Tornado knocks down trees, knocks out power in Effingham County

Reuters
Austrian far-right leader meets president, seeking coalition mandate
The leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) met President Alexander Van der Bellen on Monday expecting to be tasked with forming a coalition government after a centrist bid to assemble one without the FPO collapsed over the weekend. The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO, founded in the 1950s by a former senior officer in Hitler's elite paramilitary SS, came first in a parliamentary election for the first time in September with more than 29% of the vote. "First the people and then the chancellor," FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a brief Facebook posting on Sunday evening, repeating a populist slogan from his campaign, adding that he would not comment before meeting Van der Bellen.
Associated Press
What to know about the Meta glasses the New Orleans attacker used to scout the French Quarter
The man who drove a truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans on New Year's Day, killing 14, had previously scouted the French Quarter and recorded video with his Meta smart glasses, the FBI said. On Oct. 31, Shamsud-Din Jabbar recorded video with the glasses as he cycled through the French Quarter and plotted the attack, said Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office. Here's what the glasses are capable of: What are Meta glasses?
AFP
Japan PM says blocked US Steel deal could hit investments
Japan's prime minister on Monday urged Washington to dispel concerns that a decision by Joe Biden to block Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel could impact future investments.Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the veteran Democrat's decision had sparked worries over future Japanese investments in the world's largest economy.
Reuters
Biden travels to New Orleans to provide comfort after New Year's Day attack
U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to New Orleans on Monday to offer comfort to the community after a U.S. Army veteran killed 14 people and injured dozens by ramming a truck into a crowd of revelers on New Year's Day. Biden, a Democrat who leaves office on Jan. 20, said on Sunday that he would deliver a personal message to the loved ones of those killed if he got to meet with them alone. "My message is going to be personal," Biden told reporters at the White House.
AFP
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby faces final day in role
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will officially step down on Monday as leader of the world's Anglicans, nearly two months after resigning over failures in the Church of England's handling of a serial abuse case.He has also faced calls to resign over his own handling of a historical sexual abuse case.
Associated Press
Residents of Syria's Quneitra are frustrated by lack of action to halt Israeli advance
A main road in the provincial capital of Quneitra in southern Syria was blocked with mounds of dirt, fallen palm trees and a metal pole that appeared to have once been a traffic light. On the other side of the barriers, an Israeli tank could be seen maneuvering in the middle of the street. Israeli forces entered the area — which lies in a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights that was established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel — soon after the fall of President Bashar Assad last month in the country's 13-year civil war.
Associated Press
Pope wraps up busy Christmas season by calling for culture of welcome in Christian communities
Pope Francis wrapped up a busy Christmas season on Monday by calling for the faithful to promote a culture of welcome and integration in their communities and reject discrimination. Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark Epiphany. According to the Bible, the feast marks the day that three wise men guided by a star came to visit the newborn Jesus. Francis said the star, in guiding humanity to God, doesn’t discriminate among ethnic, linguistic or national groups and is there for all.
Reuters
France's Sarkozy goes on trial over alleged Libyan campaign financing
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will go on trial on Monday charged with receiving millions of euros in illegal financing from Libya's late strongman Muammar Gaddafi for his successful 2007 presidential bid. Sarkozy has always denied the accusations. The conservative former leader faces charges of "concealment of embezzlement of public funds, passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime," the financial prosecutor's office said.
Associated Press
Austrian far-right leader meets president as expectations mount he will be asked to form government
Austrian Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl met the country's president on Monday as expectations mounted that he would be tasked with trying to form a new government, which would be the first led by the far right since World War II. Kickl's party won Austria's parliamentary election in September, taking 28.8% of the vote and beating outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer's conservative Austrian People's Party into second place.
USA TODAY
Will Donald Trump pardon January 6 Capitol rioters? Here's what he has said
Donald Trump has promised to issue the pardons to Jan. 6 rioters “very quickly,” starting on his first day in office on Jan. 20.
AFP
Myanmar addicts battle their demons in the 'House of Love'
More than a hundred shaven-headed men pour out of their Yangon hostel around 6 am for a day of weightlifting, karate drills, dancing and Buddhist prayer -- drug rehabilitation, Myanmar style. Joining in the karate-style drills, tug-of-war competitions and meditation sessions was not easy while he still had cravings, he said.
Associated Press
Biden, in 11th hour action, bans new offshore oil and gas drilling in most federal waters
President Joe Biden is moving to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, a last-minute effort to block possible action by the incoming Trump administration to expand offshore drilling. Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, said he is using authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. “My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs," Biden said in a statement.
USA TODAY
'Vampires of the Great Lakes': Parasitic sea lampreys exceed targets in all Great Lakes
Sea lampreys abounded in all Great Lakes in 2024 after treatment was limited during COVID. But the parasitic, invasive fish are expected to decline.
USA TODAY
Four years after Trump supporters rioted at Capitol, lawmakers hope this Jan. 6 is peaceful
On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers expect 2025's certification to go smoothly as the Republican president returns.
Reuters
Biden to ban offshore oil, gas drilling in vast areas ahead of Trump term
The White House said on Monday Biden will use his authority under the 70-year-old Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect all federal waters off the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska. Biden said the move was aligned with both his climate change agenda and his goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. He also invoked the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the low drilling potential of the areas included in the ban did not justify the public health and economic risks of future leasing.
Associated Press
Harris will oversee certification of her defeat to Trump four years after he sparked Capitol attack
Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is set to preside over the certification of her defeat to Donald Trump four years after he tried to stop the very process that will now return him to the White House. In a video message, Harris described her role as a “sacred obligation” to ensure the peaceful transfer of power. Harris will be joining a short list of other vice presidents to oversee the ceremonial confirmation of their election loss as part of their role of presiding over the Senate.
CNN
How the electoral vote count will play out this year
Congressional Democrats on Monday are expected to offer President-elect Donald Trump the unremarkable, perhaps even dull transfer of power he and a band of pro-Trump rioters denied President Joe Biden exactly four years ago.
CNN
Harris will certify Trump’s win — and her own loss — four years after the Capitol riot
Kamala Harris is set Monday to do what nearly every vice president before her has done — certify the incoming president’s election.
Politico
Trump plays reluctant referee
The president-elect backed Mike Johnson over John Thune with a high-stakes policy debate threatening to explode.
Politico
Down but not out: Eric Adams enters reelection year with a narrow path to victory
New Yorkers had soured on Adams even before his indictment, but he remains a dynamic campaigner.

Latest Stories