Tracking Trends, Breaking News
A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new government rule that would slash credit card late-payment charges, a centerpiece of the Biden administration’s efforts to clamp down on “junk” fees. Judge Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Friday granted an injunction sought by the banking industry and other
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Former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York is expected to see its key witness, ex-attorney Michael Cohen, testify Monday. Now six years removed from being a key confidante to Trump, Cohen has emerged as the Republican presidential candidate’s de facto arch nemesis. In books, podcasts and on social media, he has become among
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Americans as far south as Alabama and Northern California could be treated to a show of the northern lights this weekend from a powerful geomagnetic storm heading toward Earth, officials said. If the weather conditions are right, people in several areas on a map could look up and see the aurora borealis. The storm has
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The glass case containing an original copy of the Magna Carta at the British Library in London was smashed by two environmental activists on Friday, causing minor damage to the reinforced box but leaving the historic document unscathed. The pair of protesters from Just Stop Oil, a group that has caused widespread disruption in Britain
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Some anti-abortion rights groups are selling a procedure called “abortion pill reversal,” which they claim can help women halt medical abortions. That claim is now being challenged by state officials who allege the groups are veering into false advertising and fraud. Heartbeat International, an anti-abortion rights group, and 11 other anti-abortion organizations were sued Monday
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Washington — A three-judge appeals court panel upheld the criminal conviction of former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in a unanimous decision on Friday, ruling they found “no basis” to depart from binding legal precedent. Bannon was found guilty in 2022 of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress for not responding to
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Racine, Wisconsin — Sheree Robinson was excited about being invited to ride in President Joe Biden’s motorcade during his trip to Wisconsin Wednesday. The Black mother of two and longtime resident of Racine said education funding in Mr. Biden’s American Rescue Plan enabled her to earn a HSED, a High School Equivalency Diploma. “Our conversation
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Hellisheidi, Iceland — With Mammoth’s 72 industrial fans, Swiss start-up Climeworks intends to suck almost 40,000 tons of CO2 from the air annually to bury underground, vying to prove the technology has a place in the fight against global warming. Mammoth, the largest carbon dioxide capture and storage facility of its kind, launched operations this week
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More than a third of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are now estimated to be from a new, fast-growing member of a group of so-called “FLiRT” variants, nicknamed for their small but distinctive changes relative to the JN.1 strain. JN.1 was the variant behind this past winter wave of infections. The largest among them, called
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Amid the nation’s opioid crisis, the city of Seattle has announced the creation of a recovery center for people who have been revived after an overdose. The Downtown Emergency Service Center, an existing non-profit with multiple locations, will operate what officials called a “post-overdose stabilization and care facility” in an area hotel after renovations to
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