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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Christmas gifts arrived at the International Space Station on Tuesday, courtesy of Japan. A Japanese cargo ship pulled up at the orbiting lab four days after launching. The capsule — called Kounotori, or white stork — contains nearly 5 tons of food, water, batteries and other supplies. NASA said there also are Christmas presents for the two Americans, three Russians and one Frenchman on board.

Commander Shane Kimbrough, an American, and France’s Thomas Pesquet used the robot arm to grab the capsule 250 miles above Chile. Flight controllers in Japan and Houston applauded — and some of the Japanese even bowed.   Continue reading “Christmas delivery at space station, courtesy of Japan”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A key Republican lawmaker wants to overhaul Social Security, the decades-old program that provides benefits to some 60 million retirees and disabled, with a plan to gradually increase the retirement age and slow the growth of benefits for higher-income workers.

Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas, the chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Social Security, introduced legislation just before the end of the congressional session last week that he said would “permanently save” the program. He said the bill would increase benefits for lower-income workers.   Continue reading “Republican looks to overhaul Social Security”

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SEAL BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Families of some victims of a mass killing at a Seal Beach hair salon want prosecutors to accept a plea deal from the convicted killer, saying they’re exhausted by years of legally wrangling in a case marred by prosecutorial misconduct.

Some relatives of the eight people Scott Dekraai was convicted of slaying urged authorities Saturday to accept his offer of taking a life sentence without chance of parole rather than seek the death penalty, the Orange County Register reported (http://bit.ly/2gzVasG ).   Continue reading “Families of California salon shooting victims urge plea deal”

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BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian military said on Monday it has gained control of 98 percent of eastern Aleppo, previously a rebel-held enclave, reducing the rebel territory to a small sliver packed with civilians and fighters squeezed under fire.

A Syrian rebel spokesman said opposition fighters are retreating in eastern Aleppo under intense government fire that is putting thousands of civilians at risk, calling the collapse “terrifying.” The military statement came hours after Syrian forces, aided by Shiite militias from Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, took Sheik Saeed, one of the largest neighborhoods in the southern part of the rebel territory, tightening the noose on the enclave.   Continue reading “Syrian troops say they control 98 percent of eastern Aleppo”

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CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Coptic community held a funeral service on Monday for 25 Christians killed in a bombing the previous day at a church next to the main cathedral in Cairo — one of the deadliest attacks targeting the country’s religious minority in recent memory.

The bomb went off during Sunday Mass at a chapel adjacent to St. Mark’s Cathedral, seat of the ancient Coptic Orthodox church. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Those killed were mostly women and children.   Continue reading “Egypt mourns 25 Christians killed in massive church bombing”

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia Democrat who spent two decades in Congress could spend that long in prison if federal prosecutors get their way at his sentencing Monday. Former Rep. Chaka Fattah, 60, was convicted of misspending government grants and charity money to fund his campaign and personal expenses, even as he and his TV anchor wife earned more than $500,000 a year.

A jury this year found that Fattah took an illegal $1 million loan from a wealthy friend to prop up his failed 2007 campaign for Philadelphia mayor. He then repaid some of it with federal grant money from NASA that he had steered to an education nonprofit run by loyal former staffers.   Continue reading “Ex-Pennsylvania congressman awaits racketeering sentence”

RT

The 21st Century Cures Act is heading to President Barack Obama’s desk after passing the Senate. Many are celebrating, but progressive senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are concerned that it will provide handouts to the pharmaceutical industry.

The 21st Century Cures Act passed the Senate Wednesday in a 94-5 vote and is set to land on President Barack Obama’s desk. Obama has already spoken out in support of the bill and said he’ll be happy to sign it into law. Many have welcomed this bill as not only a step forward for medical research, but also as a sign of bipartisan unity.   Continue reading “21st Century Cures Act goes to Obama after Senate passage”

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament introduced an impeachment motion Thursday against President Park Geun-hye, setting up a likely vote Friday on whether to suspend her powers over a huge political scandal.

A parliamentary official reported the motion to a plenary session, which means an impeachment vote must take place between 24 and 72 hours. Friday is the final day of the current parliamentary regular session.   Continue reading “S. Korea’s parliament sets up presidential impeachment vote”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Did anyone see it coming, the apparent new rapport between President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump? Just a few months ago they were regularly flinging insults back and forth. Today they’re trading phone calls and pleasantries.

Apparently, membership in one of the world’s most exclusive clubs, the club of U.S. presidents, has a way of changing things. On Wednesday, Trump talked about letting bygones be bygones. “I’ve now gotten to know President Obama. I really like him,” he said on NBC’s “Today” after Time magazine announced him as its Person of the Year. “We have, I think I can say, at least for myself, I can’t speak for him, but we have a really good chemistry together. We talk.”   Continue reading “Obama and Trump hurled insults, now trade pleasantries”

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — If Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad becomes the next U.S. Ambassador to China, he may want to leave any Masonic symbols at home. That’s because the Freemasons group that Branstad belongs to has been banned in mainland China for decades.

Masonic lodges still exist in Taiwan, but not in China. All the other chapters were eliminated after the communist revolution there in 1949. “Freemasons believe in freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of action, and I don’t think that’s what the communist Chinese government is about,” said Tim Anderson, who is deputy grand secretary of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Iowa.   Continue reading “US envoy nominee Branstad member of Masons, banned in China”

RT

Thousands of snow geese died after landing in the toxic waters of an old open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana. The migrating birds were forced to land in Berkeley Pit on November 28 by severe winter weather.

Mark Thompson, environmental affairs manager for mining company Montana Resources, said that it looked like “seven-hundred acres of white birds” had landed, AP reported.   Continue reading “1,000s of geese die after landing in toxic waters of Montana pit mine”

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BEIRUT (AP) — Staring a punishing and brutal defeat in the face, several Syrian rebel factions on Wednesday proposed a five-day cease-fire in the eastern part of the city of Aleppo so the wounded, sick and other civilians can be evacuated.

The proposal came as Syrian government troops and allied militiamen declared they have seized control of three-quarters of the enclave that the opposition controlled since 2012. The cease-fire proposal was signed by the Aleppo command center, apparently a reference to the collection of factions fighting inside the eastern enclave. A rebel spokesman said al-Qaida-linked group Fatah al-Sham Front, which has a limited presence in the enclave, will abide by the proposal.   Continue reading “As Syrian troops gain ground, Aleppo rebels propose truce”

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MEUREUDU, Indonesia (AP) — A strong earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Aceh province early Wednesday, killing nearly 100 people and sparking a frantic rescue effort in the rubble of dozens of collapsed and damaged buildings.

Maj. Gen. Tatang Sulaiman, chief of the army in Aceh province, said at least 97 died while four people were pulled from the rubble alive. Another four or five are known to be buried, but he didn’t say if they were dead or alive. The Indonesian government declared a two-week emergency period in Aceh.   Continue reading “Frantic rescue underway in Indonesia as quake kills scores”

RT

A White House report on efforts to target so-called extremists abroad shows a broadening use of war powers in the fight against Al-Qaeda, beyond military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

The 60-page report shows deployments in over half a dozen new areas – including Somalia, Yemen, Jordan, Niger, Cameroon, Central Africa, the Red Sea, Somalia and South Sudan – with troops on the ground, regular air strikes, and surveillance efforts, all in the name of counterterrorism.   Continue reading “New report reveals spread of US war on Al-Qaeda to six new countries”

RT

The Navajo Nation has filed a $160 million lawsuit against the US government for damages and ongoing injuries caused by an August 2015 mine spill which released millions of gallons of toxic waste near the tribe’s territory.

The filing, announced in a Monday press release, claims that the Gold King Mine spill negatively impacted communities along the San Juan River on Navajo Nation territory when it released millions of gallons of toxic waste – including lead, arsenic, and mercury – into the nearby Animas River, ultimately transforming the connecting San Juan River from a “life-giver and protector” to a “threat” to the Navajo people, crops, and animals.   Continue reading “‘Colossal damage’: Navajo Nation sues US govt for $160mn over Colorado mine spill”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is quickening its pace toward adjourning late this week, marching toward a final vote on legislation boosting medical research and speeding drug approvals and readying a separate stopgap spending bill to prevent the government from shutting down this weekend.

The temporary budget bill, scheduled to be unveiled Tuesday, would keep federal agencies functioning into next spring, giving the new Congress and the incoming Trump administration time to approve more than $1 trillion to fund federal agencies through the Sept. 30 end of the current government budget year.   Continue reading “Stopgap spending bill to be unveiled as Congress finishes up”

RT

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi says he takes full responsibility for the crashing defeat at the referendum he proposed, which would have reduced the powers of the Senate. Renzi intends to send in his resignation on Monday.

“The experience of my government ends here,” Renzi said in a televised news conference, adding that his defeat was“extraordinarily clear.”   Continue reading “Italy PM Renzi concedes defeat, set to resign after decisive ‘No’ vote in constitutional referendum”

RT

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he will speak to Donald Trump about the West’s “bad” nuclear deal with Iran after he becomes president. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry defended the deal at a separate conference.

“Israel is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. That has not changed and will not change. As far as President-elect Trump, I look forward to speaking to him about what to do about this bad deal,” Netanyahu told the Saban Forum, a Washington conference on the Middle East, via satellite from Jerusalem on Sunday.   Continue reading “Netanyahu to speak to Trump about West’s ‘bad’ nuclear deal with Iran”

RT

America is rapidly headed for an “economic and political oligarchy” if people don’t stage a “political revolution ,” former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has warned.

“We have got to get the American people to understand that as citizens in a democratic society, they have rights,” the self-described democratic socialist told Rolling Stone magazine’s Matt Taibbi, in an interview published on Wednesday.    Continue reading “US headed for ‘economic & political oligarchy’ if people don’t act – Sanders”