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In their lightning-fast advance, Syrian rebels claim to have taken control of a fifth city and are encroaching on Damascus, the country's capital, threatening to further destabilize an already war-torn region. The largest Syrian province, Homs, which borders Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, was reportedly taken by the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on Saturday. The claim has not been independently confirmed by NBC News. The road between Damascus and the Syrian coast would be shut off if the rebel group took control of the Syrian-Lebanese border, severely undermining President Bashar Al-Assad's government. Lt. Col. Hassan Abdul-Ghani, the senior leader of HTS, asserted that the organization had taken control of the cities of Homs, Sweida, Quneitra, and Daraa in less than a day....

According to a police officer on Friday, authorities suspect that the person of interest in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan may have fled New York City via a crowded bus terminal. Video shows the man riding a bike in Central Park before he takes a taxi to the Port Authority bus stop near the George Washington Bridge, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. To determine whether he took a bus from there and, if so, which one, investigators are searching for further footage. "It's a very busy bus terminal," Kenny told CNN the previous Friday. "We're still working through it, but we want to make sure we have the correct bus. All of the information is new. Investigators have also gathered shot cas...

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...

An author who is better renowned for her singing than for words on paper has the largest book launch of the year thus far. Swift's Eras Tour Book sold 814,000 copies over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to Circana. Around 85% of the print market is tracked by Circana, but the Eras data are more accurate because Swift sold the book only through Target, which started the Eras tie-in on Black Friday. According to a Targetpress release, just "nearly 1 million copies" were sold in the first week of the book's release, although the retailer did not specify how many copies were sold. The book, which costs $39.99 in stores and online, has over 500 images from her global tour, which became the highest-grossing tour ever. In an October Instagram post announcing the book's release, Swift ...

As part of a lightning-fast offensive that might further destabilize an already war-torn region, Syrian rebels declared they had taken control of a major city in the southwest near the Jordanian border and that they are advancing on the capital, Damascus. According to Hayat Tahrir al-Shamcommander Hassan Abdul Ghani, who posted on X Saturday, our forces have started conducting the last stage of surrounding the capital, Damascus. Ghani said that HTS had taken control of the city centers of Daraa, Sweida, and Quneitra in a follow-up post on X. "The Military Operations Department has completed combing and securing the city centers of Daraa, Sweida, and Quneitra, thus announcing that the centers of the three southern governorates are completely liberated and free of the criminal regime forces,...

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...

The president and general manager of Tyler Perry Studios, Steve Mensch, lost his life in a single-engine plane crash in Florida on Friday night. Mensch was the only person inside the single-engine fixed-wing aircraft that crashed in Homosassa Friday at approximately 8 p.m., according to the Citrus County Sheriff's office. Mensch's death was verified by Tyler Perry Studios. We deeply mourn the loss of our beloved friend, Steve Mensch. According to a statement from the studio, Steve was a beloved member of our staff for over eight years and a well-known figure in the Atlanta community. It is difficult to picture the hallways without his smile. He will be sorely missed. We all pray for his family, and our hearts are with them. According to a Facebook post from the Citrus County Sheriff's Off...

Tyler Perry Studios' president and general manager, Steve Mensch, perished in a plane crash in Florida on Friday night. Mensch was either the pilot or a passenger in the single-engine fixed-wing aircraft that crashed in Homosassa at approximately 8 p.m. The victim's name has not been made public by the Florida Highway Patrol. Mensch's death was verified by Tyler Perry Studios. We deeply mourn the loss of our beloved friend, Steve Mensch. According to a statement from the studio, Steve was a beloved member of our staff for over eight years and a well-known figure in the Atlanta community. It is difficult to picture the hallways without his smile. He will be sorely missed. We all pray for his family, and our hearts are with them. According to a Facebook post from the Citrus County Sheriff's...

As part of a lightning-fast offensive that might further destabilize an already war-torn region, Syrian rebels declared they had taken control of a major city in the southwest near the Jordanian border and that they are advancing on the capital, Damascus. According to Hayat Tahrir al-Shamcommander Hassan Abdul Ghani, who posted on X Saturday, our forces have started conducting the last stage of surrounding the capital, Damascus. Ghani said that HTS had taken control of the city centers of Daraa, Sweida, and Quneitra in a follow-up post on X. "The Military Operations Department has completed combing and securing the city centers of Daraa, Sweida, and Quneitra, thus announcing that the centers of the three southern governorates are completely liberated and free of the criminal regime forces,...