Military pauses Osprey flights again after more metal failures are found in near crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is temporarily pausing flights again of its fleet of V-22 Ospreys after weakened metal components were found in a part after another near crash. It’s the latest setback for the embattled aircraft, whose safety problems have grown and which lawmakers recently urged be grounded once more. Naval Air Systems Command said Monday that the pause was recommended last week “out of an abundance of caution” by Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, the head of the command. The latest near crash occurred at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico on Nov. 20. It bore similarities to a crash off the coast of Japan in November of last year that killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members.

Lara Trump stepping down as RNC co-chair

(AP) — Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. One of her potential next steps is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Donald Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would choose who would serve for two years until the next regularly scheduled election in 2026, at which point the seat would be up for election again. Lara Trump tells The Associated Press in an interview that filling a Senate vacancy is something she’d seriously consider. Elected as RNC co-chair in March, Lara Trump was a key figure in the Republicans retaking the White House and control of the Senate while maintaining a narrow House majority.

TikTok asks appeals court to bar enforcement of potential ban until Supreme Court review

(AP) — TikTok on Monday asked a federal appeals court to bar the Biden administration from enforcing a law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform until the Supreme Court reviews the case. The legal filing was made after a panel of judges on the same court sided with the government last week and ruled that the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban as soon as next month, was constitutional. If the law is not overturned, both TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have said the popular app will shut down by mid-January.

Jay-Z says lawsuit accusing him of raping a child is part of an extortion ploy

NEW YORK (AP) — The rapper Jay-Z says that a rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. A lawsuit alleges Jay-Z raped a minor with Sean “Diddy” Combs at an awards show after-party nearly 25 years ago. But the Grammy Award-winning rapper vehemently denies the allegations. The suit is part of a wave of sexual assault cases levied against Combs as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. It was amended Sunday to name Jay-Z as the unnamed celebrity who participated in the sexual assault during an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000. Jay-Z called the allegations “heinous.”