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Congress faces crisis at home and abroad as 2024 deepens partisan division

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

(CNN) — The new year will bring new challenges for lawmakers, who must confront crises at home and abroad as the 2024 elections take center stage and threaten to deepen partisan divisions on Capitol Hill.The race for the White House is poised to play a major role in influencing what gets done – and what doesn’t – on Capitol Hill, and the balance of power in Congress is at stake with key Senate and House races on the ballot.The most pressing issues are a pair of government shutdown deadlines in January and February and a high-stakes effort to strike a deal over border security and aid for Ukraine and Israel. It’s far from clear, however, whether lawmakers will be able to reach consensus over border security and foreign aid and legislation to avert a shutdown.As the 2024 election increasingly dominates the political landscape, consensus could become even more difficult as partisan disputes risk becoming harder to overcome on Capitol Hill.Negotiations ongoing over border secu...

Hundreds of migrants dropped off in New Jersey, bypassing New York City restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

(CNN) — A migrant surge continues to overwhelm authorities at the US-Mexico border — and in US cities where many asylum-seekers are being sent.Here are the latest developments:Transit points in New Jersey have been used by buses to evade new rules aimed at curbing the massive numbers of arrivals in New York City. This weekend, at least four buses stopped at the Secaucus Junction train station in New Jersey, according to a news release from Secaucus’ mayor.“From what we understand after being dropped at the train station the migrants then took trains to New York City,” Michael Gonnelli said. “At this point in time it seems train tickets are being secured for the migrants and they have been making their way to their final destination.”It appeared “bus operators have figured out a loophole in the system in order to ensure the migrants reach their final destination, which is New York City,” he said.The New York City order, issued last week by Mayo...

Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities, killing 5 and injuring almost 100, Kyiv officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s two largest cities came under attack Tuesday from Russian missiles that killed at least five people and injured almost 100, officials said, as the war approached its two-year mark and the Kremlin stepped up its winter bombardment of urban areas.Four civilians were killed and 92 injured in the capital of Kyiv, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel, as Kinzhal missiles that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound bore down on the city. Another person was killed in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, officials said.Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi claimed air defenses shot down all 10 of the hypersonic missiles, out of about 100 of various types that were launched.The barrage extended Russian attacks that began Friday with its largest single assault on Ukraine since the war started. At least 41 civilians were killed since the weekend.At a nine-story Kyiv apartment building where two pe...

Planes catch fire after a collision at Japan’s Haneda airport, killing 5.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

TOKYO — A passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday and burst into flames.Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed that all 379 occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 got out safely before the plane was entirely engulfed in flames. The pilot of the coast guard plane also escaped, but five crewmembers died, Saito said.Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied after landing. The area around the wing then caught fire. Footage an hour later showed the plane fully on fire.The JAL plane was an Airbus A-350 that had flown from Shin Chitose airport, near the city of Sapporo, to Haneda, the transport minister said.Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima said its plane was MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8. The plane, which is based at Haneda, had been due to head to Niigata to deliver relief goods to residents affected by a deadly earthquake ...

Powerful earthquakes leave at least 55 dead, destroy buildings along Japan's western coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan have left at least 55 people dead and damaged thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats. Officials warned Tuesday that more quakes could lie ahead. Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area.Damage was so great that it could not immediately be assessed. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said 17 people were seriously injured and gave a slightly lower death toll, saying he was aware of the prefecture's tally.Water, power and cell phone service were still down in some areas. Residents expressed sorrow about their uncertain futures."It’s not just that it’s a mess. The wall has collapsed, and you can see through to the next room. I don’t think we can live here anymore,” Miki Kobayashi, an Ishikawa resident, said as she swept around her house.The house was al...

VIDEO: Boat nearly capsizes in Mission Bay as massive waves roar

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A whale watching boat appeared to nearly capsize near Mission Bay on Thursday as it dodged abnormally large waves rocking the vessel.A video of the boat, which was captured by an onlooker on the other side of the Mission Bay Jetty sign, was obtained by FOX 5 and can be viewed in the player below. It appeared to be coming into the channel as the choppy waters tipped the vessel from side to side. Similar videos of the boat nearly turning over while it dodged waves pulling into the channel were posted to Instagram on Friday. No injuries were reported to anyone on board.This incident came at an interesting time for boaters: rare orca sightings in Southern California have had people flocking to whale watching tours for a chance to spot one of the creatures while large waves — anywhere from eight to 12 feet — have pounded the region's coast.San Diego was put under a high surf warning and coastal flood advisory earlier this week. The warning lasts until 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2...

Why do food prices keep rising?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

On today’s The Big Story Podcast, Canadian grocery giants have long claimed that they’ve only raised food prices to offset their increased expenses. But now, with many supply chain issues having been resolved, and energy prices coming down, the Canadian consumer still isn’t feeling any relief, and the grocers continue to post record profits.  With many Canadians already struggling to feed themselves and their families, and food prices projected to rise even further in 2024, restoring food affordability has become an absolute necessity. So how do we do that? GUEST: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future WorkYou can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

2 officers bitten by woman during Caledon arrest: OPP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

·Three Ontario Provincial Police officers have been injured, including two who were bitten, during the arrest of a woman in Caledon. OPP say they were called to a person standing in a live traffic lane throwing bottles at vehicles and people on Highway 50, south of Highway 9 around 3 p.m. on Dec. 31.The woman had a dog with her who had bitten a person who stopped to try and help. Provincial police say when the officers arrived, they were faced with an aggressive dog and a “combative individual.” Officers were able to secure the dog, but during the arrest of the woman, three officers suffered minor injuries and two of them were bitten by the suspect. The suspect was not injured during the interaction. A 29-year-old Loretto woman is facing numerous charges in relation to the incident, including mischief, resisting arrest, assaulting a peace officer and public intoxication. She is expected to appear in court later this month.The person who was bitten by the dog sustained mi...

Planes collide and catch fire at Japan’s busy Haneda airport, killing 5. Hundreds evacuated safely

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday and burst into flames, with five people on the smaller plane killed, officials said.All 379 people on Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 got out safely before the plane was engulfed in flames, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed. The pilot of the coast guard plane escaped but the five crew members died, Saito said.Tuesday’s accident was the first time one of the Airbus A350, among the industry’s newest large passenger planes, was severely damaged. It entered commercial service in 2015.The Japan Airlines A350 had flown from Shin Chitose airport near the city of Sapporo, the transport minister said.Coast guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima said its Bombardier Dash-8 plane, which is based at Haneda, had been due to head to Niigata to deliver relief goods to residents affected by a deadly earthquake in the region on Monday. The turboprop Dash-8 is wi...

Plane burns on runway at Tokyo airport after collision, five dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday and burst into flames.Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed that all 379 occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 got out safely before the plane was entirely engulfed in flames. The pilot of the coast guard plane also escaped, but five crewmembers died, Saito said. Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied after landing. The area around the wing then caught fire. Footage an hour later showed the plane fully on fire.The JAL plane was an Airbus A-350 that had flown from Shin Chitose airport, near the city of Sapporo, to Haneda, the transport minister said.Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima said its plane was MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8. The plane, which is based at Haneda, had been due to head to Niigata to deliver relief goods to residents a...