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Bridge: Dec. 24, 2023

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

Unlucky Louie has a big family, and Christmas at his house is like a baby shower that went totally overboard.“I’m afraid our Christmas tree isn’t big enough,” Louie complained to me. “There isn’t room beneath it for all the packages.”“Don’t worry about it,” Rose told him. “In the eyes of a child, every Christmas tree is about 30 feet tall.”In my club’s penny Chicago game, Louie was declarer at today’s four spades, and his perception of the play was a little off. (Louie’s hand wasn’t quite as strong as he thought — his jack of spades was probably a wasted honor — and he might have done better to bid three clubs at his second turn to try for game. North, with two aces, might have accepted a try.)West led a trump. Louie won, took the ace of clubs and led a second club, pursuing a club ruff in dummy. West won, led a second trump, won the next club and led a third trump. Then Louie’s last club was a loser, and he also lost a diamond. Down one.“Nice defense,” Louie said grudgi...

There Was No Cover-Up of Hamas’s Sexual Violence on October 7

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

Demonstrators gather during a “#MeToo unless you’re a Jew” protest outside of United Nations headquarters in New York City on Dec. 4, 2023.Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty ImagesOne thing is true: Hamas and other Palestinian militants committed unspeakable sexual violence against Israeli civilians on October 7. “The full scale of the assault is yet to be uncovered,” according to a position paper published by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, a nongovernmental organization.Two things are not true: That the October 7 rapes and sexual mutilation were ignored or covered up by the United Nations gender-equality organization U.N. Women and a conspiracy of Western feminists, global human rights organizations, and U.S. progressives. Or that behind this alleged rape denial lies antisemitism: “#MeToo, except if you’re a Jew.”Yes, some individuals and extreme-left organizations have denied these atrocities or upheld them as justified resistance. But it...

Emergency room doctor unveils the most dangerous toys this season

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

In less than 24 hours kids everywhere will begin tearing into toys from their wish list. But before that happens, one D.C.-area doctor suggested some ways to play it safe and avoid a Christmas trip to the emergency room.Dr. Sarah Ash Combs, an emergency medicine physician and director of outreach for Children’s National Hospital, said there is an easy way for parents to make sure toys are safe. It begins with carefully checking the toy’s packaging and wrapping — especially if you have children younger than three years old.“Is it wrapped in shrink-wrap packaging?” she said. “Is it something that a young child can get their hands on and ingest and use to cover their mouths? Bear in mind what the toy is coming in.”Combs also suggested keeping toys with tiny magnets, loose buttons or coin batteries away from children. If those parts are swallowed, they could be deadly for kids.“Look at a toy critically,” Combs said. “Ask yourself, ‘If this went into my child’s mouth, could be sucked dow...

Md. Rep. Jamie Raskin: Constitution bars former President Trump from holding office again

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is speaking out following last week’s ruling from Colorado’s Supreme Court that said former President Donald Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency.The Capitol Hill lawmaker told WTOP that Trump’s actions following the 2020 election disqualify him from being president again.Raskin cited section three of the 14th Amendment, which says former public office officials who have engaged in insurrection are ineligible to hold public office again.“Donald Trump is right in the bull’s-eye center of the constitutional prohibition in section three of the 14th Amendment,” he said.Raskin, who was also a professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law, said the Colorado court engaged in a very straightforward textual interpretation of the 14th Amendment when it made the ruling.“Some people are out there saying, ‘Well, this would be anti-democratic to deny the people the rig...

Polish truckers halt blockade at Ukraine border crossing

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

Protests blockading a key border crossing between Ukraine and Poland have halted, officials in Kyiv said Sunday, amid a long-running standoff with Polish farmers over imports of cheap grain.In a statement, the Ukrainian authorities said that “truck traffic has been restored” after “Polish farmers finished the blockade of the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing point” along the highway that links the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine to Poland’s Kraków. “Registration and entry of trucks to Ukraine is going ahead normally. Border guards are working together with customs officers to ensure that as many trucks as possible cross the border.”Polish truckers and farmers have been staging protests at four border crossings with the neighboring Eastern European country since November. The Polish protesters want the EU to scrap rules that allow cheap Ukrainian grain to enter the bloc as part of measures designed to support Kyiv’s economy.On Monday, the ...

Large police presence overnight outside Lawrence bar

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

A large police presence gathered late Saturday night outside a bar in Lawrence. Police officers and state troopers could be seen gathering in a taped-off section outside Energy Lounge on Broadway before going inside to conduct an investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

18-year-old arrested in Stoughton shooting

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

An 18-year-old Stoughton resident is facing charges in connection with a shooting in the town on Saturday.Officers responding to a report of shots fired in the area of Central Street and Greenwood Avenue arrested Marc Francois near a condominium complex and recovered a firearm, according to Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara.Soon after, another man arrived at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro with a gunshot wound.“The safety of our community is paramount, and when violence strikes, our residents should expect a rapid response and diligent investigation by our officers, who did exactly that in this incident,” McNamara said in a statement. “This is a great example of professional policing at work during a rapidly unfolding incident.”Francois was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail, and he will be arraigned Tuesday at Stoughton District Court on charges including assault and battery with a firearm, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing seriou...

The NFL’s oldest rivalry continues Sunday at Soldier Field. A look at the rivalry that started in 1920.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

The oldest rivalry in the NFL continues at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at Soldier Field. And no, it doesn’t include a team from Green Bay.This matchup began in 1920 when two professional football teams called Illinois home. That’s when the Chicago Bears, then known as the Decatur Staleys, faced the Racine Cardinals — named after Racine Avenue where their home venue was Normal Park and not for the city in Wisconsin — for the first time.The Cardinals started in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club on Chicago’s South Side before becoming the Chicago Cardinals in 1922, then moved to Missouri to become the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960, and then to Arizona in 1988. Two winning seasons were capped by championships for the Cardinals in 1925 (though it is still controversial) and 1947. These remain the franchise’s only titles.The team’s color has a history too. The Cardinals first used borrowed maroon jerseys from the University of Chicago.The Bears hold the overall...

The least-anticipated Patriots game in decades and 3 more NFL thoughts on Christmas Eve

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

As someone who makes a living observing, analyzing, reporting on, writing about and enjoying football, rest assured there is no joy in this next question.Is Sunday’s Patriots game the least-anticipated of the Bill Belichick era?Granted, there is no single, reliable tool for capturing fan interest. In the age of streaming, TV and radio ratings become less relevant by the year. Social media engagement is too easily manipulated to offer real insight.It’s a feel thing. How many of your friends are invested in Sunday’s outcome? What is the big draw? What are the storylines?What do you hear about the game in various media spaces? How much do they all care? How much do you care?Because during the week, these topics dominated the conversation around the Patriots instead of the actual football game they’ll play against the Broncos: an NFL Draft four months away, a head-coaching decision three weeks away, the air pressure in footballs (again) and Bill Belichick being i...

Patriots-Broncos preview: How can New England return home with a victory?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:46:33 GMT

It’s been six years since the Patriots kicked off in Denver.Somehow, it feels even longer.Heading into Sunday’s kickoff, the Pats will have already been eliminated from the playoffs for weeks; a far cry from their prior visits to Mile High as a fellow AFC contender. In Denver, new head Sean Payton has rescued a season that appeared to be on the brink at 1-5 and included a 50-point loss at Miami. While the Broncos’ postseason hopes remain slim at 7-7, expect them to push the Patriots for every inch on every play at home.Here’s what to watch for:When the Patriots runThe Pats’ steady-eddy run game hit the brakes last weekend against the Chiefs, averaging 3.2 yards per carry and racking up 52 yards total.Ezekiel Elliott continues to take the lion’s share of carries and should be expected to do so again in Denver, despite the recent signing of second-year back Kevin Harris off the practice. Lucky for them, the Broncos’ run defense ranks dead last...