Category Archives: Breaking News

A massive four-alarm fire erupted early Friday morning at the Elizabeth Industrial Park, consuming the historic Singer Sewing Machine Factory and posing a significant challenge to firefighters. The flames, reported around 5:30 a.m., quickly engulfed the multi-story brick building, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky for miles. At least 100 firefighters fromContinue reading “Singer Sewing Machine factory blaze defies 100 firefighters”

Less than two weeks before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, a devastating school shooting unfolded on Thursday morning at Perry High School, leaving several individuals wounded. This tragic incident occurred on the first day of classes after the holiday break, casting a dark shadow over the community as it grapples with the aftermath of yet another actContinue reading “School shooting gets scant attention from Republican presidential candidates”

During Donald Trump’s presidency, his businesses received at least $7.8 million in payments from foreign governments and officials of 20 countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, according to a report released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Democrats say the report details nearly $8 million in payments Trump’s businesses received from foreign governmentsContinue reading “As president, Trump pocketed ‘millions of dollars from foreign states and royalty’”

Rep. Dean Phillips signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 3421, Medicare for All, and announced his support for a universal health insurance system with no copayments, no deductibles, and no other direct costs to patients.  Inspired by conversations with small business owners and ordinary citizens, the move makes Phillips, a presidential candidate, one ofContinue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips announces his support for a Medicare for All system”

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) spacecraft Einstein Probe is ready to launch in January 2024. Equipped with a new generation of X-ray instruments with high sensitivity and a very wide view, this mission will survey the sky and hunt for powerful blasts of X-ray light coming from mysterious celestial objects such as neutron stars and black holes. EinsteinContinue reading “Innovative X-ray lobster-eye mission set to launch”

In a historic move, Maine and Colorado have banned former President Donald Trump from their ballots as the U.S. Supreme Court contemplates the states’ authority to block the ex-president’s candidacy under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. This Civil War-era provision prohibits individuals who have “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. Maine’s Democratic SecretaryContinue reading “Trump, banned from Maine & Colorado ballots turns to US Supreme Court”

Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium, has died at 86. The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California,Continue reading “Tom Smothers, of the Smothers Brothers fame, has died at 86”

In a development that has sparked renewed debate about security for presidential candidates, independent campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been denied Secret Service protection for the third time. This decision by the Department of Homeland Security has reignited controversy over the criteria for providing federal protection and raised questions about whether Kennedy faces uniqueContinue reading “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied in his third bid for Secret Service protection”

Hunger is ravaging Gaza, and this is expected to increase illness across the Strip, most acutely among children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older people. The United Nations is tracking 14 diseases with “epidemic potential” as the frayed healthcare system reports soaring rates of dysentery, watery diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections that might overwhelm globalContinue reading “Gaza is an ideal breeding ground for potential the next deadly global pandemic”

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a Franciscan friar who has served as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since November 2020, said that on December 16, an Israeli soldier shot dead “in cold blood” a Christian mother and daughter on the grounds of the Gaza Strip’s only Catholic church. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “great concern” about aContinue reading “Catholic Cardinal calls for compassion, condemns killing amid chaotic conflict”

Zambia is grappling with its most significant anthrax outbreak in a decade, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of late November 2023, the country has reported 684 suspected cases and four deaths, marking a substantial increase from the 2011 outbreak, which had 511 suspected cases. Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused byContinue reading “World Health Organization monitoring anthrax outbreak in Zambia”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its annual round-up on violence against journalists, revealing a decline in the number of journalist killings globally in 2023, but New York-based media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has found at least 68 journalists and media workers were among the more than 19,000 killed since the warContinue reading “Groups post conflicting numbers of journalists killed globally in 2023”

Rally organizers knew about President Donald J. Trump’s plan to have his mob of supporters march to the Capitol on January 6 but repeatedly denied it to federal permitting officials, according to a recent report on an internal government investigation. The Interior Department’s inspector general on Monday released a 47-page report examining the National ParkContinue reading “New report shows Trump supporters lied before January 6 insurrection”

In a historic decision with potential national implications, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that disgraced former President Donald Trump cannot appear on the state’s Republican presidential primary ballot in 2024. The ruling, issued on Tuesday, cites Trump’s role in the insurrection on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol as the basis for disqualification.Continue reading “Colorado Supreme Court rules Trump is insurrectionist, cannot be on the ballot”

In response to a surge in Houthi militia attacks in the Red Sea, the United States has initiated Operation Prosperity Guardian, deploying a multinational task force to counter the threat posed by the Iran-backed rebel group. The operation, however, raises concerns about the potential costs and risks associated with escalating tensions in the region. SinceContinue reading “United States deploying Red Sea force to counter Iran-backed Houthi attacks”

One of the nation’s oldest and most renowned industrial corporations, U.S. Steel, a cornerstone of the nation’s steelmaking legacy, has agreed to be acquired by Nippon Steel in a transformative $14.9 billion deal.  The acquisition, while opening new doors for the Japanese industrial giant, has ignited concerns about national security, the fate of thousands ofContinue reading “Corporate oligarchs forget Pearl Harbor, instead grabbing for Japanese cash”

by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski and Brett Murphy | ProPublica Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ decadeslong friendship with real estate tycoon Harlan Crow and Samuel Alito’s luxury travel with billionaire Paul Singer has raised questions about influence and ethics at the nation’s highest court. In early January 2000, Supreme Court Justice Clarence ThomasContinue reading “Clarence Thomas’ private complaints about money sparked fears he would resign”

In a recent opinion piece titled “Why is Biden administration denying Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Secret Service protection?” veteran investigative journalist David Marks accuses the Biden administration of denying Secret Service protection to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for political reasons. The article, published last weekend, raises concerns about the potential political motivations behindContinue reading “Journalist accuses Biden of playing presidential protection politics with RFK’s life”

In a groundbreaking move, Pope Francis has officially sanctioned the blessing of same-sex couples, marking a significant shift in Vatican policy. After Pope Francis earlier this year opened the door in certain circumstances to giving blessings to same-sex couples, the Vatican’s doctrinal office has published a lengthy note explaining the pastoral grounds for these blessings,Continue reading “Pope preserves LGBT+ bigotry but permits blessing of same-sex couples”

A 43-year-old former Chattanooga Police Department officer –Lawrence Foster Goodine — has been charged with murder after the United States Marshals Service apprehended him in Fairfield, Tennessee. According to reports in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Lawrence Goodine, a 43-year-old former Chattanooga police officer, has been arrested and charged with murder, kidnapping, and evidence tamperingContinue reading “Ex-cop called killer, charged in November 29 strangulation murder”