West
USA Today fact-checks Babylon Bee’s satire claim that Biden is selling Alaska to Russia
NEWNow you can take heed to Fox Information articles!
USA Right now reporters fact-checked the satirical web site the Babylon Bee for publishing a satirical headline about President Biden promoting Alaska.
On Monday, Babylon Bee posted the headline, “Biden Sells Alaska Again To Russia So We Can Begin Drilling For Oil There Once more” in response to rising fuel costs and President Biden’s plan to import extra oil from international nations slightly than broaden home manufacturing.
LIBERAL WAPO FACT-CHECKER MOCKED FOR CLAIM IRAN ONLY ENRICHING URANIUM AFTER TRUMP ENDED NUCLEAR DEAL
“The deliberate and premeditated invasion of Ukraine by brutal dictator Vladimir Putin has pressured the U.S. to reassess the significance of vitality independence. With this new resolve, the Biden Administration has taken its first step towards growing oil manufacturing for People by promoting Alaska again to Russia, so we will begin drilling for oil there once more,” the Babylon Bee wrote.
The Fb web page Being Libertarian posted it to their web page, and it was shared greater than 2,000 occasions. The Fb publish from the group is outwardly what triggered the USA Right now to do a fact-check on the satirical article. Though fact-checker Ana Faguy referenced a number of occasions that the Babylon Bee was a satire website, the article nonetheless required her to charge the declare as “SATIRE” after her evaluation.
“Primarily based on our analysis, we charge SATIRE the declare that Biden plans to promote Alaska to Russia. The declare stems from an article revealed by The Babylon Bee, a satire web site. There isn’t any proof Biden plans to promote Alaska,” Faguy wrote.
The Babylon Bee has been incessantly focused by mainstream media retailers such because the New York Instances and CNN for pushing “misinformation” regardless of selling itself as a pure satire website. Fb additionally flagged one article as misinformation for claiming that CNN places its information via a washer to spin it earlier than they put it on the air.
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The Babylon Bee’s official Twitter account responded to USA Right now’s fact-check on Thursday.
“Due to the fact-checkers at @USATODAY who’ve identified that this story is satire. We want to retract it, as we now understand it’s false and was totally made up,” Babylon Bee tweeted “We do our greatest to solely share 100% true headlines, however generally we get one flawed. We are going to do higher.”
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Denver, CO
Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets
Winning streaks, no matter how modest, have a way of turning heads. After all, winning doesn’t just mask flaws— for a young team it can serve as a megaphone for potential. For the Spurs, riding the wave of a two-game winning streak, Saturday night’s rematch against the Denver Nuggets presents an opportunity to keep the good vibes rolling.
Last night’s victory over the Nuggets was no small feat. Facing a team headlined by Nikola Jokić, the Spurs managed to pull off an upset that featured standout performances from their young core, including—you guessed it—Victor Wembanyama. The rookie sensation’s presence in the paint and versatility on both ends of the floor were instrumental, and if San Antonio hopes to repeat the feat, they’ll likely need another big night from him.
Of course, back-to-back matchups in the NBA often turn into chess matches. Denver will surely make adjustments, particularly after a game where their offense stalled for stretches against a Spurs team that seemed to find its defensive rhythm. Expect Jokić to come out firing, eager to remind everyone why he’s a two-time MVP, and watch for Jamal Murray to step up after a quiet-ish performance last night.
For the Spurs, sustaining momentum means ironing out their weak points. Their defense in transition remains a question mark, and while the bench contributed admirably in the last outing, consistency has been elusive this season. San Antonio’s backup bigs will need to hold the fort when Wembanyama takes a breather, especially against a Denver front-court maestro who can easily punish mismatches.
The Nuggets, for their part, know how to respond to adversity. They’re still a top-tier team, ranking in the NBA’s upper echelon in offensive efficiency (4th in offensive rating, 3rd in scoring) and one off-night isn’t going to derail their championship ambitions.
For now, though, San Antonio has a chance to extend their win streak to three games. Can they stay one step ahead of a determined Denver squad, or will the Nuggets squash the Spurs’ momentum before it really gets rolling?
One thing’s for sure: The Frost Bank Center should be buzzing, and with Wembanyama on the court, anything feels possible.
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs
January 4th, 2025 | 7:00 CT
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Southwest |Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Jeremy Sochan – Out (Back)
Nuggets Injuries: Aaron Gordon – Out (Calf), Vlatko Cancar – Out (Knee)
What to watch for
Victor Wembanyama: Winter Terror
By this point, you’ve probably seen the glory that is Wemby’s December stat line, but somehow he’s managed to find yet another gear over the last 10 games, sitting within spitting distance of averaging a 4×5 (29/9/4/4.9) on a 39/49/90 shooting split in just 33 minutes. To say that he’s must-watch television is somehow an understatement right now.
For the Nuggets fan’s perspective, please visit Denver Stiffs.
PtR’s Game thread will be up this evening for those who want to chat through the game. You can also follow along with the action through PtR’s Twitter feed.
Seattle, WA
Professional pet sitter struck by hit-and-run driver while taking cat for a walk
SEATTLE – A 73-year-old professional dog walker and pet-sitter from Seward Park is still recovering in the hospital after a hit-and-run driver nearly killed her on Christmas Day.
Witnesses who found Karen Miely injured say the driver hit her near 52nd Ave South and Orcas Street, then sped away.
“It’s been kind of a haze actually, an awful lot to untangle,” said Miely.
She spoke to us from her hospital bed on Friday.
“It’s been hard, and I have this neck brace and my neck also has some trauma to it,” said Miely.
The pet caretaker was taking her own cat, “Maximus Rex”, out for his nightly walk.
“He’s a big guy. He’s probably about 15 lbs,” said Miely. He’s pictured below:
Since “Max” is particular, the two took advantage of the drier evening.
“He kind of doesn’t like rain that much,” said Miely. “He just likes having his mom spend time with him.”
However, the holiday turned into a nightmare for both of them.
“My cat must have witnessed the whole thing, the poor guy,” said Miely.
The crash, which happened sometime around 7 p.m., left Miely with broken legs and a shattered pelvis, among other injuries.
“We are just waiting to see how things heal up,” said Karen, who’s already had surgery to repair some of the damage.
“It was terrifying,” said Maura Wahlen, a neighbor who heard the crash.
Whalen’s family of four had just sat down for Christmas dinner when they heard the impact.
“Literally saying what we were grateful for, and we heard a loud crash-impact. Didn’t know what it was. All four of us jumped up from the table,” said Wahlen. “My husband and I ran out. He was the first to get to her.”
Whalen said her daughter called 911, and they stayed with Miely until the EMT’s and police officers arrived. Whalen said both the officers who responded and the paramedics were “fantastic,” adding they were on scene quickly.
Karen says she knew Ruth Dalton, another dog walker who died after she was attacked and run over in August. She even attended Ruth’s memorial service.
“That was just a shock when I heard what had happened to her. It really felt personal,” said Miely.
The driver that hit Miely not only left her battered and broken, but also took away her ability to make a living through her business, Seattle Tails.
“It hit me in the biggest week of the year. My customers have been great, but wow,” she said.
Friends and loved ones have created an online fundraiser for Miely to help with her unexpected expenses and rehabilitation.
Another silver lining is that Max the cat survived, and wasn’t injured.
“He’s really good at self-preservation, so I’m sure he just took off whenever it happened,” said Miely, who says Max is back home and being cared for. “I tried to get him on Facetime but we only got me.”
She’s hoping someone has security video of the driver or the car that evening, so she can get some answers.
“I guess it’s a blessing you really don’t remember that kind of trauma,” said Miely.
Neighbors say, in general, the intersection has poor visibility and there have been crashes there before. They were not surprised that a crash happened there.
FOX 13 reached out to Seattle Police on Friday evening for an update on the case. Spokesperson Eric Munoz says the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is on the case. Munoz says that so far no arrests have been made and there has not been a suspect identified.
Anyone that has security video from the area of 52nd Ave S. and Orcas Street at around 7 p.m. on December 25th is encouraged to contact Seattle Police.
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San Diego, CA
Nathan Fletcher's accuser drops some claims in new civil suit filing
It’s nearing two years since Grecia Figueroa accused former county supervisor and MTS board chair Nathan Fletcher of sexual assault — now she’s dropping that claim.
Fletcher said their relationship, while a terrible mistake, was consensual. Figueroa is is still suing Fletcher, for sexual harassment, among other things.
Fletcher’s political career ended sometime ago, as well as his time in San Diego. But in 2025 , he’ll be back in the courtroom, as his accuser Figueroa moves forward with her civil lawsuit claims of sexual harassment, emotional distress and job disruption.
The former MTS employee says she was fired from her job to protect his run for higher office.
Figueroa sent the following statement to NBC 7:
“I am focusing on the long-term sexual harassment claims, which still stand, and I am ready for a jury trial.”
Much of the publicly available evidence in this case included flirtacious text and Instagram messages between the two.
In recently filed court paperwork she reiterates how on several occasions, Fletcher requested meetings with her, forcibly kissed her and touched her intimately. At one point, she describes him showing her a firearm strapped to his leg. She goes on to state that because of her job duties and his position of power, she felt she had to give into his advances.
One of Fletcher’s attorneys, Sam Sherman responded to the claims on Friday.
“The reality is the only reason she knew about that gun is because she was rubbing his legs, you know, lower leg where his gun was hiding in his boot,” Sherman said.
Sherman commented about text messages between Figueroa and a friend describing the specific incident.
“And when she texts Ms. Radin about him having that gun, Ms. Radin’s response was, that’s so hot,” said Sherman.
In response to the November-filed declaration by Figueroa, Sherman said that her decision to drop some of her claims including gender violence, battery and discrimination shows that her team was not ready to make a case for them.
He also points to text messages she sent to friends about the encounters proves she consented.
“So this effort that they’re now having to try to twist this into some fearful exchange is completely inconsistent with the clear facts of this case, which is that she was bragging about it. And they were talking about how sexy it was,” said Sherman.
Fletcher’s legal team has filed a motion requesting the civil charges against him be thrown out. A judge is scheduled to weigh that motion at a Jan. 10 hearing.
Figueroa says the text messages to her friends were sarcastic and not serious. Her attorneys can also reintroduce the sexual assault charge in the future.
Meanwhile, Fletcher’s camp has an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Figueroa.
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