Lance Schyck named Boys Wrestler of the Year at the Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte High School Sports Awards

Reuters
US adds 9th telcom to list of companies hacked by Chinese-backed Salt Typhoon cyberespionage
U.S. officials have added a ninth telecommunications company to the list of entities compromised by a sweeping Chinese-linked cyberespionage operation known as Salt Typhoon, a top White House official said Friday. Anne Neuberger, the U.S. deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, told reporters on a call that the unnamed telecom was added to the list after the U.S. government shared guidance on how to detect and defend against the operation. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Dec. 18 urged senior government and political figures to move mobile communications to end-to-end encrypted apps as a result of the Salt Typhoon campaign, which has targeted officials associated with the campaign of former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, according to reports.
Associated Press
US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, in push to get aid out before leaving office
The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said.
AFP
New bird flu mutation discovered in US as cat infections cause alarm
The ongoing spread of bird flu in the United States has alarmed experts -- not just because of human cases causing severe illness, but also due to troubling new instances of infections in cats. A sample of the virus found in a critically ill patient in the United States has shown signs of mutating to better suit human airways, although there is no indication it has spread beyond that individual, authorities report.
AFP
Cracks emerge in Trump's MAGA coalition
Donald Trump has yet to move back into the White House and already fissures are opening in his coalition, amid squabbling between Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley "tech bros" and his hardcore Republican backers.The permits are widely used in Silicon Valley, and Musk -- who himself came to the United States from South Africa on an H1-B -- is a fervent advocate.
Associated Press
Another unticketed passenger attempts to stow away on a Delta flight this holiday season
In the thick of holiday travel, another unticketed passenger attempted to stow away on a Delta Air Lines flight. The stowaway, who has not been identified by name, boarded a flight from Seattle to Honolulu on Christmas Eve. Atlanta-based Delta said that the unticketed passenger was discovered while the plane was taxing for departure.
Yahoo Finance
How to overcome the 'financial vortex' to save for retirement
A significant number of Americans facing the "financial vortex" believe they will need to delay retirement. But that's not always a great option.
AFP
Brazil views labor violations at BYD site as human 'trafficking'
Authorities in Brazil said Friday they were probing Chinese auto giant BYD and one of its contractors for suspected "trafficking" of Chinese workers who were building a factory in the South American country.The workers, employed by BYD contractor Jinjiang Open Engineering, were viewed as "victims of international trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation," said the statement.
Reuters
Free-speech advocates tell Supreme Court US TikTok law reminiscent of dictatorships
A U.S. law against Chinese-owned TikTok evokes the censorship regimes put in place by the United States' authoritarian enemies, free-speech advocates told the Supreme Court on Friday. In an amicus filing, PEN America, Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute, and the Free Press urged the country's highest court to strike down the federal TikTok law to ban it or force its sale. The brief noted the Soviet Union and Chinese communists jammed Western radio broadcasts following World War Two, while modern-day Russia and China have a host of restrictions on websites and apps including Facebook, X, and YouTube.
NBC News
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy open rift with MAGA loyalists over skilled worker visas
A multi-day firestorm has erupted over comments made by two incoming advisers to President-elect Donald Trump about H-1B temporary worker visas, a carve-out for high-skilled workers that some in MAGA world say are taking American jobs.
CBS News
Senate approves bill to expand Social Security to millions of Americans
Legislation now headed to President Biden's desk comes with the Social Security Administration staffed at a 50-year low.
Politico
HUD: Homelessness surged in 2023
The increase coincides with the national crisis in affordable housing.
Associated Press
US sanctions the founder of Georgia's ruling political party
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party, which has steered the country away from a pro-Western stance and towards Russia, U.S. officials said Friday. The State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation," according to a statement. The designation of Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the U.S. has slapped on Georgian politicians, lawmakers and others this year.
CNN
Another stowaway is caught on a Delta flight this holiday season – raising major concerns about airport safety
Yet another stowaway managed to board a major airline’s plane – renewing serious questions and concerns about airport safety during the busiest travel season of the year.
Associated Press
Sinkhole in New Jersey keeps I-80 closed after a section collapses into an abandoned mine
Road crews were repairing a short stretch of Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey on Friday where a sinkhole forced the eastbound lanes to shut down, but it was still unknown when they will reopen. The highway's guardrail still hung suspended in the air across the gaping 40-foot-wide (12-meter) hole, which opened up when an abandoned mine collapsed under the highway's right shoulder Thursday morning, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The sinkhole has forced motorists to take a short detour near Wharton, which is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of New York City.
Politico
Florida for sale? Environmentalists worry that state’s conservation lands face uncertain future.
Some environmentalists fear that the long-term trajectory in the state could risk the major progress the state has made in protecting its lands and wildlife.
Associated Press
Missing dog returned to family home and rang the doorbell
After a nearly weeklong search, Athena found her way home to her Florida family in time for Christmas Eve and even rang the doorbell. Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her.
Associated Press
Tennessee has a new execution method, 2.5 years after last scheduled execution abruptly halted
More than 2 years after Tennessee abruptly halted the execution of inmate Oscar Smith — admitting that correction officials were not following their own execution protocols — the state has announced a new method that could allow it to resume executions halted since May 2022. Kelley Henry, chief of the federal public defender’s habeas unit that represents many of Tennessee’s death row inmates, said the announcement was “notable for its lack of detail.”
CBS News
Experts doubt Russian claims of bird strike in Kazakhstan plane crash
Experts say evidence in the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan points to a possible midair explosion, not an encounter with a flock of birds.
Associated Press
Should you worry about overfunding your 529 plan?
529 college savings plans  are powerful tools to help pay for the mounting costs of an education. You can use 529 funds to cover only  qualified education expenses  without incurring a tax penalty, but it can be hard to pinpoint how much money you actually need. Fortunately, parents of multiple children can change the beneficiary of a 529 plan.
USA TODAY
Fire burns through booth at Bryant Park holiday market Winter Village in NYC: Watch video
A video from inside the Bryant Park holiday market in New York shows a fire blazing through a booth.

Lance Schyck named Boys Wrestler of the Year at the Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte High School Sports Awards

About the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards

Latest Stories

US adds 9th telcom to list of companies hacked by Chinese-backed Salt Typhoon cyberespionage

US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, in push to get aid out before leaving office

New bird flu mutation discovered in US as cat infections cause alarm

Cracks emerge in Trump's MAGA coalition

Another unticketed passenger attempts to stow away on a Delta flight this holiday season

How to overcome the 'financial vortex' to save for retirement

Brazil views labor violations at BYD site as human 'trafficking'

Free-speech advocates tell Supreme Court US TikTok law reminiscent of dictatorships

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy open rift with MAGA loyalists over skilled worker visas

Senate approves bill to expand Social Security to millions of Americans

HUD: Homelessness surged in 2023

US sanctions the founder of Georgia's ruling political party

Another stowaway is caught on a Delta flight this holiday season – raising major concerns about airport safety

Sinkhole in New Jersey keeps I-80 closed after a section collapses into an abandoned mine

Florida for sale? Environmentalists worry that state’s conservation lands face uncertain future.

Missing dog returned to family home and rang the doorbell

Tennessee has a new execution method, 2.5 years after last scheduled execution abruptly halted

Experts doubt Russian claims of bird strike in Kazakhstan plane crash

Should you worry about overfunding your 529 plan?

Fire burns through booth at Bryant Park holiday market Winter Village in NYC: Watch video