Washington Jim Justice, the new Republican senator from West Virginia, is already a sight to behold in the Capitol. He is six feet seven inches tall, rides a bright red mobility scooter, and is always accompanied by his 62-pound bulldog, Babydog. However, unlike his predecessor, don't count on him to begin his tenure in Washington as a crucial swing vote. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who later became an independent, was one of the most powerful and erratic senators before Justice took his seat. Manchin was a nonpartisan negotiator who helped pass important laws like the Inflation Reduction Act, which appropriated funds for projects in his state, but he also frequently irritated his party by splitting with Democrats over important issues. Justice is currently more likely to follow his par...

In a courthouse in central Manhattan, the trial of three men who prosecutors claim enabled a robbery and drugging conspiracy that terrorized gay bars in New York City and resulted in two fatalities got underway Wednesday. Between March 2021 and June 2022, Jayqwan Hamilton, 36; Robert Demaio, 35; and Jacob Barroso, 30 are charged with conspiring to drug and rob five men after they met them outside of gay bars and nightclubs in Manhattan. In the spring of 2022, prosecutors claimed that the offenses resulted in the deaths of political strategist John Umberger, 33, and social worker Julio Ramirez, 25. The crimes were not made widely known until May 2022, over a year after the plan started, when Ramirez's unexplained death was covered by NBC News. Hamilton, Demaio, and Barroso entered not guilt...

Around six in the morning on Tuesday, the manager of a Bronx building was awakened by phone calls from worried tenants of an apartment complex. The property manager, who wished to remain anonymous, told NBC News, "They were telling me that ICE was there." Residents and business owners were taken aback by the early-morning action, and New York was one of the most recent places where Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out raids. The Trump administration's increased efforts to increase deportations and make them more visible, focusing on big cities and making the acts public, include the raids in various regions of New York City. On social media, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemann said she was there when ICE and other law enforcement agents detained at least one undocumented ...

Now that the Year of the Snake has begun, the atmosphere is one of rebirth and revitalization. Chinese New Year, Seollal in Korea, Tet in Vietnam, and other celebrations are all part of the Lunar New Year, which starts on January 29 and lasts for more than two weeks. According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the celebration, also called the Spring Festival, commemorates the coming of spring and the beginning of a new year. The snake is a celebrated and revered symbol in the Eastern hemisphere, despite its negative reputation in many Western civilizations. And if people are willing to move on, this year should be one of positive change as they slither into new beginnings. According to Jonathan H. X. Lee, an Asian and Asian American studies professor at San Francisco State University whos...

The Summary The hot, dry, windy conditions that led to the recent Southern California fires were about 35% more likely because of climate change, a new report says. The findings come from the World Weather Attribution group, which analyzes the influence of global warming on extreme events. The fires have killed at least 29 people and destroyed more than 16,000 buildings. An international committee of scientists warned Tuesday that climate change made it more likely that the catastrophic circumstances that permitted the recent flames to rage throughout the Los Angeles area would occur. According to a recent research from the World Weather Attribution project, which examines how global warming affects severe events, the hot, dry, and windy conditions that preceded the fires...

Every federal employee will have the opportunity to accept a "deferred resignation" with a severance package consisting of around eight months' worth of pay and benefits under President Donald Trump's administration. According to a senior administration official who spoke to NBC News, they anticipate that 5–10% of the federal workforce will leave, which may result in savings of about $100 billion. According to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, "American taxpayers pay the salaries of federal government employees, so they deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, which are also paid for by taxpayers." "If they don t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they a...

President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting transgender individuals from serving and enlisting in the military was challenged in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by two major LGBTQ legal organizations. Six trans military members on active duty and two trans individuals looking to enlist were the parties to the lawsuit. Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), stated in a statement that this prohibition violates core American principles of fair opportunity and evaluating individuals based on their merits. To forward a political agenda, it shuts the door on eligible patriots who fit all the requirements and merely wish to serve their nation. Not only is that un-American, but it also undermines our nation by a...

The Senate should reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination as secretary of health and human services, Caroline Kennedy said in a letter on Tuesday, calling her cousin a "predator." President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, a former U.S. ambassador to Australia, claimed that RFK Jr. was unfit to head HHS, which is in charge of 13 federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In her letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Kennedy made numerous accusations, including the claim that brothers and relatives Bobby pushed toward substance usage died from addiction, sickness, and other causes. She further said that her cousin had haza...

Every federal employee will have the opportunity to accept a "deferred resignation" with a severance package consisting of around eight months' worth of pay and benefits under President Donald Trump's administration. According to a senior administration official, they anticipate that 5–10% of the federal staff will leave, which may result in savings of almost $100 billion. According to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, "American taxpayers pay the salaries of federal government employees, so they deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, which are also paid for by taxpayers." "If they don t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a diffe...