UTEP men land commitment from Southern Miss transfer guard Tae Hardy

Yahoo Finance
Holiday superfans: What it’s like to be the baddest Christmas decorators on the block
A growing community of super-decorators spend months each year plotting elaborate displays and computerized light shows. Their motivation? Pure holiday cheer.
Associated Press
Top-ranking NYPD officer abruptly resigns amid sexual misconduct allegations
The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned amid allegations he demanded sex from a subordinate. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted the resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey Friday night, effective immediately, according to an emailed statement from the department Saturday. John Chell, the department’s chief of patrol, will take over as interim chief of department and Philip Rivera will assume Chell’s duties as the head of the patrol division, the department said.
CNN
What we know about the suspect behind the German Christmas market attack
A driver who rammed a car into a crowded Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, killing at least five people and injuring more than 200, has been identified by authorities as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen who had lived in Germany for more than a decade and worked as a doctor.
AFP
France's most powerful nuclear reactor finally comes on stream
France on Saturday connected its most powerful nuclear power reactor to the national electricity grid in what leaders hailed as a landmark moment despite years of delays, budget overruns and technical setbacks."The last time a reactor started up in France was 25 years ago at Civaux 2," he said, referring to the Civaux power plant in southwestern France.
CNN
Death toll rises to five with more than 200 injured in German Christmas market attack
At least five people were killed and more than 200 injured after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday, local authorities said.
Associated Press
Vatican advances beatification process for Belgium's king who abdicated rather than approve abortion
The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion. The Holy See’s saint-making office on Dec. 17 established a historical commission, made up of experts in Belgian history and archives, to begin investigating the life and virtues of King Baudouin, the Vatican said in a communique Saturday. Francis surprised and even enraged some Belgians when, during his September visit to Brussels, he prayed at Baudouin’s tomb, denounced Belgium’s abortion laws as “homicidal” and announced he wanted to beatify the late king.
Associated Press
Here's a look at the $100 billion in disaster relief in the government spending bill
Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid designed to address extensive damage caused by disasters after this week's scramble to find consensus on a government spending bill. The money comes after back-to-back hurricanes — Helene and Milton — slammed into the southeastern United States this fall, leaving havoc in their wake. The disaster funding looked set to pass earlier this week until President-elect Donald Trump issued new demands that tanked a compromise and threatened a pre-Christmas federal shutdown.
The Conversation
Drinking during holidays and special occasions could affect how you parent your kids
Even parents who don’t drink much throughout the year may have a few extra eggnogs at a Christmas party or beers while watching the Super Bowl. And that has implications for how they treat their kids.
The Conversation
Why does the Senate confirm Trump’s picks for key posts — and how? A legal scholar explains the confirmation process and the ‘constitutional loophole’ of recess appointments
Senators have the power to approve or reject a president’s cabinet nominees. A loophole allows presidents to do an end run around the Senate – but Senate leaders have to agree to it.
USA TODAY
US has first severe bird flu case. When should we start to worry?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called it the first severe case in the U.S., though the risk to most of the public is still low.
CNN
How CEOs are trying to be like Musk and curry favor with Trump
When Spotify CEO Daniel Ek spoke by phone with Donald Trump, he came prepared.
Yahoo Finance
This week in Bidenomics: Early exit
President Biden has a few more weeks in office, but it's Donald Trump who is moving markets.
CNN
A pilot raced through the airport to surprise an old friend: the woman who saved his life
When Allie Reimold boarded Flight 2223 in Houston, she didn’t expect to see the pilot whose life she had saved.
Politico
The ABC Settlement Doesn’t Mean the Press Is Caving to Trump
There were good legal reasons for the network to avoid a trial.
NBC News
After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina's holiday tourist season grinds to a halt
Typically, the winter months draw millions of visitors to the Blue Ridge Mountains, inviting hiking trails and live music venues. But all that is over for now.
NBC News
NASA's solar probe is about to fly closer to the sun than any human-made object ever
NASA's Parker Solar Probe is expected to make a fiery dive close to the solar surface on the morning of Christmas Eve.
NBC News
Teenager accused in Wisconsin school shooting had a tumultuous family life, court documents show
The turmoil in Natalie Rupnow's family life, as documented by court records, offer a glimpse into events that may have shaped her path before Monday's tragedy.
AFP
The 'atheist' Saudi refugee suspected of Germany attack
The suspected perpetrator of a deadly ramming at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg on Friday is a 50-year-old Saudi refugee from a Shiite family who declared himself an atheist and "anti-Islam".The ramming came eight years to the day after a similar attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 13 people.
AFP
Pakistan military courts convict 25 of pro-Khan unrest
Pakistan military courts have convicted and sentenced 25 people for involvement in pro-Imran Khan unrest last year, the armed forces said Saturday, with the majority handed decade-long prison terms.All of the convicted are men and 14 have been sentenced to a decade of "rigorous imprisonment", the military said with the remaining 11 set to serve lesser prison terms.
AFP
Ukraine drone hits Russian high-rise 1,000km from frontline
Kyiv on Saturday staged a major drone attack on the Russian city of Kazan, 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the frontier, the latest in a series of escalating aerial attacks in the nearly three-year conflict.The attack on Kazan comes a day after Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv killed one and wounded 13, and after five were killed by a Ukrainian attack on the Russian border region of Kursk, where its troops have been staging an offensive since August. bur/gv

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