Friday morning news: December 27, 2024

Azerbaijan Airlines crash update » Investigators looking into the Christmas Day crash of that Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan have uncovered some unsettling possibilities.

Russian military expert Yan Matveyev told the Associated Press it appears the plane was damaged by something very similar to an anti-aircraft missile from a Russian air defense system.

MATVEYEV: [Speaking Russian]

That’s Matveyev… saying Russia was using the air defense system to shoot down Ukrainian drones in the Chechen Republic as the plane was flying through.

He believes the plane sustained damage, but the crew kept going… wrongly thinking they could safely land the plane at the airport in the Kazakhstan city of Aktau. Of course, the plane ended up crashing.

A spokesman for Russian leader Vladimir Putin was asked about the possibility of the plane getting fired upon.

RUSSIAN SPOKESMAN: [Speaking Russian]

Speaking there, he says only that the investigation is ongoing… and it would be wrong to draw conclusions before it’s complete.

More than three-dozen people died when the plane, en route from Azerbaijan to a city in Russia, crashed Wednesday. More than two dozen people on board survived.

Israeli airstrikes in Yemen hit close to WHO leader » Israeli airstrikes meant to weaken Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen… hit very close to a high-level world leader.

World Health Organization leader Tedros Ghebreyesus says he was just a few meters from a control tower, departure lounge, and runway that were damaged… as he prepared to board a flight in the city of Sanaa.

Ghebreyesus was part of a United Nations delegation evaluating the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Israel’s army says it wasn’t aware of the visit.

U.N. leaders called Thursday’s airstrikes especially alarming. U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay…

TREMBLAY: The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and reiterates his call for all parties concerned to cease all military actions and to exercise utmost restraint.

The U.N. says three people were killed and dozens more injured in the strikes. Crews are surveying the damage today to see when Ghebreyesus and the U.N. delegation can leave.

GOP to be down one Senate seat for 10 days due to WV delay » When Congress reconvenes January 3rd, the new Republican majority in the U.S. Senate will briefly be one seat fewer than anticipated.

That’s because West Virginia Senator-elect Jim Justice will wait to take office until January 13th, the day his successor as West Virginia governor is sworn in.

JUSTICE: I don’t want to shirk any responsibility being your governor. At the same time, you were kind enough to elect me as your senator. And I want to do the greatness for this nation and absolutely continue to try to do everything I can possibly do for West Virginia as well.

That’s Justice addressing his constituents over local TV on WCHS.

His late start leaves less margin -52 GOP seats instead of 53- as the new Senate works to confirm President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Had Justice resigned his governorship early and joined the Senate on January 3rd, West Virginia would’ve had four governors in 10 days… thanks to a combination of West Virginia’s succession protocol and the November election results. Justice wanted to avoid that.

Growing interest from U.S. businesses in buying TikTok » Add billionaire Frank McCourt Jr. to the growing number of U.S. business people… showing interest in buying the popular TikTok app from its Chinese parent company to avoid a coming ban.

McCourt told Fox Business’s The Claman Countdown the app is a national security threat.

MCCOURT: We don’t want to see this ban. We want to see this app continue, just on a clean American stack, with China having no back door, no ability to surveil American citizens, no ability to manipulate 170 million Americans.

Earlier this year, Congress passed a law banning TikTok in the U.S. unless the app’s Chinese parent company sells it.

The ban is scheduled to take effect January 19th, but TikTok is appealing to the Supreme Court… with oral arguments also slated for next month.

Severe storms delay holiday travel in southern U.S. » A lot of people will be getting home from Christmas celebrations later than planned, especially if holiday travel took them South.

Stormy weather wiped out more than 700 flights Thursday, most of those headed into or out of Dallas-Fort Worth. National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Hurley describes the threat.

HURLEY: A likelihood in some areas of getting 60- to 70-mile an hour wind, non-tornadic, as well as potentially some large hail as well.

Several people in Texas captured video of possible tornadoes on their smartphones.

All told, 20 million Americans were under a severe storm threat Thursday… from Texas to Louisiana.

California Prop 36 » California now has a new tool in its arsenal to fight shoplifting.

The state's new Proposition 36 law is now in effect. Voters just approved it in the recent election. The law creates tougher penalties for shoplifting and drug trafficking.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told Fox and Friends:

SPITZER: We have the ability to charge felonies for repeat shoplifters. We can accumulate the dollar amount for repeat thefts by an individual. So we don't have to wait for it to hit $950. We can use all of their open cases against them to add up to the cumulative $950.

Nine dollars and 50 cents is the threshold for thefts to become a felony in California. Close to 70 percent of voters cast their ballots in favor of the legislation… which, in addition to theft, also targets homelessness and addiction.

I'm Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: A few of WORLD’s Books of the Year on Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, your listener feedback.

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