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International astronaut will be invited on future NASA moon landing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade's end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House.

Guy Fieri's sons won't inherit his empire unless they achieve 2 things

The restaurateur says he learned the best path for rich parents who want to help guide their children from a very famous professional athlete.

Pilot lands small plane on Minnesota lake, breaks through thin ice

A plane busted through thin ice on Upper Red Lake in northern Minnesota Tuesday morning. The pilot and passengers were rescued by people who were fishing in the area.

Florida man arrested after tossing 16-year-old dog in dumpster, deputies say

A Florida man was arrested after deputies said he tossed his 16-year-old dog in a dumpster last week.

Texas begins flying migrants from US-Mexico border to Chicago, with 1st plane carrying 120 people

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas began flying migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to Chicago on Wednesday, a week after the city took a tougher stance on the buses that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been sending north since last year.

Ohio prosecutor says he's duty bound to bring miscarriage case to a grand jury

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio prosecutor says it is not within his power to drop a criminal charge against a woman who miscarried in the restroom at her home, regardless of the pressure being brought to bear by the national attention on her case.

Slow-moving Pacific storm threatens to bring California flooding and mudslides

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Heavy rains drenched parts of California on Wednesday, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides as millions of people geared up for holiday travel, the National Weather Service said.

Around the world

North Korea's Kim threatens 'more offensive actions' against US after watching powerful missile test

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened “more offensive actions” to repel what he called increasing United States-led military threats after he supervised the third test of his country’s most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland U.S.

France's Macron defends divisive immigration bill and denies it marks tilt by government to right

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that a contentious immigration bill negotiated with conservatives is imperfect and needs some fixes but is “what the French wanted," and is not a victory for the far-right.

As Congress kicks Ukraine aid to 2024, supplies and hope dwindle  

With Congress unlikely to pass a new Ukraine aid package before the new year, the Ukrainians are bracing for a tough winter as military operations slow down, troops are forced to preserve ammunition and Russian attacks continue to hammer energy infrastructure across the country. The breakdown of U.

The U.S. is pushing Israel to pull back on its military campaign in Gaza

The Biden administration is increasing pressure on Israel to scale back its military campaign in Gaza. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with leaders in Israel and described U.S. support for Israel as unshakeable.

Musk and Tesla are battling unions across Scandinavia. What comes next in the labor dispute?

Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. The showdown pits the electric car maker's CEO Elon Musk, who’s staunchly anti-union, against the strongly held labor ideals of Scandinavian countries.

Israeli president says humanitarian pause on table in exchange for release of hostages

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country is willing to enter into a pause in fighting against Hamas for the delivery of humanitarian aid if Hamas releases hostages, but that the “responsibility lies with the other side.

Earthquake in northwestern China kills at least 116 people in Gansu and Qinghai provinces

BEIJING (AP) — An overnight earthquake killed at least 116 people in a cold and mountainous region in northwestern China, the country's state media reported Tuesday. Search and rescue operations were underway in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai provinces.

Technology

Would you pay for Tinder's $500 subscription?

Dating apps are rolling out new premium subscriptions where users can opt in to pay for different features that make it easier to find love.

Rite Aid banned from facial recognition tech use for 5 years after faulty theft targeting in stores

Rite Aid has been banned from using facial recognition technology for five years over allegations that its surveillance system was used incorrectly to identify potential shoplifters, especially Black, Latino, Asian or female shoppers.

AI image generators were trained on explicit images of children, Stanford says

Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly LinkedIn newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. If a friend or colleague shared this newsletter with you, you can sign up to receive it every week here.

Rite Aid hit with a five-year freeze on facial recognition

Rite Aid has agreed to a five-year ban on using facial recognition technology for surveillance as part of a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The decision follows charges by the FTC that the technology was misused, harming consumers.

Google restricting election-related responses on AI products ahead of 2024

Google plans to restrict the types of election-related questions its generative artificial intelligence (AI) products, including the AI-powered chatbot Bard, will return responses to ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Rite Aid’s ‘reckless’ use of facial recognition got it banned from using the technology in stores for 5 years

The FTC said that some customers were “erroneously accused by employees of wrongdoing” because Rite Aid’s technology “falsely flagged the consumers as matching someone who had previously been identified as a shoplifter or other troublemaker.

Google to pay $700M in antitrust settlement reached with states before recent Play Store trial loss

Google has agreed to pay $700 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store — the same issue that went to trial in a another case that could result in even bigger changes.

Sports News

L.A. Dodger-themed Christmas house an annual spectacle

For the last 20 Christmases, a family in San Bernardino County has decked out their home with Los Angeles Dodger decorations, making a pitch-perfect spectacle that people all over Southern California travel to see.

Early football signing period: Where Bay Area high school stars will play

Numerous high school football standouts from the Bay Area News Group's coverage area signed letters of intent Wednesday.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka, Dillon Brooks combine for fines of $60,000 for criticizing referees after ejections

Houston Rockets' Dillon Brooks was fined $35,000 and head coach Ime Udoka $25,000 for public criticism of referees after they were both ejected from a game.

NFL bans Eagles security chief Dom DiSandro from sideline for rest of regular season after altercation with 49ers' Greenlaw

(AP) -- The NFL has banned Eagles security chief Dom DiSandro from being on the sideline for the remainder of the regular season after he was ejected from a game earlier this month for a scuffle with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw, two people familiar with the league’s decision told The Associated Pr

Moose on the Loose: Wait until next year for Rodgers

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (PIX11) -- Finally, common sense reigned at Florham Park. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not healthy enough to play and will not play this season and is indeed done for the year. The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday in their loss to the Dolphins.

Travis Kelce reveals his personal message to Bill Belichick after Chiefs-Patriots game

Travis Kelce and Bill Belichick shared a one-on-one moment after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the New England Patriots in New England on Sunday.

Utah's MLB group follows Olympic lead to bring team to Salt Lake

The coalition announced on Wednesday, Dec. 20, the creation of two advisory boards and the intent to form a community foundation in an effort to show MLB owners Salt Lake's united front in bringing expansion to the Beehive State.

Politics News

Former Sarasota student slams Bridget Ziegler at school board meeting in viral clip

A former Sarasota County student whose graduation speech went viral last year is back in the spotlight for his comments towards Bridget Ziegler at last week's school board meeting.

Jordan demands Garland turn over docs on Trump-era subpoenas of congressional staff

The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday, saying it needs information about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) demand for the communications of congressional staff that took place under the Trump administration.

How productive was Congress? Not very.

The 118th Congress has been one of the least productive in decades, according to legislative tracking data.

Biden says 'no question' Trump supported 'insurrection'

Trump's rivals in the 2024 election have said they all want to beat Trump, but not because he isn't on the ballots.

North Carolina reports nearly 300,000 Medicaid enrollments in weeks after expansion

280,000 North Carolinians were added to the Medicaid rolls this month after the state adopted an Affordable Care Act-era expansion policy.

Minnesota’s push for free school meals proves popular, but costs are climbing 

Minnesota’s move this year to offer free breakfast and lunch to all kids regardless of family income is driving huge new demand for meals. But it’s now expected to cost the state about $175 million more than expected over the next four years. Here’s why.

Senate adjourns until 2024 without deal on Ukraine, border security 

The Senate wrapped up its work for the year Wednesday without a deal on Ukraine funding or border security, and senators are not scheduled to return to Washington until Jan. 8.