5 things to know for Jan. 5: House, California floods, Vatican, Ukraine, Tech layoffs

CNN –

Many people are trusting the autonomous cars and delivery robots that navigate the sidewalks in big cities. Now, the same self-driving technology is coming to strollers — yes, strollers. Understandably, some parents are not ready to put their child in a mechanism with his own mind. However, the company behind the artificial intelligence is confident it can fuel the discourse to prove it can add an element of security.

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House Republicans are trying to end a deadlock over Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker. On Wednesday, McCarthy lost the sixth round of voting for House speaker and proposed more key concessions in his bid to get 218 votes — including agreeing to propose a rule change that would allow only one member to call for a vote to remove an incumbent. The House will reconvene today in hopes of electing a speaker, but voting could take until the weekend. Until the impasse is resolved, most of the chamber’s operations will remain suspended and there will be few laws. The shutdown also means Republicans may have to wait longer before tackling some of their most pressing priorities, including investigations into President Joe Biden’s administration and his family.

A bomb cyclone is battering the California coast, causing widespread flooding, landslides and power outages. The heaviest rain and strongest storm-force winds have wreaked havoc in the Bay Area as central California continues to grapple with strong hurricane-force winds. Forecasts show rainfall rates in some areas could exceed 1 inch per hour today, which could cause even more flooding across an already saturated region battered by another storm that brought deadly flooding just last weekend. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide emergency declaration Wednesday, as nearly 200,000 California homes and businesses remain without power this morning.

The reporter describes the scene as the movement of a ‘bomb cyclone’ in San Francisco

Pope Francis led the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City today, in an event attended by tens of thousands of people. The funeral marked an unprecedented moment as it was the first time in modern times that a pon had presided over the funeral of his ancestor. Benedict was elected pope in April 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II and was the first pope in almost 600 years to resign his post rather than hold office forever. He died aged 95 last month. He was known to be more conservative than his successor, Pope Francis, who has made moves to soften the Vatican’s stance on abortion and homosexuality, as well as doing more to deal with the sex abuse crisis that has engulfed the church. recent years and has tarnished. Benedict’s legacy.

See Pope Francis preside over Pope Benedict’s funeral

As Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine enters its 10th month, the US is now considering sending armored combat vehicles to help Ukrainian forces, while France said it would also send light armored combat vehicles. The Western-style tanks will be “very important to restore security for all Ukrainians and peace for all Europeans,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent one of his country’s most modern warships armed with advanced hypersonic missiles that travel more than five times the speed of sound – making them difficult to detect and intercepted. “I am sure that such powerful weapons will reliably protect Russia from possible external threats and help secure the national interests of our country,” Putin said during the deployment via state media, without specifying specifically the conflict in Ukraine.

The video shows the moment of the explosion at the Russian ammunition depot in Luhansk

Amazon has become the latest tech giant to announce significant layoffs. According to a memo from CEO Andy Jassy shared with employees, Amazon plans to lay off more than 18,000 employees as the global economic outlook continues to deteriorate. The tech sector, which initially boosted employment during the pandemic, has since had to contend with changing consumer habits as people return to their offline lives. At the same time, the industry has been hit by a seemingly perfect storm of economic factors over the past year, including rising interest rates, recession fears and consumers and businesses rethinking spending. It comes after Facebook parent Meta recently announced 11,000 job cuts, the largest in the company’s history. Twitter also announced extensive job cuts after Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion. Salesforce this week also said it would cut 10% of its staff.

Baby’s day care bus video goes viral

Check out this adorable video inside a dog day care bus. It’s no Greyhound, but there are plenty of hounds on board.

Edward Norton discovers that Pocahontas is his 12th great-grandmother

The Oscar-nominated actor grew up hearing a long-standing family rumor that he was related to the real-life Pocahontas. He recently confirmed it was a fact on an episode of the PBS show “Finding Your Roots.”

BMW unveils concept car that changes color based on the mood of their owners

Have you ever wanted to share your mood while stuck in traffic? Well, BMW is planning to introduce a colorful display panel on the exterior of some of its vehicles, creating something of a facial expression.

These are the most punctual airlines in the world

It’s been a chaotic year for the aviation industry, but this American airline just received an award for global operational excellence.

Prince Harry claims his brother William physically assaulted him, according to The Guardian

A new book seen by The Guardian apparently has shocking details of the brother’s royal rift.

James “Buster” Corley, co-founder of the popular restaurant and entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s, has died in an apparent suicide. He was 72 years old. In a company statement Wednesday, Dave & Busters said Corley was an “innovative and creative force” with a “passion for hospitality.” His daughter, Kate Corley, confirmed her father’s death, saying a stroke he suffered four months ago “caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain”.

500 million dollars

That’s what two actors are demanding from Paramount Studios for allowing the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet” to be shown with scenes showing them nude as minors, according to a lawsuit filed last week. The two actors – who were 15 and 16 at the time – claim that an intimate scene featuring images of their naked bodies has caused them mental anguish and emotional distress in the 55 years since it was released. They are accusing Paramount Studios of sexually exploiting and distributing nude images of teenage children. CNN has reached out to Paramount for comment on the matter.

“Like the rest of the nation, our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and his teammates.”

— White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirming that President Joe Biden saw the “horrific news of Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest” and spoke with Hamlin’s mother and father “at length.” The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety remains in critical condition after collapsing on the field during Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. He is starting to show signs of improvement, the Buffalo Bills said in an update Wednesday.

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The artist draws with a line

The artist draws with a line

This artist creates impressive drawings without even lifting her pen. Watch this short video to see how her hands and eyes work in quick coordination. (Click here to view)