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Biden orders strike on Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops injured in drone attack in Iraq

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to carry out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in Northern Iraq.National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack.Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was briefed on the attack. and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Biden’s national security team quickly drew up plans and presented him with options in a call and Biden directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups. The U.S. strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday in Iraq.“Th...

Pro-Palestinian rally held in Chicago Ridge on Christmas Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill. — Israel continues to bombard Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the war will not stop.But on a gray and overcast Christmas Day, local residents with Palestinian ties held a rally in the parking lot of a mall in Chicago Ridge as they called for an end to the fighting. For more coverage of the Israel and Hamas Conflict, click here Organizers say the objective of Monday's rally was to bring an end to the bombing and overall military action by Israel in Gaza so the hungry can be fed, the sick tended and the overall suffering can end.Those who participated said they came to show their support for the people who are living amid the chaos after the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated drastically following a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas in early October."We came here as truck drivers to send our people's message there's no Christmas. We came here on Christmas Day which they can't celebrate back home, " Mwafau Jbara, who h...

Austin City Council member taking leave sparks new conversations about mental health

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's a decision Austin City Council Member Natasha-Harper Madison said was "one of the most difficult" she's had to make. For the first time, we're hearing from the council member about mental health challenges she's faced and the medical leave she took earlier this year to address them. Harper-Madison announced in September that she was taking a weeks-long break from City Hall and her role at the dais to seek treatment tied to mental health, something she said was the right call. But she told KXAN the decision was also hard, especially because she's the only Black Austin City Council member. She worried about the lack of representation in her absence. Natasha Harper-Madison at City Hall (KXAN photo/Grace Reader)"Being the only one comes with a whole lot of expectations and I feel very responsible for meeting those expectations as frequently as possible," Harper-Madison said. Without help, she didn't have much to give. Her cup was empty. In a sit-down interview with...

Ring doorbell from south Austin home shows sweet moment with Amazon delivery driver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A simple gesture can make a big difference.A south Austin family is grateful for their delivery drivers, and each holiday season they leave something special on the porch for them.This year, the family's doorbell camera caught the man's reaction as he was having a conversation on the phone."God, I need a million dollars. Will you answer all my prayers? Please be a million," he could be heard saying on the doorbell camera.As he said this, he saw the candy left on the porch."Dad! Guess what they have? Twix! Oh my God. Jesus, if you are there, you answered all my prayers for me," he said.KXAN viewer Shandra Flowers shared this video with us. She said she does this every year to thank the delivery drivers who work so hard, especially this time of year.

Rise in domestic violence over the holidays; help is available

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most dangerous for some. Police and advocates for those affected by domestic violence point to data that shows a rise in domestic violence during the holiday season. But they also say there is a lot of help available for people who find themselves in dangerous situations.Every year, approximately 10 million people are the victims of intimate partner abuse, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Police say they see a spike in those cases over the holidays in particular. Over at The Women's Safe House, a domestic violence shelter in St. Louis, they say they have seen an increase in the need for their services over the past two weeks. CEO Mary Ann Owens said they want to be there for women and their families who feel they are in danger this Christmas."We all want to count our blessings during the holidays, and abuse is not a blessing," Owens said.Owens said they are just one of numerous women's shel...

Alton church serves up free Christmas meals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

ALTON, Ill. – An annual tradition continued at St. John Missionary Baptist Church on Monday.The downtown Alton church, whose history dates back to the early 1920s, served free meals to those in the community for the 10th straight year."We had a whole lot of volunteers because once the Christmas spirit gets in here, you just want to come and share it," Pastor Velda C. Peals said. "We're very grateful for the donations for the food, donations from the volunteers, and especially those who came and took a part in it." Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Traditional meats, sides, and desserts were served, whether eaten onsite or claimed via online carryout."It's important for the community to see the church give back," church member Orlandus Cherry...

49ers live blog: Niners down 33-12; Purdy has four INT

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

2:39, 3Q – Ravens 33, 49ers 12: Tucker’s FG — his fourth — from 21 yards. Lamar Jackson has 290 yards in total offense.11:49, 3Q – Ravens 30, 49ers 12: Purdy’s fourth interception — his arm was hit as he released the ball, shades of the NFC title game — was returned 21 yards to the SF 9. Jackson hit Zay Flowers on the first offensive play.12:07, 3Q – Ravens 23, 49ers 12: A late hit by punter Mitch Wishnowsky set the Ravens up at the SF 44. It took three plays to hit paydirt. The big play was a short pass that Gus Edwards took 39 yards. The TD came on a 6-yard pass from Jackson to Nelson Agholor.0:00, 2Q – Ravens 16, 49ers 12: Key play was a 30-yard scramble by Jackson on 3rd-and-16 with 24 seconds left in the half. The Ravens had time for one play — it failed — and Tucker converted the field goal from the 28.3:23, 2Q – Ravens 13, 49ers 12: The 49ers went 67 yards in six plays, all but two of the yards comi...

Two rain systems to arrive in Bay Area this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

(KRON) – Two rounds of rain are expected to arrive in the Bay Area the week of Christmas, according to the National Weather Service. The first round of rain is predicted for Wednesday through Thursday. The rain is predicted to be less than one inch in the Bay. However, the North Bay is forecasted to have 0.5-2 inches of rain. Coastal flood, hazardous beach advisories for Christmas The second round of rain is forecasted from late Thursday through Saturday. According to NWS, this system could range from one to three inches in the coastal ranges and 0.2-1 inches in the interior. For your safety, allow extra time for travel and leave space in between cars. Cleaning your gutters and storm drainers can also be helpful. In addition to rain, the Bay Area may get strong southerly winds, the NWS said.This combination could lead to some trees coming down. The NWS recommends taking advantage of the settled weather conditions to make preparations and "take down the blow-up Santa."

3 US service members hurt in Iraq attacks; US conducts retaliatory strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

(NewsNation) — The United States carried out retaliatory strikes on Christmas Day on three facilities "used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups," in Iran following a series of attacks that left three U.S. service members injured — one critically, according to a statement from Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin. U.S. personnel were targetted Monday morning in what Austin described as a series of attacks in Iraq and Syria by "Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah" on Erbil Air Base. What is Hezbollah and why is it another threat to Israel? President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack Monday morning and following a call with Austin and members of the National Security Council, he ordered strikes "against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities," according to NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson.Austin described American military retali...

Fungus among us: East Bay Park District puts out annual wild mushroom warning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

(BCN) -- The Golden Chanterelle may be the state's new official mushroom, but the East Bay Regional Park District is reminding residents that some fungi are best appreciated for their beauty, not taste. The park district sent out its annual wild mushroom warning Friday as winter rains spur spores and mushrooms begin popping up. There are two kinds that both people and pets need especially avoid, and their names say it all: the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and the western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata). Armed man arrested on Christmas Eve for bothering BART passengers Both of these mushrooms contain amatoxins, which are molecules that are deadly to most animals--even primates like us. Symptoms don't appear until up to 12 hours later, making them a great plot element in an Agatha Christie novel but causing extreme gastrointestinal distress that progresses to liver and kidney failure to anyone who ingests them. According to Dave Mason, public information supervisor for the p...