Following back-to-back storms that pounded the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, two people were murdered close to Seattle, and over 500,000 homes and businesses were left without power. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning saw severe winds, rain, snow, falling trees, and toppled power lines throughout western Washington. The system was dubbed a "bomb cyclone" due to the abrupt, fast decrease in pressure that added to its power. Much of eastern Washington was buried in snow, freezing rain, and blizzard conditions on Wednesday, and locals were advised to travel with caution. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, blizzard conditions forced the closure of a major roadway, Interstate 5 southbound, in southern Oregon to the California border. According to South County Fire, which h...

Laos, Vietnam As he gets ready to leave the top military position after four years, outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated in an exclusive interview with NBC News that racial and gender diversity are essential to the strength of the U.S. armed forces. "Everywhere I went on a battlefield, there were women in our formation," Austin remarked, referring to his 41 years in duty, three lengthy tours in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan. Our women are the best soldiers in the world, I would tell you. Some of the best in the world, to be honest. Pete Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major whose previous remarks regarding women in battle have sparked concerns, is President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary. In a podcast this month, Hegseth stated that men are more qualified...

London Just over a month after the One Direction star died in a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Liam Payne's burial took place in southeast England on Wednesday. When the 31-year-old musician fell from the third floor on October 16, an autopsy found that he had residues of cocaine, alcohol, and a prescription antidepressant in his system.In relation to the incident, three people have been charged. Earlier this month, Argentine officials allowed his body to be flown back to Britain for burial. Only his closest friends and family were present at the private ceremony held at St. Mary's Church in Amersham, northwest of London. Along with Payne's fiancée at the time of his death, Kate Cassidy, his former bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Harry Styles attended ...

Washington Three proposals put up by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders that would have prohibited the sale of some offensive weapons to Israel were decisively rejected by the Senate on Wednesday night. It was not anticipated that the resolutions would pass due to bipartisan opposition. The three resolutions that Sanders, I-Vt., sponsored focused on three distinct weapon types: mortar rounds, tank rounds, and a particular kind of navigation system that is frequently attached to bombs dropped in Gaza. Three separate attempts to pass resolutions were rejected by 78, 79, and 80 senators, respectively. Prior to the vote, Sanders stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has violated international & U.S. law, violating human rights and blocking humanitarian aid." Sanders made...

WashingtonThe Pentagon chief said Wednesday that China's defense minister's decision to turn down a meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a gathering of defense chiefs in Laos was regrettable. U.S. and Chinese defense leaders have previously met at multilateral gatherings of national security officials in Asia, but Austin's request to meet with China during this week's Southeast Asian Nations-Plus defense ministers meeting was turned down. It is regrettable. It has an impact on the area since, as Austin told reporters, "the area really wants to see us, you know, two significant players in the region, two significant powers, talk to each other." It doesn't seem to have any bearing on the future, in my opinion. I simply believe that it's something they decided to do at this part...

As their numbers continue to drop after years of decline, U.S. officials recommended Wednesday that three giraffe subspecies should be put to the endangered species list. Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggested that the northern giraffe subspecies found in West Africa, Kordofan, and Nubia be listed as endangered. The service also suggested designating the Masai and reticulated giraffes as threatened. In a statement, Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said federal safeguards for giraffes will support ecosystem health, prevent wildlife trafficking, increase biodiversity, protect a fragile species, and advance sustainable economic practices. While ensuring that the United States does not further contribute to the reduction of giraffes, t...

STORRS, Connecticut. No. 2 UConn defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 on Wednesday night, giving Geno Auriemma his 1,217th victory and making him the most successful coach in NCAA college basketball history. For the most victories ever, Auriemma broke a tie with Tara VanDerveer, the former Stanford coach. With 1,202, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is the men's record holder. Auriemma started playing for UConn in 1985 and has a career record of 1,217-162. His first season with the Huskies was the only one he has lost. More than 60 alumni attended the Huskies' (4-0) celebration of Auriemma and assistant head coach Chris Dailey's 40 years at the university, including former UConn greats Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Rebecca Lobo. Paige Bueckers, the newest star at UConn, led the...

Transgender people who have died as a result of violence are the subject of Wednesday's Transgender Day of Remembrance. Here's what you need to know. What is Transgender Day of Remembrance? Established in 1999 to commemorate the death of transgender woman Rita Hester in Massachusetts, the Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed on November 20 every year. In an effort to increase public awareness of the transgender population and the challenges they confront, Transgender Awareness Week comes to a conclusion on this day. According to the UCLA Law Williams Institute, 1.6 million Americans aged 13 and older identify as transgender. Additionally, it claims that transgender persons are more than four times as likely as cisgender people to experience violence, such as assault and rape. To c...

Disney's fleet is growing. The Disney Treasure cruise ship will formally become the sixth ship in the company's fleet when it embarks on its inaugural journey to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida, next month. With a length of 1,119 feet and a height of 221 feet, the Treasure can accommodate 1,555 crew members and 4,000 passengers. The Treasure has premium on-board live entertainment, carefully designed lounges, and themed restaurants, just like Disney's other cruise ships. Disney is also starting a new trip as the Treasure sets sail. Before the premiere of the Disney Wish in mid-2022, the corporation had not launched a new ship in ten years. Now, it is embarking on a period of tremendous expansion. With the arrival of the Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure in 2025, four more Disn...

Before an Oklahoma man was detained and charged with being the "enraged killer" who had been sought for decades, the murder of a Nebraska child remained unsolved for almost 55 years, according to authorities. According to a statement from the sheriff and prosecutor in Saunders County, Nebraska, Joseph A. Ambroz, 77, was arrested by marshals this week in Ponca City, Oklahoma, after being charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with the death of 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese. Heese's body was discovered in a "roadside ditch south of Wahoo just after midnight," according to the prosecution and the sheriff, after she was reported missing on the evening of March 25, 1969. The family of Heese never gave up hope that her killer would be apprehended. Throughout the years, the fami...