USA

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican senators have been predicting a "bipartisan" acquittal for President Donald Trump in the upcoming impeachment trial to be hosted by the chamber, although they stopped short of speculating on specific Democrats who will cross party lines, U.S. media reported Thursday.

"I think we might have a couple" of Democratic senators who will join the GOP not to convict Trump in the trial, David Perdue, Republican senator from the U.S. state of Georgia, was quoted as saying by Washington-based website The Hill.

MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT PARK, Calif. (AP) — A huge redwood tree fell and killed a man visiting Muir Woods National Monument in California on Christmas Eve, authorities said Thursday.

Subhradeep Dutta, 28, of Edina, Minnesota, died while walking on a marked dirt trail with two other people in the park north of San Francisco famous for its towering trees, according to the Marin County coroner’s office and a spokesman for the park.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A cold and blustery winter storm unleashed downpours and extensive snowfall on Southern California, triggering a tornado and snarling post-Christmas travel on major routes Thursday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Few states have changed politically with the head-snapping speed of Iowa.

In 2008, its voters propelled Barack Obama to the White House, an overwhelmingly white state validating the candidacy of the first black president. A year later, its Supreme Court sanctioned same-sex marriage, adding a voice of Midwestern sensibility to a national shift in public sentiment. In 2012, Iowa backed Obama again.

COLORADO SPRINGS (US), Dec 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man with a white beard was being held on $10,000 bond for allegedly robbing a Colorado bank and throwing the stolen cash into the air while shouting, “Merry Christmas” to passersby, police and local media reported.

David Wayne Oliver, 65, was arrested at a nearby Starbucks coffee shop after he held up the Academy Bank in Colorado Springs on Monday afternoon, according to a police report.

WASHINGTON, December 26. /TASS/: The US Cyber Command (Cybercom) is developing information warfare tactics that can be used against Russia, Washington Post reported citing former and current US officials.

According to the paper, the US military started developing methods to counter external threats in cyberspace in connection with possible interference into the 2020 presidential election in the country.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has spent about 120 million U.S. dollars in digital and television advertising since joining the presidential race last month, local media reported on Wednesday.

Bloomberg, who runs as a Democrat, is spending in all 50 U.S. states but targeting the big, delegate-rich Super Tuesday states that can make or break his campaign, such as California, Texas and Florida, according to Politico, a top U.S. political website.

CHICAGO, Dec 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Dense fog disrupted air traffic at Chicago’s two international airports, with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook, for parts of north central Illinois, including the Chicago area, due to “significant fog risk.”

The dense fog caused more than 70 flights to be cancelled in the early morning, the Midway International Airport confirmed, on its twitter account.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas woman who drove to Mexico to deliver Christmas gifts to a sprawling refugee camp housing people waiting for U.S. court dates said Wednesday she was detained by authorities there for two days.

Anamichelle Castellano said she and another volunteer for her nonprofit group were stopped Monday at a bridge crossing from Brownsville, Texas, to Matamoros, Mexico. She said authorities discovered a small box of ammunition inside the car she was driving, which she said was left inside by her husband.

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The remains of a 33-year-old American soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan have been returned to the United States, arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Goble of Washington Township, New Jersey, was killed Monday in a roadside bombing in northern Kunduz province. The Taliban has claimed they were behind the attack.