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Everyone is invited to the commemoration of the late leader Kim Jong Il's birthday. Foreign visitors can now travel to North Korea for the first time in over five years, though only to the city of Rason, which is among the least visited locations in the closed communist regime. Beijing-based tour company Koryo Tours said this week that it had restored reservations for visits to the city following North Korea's 2020 border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The journey, which costs roughly $720, includes four nights in Rason, a city in the northeast of the country close to the Russian and Chinese borders. Additionally, guests will spend two nights in Yanji, China. The first visit is scheduled to take place from February 12 to February 18, when North Korea's greatest holiday—the birthday ...

A Senate subcommittee decided Tuesday to send Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to the entire chamber for consideration as secretary of health and human services, clearing a significant obstacle. After Kennedy was able to calm Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., about his previous anti-vaccine views, the Senate Finance Committee pushed through his confirmation in a party-line vote. After interrogating Kennedy during two confirmation hearings last week, Cassidy, a physician, indicated he had severe doubts about his suitability to head the large agency and that he was having difficulty making up his mind. Cassidy chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in addition to the Finance Committee. Cassidy told X in a statement before Tuesday's vote that he had "very intense conversations"...

As part of a broader drive to reduce government bureaucracy, the Trump administration has threatened to close the U.S. Agency for International Development as an independent agency and possibly transfer it under the State Department, igniting a political maelstrom. At a fraction of the total federal budget, USAID sends billions of dollars in humanitarian help abroad, which advocates say is a vital lifeline to over 100 countries. However, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who leads his government efficiency program, termed USAID a criminal organization, and President Donald Trump denounced it over the weekend as being managed by a group of extremist lunatics. The future of the agency is unknown. More than a dozen individuals have told NBC News that officials in the Trump administration have talk...

Fears that America would lose its position on the international scene as competing nations scramble to fill the hole have been heightened by the Trump administration's efforts to undermine the American organization that aids in combating poverty and malnutrition abroad. In a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, George Ingram, a former senior USAID official, expressed rising concerns in Washington that temporarily suspending aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development creates an opening for China and Russia. In Africa, South America, and Asia, where it provides aid to nongovernmental groups, aid agencies, and charities, addressing everything from health care to clean water, he was among a number of experts who warned that the choice would result in a decline in American inf...

In recent court documents, two Los Angeles County prosecutors said they were demoted and subjected to reprisals for having backed Erik and Lyle Menendez's punishment. On Monday, prosecutors Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford filed government claims, claiming that they were moved out of the resentencing unit of the district attorney's office because they assisted the brothers with their resentencing and because of their alleged political affiliation with former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc. Theberge's complaint also stated that she was treated unfairly because of her gender and age. According to her petition, office leadership undermined her authority and professional status by treating her differently from their younger, male coworkers. Theberge and Lunsford had both bac...

Swedish police reported Tuesday that five individuals had been shot at a school in the central Swedish city of Rebro. The police stated that the allegations are currently attempted murder, arson, and aggravated weapons offense, but they did not identify the specific defendant. According to a press release from police, shots were fired at approximately 12:33 p.m. local time (6:33 a.m. ET), and a massive operation is currently ongoing. The extent of the injuries is unknown. There are currently ambulances, rescue services, and police on the scene, a local rescue services official told Reuters. For security reasons, kids are being housed at other local schools, and police have asked the public to avoid the V Sthaga district, where the school is situated. This story is breaking. For updates, pl...

Swedish police reported Tuesday that five individuals had been shot at a school in the central Swedish city of Rebro. Around 12:33 p.m. local time (6:33 a.m. ET), shots were fired, and police said in a news release that a big operation is in progress. The severity of the injuries is unknown, it continued. For security reasons, kids are being housed at other local schools, and police have asked the public to avoid the V Sthaga district, where the school is situated. This story is breaking. For updates, please return.

While giving the go-ahead to inquire about five more properties, legislators gave final approval to buy nearly 1,100 acres in Pickens County Nearly 1,100 acres in the Upstate will be purchased by the state, expanding the collection of properties that are protected. (Mac Stone, Naturaland Trust, provided) Columbia A new dove hunting field, an extended heritage preserve, and an undeveloped barrier island are all being considered by state officials to join the state's expanding patchwork of preserved territory. Last week, a legislative fiscal oversight committee authorized the state parks and natural resources agencies to investigate purchasing approximately 800 acres of state land. Additionally, the purchase of around 1,100 acres received final clearance from the Joint Bond Review Committ...

Following the implementation of a 10% U.S. tax, China declares retaliatory actions. Some people are doubting Elon Musk's impact because of his decision to close USAID. And get to know the Black tourists who have discovered a sense of belonging while traveling the world. What to know today is as follows. China hits back with its own tariffs; Trump pauses tariffs on Mexico and Canada At midnight, a 10% tariff on Chinese imports went into effect, and China promptly announced retaliation tariffs on select U.S. commodities. The administration announced a number of measures, including 10% and 15% tariffs on Chinese goods, which increase the likelihood of a trade war between the two largest economies in the world. China announced that it would levy a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural equip...

Brenden Taylor and his family have relocated multiple times in his 11 years as a Marine. However, it became nearly impossible to locate a reasonably priced place to rent with his military housing allowance when they moved from Okinawa, Japan, to Camp Pendleton in Southern California in 2022. After a 45-minute journey from the base, they finally located something they could afford in Murietta. Many households are struggling with rising rents. According to study from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, the median rent in the United States rose by 25% between 2021 and 2023 after accounting for inflation. According to the report, renters' median family incomes increased by just 5% over that time. Families of active-duty military personnel, who get a Defense Department stipen...