NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
Still ‘huge destructive potential’: State deploys team from Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to assist county
State and county agencies continue to prepare for the impacts of a possible closure of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway.
Biden sees economy avoiding recession, but risks remain
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden assured Americans on Friday that the U.S. economy is chugging along in the holiday season, but the very strength of a new jobs report showed that high inflation remains a recession threat.
For many Hawaiians, lava flows are a time to honor, reflect
HONOLULU — When Willette Kalaokahaku Akima-Akau looks out at the the lava flowing from Mauna Loa volcano and makes an offering of gin, tobacco and coins, she will be taking part in a tradition passed down from her grandfather and other Native Hawaiians as a way to honor both the natural and spiritual worlds.
After Hawaii crash, NTSB calls for inspection of helicopters
(AP) — U.S. safety officials are calling for immediate inspection of certain Bell helicopters based on findings from their investigation into a crash in Hawaii. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that U.S. and Canadian regulators should require immediate inspections of hardware used to attach the tail booms to the fuselage on Bell 407 helicopters. The safety board says one of the hardware fittings used to attach the tail to the fuselage was missing and three others showed signs of cracking in the Hawaii crash, which injured the pilot and five passengers. The Bell 407 is a popular helicopter for sightseeing flights and for law enforcement and air ambulances.
Rodgers, Packers try to stop skid, extend streak over Bears
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Aaron Rodgers turned toward the crowd after scrambling for a dagger touchdown at Soldier Field last year and landed a verbal haymaker for good measure.
Feral hog control: 8 years, some progress, $2.5B damage/year
NEW ORLEANS — Eight years into a U.S. program to control damage from feral pigs, the invasive animals with big appetites and snouts that uproot anything that smells good are still a multibillion-dollar plague on farmers, wildlife and the environment.
China got COVID wrong, and now Xi Jinping is paying the price
Protest movements routinely bring symbols that help define their cause. Umbrellas serving as shields against pepper spray came to symbolize demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2014 and again in 2019 as citizens protested anti-democratic measures pushed by Beijing.
Endangered listing for Nevada toad in geothermal power fight
RENO, Nev. — A Nevada toad at the center of a legal battle over a geothermal power project has officially been declared an endangered species after U.S. wildlife officials temporarily listed it on a rarely-used emergency basis last spring.
World Cup Viewer’s Guide: Americans face the Netherlands
DOHA, Qatar — Christian Pulisic became an American star with the winning goal — and the injury he got while scoring it — that lifted the United States into the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Mariners get 2B Kolten Wong from Brewers for Winker, Toro
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners acquired second baseman Kolten Wong from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday in a trade for outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro.
Column: College coaching color barrier firmly entrenched
Hugh Freeze returns to the Southeastern Conference with enough baggage to fill a jumbo jet.
Infowars host Alex Jones files for personal bankruptcy
Infowars host Alex Jones filed for personal bankruptcy protection Friday in Texas, citing debts that include nearly $1.5 billion he has been ordered to pay to families who sued him over his statements about the Sandy Hook school massacre.
Dems move to make South Carolina, not Iowa, 1st voting state
WASHINGTON — Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President Joe Biden to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate.
Russia rejects pullout from Ukraine as condition for talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia said Friday that Western demands it should pull out completely from Ukraine as part of any future talks to end the war effectively rule out any such negotiations, as Russian strikes continued and a Ukrainian official set his country’s battle losses at up to 13,000 troops.
Musk’s Twitter won’t die. Look at Telegram
A social network, privately run by a billionaire free-speech advocate, on a shoestring budget, hosting politicians with millions of followers, and with very loose content rules.
Supreme Court is about to make it still easier for officials to profit personally and defraud the public
Listening to Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court arguments about two prosecutions won by former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, it seems likely that the bad guys will go free. If and when that happens, consider it a lucky break for Andrew Cuomo’s former hatchet man Joe Percoco and a foursome caught rigging Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion program — and the umpteenth signal that America desperately needs better laws to police public corruption.
Pentagon debuts its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider
WASHINGTON — America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber is making its public debut after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China.
