Yosemite’s Pika Fire spreads, with air quality rated unhealthy for sensitive groups

Associated Press
How an unlikely Bavarian village became the Christmas capital of Washington state
The scent of bratwurst and pretzels filled the air as horses clopped down the main street, hauling a carriage full of tourists. Decades ago, Leavenworth was a near ghost town on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, one of the region's poorest communities. More than half a century later, the result brings tourists from near and far all year long — hikers and skiers, river rafters and fly-fishers, shoppers and day-trippers from Seattle, some 3 million visitors in all last year, according to Matt Cade, president of the Greater Leavenworth Museum.
USA TODAY
NORAD Santa tracker: How Saint Nick's journey is offered in different languages
NORAD's Santa Tracker follows St. Nick as he delivers toys. One company offers free translation services to help more kids follow along.
Associated Press
Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere
Straddling the scaffolding high up in a historic Boston church, murals conservator Gianfranco Pocobene is working to uncover eight angels that were hidden under layers of paint for more than a century. The painted angels — with round childlike faces and wings — once were among the defining features of Old North Church when they were painted around 1730. “When we first looked at the project six months ago, we had no idea what was here,” Pocobene said as the church, the oldest church building in Boston, was preparing to remove the scaffolding earlier this month to reveal eight of the 20 painted-over angels.
TODAY
Savannah Guthrie’s family wears matching Christmas jammies. See pics from the past 8 years
Matching family pajamas are a beloved holiday tradition for Savannah Guthrie and her family. See pics of the family wearing them through the years.
AFP
South Korea's opposition vows to impeach acting president
South Korea's opposition said Tuesday it would impeach acting president Han Duck-soo in protest at the interim leader's refusal to sign into law special bills to investigate his impeached predecessor. The main opposition Democratic Party had set Christmas Eve as the deadline for Han to promulgate two special bills investigating suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law, as well as graft allegations surrounding his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
Associated Press
South Korea's opposition party vows to impeach acting president
South Korea’s main opposition party said Tuesday it will seek to impeach acting leader Han Duck-soo after he missed an opposition-set deadline to approve independent investigations into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. If realized, Han’s impeachment would further deepen South Korea’s political tumult and worries by neighboring countries caused by Yoon’s stunning Dec. 3 martial law declaration and ensuing impeachment. Han, the country’s No. 2 official, has taken over presidential powers and duties since Yoon’s impeachment.
USA TODAY
Justice Department sues Louisiana for holding prisoners past their release date
The Justice Department hast sued the state of Louisiana for unlawfully imprisoning thousands of people for weeks after their sentences concluded.
CBS News
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to state murder, terrorism charges
Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to state charges in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Associated Press
20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a boy found in the mud embraces being known as 'Baby 81'
Pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, the boy once known as “Baby 81” is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education. Jayarasa Abilash's story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed, with others missing.
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed at the start of a holiday-shortened week
Asian markets were mixed on Tuesday after stocks in Wall Street shook off a choppy start to finish higher the previous day as it kicked off a holiday-shortened week. Honda shares surged more than 16% as the Japanese auto giant announced an up to 1.1 trillion yen ($7 billion) share buyback and meanwhile, held a merger talk with Nissan. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses.
AFP
The tsunami detection buoys safeguarding lives in Thailand
Almost 1,000 kilometres off the Thai coast devastated by a tsunami 20 years ago, engineers lower a detection buoy into the waves -- a key link in a warning system intended to ensure no disaster is as deadly again.In the years following the disaster, multiple governments developed a global tsunami information system, building on the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) network of six detection buoys in the Pacific.
TODAY
After my dad’s death, I became fascinated by psychic medium readings
I became fascinated with psychic medium readings after my dad's death. When I got the chance to meet with Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo, how could I say no?
AFP
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts, spewing columns of lava
One of the world's most active volcanoes sprang into life again Monday, spewing columns of lava 80 meters (260 feet) above Hawaii, US vulcanologists said."At 4:30 am, lava fountains were observed with heights up to 80 meters (262 feet)," the agency said.
CBS News
Portion of Santa Cruz Wharf collapses amid high surf with 2 people rescued
A part of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed Monday afternoon during a high-surf warning, with authorities confirming two people had to be pulled from the water.
Associated Press
Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing 'hurried' House action
President Joe Biden on Monday vetoed a once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal district judgeships, saying “hurried action” by the House left important questions unanswered about the life-tenured positions. The bipartisan effort was carefully designed so that lawmakers would not knowingly give an advantage to either political party in shaping the federal judiciary. The White House had said at the time that Biden would veto the bill.
Politico
Biden vetoes bill that would have created dozens of new federal judge slots
The president didn't want to hand Trump a chance to appoint more judges.
AFP
Asian stocks mostly up after US tech rally
Asian stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday after a tech rally on Wall Street, but their gains remained modest in thin Christmas Eve trade.US "stocks didn't really have any direction in the morning, then we got this tech rally that just sort of drifted higher all day," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers.
CNN
North Korean soldiers given fake Russian military IDs, Ukraine says
North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birthplaces, the Ukrainian military said, amid claims from Kyiv that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of foreign fighters on the battlefield.
Associated Press
Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus
A powerful government panel on Monday failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel, leaving the decision to President Joe Biden, who opposes the deal. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, sent its long-awaited report on the merger to Biden, who formally came out against the deal in March. A U.S. official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private report, said some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks.
AFP
US panel could not reach consensus on US-Japan steel deal: Nippon
A US government panel failed to reach a consensus on whether US Steel's acquisition by Nippon Steel threatens Washington's national security, shifting the decision to the White House, the Japanese company said late Monday."Nippon Steel has been informed by CFIUS that the Committee has referred this matter to President Biden after failing to reach a consensus on our transaction with US Steel," Nippon said.

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