Oklahoma man charged in fatal shooting of neighbor while firing at target in his backyard

oklahoma-backyard-shooting

Lead An Oklahoma man, Cody Wayne Adams, 33, was charged with first-degree manslaughter after investigators say a stray bullet from his backyard target practice struck and killed neighbor Sandra Phelps on Christmas Day. Phelps was seated under a covered porch with family, holding a child, when she was hit; she was pronounced dead after emergency … Read more

EU urges respect for Somalia’s borders after Israel recognizes Somaliland

eu-backs-somalia-somaliland

On Saturday the European Union urged that Somalia’s territorial integrity be preserved after Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state. The EU statement, issued by foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, framed respect for Somalia’s unity as essential to peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Somalia’s government … Read more

2025: One of the toughest years for job seekers since the Great Recession

job-market-2025-worst-since-recession

Lead: In 2025 the U.S. job market cooled sharply, creating one of the most difficult environments for job hunters since the post–Great Recession years. Across social platforms such as LinkedIn, professionals reported long job searches, automated resume filtering and employers pausing or ghosting candidates. Official statistics show hiring slowed to its weakest pace in over … Read more

Texans-Chargers takeaways: Houston reaches playoffs, ends L.A.’s AFC West title hopes

texans-chargers-houston-playoffs

Lead: The Houston Texans clinched a playoff spot for the third straight season with a 20-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday at SoFi Stadium. The loss secured the AFC West crown for the Denver Broncos and eliminated the Indianapolis Colts from contention. Houston improved to 11-5 and will remain in division-title contention … Read more

SpaceX Scrubs Launch of Italian Earth-Observation Satellite Over Ground Systems Issue

spacex-scrubs-italian-satellite

SpaceX halted a Falcon 9 launch attempt from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Dec. 27 after detecting a ground systems problem at the pad, delaying the flight that would carry Italy’s Cosmo‑SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 (CSG‑FM3) radar satellite to low Earth orbit. The launch was set for 6:08 p.m. PST (9:08 p.m. EST … Read more

Jeffrey R. Holland, Next in Line to Lead LDS Church, Dies at 85

jeffrey-holland-lds-successor

Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was next in line under the church’s seniority-based succession, died early Saturday morning on Dec. 27, 2025, in Salt Lake City. He was 85. The church said his death followed complications related to kidney disease; Holland had been hospitalized during … Read more

Raiders place Maxx Crosby on injured reserve, ending his 2025 season

maxx-crosby-injured-reserve

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Saturday that they have placed defensive standout Maxx Crosby on the Reserve/Injured list, effectively ending his 2025 campaign with two games remaining. The club said the decision followed consultations with multiple senior medical specialists and was taken in what the team described as the best interest of both Crosby … Read more

Samsung unveils Music Studio 5 and 7 wireless speakers at CES 2026

samsung-music-studio-speakers

Lead Samsung announced two new wireless speakers, the Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7, at CES 2026, pairing audio engineering with a gallery-focused design collaboration. The line was developed with designer Erwan Bouroullec and leans on a visual motif Samsung calls the “timeless dot concept.” The Studio 5 packs a 4-inch woofer and dual … Read more

Texans Clinch Playoff Berth with 20-16 Win over Chargers

texans-chargers-playoffs

Lead: On Dec. 27, 2025 in Los Angeles, the Houston Texans secured a postseason berth with a 20-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Houston improved to 11-5 and extended its winning streak to eight games; Los Angeles fell to 11-5. The Texans’ defense dominated—sacking Justin Herbert five times and forcing multiple turnovers—while C.J. Stroud … Read more

AI-generated faces are getting hyperreal — you can train to spot the fakes

ai-generated-faces-spot-fakes

Lead Artificial intelligence can now produce hyperrealistic human faces that routinely fool people, including so-called “super recognizers,” according to a 2025 study by Katie Gray and colleagues. In online experiments, participants had 10 seconds to judge whether a face was real or AI-made; untrained super recognizers detected only 41% of synthetic faces and typical recognizers … Read more

Marty Supreme: How Jack Fisk Recreated 1950s New York

jack-fisk-1950s-new-york

Lead Production designer Jack Fisk, three-time Oscar nominee who recently turned 80, led the visual reconstruction of 1950s New York for Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet as ping-pong schemer Marty Mauser. Fisk drew on decades of work with auteurs — from David Lynch to Paul Thomas Anderson — and firsthand memory of the … Read more