction
Slovakia’s presidential office said Thursday it has stopped sending pension payments to former President Andrej Kiska because of his tax fraud conviction, and Kiska said he would challenge the move. The presidential office said the halt in payments was triggered by an appeals court’s verdict on Oct. 31 that upheld a lower court ruling that found Kiska guilty of tax fraud and gave him a one-year suspended sentence.
CBS News
India court warns against "bulldozer justice" allegedly targeting Muslims
India's Supreme Court has warned state authorities that bulldozing illegally constructed homes in an "arbitrary pick and choose" way is an abuse of their powers.
Associated Press
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women's suffrage monument
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will kick off a fundraising campaign on Thursday for a monument to women's suffrage being planned in Ohio. “An Evening With Doris Kearns Goodwin” will take place in the Ohio Statehouse atrium. Megan Wood, CEO and executive director of the Ohio History Connection, the state's history office, will lead a discussion with the historian followed by a question-and-answer session.
NBC News
Nick Fuentes confronted at his home after 'your body, my choice' refrain goes viral
Police said that they responded to a call involving white nationalist Nick Fuentes and a woman who appeared to show up at his Illinois home Sunday unannounced.
Associated Press
Brazil authorities link bombing in the capital to extremist discourse
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice said Thursday that the explosion outside the court in Brasilia was the consequence of frequent far-right attacks and hate speech targeting the country’s institutions. Federal Police are investigating the explosions on Wednesday as terrorism and a violent attack on the democratic rule of law, its director, Andrei Passos, said at a news conference later. Passos said that the man had attempted to enter the Supreme Court, and that police aren't considering the blast to be the work of a lone wolf.
USA TODAY
Matt Gaetz's law experience: What to know about the attorney general pick's resume
Donald Trump named Matt Gaetz as his attorney general pick. Here's what to know about his prior experience.
AFP
Trump fills out cabinet as divisive picks shock Washington
All eyes were on Donald Trump's transition team Thursday, after a series of provocative and startling cabinet choices that showed the president-elect's preference for absolute loyalty above experience or expertise.John Bolton, one of Trump's national security advisors in his first term, told NBC that Gaetz "must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history."
AFP
BHP, Vale cleared by Brazil court over 2015 dam disaster
A Brazilian court on Thursday cleared mining giants BHP and Vale, and their Brazilian joint venture Samarco, of responsibility over a 2015 dam collapse that caused the country's worst ever environmental disaster."Although I expected this response from the Brazilian justice system, it was still a shock to know that in the place where we live, where we come from, they (the state) cannot give us protection," she told AFP. - $30 bn in damages - The ruling comes nearly three weeks after Australia's B
CNN
Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, Syrian state media say
Fifteen people were killed and 16 others injured in Israeli strikes on Damascus in Syria, state media SANA said, citing a military source and marking one of the deadliest strikes in months to hit the Sryian capital.
CNN
Trump wants Elon Musk to overhaul the government. Here’s what could be on the chopping block
President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have big ambitions for making the federal government leaner and more efficient by reviewing its budget and operations from top to bottom.
AFP
Satirical US outlet The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars
Satirical news outlet The Onion said Thursday it had acquired Infowars, a conspiracy-laden website whose owner made money by running stories that called one of America's most notorious school shootings a hoax.A famous headline that The Onion runs after mass shootings is, "'No Way To Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens."
NBC News
The Onion wins Alex Jones' Infowars in bankruptcy auction
The Onion, the satirical news company that repeatedly spoofed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, has won the bankruptcy auction for control over his media empire — most notably InfoWars, the far-right, conspiracy-minded website that served as Jones’ primary online platform.
Yahoo Finance
Disney CFO: We are sticking with the TV business
Disney CFO Hugh Johnston on the why the business of TV still makes sense.
AFP
UK government announces ban on new coal mines
The UK announced Thursday that it would introduce legislation to ban new coal mines, as the Labour government ramps up its plans to make Britain a clean energy leader.In Britain, the centre-left government has also ended a ban on new onshore wind projects -- announced by the Conservatives -- and put a stop to new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea. ajb-bcp/jj
AFP
Legal migration to OECD reaches new record in 2023
Migration to richer countries reached a record level for the second year running in 2023, the OECD said on Thursday, reflecting demand for foreign labour and gaps in the workforce left by ageing populations. About a third of OECD countries witnessed record legal migration last year, including Britain (747,000 arrivals), Canada (472,000), France (298,000), Japan (155,000) and Switzerland (144,500).
USA TODAY
Cold season tips: How to avoid catching COVID and flu during the holidays
Updated vaccines, proper hygiene and staying home when you're sick can help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses this fall and winter.

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