NPR reports: As 2023 draws to a close, it’s going out on top. “It’s looking virtually certain at this point that 2023 will be the hottest year on record,” says Zeke Hausfather, climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, a non-profit that analyzes climate trends. Though temperature records from December have yet to be finalized, climate scientists at the National Oceanic and …

The New York Post reports: Colorado’s secretary of state said Thursday that former President Donald Trump will remain on the 2024 primary ballot for certification next week, as the state Republican Party appeals a court ruling that had found him ineligible for office earlier this month. “With the appeal filed, Donald Trump will be included as a candidate on Colorado’s …

The Daily Beast reports: After reaching its monthly peak of 298,000 primetime viewers in August, Newsmax saw a gradual decline to a nightly audience of 202,000 through the first three weeks of December. In the demo, Newsmax’s primetime viewership fell to just 11,000 viewers this month, down 31 percent compared to last month’s, which was already down 45 percent from …

The Washington Post reports: Americans’ life expectancy decline remains a pressing public health problem — but not a political priority. The Washington Post spoke with more than 100 public health experts, lawmakers and senior health officials, including 29 across the past three presidential administrations, who described the challenges of attempting to turn around the nation’s declining life expectancy. Those challenges …

The New York Times reports: As the holiday season winds down and Covid-19 cases start to pick up, a variant called JN.1 has now become the most common strain of the virus spreading across the United States. JN.1, which emerged from the variant BA.2.86 and was first detected in the United States in September, accounted for 44 percent of Covid …

The Hill reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Thursday he tested positive for COVID-19, amid a nationwide spike in infections. The 82-year-old Sanders, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he was experiencing “minimal” symptoms and will continue to isolate while working from his home in Vermont. The U.S. is seeing elevated levels of respiratory illness this …

The Washington Post reports: A day after Apple warned independent Indian journalists and opposition party politicians in October that government hackers may have tried to break into their iPhones, officials under Prime Minister Narendra Modi promptly took action — against Apple. Officials from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) publicly questioned whether the Silicon Valley company’s internal threat algorithms were …

Mediaite reports: Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley defended her curious comments about the cause of the Civil War at a town hall on Wednesday night, claiming in an interview the next morning the question came from a Democrat “plant” who was out to get her. “It was definitely a Democrat plant,” she said. “When asked him, he didn’t want …

The Daily Beast reports: A Russian lawmaker from Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has been found dead under mysterious circumstances at the age of 46. Russian state media confirmed his death. Vladimir Yegorov, a deputy of the Tobolsk City Duma in the Tyumen region, was found lifeless Wednesday in a courtyard in Tobolsk, according to Baza. Bizarrely, Baza reported that …

Reuters reports: A federal judge in Georgia on Thursday upheld a Republican-drawn congressional map, rejecting arguments from voting rights groups and Democrats that the latest district lines illegally diluted the voting power of minority residents near Atlanta. The decision from U.S. District Judge Steve Jones likely ensures that Republicans will maintain their 9-5 advantage among the state’s 14 seats in …

The Kyiv Independent reports: Russia has lost 356,670 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Dec. 28. This number includes 920 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day. According to the report, Russia has also lost 5,940 tanks, 11,015 armored fighting …

USA Today reports: A USA TODAY review of arrests concluded Oliver Krvaric would be the first full-time employee of the Trump administration identified entering the Capitol in the insurrection. On Jan. 6, 2021, Krvaric was working for the Office of Personnel Management on a short-lived Trump executive order that sought to rid federal agencies of certain diversity and inclusion training. …

Florida Politics reports: Naples Police responded to a false report of a shooting at U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s home. Naples Police spokesman Lt. Bryan McGinn confirmed police dispatch received a 911 call Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 9:02 p.m. claiming a shooting occurred. Police confirmed the alleged incident occurred at home on the street where Scott lives. “Within 15 minutes, we …

Philly Burbs reports: Clarice Schillinger, 36, is facing criminal charges of assault, harassment and furnishing minors with alcohol during her daughter’s birthday party, according to the case filed in late October. Her attorney has denied all charges and said she will fight them in court. Schillinger made an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor as a Republican last year and has …

ABC News reports: An American Airlines flight was seen drifting, dipping and bouncing as its crew struggled to make a safe landing at Heathrow International Airport in London Wednesday morning. American Airlines flight 134 from LAX to Heathrow was hit with a strong cross wind at about 11:40 a.m. local time as it tried to make a safe landing on …

CNN Business reports: Gas prices will fall in 2024 for the second year in a row, according to GasBuddy projections shared exclusively with CNN. GasBuddy, which had a forecast for 2023 that proved to be eerily accurate, expects US gas prices will average $3.38 a gallon in the key election year of 2024. That would represent a significant improvement from …

The Messenger reports: Nikki Haley is in cleanup mode after her comments at a New Hampshire town hall in which she failed to mention slavery as a reason for the Civil War.Speaking to The Pulse of NH on Thursday, Haley declared to Jack Heath that “of course” the Civil War was about slavery. “Of course the Civil War was about …

Nikkei Asia reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that Russia “will fight for [at least] five years” in Ukraine, sources have revealed. This was apparently Putin’s way of summarizing a situation that at the time was not favorable to Russia and assuring Xi that Russia would emerge victorious in the end. The likely implication was …

The Daily Beast reports: According to a new tally from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee that was shared exclusively with The Daily Beast, there are still 15 state lawmakers serving in office or about to be sworn in who traveled to D.C. for Jan. 6 activities. Five of those 15 lawmakers even made it to Capitol grounds. In total, the …

The Hill reports: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) went after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday after the governor sent a flight full of migrants from Texas to Chicago. “What Gov. Abbott is doing is, quite frankly, it’s reckless,” Johnson said in a CNN interview. “Sending buses all over the state of Illinois and all over the country is …