Netanyahu has sidestepped accountability for Hamas attack, instead taking aim at his security chiefs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

Netanyahu has sidestepped accountability for Hamas attack, instead taking aim at his security chiefs A growing list of Israeli officials have accepted responsibility for failing to prevent Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli communities during the Oct. 7 incursion that triggered the current Israel-Hamas war. Conspicuously absent from that roll call is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Following the horrific assault, which saw the deadliest day for Israelis since the country was established 75 years ago, Netanyahu has repeatedly sidestepped accountability. He has instead blamed others, in what critics say shows a leader thinking more about his own political survival than soothing and steering a traumatized nation.“Netanyahu is fighting a personal battle of survival and that takes precedence over fighting Israel’s war against Hamas,” said Netanyahu biographer and journalist Anshel Pfeffer. “As part of that battle, he’s prepared to malign those who are now commanding Israel’s army and intelligence services.”When hundreds of Hamas militants broke down Israel’s...

Green Day announces 2024 tour, Coors Field show

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

Green Day announces 2024 tour, Coors Field show DENVER (KDVR) -- Coors Field in Denver is set to be the site of multiple concerts next fall, and now you can add Green Day to that list.Thursday morning the iconic rock band announced its 2024 world tour celebrating 30 years of the breakthrough album "Dookie" and 20 years of the crossover hit album "American Idiot." Kane Brown to play show at Coors Field The band comes from punk roots in California but has been on pop radio for three decades since the release of "Dookie," which included hits "When I Come Around," "Basket Case" and "Welcome to Paradise."But the band reached a new level of stardom with 2004's "American Idiot," which included "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" in addition to the titular track "American Idiot"The band is also expected to play songs off its forthcoming album, "Savior," which is set to be released in January.Supporting bands for the tour include The Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid as well as more recent stars The Linda Lindas...

Phase 3 starts for the Sun Valley affordable housing project

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

Phase 3 starts for the Sun Valley affordable housing project DENVER (KDVR) -- On Thursday morning, Denver City Council President Jamie Torres and other strategic partners broke ground on the third phase of the Sun Valley neighborhood affordable housing project.333 obsolete Sun Valley homes were replaced with 759 residential units across six multifamily structures."This is the final phase of our plan in revitalizing Sun Valley, a geographically central Denver neighborhood that was once home to some of the city's most vulnerable residents," Joshua Crawley, the interim chief executive officer added.The redevelopment includes three different buildings, nicknamed Joli, Sol and Flo.Joli and Sol are mixed-income communities and are already under construction. Mixed income meaning people earning between 20%-100% of the area's median income. Groundbreaking on the Flo project begins this week. It’s cheaper to rent in Denver than in these metro suburbs Joli will offer 80 affordable units made up of 30 one-bedroom, 27 two-bedroom, 11 three-bedroom,...

A lunch host is accused of killing her ex-husband’s parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

A lunch host is accused of killing her ex-husband’s parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The host of a weekend family lunch at her Australian country home was charged Thursday with murdering her ex-husband’s parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms and attempting to murder a fourth guest, police said.Police arrested Erin Patterson, 49, at her home in the Victoria state town of Leongatha, where her former husband’s parents, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, were invited for lunch on July 29.All four guests were hospitalized the next day, and only Ian Wilkinson survived.Patterson has publicly denied any wrongdoing.“I’m devastated. I loved them. I can’t believe that this has happened. and I’m so sorry,” she tearfully told reporters two days after the third death.Patterson was also charged with three counts of attempting to murder her ex-husband, Simon Patterson, 48, who became ill after eating three meals in 2021 and 2022, a police statement sai...

‘Mean Girls’ stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and more reunite for Black Friday ad

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

‘Mean Girls’ stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried and more reunite for Black Friday ad (CNN) — On Wednesdays they still wear pink.Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Daniel Franzese and Rajiv Surendra reprised their “Mean Girls” roles for a Walmart Black Friday commercial that dropped Wednesday.The gang is all grown up since the beloved 2004 film, and Cady Heron (Lohan) is now a guidance counselor, Karen Smith (Seyfried) a weather reporter, and Gretchen Wieners (Chabert) a stage mom.“Some things never change,” Lohan as Cady can be heard saying.“On Wednesdays we wear pink, but now we shop Walmart Black Friday deals,” she continues in the ad, heralding the arrival of holiday deals just a touch early this year.Gretchen is still trying to make fetch happen even as she tries to help her daughter and the new generation of girls who rule the school out with Walmart products.The ad recreates some of the Tina Fey-scribed film’s most iconic scenes as it revisits North Shore High School’s winter talent show, and that iconic stage performance, among other things....

Missing Pa. pig Kevin Bacon returns home after plea from actor Kevin Bacon

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

Missing Pa. pig Kevin Bacon returns home after plea from actor Kevin Bacon PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — The bacon has been brought home.Escaped Pennsylvania pig Kevin Bacon has returned home after weeks on the run and shortly after his owner laid out a Benadryl-laced sticky bun hoping to get him sleepy and easily carted back to his pen.But in the end, Kevin just walked back home himself and plopped down.“He’s home,” the Bring Kevin Bacon Home page posted on Facebook.“He is secured in our pen,” the owner said in a follow up message. “Walked in himself.”It was an exhausting orderal that captured the attention of the internet – even reaching the actor after whom he is named.Kevin Bacon’s namesake, the actor and Philadelphia native Kevin Bacon, called for the central Pennsylvania pig to be brought home in a post on Threads this weekend.The Facebook page Bring Kevin Bacon Home posted an update on Tuesday indicating Kevin Bacon The Pig may have chowed down on a snack that will make them very sleepy.“Benad...

The Beatles’ ‘last’ song ‘Now and Then’ is released

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

The Beatles’ ‘last’ song ‘Now and Then’ is released (CNN) — Described as The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then” has finally been released, featuring the voice of the late John Lennon decades after he first wrote it.The track featuring the sound of every member of the British rock group was released at 2 p.m. GMT (10 a.m. ET) Thursday.Lennon sings: “I know it’s true. It’s all because of you. And if I make it through, it’s all because of you.”The lyrics that follow poignantly mark this moment of nostalgia for fans of the band.Decades in the makingLennon wrote and recorded the song at his home in New York City in the late 1970s, and his wife Yoko Ono gave the demo to the remaining Beatles members in 1994, explained the band in a short film on the making of the song released on YouTube Wednesday.Lennon died in 1980 at the age of 40 after being shot outside of his apartment building in New York City.Guitarist George Harrison said in the film:“To hear John’s voice, that’s a thing that we should cherish, and I’m sure he would’ve really enj...

Keep your bedbugs, Putin tells the EU

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

Keep your bedbugs, Putin tells the EU Russian President Vladimir Putin is not worried about Western sanctions — quite the opposite, in fact.Faced with the prospect of a 12th round of EU sanctions — which could include trade in anything from diamonds to needles — the Russian leader brushed off the plan as ridiculous and took a jab at Europe and its crawling bedbug problem.“Perhaps the less junk, the better. There is less of a chance of bedbugs coming here from large European cities,” Putin joked on Wednesday, reported Russian state-run news agency TASS.Several European cities, including Paris, are battling an infestation of bedbugs in recent months. The tiny insects have swarmed public transport, raising alarm among residents and public officials, and sending cities into a frenzy.Last month, French intelligence even blamed Russian propaganda for stoking fears about the bedbugs by posting fake articles that looked like they were written by reputable French newspapers. Putin’s comment comes as the EU is prepari...

British Deputy PM throws backing behind open source AI, downplays risks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

British Deputy PM throws backing behind open source AI, downplays risks BLETCHLEY, England — Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has said there should be a “high bar” on restrictions to open source artificial intelligence. Speaking to POLITICO on the sidelines of Rishi Sunak’s AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park on Thursday, Dowden said he saw “huge potential” in open source AI in driving innovation and economic growth. “It’s not just economies like the U.K. and other European countries that benefit from open source. I see it in so many applications that are being created right now. I see tiny startups that are already billion dollar plus companies within a matter of literally months off the back of open source.“It’s also the case if we want to make sure it spreads globally, in terms of the developing world. So I think there was a very high bar to restrict open source in any way,” said Dowden.The battle between open and closed source AI has emerged as one of the key fault lines from the summit. Closed system companies like OpenA...

Special counsel accuses Trump legal team of trying to manipulate courts with requests to delay trials

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:34:39 GMT

Special counsel accuses Trump legal team of trying to manipulate courts with requests to delay trials (CNN) — Prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s office have accused former President Donald Trump’s legal team of seeking to manipulate the courts in their bid to delay his trials past the 2024 presidential election.Fresh off a Florida hearing where Trump appeared to gain traction in his effort to delay one of his criminal trials, his attorneys asked Wednesday night for a second trial he faces next year in Washington, DC, to be put on hold.But Trump’s emboldened attempts to delay facing federal juries – on his national security records mishandling and 2020 election cases – while he is running for president were quickly called out by prosecutors who accuse him of manipulating the courts.“Defendant Trump’s actions in the hours following the hearing … confirm his overriding interest in delaying both trials at any cost. This Court should [not] allow itself to be manipulated in this fashion,” the Justice Department said in a court filing Thursday with Judge...