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In one of the last remaining cities under Ukrainian control in the country's eastern Donetsk region, once a powerhouse of industry, life gets more difficult — and dangerous — as Russian forces inch closer.

Over the last month, local officials in Kramatorsk have reported dozens of Russian attacks on the city using strike drones, ballistic missiles, rockets and aerial bombs. Homes, gas stations and markets have all been hit, as has a nearby power plant, causing blackouts.

"There was a recent strike on the house next to mine," said Olena Frolova, 20, who works in a shop that sells Donetsk-branded clothing in Kramatorsk. "We all feel that the front is getting closer. Your life depends on how our guys at the front hold on."

Russian President Vladimir Putin is doubling down on seizing all of eastern Ukraine's Donbas, which includes the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia has invaded and occupied more than 80% of Donbas since 2014. The Kremlin wants to take the remaining land either by military force or as part of a deal to end a full-scale war it has waged on Ukraine for nearly four years. Ukraine has so far refused to agree to any deal that gives up its territory to Russia. The Trump administration is pushing a plan that faces Ukrainian and European resistance over the issues of territory and security guarantees.

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At least one student was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting at a residence hall at Kentucky State University on Tuesday, and a suspect who is not a student at the school was in custody, officials said.

The shooting was the second in four months in the same area of the university.

The suspect in Tuesday’s More...shooting is not a Kentucky State student, Scott Tracy, assistant chief of police for Frankfort, said during a news conference. Tracy said police responded swiftly to the shooting.

“Frankfort police believe this to be an isolated incident and there are no active safety concerns on campus at this time,” he said.

One student who was shot at the residence hall is in critical condition but is stable, according to the university. The school is not immediately releasing the names of the students.

“We are in close contact with the families and are providing every available support to them,” the school said in a statement, adding that counseling and support services are available.

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Organizers challenging Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional map say they turned in enough signatures on Tuesday to block the map from going into effect and to force a referendum on the map next year.

People not Politicians, the main organization behind the effort, said they submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office, nearly triple the number required to block the map from going into effect. Missouri’s Republican secretary of state now needs to review the signatures.

“The citizens of Missouri have spoken loudly and clearly: they deserve fair maps, not partisan manipulation,” Richard von Glahn, the executive director of People Not Politicians, said in statement. “We are submitting a record number of signatures to shut down any doubt that Missouri voters want a say.”

Missouri Republicans approved a new map in September that eliminates the Kansas City-based district of Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, and replaces it with a Republican one. It’s part of a nationwide push by Donald Trump to redraw Republican-friendly congressional districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when Republicans are expected to lose their razor-thin majority in Congress.

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Democrats continued their run of successes in special elections by flipping a state House seat in Georgia Tuesday, according to a projection from the CNN Decision Desk.

The Democratic victory, in a district that voted for President Donald Trump by about 12 percentage points last year, comes ahead of next year’s critical midterms, when Georgians will vote in closely watched races for Senate and governor.

Eric Gisler, a Democrat who owns a local olive oil store, will defeat Republican Mack “Dutch” Guest in the 121st House District, in the northeastern part of the state, near the college town of Athens.

Between regularly scheduled elections in Virginia and New Jersey and special elections held on newly redrawn maps in Mississippi, Democrats flipped about 20 state legislative seats on Election Day last month. Those victories came after Democrats flipped two seats in Iowa and one in Pennsylvania during special elections earlier in the year.

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Grammy-nominated singer Jubilant Sykes was stabbed to death at his home in Santa Monica, California, and his son was arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said Tuesday.

Officers responded to a 911 call Monday night reporting an assault in progress at the residence in the coastal city west of Los Angeles, according to a statement from the Santa Monica Police Department.

They found Sykes, 71, inside with critical stab wounds. Paramedics arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.

The victim’s son, 31-year-old Micah Sykes, was at the home and taken into custody without incident, police said. It wasn’t immediately known if he has an attorney.

Police recovered a weapon and the investigation was ongoing.

Jubilant Sykes was nominated for best classical album at the 2010 Grammy Awards for “Bernstein: Mass,” in which he performed the Celebrant role.

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Lawmakers have taken a hard line against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, threatening to lock down a portion of his travel budget until he turns over unedited footage of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and copies of the orders behind the operations. 

The provisions, tucked in the final text of the sweeping bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), land amid intensifying bipartisan scrutiny over a Sept. 2 operation off the coast of Venezuela, in which the military carried out a second strike on a suspected drug boat that killed two survivors.

They also come as Democrats sound the alarm on the administration’s overall strategy of sinking suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and as lawmakers express increasihttps://thehill.com/homenews/house/5641394-hegseth-boat-strikes-video-ndaa/ng misgivings about Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who’s been critical of the September operation and sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Hill via text message that he supports the provision.

“It’s time to show Hegseth we are an independent branch,” he said.

Bacon has in recent days ramped up his criticism of Hegseth, telling Politico’s Dasha Burns on C-SPAN that “after ‘Signalgate,’ I think I’ve seen enough.”

He added that he thinks it was mainly leadership in the Senate and House Armed Services committees who pushed for the provision.

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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the second-largest diocese in the nation, has agreed to negotiate a settlement that will pay more than 1,300 people who said priests and lay staff members sexually abused them as children.

In a letter published on Dec. 8, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the archdiocese was preparing to raise more than $300 million that will be used to provide compensation for survivors of sexual abuse. The cardinal said the archdiocese has made a "series of very difficult financial decisions" to fund the global settlement, including layoffs and a 10% reduction in its operating budget.

He added that the archdiocese was also working to finalize the sale of its assets, including the former archdiocesan headquarters in Manhattan and other real estate.

"As we have repeatedly acknowledged, the sexual abuse of minors long ago has brought shame upon our Church," Dolan wrote in the letter. "I once again ask forgiveness for the failing of those who betrayed the trust placed in them by failing to provide for the safety of our young people."

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Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins won Miami's mayoral runoff election Tuesday, marking the first time in more than 30 years that the city has elected a Democrat as mayor.

Higgins secured 59% of the vote versus former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez's nearly 41%, according to unofficial results from the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections. The win marks an end to a competitive race that began with a crowded 13-person field.

"Our city chose a new direction," Higgins told the cheering crowd at her election night celebration. "You chose competence over chaos, results over excuses and a city government that finally works for you."

The campaign centered on issues such as immigration, housing, flooding, city growth, and the tone of leadership Miami needs. Higgins and Gonzalez faced off in a CBS News Miami debate moderated by Jim DeFede on Nov. 25, giving voters a chance to compare their visions for the city.

While the race was officially nonpartisan, Higgins had the backing of prominent Democrats, while Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Trump, endorsed Gonzalez.

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