However, this one is a little different than the original monoliths that people first discovered in November. For one, it appears to be made of cardboard or plastic and painted metallic, rather than being made of actual metal like the first monoliths. Then there’s the fact that it’s located right in the center of Houston, Texas, and not in a remote desert or on an isolated mountaintop. Local news station KPRC-TV, an NBC affiliate, first reported on the monolith in the central neighborhood of Houston Heights on December 30, noting that residents first reported its existence about a week earlier....

Three of the four reactors at the Kalinin power plant were unplugged on Thursday, state news agency Tass reported. The nuclear facility sits just over 200 miles northwest of Moscow and has been in operation since 1985. Tass cited emergency services in the nearby town of Udomlya who said the first, second and fourth reactors at the plant had been taken offline. The national Emergency Situations Ministry explained that the reactors were unplugged following a short circuit....

The Altman style was unmistakable: the long, wandering takes; the overlapping dialogue that invites us to eavesdrop on the actors; the teeming, spontaneous panoramas that offer multiple choices to the eye. His method was the opposite of a Hitchcock, who storyboarded every sequence in advance and arranged every object inside the frame. Altman’s movies spilled out beyond the edges of the frame, alive to the messiness of life. Notoriously laid back, in love with improvisation and multiple cameras, Altman was the director as party host, throwing a bash and letting the camera capture the results....

How much Jim Harbaugh is too much? Michigan is coming off back-to-back 10-3 seasons, and expectations are high as usual in Ann Arbor entering Year 3. The Wolverines are fresh off a spring practice trip to Rome, and the social media phenomenon hasn’t stopped since Harbaugh’s arrival. He leaves everybody wondering what’s going to happen next. MORE: Harbaugh says ‘waters are hot’ at U-M Is Harbaugh overrated? This is one where you answer a question with a question, and perhaps some truth serum....

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) Davis returned two nights ago in a win over the Nets in Brooklyn after missing 17 games with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Starting at center, his return was a welcome sight for Lakers fans who have seen their ball club hover around the .500 mark for the majority of the season. Davis had not played since Dec....

Anthony will sign a five-year deal to remain in New York, and the other teams in pursuit of him have already moved on to other options. And now, they wait. As much as Anthony’s decision shapes the near future of this team, it is the summer of 2015 that figures to make or break Jackson’s fortunes. Coming into this season, Jackson hasn’t exactly been doing a hard sell on the immediate prospects for his Knicks....

Joshua was due to face the Bulgarian at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June for the defense of his IBF, WBA and WBO world titles, but the fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Promoter Eddie Hearn suggested an all-British unification bout with Tyson Fury could take place this year if a new date was not fixed with Pulev. It has now been confirmed Joshua will his face mandatory challenger in his first fight in England for over two years, marking his return to the ring since defeating Andy Ruiz Jr....

Eleanor Clift

The scene suggests that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, given that Kennedy, who was the swing vote in upholding the nation’s abortion-rights law in 1992’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, is no longer on the court. It’s an ironic scene because the anti-abortion movie was produced by Kennedy’s niece, Elizabeth Kennedy-Ryzewicz. While the movie has been available for several months on the Salem Now streaming platform, Kennedy-Ryzewicz has so far not promoted it, until speaking to Newsweek....

Activist Erin DiMaggio gave a short but fiery speech focused on masks and COVID-19 conspiracy theories during Tuesday’s Torrance, California Unified School District board meeting. DiMaggio ended her speech by insisting that mask requirements in schools were “criminal” and warning that those who “blindly follow the rules” could be executed like the Nazis who were convicted of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity following World War II. “We know that COVID-19 is less severe than the flu,” DiMaggio falsely claimed....

Abbott, a Republican, tested positive on Tuesday but is not experiencing symptoms. He is fully vaccinated and is self-isolating at the governor’s mansion. He posted photos on Twitter of the event—a gathering organized by the Heritage Ranch Republican Club in Collin County on Monday. The images show members of the crowd not wearing face coverings. Abbott tweeted: “Another standing room only event in Collin County tonight. “Thank y’all for the enthusiastic reception....

The protesters live streamed their antics as well as being followed by local reporters as they made their way through the Westfield Century City mall on January 3. Among some of the videos posted on social media from the protest include a number of physical and verbal altercations and one of the organizers appearing to be detained by police. One of those taking part in the protest, Shiva Bagheri, described those taking part as “freedom lovers” in a clip streamed on Facebook Live....

Rabbis from the synagogue wrote about the vandalism in an email today which said while the damage was not extensive and would be fixed quickly, “events like this can throw even the toughest person into a tailspin.” “Given the current climate,” the email continued, “we unfortunately are not surprised by this happening. Anti-semitic attacks are on the rise, as are hate crimes against all marginalized communities.” “In these moments, it’s important to remember that it is not a shame but an honor to be a Jew,” added the email....

The billboards featuring a picture of the Republican next to the insult have appeared around his Houston neighborhood and even passed by the Senator’s home, according to a tweet shared by activist group Really American PAC. The group shared a series of tweets that showed the mobile billboard driving near the Senator’s house and asked for financial contributions to “help us stay in Cruz neighborhood, follow him to church and more....

The former Patriots, Raiders and Steelers receiver has been sending out — and subsequently deleting — posts on Twitter over the past week. The posts range from supporting threats aimed at a Sports Illustrated writer, to declaring he is not playing football, to saying actually he is playing football and now picking fights with other NFL players. He also completely butchered the famous Muhammad Ali quote, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee....

Antonis has been integral to the Wanderers’ late surge after joining on loan in December, with Western Sydney having gone unbeaten in the final six rounds of the regular season to finish sixth and secure an elimination final against Brisbane Roar. Just a week after the 23-year-old made his Wanderers debut in January, Tony Popovic’s side slumped to eighth in the A-League table but Antonis’ partnership with Kearyn Baccus in central midfield has seen the Red-and-Black turn their form around....

Asia watchers expressed feelings of relief after learning of Biden’s foreign policy picks, among them Blinken at the State Department and Jake Sullivan as national security adviser. But key personnel such as Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and China experts Kurt Campbell and Ely Ratner are also expected to help the president make consistent decisions at home and abroad. Crucially, when it comes to the U.S. approach to China, analysts in Beijing appear to have realized that the Biden administration will maintain many of the same policies as former President Donald Trump....

“I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there’s common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago so you can sit this one out,” the New York congresswoman wrote in a tweet replying to Cruz. “Happy to work w/ almost any other GOP that aren’t trying to get me killed. In the meantime if you want to help, you can resign.” Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet came in response to Cruz saying that he “fully agree[s]” with her criticism of Robinhood after the app halted trading for several stocks, including GameStop, that have surged in price thanks to a group of Reddit users on the R/WallStreetBets thread....

Ocasio-Cortez voted, along with five other progressive Democrats, against President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill as it was not passed in tandem with the larger partisan $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act. While Democratic leaders initially promised to pass both bills together, as progressives demanded, they eventually caved to moderate members of the party and pushed it through before Build Back Better negotiations were completed. Speaking to The New York Times in an interview published on Sunday, the New York Democrat sent a warning to party leaders, including Biden:...

The Spartans moved up one spot after beating top-ranked Kentucky last week. They took the No. 1 spot by a wide margin, receiving 51 first-place votes Monday from the 65-member national media panel. MORE: Indiana State surprises No. 21 Notre Dame | Belmont upsets No. 12 North Carolina This is Michigan State's first time leading the rankings since a two-week run in 2000-01 when the Spartans reached the Final Four....