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Brazil's Bolsonaro leaves hospital and returns to jail in capital Brasilia

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Former Brazilian PresidentJair Bolsonaroleft a hospital in capital Brasilia on Thursday, a week after he underwent a double hernia surgery. A car took the embattled ex-leader back to the federal police headquarters where he is serving his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup d'etat aimed at keeping him in office.

Hospital DF Star confirmed Bolsonaro was released after some other minor medical procedures after the double hernia surgery that was completed without complications.

Brazil's Supreme Court approved the release of the former president, who governed from 2019 to 2022, for the surgery.

Supreme Court JusticeAlexandre de Moraes, who sentenced Bolsonaro to prison, denied the former president's request for house arrest after he leaves the hospital.

Bolsonaro has undergone several other medical procedures since he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in 2018.

Bolsonaro has no contact with the few other inmates at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, where he is held and where his 12-square-meter (around 130-square-foot) room has a bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a television and a desk.

In December, Bolsonaro shook Brazilian politics again by appointing his eldest son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, to become his political party'spresidential candidate in next year's election, challenging incumbentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Neither Flávio Bolsonaro nor former first-lady Michelle Bolsonaro made comments about the former leader returning to prison after his hospitalization.

Michelle Bolsonaro said in her social media channels that "there is a Brazil of good people which loves you and prays for you."

"We will beat the bad days," she wrote.

Bolsonaro and several of his allieswere convicted in Septemberby a panel of Supreme Court justices of attempting to overthrow Brazil's democratic system following his 2022 election defeat.

The plot included plans to kill Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and de Moraes. There was also a plan to encourage an insurrection in early 2023.

Bolsonaro was also convicted on charges that include leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Follow the AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean athttps://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

January 02, 2026

Brazil's Bolsonaro leaves hospital and returns to jail in capital Brasilia

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Former Brazilian PresidentJair Bolsonaroleft a hospital in capital Brasilia on Thursday, a week a...

Coastal flooding and king tides in Northern California forecast

The new year is bringing warmer than normal temperatures across much of the U.S. including the Northern Rockies and Great Plains, whilecoastal California faces warningsfor a couple of feet of coastal flooding and storm surge through the weekend.

A strong system is forecast to arrive off California and the Pacific Northwest, bringing more heavy rain and mountain snows in the region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center.

The strong low pressure system is approaching with unfortunate timing, just as some of the highest astronomical tides of the year arrive along the Pacific Coast through the weekend. Coastal flood advisories are in effect along parts of the south central Oregon coast and northern California, including the Bay area, the National Weather Service has warned.

The low pressure system is forecast to bring strong southerly winds, generating storm surge that will help contribute to minor to moderate coastal floodingnear shorelines and tidal waterways around San Francisco Bay,and from north of Point Reyes southward to Big Sur along the coast.

In San Francisco, high tides are forecast to be more than 2 feet above normal on Saturday and nearly that high again on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 4, thanks to the front and the alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun.

A similar forecast for coastal flooding is in effectalong Coos Bay, Oregonand the surrounding estuaries.

From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding, Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric river that officials have warned about for days.

People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A vehicle stands across flood waters flowing on a road after torrential rains in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab from a handout video.

A vehicle stands across flood waters flowing on a road after torrential rains in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab from a handout video.

Flood waters flow as houses ad trees remain partially submerged after torrential rains in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab from a handout video.

A helicopter flies over a flooded area after evacuating people stranded on the roof of a building in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.

Flood waters flow as houses remain partially submerged after torrential rains in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab from a handout video.

People get into a helicopter after they were stranded on the roof of a building as floods partially submerged the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.

Cars drive through a large puddle at Cortez Street in El Rio as a major storm moved across Ventura County, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

A tree limb was left dangling on some wires on Orange Drive and Balboa Street in El Rio as a major storm moved across Ventura County, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

Cars drive through a large puddle at the intersection of Cortez Street and Ventura Boulevard in El Rio as a major storm moved across Ventura County, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

Steve Cruz, a Camarillo city worker, moves large chunks of a fallen tree off Santa Rosa Road after a major storm moved across Ventura County, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

A car drives through a flooded road on La Cienega Boulevard on Dec. 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif. A major winter storm rolled into California on December 23, forcing hundreds of evacuations in burn areas while threatening flooding and travel delays through Christmas for much of the state, officials said. A

Heavy rain is seen from Kenneth Hahn Park blocking the view of the city skyline on Dec.24, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif. A major winter storm rolled into California on December 23, forcing hundreds of evacuations in burn areas while threatening flooding and travel delays through Christmas for much of the state, officials said. A

Workers cut and move a tree which fell at the Westfield Topanga shopping centre in the Canoga Park area of Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

Shoppers walk through a parking lot on a rainy Christmas Eve morning at the Westfield Topanga shopping centre in the Canoga Park area of Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

A man checks the damage caused by driving through a flooded road on La Cienega Boulevard on Dec. 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif. A major winter storm rolled into California on December 23, forcing hundreds of evacuations in burn areas while threatening flooding and travel delays through Christmas for much of the state, officials said. A

Cars drive through puddles as heavy rain falls due to an atmospheric river, in an intersection in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025.

City workers try to remove a tree that felt on a wall next to the Hollywood Water Reserve on Dec.24, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif. A major winter storm rolled into California on December 23, forcing hundreds of evacuations in burn areas while threatening flooding and travel delays through Christmas for much of the state, officials said. A

Leticia Serafin (R) cooks tamales with her husband Paul Fonseca, center, and friend Pedro Jimenez, who holds up his phone light, ahead of the atmospheric river storm on Dec. 23, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. The couple lost their home of 25 years in the Eaton Fire and are residing in a donated travel trailer on their property as they make plans to rebuild. They make tamales every year to distribute to family and friends on Christmas Eve, and continued the tradition this year. A flood watch will be in effect for much of the region through Christmas Eve, with evacuation warnings in place for residents near recent burn areas. Meteorologists are calling for five straight days of precipitation, with the highest rainfall totals predicted for Christmas Eve, along with heavy snow in higher elevation mountain regions.

Strong atmospheric river brings floods, snow, high winds to California

From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding,Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric riverthat officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.

Severe thunderstorms are possible along the Oregon andCalifornia coasts on the weekend. From Friday night through Monday, a general 2-4 inches of rain is forecast, with locally higher amounts along the coast north of Los Angeles, AccuWeather reported on Jan. 1.

Therain could exacerbate already wet conditions in Californiafrom other recent rain. It rained on the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year's Day for the first time in years, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department reportedrescuing more than 100 peopleand one dog from flooding on Christmas Eve.

Water floods down a gutter as parade attendees wear ponchos as they walk up Colorado Blvd in the rain before the start of the 137th Rose Parade on New Years Day in Pasadena, California, on January 1, 2026.

The moisture also means snow in the Sierras, and AccuWeather reported it could lead to a long stretch of wintry conditions along the higher elevations of Interstate 80, possibly bringing several feet of snow to Donner Pass, enough to force the road to close.

Here is a detailed summary on the very wet start to the current water year through December across Southwest California.https://t.co/Q78445OgGh#CAwx#LARainpic.twitter.com/rlIP4fC1iO

— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles)January 1, 2026

Warmer temperatures likely in Central U.S.

Far to the east, a warming trend could bring temperatures that range from 15-30 degrees above normal in the Plains, the weather service said.

Further east, more heavy lake effect snow is forecast across portions of the Great Lakes, in far northwest Pennsylvania and portions of western New York state. The weather service reported 16 inches of snow in Oswego, New York on New Year's Day.

Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, has covered climate change, weather and other news for decades. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Coastal flooding in California, rare rain fell on Rose Bowl Parade

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

January 02, 2026

Coastal flooding and king tides in Northern California forecast

The new year is bringing warmer than normal temperatures across much of the U.S. including the Northern Rockies and Great...

China taxes condoms, contraceptive drugs in bid to spur birth rate

HONG KONG, Jan 2 (Reuters) - China removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices from January 1 in new steps ‌to spur a flagging birth rate.

Condoms and contraceptive pills now ‌incur value-added tax of 13%, the standard rate for most consumer goods.

The move comes as Beijing struggles to boost birth rates in the world's second-largest economy. ⁠China's population fell ‌for a third consecutive year in 2024 and experts have cautioned the downturn will ‍continue.

China exempted childcare subsidies from personal income tax and rolled out an annual childcare subsidy last year, following a series of "fertility-friendly" measures in 2024, such as ‌urging colleges and universities to provide "love education" to portray marriage, love, fertility and family in a positive light.

Top leaders again pledged last month at the annual Central Economic Work Conference to promote "positive marriage and ⁠childbearing attitudes" to stabilise birth rates.

China's birth rates have been falling for decades as a result of the one-child policy China implemented from 1980 to ‍2015, and ⁠rapid urbanisation.

The high cost of childcare and education as well as job uncertainty and a slowing ⁠economy have also discouraged many young Chinese from getting ‌married and starting a family.

(Reporting by Clare Jim; ‌Editing by Kate Mayberry)

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

January 02, 2026

China taxes condoms, contraceptive drugs in bid to spur birth rate

HONG KONG, Jan 2 (Reuters) - China removed a three-decade-old tax exemption on contraceptive drugs and devices from Janu...

People enter Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday, by which time work had been started to fix a misspelling on the sign. - CNN

It may now be the most famous – or infamous – sign in the country. Posted above a door on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, the Quality Learning Center was missing an "n."

For aconservative content creatorattempting to call out fraud – and the supporters who made his video on day care centers in Minneapolis' Somali community viral – it seemed too absurd not to mention.

"This is Quality 'Learing' Center," Nick Shirley said, pointing to the sign. "They spelled 'learning' wrong."

Shirley's 42-minute video posted the day after Christmas quickly spread, promptingstepped up immigration enforcement,frozen federal fundsand morebiting rhetoricagainst the Somali community from President Donald Trump.

Although Shirley's encounters with other businesses were often more dramatic, the misspelled sign and its locked door made Quality Learning Center a focus of criticism aimed at the state government and Gov. Tim Walz for a system opponents say has allowed fraud to run rampant in Minnesota.

"These are not real businesses," Shirleytold CNN's Whitney Wildthis week, pointing to the Quality Learning Center. A man identifying himself as a manager for the centertold a local TV stationthere was "no fraud going on whatsoever."

CNN is looking into Shirley's claims that this and other Minneapolis-area day care centers are committing fraud.

Federal law enforcement has beeninvestigating fraudin Minnesota forseveral years, and "98 individuals have been charged in our ongoing fraud against the government cases," Assistant US Attorney Melinda Williams told CNN Tuesday. No fraud charges have been filed against Quality Learning Center.

Records show the business has faced repeated questions of whether the service it is providing is meeting state standards, but none of the violations suggested fraud.

Here's what we know about the Quality Learning Center.

According to figures provided to CNN by the state House Republican Caucus, Quality Learning Center was set to receive $1.9 million from theChild Care Assistance Program– known as CCAP – for 2025. It has received nearly $10 million from CCAP since 2019, the document shows.

Nick Shirley speaks outside of Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday. - CNN

The caucus told CNN the funding figures were obtained from the state Department of Human Services, which did not respond to CNN's request for confirmation Wednesday.

State GOP leadership said they raised concerns about day care centers, including Quality Learning Center, months ago.

"The (House)fraud committee… featured a number of these apparently vacant sites in a hearing that took place all the way back in February, which also included the infamous Quality Learning Center featured in the viral video," state House Speaker Lisa DemuthsaidMonday.

CCAP does not take applications directly from day care centers. Instead, qualified working parents and other eligible caregivers who make less than the program's income limitapplydirectly to the state for assistance, which is paid to the day care center.

A budgetforecastproduced in November by the agency that runs CCAP says it's projected to cost the state $56 million in the 2025 fiscal year. Another $101 million in funding for the program was expected to come from the federal government.

Quality Learning Center's most recent inspection – which state officials say are done unannounced – was on June 23, the facility'slicensing recordshows.

"There have been ongoing investigations involving several of those centers. None of those investigations uncovered findings of fraud," state Department of Children, Youth, and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said Monday of centers covered in Shirley's video, adding that new site visits would be conducted this week. The department did not respond to multiple requests from CNN for whether those additional visits have been completed and what the results were.

"There's no fraud going on whatsoever," said Ibrahim Ali, who identified himself as a manager and son of the owners of Quality Learning Center, toCNN affiliate KAREon Monday. He said Shirley's video was taken before the business had opened for the day.

"If you look around, there's cars now because our employees are here, our children are here," he said on Monday.

Shirley's video came 11 months after a similar visit to Quality Learning Center from a reporter forlocal TV station KSTP, who also was told by a worker that the building was not yet open because it provides after-school care, with posted operating hours of 2 to 10 p.m.

State DHSrecordsshow Quality Learning Center was cited for 121 violations from May 2022 to June 2025, including 10 in the most recent inspection, listed as a licensing review. Citations included having an unqualified substitute and failing to have proper documentation for children's medicine. None of the violations suggest that the building was empty.

The state records also show correction documents were submitted and approved in response to the violations.

But even without allegations of fraud, Quality Learning Center's license has previously been in jeopardy.

In May 2022, site inspectors found 27 violations, 10 of them repeats of previous violations.

"Due to the serious and chronic nature of these violations, and the conditions in the program, which impact the health and safety of children in your care, your license to provide childcare services is placed on a conditional status for two years," said a publicly filednoticein June 2022.

Although Shirley's video implied the day care was empty, several of the violations noted in that report involved overcrowding, with too many children in some rooms and too few adults supervising them.

Staff lacked training, the 2022 notice said, and one person misidentified themselves to investigators.

The citation focused on a lack of documentation for many children. "There were several children present who did not have files," the letter says, adding that "staff were unable to provide the first and last names for most of the children present."

Although it remained on conditional status for two years, Quality Learning Center was never suspended, according to state records. It has twice been fined $200 for allowing the background check on an employee to expire.

On Tuesday afternoon, the sidewalk in front of the facility had become a hive of activity – including the return of Nick Shirley – as media and Shirley supporters watched adults escorting children in and out. A CNN crew was kept back from the property, told by an unidentified person that being in the parking lot would be considered trespassing.

Determining exactly how many children are served by Quality Learning Center – now, or in the past – is difficult from state records. The facility is licensed to provide care for a maximum of 99 children, but Ali, the center's manager, told KARE it serves anywhere from 50 to 80 children on an average day.

The state Department of Human Services has not responded to CNN's requests for details about enrollment figures.

CNN has been unable to reach the business or its registered owner, Siman Aden, using listed phone numbers, and it is not clear if they have an attorney.

Questions about the current status of the business were complicated by conflicting statements on Monday.

"Quality Learning Center closed just over a week ago," Brown said in anews conference, an assertion repeated in a statement to CNN from Walz's office.

But observers found kids arriving at Quality Learning Center that same afternoon, resulting in a raft of onlineconspiracytheories.Quality Learning Center "decided to remain open," a department spokesperson told theMinnesota Star Tribune.

Speaking to CNN outside the building Tuesday, Nick Shirley dismissed the idea that seeing children entering the building disproved his video.

"They're showing face right now," hesaid.

CNN reached out to Brown's agency for more information about why it initially thought the center had closed. The state licensing database shows Quality Learning Center's license was renewed through the end of 2026.

And as for that missing letter "n"? Ali told KARE it was a mistake by the graphic designer. By Tuesday, work on a fix was underway.

CNN's Whitney Wild and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

January 01, 2026

What we know about a Minneapolis day care center that was highlighted in video about alleged fraud

It may now be the most famous – or infamous – sign in the country. Posted above a door on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, the Quality Learn...

Coast Guard searches for 77-year-old woman who went overboard from cruise ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a Holland America Line cruise ship.

The woman was a passenger on the Nieuw Statendam ship, which was roughly 40 miles northeast of Sabana, Cuba, when she went overboard on Thursday, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard has deployed Cutter William Trump and an MH-60 helicopter to help with the search.

The ship departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday and was on a seven-day journey through the eastern Caribbean, according to Holland America Line.

"The captain and crew initiated search and rescue procedures and are searching the area working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard," the cruise line said in a statement. "Our family assistance team is supporting the guest's family, and our thoughts are with the guest's loved ones during this difficult time."

The ship was scheduled to dock at Key West, Florida, on Friday, but that stop was canceled because of the ongoing search, the cruise line said.

Police report details charges against Patriots' Stefon Diggs, who denies the allegations

Tony Dokoupil: Don't just trust me. Make me earn it.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

January 01, 2026

Coast Guard searches for 77-year-old woman who went overboard from cruise ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a Holland America Line cruise ship. ...

Cocaine, abuse, 'full meltdown' – Chevy Chase doc revelations

Far from a "Christmas Vacation," CNN'sChevy Chasedocumentary doesn't shy away from the actor's marred legacy.

"Chevy's a very smart guy," says Marina Zenovich, director of "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" (premiering New Year's Day, 8 ET/PT). "This wasn't going to be a hagiography. So of course I'm going to dig into those things."

Featuring interviews with Chase's family – his wife of 43 years, Jayni, their three daughters, and Chase's brothers – as well as his costars, includingDan Aykroyd, Beverly D'Angelo,Goldie HawnandMartin Short− the film revisits Chase's early days of living in a cockroach-filled apartment on Lexington Avenue in New York City and bowing out as the drummer of the band that would become Steely Dan.

In the documentary, the actor also revealshow hurt he waswhen he wasn't included in a sketch forFebruary's 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live" (he was a member of the show's inaugural cast) and the impact ofheart failure, which has affected his memory. The film also addresses his shadow side, which struggled with a reliance on cocaine and alcohol and had a "full meltdown" on set.

Chevy Chase's abusive stepfather, 'out of control' mom

Chase's parents divorced when he was around 4. His mother, Cathalene, remarried to a man named John Cederquist. He "had a flash anger," Chase's half-brother, also named John Cederquist, says, "and he could lash out with a single blow and no talk before or after. He did not take to anything that he perceived as insolence. Chevy was insolent."

Chase, now 82, remembers being slapped at breakfast by his stepfather; he says his mother was also abusive. In the documentary, Chase says he was raised by "an out-of-control woman, who I look back on, and I say I feel sorry for her. She had her own issues. Bad ones."

Wife Jayni says in the film: "The first time we stayed together, the first time I went to wake him up, he shuddered. And he explained, 'Well, my mother would wake me up slapping me,' from the time he was a little guy."

"Our mother was a bag of cats," Chase's brother John says, "certainly on the schizoid spectrum."

Chevy Chase is looking back on a lifetime of laughs in a new documentary about his distinguished comedy career.

The comedian, 82, was part of the original cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1975 and after leaving the show starred in a string of hit comedies throughout the 1980s, including "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation."

With the documentary "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" set to premiere on CNN, scroll through for a look back at Chase's career, starting with Chase with his "Saturday Night Live" costars in 1975.