Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi fined for inappropriate contact with official in WNBA Finals Game 2

Associated Press
Trump threatens to try take back the Panama Canal. The US relinquished control years ago
Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Republican president-elect used his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5 to bask in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along, a display of party unity at odds with a just-concluded budget fight on Capitol Hill where some GOP lawmakers openly defied their leader's demands. Addressing supporters at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his “dream team Cabinet” would deliver a booming economy, seal U.S. borders and quickly settle wars in Israel and Ukraine.
AFP
Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday said weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control."We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area", he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
CNN
Inside the Trump team’s plans to try to end birthright citizenship
President-elect Donald Trump’s team is assessing multiple options to fulfill his long-promised pledge to end birthright citizenship, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, teeing up a legal fight with the expectation that the Supreme Court would ultimately have to rule on the matter.
CNN
‘Captain America’ rescued from Colorado highway
Sometimes even superheroes need rescuing. A Colorado deputy came to the aid of “Captain America” after his motorcycle broke down en route to a local children’s hospital event last Wednesday.
CNN
Questions mount in Germany over deadly Christmas market attack as suspect appears in court
A judge in Germany has ordered the suspect in the dedly Christmas market ramming attack to be held in pre-trial detention following a late-night court appearance on Saturday, according to a statement from police early Sunday.
Associated Press
Albanian prime minister says TikTok ban was not a 'rushed reaction to a single incident'
Albania’s prime minister said Sunday the ban on TikTok his government announced a day earlier was “not a rushed reaction to a single incident.” Prime Minister Edi Rama said Saturday the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular video service of inciting violence and bullying, especially among children. “The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country,” said Rama.
Politico
New research shows the massive hole Dems are in
Even voters who previously backed Democrats cast the party as weak and overly focused on diversity and elites.
AFP
Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to retaliate against Yemen's Huthi rebels after they fired a missile at Tel Aviv, warning that Israel would target what he described as the last remaining arm of "Iran's axis of evil"."As we acted with force against the terrorist arms of Iran's axis of evil, so we will act against the Huthis... with force, determination and sophistication," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
AFP
UN investigator says possible to find 'enough' proof for Syria prosecutions
The visiting head of a UN investigative body for Syria said Sunday it was possible to find "more than enough" evidence to convict people of crimes against international law, but there was an immediate need to secure and preserve it."We have the possibility here to find more than enough evidence left behind to convict those we should prosecute," said Robert Petit, who heads the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up by the UN in 2016 to prepare prosecutions for major inte
Reuters
Tens of thousands gather in anti-government protest in Belgrade
Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade on Sunday to protest against President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whom they blame for a railway station roof collapse last month that killed 15 people. The concrete awning of the recently renovated roof of Novi Sad station caved in on Nov. 1, killing 14 and injuring three. Opposition leaders and the public have taken to the streets repeatedly, blaming the accident on shoddy construction resulting from government corruption and nepotism.
AFP
France kept on tenterhooks over new government
President Emmanuel Macron and new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou kept the country waiting Sunday over the composition of the fourth government in a year that must drag France out of political crisis.Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate, and the fourth of 2024.
Associated Press
Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain reopens after renovation work in time for the Jubilee Holy Year
Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain reopened Sunday after three months of renovations, just in time for the inauguration of the 2025 Jubilee Holy Year that is expected to draw millions of visitors. To avoid overcrowding, the monument will be limited to 400 visitors at a time. “This way visitors will have ample opportunity to observe it and understand the values it embodies,” said Claudio Parisi Presicce, Rome’s superintendent for cultural heritage.
Yahoo Finance
Evergreen investor lessons: Key takeaways from 2024
While it may be difficult to compile a comprehensive list of all the major events of the year, hopefully we’ll at least be able to remember the lessons we learned from them
Associated Press
Party City to close its stores as company files for bankruptcy
For nearly 40 years, customers flocked to Party City for Halloween costumes, favors for children's birthday parties and decorations for New Year's Eve celebrations. Now, the go-to shop for everything from cartoon-themed balloons to Super Bowl decor is closing stores. Party City announced Saturday that it would start a “wind down” of its retail and wholesale operations as it prepares to shutter nearly 700 stores nationwide.
Popular Science
Is there any reason to use a screensaver anymore?
Remember screen savers? If you’re like most people you haven’t really used one since the early 2000s. Dig into the settings on your computer, though, and you’ll find them. Apple included a bunch of new screensavers in recent releases, offering 4K videos of cityscapes and nature. They’re stunning, but I bet most Mac owners don’t […]
NBC News
Pro-Palestinian students sue University of Michigan over protest crackdown
Current and former University of Michigan students have filed a lawsuit against the school alleging that it targeted and disproportionately disciplined pro-Palestinian students involved in campus protests.
Politico
Jake Sullivan: 'America’s competitors and adversaries are weaker'
The soon-to-depart national security adviser says the global situation has notably improved over the last four years.
AFP
Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
Rome's famous Trevi Fountain reopened Sunday following a three-month clean-up, but visitors will for now be limited to 400 to avoid the crowds of the past, said the city's mayor.Imposing the limit, which might later be modified, will "allow everyone to better enjoy the fountain, without crowds or confusion", Roberto Gualtieri told journalists in front of the famous landmark.
CNN
Liberal leaders say they have a plan for a new, more effective anti-Trump resistance in 2025
The question has loomed over Democrats and their allies since Donald Trump was elected to a second term: Do party leaders and liberal, pro-democracy activists have the juice to launch a passionate, organized opposition to Trump and the Republican congressional trifecta?
Associated Press
Louisiana often holds inmates past their release date, DOJ lawsuit claims
Louisiana’s prison system routinely holds people weeks and months after they have completed their sentences, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday. The suit against the state of Louisiana follows a multiyear investigation into what federal officials say is a pattern of “systemic overdetention” that violates inmates’ rights and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year. DOJ alleges that since at least 2012, more than a quarter of the people due to be released from Louisiana prisons have instead been held past their release dates.

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