Personal essay by Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN (CNN) — I spent my freshman year of high school despairing that I hadn’t invented a synthetic human heart, launched a tech start-up, written an opera or raised $10 million for charity. I ran track, sang in a cathedral choir and taught little kids how to kayak in
Continue ReadingBy Jordan Valinsky, CNN New York (CNN) — This year was brutal for a number of well-known companies and their bottom lines. As inflation continued to rear its ugly head, consumers slashed their discretionary spending, tilting some companies to file for bankruptcy. Other brands fell victim to changing trends or even more malicious ailments, like
Continue ReadingAP National Writer When the page turns on 2024, it will be time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports. In theory, the concept held on stubbornly via the quaint and now all-but-dead notion that student-athletes played only for pride, a scholarship and some meal money. In practice,
Continue ReadingCNN By Kaanita Iyer, CNN Washington (CNN) — As Joe Manchin prepares to leave Congress after nearly 15 years, the West Virginia senator — who left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent earlier this year — is further distancing himself from his former party, calling the Democratic brand “toxic.” “The D-brand has been
Continue ReadingBy Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN (CNN) — Do you hear that sound? No, it’s not jingling bells or reindeer hooves. It’s the sound of nearly 120 million people in the US taking to the roads, rails and skies this holiday season. If you plan to drive to your destination, here are the best
Continue ReadingBy Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN (CNN) — Sometimes even superheroes need rescuing. A Colorado deputy came to the aid of “Captain America” after the crusader’s motorcycle broke down en route to a local children’s hospital event last Wednesday. Matt Gnojek, dressed as the Avenger and known locally as Colorado Captain, had planned to make an
Continue ReadingAP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft aims to fly closer to the sun than any object sent before. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. Since then, it has flown straight through the sun’s corona: the outer atmosphere visible during a total
Continue ReadingAssociated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Capitol buildings are almost always an imposing presence. The seat of government, they tend to be elegant and stately. Visitors to Pennsylvania’s Capitol are drawn to its priceless artwork, polished marble and intricate carvings. But there’s another treasure there: 273 antique clocks that were part of its original design.
Continue ReadingPor Priscilla Alvarez y Tierney Sneed El equipo del presidente electo Donald Trump está evaluando múltiples opciones para cumplir con su promesa de poner fin a la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento, según dos fuentes familiarizadas con las discusiones, preparando una batalla legal con la expectativa de que la Corte Suprema finalmente tenga que decidir
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MADRID (AP) — Spaniards have been anticipating the arrival of “El Gordo” or “The Fat One” for weeks. That’s the name of the first prize in Spain’s hugely popular national Christmas lottery. This year’s total draw is worth 2.7 billion euros. Much of that will be paid out in small winnings. The top
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It was during the pandemic when the Rev. Kira Austin-Young and her puppet-maker husband, Michael Schupbach, were going a little stir-crazy that they came up with the idea. Instead of a star or some stylized humanoid angel to top their Christmas tree, why not create a biblically accurate angel?
Continue ReadingBy Priscilla Alvarez and Tierney Sneed, CNN Washington (CNN) — 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.
Continue ReadingVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the “cruelty” of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza. Francis said, “Let the weapons fall silent and let the Christmas carols ring out!” He delivering his blessing from indoors
Continue ReadingCNN By Oren Liebermann, CNN (CNN) — Two US Navy pilots ejected safely after their fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea on Saturday in an apparent friendly fire incident, US Central Command said in a statement. The pilots were recovered, and one of the crew members sustained minor injuries, according to initial
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — When Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure, it also exposed deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population. Thousands of people who have entered the island illegally bore the brunt of the storm that tore through the Indian Ocean archipelago — France’s poorest territory. Authorities in
Continue ReadingKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones have struck a major Russian oil terminal for the second time in just over a week, according to the Russian local governor, as part of what he called a “massive” cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow’s military. The strikes came days after Russia
Continue ReadingBy Thomas Schlachter, CNN (CNN) — Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in their hotly anticipated rematch to defend his unified heavyweight world titles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The pair first fought in May of this year with Usyk taking the win via split decision. This was the first loss of Fury’s career and
Continue ReadingThe Associated Press Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk’s X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner’s support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta’s Threads and its algorithms. The platform
Continue ReadingBy Catherine Nicholls, CNN (CNN) — At least 32 people were killed in crowd crushes at two separate charity events in Nigeria on Saturday, police say. Some 22 people were killed at an event held in a community center in Okija in the southeastern state of Anambra, state police said on Sunday. The event was
Continue ReadingBy Eric Levenson, CNN (CNN) — Paul Kemp, a 64-year-old who lives outside Portland, Oregon, bought his son Nathan his first rifle for his 16th birthday over a decade ago. Nathan had notched his first hunting kill, a squirrel, at age 7, and the Kemp family enjoyed their time hunting together over the ensuing years.
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