News

CBS News reports: Iranian officials have denied claims that they mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet. The plane crashed early Wednesday morning soon after takeoff from Tehran’s airport, killing everyone on board. A video obtained by the New York Times appears to show the impact. In it you can see a bright flash, which sources tell CBS News senior …

The CBC reports: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says intelligence now indicates the Ukrainian passenger aircraft that crashed outside of Tehran on Wednesday, killing everyone on board — including 138 people destined for Canada — was shot down by an Iranian missile. “We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane …

The New York Times reports: Video verified by The New York Times appears to show an Iranian missile hitting a plane above Parand, near Tehran’s airport, the area where a Ukrainian airliner stopped transmitting its signal before it crashed on Wednesday. A small explosion occurred when a missile hit the plane, but the plane did not explode, the video showed. …

Reuters reports: A Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would take “harsher revenge soon” after Tehran launched missile attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq in retaliation for last week’s U.S. killing of an Iranian general, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday. The agency was quoting senior commander Abdollah Araghi, speaking after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran appeared …

The BBC reports: A judge in Brazil has ruled that a film depicting Jesus as gay must be removed from the TV streaming service Netflix. The film, The First Temptation of Christ, infuriated fervent Christians in the country. Two million people signed a petition calling for it to be axed, and the production company was attacked with Molotov cocktails last …

The New York Times reports: An entire fleet of New York City’s newest subway cars was abruptly pulled out of service on Wednesday after two recent episodes raised concerns that doors could open while trains were moving, according to people involved in the transit system who were told about the defects. The MTA , which runs the subway, did not …

CNN reports: Ukraine is investigating multiple possible causes of Wednesday’s deadly jetliner crash that killed 176 passengers and crew shortly after takeoff in Tehran. Ukraine’s National Security and Defence council chief, Oleksiy Danilov, wrote on Facebook that a meeting is taking place Thursday with Iranian authorities, where various causes behind the crash are “being studied.” These include the theory that …

CNN reports: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the liberal minority on the Supreme Court but has a way of steering the debate on a case. Ginsburg spoke to CNN in a rare interview in her chambers this week. The 86-year-old four-time cancer survivor has resumed an active role in oral arguments and is often the first of the nine …

NBC News reports: A Kentucky family court judge was suspended temporarily without pay after she was accused of misconduct, including having a threesome in the courthouse. Judge Dawn Gentry, a family court judge in Kentucky’s northern 16th Judicial District, was charged with multiple counts of misconduct in November 2019 by the state Judicial Conduct Committee. She was put on temporary …

Business Insider reports: Macy’s is closing 30 stores in early 2020. In 2016, Macy’s said it would close 100 stores after it reported six consecutive years of declining sales. Since then, it has been closing these locations as their leases expire. A representative for the company did not comment on whether this recent wave of closures was included in the …

Austin’s ABC News affiliate reports: Governor Greg Abbott is warning all Texans to be “vigilant” regarding cyber-attacks from Iran. Abbott said there have been up to 10,000 attempted attacks per minute from Iran over the last 48 hours. “These attacks from Iran-based entities, as well as other entities across the globe, are going to continue,” said Abbott. “I think it’s …

Agence France-Presse reports: Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board. The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. …

Louisville’s Fox News affiliate reports: CNN agreed Tuesday to settle a lawsuit with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann. The amount of the settlement was not made public during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Covington, Kentucky. Sandmann’s lawsuit sought $800 million from CNN, the Washington Post and NBC Universal. Trial dates are still not set for Sandmann’s lawsuit against …

From Iran’s Tasnim News Agency: Iran’s lawmakers unanimously voted for a motion to designate the US Army and the Pentagon as terrorist organizations in response to a recent move by Washington to assassinate Iran’s revered commander, Lt. General Qassem Soleimani. The generalities and details of the emergency motion were unanimously passed during an open session of the parliament on Tuesday …

Reuters reports: Iran is considering 13 “revenge scenarios” in retaliation for the US airstrike that killed General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, a top official has said. Ali Shamkhani [photo], secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, vowed that even if Tehran opted for the weakest option, it will create an “historic nightmare for the Americans.” While Shamkhani would not reveal …

CNN reports: US forces and air-defense missile batteries across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday to possibly shoot down Iranian drones as intelligence mounted about a threat of an imminent attack against US targets, two US officials tell CNN. The alert reflects the heightened tensions between the US and Iran in the wake of last week’s …

Axios reports: Former First Lady Michelle Obama is partnering with the digital media company ATTN: to launch a video series on IGTV, Instagram’s video platform. “A Year of Firsts” shows inspiring stories about students navigating their first year through college. Why it matters: The Obamas have maintained a strong media presence through civic media projects on newer tech platforms. The …

Al Jazeera reports: At least 32 people have been killed in a stampede that erupted in the Iranian city of Kerman at the funeral procession for a top commander killed in an air attack by the United States, Iran’s state television said. “Unfortunately because of overcrowding 32 of our citizens lost their lives in the procession … and 190 were …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Days after concerns over youth vaping led the Trump administration to announce a partial ban on many e-cigarette pods, California lawmakers on Monday introduced a much stronger measure to outlaw store sales of all flavored tobacco products. The proposal would go far beyond the federal government’s plan, announced Thursday, for a temporary ban on many …

The Hill reports: Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut, said she believes in extraterrestrial life in an interview with The Guardian published Sunday. “Aliens exist, there’s no two ways about it,” Sharman told the newspaper. “There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of different forms of life,” she said. “Will …