U.S. broadcasting chief defies congressional subpoena, skips hearing

Reuters
Indonesia president pledges to pardon 'corrupters' who return what they stole
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has said he might pardon people who engaged in graft if they return what they stole, underlining his commitment to tackle corruption. Speaking before hundreds of Indonesian university students in Cairo on Wednesday during his visit to Egypt, Prabowo said he would implement a plan to retrieve ill-gotten gains in the coming weeks or months. Prabowo took office in Oct. 20 and vowed to eradicate corruption and introduce a "realistic" approach to preventing it by increasing wages of state officials entrusted with large budgets.
NBC News
Trump opposes funding bill, pushing government closer to a shutdown
President-elect Donald Trump opposes a short-term bill or CR to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, throwing Congress into chaos days before the deadline.
TODAY
Is hot yoga good for you? What to know about the benefits, potential risks and more
Yoga can be challenging to begin with, but doing it in a heated room can feel next-level intimidating.
TODAY
What is the AIP diet, and can it reduce inflammation? A dietitian who tried it weighs in
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is an elimination diet designed to help reduce inflammation, manage symptoms and improve quality of life for people with autoimmune diseases.
CNN
Invasive ‘murder hornets’ are wiped out in the US, officials say
The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed dubbed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a honey bee hive in a matter of hours, has been declared eradicated in the U.S., five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state near the Canadian border.
Associated Press
Japanese newspaper boss who influenced the nation's postwar politics died at 98
Tsuneo Watanabe, the powerful head of Japan's largest newspaper who had close ties with the country's powerful conservative leaders, has died, his company said Thursday. Watanabe, the editor-in-chief of the Yomiuri Shimbun for over 30 years, died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on Thursday, the Yomiuri said. Watanabe joined the newspaper in 1950 and covered politics throughout his career, attending editorial meetings until last month.
Associated Press
Separated for decades, Assad's fall spurs hope for families split by Golan Heights buffer zone
The four sisters gathered by the side of the road, craning their necks to peer far beyond the razor wire-reinforced fence snaking across the mountain. “We can see you!” Soha Safadi exclaimed excitedly on her cellphone. The tiny speck on the hill was Soha’s sister, Sawsan.
CNN
Victims of Wisconsin school shooting identified as details emerge about the home life of teen who opened fire
Unanswered questions remain about a fatal shooting at a Madison, Wisconsin, private school Monday as new details emerge about the upbringing of the teenage girl who allegedly opened fire.
Associated Press
Stock Market Today: Asian shares track Wall Street's selloff after Fed hints at 2 rate cuts in 2025
Shares skidded Thursday in Asia after U.S. stocks tumbled to one of their worst days of the year when the Federal Reserve hinted it may deliver fewer rate cuts in 2025 than earlier thought. The Fed cut its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point to between 4.25% and 4.5%, as expected. Other major central banks have stood pat this week, with the Bank of Japan opting Thursday to keep its benchmark rate at 0.25%.
Associated Press
Thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany. It hopes they will stay after Assad's fall
Thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany, and the fall of Bashar Assad is raising concern over the potential consequences for the health sector if many of them were to return home. Germany became a leading destination for Syrian refugees over the past decade, and some politicians were quick to start talking about encouraging the return of at least some after rebels took Damascus earlier this month. Others noted that the exiles include many well-qualified people and said their departure would hurt Germany — particularly that of doctors and other medical staff.
Associated Press
Data on animal movements help Hungarian researchers create a swarm of autonomous drones
Moving in a dense cloud, like throngs of people walking across a crowded public square, 100 drones maneuver through the night sky in Hungary's capital, the result of over a decade of research and experimentation that scientists believe could change the future of unmanned flight. The behavior of the swarm, made up of autonomous drones that make their own real-time decisions on collision avoidance and trajectory planning without pre-programming or centralized control, is guided by research the Hungarian scientists performed on the collective movements of creatures from the natural world. “It’s very rare that you see some technology and you say it’s beautiful,” said Boldizsár Balázs, one of the researchers working on the project.
Associated Press
US deaths are down and life expectancy is up, but improvements are slowing
U.S. life expectancy jumped last year, and preliminary data suggests there may be another — much smaller — improvement this year. Death rates fell last year for almost all leading causes, notably COVID-19, heart disease and drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday. “What you're seeing is continued improvement, but slowing improvement," said Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, a University Minnesota researcher who studies death trends.
Associated Press
After a decade in Turkey, a Syrian refugee rushes to return home, but reality hits
The moment he arrived home to Syria from Turkey, Ahmed al-Kassem held his sister in a tight embrace, tears streaming down their faces. “Our life in Turkey was not perfect, but what we are seeing here is a disaster.” Al-Kassem and his family are among the more than 7,600 Syrian refugees who Turkish officials say have crossed back into Syria from Turkey since Dec. 9 when Assad was swept out of power by insurgents.
CBS News
What we know about the Madison, Wisconsin, school shooting
A student opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday in a shooting that left two people and the suspect dead and others injured.
Associated Press
Former Uvalde schools police chief who asked for charges to be dropped returns to court
The former schools police chief in Uvalde, Texas, who has asked a judge to throw out charges accusing him of failing to take action during the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, is expected back in court Thursday. Pete Arredondo, 52, has pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangerment and abandonment. U.S. law enforcement officers rarely face a criminal trial over their actions during a school shooting. The May 24, 2022, attack on Robb Elementary that killed 19 students and two teachers was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Associated Press
A key Trump ally on immigration explains how mass deportations could work
A Kansas official who is an informal adviser to President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on immigration issues doesn't expect mass deportations to prompt arrests of migrants at sensitive locations such as schools and churches. Kobach has for two decades been one of the most influential lawyers in the Republican movement to restrict illegal immigration.
CNN
US life expectancy has rebounded closer to pre-pandemic levels
Life expectancy in the United States is rising nearly as quickly as it fell at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic as deaths from Covid-19 and drug overdoses drop.
USA TODAY
Americans are living longer, thanks to pandemic's end, fewer opioid deaths
Average life expectancy in the U.S. increased nearly one year in 2023, rebounding to a level not reached since the COVID-19 pandemic.
AFP
Storm fears overshadow India coast decades after tsunami
The deadly tsunami that swamped India's southern coast two decades ago was a one-off disaster, but storms that are growing ever more intense spark panic each time howling gales whip up waves.It took him a decade to fully accept her loss and hold symbolic final rites.
CNN
Trump and Musk unleash a new kind of chaos on Washington
Welcome to the new Washington of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

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