Tensions between the United States and Russia rose to new heights this week after both American and Russian military forces experienced a direct collision in the skies over the Black Sea. On Tuesday, two Russian Sukhoi-27 war planes collided with an MQ-9 surveillance drone belonging to the United States. The drone was damaged beyond repair and its debris is believed to have fallen into the Black Sea.

In the wake of the incident, U.S. officials have pointed to the “unprofessional, dangerous” maneuver in international airspace as inappropriate. The Biden administration summoned Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov to the State Department to register its strong condemnation, while the Pentagon released a 43-second clip of the incident to prove its accounts of the incident.

On Thursday, NATO announced it scrambles around 570 of its air forces each year in order to intercept Russian military aircraft that may potentially violate Allied

On Friday, Slovakia's government unanimously approved a plan to give Ukraine their fleet of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the second NATO member country to fulfill the Ukrainian government's plea for more planes to help defend against the Russian invasion.

This news comes the day after Poland's president announced his country would transfer approximately a dozen of the same fighter jets to Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes in the coming days, with others that need servicing being supplied later.

The debate over whether to provide non-NATO member Ukraine with military fighter jets started last year, but NATO allies held off, citing concern about escalating the alliance's role in the war. Now Ukraine will be receiving much-needed air support from fellow NATO members Poland and Slovakia, giving Ukraine the support it needs to better defend itself from

The Biden administration is taking a hard stance on the popular app, TikTok. The White House has recently demanded that its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance sell TikTok or face a potential ban in the United States. This represents a shift in the Biden administration's approach to TikTok, which was previously in negotiations with the White House to oversee data protection and safety standards.

TikTok spokeswoman Maureen Shanahan has discouraged the directive, arguing that a change in ownership would not have any added protective measures. The company is now facing the same pressures as before by former president Donald J. Trump who had threatened to ban the app if it was not sold to an American company.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department and the FBI are both engaging in their own investigations into ByteDance's use of TikTok to surveil journalists. The Department of Justice has issued a subpoena with the Office of the U

The French parliament passed President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reform bill following a long and heated debate in the National Assembly on Thursday, 16 March. The government did not receive an outright majority, but was able to pass through the legislation by invoking France's 49.3 constitutional clause.

The bill changes the retirement age from 62 to 64, something which has been met with resistance from the public who have staged massive protests and strikes against the reform for weeks. Opposition politicians have called for a vote of no confidence in the government, which must be done by 3 p.m. Friday.

Garbage collectors, oil refinery workers, and municipal workers are amongst the many unions who have gone on strike, causing heaps of trash to collect in parts of Paris. Philippe Martinez, the leader of one of the unions leading the protests, called for "new mobilizations" following the government's forced passing of

Residents of Central Texas and the Brazos Valley are being warned to take cover as severe thunderstorms sweep through the region. Chief Meteorologists Matt Hines, Josh Johns, Caleb Chevalier and Matthew Hidalgo are tracking the storms and providing alerts via Twitter and Facebook.

The most recent Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Milam county and is valid until 8:00 PM. According to Meteorologist Matt Hines, the storm could bring half-dollar size hail and winds up to 60 miles per hour. Earlier warnings for Bell, Falls, and Milam County were issued with quarter-size hail and the same wind speeds possible.

Meteorologist Josh Johns has been live-tweeting from the storm, referring to himself as the #25StormWrangler as he tracked lighting near Heidenheimer and a storm near Killeen, Texas. He issued warnings for residents to go indoors and be

The No. 8 Florida Gators began their march towards the top on Tuesday night by dominating the Colgate Raiders with a 18-5 win. The Gators (5-2) struck first, with sophomore attacker Emma LoPinto intercepting a Raiders’ pass and finding junior attacker Danielle Pavinelli for the first goal, tying the game at one. From there, the Raiders’ struggles only continued.

Junior midfielder Madison Waters scored Florida's eighth goal in the second half to put the Gators out to a 14-3 lead before Colgate was able to find the back of the net again. Florida redshirt senior goalkeeper Sarah Reznick made two key saves, while freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Davies received a yellow card and gave Colgate a man-up opportunity. The Gators capitalized on their opponent’s foreseen struggles, and continued to score four more unanswered goals to close out the match.

Sports fans, rejoice! YouTube TV has just announced that their streaming service will now offer the Multiview feature, allowing users to watch up to four preselected streams at once. This new feature could not have come at a better time, as March Madness is just around the corner and many sports enthusiasts will have to juggle numerous streams in order to keep up with the action.

The ability to use Multiview has been in the works for a while, with initial testing beginning sometime around the holidays. It will initially only be offered on sports content, but Google hinted that there might be more possibilities in the future. This feature is an excellent way to consume multiple sports games at once without having to use multiple devices or platforms.

Unfortunately, Multiview is still in its early access stages, meaning only selected users will be able to access it at this time. It will also be limited to streaming on smart TV

On Thursday night, the Ellison Eagles Boys Basketball team advanced to the Texas 5A state championship game with a 52-50 victory over the Mansfield Summit Jaguars at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Ellison is the first school in Killeen ISD history to compete for a state title in basketball.

The game was closely contested, with Ellison taking a three-point lead into halftime after a late 11-2 run. Ellison managed to pull ahead to a slim one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, and secured the victory with a late turnover from the Jaguars and perfect free throw shooting down the stretch. Deion Ware led the way for the Eagles, scoring 16 points in the win.

The win sets up a showdown between the two top-ranked teams in the state, as No. 2 Ellison will face No. 1 Dallas Kimball Saturday at 3 p.m. for the 5A State Championship. For the Jaguars,

The streets of Paris were littered with trash on Thursday 14 March 2023, at the climax of a wave of nationwide strikes that lasted for over a month in opposition of the French government's pension reform bill. The bill had been met with significant resistance, and opinion polls suggested a majority of the public supported industrial action to oppose it, which included the demand to push back the official retirement age from 65 to 62. The bill would also drastically increase the deficit of the French Pension System to 10 billion euros annually, according to the Pensions Advisory Council.

Despite the outcry, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire directed the government to pass the measure by constitutional article 49.3, which does not require an outright majority in parliament. As a result, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had to suspend the lower house session early and take the controversial decision which has resulted in massive outrage from both the far-right and far-left.

Shocking footage released by the Pentagon of Russian jets intercepting an American drone over the Black Sea has stoked outrage among senators of both parties. However, they have expressed extreme caution while engaging with the incident, seeking to avoid escalation of conflict between the U.S. and Russia.

Senators are awaiting a briefing from the Department of Defense to gain further clarity on the confrontation between Russian jets and the MQ9 drone. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that they should “demonstrate, in coming days, that we continue to feel that we have every right to be there and will be there again.”

The aerial incident could be a violation of international law since the drone was reported to be within the border of international waters. Although the action of the Russian pilot was heavily condemned

In a shocking turn of events, a phone incident involving University of Kentucky student journalist Jack Weaver, photo director of The Kentucky Kernel, and a Razorbacks staff member occurred after the No. 18 Texas A&M vs. Arkansas men's basketball game in the quarterfinals of the SEC men's basketball tournament on Friday.

Weaver claims a Razorbacks assistant, later identified as Riley Hall, director of internal operations, grabbed his phone and threw it to the ground. USC AD Hunter Yurachek later released a statement where Hall expressed his regret, claiming it was an inadvertent act. The Kentucky Kernel released a statement, standing with Weaver and confirming the incident.

The incident occurred as the Razorbacks fell 67-61 to Texas A&M. Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman left the court in an intense tirade and Weaver was there to capture the moment. Musselman never mentioned the incident, but did express frustration

Today, thousands of citizens took to the streets all over France in protest of a national pension reform bill being pushed through the Assembly by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Bypassing the usual democratic process, Borne invoked article 49:3 of the French Constitution, allowing the bill to be passed without a vote from the Assembly. The pension reform changes the retirement age from 62 to 64, prompting many to express their disbelief and anger.

The capital city of Paris saw the greatest number of protesters. Crowds converged on Place de la Concorde to chant “La Marseillaise” and wave union flags, while a few protesters even threw cobblestones at police in response to the retaliatory use of tear gas. People around the country responded similarly to the news, with thousands taking to the streets while also voicing no-confidence in President Macron’s government.

The move incurred the fury of

After a week of stress on regional banking, several of the US's largest banks stepped up to the plate in a big way today. 11 US banks, led by JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, signed off on a rescue effort to inject $30 billion into First Republic Bank. These four banks each contributed $5 billion, and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley chipped in an additional $2.5 billion each. The remainder of the participating banks, Truist, PNC, U.S. Bancorp, MT and Capital One provided $1 billion each. The Federal Reserve commented that it stands ready to provide liquidity through the discount window should the situation call for it.

This influx of cash was well received by investors, as the S&P 500 rose 1.8%. This news tempers the worries of failure for regional banks following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank just last

The Maryland Terrapins beat the Delaware Blue Hens in an extra-inning thriller, 13-11, on Wednesday, after completing a sweep of the Maine Black Bears at home over the weekend. Luke Shliger provided the decisive hit – a 10th-inning double that scored Elijah Lambros to break the tie.

The Terps sent Kenny Lippman to the bump for his first start of the year, while Delaware opted for Nate Rolka – who allowed three runs, three hits and walked three batters in the first inning before getting out of a jam. Maryland loaded bases in the bottom of the third inning, scoring three times with hit batters and a walk.

Delaware struck back for five runs in the bottom half for five runs and the lead. Clint Flippo had three hits and two RBI for the Blue Hens, while Joey Loynd was the only player to score

The banking sector is turbulent after the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, leading to heightened monitoring of national banks by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. This turbulence has been felt viscerally by First Republic Bank, as their credit rating has been downgraded by both Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings on fears of potential cash pulls from depositors. Consequently, in the hope of providing a lifeline for the beleaguered lender, the US's biggest banking titans have banded together.

JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup Inc., Bank of American Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., U.S. Bancorp, and PNC Financial Services Group Inc. are all considering various forms of capital raises to buoy the First Republic Bank. If action is not taken, egg prices, which rose sixty percent in the last year, may

On Tuesday, a U.S. surveillance drone was brought down over the Black Sea after a Russian military intercept leaving the recovery of the drone uncertain. U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley warned that any recovery operation would be difficult due to the deep water in the area. Russia's defense ministry blamed the crash on the drone's "sharp maneuvering," but the United States has taken measures to guard against a loss of sensitive information.

In light of this incident, the high risk cat-and-mouse game between NATO and Russian aircraft in European skies has been exposed. It is the first clash between Moscow and Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. An anonymous French expert believes that though this event is isolated, it is indicative of the end of the Cold War atmosphere.

Moscow has since announced that it will do its best to retrieve the drone and its remains, but

A federal judge in Texas is deciding on a serious challenge to the abortion pill, which could eliminate patient’s access to the medication even in states where abortion is legal and protected. The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group on behalf of antiabortion medical organizations. The pill, also known as mifepristone and misoprostol, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 as a safe and effective way to terminate early pregnancies.

At the hearing on Wednesday, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk questioned the FDA's approval process and whether the medication has met the "rigorous federal standard" necessary to be prescribed in the United States. He also discussed the impact of a 19th-century law that prohibits sending articles "for any indecent or immoral use" through the postal service. Kacsmaryk left court after

The anticipation and excitement of March Madness is officially upon us! The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will take place on March 12 at 4:00pm MST, announcing the bracket for the 2023 Men's NCAA Tournament. Mark your calendars and prepare for the Little Dance that precedes the Big Dance.

Following the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, the first Four games will be begin on March 14-15 in Dayton, Ohio. The first Round of the tournament will begin on March 16-17, with Sweet 16 games set for March 23-24. Elite Eight games are scheduled for March 25-26 and the Final Four games will take place on April 1 at the NRG Stadium in Houston. The NCAA Championship Game is also at the NRG Stadium on April 3.

CBS will be airing the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, followed by games on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. With the regular

Former President Barack Obama has revealed his Final Four picks for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Obama, a known fan of collegiate basketball, earned notoriety while in the White House for being able to break down his bracket predictions.

During his post-Presidency life, Obama has continued the tradition and has once again picked the Duke Blue Devils to win it all this time around. Joining them in the Final Four are the Houston Cougars, UCLA Bruins, and Baylor Bears, creating an impressive and longstanding set of teams. UCLA senior Amari Bailey discussed that the Bruins are prepare for the tournament and are looking to enjoy the experience.

Obama's picks for the tournament contain some savvy risks that have the possibility of attracting points from the pool organizers in case he gets it right. His bold prediction of Duke to win it all has ventured outside the "chalk" picks and puts his picks to the test. Regardless of how his picks play

The Biden Administration has rejected proposals from the popular video-sharing app, TikTok, following growing national security concerns. Owned by Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok has been accused of gathering data from millions of American users and sending it to the Chinese government. A spokesperson for TikTok said CFIUS, a federal panel which oversees national security risks, 'unanimously recommended ByteDance divest from TikTok'. While the Administration has yet to respond to a request for comment, a TikTok spokesperson said that "divestiture" of the app might not solve the issue and referred to their own 'Project Texas' initiative which promises to move all U.S.-based data and storage to the United States.

Critics of the U.S. demand for divestiture claim that it is equivalent to 'open robbery'. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has also called for a hearing, led by Tik

MIAMI -- On Wednesday night, Puerto Rico claimed a stunning 5-2 upset victory over the heavily favored Dominican Republic in a thrilling game that sent a sold-out crowd of 36,025 into a frenzy at LoanDepot Park. However, the euphoria of Puerto Rico's advancement to the quarterfinals quickly dissipated after star pitcher Edwin Diaz, of the New York Mets, suffered a terrifying injury in the post-victory celebration.

As Diaz rose to celebrate with his teammates, his right knee suddenly buckled, leaving him writhing in pain on the ground. Despite being injured, Diaz had only moments earlier converted a save for Puerto Rico, aided by Christian Vazquez’s lead-off home run and a brilliant five consecutive hit run in the third-inning.

The cause of Diaz's injury remains unknown, but this tragic accident serves as an illustration of the real risk that comes with high

Honda Motor Company announced an urgent recall of 500,000 vehicles in North America due to a potential issue with seat belts not latching properly. The recall affects several of Honda’s top-selling models: the 2017 through 2020 CR-V, 2018 and 2019 Accord, 2018 through 2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and the Acura RDX from 2019 and 2020 model years.

According to U.S. safety regulators, the surface coating on the channel for the buckle can degrade over time and the release button can shrink against the channel at lower temperatures. This increases friction, which can stop the buckle from latching properly. Without a secure latch, the driver and passenger may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has required Honda to repair the vehicles in the recall free of charge. If you or someone you know has one

On Wednesday evening, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Mohave County, near the border of California and Nevada. According to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, there have been no immediate reports of spills resulting from the derailment. The US National Transportation Safety Board and BNSF Railway have both been notified and are investigating the matter.

In light of multiple train derailments in the last month, many people are worried about the potential health impacts left behind by spills. Last month, a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, sparking a fire and releasing and burning toxic vinyl chloride into the air.

Since this incident, other derailments have occurred in Michigan, Alabama, and now Arizona, forcing people to question the safety of these railroads. Although an NTSB investigation has yet to begin, local authorities and BNSF railway have both affirmed that no spills have been reported. According

The Biden administration is continuing its battle to remove the popular video app, TikTok, from Beijing-based owner ByteDance. The U.S. Treasury-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) has issued an ultimatum to the company: sell your stakes in the app or it will be banned in the U.S.

The demand follows years of federal scrutiny over data safety for U.S. users. Concerns have been raised that the Chinese government could have access to this data if the app remains in its current form. President Trump attempted to enact a ban on TikTok but was halted by federal courts. Now, the Biden administration is taking aggressive action.

TikTok has “committed to spend $1.5 billion on a plan known as 'Project Texas'” which would enact a stronger firewall between the app

The American-Russian stand-off continues to rise as a MQ-9 surveillance drone was shot down on Tuesday by a Russian Su-27 jet intercept over the Black Sea. According to the Pentagon, the propeller was made inoperable, deepening already tense relations between the U.S. and Russia. However, Russian Defense ministry blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone as the cause of the crash.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley estimated that the drone likely broke apart and sunk to "significant depths" when it crashed, making any recovery operations challenging. Russia later announced they would attempt to salvage the drone and its wreckage, though it would be difficult to retrieve. Milley also stated they are confident in the drones secure protocol, adding that “whatever was of value is no longer of value”.

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