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Lead Twenty-five years after the first long-term crew arrived, the International Space Station (ISS) remains continuously inhabited in low Earth orbit, some 400 km (250 miles) above the planet. Since Expedition 1 in November 2000, more than 280 people have visited the complex, which has grown from three initial modules into an international laboratory and … Read more

Lottery players nationwide are chasing an estimated $1.7 billion Powerball jackpot ahead of Wednesday’s drawing after no ticket matched all six numbers Monday night. The Monday winning numbers were 3, 18, 36, 41 and 54, with a Powerball of 7 and a Power Play of 2, per Powerball’s announcement. The prize now ranks as the … Read more

Lead: A stream of unusually fast solar wind from a large coronal hole and a possible glancing coronal mass ejection (CME) could lift northern lights chances over Christmas. Forecasters at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.K. Met Office report elevated geomagnetic activity into Dec. 24–25, after solar wind speeds peaked near 500 miles … Read more

Britain’s BP has agreed to sell a 65% stake in its Castrol lubricants business to U.S. private equity firm Stonepeak for $6 billion, valuing the unit at $10.1 billion. The transaction, announced on December 24, 2025, advances a broader BP strategic reset that includes a target to divest $20 billion of assets by the end … Read more

Lead: On Dec. 23, 2025 in Phoenix, the Suns pulled away in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 132-108. Dillon Brooks led Phoenix with 25 points and Devin Booker added 21 points and 11 assists as the Suns turned a 10-point halftime edge into a dominant third quarter. The Lakers, who welcomed … Read more

Lead On Tuesday, a coalition of 19 states and the District of Columbia filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the department’s inspector general in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon. The plaintiffs seek to block a declaration issued last Thursday that labeled puberty blockers, … Read more

Lead On 24 December 2025, Russian investigators said an explosion in southern Moscow killed three people, including two traffic police officers. The blast occurred near a police station on Yeletskaya Street, close to the site where General Fanil Sarvarov was killed earlier this week. Authorities say the device detonated as officers moved to detain a … Read more

Lead Newly released material from the Jeffrey Epstein archive has produced fresh emails and images tied to Prince Andrew, renewing public and legal scrutiny. The files include an August 2001 message from someone labeled “A” in Balmoral and replies from Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year US sentence for sex trafficking. Separately, US authorities … Read more

Lead: The Pittsburgh Steelers have publicly indicated continued support for wide receiver DK Metcalf after his two-game suspension, according to reporting by Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. The statement comes amid debate over whether Metcalf’s contract guarantees for 2026 and 2027 have already been voided by the suspension or require an affirmative notice from the … Read more

On December 24, 2025, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration may implement a $100,000 application fee for new H-1B visas, a decision that directly affects U.S. technology employers that hire skilled foreign workers. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell concluded the administration’s fee rule is lawful, allowing the policy to proceed while legal challenges … Read more

Lead: New documents released from the US Department of Justice on Tuesday include an email sent on 16 August 2001 from an account identifying itself as ‘A’ at Balmoral, asking Ghislaine Maxwell to locate ‘inappropriate friends’. The exchange, part of a tranche of more than 11,000 files published under a 2023 congressional mandate, names locations, … Read more

Lead On Dec. 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education said the Trump administration will begin garnishing wages of federal student loan borrowers who are in default early next year. The department plans to send notices to roughly 1,000 borrowers the week of Jan. 7, with notices expanding in scale each month. Borrowers are considered … Read more

J.J. McCarthy will not play in the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 17 matchup against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day after imaging revealed a small hairline fracture in his hand, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Tuesday. The injury forced McCarthy out late in Sunday’s win at the New York Giants; he was replaced by rookie Max … Read more

Lead Brooks Koepka announced on Tuesday afternoon that he will step away from LIV Golf, releasing the decision through his management via the Saudi-backed league. The 35-year-old, who signed with LIV in 2022 and reportedly had one year left on his contract, said family considerations motivated the move and that he plans to spend more … Read more

Lead: New documents released by the US Department of Justice include emails from Ghislaine Maxwell addressed to an individual signing off as “A” or “The Invisible Man.” The correspondence, dated 2001–2002, contains details that align with public records about Prince Andrew’s movements and household events, including a Balmoral visit, the death of his longtime valet … Read more