AP News Summary at 12:19 pm EST

Poland, NATO say missile strike wasn’t a Russian attack

PRZEWODOW, Poland (AP) — NATO’s chief and the president of Poland both say there are no indications that a missile that came down in Polish farmland and killed two people was a deliberate attack. They said that Ukraine likely launched the Soviet-era projectile as it was fending off a Russian air assault. The missile came down Tuesday as Russia launched missiles and exploding drones that savaged Ukraine’s power grid. Poland said the missile was Russian-made. US President Joe Biden said it was “unlikely” that Russia fired it. Three US officials said preliminary assessments suggested it was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile.

NASA’s mightiest moon rocket lifts off 50 years after Apollo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s new moon rocket has blasted off on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard. Wednesday’s Florida launch brings the US a big step closer to putting astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago. If all goes well with the three-week flight, the crew capsule will be propelled into a wide orbit around the moon, before returning to Earth with a Pacific splashdown in December. NASA hopes to send four astronauts around the moon on the next flight, in 2024, and land humans there as early as 2025.

Prosecutor: Witness told police UVA suspect targeted victims

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A prosecutor says a witness told police the University of Virginia student suspected of opening fire on fellow students as they returned by bus from a field trip targeted specific victims. The prosecutor gave a brief accounting of what police say happened Sunday night during the suspect’s first court appearance Wednesday. Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. was ordered held without bond. His attorney did not address the substance of the charges against him. The school also announced Wednesday it was canceling its final home game of the season scheduled for the weekend against Coastal Carolina. The Sunday night violence left three football players dead and one player and another student wounded.

Same-sex marriage faces Senate test with GOP votes uncertain

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are moving ahead with legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriage. Democrats are acting now as they face the prospect of divided government in the next Congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is planning a test vote on the bill Wednesday, betting that at least 10 Republicans will vote with all Democrats to advance legislation to ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are legally recognized nationwide. The bill has gained momentum since the Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to abortion. An opinion at the time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could also come under threat.

Rent stabilization measures win in US mid-term election

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ballot measures to build more affordable housing and protect tenants from soaring rent increases were plentiful and fared well in last week’s midterm elections. The activity reflected growing fear over record high rents exacerbated by inflation and a dearth of homes. Voters in three US cities approved capping rent increases at below inflation with a measure in a fourth city leading in the vote count. Tenant advocates say rent caps are critical to keeping low-income renters out of homelessness. But critics of rent stabilization were dismayed. They said restricting rents will spur disinvestment in rental stock and discourage the construction of affordable housing. But both sides agree that the country must build more affordable housing.

At climate summit, Brazil’s Lula promises new day for Amazon

SHARM el-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is promising to combat deforestation when he assumes office on Jan. 1. Da Silva, president between 2003 and 2010, is participating at the UN climate summit in Egypt known as COP27. In his first public appearance on Wednesday, da Silva said his administration would make combating deforestation a priority. He also said he would suggest to UN officials that the climate summit in 2025 be held in the Amazon. Da Silva took swipes at President Jair Bolsonaro, who pushed economic development in the Amazon. Da Silva beat Bolsonaro in last month’s presidential election. Da Silva was expected to speak again later on Wednesday and participate in the summit through Thursday.

Happy hygge! Scrabble dictionary adds hundreds of words

NEW YORK (AP) — Here’s the sitch, Scrabble stans. Your convos around the board are about to get more interesting with about 500 new words and variations added to the game’s official dictionary. Among them are stan, meaning a fan, sitch, short for situation and convo, for conversation. There’s also zedonk, dox and fauxhawk. The seventh edition of “The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary” was released this month. Among other new words are deadname, pageview and embiggen. Grawlix is ​​one of the highest scorers. Don’t know what grawlix is? It’s that mashup of symbols on a keyboard that replace curse words in print.

Rising food costs take a bite out of Thanksgiving dinner

Americans are bracing for a costly Thanksgiving this year, with double-digit percent increases in the price of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, canned pumpkin and other staples. Higher production costs are only part of the reason; disease, rough weather and the war in Ukraine are also contributors. Turkey supplies are at their lowest point since 1986 after a deadly avian flu wiped out flocks, and prices are up about 28%. But experts say there won’t be shortages of whole birds because producers shifted production to meet Thanksgiving demand. Meanwhile, stores like Walmart, Lidl and Aldi are offering deals to read the sticker shock.

As climate change progresses, trees in cities struggle

SEATTLE (AP) — Cities across the world have promised to plant more carbon-absorbing trees to help fight climate change. Research has shown the shade of mature trees also helps reduce unhealthful “heat islands,” especially in poor neighborhoods. But life of a city tree is already challenging and those problems are being compounded by a warming planet. Increasingly, the challenge for city arborists is to keep old and new trees alive, and it’s increasing a bigger hit on municipal budgets.

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