Mortgage rates climb for second straight week
Mortgage rates increased for a second straight week, Freddie Mac announced Thursday. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased slightly this week to 6.34%; however, it remains lower than the average rate over the past year. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased again this week but remains below its 52-week average of 6.71%,” Sam […]
Former Bush lawyer: Trump likely broke Hatch Act, other laws
The chief ethics officer under former President George W. Bush thinks that messaging posted to government websites blaming “Radical Left Democrats” for the ongoing government shutdown could be a violation of the Hatch Act. Moreover, the ethics officer-turned-Democratic politician said that similar actions taken by administration officials could violate other laws that carry potential criminal […]
Seasons canceled, coaches fired: The cost of hazing in high school football
David Bianchi calls the months of September and October “Hazing Season.” The Miami-based attorney has represented families in hazing cases for more than four decades. Incidents that were decades ago thought of as college fraternity rituals have trickled down into the high school ranks. “The hazing problem has been around for a long time, and […]
Trump wages war on cartels; Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane possibly found
President Donald Trump declares the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels. However, critics claim it’s a legal stretch, and Congress hasn’t signed off. Plus, a massive fire erupted at a California oil refinery. The Chevron blaze is now contained, but the investigation into how it started remains ongoing. And a strange object spotted […]
Chevron oil refinery fire in California now contained
A large fire at an oil refinery lit up the southern California sky, sending flames soaring, smoke billowing and neighbors indoors. The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery near L.A., sending a fireball into the air. Chevron, which has its own fire department on site, called it an isolated […]
Eisenhower Museum director resigns after refusing to hand over sword for King Charles III
The head of the Eisenhower Presidential Library was forced to resign this week. The resignation comes after he reportedly refused to give away a sword from the library’s museum that the Trump administration wanted to gift to King Charles III. Ahead of Trump’s recent state visit to the U.K., the administration was looking for a […]
New clues could reveal Amelia Earhart’s lost plane after 88 years
After 88 years of speculation, could the mystery of Amelia Earhart finally be solved? In less than a month, Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation will begin an expedition to the South Pacific in an attempt to solve the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. A team from Purdue University said there is “very strong” evidence that they […]
The military’s ‘stress card’ — myth or reality? And federal workers wait for pay, Congress doesn’t. Here’s why.
From shutdown pay rules to myths about “stress cards” in the military — and even what grand juries really decide — we’re back with another round of Straight From You. Each week, we take your comments and questions and put them to the test — separating fact from speculation and adding the context you won’t […]
Latest European drone sightings force overnight shutdown at Munich airport
Munich Airport suspended flights late Thursday after several drone sightings. Operations resumed at 5 a.m. Friday. The shutdown forced 15 incoming flights to divert to other airports, including Stuttgart and Vienna, while 17 departures were grounded, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. Federal police confirmed the shutdown. Spokesman Stefan Bayer told The Associated Press that authorities had […]
