SpaceX capsule back at space station with pre-Christmas haul
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A recycled SpaceX capsule is back at the International Space Station, just in time for Christmas.
NASA astronauts used the space station’s big robot arm to grab the Dragon capsule out of orbit Sunday. It’s the second visit for this particular supply ship, which made a delivery for NASA back in 2015 as well, and only the second time a Dragon has had a repeat performance 250 miles up.
“It’s a great day to see Dragon back at ISS again,” Mission Control radioed.
Replied spaceman Joe Acaba: “It’s a beautiful spacecraft, and we’re looking forward to digging into it and getting some science on board.”
Acaba assisted Mark Vande Hei in capturing the Dragon as the two spacecraft raced over the Pacific, midway between Australia and New Guinea. Flight controllers in Houston then took over, securing the capsule to its berthing spot just over two hours later.
McCain returning home to Arizona, will likely miss tax vote
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain is returning home to Arizona after being hospitalized for the side effects of his brain cancer treatment and likely will miss a crucial vote on the GOP tax package, President Donald Trump said Sunday.
Trump told reporters he had spoken to McCain’s wife, Cindy, after her husband had spent about a week at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.
“They’ve headed back, but I understand he’ll come if we ever needed his help, which hopefully we won’t,” Trump said. “But the word is that John will come back if we need his vote. And it’s too bad. He’s going through a very tough time, there’s no question about it. But he will come back if we need his vote.”
Now in his sixth Senate term, McCain, 81, underwent surgery in mid-July to remove a 2-inch (51-millimeter) blood clot in his brain after being diagnosed with glioblastoma. A statement issued last Wednesday by the senator’s office said he was at Walter Reed receiving treatment for the “normal side effects of his ongoing cancer therapy.”
His daughter Meghan McCain tweeted Sunday: “My father is doing well and we are all looking forward to spending Christmas together in Arizona.”
Power outage halts flights at Atlanta international airport
ATLANTA (AP) — A sudden power outage at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday grounded scores of flights and passengers during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
Passengers were left in the dark when the lights suddenly went out in the early afternoon at around 1 p.m.
Airport spokesman Reese McCranie said all airport operations were affected when the electricity went out, including outgoing flights, which were halted. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented a “ground stop,” meaning flights heading to Atlanta were held on the ground at their departure airport.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service said on Twitter that due to the power outage, international flights were being diverted to other airports.
McCranie said later that emergency power was restored but not all power. Georgia Power spokesman John Kraft said the utility was working to find out the cause of the outage and restore electricity. He could not estimate when that might happen. Spokeswoman Holly Crawford said no areas outside of the airport were affected by the power cut.
Kremlin says Putin thanked Trump for CIA tip on bombings
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday to thank him for a CIA tip that helped thwart a series of bombings in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin and the White House said.
During the call, the two leaders’ second in three days, Putin expressed gratitude for the CIA information. The Kremlin said it led Russia’s top domestic security agency to a group of suspects that planned to bomb St. Petersburg’s Kazan Cathedral and other crowded sites this weekend.
“The information received from the CIA proved sufficient to find and detain the criminal suspects,” the Kremlin said.
The White House said in its readout of the conversation that “based on the information the United States provided, Russian authorities were able to capture the terrorists just prior to an attack that could have killed large numbers of people.”
The White House added that Putin extended his thanks and congratulations to CIA Director Mike Pompeo and the entire agency. Trump then called Pompeo “to congratulate him, his very talented people, and the entire intelligence community on a job well done!”
APNewsBreak: US soldier fought to end after ambush in Niger
WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson died in a hail of gunfire, hit as many as 18 times as he took cover in thick brush, fighting to the end after fleeing militants who had just killed three comrades in an October ambush in Niger, The Associated Press has learned.
A military investigation has concluded that Johnson wasn’t captured alive or killed at close range, dispelling a swirl of rumors about how he died.
The report has determined that Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Florida, was killed by enemy rifle and machine gun fire from members of an Islamic State offshoot, according to U.S. officials familiar with the findings. The Oct. 4 ambush took place about 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Niamey, the African nation’s capital. Johnson’s body was recovered two days later.
U.S. officials familiar with the findings spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to describe details of an investigation that has not been finalized or publicly released.
A 12-member Army special forces unit was accompanying 30 Nigerien forces when they were attacked in a densely wooded area by as many as 50 militants traveling by vehicle and carrying small arms and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Flames threaten coastal communities as firefighters mourn
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thousands of firefighters tried Sunday to shield coastal communities from one of the biggest wildfires in California history while a funeral procession rolled past burn-scarred hillsides in honor of one of their colleagues who was killed battling the flames.
Crews cleared brush and dug containment lines above hillside neighborhoods in Santa Barbara County, taking advantage of slightly calmer winds a day after gusts fanned a flare-up that prompted more evacuations.
“Everything’s holding really well,” fire information officer Lisa Cox said. “Thousands of homes have been saved.”
While gusts had eased somewhat, even lower intensity winds were still dangerous, she warned. The fire northwest of Los Angeles was 40 percent contained.
Television news footage showed at least one structure burned on property in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, and authorities said damage assessments could take days.