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The atrocities of Syria's grueling civil war seemed to go on forever for a large portion of its 13 years. In just eleven days, President Bashar al-Assad's administration has fallen, with the despot escaping his nation amid a dramatic advance by opposition troops. A lot of Syrians are celebrating. Assad used torture, murder, and domestic repression to hold onto power. In 2011, he used a combination of chemical weapons and lethal support from Russia and Iran to put down an uprising. His family's iron-fist empire, which started in 1971, appears to be over. This is by no means a quick and easy solution, though. The group in charge of the rebels that overthrew Assad is considered a terrorist organization by the US and other countries. Additionally, they retake a Syria that has been severely dam...

The atrocities of Syria's grueling civil war seemed to go on forever for a large portion of its 13 years. In just eleven days, President Bashar al-Assad's administration has fallen, with the despot escaping his nation amid a dramatic advance by opposition troops. A lot of Syrians are celebrating. Assad used torture, murder, and domestic repression to hold onto power. In 2011, he used a combination of chemical weapons and lethal support from Russia and Iran to put down an uprising. His family's iron-fist empire, which started in 1971, appears to be over. This is by no means a quick and easy solution, though. The group in charge of the rebels that overthrew Assad is considered a terrorist organization by the US and other countries. Additionally, they retake a Syria that has been severely dam...

Washington The Supreme Court on Monday avoided a new debate over race in education by refusing to examine whether a Boston public high school admissions program illegally took race into account, despite the protests of conservative justices. While Justice Neil Gorsuch stated that he shared their concerns regarding the program, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas both stated that they would have taken up the case. "Overwhelming direct evidence of intentional discrimination" supported the Supreme Court's action, according to Alito's writing. Following the high court's decision to prohibit the consideration of race in college admissions last year, the court has now rejected to examine a policy intended to increase diversity in public secondary schools twice. That decision raised quest...

As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to assume office for a second term, China has accused U.S. chipmaker Nvidia of breaking its anti-monopoly law. This accusation is likely to worsen already strained economic relations between the two nations. China's state market regulatory body said in a statement on Monday that the investigation is connected to Nvidia's 2019 purchase of Mellanox, a multinational provider of computer networking hardware. That transaction was tentatively approved by China in 2020. A request for comment was not immediately answered by an Nvidia representative. Following Monday's market opening, the company's stock was down almost 3%. A new set of export restrictions on U.S.-made semiconductors was unveiled last week by the departing Biden administration in an effort...

In what is thought to be the most valuable contract in team sports history, superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets reached an agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract. The details of Soto's enormous contract, which now places him as the biggest name in professional sports, were verified to NBC News by a person involved with the negotiations after ESPN first reported on Soto's decision to leave Yankee Stadium for Citi Field on Sunday night. Generational sensation Shohei Ohtani said on Monday of last year that he had inked a $700 million contract to relocate from the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim to the Dodgers, who play in downtown Los Angeles. Another audacious effort by the Mets ownership to break out of the huge shadow created by the surrounding Yankees is Soto's move ...

The College Football Playoff selection committee avoided controversy and created a bracket that is as equitable as any of us could have hoped for, thanks to a 56-yard field goal that won the game as time ran out in the ACC Conference Championship. Do I need to pick nits? I do, of course. Fortunately, however, the committee chose to reward Southern Methodist for reaching their conference championship game rather than penalize them for their defeat. The idea of honoring a club that lost three games without reaching its conference championship game over another so-called Power 4 team with ten wins seemed like a horrible precedent to create, as I argued late last week. After Clemson's clutch kick, the argument was irrelevant. But the question remains: Would the committee have been so kind to S...

Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., announced on Saturday that local police are collaborating with the U.S. Capitol Police to look into the bomb threat that was directed against her and her family. I was informed this morning that my family and I were the target of a bomb threat. In a statement, Trahan expressed his gratitude to the outstanding officers of the Westford Police Department, who acted quickly to ensure our safety and are currently collaborating with the Massachusetts State Police and the US Capitol Police on this matter. "Now is a good time to state the obvious: intimidation and threats of violence have no place in our nation," Trahan continued. According to Capt. Michael Breault of the Westford Police police, the police responded to Trahan's residence and alerted the Massachusetts Sta...

Early Monday marked the official start of Hollywood's awards season with the announcement of the 82nd Golden Globes film nominees, which included the genre-bending song "Emilia Prez," the postwar epic "The Brutalist," and the Vatican-set soap opera "Conclave." The Bob Dylan biographical "A Complete Unknown," the science-fiction extravaganza "Dune: Part Two," the novel adaptation "Nickel Boys," and the thriller set in 1972, "September 5," joined "The Brutalist" and "Conclave" in the best drama picture category. The family comedy "A Real Pain," the body-horror satire "The Substance," the sultry love triangle "Challengers," the outrageous romance "Anora," and the blockbuster success "Wicked" will all compete alongside "Emilia Prez" in the contest for best comedy or musical film. ("Conclave" a...

Due to exceedingly uncommon and catastrophic fire weather conditions, as well as Santa Ana winds that might reach 65 mph, red flag warnings have been issued for Southern California. According to the Los Angeles National Weather Service office, red flag warnings are in effect for the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, Ventura County beaches and valleys, and western San Fernando Valley from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time on Monday. Due to Santa Ana winds, low humidity, and exceptionally dry vegetation, a red flag warning for a "particularly dangerous situation" is also in effect in those same areas from 10 p.m. on Monday until 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Ventura and Los Angeles counties are affected by the warning. Since this warning is rarely given, there is a signifi...

Several reports on Sunday claimed that superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets had reached an agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract. The biggest contract in sports history is this one. In a daring move by a team that has long been eclipsed by the Bronx Bombers, the decision moves Soto, previously of the Yankees, across town to Queens. Based on data from Baseball Prospectus, ESPN was the first to report on Soto's choice to leave Yankee Stadium for Citi Field and free-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen, who spent an MLB-high $341.8 million on his 40-man roster for the 2024 season. It is Cohen's largest investment to date, and he hasn't been afraid to open his cash. Shortstop Francisco Lindor has a $341 million, ten-year contract. In 2023, Cohen had already spent $130 millio...