A top US official sought to quell growing concern Sunday over reported drone sightings in the country's northeast, reiterating there was no known security threat as authorities monitor the situation. President Joe Biden's administration has faced mounting criticism for not clearly identifying origins of the objects seen hovering over parts of New York and New Jersey. The criticism has come even from Biden's own party, with top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer calling Sunday for action to make it easier for federal, state and local authorities to work together to detect and if need be "bring down" any drone seen to pose a threat. Video footage of mysterious airborne phenomena recently has clogged social media, with spottings also reported in Maryland and Virginia. "Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones. Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program. "But there's no question that drones are being sighted," he said, noting there are more than one million registered across the United States. "I want to assure the American public that we are on it," he said. "If we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American public accordingly. Right now, we are not aware of any." Even as Mayorkas sought to reassure the public, Boston police announced Sunday that two Massachusetts men had been arrested the previous night for allegedly conducting a "hazardous drone operation" near the city's Logan International Airport. State police were conducting a search for a third suspect, who authorities said fled the scene. Schumer, in a letter to Mayorkas Sunday, urged the Department of Homeland Security to immediately deploy special drone-detection technology across New York and New Jersey, since traditional radar struggles to detect such small objects. He also called for passage of legislation to explicitly authorize state and local law enforcement to work with federal agencies to detect and "bring down drones that threaten critical facilities or mass gatherings." Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, meanwhile expressed frustration at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over its communications around the issue. "The answer 'we don't know' is not a good enough answer," he told "Fox News Sunday." "When people are anxious... people will fill a vacuum with, you know, their fears and anxieties and conspiracy theories," he said, calling for the FAA to hold public briefings. White House national security spokesman John Kirby had previously said the aircraft could be lawfully operated planes or helicopters mistaken for drones. "While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authorities," he said Thursday, calling for Congress to pass new legislation to "extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities." New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Sunday that authorities had agreed to send a drone detection system to her state. "I am grateful for the support, but we need more. Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones," she said on X. On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump urged federal authorities to clearly identify the drones' origins. "Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!" he posted on social media. As the price of drones has fallen -- small quadcopter models with Wi-Fi camera capability can be purchased for as little as $40 -- their numbers and popularity have soared, making their presence in American skies a greater concern. acb/des/bbk/mlmDana White vows to abandon politics after backing Trump: 'Never f***ing doing this again'The 26-year-old man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom Tuesday, where he was denied bail and his lawyer said he'd fight extradition to New York City, where the attack happened. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday in the Dec. 4 attack on Brian Thompson after police say a worker at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, alerted them to a customer who resembled the suspected gunman. When arrested, Mangione had on him a gun that investigators believe was used in the attack and writings expressing anger at corporate America, police said. As Mangione was led into the Hollidaysburg courthouse Tuesday, he struggled with officers and shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” He left hours later without saying anything and was driven away. Mangione is being held on Pennsylvania charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors have charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mangione mostly stared straight ahead during the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer. Judge David Consiglio denied bail to Mangione, whose attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court that his client did not agree to extradition and wants a hearing on the matter. Blair County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney Peter Weeks said that although Mangione will create “extra hoops” for law enforcement to jump through by fighting extradition, it won’t be a substantial barrier to sending him to New York. In addition to a three-page, handwritten document that suggests he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Monday that Mangione also had a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace. Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers also found a sound suppressor, or silencer, “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” she said. He had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter and a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, the commissioner said. Mangione, who comes from a prominent Maryland family, was valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and had degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania. Mangione's grandfather Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his best-known projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesman for the lawmaker’s office confirmed. From January to June 2022, Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin, said that Martin had learned that Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life. Friends in Hawaii widely considered Mangione a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit and smiling young man on beaches and at parties. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger at what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s handwritten notes and social media posts. Police said the person who killed Thompson left a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side at 5:41 a.m. last Wednesday. Eleven minutes later, he was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth in front of the New York Hilton Midtown, wearing a distinctive backpack. At 6:44 a.m., he shot Thompson at a side entrance to the hotel, fled on foot, then climbed aboard a bicycle and within four minutes had entered Central Park, according to police. Another security camera recorded the gunman leaving the park near the American Museum of Natural History at 6:56 a.m. still on the bicycle but without the backpack, police said. After getting in a taxi, he headed north to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge, arriving at around 7:30 a.m. From there, the trail of video evidence runs cold. Police have not located video of the suspect exiting the building, leading them to believe he likely took a bus out of town. Police said they are still investigating the path the suspect took to Pennsylvania. “This just happened this morning," Kenny said. "We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. Associated Press reporters Jamie Stengle, Lea Skene, Matt O'Brien, Sean Murphy and Cedar Attanasio contributed to this report.
Ministers will not set an arbitrary cap on the number of civil servants amid reports more than 10,000 jobs could be lost as the result of a spending squeeze. Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by a trade union not to impose “blunt headcount targets” for the size of the Civil Service but Government sources insisted there would be no set limit, although the number “cannot keep growing”. Departments have been ordered to find 5% “efficiency savings” as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spending review, potentially putting jobs at risk. The size of the Civil Service has increased from a low of around 384,000 in mid-2016, and the Tories went into the general election promising to reduce numbers by 70,000 to fund extra defence spending. Any reduction under Labour would be more modest, with the Guardian reporting more than 10,000 jobs could be lost. A Government spokesman said: “Under our plan for change, we are making sure every part of government is delivering on working people’s priorities — delivering growth, putting more money in people’s pockets, getting the NHS back on its feet, rebuilding Britain and securing our borders in a decade of national renewal. “We are committed to making the Civil Service more efficient and effective, with bold measures to improve skills and harness new technologies.” Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union said: “We need a clear plan for the future of the civil service that goes beyond the blunt headcount targets that have failed in the past. “This plan needs to be developed in partnership with civil servants and their unions, and we look forward to deeper engagement with the government in the coming months.” A Government source said: “The number of civil servants cannot keep growing. “But we will not set an arbitrary cap. “The last government tried that and ended up spending loads on more expensive consultants.” The Government is already risking a confrontation with unions over proposals to limit pay rises for more than a million public servants to 2.8%, a figure only just over the projected 2.6% rate of inflation next year. Unions representing teachers, doctors and nurses have condemned the proposals. In the face of the union backlash, Downing Street said the public sector must improve productivity to justify real-terms pay increases. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s vital that pay awards are fair for both taxpayers and workers.” Asked whether higher pay settlements to staff would mean departmental cuts elsewhere, the spokesman said: “Real-terms pay increases must be matched by productivity gains and departments will only be able to fund pay awards above inflation over the medium-term if they become more productive and workforces become more productive.” TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “It’s hard to see how you address the crisis in our services without meaningful pay rises. “And it’s hard to see how services cut to the bone by 14 years of Tory government will find significant cash savings. “The Government must now engage unions and the millions of public sector workers we represent in a serious conversation about public service reform and delivery.”Dangote Refinery, A Wonder Of Modern Technology – Japan AmbassadorFuture of Workflow App Market: Analysis and Leadership by Exalate, Mobile Text Alerts, Content Snare, Paymoapp, ClickUp, Zapier, Scribe, Asana
Dilling's 22 lead Northern Kentucky over Norfolk State 71-62COMMERCE, Texas (AP) — Myles Corey had 27 points in South Alabama's 81-72 victory against East Texas A&M on Sunday. Corey also added five assists and four steals for the Jaguars (7-3). Barry Dunning Jr. scored 14 points and added five rebounds. John Broom went 4 of 5 from the field (3 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 11 points, while adding four steals. The Lions (1-10) were led in scoring by Khaliq Abdul-Mateen, who finished with 17 points. Yusef Salih added 17 points for Texas A&M-Commerce. Tay Mosher also had eight points. The loss is the seventh straight for the Lions. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .
Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. ( NYSE:CHT – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 552,800 shares, a drop of 19.6% from the November 30th total of 687,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 105,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.3 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chunghwa Telecom Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 120.5% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 915,853 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,332,000 after purchasing an additional 500,475 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Chunghwa Telecom by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 407,062 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,710,000 after purchasing an additional 16,428 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 179,356 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,925,000 after buying an additional 9,968 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 1.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 124,913 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,955,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 178.8% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 103,593 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,074,000 after acquiring an additional 66,441 shares during the last quarter. 2.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Chunghwa Telecom Stock Down 0.1 % Shares of NYSE CHT opened at $37.96 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.13. The firm has a market cap of $29.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.43 and a beta of 0.19. Chunghwa Telecom has a 1 year low of $35.92 and a 1 year high of $40.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.29. About Chunghwa Telecom Chunghwa Telecom Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Taiwan and internationally. It operates through Consumer Business, Enterprise Business, International Business, and Others segments. The company offers local, domestic long distance, and international long distance fixed-line telephone services; mobile services such as prepaid and postpaid plans; broadband plans; and internet and data services. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chunghwa Telecom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chunghwa Telecom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Assad’s fall in Syria will further weaken Hezbollah and curtails Tehran’s ‘Iranization’ of region
There is optimism among Southern California defense contractors that the incoming presidential administration’s plans and policies will inject adrenaline into the local economy and generate hundreds of new jobs, especially with talk of strengthening the U.S. military. President-elect Donald Trump has publicly vowed to strengthen the country’s military by making it more efficient and through that find better ways to develop more defense products utilizing technology innovation. He has also said he will build up a larger naval fleet to compete with China. Just after winning the presidential election, Trump named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, founder of a pharmaceutical company, as co-leaders of a government efficiency initiative focused on cutting bureaucracy and waste in government. Many smaller tech firms, some of which have relationships with Musk’s Space X and Tesla, are hopeful the initiative could give them an edge over bigger defense companies with huge budgets. “The new administration is very passionate about countering China and they recognize the ability for the U.S. to outcompete China that manufacturing is probably the most important thing to counter that threat,” said Chris Power, CEO and founder of Hadrian Automation, a company based in Torrance that runs automated factories building defense products. “We haven’t been talking about reindustrializing the country in the last 10 years. Now, the vice president, a lot of the policymakers are hellbent on figuring out how to reindustrialize the U.S., both by investing in the country and also by creating an even playing field with China.” Power, an Australian who lives in Hermosa Beach and started his company just three years ago, was among hundreds who attended the 11th annual Regean National Defense Forum held over the weekend at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The event is an opportunity for representatives of defense and technology companies to rub shoulders and exchange ideas with lawmakers, senior Department of Defense leadership, and foreign defense leaders in an environment away from the hubbub of the nation’s capital. Southern California is packed with hundreds of defense-oriented companies and continues to be a leader in military defense innovation. Commercial technology is also significant in the country’s national security approach. Because of that, the forum is also an opportunity for non-traditional companies to get a share of the spotlight and for startups like Hadrian Automation to get a chance to talk with people otherwise not in their sphere. This year’s forum, themed “Peace Through Strength in a Time of Transition,” included a day of back-to-back panel discussions. Key themes included what the new presidential administration would mean for defense, overcoming production and manufacturing constraints to build the future force, space capabilities and the space economy, modernizing defense capabilities, the next national defense strategy, and public opinion on national security after the election. During a discussion on force structure, resources and the next national defense strategy, panelists emphasized funding military needs going forward. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, who serves on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, pressed the importance of passing the appropriation bills that fund military spending. “We need to get these bills done and give certainty to the military that they have the resources available in the Trump administration,” he said. “I know it’s difficult in an era where we have significant national debt, but nonetheless, our national security is at risk, and we need to move forward.” The uncertainty of the government’s appropriations process makes it difficult for the defense industry, “from a development perspective and a production perspective,” said Lawrence Culp Jr., chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. “Without that clarity, it’s very hard to keep someone at task with all these stops and starts and the policy uncertainty of late – it’s very hard.” The smaller companies further down the supply chain bear a lot of the weight of uncertainty, he added. “When you talk about the small and medium-sized businesses that are part of that supply chain, the small companies we rely on for input, one, two, three tiers away, they’re at the end of the whip and they can’t really handle that, either operationally or financially.” Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said at the forum that is where Trump needs to use his ability to generate enthusiasm among the public and make Americans aware of the nation’s dangers if it doesn’t have a strong military. “The American people really don’t understand how much of a threat we’re facing,” he said. “We have got to educate the American people on that. We haven’t had a president in the last years who has gone to the American people and gotten their support. It’s the only way you get leadership in Congress to pay attention and get the action you need.” The forum produces a survey each year on public perception of military defense, the last conducted just after the November election by a bipartisan research group. Of the 2,500 surveyed, 79% of respondents said they want the U.S. to spend more on national defense. At the same time, 61% said the military should be large enough to win two wars simultaneously; 49% said China poses the most significant threat, while 25% said Russia poses more of a threat. And, that’s where lawmakers such as Calvert think Southern California companies can have opportunities to become more successful. “Southern California is the intellectual capital of the world when it comes to national security innovation and manufacturing,” he said. “President Trump is committed to a strong military that is focused on the threats we face today and tomorrow. There’s no doubt in my mind that Southern California will continue to make a significant contribution to those important goals in the years ahead. There’s widespread agreement that we need to invest in our national security to remain the preeminent superpower in the world.” With a new administration coming in talking about cutting waste in government agencies while strengthening the country with a more targeted and effective military, local companies working with defense contractors and manufacturers are looking to the future with a hopeful eye. Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL who co-founded Shield AI and attended the defense forum this year for the second time, said more government interest in smaller companies that produce military technology will help Shield AI create more jobs. The San Diego-based company, which employs 900 people, aims to protect service members and civilians with AI systems. It develops artificial intelligence-powered pilot systems, drones and technology for military operations. “I’m bullish on the defense tech ecosystem,” he said, adding that he’s excited about Trump’s inclusion in his administration of Musk, Ramaswamy and Stephen Feinberg, a private equity investor with interests in the defense industry, who Tseng calls problem-solvers. “What I’m optimistic about is that you have these operators who have run companies, been in the trenches, solved problems, and know what it means to walk the walk, not just talk the talk,” Tseng said. “The administration is bullish on doing things more efficiently, more effectively; that’s what technology is about. I think you’re going to see it will be very helpful for a lot of defense tech companies.” And, it’s exactly the idea of manufacturing parts quickly and efficiently that Power, of Hadrian Automation in Torrance, believes will help reinspire U.S. manufacturing, which he believes is the basis of a strong national defense. With his company, he hopes to inspire many young, smart people to want to get back into manufacturing – but in a more modern way that uses software to improve the manufacturing process and make it more efficient and effective. “U.S. power is based on the dollar,” he said. “The dollar is based on military might, which is really based on industrial power. We shot ourselves in the foot as a country by outsourcing our industrial power to China. That took away all the manufacturing skillsets, manufacturing technology, and a lot of jobs. For the last 25 years, we’ve treated China like a partner, but they have been subsidizing aggressively their manufacturing base specifically to gut our industrial power as a country.” At the same time the general public’s interest in manufacturing has dipped, he argued, with more people in the 1980s and ’90s choosing a four-year degree as the way to a successful future and a middle class that commands relatively high wages. “If you want manufacturing in America, the only way to do it is to build software factories that give the American workforce a productivity advantage so we can scale and use a new workforce instead of a legacy,” he said. “And if we want to be cost-competitive globally and efficient, we either have to pay everyone a very small amount or give the American workforce the 10x advantage with American software engineering and robotics.” Power sees Trump’s focus on empowering industrialization as having a huge impact on jobs. He plans to open two new facilities in the next year. “The faster we scale, the more jobs we provide,” he said. “And they’re better and more exciting jobs.”Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible while deputies pushed him inside Tuesday. At the brief hearing, the defense lawyer informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. Mangione was denied bail. Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company, was killed last Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn Luigi Nicholas Mangione was apparently living a charmed one: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-od Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy.” Pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators are working to piece together why Mangione diverged from a path of seeming success to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. Key details about the man accused of killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO The 26-year-old man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in New York City has appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday after a worker at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, notified police that he resembled the suspect in last Wednesday's killing of Brian Thompson. While being led into court to be arraigned Tuesday, Mangione shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” During the hearing in Hollidaysburg, Mangione was denied bail and his attorney said Mangione would not waive extradition. DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump’s hush money case while upholding his conviction NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are trying to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction as he returns to office, and they're suggesting various ways forward. One novel notion is based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals included freezing the case until he’s out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn’t include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and that his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. There's no immediate response from Trump's lawyers. Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zone Israel says it bombed more than 350 military sites in Syria during the previous 48 hours, targeting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wave of strikes was necessary to keep the weapons from being used against Israel following the Syrian government’s stunning collapse. Israel also acknowledged its troops were pushing into a border buffer zone inside Syria, which was established after the 1973 Mideast war. However, Israel denied its forces were advancing Tuesday toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. Life in the capital was slowly returning to normal. People celebrated for a third day in a main square, and shops and banks reopened. Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they were also prime trolling opportunities. Throughout his first term in the White House and his recent campaign to return there, the Republican has dished out provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. Report on attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional task force looking into the assassination attempts against Donald Trump during his presidential campaign is recommending changes to the Secret Service. These include protecting fewer foreign leaders during the height of the election season and considering moving the agency out of the Department of Homeland Security. The 180-page report was released Tuesday. It constitutes one of the most detailed looks so far into the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and a second one in Florida two months later. South Korea's ex-defense minister is formally arrested over brief imposition of martial law SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's previous defense minister has been formally arrested over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial law last week. Kim Yong Hyun resigned last week and has been detained since Sunday. He is the first person arrested in the case. Prosecutors have up to 20 days to determine whether to indict him. A conviction on the charge of playing a key role in rebellion carries the maximum death sentence. Kim is accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Homes burn as wind-driven wildfire prompts evacuations in Malibu, California MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Southern California residents are under evacuation orders and warnings as firefighters battle a wind-driven wildfire in Malibu. The flames burned near seaside mansions and Pepperdine University, where students sheltering at the school’s library on Monday night watched as the blaze intensified. Officials on Tuesday said a “minimal number” of homes burned, but the exact amount wasn’t immediately known. More than 8,100 homes and other structures are under threat, including more than 2,000 where residents have been ordered to evacuate. Pepperdine University on Tuesday morning said the worst of the fire has pushed past campus. It was not immediately known how the blaze started. More beans and less red meat: Nutritionists weigh in on US dietary guidelines Americans should eat more beans, peas and lentils and cut back on red and processed meats and starchy vegetables. That's advice from a panel of expert nutritionists charged with counseling the U.S. government about the next edition of the dietary guidelines. The panel did not weigh in on the growing role of ultraprocessed foods that have been linked to health problems or alcohol use. But they did say people should continue to limit added sugars, sodium and saturated fat in pursuit of a healthy diet. Tuesday’s recommendations now go to federal officials, who will draft the final guidance set for release next year.One week into a new Syria, rebels aim for normalcy and Syrians vow not to be silent again DAMASCUS (AP) — A transformation has started to take place in the week since the unexpected overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Suddenly in charge, the rebels have been met with a mix of excitement, grief and hope. And so far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. Reports of reprisals, revenge killings and sectarian violence are minimal, looting and destruction has been quickly contained. But there are a million ways it could go wrong. Syria is broken and isolated after five decades of Assad family rule. Families have been torn apart by war, former prisoners are traumatized, and tens of thousands of detainees remain missing. The economy is wrecked, poverty is widespread, inflation and unemployment are high. Corruption seeps through daily life. Christians in Syria mark country's transformation with tears as UN envoy urges an end to sanctions DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians have marked the first Sunday services since Bashar Assad’s ouster in an air of transformation. Some were in tears, others clasped their hands in prayer. The U.N. envoy for Syria is calling for a quick end to Western sanctions as the country’s new leaders and regional and global powers discuss the way forward. The Syrian government has been under sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war. Israel will close its Ireland embassy over Gaza tensions as Palestinian death toll nears 45,000 DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel says it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorate over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials say new Israeli airstrikes have killed over 30 people including children. Israel's decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland's “extreme anti-Israel policies.” Ireland earlier announced that it would recognize a Palestinian state. And the Irish cabinet last week decided to formally intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll in the war is approaching 45,000. The GOP stoked fears of noncitizens voting. Cases in Ohio show how rhetoric and reality diverge AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's Republican secretary of state and attorney general sought to reassure voters before the November election that the state's elections were being vigorously protected against the possibility of immigrants voting illegally. That push coincided with a national Republican messaging strategy warning that potentially thousands of ineligible voters would be voting. The officials' efforts in Ohio led to charges against just six noncitizens in a state with 8 million registered voters. That outcome and the stories of some of those now facing charges show the gap both in Ohio and across the United States between the rhetoric about noncitizen voting and the reality that it's rare and not part of a coordinated scheme to throw elections. South Korean leaders seek calm after Yoon is impeached SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition leader has offered to work with the government to ease the political tumult, a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, whose party holds a majority in the National Assembly, urged the Constitutional Court to rule swiftly on Yoon’s impeachment and proposed a special council for policy cooperation between the government and parliament. Yoon’s powers have been suspended until the court decides whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days. Storms across US bring heavy snow, dangerous ice and a tornado in California OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Inclement weather has plagued areas of the U.S. in the first half of the weekend, with dangerous conditions including heavy snow, a major ice storm and unusual tornado activity. An ice storm beginning Friday created treacherous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska. More than 33 inches of snow was reported near Orchard Park, New York, which is often a landing point for lake-effect snow. On Saturday, a tornado touched down in Scotts Valley, California, causing damage and several injuries. In San Francisco, a storm damaged trees and roofs and prompted a tornado warning, which was a first for a city that has not experienced a tornado since 2005. Small businesses say cautious shoppers are seeking 'cozy' and 'festive' this holiday season With a late Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season is five days shorter than last year, and owners of small retail shops say that people have been quick to snap up holiday décor early, along with gifts for others and themselves. Cozy items like sweaters are popular so far. Businesses are also holding special events to get shoppers in the door. But there’s little sense of the freewheeling spending that occurred during the pandemic. Overall, The National Retail Federation predicts retail sales in November and December will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with same period a year ago. US agencies should use advanced technology to identify mysterious drones, Schumer says After weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging the federal government to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify and ultimately stop the airborne pests. The New York Democrat is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to immediately deploy advanced technology to identify and track drones back to their landing spots. That is according to briefings from his office. Federal authorities have said that the drones do not appear to be linked to foreign governments. West Africa regional bloc approves exit timeline for 3 coup-hit member states ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS has approved an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations. It comes after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping. The president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said in a statement: “The authority decides to set the period from 29 January, 2025 to 29 July 2025 as a transitional period and to keep ECOWAS doors open to the three countries during the transition period." In a first in the 15-nation bloc’s nearly 50 years of existence, the military juntas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced in January that they decided to leave ECOWAS. Pope Francis makes 1st papal visit to France's Corsica awash in expressions of popular piety AJACCIO, Corsica (AP) — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. The one-day visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon, on Sunday is one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the first papal visit ever to the island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768 and is located closer to the Italian mainland than France.