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At least five people have died as Storm Bert swept across the United Kingdom, causing power outages and widespread train and flight cancelations.

Dramatic footage which emerged over the weekend showed rivers in Wales, one of the hardest hit areas, bursting their banks to submerge low-lying streets and vehicles parked outside.

Rescuers waded through hip-deep water to rescue pets with an inflatable raft, while residents teamed up to manually remove water with buckets.

Fatalities during the storm have been reported in multiple locations across Britain.

A man in his 60s died after a tree fell on a car in the south English city of Winchester on Saturday while another man, in his 40s, was killed in a crash in Northamptonshire, a central county, according to local police.

Further north, a 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision in the early hours of Saturday, West Yorkshire Police said.

British news agency PA Media also reported that two other people were killed as the storm battered the UK over the past few days. That included a body found in the search for a dog walker who went missing in floodwater on Saturday, it reported, citing North Wales Police.

Another man in his 80s died after his car entered water at a ford in the northern county of Lancashire Saturday afternoon, PA Media reported, citing local police.

It was unclear whether all of these incidents were linked directly to the storm.

There have been 53 heavy rainfall reports across the UK, according to the European Severe Weather Database. Total rainfall in the last 24 hours reached over 130mm, the UK Meteorological Office (Met) reported, issuing multiple warnings against strong winds for central, southern and eastern parts of England, as well as Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

The storm is expected to clear from the far northeast early Tuesday, though risks of further downpours and strong winds remain across the south of the UK until Wednesday, the Met Office has warned.

Some 300 flights in and out of London Heathrow Airport were cancelled over the weekend, with nearly 1,200 flights delayed.

Train services connecting London and Swansea in Wales, as well as from Exeter to Okehampton and Barnstaple in the southwestern part of the country, were among a raft of routes that were canceled, according to Great Western Railway.

Northern Rail reported “severe disruptions” for several services including in Lancaster, York and Sheffield in north of England.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks detected unplanned a spate of power outages in England and Scotland over the weekend, according to its website.

More than 60 flood warnings and alerts were reported in Wales alone for the past day, according to Natural Resources Wales.

“Thank you to the emergency services who are working tirelessly to protect communities — my thoughts are with those impacted,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.

The cold front associated with Storm Bert will impact parts of western Europe, where orange warnings for high winds are in place for parts of Germany and France.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

The father of an Australian teenager who died from methanol poisoning while on a backpacking holiday has issued a plea to the Laos government to fully investigate his daughter’s death and ensure such incidents don’t happen again.

Bianca Jones, 19, was one of six foreign tourists who died in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, a popular backpacker destination in northern Laos.

The deaths of two Australian teenagers, a British woman, an American man and two Danish women – and reports of others taken ill – prompted several Western nations to warn their citizens of the potentially fatal consequences of drinking tainted alcohol in the Southeast Asian country.

Laos, an opaque communist state that tightly controls its media, remained silent on the deaths for over a week before issuing its first statement, but details are still scant, including who else remains in hospital, which nationalities are affected and how widespread the poisonings are.

“We can’t have the passing of our daughter … not lead to change to protect others,” he said.

Bianca Jones was enjoying a backpacking trip to Laos with her friend when they became severely ill after a night out in Vang Vieng. The two friends were ultimately transferred to separate hospitals in neighboring Thailand where they spent several days fighting for their lives in critical condition.

Bianca Jones’ death was announced on Thursday, her friend Holly Bowles died the following day.

“Our daughter was on the trip of a lifetime with one of her best mates,” Jones said, according to Nine News. “This was meant to be a trip full of lifelong memories, and was to be the first of many.”

“Young men and women should be able to travel, create their own life experiences and be safe,” he added. “We’ll forever miss our beautiful girl and hope her loss of life has not been in vain.”

British national Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer, was also among those who died in Laos.

In the wake of their daughters’ deaths, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles’ parents have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise awareness of methanol poisoning, describing it “a silent but deadly risk that often claims lives without warning.”

The fundraiser, which has already received more than $133,000, aims to assist the families with expenses in bringing their loved ones’ home, support prevention efforts and launch awareness campaigns to educate travelers, communities and businesses about the dangers of methanol poisoning.

Methanol is an alcohol chemical commonly used in industrial solvents, cleaning products and fuel, though it can be added to alcoholic drinks either inadvertently through traditional brewing methods or deliberately – usually in the pursuit of profit.

Though the complete circumstances of those deaths remains unclear, a statement from the official Lao News Agency (KPL) Friday reported the “suspected cause of the death is believed to be the consumption of tainted alcoholic beverages.”

But Laos authorities have not given any indication of where and how tainted alcohol might have been served.

On Saturday, Laos state media The Vientiane Times identified three others who died as Danish nationals Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and US citizen James Louis Hutson, 57.

In an official statement, the Laos government said investigations were underway to find out the cause of the deaths and vowed to “bring the perpetrators to justice.”

The government “is profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists in Vang Vieng District … and expresses its sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased,” it said in a short statement.

Citing a Laos Police Immigration Department report, The Vientiane Times said Laos authorities are “also aware of Australian media reports, which suggest that 12 other foreign tourists have been hospitalized.”

At least five of the six tourists who died stayed at the same hostel in Vang Vieng, and part of the investigation has focused on reports the hostel had offered guests free shots of alcohol before they left for a night out.

The hostel’s owner and manager have been detained but not charged, the Associated Press reported, citing an officer at Vang Vieng’s Tourism Police office and hostel staff.

Backpacker town at the center of the suspected mass poisoning

Thousands of people suffer from methanol poisoning every year, with most cases reported in Asia from people drinking bootlegged liquor or homemade alcohol. Many Southeast Asian nations have low safety standards, patchy regulatory enforcement and high levels of police corruption.

Colin Ahearn, owner of the Facebook page “Just Don’t Drink Spirits in Bali,” which raises awareness about methanol poisoning in the region, said “this has been by far the biggest case I’ve ever come across.”

“It’s an underground, criminal-type thing when you get this number of cases in one particular area,” he said, and was “a way to lower costs of doing business.”

Laos, one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, has been hit hard by skyrocketing inflation in recent years. Tourism is a key source of revenue for the country’s struggling economy.

A major part of that much-needed revenue comes from towns like Vang Vieng. It has long attracted crowds of foreign tourists as an idyllic stopping point between the capital Vientiane and UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Luang Prabang.

In the early- to mid-2000s, the picturesque rural town gained a notorious reputation on the Southeast Asian “banana pancake” trail for its wild parties and river tubing culture, along with the wide availability of cheap alcohol and illicit drugs.

A string of fatal accidents linked to poor safety standards and a culture of excess along the river prompted the government in 2012 to shut several bars and activities, reinventing the town as an eco-paradise and adventure travel hub.

Backpackers are not the only group drawn to Laos and Vang Vieng’s mountainous surroundings. In recent years, the town has become popular with a broader range of tourists, especially among families and tour groups from South Korea and neighboring China.

Laos has also become a major focus of China’s vision for Southeast Asia as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a vast overseas infrastructure development program that launched more than a decade ago.

A $5.5 billion railway has brought a flood of Chinese investment to the remote, landlocked country. In 2021, the semi-high-speed Laos-China Railway opened to passengers, connecting the southwestern Chinese commercial hub of Kunming to the Laos capital – a roughly 10-hour journey spanning some 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Officials claim it has boosted numbers of overland Chinese travelers while greatly benefiting local vendors and businesses, though the project is seen by some analysts as a “fiscal trap.”

And this year, a “Laos Year 2024” initiative was launched with a goal of bringing in 4.6 million tourists and generating $712 million.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

When I found out I was pregnant with my fifth child, I was overwhelmed. I felt alone, which was made worse by the fact that the father and I had agreed to break up if I kept the child. I just didn’t know if I could handle another baby. 

So, I started calling around. I’d never had an abortion before, and I wanted all the information I could get. What did the procedure actually look like? What would I experience? When would it happen, and what were the risks?  

I still remember how cold it was when I walked into the Human Coalition clinic that January for a consultation. They led me to a private room, where I was able to have a one-on-one conversation about all of my options. Little did I know that Jillisa, the staff member I was connected with, would be a close friend to me throughout my pregnancy 

We sat and talked about how I felt, what an abortion would entail and all of the other options available to me. I left feeling completely informed, finally in control, surrounded by help and nonjudgmental support. I felt at home in that clinic. I felt heard. 

I knew when I left that I could keep my daughter. I knew I had allies. I had a village to reach out to when I needed support. And I knew that with their help, I could find the resources I needed to raise my preborn child.  

That was my biggest need in that moment.  

I didn’t need someone to perform an abortion, no questions asked and no explanations offered. I needed someone to sit down with me and explain all of my options. I needed someone to be a friend. I needed someone to tell me I was capable, and to make me feel heard.  

I still keep in touch with Jillisa. If I’ve had a bad day, if I’m just in the area, if I want to have lunch, I reach out to her. You don’t expect a true friend from these types of situations. But I made one.  

So, if you find yourself where I did, start by finding someone who will thoroughly and patiently explain all of your options. Know what an abortion means, and how it works. Know the risks, and the recovery time.  

Take the time to explore your other options, too. I didn’t know there were groups specifically for moms to support other moms — but Jillisa and the staff at the Human Coalition pregnancy center connected me with one. Eventually, those moms threw me a baby shower. 

The fact is, I didn’t know about most of the resources they connected me to. I had more options than I realized — I just had to ask for help.  

And I also discovered that, when I was first considering an abortion, it wasn’t what I ultimately wanted. Rather, I just didn’t want to feel alone. I wanted to feel I had support that could help me look forward to welcoming a baby. This pregnancy center provided me with that support.  

I knew when I left that I could keep my daughter. I knew I had allies. I had a village to reach out to when I needed support. And I knew that with their help, I could find the resources I needed to raise my preborn child.  

If another mother draws anything from my story, I’d hope it would be comfort. I hope that my children and my life and all the fear and sadness that has come with it at times is most importantly a reminder to other women that they are never alone.  

You deserve protection, support and a network of relationships that will uplift you through every season of your life. But you don’t just deserve it — you can receive it. It can become real for you.  

You just have to ask.  

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Investigators in Ukraine are analyzing the debris of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) fired by Russia at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, marking the first time the weapon had been used on the battlefield.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s Security Service showed the remaining fragments of the IRBM called Oreshnik – Russian for Hazel Tree – that struck a factory to The Associated Press.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the attack on Thursday evening in an address to the nation and said it was in direct response to the U.S. and the U.K. jointly approving Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russia.

The Pentagon has said the missile is based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), though the wreckage has not yet been analyzed, according to security officials on site in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

The AP and other media were permitted to view the fragments before being taken over by investigators.

The wire service showed images of what it described as mangled and charred wires, along with an ashy airframe about the size of a large snow tire. The remains were all that were left of the IRBM, which can carry nuclear or conventional warheads.

‘It should be noted that this is the first time that the remains of such a missile have been discovered on the territory of Ukraine,’ a specialist with Ukraine’s Security Service said. The specialist only identified himself by his first name Oleh because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the missile was launched from the 4th Missile Test Range, Kapustin Yar, in Russia’s Astrakhan region. Once launched, Ukrainian officials said, it flew for 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. The missile was carrying six warheads, each carrying six subunitions, and its speed was Mach 11.

Last week, Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to reporters during a press briefing that Russia had launched the IRBM, noting that it was a ‘new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield.’

She also said the U.S. was notified briefly before the launch through nuclear or risk reduction channels.

Putin also said last week that the missile attacked targets at a speed of Mach 10.

Despite Ukraine’s and Putin’s claim that the rocket reached speeds greater than Mach 10, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News on Thursday the missile was not hypersonic, which, according to NASA, is a speed greater than 3,000 mph and faster than Mach 5.

Along with launching the IRBM for the first time on the battlefield, Putin signed a law to grant debt forgiveness to those who enlist in Russia’s army to fight in Ukraine.

The AP reported that the measure highlights the country’s need for military personnel as it continues its war against Ukraine.

Russian state news agency Interfax said the new legislation allows new recruits enlisting for a one-year contract, to write off debts up to 10 million rubles, or about $96,000.

The law reportedly applies to debts in which a court order for collection was issued, and enforcement proceedings had commenced before Dec. 1, 2024. The legislation also applies to spouses of new recruits.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Videos of future first son Barron Trump speaking in a Slovenian accent as a young boy are spreading like wildfire on social media after his father’s massive electoral win earlier this month. 

‘I like my suitcase,’ a 4-year-old Barron Trump said with an apparent Slovene accent in 2010 during a Larry King segment.

The video shows Barron Trump in his father’s office with both of his parents as he grabs a brown suitcase and asks his mom about going to school. 

‘I have to go to school now?’ Barron Trump asks, again with an accent. 

‘You have lunch, and then you go to school,’ Melania Trump responds. 

‘Now I’m gonna go?’ Barron Trump asks again, speaking with the same accent as his mom. 

‘First you will have lunch, then you will go to school,’ Melania tells her young son as he holds his brown briefcase. 

Clips of the video have spread like wildfire across social media, most notably on TikTok, where users have filmed their own videos imitating Barron Trump, accompanied by the tag ‘sootcase,’ as a play on how Barron Trump pronounced ‘suitcase.’ 

Social media users have reacted with shock over learning the eventual first son had a slight accent as a young boy, with many calling it ‘adorable,’ ‘cute’ and lauding Melania Trump for her close relationship with her young son. The videos had long floated on social media, but are only going viral after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election this month. 

One user on TikTok said, ‘i can’t help but giggle every time i hear or see this video his Slovenian accent is so cuteness,’ and another said, ‘he was adorable,’ and another saying Melania Trump ‘seems like an amazingly sweet mom.’ 

Dozens of videos on TikTok have racked up hundreds of thousands of views each, and have even led to social media users creating song remixes of Barron Trump’s accent and social media commenters noting they never knew the first son had an accent as a young boy. 

Melania Trump, who had a successful modeling career before she became first lady, was born in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia – now Slovenia – and explained in the interview with Larry King in 2010 that her son has an accent because he spent the majority of time with his mom. 

‘He has an accent,’ King noted in a live interview with Trump and his wife after footage of Barron speaking in an accent was aired. 

‘He spends most of the time with me,’ Melania Trump responded, before King asked the eventual president, ‘what do you think of that?’

‘I think it’s great,’ Donald Trump responded. ‘Anything he does is OK with me.’

‘He speaks three languages, actually,’ Melania Trump added. 

‘Smart one,’ Donald Trump said. 

In another clip, Donald Trump is seen telling his son to avoid drugs, alcohol and tattoos when he grows up. 

‘I want all As,’ Donald Trump said in the clip. ‘And when you get older, no drugs. No alcohol. No cigarettes. And, you know what else? No tattoos. I don’t ever want to see tattoos on you.’

Footage of Barron Trump in 2009 is also going viral, showing the roughly 3-year-old boy with his mom attending a charity event where Entertainment Tonight held a short interview with the pair. Barron Trump declared his love of playing the drums while again pronouncing his words similar to his mom’s Slovene accent. 

‘I like to play drums,’ he said, adding he wants drums ‘like on the television’ for his birthday. 

Barron Trump is now 18-years-old and attends New York University. The first son overwhelmingly stays out of the public spotlight when compared to his older siblings, such as Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who frequently conduct media interviews and joined their father on the campaign trail. 

Barron Trump, who notably stands at about 6-foot-9 and towers over his parents, was seen on stage when his father delivered his victory speech earlier this month after his massive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump wrapped up the election with 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226, and won the popular vote. 

‘Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,’ Trump said in his victory speech, flanked by his family and other high-profile supporters such as tech billionaire Elon Musk and UFC CEO Dana White. 

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Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., took aim at Secretary of State Antony Blinken after it was reported that the State Department held therapy sessions for employees who were upset by President-elect Trump’s election victory.

‘I am concerned that the Department is catering to federal employees who are personally devastated by the normal functioning of American democracy through the provision of government-funded mental health counseling because Kamala Harris was not elected President of the United States,’ Issa said in a letter to Blinken last week.

The letter comes after a Free Beacon report earlier this month that detailed two alleged therapy sessions that were held at the State Department after Trump’s victory, with sources telling the outlet that one such instance amounted to an information ‘cry session.’

In another instance, an email went out to agency employees and touted a separate  ‘insightful webinar where we delve into effective stress management techniques to help you navigate these challenging times’ after Trump’s victory, according to the report.

‘Change is a constant in our lives, but it can often bring about stress and uncertainty,’ the email said. ‘Join us for an insightful webinar where we delve into effective stress management techniques to help you navigate these challenging times. This session will provide tips and practical strategies for managing stress and maintaining your well being.’

In his letter to Blinken, Issa argued that the reported sessions were ‘disturbing’ and that ‘nonpartisan government officials’ should not be suffering a ‘personal meltdown over the result of a free and fair election.’

While the Republican lawmaker acknowledged that the mental health of the agency’s employees was important, he questioned the use of taxpayer dollars to counsel those upset about the election, demanding answers on how many sessions have been conducted, how many more are planned, and how much the sessions are costing the department.

Issa also raised fears that the sessions could also call into question the willingness of some of the State Department’s employees to carry out Trump’s new vision for the agency.

‘The mere fact that the Department is hosting these sessions raises significant questions about the willingness of its personnel to implement the lawful policy priorities that the American people elected President Trump to pursue and implement,’ the letter said. ‘The Trump Administration has a mandate for wholesale change in the foreign policy arena, and if foreign service officers cannot follow through on the American people’s preferences, they should resign and seek a political appointment in the next Democrat administration.’

The State Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

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The end to President-elect Donald Trump’s legal troubles may be on the horizon as the start of his second term nears. 

Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith is already aiming to close both the 2020 election interference case and the classified documents case before Trump takes office. Smith is also expected to resign before Trump is inaugurated in January, according to the New York Times. 

Trump’s state cases, however, are on more questionable ground. 

Days after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sent Judge Juan Merchan a letter requesting a stay on the criminal charges involving alleged hush money payments until 2029, Merchan granted Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss charges and removed his sentencing date from the schedule. 

‘I think Judge Merchan will make a decision about whether or not he’s going to accept this as his opportunity to be done with the case,’ former criminal defense attorney Philip Holloway told Fox News Digital shortly after the news broke. 

‘This is a political system in New York that is masquerading as a legal system. So I think politics has certainly factored into it,’ Holloway said. ‘But sometimes judges also rule with an eye towards being tactical, and so he’s basically said, ‘Look, I’m going to give you an opportunity to give me an opportunity to get out of this case.”

Syracuse University College of Law professor Gregory Germain countered Holloway’s argument, telling Fox News Digital that the ruling does not signal how Merchan will ultimately rule on the motion. 

‘You can’t read anything into a court allowing someone to file a motion,’ Germain said. ‘Allowing Trump to file a motion to dismiss does not signal how the court will rule on the motion.’

Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg echoed Germain’s sentiments, saying the Friday ruling was Merchan ‘giving the defense every opportunity to make their case.’

He told Fox News Digital he predicts the sentencing will ultimately get delayed until January, with Merchan agreeing to put off the sentencing but not going as far as to dismiss the case altogether. 

‘I think the case will continue because the case has already concluded. There’s just a matter of sentencing,’ Aronberg said. 

Despite conflicting takes on where Trump’s hush money case stands, both Germain and Holloway were in agreement that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ case against Trump on alleged election interference would likely be dismissed. 

Trump’s team and other defendants had previously asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hold oral arguments to determine whether Willis could continue to prosecute the case. The Court of Appeals canceled arguments on Monday, which were initially scheduled for early December. 

‘The Court of Appeals did not give any explanation for canceling the oral argument. So those of us who are trying to read the tea leaves think that that might mean that Willis is about to lose,’ Holloway said. ‘I think it’s unlikely that the Court of Appeals would cancel the oral argument if they were going to rule against the appellants.’

Aronberg, on the other hand, said he expects Willis to stay on the case and see it through. 

‘I think there’s a better-than-even chance that she’s allowed to stay on,’ Aronberg said. ‘I think that she probably is allowed to stay on because the issue is there was a conflict, and the conflict has now been resolved.’

Germain noted that the case itself has yet to go to trial and that prosecution of the case cannot continue through Trump’s presidency, ‘so the best they could do is to stay it.’ Germain said, however, that of the two state cases, the Georgia case is ‘the most likely case to be dismissed by the courts.’

‘Even without Trump’s election, I think the Fulton County case would have been years away from any resolution,’ Aronberg said. 

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Being a federal official in any country would naturally open oneself up to the possibility of foreign threats. Threats against heads of state generally get the most attention, but even being a member of Congress has its risks – for some more than others.

‘The FBI came in and gave me a defensive briefing, and told me that there were just a couple members that were going to be targets in a disinformation campaign,’ House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. ‘And, you know, to sort of be aware of it.’

That threat was specifically coming from China, which had been watching McCaul since he was a federal prosecutor in 1997, according to the Texas Republican. China sanctioned him in 2023 after his first visit to Taiwan during the 118th Congress.

The New York Times reported last month that several lawmakers, including McCaul, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., were targeted by a disinformation campaign over their anti-China policies.

‘I think every one of us, certainly on the China committee, is aware of the fact that China knows exactly who we are. And they don’t like the committee,’ Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a member of the House select committee on countering the Chinese Communist Party, told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s something that’s an example of something that we have to be careful of.’

Asked what it was like living with the day-to-day knowledge that a hostile foreign power was trying to surveil him and his colleagues, Moulton said, ‘I’m a Marine. Feels fine.’

Other senior lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital, like Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., acknowledged they have faced foreign threats but declined to go into detail.

But it’s not just China that’s targeting U.S. lawmakers – McCaul also recounted overt surveillance efforts from Russia during past congressional delegations. And he also mentioned another FBI defensive briefing he received, this time about threats from Iran.

‘The FBI brought me in, in a classified space, and they said, ‘We just want to let you know that you’re now under indictment in Iran… we want to let you know for your own self-awareness,’’ McCaul said.

The reason, McCaul said he was told, was because he had been one of the people who advised then-President Trump to move forward with his successful operation to kill top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

‘It’s interesting because, you know, the discussion at that time was, ‘My God, we killed Soleimani. Just think of the blowback and the backlash.’ And it was kind of radio silence from Iran. They were just stunned,’ he said.

McCaul said living under threat from multiple foreign governments was ‘a little unsettling,’ adding, ‘You’ve gotta have a little more self-awareness’ in his situation.

He also did not expect those threats to let up despite his tenure as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee ending, nor did he expect his diplomatic work to stop.

‘I think if anything, you know, as I step down… I see a greater role in being a bit of an emissary, you know, just kind of going back and forth with the administration,’ McCaul said.

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Hezbollah fired a barrage of missiles and other projectiles into Israel Sunday in response to deadly IDF strikes on the militant group’s command centers in Beirut. 

The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles Sunday, with some intercepted – marking one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months. Some of the rockets reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel.

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on an army center killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded 18 others in the southwest, Lebanon’s military said. The Israeli military said the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah and that the military’s operations are directed solely against the militants.

Israeli airstrikes also pounded central Beirut on Saturday, killing at least 29 people and wounding 67, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Smoke billowed above Beirut again Sunday with new strikes. Israel’s military said it targeted command centers for Hezbollah and its intelligence unit in the southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, where the militants have a strong presence.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Iran supports both armed groups.

Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes at Hezbollah, and in September the low-level conflict erupted into all-out war as Israel launched airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon and killed Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population.

On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardment in northern Israel and in battle following Israel’s ground invasion in early October. Around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country’s north.

Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon’s military has largely kept to the sidelines.

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on U.S.-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a ‘direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts’ to end the war.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The box office this weekend will be painted pink and green, with a splash of red.

Universal’s “Wicked” and Paramount’s “Gladiator II” arrive ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and are expected to tally more than $200 million in combined ticket sales this weekend.

″‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II’ are the kind of counter-programming duo punch movie theaters and audiences have been eagerly anticipating,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. “This fall’s box office has seen its share of ups and downs as usual, but these two films are on course to kickstart a potentially historic holiday corridor with ‘Moana 2’ also ready to deliver big results during Thanksgiving next week.”

“Wicked” has already tallied $19.2 million at the domestic box office from advance screenings held during the week. Amazon Prime members doled out $2.5 million at 750 theaters in the U.S. on Monday, and another $5.7 million was collected from around 2,000 theaters on Wednesday in the U.S. and Canada. “Wicked” snared an additional $11 million from standard Thursday night preview screenings at around 3,300 theaters.

Tracking projections for “Wicked” started around $80 million in late October, but have since risen to a range of $120 million to $140 million, with some projecting an even higher three-day total for the film’s debut weekend.

Hollywood has struggled to market and make a profit on movie musicals in recent years. However, the industry has also seen fan-favorite IP-driven titles outperform. With “Wicked” being based on one of Broadway’s most popular musicals, box office analysts are finding it tricky to predict where it will land.

Heading into its opening, “Wicked” held a 92% “Fresh” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from more than 160 critics. Its popcornmeter, a metric the site uses to calculate what percentage of verified movie ticket holders rated the film with 3.5 stars or higher, stands at 99% with more than 2,500 ratings.

Whatever it hauls in for the weekend, “Wicked” should debut as the highest-opening Broadway adaptation in cinematic history. The current record holder is Disney’s “Into the Woods,” which secured $31 million during its first three days in theaters in 2014, according to data from Comscore.

Meanwhile, “Gladiator II” tallied $6.5 million from Thursday previews and is expected to add between $60 million and $80 million to the domestic weekend tally. The film, which arrives 24 years after the original, has secured a 73% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 200 reviews. For comparison, “Gladiator” snared $34.8 million during its opening weekend back in May 2000.

“The so-called ‘Glicked’ movie mashup is reminiscent of the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon and is creating a cultural buzz,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “And though not quite at that level, has certainly raised the profile of both films and that combined with overwhelming positive reviews has positioned these two very different movies for opening weekend glory and more importantly long-term playability through the holidays.”

Between “Wicked,” “Gladiator II” and previously released films still in theaters, box office analysts foresee a weekend of ticket sales between $200 million and $250 million. While impressive, that would still fall outside of the top 20 highest-grossing weekends of all time, according to data from Comscore.

The “Barbenheimer” weekend of July 21, 2023, topped $311 million, the fourth-highest weekend haul of all time.

“It’s not all about the first hours or days, though,” Robbins noted. “These films can and probably will play well for weeks to come, especially if word of mouth mirrors that of critics’ reactions.”

This weekend’s tally will help bolster the overall annual box office, which lags 11% behind 2023 levels during the same period. And the moviegoers coming to theaters will be treated to advertisements for other films coming in December and later in 2025.

“Our job is to maximize what’s coming in that door,” said Greg Marcus, CEO of Marcus Corporation, owner of Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels and Resorts. “Take care of our customers. Give the customers that show up a great experience. Make sure that lines are as moving as quickly as we can, so that we can serve them, literally and figuratively, and show them what a great time it is to go to the movies and enjoy something with other people.”

Marcus Theatres alongside dozens of other cinema chains, big and small, are offering guests drink and food specials, themed popcorn buckets and beverage containers as well as other movie merchandise at their locations.

Cinemark has a “Gladiator II” popcorn bucket shaped like the Colosseum and a gladiator helmet that fits over its drink cups to hold popcorn. Regal has a witch hat-shaped cup. AMC’s menu features pink and green candy-coated popcorn as well as a collection of themed drinks like green apple ICEE, Sprite variants called Ozdust Punch and Emerald Elixir and alcoholic beverages named Popular Pink and Gravity Green.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, CNBC, Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes. NBCUniversal is the distributor of “Wicked.”

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