Philippine leader Duterte's preferred successor quits presidential race

MANILA (Reuters) -Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte's preferred successor, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, announced on Tuesday he was dropping out of the presidential race, leaving the administration without a candidate in next year's polls. Go, Duterte's long-time aide, had recently hinted he may pull out of the presidential contest and said the president respected his decision. "I and President Duterte are ready to support whoever will truly serve and can continue and protect Duterte's legacy towards a more comfortable and safe and prosperous life for our children," Go said in a speech streamed on Facebook.

Chris Christie says Trump broke his policy promises: 'The wall isn't built. Obamacare is still there. We didn't get an infrastructure package.'

Chris Christie said Donald Trump's administration "didn't get a lot of stuff done." Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, widely viewed as a potential 2024 presidential contender, said former President Donald Trump's administration didn't deliver on its most important policy priorities. Christie pointed out that Trump failed to build a wall on the southern US border, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and pass an infrastructure bill, despite making these promises central to his 2016 campaign.

I'm a Virus Expert and Here's a Sure Sign You've Had COVID

If you had COVID, but didn't experience symptoms, you're not alone. Dr. Suman Radhakrishna MD FACP, Director of Infectious Diseases at Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center says, "1/3 of patients do not experience any symptoms of COVID 3/4 of asymptomatic individuals who receive a positive PCR test remain asymptomatic. This is more common in healthy individuals."

Nine Scottish Omicron cases all linked to same event - Sturgeon

The nine cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Scotland were all linked to the same private event, and none of the people who had tested positive for the variant had required hospital treatment, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday. The Scottish cases account for the majority of the 14 cases of Omicron so far reported in Britain, and Sturgeon said that none of the nine Scottish cases appeared to be associated with travel from Southern Africa. "All nine cases are linked.

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  Scotland’s nine omicron cases linked to single event, says Nicola Sturgeon

  The Telegraph
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  Nicola Sturgeon: Covid travel restrictions ‘may need to go further’

  The Independent

Government announces surprising hike in Medicare Part B premiums

As I was extolling the virtues of Social Security's 5.9% COLA, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they were increasing the premium for Medicare Part B by 14.5%. As a reminder, Medicare is composed of two programs. Part A, Hospital Insurance (HI), which covers inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and hospice care.

Elon Musk reportedly warned that SpaceX faces the 'risk of bankruptcy' from lack of Starship engine progress

Musk said lagging engine production is holding up Starship and Starlink progress. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the company's Raptor program is in "crisis" and poses a major threat to the entire space venture. Musk said he is upset with the lack of progress on the Raptor engines that power its Starship rocket in a company-wide email that was sent out the day after Thanksgiving and later obtained by CNBC's Michael Sheetz.

Jones wants Sandy Hook 'hoax' case jury to hear his defenses

Infowars host Alex Jones' lawyers are trying to get his free speech defense and other claims before a jury to argue that he is not liable for damages for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax years ago. The effort comes despite a Connecticut judge ruling this month that Jones was liable by default in a defamation lawsuit brought by relatives of some of the victims, saying he repeatedly failed to turn over some documents, including financial records. Defendants who are found liable by default in lawsuits are not allowed to present their arguments against liability at hearings on damages unless they filed a “notice of defense,” which Jones and his lawyers did last Wednesday.

House members descend into a Twitter brouhaha after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rips Rep. Nancy Mace as 'the trash in the GOP conference'

The House GOP conference devolved into Twitter chaos on Tuesday morning. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Rep. Nancy Mace "trash" for condemning Islamophobia from Rep. Lauren Boebert. Mace used three emojis to call Taylor Greene "batshit crazy," with other members also chiming in.

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  GOP Reps. Mace, Greene spar over Rep. Boebert's Islamophobic comments

  NBC News
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  GOP Rep Nancy Mace Makes Conflicting COVID Vaccine Remarks On CNN, Fox News

  HuffPost

Toddler, who went missing after father's pick up truck wound up in a river, found dead

The toddler, Emma Sweet, was found by the Bartholomew County Water Rescue and Recovery Team, 3 miles downstream from where her father, Jeremy Sweet, had been found alive by duck hunters on Friday. The Bartholomew County Sheriff Office said the pair were last seen on Wednesday at noon and reported missing a day later. The Bartholomew County coroner's office is working to identify a cause of the toddler's death and the sheriff's office said it is investigating how she ended up there.

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  What we know about 2-year-old Emma Sweet's death in Indiana river in Bartholomew County

  IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star
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  Dad held after missing two year old found dead in river three miles from submerged car

  The Independent

If You Dream About This, Call Your Doctor Immediately

Though many people with obstructive sleep apnea are unaware of their symptoms, experts say your dreams may tip you off to the problem. According to the SCC, if you have sleep apnea, you're more likely to have "vivid nightmares" that symbolize your distressed breathing—your brain's way of alerting you to the threat. "Common types of nightmares for those with apnea include dreams about strangulation and choking, dreams about trying to breathe while underwater or in space, and dreams about clogged pipes and being stuck in an elevator," explain their experts.

‘This is not going to be good’: Moderna CEO on what scientists are telling him about the omicron coronavirus variant

I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to .

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  COVID: Breaking down early data on Omicron variant

  Yahoo Finance Video
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  Scientists race to study omicron variant

  Associated Press Videos

Two Israeli doctors infected with Omicron, hospital says

The new coronavirus variant, Omicron, has been detected in two Israeli doctors, one of whom had returned from a conference in London in the past week, a spokesperson for Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv confirmed on Tuesday. Two more people have been identified in Israel as carrying the new variant, health officials have confirmed, one of them a tourist from Malawi who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Israel shut its borders to foreigners from all countries for 14 days on Saturday to try to contain the spread of Omicron and has reintroduced counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology to trace contacts of a handful of people who have likely been infected.

Scientists say xenobots, world's first living robots, can reproduce

Scientists who created xenobots, the world's first living robots, say the life forms are "the first-ever, self-replicating living robots." The tiny organisms were originally unveiled in 2020. The robots were assembled from heart and skin stem cells belonging to the African clawed frog.

Colorado's secretary of state said that Trump supporters are 'chipping away' at secure elections as they are placed in election roles across the country

Jena Griswold sounded a warning about upcoming elections. Trump has sought to pressure elections officials to subvert President Joe Biden's victory. Republicans are "chipping away" at safe and secure elections so they can falsely claim victory in the event of close results in the 2022 midterms or 2024 presidential election, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told The Washington Post.

Disturbing theory behind 'rare' polar bear video

Polish scientists said the bear was observed using “much the same method” to kill reindeer twice, leading them to hypothesize it could be becoming “specialized” at hunting the species. With reindeer outpacing polar bears on land, forcing the reindeer into water could be giving giving the predator an advantage. Climate crisis forcing polar bears to adapt their diet As sea ice melting worsens across the Arctic due to global heating, researchers have observed polar bears are spending more time on land around Svalbard.

Schoolgirl Outfits, Gifts to Teens, Sex Abuse ‘Every Day’: Feds Slam Ghislaine Maxwell on 1st Day of Trial

Such was the story presented by federal prosecutors on the first day of Ghislaine Maxwell's trial in connection to multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking ring. The 59-year-old British heiress is accused of procuring underage girls for Epstein to molest in what prosecutors called a “pyramid scheme of abuse.” Four victims will testify that Maxwell participated in Epstein's sex ring—including one who says the couple involved her in “group sexualized massages” when she was only 14 years old.

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  Opening statements in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex abuse trial begin

  Yahoo News Video
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  Maxwell, Epstein were 'partners in crime,' prosecutor says

  Associated Press

Pizza delivery driver dies after falling through collapsed porch, Indiana cops say

A man delivering pizzas died after he fell through a home's collapsed porch, Indiana police say. The fatal incident occurred Nov. 27 in Connersville, an Indiana town about 65 miles east of Indianapolis. Police say 45-year-old William Fields fell through the porch and was pinned by heavy debris as he laid motionless.

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  Pizza delivery man dies in eastern Indiana porch collapse

  WLKY - Louisville Videos
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  How to protect yourself from porch pirates

  KOAA

Catholic nuns lift veil on abuse in convents

When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was probably their fault for "provoking him". When African nuns in Minnesota asked why it was always they who had to shovel snow they were told it was because they were young and strong, even though white sisters of the same age lived there too. As the Roman Catholic Church pays more attention to the closed world of convents, where women spend much of their time in prayer and household work, more episodes of psychological, emotional and physical abuse are coming to light.

‘Congratulations, We Own Reebok’: Shaq and ABG’s Jamie Salter on the Deal That Landed Them FN’s Company of the Year Award

From snapping up Reebok to starting the IPO process, Authentic Brands Group generated nonstop buzz in 2021. The retail powerhouse, led by CEO Jamie Salter and president and CMO Nick Woodhouse, recently secured a pair of major new investors thanks to its talent in reviving struggling yet iconic brands like Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Forever 21, JCPenney, and Barneys New York. FN visited the company's New York headquarters to talk with Salter about the deal, where he was joined by former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.

Democrats fume that McConnell wants to block Biden's agenda so badly he's even holding up new defense spending: 'You can never say there's a bottom and they won't go lower'

McConnell blocked Democrats' attempt to close debate on defense spending, usually a bipartisan vote. Democratic lawmakers are frustrated, saying the GOP will do anything to obstruct Biden's agenda. Passing new defense spending was supposed to be the easy part of Congress' holiday rush, but it's already run into a stumbling block.

A DEA Raid Meant to Clean Up a New Mexico Town. Instead, It Made Everything Worse

The day the war on drugs came to Chimayó. Francesquita, eight years old at the time, had slept overnight at her grandparents' house, where her father was living. She was getting ready for school that morning when she came across him, looking worried.

Boise State Professor: Keep Women Out of Medicine, Engineering, and Law

A political-science professor at one of Idaho's top universities has sparked outrage after openly calling for women to be kept out of engineering, medical school, and law so that they can instead focus on “feminine goals” such as “homemaking and having children. Boise State University Scott Yenor, who previously served on far-right Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin's task force investigating right-wing claims of “indoctrination” in schools, made the bizarre declaration during the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando in October, the Idaho Statesman reports.

Alabama inmate who survived execution attempt dies of cancer

An Alabama inmate whose lethal injection was halted because medical staff couldn't find a suitable vein for the execution has died of natural causes almost four years later, his lawyer said Monday. Doyle Lee Hamm, who was convicted in the slaying of a motel clerk in 1987, died of natural causes on death row, said his longtime attorney, Bernard Harcourt. Alabama officials postponed Hamm's execution in February 2018 because workers couldn't find a suitable vein to connect the intravenous line used to send lethal chemicals into his body.

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  Inmate who survived execution attempt dies of lymphatic cancer

  Yahoo News Video
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  Inmate who survived attempted execution dies of cancer

  The Hill