News

"Carry-on" is being taken a bit too seriously by certain people. A list of the most outrageous banned things that people attempted to smuggle past airports in 2024 has been released by the Transportation Security Administration. 10. Marijuana in peanut butter jar Asheville Regional Airport This slick crook from North Carolina attempted to hide a bag of marijuana inside a Jif jar that had been hollowed out. It appears that neither creamy nor crunchy foods appeal to the TSA. 9. Knife shoved inside shoe Williamsburg International Airport After the traveler stuffed a knife in a shoe before passing through PreCheck and claimed not to be aware of its presence, the TSA and the traveler had a difficult start in Virginia. 8. Gun in ruby red combat boot, stuck in LEGO box Newark Libert...

Michelle Bowman, the governor of the Federal Reserve, stated on Thursday that she agreed with the recent interest rate reductions but did not see the need to go farther. In a speech to California bankers that was a combination of monetary policy and regulation, Bowman stated that she believes the quarter percentage point cut in December should be the final one for the current cycle because she is concerned that inflation has remained uncomfortably above the Fed's 2% target. In prepared remarks, the central banker stated, "I supported the December policy action because I believe it represented the [Federal Open Market Committee's] final step in the policy recalibration phase." Bowman went on to say that the present policy rate is close to what she considers to be neutral, meaning it neither...

It couldn't have come at a more dangerous time for California homeowners as officials attempt to contain what they acknowledge is a worsening "insurance crisis." The wind-driven wildfires that are burning out of control in the Los Angeles area. Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization located in California, said, "We were all thinking 2025 is going to be the year insurers regain their appetite for the market in California, but having this catastrophe hit us right out of the gate is really unfortunate." Go here to watch live broadcast. "Up until this latest disaster," she said, "we thought we might be turning a corner." Last month, the state Department of Insurance published a new rule that aims to change some of the biggest insurance ...

Los Angeles As Angelenos called loved ones on Thursday, ash began to fall from a gloomy sky and the air was heavy with the odor of smoke. The standard response: We're alright. We're secure. We're in a shelter. On Thursday, the evacuees paced outside the Westwood Recreation Center in West Los Angeles. In the impacted areas, it is one of four temporary locations for Red Cross wildfire refugees. Westwood Recreation, as some residents refer to it, is located less than two miles beyond the immediate evacuation zone surrounding the still-raging Palisades Fire, just off Interstate 405 as well. According to a Red Cross representative, more than 240 individuals were being accommodated there on Thursday. The figure was closer to 20 just two days ago. Johnnie Burman, 64, a Santa Monica evacuee who ...

On the basis of a disproven conspiracy theory, the "pizzagate" shooter discharged his rifle in a pizza shop in Washington, D.C., in 2016. He was shot by police during a traffic stop and died. According to North Carolina officials on Thursday, Edgar Maddison Welch was shot by police over the weekend and passed away on Monday from his wounds. Motivated by a conspiracy theory that went viral online, Welch made national headlines nearly ten years ago when he drove from North Carolina to the nation's capital and opened fire in the Comet Ping Pong restaurant. At the time, prosecutors said that Welch was attempting to look into a fake internet conspiracy theory known as "pizzagate," which claimed that the pizza place was home to a child sex-trafficking ring associated with well-known Democratic l...

After roaring wildfires consumed parts of the Los Angeles area, tens of thousands of Southern Californians were urged to leave their homes. About 3,000 acres of the Pacific Palisades, a community situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains, have already been destroyed by the biggest of the wildfires. With catastrophic wind gusts expected to reach 100 mph throughout Wednesday, the fires are posing a threat to homes. Anthony C. Marrone, the fire chief for Los Angeles County, issued a warning, stating that all inhabitants of the county are at risk due to the National Weather Service's prediction of a persistent red flag weather event with high winds and low humidity. Officials suggest that if you have been ordered to evacuate, you should do so right away and not hesitate...

Prosecutors urged the U.S. Supreme Court to follow suit after New York's top court on Thursday denied President-elect Donald Trump's request to postpone his sentencing on Friday. The chief clerk for the New York Court of Appeals wrote a brief letter to Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche, stating that a judge had examined his proposed order to suspend Trump's sentencing and "decided to sign the order." This was Trump's third denial of this kind this week. His motion to stop the case is still pending in the Supreme Court. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office urged the conservative high court, which consists of three justices chosen by Trump, to allow the case to proceed in a petition on Thursday. In order to stop the scheduled sentencing from occurring before the trial ...

The 56,000 residents of Greenland lived their lives on the sparsely populated mid-Atlantic island, away from the spotlight of the world, until lately. They are now on the incoming U.S. president's shopping list, along with their political future. This week, President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his desire to seize control of Canada, the Panama Canal, and the autonomous Danish territory. He stated to reporters that he would not rule out using economic or military power to annex the Arctic island. The same day, his son Donald Trump Jr. traveled to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, which was heavily snow-covered. He would have discovered a mixed response and some fear among regular Greenlanders to Trump senior's idea of using force if he had looked past the few of fervent fans wearing MAGA ca...

Following a 13-day strike that resulted in lengthy wait times for ski lifts and irate hundreds of patrons, members of the Park City Mountainski Patrol in Utah returned to work Thursday after the resort agreed to increase their wages by $2 per hour. The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, which represents 200 workers at the nation's largest ski resort, said the new deal, which will remain in place until 2027, offers entry-level ski patrollers and mountain safety staff a starting salary of $23 per hour. According to the union, ski patrol veterans will typically receive an extra $4 per hour. The resort and the union stated in a joint statement Thursday that the tentative deal will put an end to the present strike and address the interests of both sides. "The restoration of regular ...

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, has announced that he will meet with Donald Trump, the incoming president. I accepted President Trump's invitation to meet. Fetterman stated in a statement, "I am the senator for all Pennsylvanians, not just Democrats in Pennsylvania." I have stated unequivocally that nobody is my gatekeeper. If meeting and talking with someone can help me deliver for Pennsylvania and the country, I'll do it. The development was initially reported by CBS News. It's unknown when and where they will meet, as well as whether it will happen before Trump's inauguration on January 20. Serving in the Senate since 2023, Fetterman has established himself as a centrist on Capitol Hill and has indicated that he might be open to supporting some of Trump's ...