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Tokyo company loses contact with moon lander in likely crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

A Japanese company lost contact with its spacecraft moments before touchdown on the moon Wednesday, saying the mission had apparently failed.Communications ceased as the lander descended the final 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph). Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as the minutes went by with no word from the lander, which is presumed to have crashed. “We have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface,” said Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of the company, ispace. If it had landed, the company would have been the first private business to pull off a lunar landing.Only three governments have successfully touched down on the moon: Russia, the United States and China. An Israeli nonprofit tried to land on the moon in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact. The 7-foot lander (2.3-meter) Japanese lander carried a mini lunar rover for the United Arab Emirates and a toylike robot from Japan design...

Changes planned for College Board’s Black history class

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

After facing criticism for removing topics including the Black Lives Matter and slavery reparations movements, the College Board announced it will be making changes to its new Advanced Placement African American studies course.The company did not say what the changes will be or when they will be made public. In a statement Monday, it said a development committee and experts charged with developing the course will “determine the details of those changes” over the next few months.“We are committed to providing an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture,” the company said.The course gained national attention this winter when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, said he would ban the course in his state because he believed it pushed a political agenda.“In the state of Florida, our education standards not only don’t prevent, but they require teaching Black history, all the important things. That...

Drug for rare form of Lou Gehrig’s disease OK’d by FDA

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Food and Drug Administration regulators on Tuesday approved a first-of-a-kind drug for a rare form of Lou Gehrig’s disease, though they are requiring further research to confirm it truly helps patients.The FDA approved Biogen’s injectable drug for patients with a rare genetic mutation that’s estimated to affect less than 500 people in the U.S. It’s the first drug for an inherited form of ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a deadly disease that destroys nerve cells needed for basic functions like walking, talking and swallowing. Approval came via FDA’s accelerated pathway, which allows drugs to launch based on promising early results, before they’re confirmed to benefit patients. That shortcut has come under increasing scrutiny from government watchdogs and congressional investigators.The FDA is requiring Biogen to continue studying the drug in a trial of people who carry the genetic mutation but do not yet have ALS symptoms. The drug, tofersen...

FACT FOCUS: COVID vaccines are not in the food supply

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

Anti-vaccine advocates have for years used foreboding imagery of syringes to paint immunizations as dark and dangerous. But recent vaccine conspiracy theories are casting an air of fear around more mundane things — like cows and lettuce.In widespread posts online in recent weeks, misinformation purveyors have spread an erroneous narrative that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are being quietly added to the food supply, threatening staunch vaccine holdouts.In some cases, users misrepresented the limited use of RNA-based vaccines in animals. In others, they distorted a company’s research into using plants to grow proteins used in vaccines.But experts confirm there are no COVID-19 vaccines in your steak or salad. Here are the facts.CLAIM: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are being added to the food supply through livestock and produce.THE FACTS: COVID-19 vaccines are not being passed along through livestock or produce, and experts say that would not be an efficient way to immunize someone. A flurry of soc...

US officials seek to crack down on harmful AI products

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

The U.S. government will “not hesitate to crack down” on harmful business practices involving artificial intelligence, the head of the Federal Trade Commission warned Tuesday in a message partly directed at the developers of widely-used AI tools such as ChatGPT.FTC Chair Lina Khan joined top officials from U.S. civil rights and consumer protection agencies to put businesses on notice that regulators are working to track and stop illegal behavior in the use and development of biased or deceptive AI tools. Much of the scrutiny has been on those who deploy automated tools that amplify bias into decisions about who to hire, how worker productivity is monitored or who gets access to housing and loans. But amid a fast-moving race between tech giants such as Google and Microsoft in selling more advanced tools that generate text, images and other content resembling the work of humans, Khan also raised the possibility of the FTC wielding its antitrust authority to protect competition.“We all...

Russian spy intrigue fizzles as Hawaii stolen ID trial nears

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

U.S. prosecutors who introduced Russian spy intrigue into the case of a couple accused of living for decades in Hawaii under identities stolen from dead babies are now saying they don’t want jurors to hear about photographs showing them wearing foreign uniforms.A U.S. judge granted the request last week, ruling that the uniforms are not relevant to the upcoming trial for charges involving identity theft and passport fraud. Defense attorneys have said from the start those uniforms were worn once for fun.When the former U.S. defense contractor and his wife were arrested last year, prosecutors suggested the case was about more than just identity theft. According to prosecutors, Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison are the real names of the couple who have been fraudulently living for decades under stolen identities Bobby Fort and Julie Montague. Prosecutors say Primrose spent more than 20 years in the Coast Guard as Bobby Fort, where he obtained secret-level security clearanc...

WATCH LIVE: Kim Foxx says she will not seek reelection

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced Monday she will not seek reelection. In an email to her staff, Foxx said, "While I will not be seeking a third term, it doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere.  The good, hard work we began in 2016 will continue through the end of my term in 2024."Foxx delivered remarks in an address to the City Club of Chicago Tuesday.Foxx won a second term as Cook County state’s attorney in 2020.Her tenure ushered in sweeping changes in how the Cook County prosecutor handles crime and punishment.For several years, amid a rise in crime in the City of Chicago, critics have labeled her social justice reform as failing the community.Foxx has faced criticism from the Chicago Police Department, and from Mayor Lori Lightfoot on charging decisions, home monitoring, as well as the handling of high profile cases like Jussie Smollett. Previous Coverage: Police: Officers called to Kim Foxx’s home for report of domestic dispute Those close to her also say th...

Carjackers take 2 vehicles at gunpoint from man on North Side

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

CHICAGO — A 41-year-old man was carjacked at gunpoint of two of his vehicles on the city's North Side.Police said the incident happened on the 3600 block of North Wolcott around 11:08 p.m. Monday in the North Center neighborhood.The man told police he was going back and forth between his two vehicles, a gray Toyota Camry and a red Kia Sportage, when a silver sedan approached with four men.Two of the men exited the sedan, displayed handguns and demanded the 41-year-old's car keys. 1 dead, another injured after Lemont petroleum plant explosion According to police, the victim complied and the men got into each of his vehicles and fled the scene. The man was not injured.No one is in custody at this time. Area Three detectives are investigating.

How the Bears reacted to the Aaron Rodgers trade on social media

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

LAKE FOREST — The team didn't have any public comments on Monday when the details of a major deal involving their biggest rival were beginning to emerge. But that didn't mean the Bears didn't have something to say about Aaron Rodgers' trade to the New York Jets on social media. After all, the Packers quarterback had a habit of breaking the team's heart on numerous occasions since he became Green Bay's full-time starting quarterback in the 2008 season. On their Twitter account, the Bears posted a gif of a real bear appearing to wave goodbye. There were no words put on the tweet, but the message was fairly obvious to anyone who follows them.The departure of Rodgers is certainly a celebration by the team along with fans after he finished his time in Green Bay with a 25-5 overall record against the Bears. That included winning 24 of 29 regular season games against Chicago and a win over the team in the NFC Championship Game in January 2011. You have to go back to December 2018 to find t...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in mid 40s with decreasing clouds

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:36:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Scattered showers Tuesday with mostly cloudy conditions. Winds: NNE 5-10 G15. High: 46. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly clear tonight with frost possible. Winds: N 5-10 mph G15. Low: 34.Wednesday Forecast: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside. Winds: ENE 5-10. High: 51/45.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center