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Democratic Sen. John Fetterman to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman will become the chamber’s first Democrat to meet with President-elect Donald Trump since the election, and plans to travel to Trump’s private resort in Florida. The trip marks Fetterman’s continuing evolution from a leading surrogate for President Joe Biden into a Trump-friendly lawmaker since Trump won the premier battleground state of Pennsylvania in November. Fetterman says Trump invited him to meet and he accepted. He also said he’s the senator for all Pennsylvanians, not just Democrats. Fetterman was first elected in 2022 as an irreverent and unconventional progressive hero who has been unafraid to be an outsider to his party in the past.

Researchers confirm ‘Music City Miracle’ star Frank Wycheck had CTE

Frank Wycheck, the NFL tight end best known for throwing the lateral that started the “Music City Miracle” and launched the Tennessee Titans’ run to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance, had stage III chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died in December 2023 at his Chattanooga home. His family announced the diagnosis Thursday. Researchers at Boston University confirmed Wycheck had CTE stage III, with stage IV the most severe form of the disease. Wycheck died at the age of 52 after apparently hitting his head in a fall at home. He had made clear his wishes to work with experts for CTE research and on-going brain injury.

Spacecraft buzzes Mercury’s north pole and beams back stunning photos

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury’s north pole. The European and Japanese robotic explorer buzzed the planet’s polar region Wednesday. The European Space Agency released the snapshots Thursday, showing the permanently shadowed craters at the top of of our solar system’s smallest, innermost planet. This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the spacecraft, named BepiColombo, since its launch in 2018. It put the spacecraft on a course to enter orbit around Mercury late next year.

Watchdog groups seeks investigation into RFK Jr. for voting from a ‘sham’ address

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York election officials have been asked to investigate whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed voter fraud by casting his November ballot from a discredited address. Accountable.US this week urged the state Division of Election Law Enforcement to determine whether Kennedy committed felonies by using an address in New York City’s suburbs to vote by mail in the last election. A state judge last summer knocked Kennedy off the presidential ballot in New York after finding the rented bedroom in Katonah he claimed as his residence was a “sham” address. A call seeking comment was made to Trump’s transition team and a text was sent to RFK Jr.’s former campaign spokesperson.

Michelle Obama doesn’t attend state funeral for Jimmy Carter

Former first lady Michelle Obama didn’t attend the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter. Except for Michelle Obama, all of the living former presidents and their spouses were at the funeral Thursday. That includes former President Barack Obama. Those dignitaries sat in the front pews of Washington National Cathedral. Michelle Obama’s office confirmed that she was absent but didn’t say why or where she was. CNN reported that the former first lady had a scheduling conflict and was in Hawaii, where she’d been on an “extended vacation.”

Some notable quotes from Jimmy Carter’s funeral

Jimmy Carter has been remembered at his funeral as a man of “character” and “something of a miracle” with “prophetic” vision. Among those who spoke about the former president Thursday at Washington National Cathedral were relatives, former aides and the current president. President Joe Biden said Carter taught him the imperative that “everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.” referenced Carter’s wife, who died in 2023. Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, said ““He had the courage and strength to stick to his principles even when they were politically unpopular.”

2 people have died and 20 injured in snow and ice storm in northern France

PARIS (AP) — Authorities in northern France say two people have died and 20 others are injured from a cold snap bringing snow and ice across northern Europe. A statement Thursday from authorities in the Nord region said one of those killed slipped outside and violently banged their head. They said the other person had no fixed address and was found dead in the town of Valenciennes. The icy weather first hit Wednesday. Across the English Channel, weather warnings were in force across the U.K., where temperatures were expected to plummet to -16 degrees Celsius or 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit in some places later on Thursday. Manchester Airport briefly closed its runways due to heavy snow on Thursday morning before reopening.

Meloni says Italy is exploring deals on telecoms security, but denies private talks with Musk

ROME (AP) — Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni says her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. Responding to questions from reporters at her new year’s press conference, Meloni said: “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends.” She stressed that national interest was “the only lens” through which she judged such potential contracts with SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite system.

US will keep protecting more than 2,000 Rocky Mountain grizzly bears

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration is keeping protections in place for more than 2,000 grizzly bears in Western states despite requests to lift the safeguards. The fearsome bruins have been federally protected since 1975 as a threatened species. Republican officials in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho had pushed to reclaim jurisdiction over the animals, which would have opened the door to public hunts. Federal officials also announced they are ending protections for grizzlies in states where they no longer live, including California, Colorado and Oregon. President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration sought to stop protecting the animals. Grizzlies were wiped out in most of the U.S. early last century.

One Tech Tip: Start the new year with a clean inbox

LONDON (AP) — For Jan. 9

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