Wednesday, March 19

News

Key senators receive Pete Hegseth’s FBI background check days out from confirmation hearing
News

Key senators receive Pete Hegseth’s FBI background check days out from confirmation hearing

Washington Just days before his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, two people with direct knowledge of the report claim that the top senators on the Armed Services Committee received an FBI background check on President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, late Friday. According to the two individuals, the report is solely in the possession of two senators: Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. Although Hegseth's background check does not necessary need to be reviewed by the 25-member committee in order to move forward with the nomination hearing, two committee sources who are acquainted with the procedure said it was unusual that the report took so long to reach the panel's senior members. The FBI report may ...
Biden calls Meta’s decision to end fact-checking ‘really shameful’
News

Biden calls Meta’s decision to end fact-checking ‘really shameful’

President Joe Biden called Meta's decision to discontinue its fact-checking program "very shameful" and criticized it on Friday. In response to inquiries from reporters after making comments regarding the economy, Biden stated that the action would make it possible for millions of people to read things that are just untrue. It simply goes against everything that America stands for. We wish to be honest. As a country, we haven't always done it. "We want to be honest," Biden stated. The notion that a billionaire could purchase something and declare, "By the way, we're not going to fact check anything," and that millions of people would read it online, he added. In any case, I find it really dishonorable. An inquiry Friday night was not immediately answered by Meta. Biden's remarks follow Ca...
California animal rescue groups open their doors to pets, some with burns, whose owners could not evacuate with them
News

California animal rescue groups open their doors to pets, some with burns, whose owners could not evacuate with them

Humane organizations are caring for hundreds of animals in Southern California as residents continue to be displaced by this week's rapidly spreading wildfires. According to Ana Bustilloz, director of communications and marketing for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, or spcaLA, a local animal welfare organization, this is obviously not something that will be fixed in a day or a week. We are prepared to help. While the fires rage across the Los Angeles region, a variety of rescue organizations are housing a menagerie of animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, and tortoises. While the humans in their homes remain in hotels, evacuation centers, or other locations that do not permit pets, some pets are staying as temporary boarders. Injuries to other anim...
Split emerges among U.S. spy agencies over mysterious ‘Havana syndrome’
News

Split emerges among U.S. spy agencies over mysterious ‘Havana syndrome’

The question of whether a foreign opponent may have caused the unexplained Havana syndrome ailments to American diplomats and intelligence professionals stationed abroad has caused a rift among U.S. intelligence organizations. Two out of seven spy agencies now believe a foreign actor may have created or utilized a weapon that led to the unexplained health occurrences, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment issued Friday. First reported in Havana, Cuba, officials would not say which intelligence services had changed their assessment of the injuries. In line with conclusions from 2023, five out of seven intelligence departments or agencies came to the conclusion that it was highly unlikely that a foreign actor was responsible for the physical symptoms, which include vertigo, hearing los...
Los Angeles residents return to ashes and ruins after devastating wildfires
News

Los Angeles residents return to ashes and ruins after devastating wildfires

Los Angeles As homeowners returned from escaping the terrible wildfires in Los Angeles, looking for any sign of the homes they loved, the City of Angels turned into a city of ashes this week. Even after looking at the burned-out remains of his automobiles, including his beloved Corvette Stingray, and the remnants of his Altadena house, Walt Butler, 83, refused to give up. Butler stated on Friday that the Big Guy has been watching out for me. He went on to say, "It's easy to die and living wasn't meant to be easy." He was a community leader who raised a family, had a prosperous shoe store, and supported neighborhood kid sports programs. Former sprint and field great Butler, also known as The Jet, stated that although he lost the house he lived in for 60 years and a lifetime of memories, h...
What’s next for TikTok? App left with few options after skeptical Supreme Court reception
News

What’s next for TikTok? App left with few options after skeptical Supreme Court reception

It appears like there aren't many options for TikTok's future in the United States after its attorneys came before the Supreme Court on Friday and were met with skepticism. TikTok will shut down on January 19, the day before Donald Trump takes office, if the Supreme Court upholds the law that President Joe Biden signed in April. According to the law, TikTok must sell to a U.S. business and remove its Chinese ownership. TikTok can remain in business as it is for its 170 million American users, or over half of the country's population, even if the court rule that the law is unconstitutional. However, that prospect was called into question by the course of Friday's oral arguments. Other decisions could be influenced by a few circumstances. The Supreme Court may decide to postpone its final ru...
Former LSU WR Kyren Lacy investigated in connection with a fatal auto wreck
News

Former LSU WR Kyren Lacy investigated in connection with a fatal auto wreck

Louisiana State Police are looking into Kyren Lacy, a former LSU receiver, in relation to a car accident in December that claimed the life of a 78-year-old man in Lafourche Parish. According to State Police, Lacy, who graduated from LSU in December and has declared for the NFL draft, was speeding and passing in a no-passing zone when a driver swerved to avoid her Dodge Charger and collided head-on with another car. The 24-year-old Lacy left the site of the accident without being involved or phoning for help, according to officials with State Police Troop C in Gray, Louisiana. The former Tigers star has an arrest warrant from State Police for felony hit-and-run, reckless driving, and negligent murder. According to the state police report, Herman Hall of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was engaged...
California wildfires: What we know about L.A. fire evacuations, maps, what caused it, who is affected and more
News

California wildfires: What we know about L.A. fire evacuations, maps, what caused it, who is affected and more

A string of fierce wildfires that raged over the Los Angeles area on Tuesday were fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. The fires destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 11 people, some of whom perished attempting to stop the fires from engulfing their homes. A city official in Los Angeles called Tuesday night "one of the most devastating and terrifying" that she had seen in her area of the city, while a Los Angeles County fire official stated that two of the fires were responsible for an unspecified number of serious injuries. For live coverage, click this link. According to climate scientist Daniel Swain, "the more information we get, the worse this looks." What we know about the flames is as follows. Where are the fires? The Palisades Fire erupted Tuesday ...
Chuck E. Cheese makes a comeback, with trampolines and a subscription program
News

Chuck E. Cheese makes a comeback, with trampolines and a subscription program

With a major redesign to appeal to a new generation, Chuck E. Cheese is making a comeback four years after emerging from bankruptcy. CEC Entertainment, the parent business of Chuck E. Cheese, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2020, even as some jurisdictions started to lift their pandemic lockdowns. Months later, under new leadership, it came out of bankruptcy, with debts of roughly $705 million paid off. Finding ways to amuse kids and their paying parents in the era of iPads and smartphones posed an existential danger to the business even after COVID weakened. In order to address that difficulty, the corporation has invested over $300 million in recent years, and the investment is beginning to yield results. According to CEO Dave McKillips, CEC Entertainment, which also o...
Trump makes misguided accusations about California water management amid wildfires
News

Trump makes misguided accusations about California water management amid wildfires

In an attempt to resurrect a policy dispute with California Governor Gavin Newsom, President-elect Donald Trump has used the terrible wildfires in Los Angeles to make a number of accusations that experts claim are untrue or misleading. Trump blamed Newsom this week for the flames, which have burnt over 10,000 buildings, forced 180,000 people to evacuate, and killed at least 10 people. I'm going to insist that this inept governor let gorgeous, pure, and fresh water flow into California! Trump tweeted on his social media site, Truth Social, on Wednesday that he is to blame for this. Due to firefighters' efforts to suppress a major fire in the Pacific Palisades, some fire hydrants momentarily dried up, raising concerns about water availability in recent days. However, according to three speci...