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jilicc HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania conceded his reelection bid to Republican David McCormick on Thursday, as a statewide recount showed no signs of closing the gap and his campaign suffered blows in court in its effort to get favorable ballots counted. Casey’s concession comes more than two weeks after Election Day, as a grindingly slow ballot-counting process became a spectacle of hours-long election board meetings, social media outrage, lawsuits and accusations that some county officials were openly flouting the law. Republicans had been claiming that Democrats were trying to steal McCormick’s seat by counting “illegal votes.” Casey’s campaign had accused of Republicans of trying to block enough legitimate votes to prevent him from pulling ahead and winning. In a statement, Casey, a stalwart of Pennsylvania’s Democratic establishment and the state’s longest serving Democrat ever in the Senate, said he had just called McCormick to congratulate him. “As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last,” Casey said. More election coverage Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary Republicans on House Ethics reject for now releasing report on Matt Gaetz Trump’s incoming chief of staff is a former lobbyist. She’ll face a raft of special interests Casey’s campaign said the last of the ballots cast before polls closed on Nov. 5’s Election Day had finally been counted Thursday. What to know about Trump’s second term: Staffing the administration: Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far. Plus, a look at recess appointments and how could Trump use them to fill his Cabinet. Follow all of our coverage as Donald Trump assembles his second administration. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. As of Thursday, McCormick led by about 16,000 votes out of almost 7 million ballots counted. That was well within the 0.5% margin threshold to trigger an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. But no election official expected a recount to change more than a couple hundred votes or so, and Pennsylvania’s highest court dealt Casey a blow when it refused entreaties to allow counties to count mail-in ballots that lacked a correct handwritten date on the return envelope. Casey in the meantime had won efforts to get counties to tabulate thousands of provisional ballots that might otherwise have been thrown out because of an error by an election worker. That included voters whose registrations hadn’t been properly processed, the campaign said. But the campaign lost other efforts to get counties to count ballots that were disqualified over garden-variety errors that voters made, like not signing a provisional ballot in two places or not putting the ballot into an inner “secrecy” envelope. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority next year in the U.S. Senate. McCormick, 59, recaptured a GOP seat in Pennsylvania after Republicans lost one in 2022, paying off a bet that party brass made when they urged McCormick to run and consolidated support behind him. It was McCormick’s second time running, after he lost narrowly to Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022’s GOP primary. McCormick, the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund , drew on tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash from allies from across the worlds of hedge funds and securities trading to help make the race the nation’s second-most expensive in the campaign cycle. ___ Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriterVOTERS IN DUBLIN Mid-West might think they’re seeing double when they open their ballot paper on 29 November. Two candidates with the same name – and similar taste in snazzy spectacles – are standing in the five-seat constituency. There’s Sinn Féin’s high profile housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin – and there’s Independent-turned-Social Democrats councillor for Clondalkin Eoin Ó Broin. Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin, on his second canvas of the day at teatime on Tuesday in freezing conditions, is taking no chances: every prospective Sinn Féin voter is warned about the Other Eoin. “Don’t forget, there will be a second Eoin Ó Broin on the ballot,” he explains to one older voter in an estate on the outskirts of Clondalkin village. “Is he with...?” the woman trails off, seemingly confused. “He’s with the Social Democrats. The way it will be on the ballot, my name will be first with my face and the logo. Just follow the face and the logo.” The two men know each other. They both live in this area – they’ve even received each other’s post. Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin first became aware of his fellow Eoin 20 years ago when, at a conference in Canada, the person introducing him included details in his potted biography seemingly found online in relation to another Eoin Ó Broin, then president of the University of Limerick students’ union. The two met a couple of years later, when Ó Broin (of Sinn Féin) joined a Shell to Sea protest, alighting a bus in Ballinaboy to see “this fella looking at me”. “And I’m look at him, and I’m going: ‘Are you Eoin Ó Broin?’ And he goes: ‘Are you Eoin Ó Broin’? So we had a big chat.” The Social Democrats’ Eoin is a fluent Irish speaker, having attended Irish-medium schools in Clondalkin; there is a large Irish-speaking community in the area, associated with the longstanding Áras Chrónáin cultural centre. Sinn Féin’s Eoin doesn’t speak Irish, but the Irish language surname is on his birth cert; his father attended a Gaelscoil. A few streets away, earlier that day, the Soc Dems’ Eoin Ó Broin doesn’t let the freezing rain stop him from going door to door. Like his fellow Eoin, he’s out twice a day as the election approaches. His biggest pitch to voters, apart from his own track record as a councillor (he got the council to fix a footpath in this particular estate), is his party’s commitment to – the plan to reform healthcare to end the current two-tier system, a policy with which Social Democrats founder Róisín Shortall has been particularly associated. He believes small parties need to be strategic, and the Social Democrats can position themselves as authoritatively on universal access to healthcare as his namesake has managed to do on housing. He adds that he believes Sláintecare would be “transformative” not only for healthcare but for citizens’ relationship with society and the state in Ireland. “I’ve seen a one-tier health system in Sweden, when I lived there. I didn’t need health insurance, and a trip to the doctor was a tenner,” the Soc Dems’ Ó Broin says. “It gives everybody a sense that they’re getting something back. They don’t have this unfortunate bitterness which exists [among] those who are above thresholds.” He believes the Irish system of means-tested thresholds for medical cards is a “Victorian charity” approach, whereas universal access would be “a game changer we need in Ireland for people to feel that we’re all in this together.” The Soc Dems’ Ó Broin completed a PhD in energy systems modelling in Sweden, before undertaking postdoctoral research in France. With his background in environmental science, he was a member of the Green movement when he lived in Sweden, but he believes the Green Party do not sufficiently prioritise housing and workers’ rights. In the estate he’s canvassing today, he meets some voters who say he’ll get their number one, and a few undecideds. Do people bring up the name much? “Yeah. Some people say, ‘this will be fun’. Some people say, ‘that’s confusing, you should change your name’.” He is not impressed by this suggestion. “You know, you don’t just change your name. I grew up in Clondalkin, I went to the all-Irish school here, so because I grew up here and it is my name, why should I change?” the Soc Dems candidate says. (Although Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin has been living in Clondalkin for many years with his partner, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan, he is originally from Cabinteely and went to school in Blackrock. A blow-in Ó Broin, if you will.) Housing, waiting times for healthcare and access to supports for those with disabilities and additional needs are among the top issues that come up on the doorsteps in Clondalkin. Access to school places is also a big issue in this area, where public services do not seem to have kept pace with population growth. Both Eoin Ó Broins say the heat has somewhat gone out of the issue of immigration, relative to the local elections in June; this mirrors what heard However, immigration is definitely still on the agenda, and it’s raised a few times with Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin. He pushes back hard against the idea that immigrants are being prioritised on the housing list, as one Sinn Féin voter alleges, telling the man that that “every single one of those families” waited on the list for the same length of time as Irish families. “The only people who get council houses are people who have a legal right to reside and work with the state,” he says. However at another house (also voting Sinn Féin) he criticises the government for not consulting with the local community on a nearby accommodation centre for people seeking international protection. He tells a couple who say they’re concerned about the safety of women in the area that “a lot of concerns that you have, which are genuine concerns, can be addressed” through immigration being “properly managed”. “It’s the fear of not knowing what’s going on in your own community, and that’s why, for me, community engagement and consultation is key, right? People are gonna come, right? You can’t stop people coming, but what you have to make sure is when people arrive to claim international protection, there’s a proper process,” Ó Broin tells them. It is understood there have not been any incidents affecting the safety of local residents involving residents of this accommodation centre. Sinn Féin’s immigration manifesto, launched last week, promises to take the provision of accommodation for international protection applicants into complete state control, and pledges that new purpose built centres will not be located in deprived communities. Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin explains that to protect “community cohesion”, good quality accommodation has to provided in communities that “have capacity”, not in those that have been marginalised, and which are struggling already with a lack of basic infrastructure. He says these areas are identifiable using the produced by Pobal, the state’s social inclusion agency. By that metric, would areas in this constituency be suitable for new centres – in, say, Lucan, much of which is classified as “affluent” or “very affluent” by Pobal? Ó Broin seems to accept this could indeed by the case, telling that “the definition of ‘deprived’ is objective, and it has to be”, and adding that “large parts of Dublin city” would be deemed suitable for new centres under Sinn Féin’s plan. However, he adds that Sinn Féin would additionally require audits of local services to check whether there are enough school places and GP places before new accommodation for international protection applicants is approved. It sounds like you could rule out almost every area of Dublin with those additional criteria? “No, I don’t believe that,” Ó Broin says, reiteriating that he “absolutely” believes there are areas of Dublin that would right now be suitable for new asylum accommodation. He adds that while he advocates for more community consultation, he does not believe anyone should get a “veto” in the same way that nobody gets to veto Irish people moving into their area. “It’s about respect. It’s about engagement. It’s about talking to people, letting people know what the plan is,” he says. Sinn Féin wants to lead Ireland’s first left-wing government after the election, so if it gets enough seats there’s no doubt Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns will be getting a call from her counterpart, Mary Lou McDonald. For her part, Cairns has indicated she hasn’t ruled out taking that call and talking to Sinn Féin. What do the two Eoin Ó Broins think are the biggest points of difference between their parties? Sinn Féin’s Ó Broin says: “Sinn Fein is the only political party that can lead an alternative government of change. So if people want a change of government, they really need to think wisely as to where they give that vote.” He adds that there are “significant policy differences” between the two parties; the examples he gives are USC (Sinn Féin wants to reduce this tax and the Social Democrats don’t) and the fact that a united Ireland is a “key part of [Sinn Féin's] agenda”. He acknowledges that on healthcare and childcare the two parties’ policies “chime”, but claims Sinn Féin’s housing and other policies are more comprehensive. The other Eoin Ó Broin says the Social Democrats are a “coherent, centre-left party in an international left-wing tradition, whereas Sinn Féin struggle to define where they are politically”. “Migration is a good example,” he says, instancing Sinn Féin’s election literature ahead of the June local elections, which stated that the party was opposed to open borders. “That’s rhetoric borrowed from the United States. The EU has open borders by default. There’s an open border with Northern Ireland that they fought very hard to keep. So it’s that kind of inconsistency, I would say, which differentiates us,” the Social Democrats’ Ó Broin says. He adds that he believes it to be “disingenuous to people” for Sinn Féin “put it out there that we can have a society without property taxes or carbon taxes”. “We’re solid that we want healthcare, education, childcare, elderly care, to be available free at the point of use and paid for by tax, and we’re strong on the environment as well,” he adds. in this election, so Sinn Féin will be hoping it can once again return two TDs, Ó Broin and Mark Ward. Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins will also try to bring in a running mate, while Fianna Fáil, which lost its seat in 2020, is also running two candidates. People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny is running again. The Social Democrats aren’t the only party to have poached an Independent councillor – Labour has nabbed Clondalkin’s longstanding council poll-topper, Francis Timmons. Independent councillor and former Green Party TD Paul Gogarty, who topped the poll in the June elections in Lucan, could benefit from the fact that the incumbent TDs skew to the Clondalkin end of the constituency, while Independent Ireland councillor Linda de Courcey is running on an immigration platform. There are also candidates from the Greens and Aontú, as well as the anti-EU Irish Freedom Party and anti-immigration Irish People Party, along with other Independents.

The Washington Commanders put kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve Tuesday, just over 48 hours since he missed an extra point that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left against Dallas. Seibert also missed a field-goal attempt and another extra point in the loss to the Cowboys. He missed the previous two games with a right hip injury but said afterward he was fine and made the decision to play. The Commanders filled that roster spot by signing running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. off their practice squad. Austin Ekeler had a concussion and Brian Robinson Jr. sprained an ankle Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflLebanon is closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for a main one that links Beirut with the Syrian capital Damascus, the General Security Directorate said Friday. The decision came hours after an Israeli airstrike damaged a border crossing in northern Lebanon just days after it was reopened. Separately, Jordan’s interior minister said the Naseeb border crossing with Syria had been closed because of the security situation on the Syrian side. He spoke after Syrian opposition activists said insurgents had captured the main border crossing with Jordan, forcing the Syrian authorities to leave. Separately, Israel’s military said it planned to reinforce its positions in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and near the border with Syria. Israel said it was “monitoring developments and is prepared for all scenarios, offensive and defensive alike.” Meanwhile, Syrian insurgents entered the central towns of Rastan and Talbiseh early Friday just north of the central city of Homs, bringing them closer Syria’s third largest city, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media both reported. The breakthrough came a day after jihiadi-led opposition fighters captured the central city of Hama , Syria’s fourth largest. In other developments, a Hamas official said international mediators have resumed negotiations with the Palestinian militant group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war is within reach. Israel's war against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced 90% of the population of 2.3 million, often multiple times. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in October 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage . Israel’s blistering retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,500 Palestinians , more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. Here's the Latest: CAIRO — Israel said Friday that “thousands of food packages and sacks of flour” were delivered to the isolated northernmost reaches of Gaza, where hunger experts warn famine could be underway. The delivery would mark one of the first successful convoys to the area, which is besieged by Israeli troops that have mounted a fierce offensive in Gaza’s north since early October. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls the border crossings into Gaza, said the aid was delivered to the town of Beit Hanoun. Israeli authorities did not publicly say who delivered the aid, and did not provide details on the exact amount of aid involved. COGAT released photos of flatbed trucks driving past rubble, some carrying what appeared to be 25-kilogram (55 pound) sacks of aid and others with cargo covered under tarps. The U.N. has struggled to deliver aid to the area in recent weeks. Alia Zaki, a spokesperson for the World Food Program, told The Associated Press that nearly no food has entered the area for two months, and that the agency’s daily requests to enter the area have been denied by Israel. Of two missions that have been approved since Oct. 6, Zaki said, only two trucks of aid were delivered to a shelter that Israeli soldiers ordered to evacuate soon after and then burned. The situation in northern Gaza has prompted hunger experts to warn that famine is either near or may already be underway. BEIRUT — A Kurdish-led force in Syria that's backed by the United States says it has taken positions along the border with Iraq, replacing Syrian government forces. The move by the Syrian Democratic Forces to capture areas on the west bank of the Euphrates River is likely to cut the land line that links Iran with the Mediterranean coast. The SDF said in a statement that its fighters were deployed in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour and west of the Euphrates for the safety of civilians. “Our primary objective is to protect our security and the security of our people,” it said about the deployment. SDF spokesman Farhad Shami told The Associated Press that their fighters are not in control of the Boukamal border crossing with Iraq. Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Iran-backed fighters have evacuated the border crossing point of Boukamal and the SDF is expected to control it later. The Boukamal border crossing has been a main supply line for Iran-backed fighters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, who had opened the corridor that links Iran with the Mediterranean in 2017. The developments come as jihadi-led insurgents in northwestern Syria have made stunning advances over the past week that have so far met little resistance from government troops. KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Crowds of displaced Palestinians, some carrying cooking pots and crying children, gathered at an aid kitchen in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Friday, but many left with nothing. “The food ran out,” said Adel Mohammad, who was hoping to get a meal of rice – the only food being served — for his children. “At night they wake up hungry.” After the kitchen shut down, children used their hands to scoop bits of rice left in large empty cooking pots. The World Food Program has warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza is “nearing collapse as famine looms.” The U.N. agency says Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries, along with the breakdown of law and order in Gaza, has made it difficult for aid convoys to reach displaced Palestinians. Concerns are growing with the onset of another winter of war. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, many displaced repeatedly by Israeli attacks, are living in tent camps, reliant on international aid. Experts have already warned of famine in northern Gaza, which Israeli forces have almost completely isolated since early October. BEIRUT -- Lebanon’s General Security Directorate said Friday the country is closing all land border crossing with Syria except for a main one that links Beirut with the Syrian capital Damascus. The decision by the security agency in charge of border crossings came hours after an Israeli airstrike damaged the Arida border crossing with Syria in north Lebanon, days after it was reopened. “Border crossings will be closed until further notice for the safety of travelers,” the agency said in a statement posted on X. It said that the only border crossing that will be kept open is Masnaa in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. Lebanon’s state news agency said Friday the airstrike on the Arida crossing caused heavy material damage and cut the road. The Israeli military said fighter jets attacked the border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, adding that they were used to transfer munitions for Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. BEIRUT - Syrian opposition activists say insurgents have captured a main border crossing with Jordan forcing Syrian authorities to leave it. Shortly afterward, Jordan’s Interior Minister al-Frayeh said the Naseeb border crossing with Syria had been closed because of the security situation on the Syrian side. Opposition activists posted videos online showing people storming the border crossing with Jordan, which was in rebel hands until government forces regained control of it in 2018. Ahmad al-Masalmeh, an opposition activist based in France who covers events in southern Syria, told The Associated Press that local gunmen have captured the Naseeb crossing as well as several other areas in the southern province of Daraa where the uprising against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011. Syrian troops have evacuated checkpoints in several areas including the villages of Inkhil, Nawa and Jassem, he added. JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said on Friday that it planned to reinforce its forces stationed in the Golan Heights and near the border with Syria, where civil war has reignited between the government and rebel groups. The Israeli military said in a statement that it was “monitoring developments and is prepared for all scenarios, offensive and defensive alike.” After 13 years of civil war, Syrian insurgents are gaining ground, first taking cities in the country’s north and on Friday entering cities in central Syria. It comes as rebel groups mount new challenges to Russia- and Iran-backed Syrian forces, including in Aleppo, the country’s largest city. Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has intermittently struck areas in Syria seen as strongholds of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group it is at war with in Lebanon. The advances of the Syrian insurgents adds new instability on Israel’s northern border, two months after it invaded neighboring Lebanon. Israel’s defense minister and military chief of staff met to discuss the situation Thursday. Israeli media reported there is concern in the country’s security establishment that the rebels would advance until they reached the Golan Heights, territory occupied by Israel, gaining control of Syrian weapons stockpiles along the way. Writing in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahoronoth Friday, veteran military correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai wrote that Israel may “prefer” to destroy the weapons storehouses so they won’t fall into the hands of the rebels. Israel seized control of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. Syria has constantly accused Israel of launching attacks against it from territory it occupies in the Golan Heights. Israel has frequently struck Syria over the years. BEIRUT — Syrian insurgents entered two central towns early Friday just north of the central city of Homs, bringing them closer Syria’s third largest city, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media both reported. The break into Rastan and Talbiseh came a day after opposition gunmen captured the central city of Hama , Syria’s fourth largest, after the Syrian army said it withdrew to avoid fighting inside the city and spare the lives of civilians. The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have said that they will march to Homs and Damascus, President Bashar Assad’s seat of power. The city of Homs, parts of which were controlled by insurgents until 2014, is a major intersection point between the capital, Damascus, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus where Assad enjoys wide support. Homs province is Syria’s largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Insurgents are now 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from Homs, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor. “The battle of Homs is the mother of all battles and will decide who will rule Syria,” said Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory’s chief. MANAMA, Bahrain — Iran said Friday it conducted a successful space launch, the latest for its program the West alleges improves Tehran’s ballistic missile technology. Iran conducted the launch using its Simorgh program , a satellite-carrying rocket that had had a series of failed launches, at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in rural Semnan province. That’s the site of Iran’s civilian space program. The Simorgh carried what Iran described as an “orbital propulsion system,” as well as two research systems to a 400-kilometer (250-mile) orbit above the Earth. A system that could change the orbit of a spacecraft would allow Iran to geo-synchronize the orbits of its satellites. Tehran has long sought that ability. Iran also put the payload of the Simorgh at 300 kilograms (660 pounds), heavier than its previous successful launches. There was no immediate independent confirmation the launch was successful. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The announcement comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and as an uneasy ceasefire holds in Lebanon. MELBOURNE, Australia — Arsonists extensively damaged a Melbourne synagogue on Friday in what Australia’s prime minister condemned as an antisemitic attack on Australian values. The blaze in the Adass Israel Synagogue is an escalation in targeted attacks in Australia since the war began between Israel and Hamas last year. Cars and buildings have been vandalized and torched around Australia in protests inspired by the war. A witness who had come to the synagogue to pray saw two masked men spreading a liquid accelerant with brooms inside the building at 4:10 a.m., officials said. About 60 firefighters with 17 fire trucks responded to the blaze, which police said caused extensive damage. Investigators have yet to identify a motive, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed antisemitism. “This was a shocking incident to be unequivocally condemned. There is no place in Australia for an outrage such as this,” Albanese told reporters. “To attack a place of worship is an attack on Australian values. To attack a synagogue is an act of antisemitism, is attacking the right that all Australians should have to practice their faith in peace and security,” he added. ISTANBUL — A Hamas official says international mediators have resumed negotiating with the militant group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war was within reach. Ceasefire negotiations were halted last month when Qatar suspended talks with mediators from Egypt and the United States because of frustration over a lack of progress between Israel and Hamas. But there has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release hostages from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, according to Bassem Naim, an official in Hamas’ political bureau who spoke with The Associated Press in Turkey on Thursday. Another official familiar with the talks confirmed the return of Qatari mediators. The official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with the media. Since the talks broke down, there have been significant shifts in the global and regional landscape. Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, and a ceasefire was declared last week between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump is a staunch supporter of Israel, but Naim said he believes the incoming administration could “affect the situation positively” given that Trump had made halting wars in the region part of his campaign platform. Trump this week called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza by the time he takes office on Jan. 20, saying there would be “hell to pay” if that doesn’t happen. WASHINGTON -- Three U.S. service members were being evaluated for potential traumatic brain injuries following an attack near a base in eastern Syria this week, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday. Ryder said U.S. Central Command is still evaluating who was behind the attack near Mission Support Site Euphrates, which prompted the U.S. to conduct counter strikes on Tuesday. At the time, the Pentagon said rockets and mortars had landed in the vicinity of the base. The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria to conduct missions to counter the Islamic Stage group. By Lolita Baldor

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HETIAN, China , Nov. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 28 , good news came from Hetian Power Supply Company of State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.. Since the official launch of the company's full power outage information perception platform in July 2023 , it has been in stable operation for more than a year and has achieved remarkable results. According to the latest data, the platform has sent more than 74,000 monitoring and warning SMS work orders so far, which has greatly improved the speed of fault recovery and reduced the distribution network failure by more than 60% year-on-year, providing a more reliable guarantee for the safe use of electricity for users in the Hetian area. The company has always been committed to improving the intelligence level of the power grid and ensuring the safety and stability of power supply. By integrating advanced information technology and data analysis means, the platform can realize the perception of full voltage and all types of power outage faults in the entire distribution grid within 30 seconds, which greatly improves the timeliness and accuracy of fault handling processes. In the past year or so, the platform has not only significantly improved the accuracy of fault location, but also made the research and judgment process more efficient and scientific. Operation and maintenance personnel can quickly grasp the fault information and take targeted repair measures, thus greatly shortening the power outage time and reducing the inconvenience and losses to users. SOURCE Hetian Power Supply Company of State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., LtdSouthwest Washington Scoho fishing is still slowing down, but a few anglers are having luck. Some early steelhead are being caught in tributaries but nothing is consistent yet. Merwin is still fishing great again this week with most anglers finding limits in just a few hours. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has stocked local ponds and lakes with trout, and razor clam digs have been approved for the weekend. As always, remember to verify regulations before fishing any body of water, and wear a life jacket. Lewis River Flow has been raised to 7,200 cubic feet per second this week, coming up from 5,600. While water levels are fairly high right now, the water clarity has been really good with a steelhead green color to it. The river has been fishing alright for B-runs but nothing consistent by any means. I talked with several anglers this week including reader Shawn Chase who fished at the hatchery and didn't get a fish himself but saw one bank angler pick up an older coho while the boat anglers picked up a few brighter ones back trolling plugs. Kalama River There's not too much to report this week. I only talked to one angler who had just come from the Kalama while I was at Anglers Unlimited on Sunday evening. He had driven most of the river and hadn't hooked anything. When I talked with the guys behind the counter, none had any reports for the Kalama either. Cowlitz River I talked with a few plunkers who were fishing at Camelot Beach. None had seen a fish caught all weekend and they hadn't even gotten a takedown, which was a first for them in a few weeks. The steelhead won't start showing up until January so this is probably one of the last viable Cowlitz fishing weeks we have for 2024. Washougal River The Washougal has started to attract a crowd of people fishing for chum salmon. I want to remind everyone that you can absolutely not target these fish, even for catch and release, as they are protected. Coho fishing has slowed down more than anywhere else, as the fish seem to be long gone and upriver. With all the reports I received, not one person hooked into even one coho. WDFW's Black Friday fishing event WDFW holds an annual Black Friday trout fishing event, where they stock local ponds and lakes the Friday after Thanksgiving with trout for anglers to catch. Battle Ground Lake and Klineline Pond in Clark County, Kress Lake in Cowlitz County and more will all be stocked with 2,000 trout per body of water, which should provide an excellent days of catching. Lakes Lake Merwin has been fishing excellent again this week with most anglers leaving with limits in only a few hours of fishing. Yale has been just as good. I talked with Tommy Dinger who fished Yale on Monday and quickly hooked his limit before the sun had fully come up. Long Beach WDFW approved this week's razor clam digs as: ■ ■ Saturday, 5:54 p.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks ■ Sunday, 6:30 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis ■ Monday, 7:06 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis ■ Tuesday, 7:46 p.m.; -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks ■Wednesday, 8:28 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks ■ Thursday, 9:13 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis Seth Kolshinski has been chasing steelhead and salmon in Southwest Washington since he can remember. Kolshinski uses his knowledge of year-round fishing from inland lakes to the coast to produce regular fishing forecasts for The Guide, a website launched in 1998 that off ers fishing reports for Oregon and parts of Washington. Free reports like this one are available at www.theguidesforecast.com or people can become one of the 800 paid subscribers for more detailed reports. Get local news delivered to your inbox!