Crooked Bough News Round-up

— The Pope has called for peace in South Sudan in the final part of his Africa tour

 

at 2/5/23 4:44am

Pope Francis celebrated Mass before tens of thousands of people, to close out an unusual mission by Christian religious leaders to nudge forward the South Sudan's recovery from civil war.(Image credit: Gregorio Borgia/AP)

— An unusually high number of whales are washing up on U.S. beaches

 

at 2/5/23 3:03am

The unexpected deaths are hitting humpbacks and North Atlantic right whales on the East Coast and gray whales on the West Coast — populations that were already under watch. (Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

— What Biden needs to do in this year's State of the Union speech

 

at 2/5/23 3:01am

On Tuesday, Biden will deliver his State of the Union speech to a divided Congress — and a big audience at home. It's seen as an unofficial kick-off to his expected re-election campaign.(Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

— Santos took office one month ago and his New York district says he's got to go

 

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Congressman George Santos' constituents are furious and don't think he's doing the work to represent them. A recent poll finds most GOP voters want the scandal plagued Republican to resign.(Image credit: Alex Brandon/AP)

— We asked for wishes, you answered: Send leaders into space, free electricity, dignity

 

at 2/5/23 3:00am

Send leaders into space for perspective, tap solar power to offer electricity for all, make "dignity" a priority — those are some of the wishes readers have for 2023.(Image credit: The Friends School of Atlanta)

— It's nothing personal: On Wall Street, layoffs are a way of life

 

at 2/5/23 3:00am

Big companies such as Amazon and Google have recently announced layoffs. In Wall Street, getting cut is always acknowledged as an ever-lurking prospect – but it still stings when it happen.(Image credit: Allison V. Smith)

— Eggs prices drop, but the threat from avian flu isn't over yet

 

at 2/5/23 3:00am

After months of eye-popping prices, egg lovers are finally seeing some relief. Wholesale prices in the Midwest fell by 58 cents at the end of January, but the days of a $1.50 a dozen may not return.(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

— Ex-Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, who aided U.S. war in Afghanistan, has died

 

at 2/5/23 1:02am

Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup and later led a reluctant Pakistan into aiding the U.S. war in Afghanistan against the Taliban, has died. He was 79.(Image credit: Beth Keiser/AP)

— A near-collision between 2 planes in Austin prompts an FAA investigation

 

at 2/4/23 7:47pm

Just before a FedEx cargo airplane was due to land, an air traffic controller cleared the Southwest flight to depart from the same runway. The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the incident.(Image credit: Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

— A Black History Month-themed police car in Miami draws criticism

 

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Some community members describe the cruiser as tone deaf and ill-timed, given tensions with police around the country. Miami police said they stand by the decision to unveil the special design. (Image credit: Miami Police Department )

— The U.S. has downed a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina

 

at 2/4/23 12:26pm

The suspected Chinese spy balloon was noticed in Montana and slowly crossed the U.S. China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and protest" over the downing.(Image credit: Randall Hill/Reuters)

— Democrats vote to upend presidential primary calendar for 2024 but challenges persist

 

at 2/4/23 10:41am

The vote cements a shift in the presidential primary calendar that many Democrats have long called for and elevates states with greater diversity and voter access. (Image credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

— Shlomo Perel, a Holocaust survivor who inspired the film 'Europa Europa,' dies at 98

 

at 2/4/23 7:42am

Shlomo Perel, who survived the Holocaust through surreal subterfuge and an extraordinary odyssey that inspired his own writing and an internationally renowned film, has died in Israel.(Image credit: Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial via AP)

— Dozens of soldiers are freed in a Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap

 

at 2/4/23 6:51am

A Ukrainian official said the released POWs included troops who held out in Mariupol during Moscow's monthslong siege that reduced the southern port city to ruins. (Image credit: LIBKOS/AP)

— A 50-car freight train derailed in Ohio, causing a big fire and evacuations

 

at 2/4/23 6:26am

The resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order in a village near the Pennsylvania state line. There was no immediate information about what caused the derailment. No injuries were reported.(Image credit: Melissa Smith via AP)

— Poetry finally has its own Grammy category – mostly thanks to J. Ivy, nominee

 

at 2/4/23 5:59am

Poet J. Ivy is a nominee for the Grammys' Best Spoken Word Poetry Album award — a new category he helped create, after petitioning the Recording Academy.(Image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

— Even after you think you bought a car, dealerships can 'yo-yo' you and take it back

 

at 2/4/23 5:54am

NPR investigated a practice called a yo-yo sale and found it's hurting car buyers nationwide, tougher rules can make a difference, and the Federal Trade Commission has a chance to crack down.(Image credit: Arin Yoon for NPR)

— Iowa Alzheimer's care facility is fined $10,000 after pronouncing a living woman dead

 

at 2/4/23 5:30am

The woman was unresponsive, and nurses were unable to detect her breathing. A state agency report found the facility "failed to ensure residents received dignified treatment and care at end of life."(Image credit: Google Earth/Screenshot by NPR)

— What's a spillover? A spillback? Here are definitions for the vocab of a pandemic

 

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Since the pandemic was declared in 2020, many perhaps unfamiliar terms have become part of daily conversation. Here's a glossary, from antibodies to zoonosis.(Image credit: Olivia Taussig-Rees for NPR)

— Gas stove makers have a pollution solution. They're just not using it

 

at 2/4/23 5:00am

Gas utilities and cooking stove manufacturers knew for decades that burners could be made that emit less pollution in homes, but they chose not to. That may may be about to change.(Image credit: Sean Gladwell/Getty Images)

As of 2/5/23 5:58am. Last new 2/5/23 5:17am.