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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated. Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on Dec. 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate. The Defense Department had already stopped all related personnel actions, such as discharging troops who refused the shot....

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UN says ozone layer slowly healing, hole...
DENVER (AP) — Earth’s protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says. A once-every-four-years scientific assessment found recovery in progress, more than 35 years after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that chomp on the layer of ozone in Earth’s atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful radiation linked to skin cancer, cataracts and...

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Golden Globes are back on TV, but...
NEW YORK (AP) — Without a TV show, starry red carpet, host, press or even a livestream, the Golden Globe Awards were in chaos last year after scandal broke over lack of diversity, accusations of sexism, and ethical and financial lapses among members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Once known as Hollywood’s biggest, booziest party that regularly drew 18 million television viewers, the doling out of statues was reduced to a 90-minute private event with no celebrities present...

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Gustafsson, Kuemper lead Capitals past Blue Jackets...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson made their season debuts and the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 on Sunday. Erik Gustafsson scored 2:43 into the game and Darcy Kuemper stopped 37 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and second in five games. Elvis Merzlikins had 18 saves for Columbus, which has lost 10 of its last 12 games. Backstrom and Wilson took the ice at Capital One Arena for the first time...

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Wilson, Broncos beat Herbert, playoff-bound Chargers 31-28
DENVER (AP) — If this was a sign of what’s to come in 2023 in Denver, Russell Wilson and the Broncos faithful can breathe easier this offseason. Wilson rediscovered some of his magic Sunday, throwing for three touchdowns and a trio of bull’s-eye deep balls that each covered more than 50 yards in the Broncos’ 31-28 win over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers. “Today he looked like he was having more fun,” Chargers leading tackler Drue Trainquill said. “He...

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Backstrom, Wilson return as Capitals blank Blue...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson made their season debuts and the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 on Sunday night. It marked the first time Backstrom and Wilson took the ice at Capital One Arena since the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs in May. Both underwent major procedures in the offseason — Backstrom had hip resurfacing surgery and Wilson had ACL surgery. “You know, after an injury, it’s a little bit...

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Stars matter? Georgia, TCU both excel in...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Based solely on the recruiting rankings, this national championship game between No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 TCU is the most lopsided in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs are a recruiting juggernaut, brimming with four- and five-star high school players. The Horned Frogs have some blue-chippers, but they’re more likely to rely on players who outperform their prospect pedigree. “Yo, man, in football stars don’t matter at all,” TCU star...

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Flyers net 5 goals in 2nd, beat...
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Hayes knows how much his late brother wanted him to one day make an All-Star team. After nine seasons, three teams and still playing with a heavy heart over the death of his brother, Jimmy, Hayes made this one for his family. Hayes scored one of five goals for Philadelphia in the second period and Morgan Frost had four assists to help lift the Flyers to their fourth straight victory, 6-2 over the Arizona Coyotes...

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Seoul: Kim’s daughter reveal hints at prolonged...
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s disclosure of his daughter in recent public events was likely an attempt to show his people that one of his children would one day inherit his power in what would be the country’s third hereditary power transfer, South Korea’s spy service told lawmakers Thursday. Kim publicly took his daughter to three events in the past few months: a missile launch site, a photo session with weapons scientists and...

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Montgomery Co. offering free fitness passes for...
With a new year underway, it’s usually a time for people to start their weight loss resolutions while getting over their “gymtimidation.” The department of recreation for Montgomery County, Maryland, has one way to help residents keep up with their goals: free fitness passes. Starting Monday, Montgomery County residents can register for a free membership pass in person or online for the whole year. It will give access to fitness rooms, game rooms and open gym activities at 22...

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Russia, shaken by Ukrainian strike, could step...
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Emergency crews on Tuesday sifted through the rubble of a building struck by Ukrainian rockets, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers barracked there in the latest blow to the Kremlin’s war strategy as Ukraine says Moscow’s tactics could be shifting. An Associated Press video of the scene in Makiivka, a town in the partially Russian-occupied eastern Donetsk region, showed five cranes and emergency workers removing big chunks of concrete under a clear blue sky. In...

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Today in History MON JAN 02
Today in History Today is Monday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2023. There are 363 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency. On this date: In 1900, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the “Open Door Policy” to facilitate trade with China. In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1811, Sen. Timothy...

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Weary Rams hit NFL low with 11th...
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — In their first game after the end of a highly eventful calendar year, the Los Angeles Rams made the bad kind of NFL history Sunday. With their 31-10 loss to the Chargers in the first Los Angeles derby at SoFi Stadium on New Year’s Day, the Rams became the first defending Super Bowl champions in NFL history to lose 11 games. “The margin for error was really small,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. The margin...

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Sabres make it 6 straight with OT...
BOSTON (AP) — Alex Tuch scored his second goal of the game in overtime, and the Buffalo Sabres rallied for a 4-3 victory over the NHL-best Boston Bruins on Saturday for their sixth straight win. Tage Thompson scored his team-leading 27th goal and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 37 shots for the Sabres, who won for just the second time in their last 11 games against the Bruins. Trailing 3-2 and skating with an extra attacker after pulling its goalie, Buffalo...

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Cavaliers betting on in-arena sportsbook to win...
CLEVELAND (AP) — The action at Cleveland Cavaliers games from now on won’t be limited to dunks, layups, 3-pointers and anything else happening on the court. Bet on it. With sports gambling becoming legal in Ohio on Jan. 1 at midnight, the NBA team is opening a stylish, two-story sportsbook inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where fans can wager on games across the country — along with the one they’re attending. Partnering with Caesar’s Sportsbook, the Cavs are the latest...

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