'Elf' movie pop-up returns to Lost Whale cocktail bar

Associated Press
LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand register their marriages on the first day of law giving them equal status
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand are expected to make their wedded status legal Thursday, the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal. Marriage registration is customarily done at district offices, but on Thursday, around 300 couples are expected to complete the formalities at a daylong gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.
Reuters
Trump nominates former CKE Restaurants CEO Puzder as US ambassador to EU
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is nominating Andrew Puzder, a former CEO of CKE Restaurants, as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, a day after the new U.S. leader vowed to hit the EU with tariffs. Puzder was nominated to be labor secretary during Trump's first administration but withdrew amid concerns he could not garner enough Senate votes to be confirmed. Trump says the EU and other countries had troubling trade surpluses with the United States.
NBC News
Faith leaders and teachers 'preparing for an attack' after Trump allows immigration arrests at schools and churches
CHICAGO — Faith leaders, school administrators and teachers in this sanctuary city said they will fight to protect their communities after the Trump administration said it will end a long-standing policy that prevented federal immigration authorities from arresting migrants in churches, schools and hospitals.
CBS News
How much snow has fallen? Map shows record-breaking numbers
Snow totals in Louisiana have broken records. Parts of Florida, Texas and Georgia have also accumulated several inches of snow.
Politico
Rubio is heading to Panama
Trump has repeatedly suggested the U.S. should use military force to take back the Panama Canal.
AFP
Trump taps ex-fast food CEO as EU envoy
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named as his ambassador to the European Union a former fast food executive who withdrew from consideration for the Republican's last administration amid questions over his business practices and private life. "As Founder and President of the Media Research Center for 38 years, few understand the Global Media landscape in print, television, and online better than Brent," Trump posted. ft/st
Politico
Bannon berates Musk over his attacks on Trump’s AI infrastructure project
“I’ve never seen action like this in my life,” Steve Bannon, Trump’s one-time chief strategist, said.
Associated Press
Episcopal bishop says she'll continue to pray for Trump, who lashed out at her over viral sermon
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Diocese of Washington, said Wednesday that she will continue to pray for President Donald Trump, hours after he lashed out at her over a sermon. “I don’t consider him an enemy,” Budde told The Associated Press. Budde made a direct appeal to Trump during a post-Inauguration prayer service he attended on Tuesday, asking him to show mercy to members of the LGBTQ+ community and migrants who are in the country illegally.
Politico
California AG pushes back on Trump threat to prosecute officials who don’t comply with ICE
Rob Bonta, poised to be a top antagonist to the administration, called a recent immigration memo a “scare tactic."
Associated Press
Former Arkansas officer arrested, charged with assault in beating of handcuffed inmate
A former Arkansas police officer who was caught on video beating a handcuffed inmate in the back of his patrol car last year has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Former Jonesboro Police Officer Joseph Tucker Harris, 29, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of felony charges of aggravated assault, filing a false report, and misdemeanor third-degree battery. Harris was released from a county detention center on $15,000 bond.
AFP
Mass evacuations after explosive new fire erupts near Los Angeles
A new wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, exploding in size and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes, in a region already on edge after two deadly blazes.Evacuations were ordered for 31,000 people around the lake, which sits around 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita.
NBC News
Cheryl Hines to stop sales of her cosmetics line if RFK Jr. is confirmed
Cheryl Hines, the spouse to Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to be HHS secretary, had used her husband's image and MAHA branding in the past to sell her products.
Associated Press
RFK Jr. says he's resigned from anti-vaccine nonprofit as he seeks nation's top health official job
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is distancing himself from his anti-vaccine work as he seeks to become the leader of the nation's top health agency under President Donald Trump, according to government ethics documents released Wednesday. Kennedy has pulled in roughly $10 million in income from his work over the past year, which includes speaking fees, leading an anti-vaccine nonprofit and legal fees, government ethics forms filed for his nomination show. Kennedy is a lawyer who has worked on lawsuits involving environmental and vaccine injury claims against some of the country's biggest companies.
NBC News
House passes Laken Riley Act, sending the first bill to Trump to sign into law
The Republican-led House voted Wednesday to give final passage to the Laken Riley Act, a strict immigration detention measure named for a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant.
CNN
Trump targets DEI and civil service protections, striking fear in some federal workers
President Donald Trump is targeting federal employees who focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and career policy staffers as he follows through on campaign promises to exert more control over the federal bureaucracy.
Associated Press
A look at world's largest electricity producers and how much is from renewables
A report out Thursday said a record 47% of the European Union's electricity came from renewable sources in 2024, and experts called it a promising sign for the world's ability to transition away from fossil fuels that are driving climate change. Here's a look at the world's largest generators of electricity and the share of their electricity that comes from renewables.
Reuters
Colombia's Petro visits southern Haiti as violence spikes in both countries
(Reuters) -Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Haiti's southeastern city of Jacmel on Wednesday afternoon in a rare visit by a foreign head of state to the Caribbean nation, as Haiti endures an extended conflict with armed gangs. Colombia has also faced a surge in violence from rebel factions that have brought peace talks to a halt. Petro arrived in the small coastal city some 90 km (55 miles) from the capital Port-au-Prince on a Colombian military plane several hours after the visit was expected to start, where hundreds of residents turned out to see his arrival.
CNN
Thousands under evacuation orders in northern LA County in first significant wildfire outbreak since fatal fires
Thousands of Southern California residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near the town of Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.
USA TODAY
Acting VA secretary warns against disguising DEI programs targeted for termination
Acting V.A. secretary warned that disguising diversity, equity and inclusion programs targeted for termination would result in ‘adverse consequences’
AFP
US Congress approves Trump crackdown on migrant criminal suspects
The Republican-led US Congress delivered President Donald Trump an early victory in his promised crackdown on illegal immigration Wednesday as lawmakers green-lit a bill to expand pretrial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects.The 78-year-old has promised to crack down on illegal border crossings and carry out mass deportations.

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