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Afghan Air Force Col. Salim Faqiri with his friend Navy Lt. Jack McCain in Kandahar Afghanistan in 2018.

National

War vet Jack McCain wants Congress to help the Afghan pilots who kept him safe

8:36pm December 20, 2022

by Quil Lawrence

Navy Lt. Jack McCain trained Afghans to pilot Black Hawk helicopters. When Kabul fell, McCain and others helped the pilots escape to the U.S. But their permanent status is uncertain.

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Politics & Government

How 2 new House members plan to 'work across the aisle' in the next Congress

8:36pm December 20, 2022

It's a time of transition on Capitol Hill. As departing lawmakers pack up their things, first-time lawmakers like Maxwell Frost and Mike Lawler are getting ready to settle in.

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Residents walk by a security guard in protective suit browsing his phone at a main entrance gate to a neighborhood in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.

Confusion and falsehoods spread as China reverses its 'zero-COVID' policy

8:02pm December 20, 2022

by Huo Jingnan

As China lifts its stringent zero-COVID policy, public health messaging has taken a U-turn. People are grappling with the whiplash, trying to find a way to protect themselves and loved ones.

An airline passenger walks between ride share vehicles after arriving at Chicago's Midway Airport just days before a major winter storm Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Chicago.

National

A severe arctic storm could threaten holiday travel across the U.S.

7:54pm December 20, 2022

by Emily Olson

Biting wind and heavy snow are expected across 17 states this week, sending temperatures plummeting as low as minus 30 F in some areas. Blizzard conditions could hit the Upper Midwest on Thursday.

'The Taliban took our last hope': College education is banned for women in Afghanistan

6:14pm December 20, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced the women could no longer attend university. One educator in Afghanistan called it "gender apartheid." The highest grade girls will be able to attain now is grade 6.

A home is seen damaged after an earthquake in Rio Dell, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. A powerful earthquake rocked a rural stretch of the Northern California coast early Tuesday, jolting residents awake, cutting off power to 70,000 people, and damaging some buildings and a roadway, officials said. At least 11 injuries were reported.

National

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake shakes Northern California, leaving 70k without power

5:43pm December 20, 2022

by The Associated Press

A strong earthquake shook parts of the region early Tuesday, jolting residents awake, cutting power to thousands, and damaging homes and roads, officials said. No injuries were immediately reported.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ordered Wells Fargo to pay billions in fines and redress to mistreated consumers.

Economy

Wells Fargo to pay $3.7 billion settling charges it wrongfully seized homes and cars

4:34pm December 20, 2022

by Chris Arnold

The case marks the largest penalty ever imposed by the federal watchdog agency the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Customers who were harmed will receive $2 billion in restitution.

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Afghan students queue at one of Kabul University's gates in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb. 26. Women are banned from private and public universities in Afghanistan until further notice, a Taliban government spokesman said Tuesday.

Taliban ban Afghan women from attending universities

3:09pm December 20, 2022

by The Associated Press

Women are banned from private and public universities until further notice, a Taliban government spokesman said, the latest edict cracking down on their rights and freedoms.

Lords-a-Leaping and other service providers helped drive the Christmas Price Index higher this year. The Lords' price (supplied by the Philadelphia Ballet) leapt 24%.

Economy

In bad news for true loves, inflation is hitting the 12 Days of Christmas

1:36pm December 20, 2022

by Scott Horsley

Partridge prices were flat this year, but the cost of pear trees jumped more than 25%. PNC bank has run the numbers on all 12 days of Christmas, as it calculates its annual holiday price index.

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Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Monday about negotiations on the government spending package.

Lawmakers unveil a $1.7 trillion U.S. spending bill as shutdown deadline looms

1:18pm December 20, 2022

by The Associated Press

Leaders are racing to complete passage before a midnight Friday deadline or face the prospect of a partial government shutdown going into the Christmas holiday.