All Victims Identified from Fatal DC Plane and Helicopter Collision

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell short of Wall Street expectations, leading to a more than 6% decline in its stock price. The company posted $96.5 billion in revenue, slightly below estimates of $96.67 billion, despite surpassing earnings per share forecasts with $2.15. According to CEO Sundar Pichai, growth was bolstered by advancements in artificial intelligence, as the company aims to enhance its core business and competitive advantage. Analysts are increasingly concerned about the heightened competition within the AI sector, particularly from emerging players like China's DeepSeek and OpenAI. According to Emarketer’s Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, Google faces a “challenging year,” with the potential risk of losing its dominance in search due to shifting consumer behavior and increased antitrust scrutiny. Alphabet plans to invest approximately $75 billion in capital expenditures in 2025, primarily to expand its AI capabilities. Meanwhile, the recent changes in the company's AI usage policies have sparked debates about its role in national security and technology applications. Additional scrutiny also arises from ongoing antitrust challenges in the U.S. and regulatory actions in China.

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that displaced Palestinians from Gaza should be permanently resettled outside the war-torn territory during a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Emphasizing the unsustainable living conditions in Gaza, Trump remarked, “I don’t think people should be going back,” and advocated for relocating them to places that would allow them to live safely and happily. These comments align with a broader approach by Trump’s administration, which has suggested that reconstruction timelines for Gaza are impractical due to ongoing violence. While Trump mentioned Egypt and Jordan as potential host countries for resettlement, both nations and other regional stakeholders, including the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, have firmly rejected such proposals. Trump believes these nations may eventually reconsider due to U.S. financial aid leverage. The discussion occurs at a critical point as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is tested, with Netanyahu facing pressure from domestic hard-liners to resume military action, highlighting the complexity of the situation on the ground.

A 40-foot gray whale carcass washed ashore at Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles over the weekend, sparking investigations into its cause of death. Marine mammal specialists discovered bite marks consistent with attacks from either sharks or orcas, although no official cause has been confirmed as of yet, according to officials. Initially, USA Today reported that boaters claimed the whale had been killed by orcas, which was later amended following further examination revealing possible shark bites. A volunteer with the Marine Mammal Care Center stated, “A necropsy will be done to determine cause of death and where the bite marks came from,” emphasizing the potential involvement of orcas or sharks. This incident coincides with warnings issued for numerous Los Angeles beaches due to water quality advisories linked to recent wildfires, which caused toxic runoff into the ocean. The Marine Mammal Care Center noted that sightings like this underscore the harsh realities of life in nature, as well as the growing community of passionate individuals involved in marine mammal care and research.