United States

A collection of 1945 posts

Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Gun Charges

Hunter Biden, the son of US Pres. Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three gun-related charges, including possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm, and making a false statement...

Crime & justice

US Drugmakers Agree to Negotiate Prices With Federal Govt

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that major US drug companies had committed to participating in Medicare price negotiations with the federal government, with 10 initial prescription drugs named as part of the program....

Politics

Texas, Yelp Sue Each Other Over Pregnancy Crisis Center Description

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Yelp are suing each other over the online review company’s description of some crisis pregnancy centers in the state, which Yelp claimed on its website 'typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.'...

Media

Democratic Rep. Cuellar Carjacked in Washington, DC

The office of US Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) confirmed that the congressman was carjacked Monday by three armed assailants as he was parking his car in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard area....

Crime & justice

US Issues First-Ever Space Junk Violation

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a “breakthrough settlement” with Dish Network Monday as it imposed its first penalty related to space debris. As part of the agreement, Dish admitted liability for failing to properly dispose of its EchoStar-7 broadcast communications sate...

Science & Technology

Biden: 'No Labels' Presidential Run Would Help Trump

In an interview published Sunday, Pres. Joe Biden described the possibility that the organization 'No Labels' might put forward a third-party presidential candidate in 2024 as 'a mistake' that would 'help the other guy' — meaning former Pres. Donald Trump, the leading contender for the Republic...

Politics

Historic Vote Removes Kevin McCarthy as US House Speaker

In a dramatic vote Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House Speaker. The final totals were 216 to 210, with House Democrats largely joining in the call for McCarthy to vacate his position; this is the first time the Speaker of the House has been ...

Politics

US Court Rules Against Ex-Haitian Mayor for $15M

A US District Court in Boston, Mass. ruled on Tuesday that former Haitian mayor Jean Morose Viliena must pay more than $15.5M in damages for waging a campaign against political opponents that included a killing, attempted murder, and torture....

Crime & justice

Bankman-Fried Allegedly Mulled Paying Trump $5B Not to Run in 2024

Claims have emerged that Sam Bankman-Fried — founder of the bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange — wanted to pay former US Pres. Donald Trump $5B not to run for office in 2024....

Politics

Tom Hanks Sounds Alarm on AI Deepfake of Himself

Tom Hanks recently warned his 9.5M followers on Instagram that an ad for a dental plan. The ad appears to use a fake image of a younger version of Hanks made by artificial intelligence (AI)....

Media

Calif. Gov. Newsom Selects Laphonza Butler to Replace Late Sen. Feinstein

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed 44-year-old Laphonza Butler, the president of the pro-abortion group Emily's List [also EMILY's List], to fill the seat of Democratic US Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who died on Thursday. She will become the first openly gay Black woman to hold a se...

Politics

United Auto Workers Reaches Tentative Deal With Mack Trucks

The United Auto Workers (UAW) and Volvo Group-owned Mack Trucks agreed Sunday to a tentative deal that covers nearly 4K employees at the company just before the current contract was set to expire — narrowly averting a strike that would have added to work stoppages at plants run by the big three...

Money

Trump Calls New York Fraud Trial a 'Disgrace'

Former Pres. Donald Trump on Monday sat through hours of opening arguments in the New York lawsuit that accuses him of fraud and could potentially cost him control of some of his top properties....

Crime & justice

Clarence Thomas Recuses Himself in SCOTUS Jan 6 Case

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) refused to take an appeal by John Eastman, a former Trump lawyer, in a case related to Eastman's emails that were turned over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself from the decision over th...

Politics

IRS Contractor Charged with Leaking Tax Data

Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former contractor for the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), was charged Friday with leaking tax information about thousands of the country’s wealthiest people to news outlets....

Crime & justice

US Congress Averts Government Shutdown

A US federal government shutdown was averted after Congress passed a stopgap funding bill three hours before the midnight Saturday deadline, with Pres. Joe Biden signing it just shy of this cutoff....

Politics

Trump Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty in Georgia Case

Atlanta-based bail bondsman Scott Hall, one of former Pres. Donald Trump's 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election interference case, pleaded guilty on Friday to misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties....

Crime & justice

Meta Announces New AI Products at Conference

Meta this week introduced several new AI products for consumers, including smart glasses capable of answering questions and streaming on Facebook, bots that can create photo-realistic images, and a new virtual-reality headset....

Science & Technology

Suspect Charged in 1996 Killing of Tupac Shakur

Las Vegas Police said on Friday that they had made an arrest in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur — a breakthrough in a case that's long been shrouded by conspiracy theories and mystery....

Crime & justice

SCOTUS to Review 'Anti-Censorship' Social Media Laws

On Friday, SCOTUS announced that it will weigh in on the constitutionality of laws in Florida and Texas that seek to limit social media platforms' ability to suppress content....

Media

US Offers $5M Reward for Insight Into Ecuador Election Assassination

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday a reward of up to $5M for information leading to the arrest of the masterminds behind the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio on Aug. 9....

United States

FDA to Increase Oversight of Lab Tests

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it intends to step up its oversight of laboratory-developed tests to ensure their safety and effectiveness....

Health

US Senate Formalizes Dress Code

Led by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Mitt Romey (R-Utah), the US Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a formal dress code that requires members to wear business attire on the floor, including a coat, tie, and slacks for men....

United States

US Accuses China of 'Global Information Manipulation'

The US State Dept. on Thursday claimed China is threatening global freedoms by allegedly spending billions of dollars a year to shape perceptions of the country in a large-scale campaign of influence, censorship, and disinformation....

Media

Senator Dianne Feinstein Passes at 90

US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) died Thursday night at her home in Washington, D.C. In a statement, her chief of staff James Sauls said she 'never backed away from a fight for what was just and right' and 'was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant b...

Politics