Iran threatens US forces in Mideast after Trump vows to ‘rescue’ protesters
President Donald Trump has warned that the United States is “locked and loaded and ready to go” to help Iranian protesters if security forces “violently kill peaceful protesters.” Trump issued the threat on Truth Social as demonstrations over Iran’s deteriorating economy entered their sixth day and turned deadly, with as many as seven people killed […]
Musk’s Grok AI says it may have violated child abuse laws by creating photos of ‘minors in minimal clothing’
Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot run by billionaire Elon Musk, said this week that it may have violated U.S. laws regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The incident comes amid ongoing concerns over what some say are the AI chatbot’s apparent lack of guardrails. In a post to X on Wednesday, Grok said that it […]
Why the US risks losing its measles-free status after 2025 surge
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 2,065 measles cases across 44 states in 2025, the highest count since the early 1990s. There were 53 new infections reported in the last week of December; most occurred in South Carolina, Arizona and Utah, where there are ongoing outbreaks. Declining vaccination rates across the U.S. […]
California’s PG&E cuts 2026 electric rates 5%. Not all customers will benefit
California’s largest utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric, said a subset of its customers will pay lower rates in 2026 than in 2025. The company’s announcement cuts against the national trend of rate increases, but California electricity rates are still far higher than the rest of the country. The typical electric bill for a customer […]
Cash still king: Poll shows strong support for forcing businesses to accept cash
New polling shows a large majority of Americans would support legislation that would force businesses to accept cash as a form of payment. Data, however, shows that more businesses are taking only credit or debit cards or digital payment forms at the point of sale. The poll was conducted by the Siena Research Institute at […]
Federal assistance for child care is frozen after influencer’s viral video alleges fraud in Minnesota
Federal subsidies for child care payments are frozen while the Trump administration hunts for alleged fraud in the program. The funding pause was a response to conservative influencer Nick Shirley’s viral video on purportedly fraudulent day care centers in the Twin Cities raised concerns — and disbelief — online. Even though Shirley’s video claimed fraud […]
Trump has said for months he got an MRI; it was actually a CT scan
A new interview with the Wall Street Journal is shedding light on President Donald Trump’s health. Since October 2025, the president has maintained that he underwent an MRI during his annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but he was mistaken. It turns out, he actually had a CT scan. MRI vs. CT MRI stands […]
Why US press freedoms eroded in Trump’s first year back in office
On paper, including the parchment on which the Constitution is written, the United States still has press freedoms. But in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the nation drifted further from being a world leader in press rights. This year, the U.S. received its lowest ranking since Reporters Without Borders launched a […]
Sparklers likely caused Swiss Alps fire that killed dozens on New Year’s Eve
The New Year’s Eve fire in the Swiss Alps that left dozens dead was likely caused by sparklers attached to bottles of Champagne, officials announced in a press conference Friday. Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais attorney general, said witness accounts and videos from the incident led to the determination. Pilloud said the sparklers were “birthday candles” […]
