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Mathews: Democracy will struggle to survive the world’s 2024 elections

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

2024 will be the biggest election year in history. About 4.2 billion people, or more than half of humanity, live in countries with upcoming elections.Can democracy survive it?That question may sound cynical. But, in the 21st century, romantic ideas of democracy are dying. The latest global reports show democracy contracting across every world region. And elections rarely renew faith in democracy. Authoritarian rulers use them to consolidate power. They inspire frustration, divide societies and spark violence.Elections can also make democracies vulnerable to outside attack. On my recent visit to Taiwan, which holds presidential elections Jan. 13, Vincent Chao of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party told me that the election itself was a form of national security against China, which insists it will reunify with the island nation — by force if necessary. “Democracy is our best defense,” Chao said.But democracy also makes Taiwan vulnerable. The Chinese government and its proxi...

A DC lifeguard died after falling underwater and going unnoticed for 7 minutes. Was her death preventable?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

Jazmin Jefferson was a 21-year-old lifeguard who fell into the pool and remained there for seven minutes before being noticed. (Courtesy Julius Jefferson)Jazmin Jefferson was a 21-year-old, fifth-generation Washingtonian who had been employed as a lifeguard at pools in the District for the three years since she’d graduated from the city’s School Without Walls.“She was always willing to put other people first and to make sure that other people are comfortable and taken good care of,” Jazmin’s father, Julius Jefferson, told WTOP. “So, she certainly was a lifeguard at heart — saving lives and making lives better.”Life for the Jefferson family was indelibly changed on Nov. 29, when Jazmin fell into the pool at the Roosevelt Aquatic Center in Northwest, where she worked, while suffering a cardiac arrest.Jazmin died on Dec. 23, having been in a coma since her fall.D.C.’s Parks and Recreation department said the facility was “fully staf...

Texas está enviando solicitantes de asilo a las principales ciudades en autobús sin previo aviso. Estos alcaldes quieren pisar el freno

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

(CNN) — Frustrados por los “autobuses deshonestos” de Texas que dejan a miles de inmigrantes, los alcaldes de Nueva York, Chicago y Denver están tratando de frenar el aumento exigiendo a los operadores de autobuses que coordinen las llegadas bajo la amenaza de confiscaciones, multas e incluso penas de cárcel.La semana pasada, 14 autobuses llenos de inmigrantes de Texas se dirigieron a la ciudad de Nueva York, el total más alto registrado desde la primavera de 2022, dijo el alcalde Eric Adams, citando el Centro de Llegadas de Solicitantes de Asilo de la ciudad.Hay más de 11.700 menores migrantes bajo custodia del Gobierno federal de EE.UU.Bajo la dirección del gobernador republicano de Texas, Greg Abbott, el estado de Lone Star ha transportado en autobús a más de 90.000 inmigrantes a “ciudades santuario” dirigidas por demócratas como Washington, DC, Nueva York, Chicago, Filadelfia, Denver y Los Ángeles desde abril de 2022. según cifras publicadas por la oficina del gobernador e...

Moscow accuses Kyiv of shelling Russian border city following its own aerial assault against Ukraine

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

Russian officials on Saturday accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the Russian border city of Belgorod, a day after an 18-hour aerial Russian barrage across Ukraine killed at least 39 civilians.Two children were killed in Belgorod, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement on social media. He also said that an unspecified number of people had been injured.While previous attacks on the region have generally taken place at night, images on social media showed flames in broad daylight in what appeared to be the heart of the city, with cars set alight and plumes of black smoke rising among damaged buildings.Air raid sirens sounded across the city, state media reported.Earlier on Saturday, Moscow officials had reported shooting down 32 Ukrainian drones over the country’s Moscow, Bryansk, Oryol, and Kursk regions.They also reported that cross-border shelling had killed two people in Russia. A man died and four other people were injured when a missile struck a private home i...

CNBC: esto es lo que debes hacer si te ganas el premio de $760 millones del Powerball

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

El premio del Powerball ha aumentado hasta unos $760 millones -el sexto mayor premio de la historia del juego- y los expertos tienen consejos sobre lo que debes hacer primero el afortunado ganador.Si aciertas el boleto ganador, podrás elegir entre uno de los dos pagos: pagos anuales por valor de $760 millones o una suma valorada en $383.6 millones, según Powerball. Ambas opciones son estimaciones antes de impuestos.El próximo sorteo de Powerball es el sábado a las 10:59 p.m. ET, y las probabilidades de ganar el premio gordo son aproximadamente de 1 entre 292 millones.Tanto si optas por el pago de la suma total o por el pago anual, tendrás que pagar una elevada factura fiscal, que incluye una tasa inicial del 24% de impuestos federales. Pero rápidamente alcanzará el 37% del impuesto federal sobre los ingresos, y la factura final será probablemente de millones más. (También es posible que debas impuestos estatales sobre las ganancias de la lotería). Lotería del Powerball...

Así será el tiempo en EE.UU. para Nochevieja: ambiente seco, lluvia y nieve

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

(CNN Español) – Al 2023 le quedan solo unos días y a medida que se acerca el fin de año, muchos se preguntan cuál será el tiempo en los próximos días en Estados Unidos, a medida que una tormenta de nieve azotó las Llanuras y la parte alta del Medio Oeste desde Navidad.Dichas zonas han experimentado nevadas intensas, lluvia helada y vientos fuertes, haciendo peligrosos los viajes durante la semana festiva por el fin de año.Según el pronóstico del Centro de Predicción de Tormentas para los días del 30 de diciembre al 3 de enero de 2024, se espera que las condiciones de tiempo mejoren con una zona extensa de alta presión que mantenga seca y estable la mayor parte del país, que impedirá la presencia de tormentas.Para quienes acudan a la celebración de Nochevieja en Times Square, Nueva York, la Oficina Nacional de Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA) estima una temperatura de 2°C a medianoche bajo un cielo parcialmente nublado.Los meteorólogos del Centro de Predicción meteorológi...

From ‘Les Mis’ to ‘The Wiz,’ DC-area theater highlights of 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

It was an exciting year for live theater productions in the nation’s capital and the surrounding areas.While national tours brought famous Broadway revivals to town, local theaters staged their own daringly creative work.Here are 10 memorable interviews of visiting productions and 10 conversations from local productions that joined WTOP in 2023.Visiting Productions(Chronological)January: “Cats” at National TheatreMarch: “Jagged Little Pill” at National TheatreApril: “My Fair Lady” at National TheatreApril: “Les Misérables” at Kennedy CenterMay: “Spamalot” at Kennedy CenterJune: “Hadestown” at National TheatreJune: “The Lion King” at Kennedy CenterAugust: “Moulin Rouge!” at Kennedy CenterAugust: “To Kill a Mockingbird” at Kennedy CenterOctober: “The Wiz” at National TheatreLocal Productions(Chronological)January: “Ride the Cyclone” at Arena StageFe...

Turkish Super Cup football final in Riyadh scrubbed in Ataturk row: Reports

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

The Turkish Super Cup football final to be played in Saudi Arabia on Friday was canceled after a dispute with Saudi authorities over the players’ shirts, according to media reports.The match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce was scheduled for Friday evening in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, but it had to be postponed over what the clubs described as “some problems” in the event’s organization, according to the reports.HaberTurk television and other media said the Fenerbahce and Galatasaray players wanted to wear T-shirts featuring the image of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during the prematch warm-up, but were not authorized to do so by Saudi organizers, according to the Associated Press.The players insisted on the T-shirts because the Super Cup coincides with the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Ataturk, according to the reports. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce earlier pressed for the game to ...

The numbers that will shape a crucial year in US politics

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

The presidential election year is finally upon us — and with it, many important questions.Will a challenger emerge who can pose a significant threat to Donald Trump’s renomination? What are the signs that a rematch of the 2020 election might end differently? And which party will have the upper hand in the pitched battle to control Congress?There are key data points that will answer all of these questions, if one knows where to look.Here are 24 of those numbers to watch in the new year:1. Donald Trump’s share of white evangelical Christian votes in IowaEight years ago, Trump lagged with white evangelicals in Iowa (21 percent, tied with Marco Rubio for second place), who made up roughly six-in-10 caucusgoers, according to the entrance poll. But he’s now dominating this bloc — leading Ron DeSantis 56 percent to 22 percent, according to a recent Fox Business poll — foreclosing any path for DeSantis or Nikki Haley to usurp him.2. Nikki Haley’s vote share among women in New...

Israel bombs refugee camps in central Gaza: Report

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:54:58 GMT

Israeli warplanes bombed two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip amid an expanding ground offensive, the Associated Press reported. Residents in Nuseirat and Bureij — two of eight urban camps set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to house Palestinians who fled their homes following Israel’s creation in 1948 — told the AP that airstrikes had hit the areas Friday night and into Saturday. At the same time, Israeli tanks are moving deeper into central and southern Gaza, part of a military offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks in which more than 1,000 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Saturday that 165 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll since October 7 past 21,600. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced by the fighting, according to UNRWA, with many fleeing south from the advancing Israeli troops. The U.S...