New nuclear stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, takes first test flight in California

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

New nuclear stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, takes first test flight in California WASHINGTON (AP) — The B-21 Raider took its first test flight on Friday, moving the futuristic warplane closer to becoming the nation's next nuclear weapons stealth bomber.The Raider flew in Palmdale, California, where it has been under testing and development by Northrop Grumman.The Air Force is planning to build 100 of the warplanes, which have a flying wing shape much like their predecessor the B-2 Spirit but will incorporate advanced materials, propulsion and stealth technology to make them more survivable in a future conflict. The plane is planned to be produced in variants with and without pilots.“The B-21 Raider is in flight testing,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said.Such testing is a critical step in the campaign to provide "survivable, long-range, penetrating strike capabilities to deter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners,” Stefanek said. Let it pour: First wet season event to bring moderate to heavy rain next week The B...

Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground to close what’s been a mostly quiet week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground to close what’s been a mostly quiet week NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is gaining ground Friday to close what’s been a mostly listless week following its fireworks since the summer.The S&P 500 was up 1.3% in afternoon trading and on track to end the week with a solid gain. That would follow its best week of the year, which itself came after months of sharp losses.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 327 points, or 1%, as of 2:28 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.9% higher.More companies reported better profits for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but the focus is swinging toward what companies will do later this year and beyond amid high interest rates and expectations for a slowdown in economic growth.Illumina tumbled 9.5% even though the maker of DNA-sequencing and other technology products reported better results for the third quarter than expected. It cut its financial forecasts for the full year and said “the environment remains challenging.”Wynn Resorts also topped analysts’ expec...

Live updates | Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza’s north as fighting nears hospitals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Live updates | Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza’s north as fighting nears hospitals Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing northern Gaza as Israel’s military pushed deeper into dense urban neighborhoods in its battle with Hamas militants. Officials in the besieged enclave said the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 11,000 people.The search for safety in Gaza is growing more desperate as combat intensifies. Residents who escaped to the south and Palestinian health officials reported strikes in and around Gaza City’s main hospital overnight. Israel said at least one was the result of a misfired Palestinian rocket. The World Health Organization said Friday that 20 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are no longer functioning, including a pediatric hospital that has stopped operations after a reported Israeli strike in the area. “If there is a hell on earth today, its name is northern Gaza,” the U.N. humanitarian agency spokesperson, Jens Laerke, told reporters in Geneva. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes since the war began. Gaza...

Maly matches career-high with 30 points and No. 22 Creighton women beat South Dakota in home opener

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Maly matches career-high with 30 points and No. 22 Creighton women beat South Dakota in home opener OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Morgan Maly matched a career-high with 30 points, Emma Ronsiek added 16 points and No. 22 Creighton beat South Dakota 81-55 on Friday.Creighton (2-0) won its second straight game in the series with South Dakota after losing six in a row. Creighton scored 29 points in the first quarter, with five 3-pointers, to build a 15-point lead. The Bluejays led by as many as 20 points in the second quarter before South Dakota scored the opening five points of the second half to get within 45-35.Creighton answered with a 19-2 run for a 64-37 lead. Maly started the run with seven straight Creighton points, and she also had two 3-pointers.Maly, who also scored 30 points against Providence in January, was subbed out with 3:06 remaining in the fourth. Maly was 10 of 19 from the field and she also grabbed 10 rebounds. Lauren Jensen had 11 points and a team-high six assists for Creighton. Molly Mogensen and Mallory Brake each scored 10 points. Mogensen also had nine rebounds.Tori De...

Jueza rechaza aplazar juicio contra Trump por documentos en Mar-a-Lago

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Jueza rechaza aplazar juicio contra Trump por documentos en Mar-a-Lago WASHINGTON — Una jueza federal en Florida rechazó el viernes el pedido de la defensa del expresidente Donald Trump de aplazar su juicio sobre la tenencia de documentos secretos.Pero postergó otros plazos de la causa e indicó que retomará el tema de la fecha del juicio más adelante.La decisión de la jueza Aileen Cannon es una victoria modesta para el equipo del fiscal especial Jack Smith, que había rechazado enérgicamente los esfuerzos por aplazar el juicio, previsto para comenzar el 20 de mayo de 2024.Los abogados de Trump habían argumentado que necesitaban más tiempo para revisar la enorme cantidad de pruebas documentales y que las fechas se podrían empalmar con las de otras tres causas penales que aguardan juicio. Corte Suprema de Minnesota frena esfuerzos que impedían que Trump estuviera en las boletas Ivanka Trump testifica en juicio civil sobre presunto fraude de la empresa familiar Cannon indicó durante una audiencia días at...

Vondrousova pulls Czechs level 1-1 with United States at Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Vondrousova pulls Czechs level 1-1 with United States at Billie Jean King Cup Finals SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova pulled the Czech Republic level at 1-1 with the United States to send their Billie Jean King Cup Finals group-stage meeting to a decisive doubles match on Friday.The seventh-ranked Vondrousova brushed aside Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-1 in the second singles match after Danielle Collins gave the U.S. the lead by beating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-2.The winner will advance as the top team in Group A and play Canada in the semifinals on Saturday. Italy will face Slovenia in the other semifinal on the indoor hard court in Seville.Vondrousova hit five aces and broke Kenin’s serve six times in the lopsided match.Collins broke Siniakova three times, with her opponent double-faulting five times.These are the the two most successful teams in the competition’s history — the U.S. has the most titles with 18 and the Czechs the second most with 11.The Czechs have won their last two meetings with the Americans.The U.S. beat defending...

Undefeated No. 21 James Madison puts focus on football instead of bowl eligibility vs UConn

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Undefeated No. 21 James Madison puts focus on football instead of bowl eligibility vs UConn Undefeated James Madison had a lot of swirling issues this week while it prepared to host one-win Connecticut, but coach Curt Cignetti wants a singular focus.The No. 21 Dukes (9-0) petitioned the NCAA for a waiver to be included in bowl eligibility, something NCAA rules deny them as a program transitioning to the highest level of college football. They are also denied a chance to play for the Sun Belt Conference championship, a rule the NCAA put in place to ensure programs making the step up are prepared for better competition.“We would be in those rankings probably somewhere around where we’re ranked,” Cignetti said this week. “But you know, it’s not where you are today, it’s where you finish, and I steadfastly believe we should be a part of those rankings. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be a part of those rankings. … We’ve had the 24-hour rule to kind of think about those kind of things. And now the total focus is on Connecticut.”Huskies coach Jim Mora likes the Dukes’ model...

Woman charged in crash that killed Littleton 7th grader on bike

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Woman charged in crash that killed Littleton 7th grader on bike DENVER (KDVR) — A 39-year-old woman has been charged in the death of a middle school student who was hit while riding a bike to school, according to the Littleton Police Department. Police said Beth Ann Hutchinson was charged on Tuesday with careless driving resulting in death.On Oct. 17, Littleton police and South Metro Fire Rescue responded to the intersection of South Elati Street and West Arapahoe Drive near Euclid Middle School on a report of a crash between a bicyclist and a vehicle. A 7th grader was struck and pronounced dead on scene. Friends of 7th grader killed on bike wear his favorite color Police said Hutchinson remained on scene. The student was identified by friends and classmates as Liam Stewart. Liam was on his everyday commute to school with just a little more than a block left when he was hit and killed."Any loss of life is difficult, but the loss of a child is heartbreaking. LPD is grieving with the family and friends of the child and with those impa...

What's on Denver-area K-9's Christmas wish lists?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

What's on Denver-area K-9's Christmas wish lists? DENVER (KDVR) -- Arapahoe County's K-9s have their Christmas wishes in order.The school therapy dogs and police dogs need fun things like chew toys, balls, ropes, and treats as well as essentials like shampoo, hearing protection, treats, ballistic vests, leashes, rubber training arms, googly-eye goggles and more. Meet Ru, Castle Rock Middle School’s new therapy dog Each hard-working dog has a unique list, and Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is asking the community for help fulfilling their wishes.ACSO told FOX31 that the Sheriff's Office budget has to cover all the different specialized units, so they are limited with how much they can spend on this kind of equipment. That's why the organization Back The Blue K-9 Force exists to help pay for police dogs' needs like handler training, medical expenses, ballistic vests, trauma kits and other necessities.Back The Blue K-9 Force put together the doggie wish lists for people to purchase gifts for a local K-9 of their choice.Many of the...

Civil rights complaints allege UPenn and Wellesley allowed antisemitism to ‘run rampant’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:24 GMT

Civil rights complaints allege UPenn and Wellesley allowed antisemitism to ‘run rampant’ New York (CNN) — A Jewish legal rights advocacy group has alleged that the University of Pennsylvania and Wellesley College have violated federal civil rights law by allowing for discrimination against Jews.The Brandeis Center, a Jewish civil rights legal organization, filed civil rights complaints with the US Department of Education on Thursday, alleging both schools failed to adequately respond to harassment of Jews.“These colleges and universities have failed to keep Jewish students safe and are in clear violation of well-established federal civil rights law,” Kenneth Marcus, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center, said in a statement. “There’s been a lot of talk about rooting out anti-Semitism on campuses, and it’s time to hold these colleges accountable.”Marcus, a former assistant secretary of education, alleged the universities are “letting Jewish discrimination run rampant” and thanked students for having the “courage” to come forward by sharing their statements in ...