Iran’s Gen. Soleimani killed in airstrike at Baghdad airport
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press
Iraqi state TV and three Iraqi officials say Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has been killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport. The officials said the strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran’s-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces. Their deaths are a potential turning point in the Middle East and are expected to draw severe retaliation from Iran and the forces it backs in the Middle East against Israel and American interests.

Texas judge: Hospital can remove baby from life support
By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press
A Texas judge has sided with a Fort Worth hospital that plans to remove an 11-month-old girl from life support against her mother’s wishes. The mother of Tinslee Lewis had asked Judge Sandee Bryan Marion to issue an injunction in Tarrant County district court to ensure the Cook Children’s Medical Center doesn’t take the baby off life support. But Marion ruled Thursday in favor of the hospital. Doctors say Tinslee’s condition will never improve and that even changing Tinslee’s diaper causes her pain. Her mother said the decision to remove Tinslee from life support should be hers to make. She will appeal the decision.

5 crew members feared dead after Alaska fishing boat sinks
By BECKY BOHRER and MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press
Some fishermen called loved ones and mentioned poor conditions just hours before their boat sank off Alaska and left five crew members missing. The National Weather Service says the boat was traveling in an area with warnings about strong winds and heavy freezing spray. An ex-girlfriend of the captain told the Anchorage Daily News that he said the boat was icing but that he didn’t sound alarmed. The fiance of another missing crew member says he also told her conditions were bad. The Coast Guard has called off their search and all five are feared dead. Two other crew members were rescued from a life raft.

Pope Francis has apologized for hitting the hand of a well-wisher who grabbed him and yanked him toward her. In his new year’s wishes to the public in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Francis confessed to losing patience with the woman while he was strolling in the square Tuesday evening to admire the holiday decorations. Cameras captured the scene when the woman, from behind a barrier, reached out and grabbed the pope’s hand, pulling him violently toward her. Francis reacted sharply, slapping her hand so she would let him go. He later said he was sorry for the “bad example” of impatience he gave.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro is ending his run for president. Castro’s announcement Thursday comes after he failed to garner enough support or donations to make the recent Democratic presidential debates. The former San Antonio mayor languished around 1% in polls and lagged behind his 2020 rivals in fundraising. Castro was the only Latino candidate in the field and one of the biggest voices on immigration. Castro says he’s “proud of the campaign” he ran. He says he and his supporters have “shaped the conversation on so many important issues.” Castro had warned supporters that failing to make the November debate stage would spell the end of his campaign.

HOWELL, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a man set off fireworks near a New Jersey movie theater as his friend made a marriage proposal and created panic among moviegoers who mistook them for gunshots. The confusion caused authorities to evacuate the Xscape Theater in Howell on Wednesday night. Responding officers soon found the remnants of the fireworks, and it was determined no shots had been fired. The man who set off the fireworks was charged with an infraction and disorderly conduct. Authorities say that there was no intent to cause panic at the theater and that it was just “a very poor decision.”

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge has sided with a Fort Worth hospital that plans to remove an 11-month-old girl from life support against her mother’s wishes. The mother of Tinslee Lewis had asked Judge Sandee Bryan Marion to issue an injunction in Tarrant County district court to ensure the Cook Children’s Medical Center doesn’t take the baby off life support. But Lewis ruled Thursday in favor of the hospital. Doctors say Tinslee’s condition will never improve and that even changing Tinslee’s diaper causes her pain. Her mother said the decision to remove Tinslee from life support should be hers to make. She will appeal the decision.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials will ban most flavored e-cigarettes popular with underage teenagers. But the plan from the Trump administration includes major exceptions that benefit companies that make and sell e-cigarettes and adults who use the nicotine-emitting devices. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the policy won’t affect menthol or tobacco flavors. The policy also won’t affect large, tank-based vaping products sold in vape shops that cater to adults. Those changes are a major step back from President Donald Trump’s original plan announced in September, which would have banned nearly all flavors in all vaping products.