Month: December 2022

Photos of cars submerged in San Francisco circulated online Saturday afternoon after the city was hit with flooding caused by “extreme” weather conditions.

The “extreme” weather included heavy rain, snow, and wind hitting different parts of California on Saturday and causing flooding and landslides after another “atmospheric river” struck the West coast, The New York Times reported.

The storm in San Francisco broke a 173-year old precipitation record, according to the National Weather Service, KRON4 reported. The highest precipitation record was 2.12 inches of rain that happened in 1849. San Francisco saw 2.96 inches of rain, as of late Saturday morning, with more to come.

Twitter user Doug Lawrence posted an 8-second video of multiple cars parked under the rainfall with some submerged due to flooding.

“From drought to mini flood in San Francisco. We had 3.3″+ of rain in the last 24 hours,” Lawrence wrote.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Fire Department announced on Twitter that all lanes of Highway 101 at Oyster Point in the south part of the city were shut down because of “extreme roadway flooding.”

The San Francisco Fire Department told Newsweek that there were no injuries or fatalities so far, and that “dozens” of areas were affected and “dozens” of cars were stuck because of the flooding.

Some videos showed drivers struggling to drive their cars as the highway was flooded with rain. Bloomberg News reporter Mark Chediak said the 101 had “serious flooding.”

Mark Andrews, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) spokesperson said that high tides might have been a contributor to the flooding, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Flooding also happened in the city of Palo Alto near Pardee Park, according to Raj Mathai, a news anchor at NBC-owned KNTV.

The powerful “atmospheric river” causing San Francisco’s weather conditions is often called “pineapple express” because it quickly transfers water vapor from Hawaii to the West coast, according to The Chronicle.

Flood watches and wind advisories are still in place amid heavy rainfall along the coast and as snow covers the Sierra Nevada Mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Weather forecasters expected heavy snow to fall this weekend in areas around Lake Tahoe, in eastern California and western Nevada. The National Weather Service recently warned that California’s Eastern Sierra region, which makes up the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, would see “showers, heavy snow, and slight chance of thunderstorms” Saturday morning and then rain and heavy snow in the afternoon.

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With the opening of the winter transfer window on Jan. 1, there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Chelsea eye Brighton’s Mac Allister

Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Argentina and Brighton & Hove Albion star Alexis Mac Allister for a £60 million fee, according to Football Insider.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter is keen to bolster his midfield options with more dynamic players, and he worked with the 24-year-old World Cup winner while at Brighton.

Mac Allister was already impressing on the south coast before playing his part in Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar. Now, he’s wanted by a number of top clubs, and the Seagulls are bracing themselves for bids when the transfer window opens on Jan. 1.

It’s believed the £60m fee would be enough to lure the star from Brighton, which the Chelsea hierarchy see as better value than Mac Allister’s Argentina teammate Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez’s transfer from Benfica would likely cost in the region of £106m, which is the amount stipulated in his release clause.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (U.S.)

PAPER GOSSIP

– Manchester City are close to signing talented Argentina youngster Maximo Perrone, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Velez Sarsfield midfielder and Argentine Under-20 star is also wanted by Newcastle United and Benfica, but City are believed to be already holding talks with the 19-year-old. Perrone made his professional debut in March, and is now set for an $8m move to the Etihad Stadium following the conclusion of the Sudamericano Sub 20 in mid-February.

– Aston Villa are making plans to replace goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and are monitoring the situation between Everton and Jordan Pickford, according to the Sun. Pickford, 28, is yet to agree a new deal at Goodison Park, which has alerted Villa who are bracing themselves for offers for World Cup winner Martinez. Martinez is said to be on the radar of several clubs, including Bayern Munich. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are also keeping a keen eye on Pickford’s situation.

– Salernitana are keen to follow the signing of Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa with a move for former Real Madrid midfielder Isco, according to Corriere Dello Sport. Isco, 30, is available on a free transfer following the termination of his contract by Sevilla, but his salary expectations could be an issue for the Italian side. Isco’s agent Jorge Mendes has revealed that he’s been talking to Major League Soccer clubs but Salernitana are hoping they can pull off the signing of the former Spain international.

– Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga is wanted by Everton on loan, according to the Manchester Evening News. The United academy graduate knows that his chances are increasingly limited after having featured just six times this season, and the Toffees are keen to take the 20-year-old for the rest of the season in an effort to boost their chances of Premier League survival. Elanga now sits behind Alejandro Garnacho in the pecking order under boss Erik ten Hag, though the Reds are unwilling to let him leave until they’ve reinforced their attacking options.

– Morocco star Yassine Bounou could leave Sevilla for Manchester United or Bayern Munich in January, according to Footmercato. The 31-year-old goalkeeper was one of the stars of the tournament, his performances against Spain and Portugal in particular reinforcing the view of some of Europe’s top clubs that he has what it takes to play at the top level. The report states that talks have already taken place between Bounou’s entourage and Bayern who are keen to fill the void left by the injured Manuel Neuer. Manchester United have also tested the waters about his availability, and see him as a long-term No. 1 if David de Gea moves on.

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Munich [Germany], December 31 (ANI): Photosynthesis is the process by which plants grow. They use sunlight to generate energy, release oxygen, and produce carbohydrates, which are the primary food source for all humans and nearly all animals on the planet. Light availability can change dramatically in a short period of time under natural conditions. Clouds, which provide light and shadow as they pass in front of the sun, are one of the primary reasons. Plant leaves and branches can also provide temporary shade when moved by the wind. Plants cannot move from shade to sun when light is scarce, and cannot move from sun to shade when exposed to excessive sunlight. They must adapt to changing lighting conditions in other ways.
Plants are typically grown under continuous lighting for research purposes, which does not replicate outdoor conditions.
According to a study published in the journal, ‘New Phytologist’, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm (Germany) and the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University (USA) demonstrate the significance of two key proteins for the dynamic control of photosynthesis in a series of experiments with changing light conditions, simulating the natural interplay of light and shadow.
Just like for humans, too much sunlight is harmful to plants. In particular, a rapid change between faint and intense light is problematic. Like the retina in our eyes, plants use molecules in their leaves to capture light particles. When light is low, these light traps are very efficient at catching as much of the low light as possible. If light conditions suddenly change, too much light energy might reach the plant. This energy can overload or damage the sensitive photosynthetic apparatus inside the plant cells. Accordingly, plants have to constantly adapt their photosynthetic activity to their environmental conditions in order to obtain maximum light yield on the one hand, but avoid being harmed by too much light on the other hand.
To date, plants in greenhouses and laboratories are grown almost exclusively under stable and uniform light conditions. Therefore, our understanding of how adaptation to changing light conditions works is very limited. In the worst case, this can lead to plants that are growing well in laboratories and greenhouses but suddenly perform much worse than expected when cultured in the field.

Regulation of photosynthesis under changing light conditions
The researchers around Ute Armbruster from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and David Kramer from the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University (USA) examined the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for their study. Plants were grown under a wide variety of conditions including static, fluctuating and natural light. The study focused on two ion transport proteins called VCCN1 and KEA3 which play a key role in dynamically adjusting photosynthetic performance. It is known from earlier studies that VCCN1 activates sun protection if the light suddenly becomes too strong. When the light intensity decreases, the second protein KEA3 quickly breaks down this sun protection so that the plant can catch more light again. However, the two proteins VCCN1 and KEA3 have never been examined under realistic light conditions.
The researchers used an innovative new approach to measure photosynthesis in combination with a targeted use of gene knockouts – i.e. plants whose genes for VCCN1 and KEA3 have been switched off. They show that the activities of the proteins VCCN1 and KEA3 depend on the light conditions the plants were raised in. Following suggestions by the head of the Plant Cultivation Infrastructure Group, Dr. Karin Kohl, the researchers focused on two growth-related light factors in the analysis and were able to show that both the amount of light a plant receives, and the frequency of light fluctuations have a strong influence on the function of the two ion transporters. The protective function of VCCN1 is only important in plants previously grown under low light. On the other hand, KEA3 which abolishes protection, was even active in high light periods when the plants were grown under conditions with elevated light intensities.
Sun protection also depends on the degree of light fluctuations the plants are exposed to. When light conditions change significantly, plants produce the orange pigment zeaxanthin, which is also involved in sun protection. The production of this sunscreen is suppressed by KEA3 under high light conditions as well.
“Our study shows that we should not look separately at the effect of growth light and the rapid responses to light fluctuations,” said study lead author Thekla von Bismarck, adding, “The integration of multiple time scales and metabolic levels in an increasingly complex manner will be a major future challenge for crop research. This will provide key ideas to improve crop yields in the field.” (ANI)

The grandfather of Iowa star linebacker Jack Campbell died Friday night in Nashville, where he had traveled to watch the Hawkeyes play in the Music City Bowl.

William Smith Jr., the father of Campbell’s stepmother, Jen, died following a pedestrian-vehicle accident involving one car, the school said in a statement. The 76-year-old from Waterloo, Iowa, was pronounced dead after being taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Campbell’s parents chose not to tell him about the accident until after the game, which Iowa won 21-0 over Kentucky on Saturday. Campbell, playing in his final college game, had a team-high 10 tackles, including two for loss and a sack.

“Our hearts are with Jack and his entire family as they grieve the tragic death of their grandfather and father, William Smith, Jr.,” coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. “We know Mr. Smith was a strong influence on his grandson and a faithful Hawkeye football supporter. All of us — players, coaches and staff members — will keep the Campbell family in our thoughts and prayers during this profoundly difficult time.”

Campbell was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s top linebacker.

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Former President Donald Trump‘s preferred newspaper released a dire warning for the GOP on Friday, saying that the party is headed for a “massive” implosion.

The New York Post, the long-running conservative daily tabloid published by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has been noted as Trump’s favorite newspaper in the past, with a GQ profile from early in his presidency stating that he also consumed The New York Times and Wall Street Journal to a lesser extent.

The Post‘s editorial board released a piece warning that the “GOP needs to back Kevin McCarthy for speaker—or risk handing Dems big win.” The piece specifically calls out Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, and his “band of saboteurs” for opposing McCarthy’s bid for speaker of the House, and added that such in-fighting could “be a massive act of GOP self-sabotage.”

The Republican Party will assume the House majority in January, but due to its historically disappointing performance in the recent midterm elections, its lead over Democrats will be razor-thin at 222 to 213. House Minority Leader McCarthy is currently seeking the office of speaker, but his bid is at risk due to this thin margin, as he can only lose five votes from his own party before falling short of the 218 votes needed to win.

McCarthy’s bid has been opposed by the far-right wing of the House GOP, led by the likes of Gaetz, who have accused him of being emblematic of typical Washington politics and of not being sufficiently loyal to Trump. Despite Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, reversing course to endorse McCarthy, his bid is still in jeopardy, with the likes of Arizona’s Andy Biggs launching counter-bids for the speakership.

The Post‘s editorial board’s piece says that House Republicans need to rally behind McCarthy, since it was not his actions, it argued, that caused the party to flounder in the midterm. Instead, it was Trump and his endorsed slate of relatively radical, election-denying candidates that drove away voters.

“Yet it was Donald Trump, not McCarthy, who picked fringe candidates and pushed the stolen election canard that lost the 2022 midterms,” the piece states. “The answer is not to double down on Trump-esque candidates such as Biggs and Gaetz. Moreover, Biggs doesn’t command a majority. He barely commands enough people to fill a station wagon. By putting himself up as an alternative, all he’s doing is sapping votes from McCarthy and allowing the Democrats a say in who runs the chamber. Nancy Pelosi is cackling!”

The board further stresses that the House cannot move forward and begin pursuing policy measures until a speaker is elected. McCarthy, it added, has pledged to pursue issues related to security at the U.S.-Mexico border, and to remove certain Democrats from committee positions.

“Republicans have a unique talent for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” the newspaper’s piece concluded. “They should not exercise it here.”

Newsweek reached out to Gaetz’s office for comment.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is throwing away two decades of success with the Ukraine war, according to Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia.

McFaul’s remarks come more than 10 months after the Russian leader launched the invasion of Ukraine. Putin hoped for a quick victory over his Eastern European neighbor, but Kyiv responded with a stronger-than-expected defense effort, further bolstered by Western humanitarian and military aid.

Despite its vast ranks, Russia’s military has struggled to achieve substantial goals in Ukraine, whose troops reclaimed thousands of square miles of formerly occupied territory throughout the fall. Now, Putin is reportedly facing internal pressure to change the course of the war amid mounting losses, even as many Russians continue to support the war.

McFaul, who served as the United States’ ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, tweeted on Saturday that the war may be taking a toll on Putin’s legacy as a leader.

He pointed to several areas in which Putin saw success throughout his presidential tenure, including strengthening Moscow’s economy and previous military successes, that now threaten to be tarnished by a potential failure in Ukraine.

“Putin (tragically, in my view) had a good couple of decades. He strengthen his grip at home, generated economic growth, earned some respect abroad & won 4 wars — Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine (2014) and Syria. In 2022, he overreached in Ukraine, throwing away 2 decades of success,” he tweeted.

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Putin (tragically, in my view) had a good couple of decades. He strengthen his grip at home, generated economic growth, earned some respect abroad & won 4 wars — Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine (2014) and Syria. In 2022, he overreached in Ukraine, throwing away 2 decades of success

— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) December 31, 2022

Putin first became president of Russia in 2000, serving for eight years. He again rose to the position in 2012, where he has served ever since. His rule has been marked by Russia’s growing influence in international politics. Putin, has in fact, seen some victories, including a previous win against Ukraine in 2014 that resulted in the annexation of Crimea.

As losses pile up in the ongoing war, some experts say Ukraine could even retake Crimea, essentially undoing one of Putin’s key accomplishments. The war has also taken a toll on Moscow’s economy, which has been hit hard by Western sanctions. His approval among Russians has dropped throughout the war, as well.

McFaul’s remarks followed Putin’s New Year’s Eve address, in which he continued condemning the West for providing support to Ukraine, but expressed optimism for Russia’s future, despite mounting setbacks.

“We have always known, and today we are again convinced that the sovereign, independent, secure future of Russia depends only on us, on our strength and will!” the Russian leader said.

Russia’s Military Losses Could Continue Into New Year

Putin’s military faced several losses in recent months, losing territory and suffering from low morale despite efforts from officials to boost the number of troops fighting in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has suggested that almost 106,000 Russian soldiers died in combat throughout the 10-month conflict, though other estimates suggest the number could be lower. Newsweek can not independently verify this number.

Ukraine has also suggested that Russia, which has turned to attacking Ukrainian civilian infrastructure amid battlefield defeats, could be gearing up to launch another offensive early next year. However, experts have been skeptical that Putin will be able to turn the war around and lead his military to victory.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James got another birthday greeting after he turned 38 on Friday. This time from the man he is chasing on the NBA’s all-time scoring list: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Abdul-Jabbar, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion, shouted out LeBron on Saturday morning.

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Happy birthday, LeBron. 38 is the new 38,388.

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) December 31, 2022

The 38,388 he is referring to is the all-time points total, which would surpass Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points scored. Abdul-Jabbar played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers from 1969-89. He set the all-time NBA scoring mark in April of 1984, some eight months before James was born.

James is 528 points behind Abdul-Jabbar’s record. According to ESPN’s projection, James will break the record in early February of 2023.

King James took another big chunk out of the point deficit on his birthday. He scored 47 points on Friday night in a 130-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

“The dude is nothing short of phenomenal, amazing,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said after the game. “But it’s something I expect. Like, it doesn’t blow me away. It’s just something I expect from him. It’s just like, ‘Damn! Carry on.'”

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Steve Bannon, former adviser to former President Donald Trump, said Friday that Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, is essentially going to be the “de facto” House speaker in the next Congress.

His remarks come after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy offered a key concession to conservatives criticizing his speakership bid, CNN reported Friday, citing Republican sources who were familiar with the private conversations that McCarthy had with GOP lawmakers.

In a phone interview on Saturday, Bannon told Newsweek that there is “no chance” that Gaetz would be elected House speaker. However, he added the Florida Republican and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, together will be the “de facto” speakers or “the speaker in fact [but] not in actuality” of the House.

McCarthy, a California Republican, has conceded to reducing the threshold needed to push for a floor vote, known as the motion to vacate, by members to remove a sitting speaker. The House GOP leader hopes that this move will help him gain support from his critics.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus have long been pushing for that concession, which would weaken McCarthy’s standing if he does become speaker, according to Politico.

During his internal discussions with lawmakers, McCarthy seemed open to a five-person threshold, according to CNN. The GOP House majority is now expected to call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair, with some conservatives pushing for a single member to force such a vote.

Moderate Republicans might think that the five-person threshold is too low, however, and could possibly lean towards a 50-person threshold. But, conservative GOP members, including Gaetz and Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina, think a five-person threshold is too high.

Norman told CNN that he thinks that the so-called motion to vacate threshold should be down to two or less, while Gatez said that McCarthy should get that number down to one.

Gaetz is one of the Republicans who oppose McCarthy’s bid for speakership, previously saying that the GOP leader is not fully meeting the party’s goals.

Meanwhile, Greene recently expressed her support for McCarthy and vowed to vote for him—a move that one political expert, Joseph Uscinski, said is meant to help her have more influence in Congress.

Bannon on Saturday outlined some of the possible reasons why some GOP lawmakers are criticizing McCarthy.

“The issue with Kevin, it’s not that people don’t like him, Kevin is very well liked. It has nothing to do with that,” Bannon told Newsweek. “It has to do with really, what does the Republican Party stand for. What does MAGA stand for and how we’re going to sort this situation out?” MAGA is an acronym for “Make America Great Again” that Trump repeatedly used at his rallies as a campaign slogan.

Bannon added that one of the big concerns that McCarthy’s critics have is what he really stands for.

“Over the last 48, 72 hours, people are saying, ‘Well hold it. This guy is prepared to give away things he’d never said [he would],'” Bannon said.

He added that McCarthy “under no circumstances” will “ever take the speakership” while having “to do it by giving up motion to vacate, because he would never really have the freedom to do what he wants to do.”

The former Trump adviser described the discussion around the speakership as a “proxy war” between the “corporatist” side of the Republican Party and the “populace face of MAGA.”

“That’s what this fight is about,” he said. “And it’s exemplified by obviously the hard-right versus…the corporate wing of the party.”

Newsweek reached out to McCarthy’s office for comment.

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NEW ORLEANS — Bryce Young passed for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a game that other top NFL prospects might have skipped, and No. 5 Alabama responded to an early two-score deficit with 35 straight points to defeat 11th-ranked Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday.

While a number of pro-bound college stars sat out bowl games that were not part of the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide and Wildcats had their best prospects on the field and making a number of memorable plays _ from Young’s pivotal passes, to Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn‘s 88-yard touchdown run to interceptions by Alabama’s Jordan Battle and Brian Branch.

Young was substituted out during a series in the fourth quarter, raising his right hand to Alabama fans who loudly rose to their feet as the former Heisman Trophy winner trotted to the sideline.

“It started way back when we started practice. There’s a lot of guys on this team that have given a lot to this program, and I think the way the team performed out there together as a group, was with something to prove,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “We had a little bit of taste in our mouth that if we had a dominant performance that we could show people that we deserved to do a little better than what we did in terms of the playoff picture.”

Jermaine Burton caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (11-2). Tide running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 142 yards from scrimmage — 76 rushing and 66 receiving. Young’s other touchdowns went to Isaiah Bond (6 yards), Cameron Latu (1 yard), Ja’Corey Brooks (32 yards) and Kobe Prentice (47 yards). Jase McClelland added a 17-yard scoring run.

Kansas State (10-4) entered its first Sugar Bowl on a four-game winning streak and was riding high after knocking off No. 3 TCU — a CFP team — in the Big 12 title game.

While Battle’s leaping interception of Will Howard ended K-State’s opening drive on the Alabama 21, the Wildcats scored the Sugar Bowl’s first 10 points, surging in front on Ty Zentner‘s 41-yard field goal and Vaughn’s long run.

Alabama was on the brink of punting a third time when Young, on third and 10, stepped up in a collapsing pocket and flicked a short pass to Gibbs, who was cutting across the middle and turned up field for a 60-yard gain. Young stepped up similarly to avoid pressure on his touchdown pass to Bond shortly after.

“For us, the standard, that is something that we live by,” Young said. “It’s not just something that we can do just one time. It continues for the future of the program.”

Young threw over the top to Burton for 47 yards to setup his 1-yard scoring pass Latu that put Alabama in front for good.

“He won the Heisman for a reason for starters,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said.

Late in the first half, Kansas State drove to the Alabama 2 — converting two fourth-downs along the way — only to fail on fourth-and-goal when Howard threw out of the reach of tight end Ben Sinnott, who was breaking open after Will Anderson fell while trying to cover him.

That missed chance proved costly.

Young needed just 51 seconds to produce another touchdown, completing passes of 12, 28 and 22 yards before hitting Burton from 12 yards out to make it 21-10 at halftime.

“I’m proud that we came to the Sugar Bowl, I’m proud that we won the Sugar Bowl, but I’m most proud that there was a team out there that cared,” Saban said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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