Monday, December 23

Author: Grace Thompson

Senate Democrats blast Supreme Court’s ‘ethical crisis’ as investigation concludes
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Senate Democrats blast Supreme Court’s ‘ethical crisis’ as investigation concludes

Washington The release of a report on Saturday that criticized the judiciary and called for legislative reforms that the incoming Republican leadership opposes marks the conclusion of a protracted probe by Senate Democrats into alleged ethical transgressions by Supreme Court justices. The article is probably the last word on the matter for some time to come, as Republicans are expected to take over the Senate in January. The paper claims that by ignoring justices' unethical behavior for decades, the Supreme Court has enmeshed itself in an ethical crisis of its own making. The previously publicized alleged offenses are detailed in the 95-page document, which also includes Justice Clarence Thomas's unreported travels with his friend, billionaire Harlan Crow. The inquiry was started by ProP...
Houthis fire a ballistic missile named ‘Palestine 2’ at Tel Aviv
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Houthis fire a ballistic missile named ‘Palestine 2’ at Tel Aviv

In a rare case of a failed interception over the city, a missile fired from Yemen reached the Israeli city of Tel Avive early Saturday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF claims that after warning sirens sounded in the vicinity and interception measures failed, the missile landed in the southern Jaffa sector of Tel Aviv. Although there were no recorded deaths, Israel's emergency services stated that it was treating 14 individuals who had been hurt by glass fragments and were in a mild condition.According to the Israeli police, there had also been property damage. Following the attack, the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen claimed responsibility, saying they had fired the Palestine 2, a hypersonic ballistic missile, toward an Israeli military installation in the Jaf...
Congress avoids a shutdown but leaves ‘a big mess’ for Trump and Republicans in 2025
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Congress avoids a shutdown but leaves ‘a big mess’ for Trump and Republicans in 2025

WASHINGTON—In an attempt to prevent a government shutdown over the holidays, Congress reached a last-minute agreement, but in the process, it added more tasks to the already long list of things that need to be done in the first year of President-elect Donald Trump's return to office. The government remains operational until March 14th, according to the funding bill. Republicans will once more require Democratic votes to prevent a shutdown in less than three months, despite the fact that they will control the White House, the House, and the Senate. Furthermore, Trump's request that Congress either raise or remove the debt ceiling in order to relieve him of it the following year was a complete failure. He promised to fight any Republican who voted to fund the government without addressing th...
Vehicle plows into crowded Christmas market in Germany, killing at least 5 and injuring 200
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Vehicle plows into crowded Christmas market in Germany, killing at least 5 and injuring 200

MUNICH A automobile rammed into a Christmas market in eastern Germany on Saturday, killing five people and injuring more than 200, according to German authorities. Friday night, as shoppers congregated in the tight alley, the automobile crashed 1200 feet into a crowd. The accused driver, a Saudi Arabian physician who resided in Germany, was taken into custody, according to Saxony-Anhalt Premier Reiner Haseloff. He claimed that there was no continuous threat to the public and that the suspect acted alone. No other details regarding a potential motive have been provided by officials. At least one adult and one child are among the victims, according to Haseloff. Given the severity of some of the injuries, he did not rule out more deaths. According to Saxony-Anhalt's interior minister Tamara Z...
From Brat to ‘brain rot’: 2024’s biggest memes and moments
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From Brat to ‘brain rot’: 2024’s biggest memes and moments

It's been a year on the internet—slop, rap beef, brain rot, and, yeah, hawk tuah. Don Caldwell, editor-in-chief of Know Your Meme, an online database that records trends, claims that the unofficial definition of memes has broadened to encompass any kind of viral internet phenomenon, including slang phrases like rizz or skibidi, that comes to life on social media. According to Caldwell, the level of literacy needed to comprehend a meme can be quite high and intricate, as it takes knowledge of five distinct memes throughout the history of the internet to even get the joke. According to Jamie Cohen, a specialist in digital culture, memes of days typically start as references to or responses to other things, such pop culture or news events. According to Cohen, an assistant professor of media s...
Senate passes bill to avoid a government shutdown, ending funding fight at the 11th hour
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Senate passes bill to avoid a government shutdown, ending funding fight at the 11th hour

Washington In order to eliminate the possibility of a government shutdown during the holidays, the Senate passed a bill early Saturday morning that would keep the government running for three more months. The bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden's desk. 85–11 was the vote. Hours earlier, the bill was approved by the Republican-controlled House. The White House stated that Biden would sign the bill on Saturday, avoiding the need for millions of government employees, including air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents, and U.S. troops, to work without pay, even though the final vote officially passed past the midnight deadline to prevent a shutdown. "Agencies will not shut down and may continue normal operations," White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Emilie Simons wrote on...
Senate passes bill to avoid a government shutdown, ending funding fight at the 11th hour
News

Senate passes bill to avoid a government shutdown, ending funding fight at the 11th hour

WASHINGTON – Early Saturday morning, the Senate approved a bill aimed at keeping the government open for an additional three months, which was sent to President Joe Biden to eliminate the risk of a government shutdown during the holiday season. The result of the voting was 85 to 11. The bill was passed hours earlier by the House, which is under Republican control. The White House announced that despite the final vote technically occurring after the midnight deadline to prevent a shutdown, Biden would sign the bill on Saturday, thereby preventing U.S. troops, Border Patrol agents, air traffic controllers, and millions of other federal workers from having to work without pay. Emilie Simons, White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary, posted on X that agencies will not shut down and may contin...
Most of the U.S. won’t have snow on the ground on Christmas
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Most of the U.S. won’t have snow on the ground on Christmas

At least the snow globes will enjoy a white Christmas. The National Weather Service stated in a forecast on Friday that most of the United States will not have snow on the ground on Wednesday, but parts of the Rocky Mountains, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other areas near the Canadian border could experience it. For most of the U.S. on Christmas Day, there will be green and brown grass—definitely not what Bing Crosby sang about! the meteorological service posted on X Friday. Other regions of the country, such as Kansas, Oklahoma, most of Pennsylvania, and other locations, were labeled "better luck next year" on a map provided by the weather agency prior to the holiday. However, there is still hope: Certain areas in the Northeast were predicted to possibly experience snow showers on Tuesday, ...
House passes bill to avoid a shutdown, sending it to the Senate hours before the deadline
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House passes bill to avoid a shutdown, sending it to the Senate hours before the deadline

Washington Just hours before a deadline that would have forced millions of federal employees, including air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents, and U.S. troops, to work unpaid over the Christmas, the Republican-controlled House on Friday night passed a short-term resolution to prevent a government shutdown. Republicans opposed it altogether, and only one member cast a ballot. The vote was 366–34. It concluded a turbulent week in the House that hinted at how the incoming Congress would handle a volatile Donald Trump once he returns to the White House in January. The law was introduced via a fast-track procedure, which required a two-thirds vote. In order to prevent a shutdown, the Senate is now expected to approve the package before 12:01 a.m. Stay tuned for real-time updates. The ...
Teamsters announce strike against Amazon amid holiday delivery rush
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Teamsters announce strike against Amazon amid holiday delivery rush

In what they say is the biggest strike against the delivery behemoth in history, the Teamsters union announced a walkout against Amazon on Thursday morning, with workers forming picket lines in four states. Amidst the flurry of last-minute holiday present deliveries, the strike occurs just one week before Christmas. Workers at a factory in New York City, another in Atlanta, three in Southern California, one in San Francisco, and one in Skokie, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, went on strike Thursday at 6 a.m. ET. Amazon employees at the Staten Island, New York, warehouse said on Friday that they would join the walkout on Saturday at midnight. Nearly 10,000 Amazon employees have joined the Teamsters, the union announced in a news release on Thursday. The $2 trillion tech and retail conglo...