Amna Nawaz:
The bombing was the worst militant attack inside Iran in decades.
A U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed a top commander of an Iranian-backed militia today. The Pentagon confirmed it hours later. The Baghdad attack left a charred hulk of a car. It followed a spate of attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began.
In Western Japan, at least 84 people are now confirmed dead after powerful earthquakes this week. Nearly 180 others are still missing, many of them elderly. Officials sharply raised that number in the last 24 hours, as soldiers and others continue rescue operations.
Back in this country, a sixth grader was killed and five others were wounded at a school shooting in Iowa today. Police say a 17-year-old opened fire at the school in Perry, Iowa. It was the first day back for students after winter break. The suspected shooter was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities did not provide any information about a possible motive.
Protesters shut down California's State Assembly as they demanded a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The action was organized by anti-war Jewish activist groups. Lawmakers had just convened the year's opening day when they were drowned out by protesters singing and chanting. Legislative leaders tried to continue, then called a recess and finally adjourned.
On Wall Street, stocks were mostly lower again, as investors awaited the December jobs report due out tomorrow. The Dow Jones industrial average did gain 10 points to close at 37440, but the Nasdaq fell 82 points. And the S&P 500 lost 16.
And a 13-year-old Oklahoma boy has reached a pinnacle in the pantheon of video gaming. Willis Gibson is the first person to beat the original version of Tetris, the Nintendo game involving falling blocks. His livestreamed video caught the moment last month when the game reached its limit's and crashed and left him stunned.
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