Incoming US president Donald Trump on Saturday slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand control of the waterway be returned to Washington. Read more
After missing a series of key votes in Congress and investigate reporter has gone looking into the whereabouts of Republican congresswoman Kay Granger of Texas and may have found her in a retirement home with a memory unit. Read more
The US military says it has carried out a series of air strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa targeting a missile storage site and command facilities operated by Iran-backed Houthi militants. US Central Command added it also hit multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea. It comes hours after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel which injured more than a dozen people in a Tel Aviv park.
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of US President-elect Donald Trump, has withdrawn her name from consideration for a seat in the Senate. She stepped down this month as co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), fuelling speculation that she might replace outgoing Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, whom Trump has nominated for secretary of state. But in a post on X, she said she had removed herself from consideration "after an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many".
US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed British TV executive Mark Burnett, who produced him on The Apprentice, as his special envoy to the UK. Trump said it was his "great honour" to pick his former colleague for the role, which is separate to the position of US ambassador to the UK. "Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges," he added. Read more
Amid the ongoing drama in D.C. with Congress furiously debating and voting on an interim spending bill a key question has arisen from constituents in Texas Congressional District 12, "Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger?" Some Tarrant County residents have begun to speculate. "I'm hearing she's in a memory care unit. We need to have standards. Representatives who miss 3 votes in a row without announcing a legitimate medical reason should have their salaries and benefits frozen. This has to stop!" Fairfighter posted on X. According to Ms. Granger's roll call vote page, Grangers last vote was on July 24th, 2024 as she voted No to the "Amendment in the House H.Amdt. 1157 (Miller) to H.R. 8998: To reduce the salary of Ya-Wei (Jake) Li, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs, to $1." Since then, Granger has not cast any votes in Washington on behalf of her Tarrant and Parker County constituents. Read more
MSNBC is negotiating pay cuts with night anchors Joy Reid and Stephanie Ruhle as the cable channel nosedives in the ratings after the election, according to a report. Rachel Maddow, arguably the star of the network, previously agreed to pare down her $30 million salary, it was reported. The Ankler's report this week about Reid and Ruhle negotiating pay cuts should come as no surprise. Parent company Comcast generated concern over MSNBC's future by announcing a plan to spin off MSNBC and some other NBCUniversal properties into a new company. But perhaps more urgent is the station's plummeting viewership. Its prime-time audience tanked 55% from Nov. 4 through Dec. 15, according to Nielsen ratings cited by The Wrap. (CNN, a mainstream counterpart, experienced a 46.7% drop.) "The ReidOut" host Reid and "11th Hour" host Ruhle, whose salaries are believed to be considerably lower than Maddow's, are experiencing audience declines in line with the network's overall numbers. Read more
Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson, known for breaking the single-season stolen base record and all-time stolen base record, has died at the age of 65, according to Fox Sports. Born in 1958 in Chicago, Henderson was the last player selected in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB Draft. He spent most of his childhood growing up in Oakland, California. He played for nine MLB teams " the Athletics, Yankees, Padres, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Mariners and Blue Jays " throughout his 25-year career. He led the American League in steals 12 times, including three seasons over 100 bases, and finished his career with a record 1,406 stolen bases, earning him the nickname "The Man of Steal." His 2,295 runs scored are an MLB record to this day.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health's latest consultant once made comments that "no one has to be healthy." Article content Virgie Tovar, 42, a longtime activist for body positivity and fat acceptance and self-described "anti-weight-based discrimination" expert, was hired to consult on stigmas faced by overweight people. "Weight stigma can lead to psychological distress and can have a negative impact on mental health," the health department said in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle. "Weight stigma can also undermine health behaviors and preventive care, causing disordered eating, decreased physical activity, health care avoidance and weight gain." Tovar will be paid $12,000 for her temporary position with the city, which ends on June 30, 2025, the publication reported.
Researchers accuse the Gaza ministry of health of overstating casualty data by including natural deaths, failing to differentiate between civilian and combat casualties and over-reporting the numbers of women and children killed. Read more
With a surface area more than twice that of Greater London's, A23a is the biggest iceberg on the planet, having calved from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986. The frozen leviathan is now on the move across Antarctica seas once more having spent the last few months going round in circles.
Federal officials say they're worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump's transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data.
Tovar will be paid $12,000 for her temporary position with the city, which ends on June 30, 2025, the publication reported. Read more
The House voted to support a measure to keep the government funded past Friday night's midnight shutdown deadline. The Senate is expected to vote on the plan later Friday evening. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Friday afternoon that the House would vote on a modified version of the bill that was defeated Thursday -- minus the debt ceiling provision pushed by President-elect Trump.
In June, President Biden issued an executive order that sharply limited asylum which along with Mexico's help led to a decrease in illegal border crossings.
Since then, the number of individuals released by the US Border Patrol pending immigration court proceedings is down 70%, the agency said.
An experiment showing that quantum and classical communication can be carried out through the same fibre at the same time may open the door to building a quantum internet with existing infrastructure. 20 December 2024 Read more
