In the news today: With a government shutdown looming, Congress is in crisis mode; Ukraine claims a Russian Black Sea Fleet commander was killed in a missile strike; and a look at why cyclist and pedestrian fatalities are on the rise despite cars getting safer. Also, Michelangelo's David, the world's most famous sculpture, gets a cleanup. | Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy briefs reporters at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) |
With a government shutdown just days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode |
With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans. Read more. |
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Russia’s Black Sea Fleet commander among 34 killed in a missile strike in Crimea, Ukraine claims |
The missile strike that blasted the Crimean headquarters of Russia’s navy last week killed 34 officers, including the fleet commander, Ukraine said Monday, though it provided no evidence to support its claim. Read more. |
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Ukraine’s Special Operation Forces said on the Telegram messaging app that its strike on the main building of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol had wounded 105 people. The claims could not independently be verified and are vastly different from what Russia has reported.
Russia’s military announced the attack on the building and initially said one serviceman was killed but later said the person was missing. Moscow has provided no further updates.
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The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has been a frequent target since the start of the invasion. Crimea has served as the key hub supporting the invasion, and Ukraine has increasingly targeted Crimea naval facilities in recent weeks while the brunt of its summer counteroffensive makes slow gains in the east and south of Ukraine.
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New cars are supposed to be getting safer. So why are fatalities on the rise? |
The rise in pedestrian and cyclist deaths appears to coincide with the increase in sales of SUVs, pickup trucks and vans, which accounted for 78% of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2022. The design of the larger vehicles poses visibility problems, a study of crashes with pedestrians at intersections found that the vehicles most likely to be involved in left-turn crashes were SUVs and pickups Read more.
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Roadway deaths in the U.S. are mounting despite government test data showing vehicles have been getting safer. While the number of all car-related fatalities has trended upward over the last decade, pedestrians and cyclists have seen the sharpest rise: over 60% between 2011 and 2022.
Current U.S. ratings only consider the safety of the people inside the vehicle. The National Association of City Transportation Officials is leading an effort asking U.S. transportation officials to begin factoring the safety of those outside of vehicles into their 5-star safety ratings.
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee holds Gertie, a Bolson tortoise in Engle, N.M. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) |
Biologists in slow and steady race to help North America’s rarest tortoise species
While the average lifespan of North America’s largest and most rare tortoise species is unknown, biologists have said it could span upward of a century. So saving the endangered species is a long game. |
WATCH: Michelangelo's David gets a dusting
Michelangelo’s David, the world's most famous sculpture, got a cleaning as a restorer with a special vacuum cleaner, a brush and a soft cloth worked over the artwork. |
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