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• Election officials keep quitting years after 2020, as new study flags ongoing turnover risk - Fifty percent of chief local election officials in Western U.S. states have left their jobs since November 2020, with departures increasing from 2023, according to new Issue One study.
• Palantir's Shyam Sankar: US must use AI as 'slingshot' against China or face economic defeat - Palantir CTO says US must harness AI to compete with China, citing factory case where worker productivity improved 50% with significantly reduced downtime.
• Judge rules federal agents must limit tear gas at protests near Portland ICE building - A federal judge restricted federal officers from using tear gas on protesters outside the ICE facility in Portland after agents deployed gas at demonstrators.
• Trump admin sued by New York, New Jersey over Hudson River tunnel funding freeze: ‘See you in court’ - New York and New Jersey are suing the Trump administration after accusing the feds of "illegally withholding" $16 billion in funding for the Gateway project.
• Girl, 12, dangles from ski chairlift in California before crashing to ground in terrifying video - A 12-year-old girl walked away without major injuries after falling from a ski chairlift at Mammoth Mountain resort in California. The dramatic rescue attempt was caught on video.
• Lions fan files $100M lawsuit after DK Metcalf clash, denies racial slur claims - Michigan resident Ryan Kennedy filed a $100 million lawsuit against DK Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ford Field over alleged security failures during a Dec. 21 altercation.
• White House approves Medal of Honor for fallen Army Staff Sgt Michael Ollis after years-long push - The White House approved the Medal of Honor for fallen Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who died heroically shielding an allied soldier in Afghanistan suicide bombing.
• Lawmakers probe National FFA over Chinese Communist Party ties and DEI programs - Lawmakers are demanding answers from Future Farmers of America over Chinese Communist Party-controlled Syngenta partnership, citing serious national security concerns.
• Baby elephant makes historic arrival at Smithsonian's National Zoo as first birth in nearly 25 years - Rare Asian elephant birth at Smithsonian's National Zoo marks first new calf in nearly 25 years, offering new hope for endangered species conservation efforts.
• Leaders of desecrated Catholic school urge prayer for perpetrators after Mary statue, tabernacle destroyed - Catholic school vandalized as religious statues smashed and tabernacle destroyed. Justice Department launches civil rights investigation into the attack.