FBI Director Chris Wray to Resign Following Trump Nomination of Patel
Dec. 14 By Sarah N. Lynch FBI Director Chris Wray will step down from his post early next year, he said on Wednesday, after Republican President-elect Donald Trump signaled his intent to fire the veteran official and replace him with firebrand Kash Patel. His resignation…
Co-Founders of US Luxury Real Estate Brokerage Charged With Sex Trafficking
Dec. 13 By Luc Cohen Two real estate agents known for promoting flashy properties in New York and Miami have been arrested on sex-trafficking charges, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, accusing them of raping dozens of women. The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office accused brothers Oren…
Affirmative Action Opponents Sue US Air Force Academy
Dec. 12 By Nate Raymond The group that successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to ban race-conscious admissions at civilian colleges is expanding its fight to end affirmative action at military academies with a new lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force Academy. Students for Fair…
Tesla Shares Jump to Record High
Dec. 11 By Chuck Mikolajczak Tesla shares climbed to a record high of $415 on Wednesday, topping its prior high of $414.50 set more than three years ago as the electric vehicle maker extended a rally in the wake of the U.S. presidential election. Shares…
Descendant of last native leader of Alaska island demands Japanese reparations for 1942 invasion
Dec. 10 By Mark Thiessen and Mari Yamaguchi Helena Pagano’s great-grandfather was the last Alaska Native chief of a remote island in the Bering Sea, closer to Russia than North America. He died starving as a prisoner of war after Japanese troops invaded during World…
Webb Telescope Confirms the Universe Is Expanding at an Unexpected Rate
Dec. 9 By Will Dunham Fresh corroboration of the perplexing observation that the universe is expanding more rapidly than expected has scientists pondering the cause – perhaps some unknown factor involving the mysterious cosmic components dark energy and dark matter. Two years of data from…
Global, US Stocks Fall; Oil, Gold Rise Over 1% on Geopolitical Risk
Dec. 8 By Chris Prentice and Amanda Cooper Global shares turned lower on Monday as traders focused on U.S. inflation data and chip stocks fell, while Beijing’s promise of stimulus and the sudden collapse of the Syrian government boosted oil and gold prices more than…
US Will Remain in Eastern Syria and Seek to Prevent IS Resurgence, Pentagon Says
Dec. 7 By Alexander Cornwell The United States will maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said on Sunday. Speaking hours after Syrian…
Biden’s Hunter Pardon Came After Circumstances Changed, White House Says
Dec. 6 By Jeff Mason and Heather Timmons U.S. President Joe Biden changed his mind about pardoning his son Hunter because “circumstances have changed,” the White House said on Friday. Biden’s pardon of his son on Monday came after he had repeatedly promised he would…
NASA Announces Further Delays in Artemis Moon Missions
Dec. 5 By Joey Roulette NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced on Thursday new delays in the U.S. space agency’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, pushing back the next two planned missions amid potential policy changes under…
Bitcoin Storms Above $100,000 as Trump 2.0 Fuels Crypto Euphoria
Dec. 4 By Reuters Bitcoin catapulted above $100,000 for the first time on Thursday, a milestone hailed even by sceptics as a coming-of-age for digital assets as investors bet on a friendly U.S. administration to cement the place of cryptocurrencies in financial markets. Once it…
Biden Pushes Out Over $100 Billion in Clean Energy Grants as Term Winds Down
Dec. 3 By Valerie Volcovici U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has awarded over $100 billion in grants created by its signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden senior advisor for international climate policy John Podesta said. The administration hopes the spending milestone will help…