Young mammoth remains found nearly intact in Siberian permafrost
YAKUTSK, Russia, — Researchers in Siberia are conducting tests on a juvenile mammoth whose remarkably well-preserved remains were discovered in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years.
Apple approaches $4 trillion valuation as investors bet on AI momentum
Apple is closing in on a historic $4 trillion stock market valuation, powered by investors cheering progress in the company’s long-awaited AI enhancements to rejuvenate sluggish iPhone sales.
Trump previews combative foreign policy with threats to Panama, Greenland
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — Donald Trump’s surprise threat to retake control of the Panama Canal and his expansionist declaration that the United States should own Greenland signals that the incoming U.S. president will pursue a foreign policy unbound by diplomatic niceties.
Mangione pleads not guilty in first NY state court appearance
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, pleaded not guilty Monday as he was arraigned in New York state Supreme Court.
Biden commutes 37 death sentences ahead of Trump’s plan to resume federal executions
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the sentences of nearly all prisoners on federal death row, sparing the lives of 37 men just a month before Donald Trump will return to the Oval Office with a promise to restart federal executions.
House ethics panel report accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex and using drugs
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee said Monday that its lengthy investigation had found that former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump’s initial choice for attorney general, had regularly paid women for sex, had sex with an underage girl and used illegal drugs.
D.C. police officer convicted over leaking information to Proud Boys’ leader
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Monday found a former intelligence officer in the Washington police department guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, ruling that he had improperly concealed details about his relationship with Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys.
U.S. takes aim at China’s production of essential computer chips
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration initiated a trade investigation Monday into China’s production of older types of computer chips that are integral for cars, dishwashers, telecom networks and military weaponry.
Honda and Nissan aim to merge as global competition bears down
TOKYO — Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp. are exploring a merger to create one of the world’s largest auto groups as they seek to better position themselves for the expensive technological transition reshaping the automotive industry.
Trump previews second term in sprawling speech to conservative conference
PHOENIX — President-elect Donald Trump delivered a sprawling address on Sunday that he called a “small preview of the common-sense revolution” his administration will bring, pledging to slam shut the nation’s borders, end federal regulations, lower taxes, prosecute his rivals, “stop woke” and “end the transgender lunacy.”
Jeff Bezos prepares to close the gap in his space race with Elon Musk
SEATTLE — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have become the two wealthiest men in the world thanks to their breakthrough technology companies. But Musk, through SpaceX, has long held a big lead in the pursuit closest to their hearts: colonizing space.
Suspect held after woman set on fire in subway car dies, police say
NEW YORK — Early Sunday morning, a man calmly approached a woman who was sitting motionless and possibly dozing on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station and, without saying anything, lit the woman’s clothes on fire, engulfing her in deadly flames in seconds, the police said.
Israeli order to evacuate Gaza hospital ‘next to impossible’ to obey, say medics
CAIRO — Israel ordered the closure and evacuation on Sunday of one of the last hospitals still partly functioning in a besieged area on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, forcing medics to search for a way to bring hundreds of patients and staff to safety.
Trump names his picks for top Pentagon roles
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate four men for top leadership roles at the Pentagon, including two who served in his first administration, he announced on social media Sunday.
A cultural casualty of the war in Ukraine: ‘The Nutcracker’
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Unimpressed by the substitute for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker,” the mother and her young daughter left at the intermission, a small protest over a decision by the opera house not to perform the Russian composer’s Christmas classic.
Insurers are deserting homeowners as climate shocks worsen
SILVER CITY, N.M. — The insurance crisis spreading across the United States arrived at Richard D. Zimmel’s door this month in the form of a letter.
Atmospheric rivers will drench the West Coast
The Pacific Northwest and Northern California, especially Washington and Oregon, have had an onslaught of storms, and the run of them is expected to continue over the next week.
Justice Thomas did not disclose additional trips, Democrats say
WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two additional trips from a billionaire patron that had not previously come to light, Senate Democrats revealed Saturday after conducting a 20-month investigation into ethics practices at the Supreme Court.
Biden signs spending bill, finalizing end to shutdown drama
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the spending package that allowed federal funds to keep flowing until mid-March, formally ending the week’s unexpected drama over the issue a few hours after the deadline for a shutdown had technically passed.
Houthi missile strikes Tel Aviv as attacks increase
JERUSALEM — Iranian-backed Houthi militants launched a missile from Yemen that landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, early Saturday after air defenses failed to intercept it, the latest in an increasing barrage of Houthi attacks.