“This is a personal decision, not a political one,” Perdue said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am confident that whoever wins the Republican primary next year will defeat the Democrat candidate in the general election for this seat, and I will do everything I can to make that happen.” Perdue’s statement comes roughly a week after he filed paperwork to run against Senator Raphael Warnock, one of the two newly elected Democratic senators from the Peach State....

We had been moving the ball pretty well all day, so at the start of the drive I wasn’t too concerned. But later on, as we got closer to the end zone… well, the part that really concerned me was the play before Dwight’s when I missed Freddie Solomon wide open in the end zone. That made it third down, and it was getting a little touchy. You don’t get that many easy opportunities to score, and I just completely overthrew Freddie....

Cindy Lehnhoff, director of the National Child Care Association (NCCA), told Newsweek that COVID has put the child care industry through the wringer. “In the very beginning, child care was very impacted because we didn’t know what we didn’t know about COVID. Governors started pulling the plug on child care centers being open or being able to operate at full capacity,” Lehnhoff said. Limiting the number of children in day care was a “huge financial strain” on the centers, she added....

The incident occurred at Happy Smiles Learning Center in the 400 block of Wabash Street in Allentown, according to Captain John Christopher with the Allentown Fire Department. Authorities received a 911 call on Tuesday morning after a child fell unconscious, local news station WFMZ reported. When emergency services arrived at the scene, air quality detectors that firefighters were wearing on their gear went off. The building was then evacuated, with multiple children also showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning....

Joey Logano, operating on the outside of a two-wide field, was pushing Aric Almirola down the backstretch, but things went wrong when Almirola reached the back bumper of Brad Keselowski. The bump was too strong, and Keselowski was turned into the outside wall. They were running toward the front of the field, so you can imagine what happened next. MORE: Complete Daytona 500 highlights “Was getting a huge push,” Almirola was heard saying on his radio after the crash....

In addition to dropping the vaccine requirement, DC will no longer enforce indoor masking come March 1 except for areas that pose greater risk for spreading the disease, such as schools, medical facilities and public transit. Private businesses who wish to continue enforcing its vaccine and mask mandates are still able to do so. The mayor’s announcement follows similar orders issued in other major Democratic cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver....

Valencia has missed two matches with an ankle problem but Jose Mourinho is counting on him for Thursday’s first leg in Belgium. Sergio Romero is set to continue in goal after David de Gea missed Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Sunderland with a minor hip injury, while United’s other absentees - Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Juan Mata and captain Wayne Rooney – are all still out....

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said its Dallas division made the biggest methamphetamine seizure in North Texas history after finding the drugs in a hidden compartment of an 18-wheeler off Interstate 35 in Denton County. “It’s a staggering amount to be seized at one time,” Eduardo Chavez, the special agent in charge for DEA Dallas, told local TV station WFAA. “They were like sausage links.” In total, more than 1,930 pounds of meth stuffed into 663 packages were pulled from the vehicle....

Mark Pelley, a snake catcher based in the outskirts of Melbourne, was bitten by the eastern brown snake while on a job, a post on his business Facebook account said. Australia is home to a number of venomous snakes, with the eastern brown (Pseudonaja textilis) considered to be among the most formidable. These snakes, which can reach almost 8 feet in length, are found across the eastern half of Australia and are often seen in populated areas....

The Steelers running back, during a Wednesday appearance on ESPN, reflected on how Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s brutal helmet hit on receiver Antonio Brown likely cost Pittsburgh a trip to Super Bowl 50. MORE: 16 small-school prospects with big-time game | A history of Burfict’s recklessness “For me, my rival throughout my year will be the Cincinnati Bengals,” Williams told ESPN. “I don’t think there was any doubt in my mind if AB was not interfered on or hit the way he was hit, however you want to label it — there’s no doubt we go on and give the Broncos hell....

So here’s a new thing for your brain to ponder, though this one is inarguable: Europe’s song “The Final Countdown” is not in “Rocky IV.” It’s not so much a conviction as a nugget of 100 percent truth, and I’ve wanted to get it off my chest for a while. I know some of you likely “remember” it in the movie, but you’re wrong. And if you doubt that this belief exists, or that the belief is strong, do a quick search on Twitter for “The Final Countdown Rocky IV” (or “Rocky 4”) to find a bunch of people referencing it in various ways through the years (including me, in a tweet version of this column) and celebrating the song’s role in the “Rocky IV” experience....

The conservative Bolsonaro, who has minimized the coronavirus’s threat in his country, tweeted his sadness over Gustavo’s death by writing that “with his talent and charisma [he] conquered the affection of all Brazil.” Da Silva, who is leftist, said Gustavo was “a great Brazilian who celebrated our country with so much joy.” “Look at reality. Stop denying the seriousness of this virus,” Brazilian Twitter user Hellen Calixto wrote in reaction to the comedian’s death....

Buchanan’s custom after campaigns is to retreat to his study and write books. His last one, “A Republic, Not An Empire,” was an argument for neo-isolationism, asserting in passing that Britain should not have made war on Nazi Germany. I vowed then to forevermore call him “Crackpot Pat,” and have had little reason to reconsider that judgment. But Buchanan’s new book, “The Death of the West,” now a best seller in the United States, almost got me feeling a little sorry for the old brawler....

In point of fact, the current status of this race indicates that the debates will not be decisive for several reasons. First, history tells us that most presidential debates have not had a major impact on the election results. They’re usually seen as validating voters’ preconceived judgments of the candidates’ positive or negative qualities. The voters wisely consider them in context with everything else happening in the campaign, including other speeches, paid media, news stories and the candidates’ records....

The Eastern Cape side drew 2-2 with hosts Coal City Wizards, who also managed to book their last four spot as the best runner up. The other two places went to Bloemfontein Celtic, who finished top of Group C following a dominant display in their two matches. The defending champions beat Kanatla Ladies 3-1 on Day 3 to move to six points – three ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns. Kanatla failed to win any of their matches....

Even as a new administration takes shape, there is a certain skittishness at the mere mention of our continuing urban crisis. Both Democrats and Republicans skirted the problems of our cities in their pursuit of suburban votes during the election; that’s how you get elected these days. But now it’s time to pay attention-again. Time to recognize that America’s cities, even as they falter, remain the engines of our society....

“Megadroughts are the most severe kinds of droughts, and they can last multiple decades. But in North America, they haven’t occurred since the 1500s,” Nathan Steiger, from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, told Newsweek. “Several civilizations are thought to have been dramatically affected by these past droughts including the Maya and the Anasazi; there is some evidence that the collapse of their civilizations could have been partially driven by megadroughts....

Caught up in an early relegation fight, the Hammers’ affairs have now been put under the tutelage of the former Manchester United gaffer, who replaced Slaven Bilic in November following the Irons’ poor start to the season. “When you’re in a situation like this, when there is a change of manager, everyone is in a new situation," Dede said, as reported by his club’s official website. “The gaffer has put his words in and those words touched a lot of players, so we need to follow what he wants us to do and how he wants us to do it, as we can see it is paying off....

“Yesterday’s violence at the Capitol was reprehensible and contrary to the tenets of the United States Constitution. In the midst of this tragedy, I was proud of the professionalism of our Department of Defense personnel,” Miller said in a statement that was posted Thursday on Twitter by the Department of Defense. “I strongly condemn these acts of violence against our democracy.” “I, and the people I lead in the Department of Defense, continue to perform our duties in accordance with our oath of office, and will execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power to President-elect Biden on January 20,” Miller concluded....