SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER RUSSIA LAUNCHES ONE OF ITS LARGEST MISSILE ATTACKS ON UKRAINE

AND — THE U.S. MILITARY’S SPACE PLANE TAKES OFF ON A SECRET MISSION WITH THE HELP OF A SPACEX ROCKET

THE MORNING RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

TODAY IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29TH.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

OVERNIGHT – SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER RUSSIA HIT UKRAINE TARGETS WITH ONE OF ITS BIGGEST AERIAL ONSLAUGHTS OF THE YEAR– LAUNCHING ABOUT 110 MISSILES – ACCORDING TO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY.

ZELENSKYY SAYING RUSSIA USED A WIDE VARIETY OF WEAPONS INCLUDING BALLISTIC AND CRUISE MISSILES.

UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY MOST OF RUSSIA’S MISSILES — AS WELL AS DRONES  – WERE SHOT DOWN – BUT NOT ALL OF THEM.

AT LEAST TWELVE CIVILIANS WERE KILLED —

WITH DOZENS REPORTED INJURED AND MANY OTHERS BELIEVED TO BE BURIED UNDER RUBBLE.

THE APPROXIMATELY 18-HOUR BARRAGE THAT BEGAN THURSDAY — AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE NIGHT — HIT SIX CITIES INCLUDING THE CAPITAL KYIV – WITH THE MAYOR CONFIRMING AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED THERE.

THE UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE SPOKESMAN SAYING RUSSIA “APPARENTLY LAUNCHED EVERYTHING THEY HAVE.”

THE ATTACK COMES DAYS AFTER UKRAINE STRUCK A RUSSIAN LANDING WARSHIP IN CRIMEA.

ISRAELI ARMY ADMITS FAULT IN TWO DEADLY STRIKES ON GAZA  

ISRAEL HAS ADMITTED FAULT FOR TWO DEADLY AIRSTRIKES ON A REFUGEE CAMP IN CENTRAL GAZA EARLIER IN THE WEEK THAT LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS SAID CLAIMED THE LIVES OF DOZENS OF CIVILIANS.

IN A STATEMENT THURSDAY – THE ISRAELI MILITARY SAID THE STRIKES SUNDAY CONSISTED OF MISSILES LAUNCHED BY FIGHTER JETS — AND DESPITE STEPS TO MITIGATE HARM TO CIVILIANS – ITS PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION FOUND THE MISSILES STRUCK BUILDINGS “ADJACENT” TO THEIR INTENDED TARGETS.

THE HAMAS-RUN GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY SAID THE TWO STRIKES KILLED AT LEAST 70 PEOPLE.

AN ISRAELI MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS IT WAS AN IMPROPER CHOICE OF MUNITION THAT WAS TO BLAME.

THE MILITARY SAID IT QUOTE “REGRETS THE HARM TO UNINVOLVED INDIVIDUALS, AND IS WORKING TO DRAW LESSONS FROM THE INCIDENT.”

THE HEALTH MINISTRY SAID MORE THAN 21-THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN GAZA SINCE THE WAR BEGAN — THOUGH THE U.S. HAS CAST DOUBT ON ITS FIGURES IN THE PAST SINCE THE AGENCY IS CONTROLLED BY HAMAS.

TRUMP IS BACK ON THE BALLOT IN COLORADO — FOR NOW —

BUT BOOTED **OFF THE BALLOT IN MAINE.

IT WASN’T MAINE’S SUPREME COURT THAT RULED TRUMP IS INELIGIBLE FOR PRESIDENT —

BUT RATHER THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

AND IN COLORADO — THE SECRETARY OF STATE RULING TRUMP **WILL BE ON THE BALLOT — UNLESS THE SUPREME COURT RULES OTHERWISE.

SIMILARLY TO COLORADO’S SUPREME COURT RULING – MAINE’S DEMOCRATIC SECRETARY OF STATE, SHENNA BELLOWS, HAS BANNED TRUMP’S NAME FROM BEING ON THE STATE’S PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOT —

SAYING THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS INELIGIBLE TO HOLD PUBLIC OFFICE DUE TO HIS ACTIONS ON JANUARY 6TH —

CITING THE 14TH AMENDMENT’S “INSURRECTION CLAUSE”.

BELLOWS SAID QUOTE:

“I AM MINDFUL THAT NO SECRETARY OF STATE HAS EVER DEPRIVED A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF BALLOT ACCESS BASED ON SECTION 3 OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT. I AM ALSO MINDFUL, HOWEVER, THAT NO PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS EVER BEFORE ENGAGED IN INSURRECTION.”

THE RULING HEIGHTENS TENSIONS JUST AS WE HEAD INTO 2024.

CALLS FOR THE U-S SUPREME COURT TO STEP IN AND RULE ON TRUMP’S ELIGIBILITY ARE GROWING LOUDER —

AS MORE STATES COME OUT WITH DIFFERENT RULINGS.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF CALIFORNIA  — DECIDED THURSDAY NIGHT THAT TRUMP WILL REMAIN ON THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY BALLOT — ECHOING RECENT RULINGS IN MICHIGAN AND MINNESOTA.

GOOGLE HAS SETTLED A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY USERS WHO CLAIM THE SEARCH GIANT TRACKED THEIR DATA WHILE THEY USED THE PRIVACY SETTING IN THE COMPANY’S BROWSER.

THE SUIT CLAIMED THAT GOOGLE TRACKED USERS’ ONLINE ACTIVITY EVEN WHILE IN CHROME’S “INCOGNITO” OR “PRIVATE” MODE.

THE TERMS OF THURSDAY’S SETTLEMENT WERE NOT DISCLOSED – BUT THE LAWSUIT FILED IN 2020 COVERED “MILLIONS” OF GOOGLE USERS AND SOUGHT AT LEAST FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGES PER USER.

A FEDERAL JUDGE IN CALIFORNIA HAD SCHEDULED A FEBRUARY 2024 TRIAL DATE FOR THE CASE — BUT THAT HAS BEEN PUT ON HOLD AS THE SETTLEMENT IS FINALIZED.

THE U-S POPULATION GREW BY 1.75 MILLION PEOPLE IN 20-23 ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS BUREAU..

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT ON JANUARY 1ST 20-24 — THE BUREAU ESTIMATES THE U-S POPULATION WILL BE OVER 3-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE-MILLION.

ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS BUREAU — THE MAJORITY OF POPULATION GROWTH HAPPENED IN THE SOUTH AND THE WEST – WITH SMALLER  GROWTH IN THE MIDWEST AND THE NORTHEAST.

THE AGENCY SAYS AT THE START OF 2024 — THE U-S WILL LIKELY SEE ONE BIRTH EVERY 9 SECONDS AND ONE DEATH EVERY 9-POINT5 SECONDS IN JANUARY,

IMMIGRATION IS EXPECTED TO ACCOUNT FOR 1 NEW PERSON EVERY 28 SECONDS.

FAST-FORWARD TO 20-80 – AND THE CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE U-S POPULATION COULD BE AS HIGH AS 370-MILLION.

THE U-S IS THE THIRD MOST POPULATED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD BEHIND ONLY CHINA AND INDIA.

GLOBALLY THE POPULATION GREW BY 75 MILLION PEOPLE IN 20-23- –WITH A TOTAL ESTIMATED TO SURPASS 8-BILLION ON NEW YEAR’S DAY.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – THE U.S. MILITARY’S “X-37-B ROBOT SPACE PLANE” BLASTED OFF ON ANOTHER SECRETIVE MISSION THURSDAY NIGHT – THIS TIME WITH THE HELP OF SPACE-X.

THE PLANE – WHICH RESEMBLES A MINI SPACE SHUTTLE – HAS NO CREW ON BOARD AND IS CARRYING CLASSIFIED EXPERIMENTS.

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE PLANE WAS LAUNCHED ATOP SPACEX’S FALCON HEAVY ROCKET FROM NASA’S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IN FLORIDA.

WHERE THE SPACEPLANE IS HEADED FOR IN ITS SEVENTH MISSION IS ANYONE’S GUESS.

THE U.S. SPACE FORCE DISCLOSING FEW DETAILS —  BUT SINCE THE PLANE WAS LAUNCHED BY SPACEX’S POWERFUL ROCKET – EXPERTS SUGGEST X-37B COULD BE HEADING FOR DISTANT ORBITS — LIKE THE MOON OR MARS.

WE DO KNOW ONE TEST THE PLANE IS CARRYING – A NASA EXPERIMENT TO STUDY HOW PLANT SEEDS ARE AFFECTED BY THE RADIATION IN SPACE.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT – THE GOALS OF THE MILITARY’S SPACEPLAN REMAIN A MYSTERY.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES FOR THIS FRIDAY.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE ON TUESDAY.

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!