USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — On this, even President Donald Trump’s most fevered critics agree: he has left a deep imprint on the federal courts that will outlast his one term in office for decades to come.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A recreational vehicle parked in the deserted streets of downtown Nashville exploded early Christmas morning, causing widespread communications outages that took down police emergency systems and grounded holiday travel at the city’s airport.

Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. The RV exploded shortly afterward, Drake said.

NEW YORK, Dec 24 (APP): Half of registered American voters say they think history will view Donald Trump as a “failed” president, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The poll of 1,000 registered voters, carried out by USA TODAY/Suffolk University from Dec. 16 to 20, found stark partisan divides in attitudes towards Trump’s presidency, with many Republicans saying the president should not concede to President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat.

WASHINGTON, Dec 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump warned he would hold “Iran responsible” in the event of a fatal attack on Americans in Iraq, as the first anniversary of the killing of a top Iranian general in a US air strike approaches.

“Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets,” Trump said on Twitter, referring to an attack that caused damage but no deaths.

“Guess where they came from: IRAN,” he added.

25 Dec 2020; MEMO: Qatar announced on Thursday that it had notified the United Nations (UN) and the UN Security Council that four Bahraini fighter jets violated its airspace, flying over its territorial waters on 9 December.

25 Dec 2020; MEMO: Israeli officials tried to use last week's visit by the top US general to influence the incoming Biden administration's policy on Iran and its nuclear activity, according to local media, Anadolu Agency reports.

Israel hopes Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will help sway President-elect Joe Biden to agree with Israel's policy on Iran and support the recent controversial normalisation process with Arab countries, said Israeli media on Wednesday.

Los Angeles, Dec 25 (AP-PTI) Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in California has found a new owner in billionaire businessman Ron Burkle.

Burkle views the 2,700-acre property in Los Olivos, near Santa Barbara, as a land banking opportunity, his spokesman said Thursday in an email.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would be happy with the progress in global climate action, but sad about the lack of international cooperation in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, said his spokesman on Thursday.

Answering an end-of-year question about the UN chief's biggest pride and his biggest regret for 2020, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres' spokesman, quipped: "Look, he is not one to toot his own horn. But I guess that's my job."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Thursday the United States will open a consulate in Western Sahara following President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The police chief of Columbus, Ohio, recommended on Thursday that the officer who shot and killed Andre Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, earlier this week be fired.

Police Chief Thomas Quinlan said in a statement that he filed two departmental charges alleging critical misconduct against officer Adam Coy in the death of Hill after an expedited investigation. His recommendation for termination now goes to the city’s public safety director; a hearing is scheduled for Monday.