For the second time this year, a Florida appellate court has ruled against environmentalists fighting to enact a widely supported local clean water measure. The Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday that although 83% of voters in Titusville approved a 2022 initiative establishing the right to clean water, the city in Brevard County couldn't enact it because of a 2020 state law preventing local government from giving rights to bodies of water, plants, and animals. The City of Titusville had appealed a lower court's ruling siding with Speak Up Titusville, the group behind the local ballot measure. The three-judge appellate panel reversed the lower court's order to codify the clean water amendment allowing residents to sue, on behalf of the "Waters of Titusville," any entities that violate the measure.
Costco is battling an anti-DEI wave with a stern rebuke to activist shareholders looking to end the warehouse retailer's diversity ambitions. Walmart, John Deere, Tractor Supply and other companies are changing or walking away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. But Costco believes DEI helps its "treasure hunt" shopping atmosphere, and it is standing behind its efforts. Costco's board of directors unanimously recommended that its shareholders vote against a proposal brought by a conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research, that would require Costco to evaluate and issue a report on the financial risks of maintaining its diversity and inclusion goals. The group criticized Costco for possible "illegal discrimination" against employees who are "white, Asian, male or straight."
The world's top chess player quit a major tournament in New York City after officials told him he couldn't wear jeans to compete. Magnus Carlsen, 34, was competing in the International Chess Federation (FIDE)'s World Blitz Chess Championship and the World Rapid Chess Championship.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe has been breaking records since the day it launched as the fastest space mission in history. Now, six years after it embarked on its quest to study the Sun, Parker has set yet another record. Early on Dec. 24, the spacecraft shot past the Sun at a distance of just 3.8 million miles. No other vehicle has accomplished this feat, which could help scientists better understand solar processes.
John Yoon: The identity of the jackpot winner was not immediately known, but lottery officials in California are expected to reveal it.
Homelessness in the U.S. jumped 18.1% this year, hitting a record level, with the dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge ... read more
The Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department unit established in 2016, shuttered on Monday at a time when officials and experts tracking propaganda have been warning of the risk of disinformation campaigns from US adversaries such as Russia and China. read more
Republican lawmakers have now clawed back half the investment the Biden administration made in the tax agency. read more
The New York attorney general's office released body cam footage Friday of corrections officers fatally assaulting a state prisoner while he was cuffed to an infirmary bed. Robert Brooks, 43, died a day after the attack. Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state Department of Corrections to initiate proceedings to fire 14 works at the Marcy Correctional Facility where the incident occured.
The astronauts on the I.S.S. -- including two who were scheduled to return months ago -- held a zero-gravity cookie-decorating contest and built a reindeer from storage bags. read more
The US has imposed sanctions on Georgia's former prime minister and billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ivanishvili and his party had "derailed Georgia's Euro-Atlantic future", leaving it vulnerable to Russia.
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A genetic analysis of viral samples from a patient in Louisiana hospitalized with the first severe case of bird flu showed mutations that may result in the virus becoming more transmissible among humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. read more
As state legislatures around the country prepare to convene next month, Wyoming is wading into uncharted political waters: For the first time anywhere in the country, the hard-right Freedom Caucus has won control of a State House. read more
The far-right provocateur is taking aim at Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy over their support of highly skilled workers from India, claiming that the country's residents have a low IQ and describing Indians as "third world invaders." read more
Marc Elias, Democracy Docket: Federal Election Day is set by law as the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even numbered years. read more
No Democrats are circulating plans to object to Donald Trump's victory. Kamala Harris plans to certify his win. Republicans just need to make sure they elect a speaker in time. read more
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