>More than a million people of Ukrainian descent live in the United States, primarily in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. U.S. museums across the country elevate Ukrainian culture, history and art. “One of the things that President Putin’s war is trying to accomplish is to somehow erase Ukrainian identity,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken…
The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travelers at airport checkpoints on Thursday, 17% more than on the same Friday before July Fourth in 2019. “We expect that (Friday) is going to be busy, of course, and then Sunday will be very busy,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on NBC’s “Today” show. AAA…
Americans are less confident in major U.S. institutions than they were a year ago, with significant declines for 11 of the 16 institutions tested and no improvements for any. The largest declines in confidence are 11 percentage points for the Supreme Court — as reported in late June before the court issued controversial rulings on…
In the months following the 2020 US presidential election, rightwing TV news in America was a wild west, an apparently lawless free-for-all where conspiracy theories about voting machines, ballot-stuffed suitcases and dead Venezuelan leaders were repeated to viewers around the clock. There seemed to be little consequence for peddling the most outrageous ideas on primetime.…
The FINANCIAL – Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 because that’s when, in 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, eventually transforming 13 English colonies into the United States of America. Whether by plan or by chance, a lot of other firsts happened on the Fourth of July. Here are a…
A South Florida federal grand jury today indicted Emerson Pires, 33, and Flavio Goncalves, 33, both of Brazil, and Joshua David Nicholas, 28, of Stuart, Florida, in connection with a global cryptocurrency-based fraud that generated around $100 million in revenues from investors. The indictment charges all three defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit…
The FINANCIAL –BOSTON – The former head coach of women’s soccer at the University of Southern California (USC) was sentenced yesterday for his role in the college admissions bribery scheme. Ali Khosroshahin, 52, of Fountain Valley, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to time served and one year of supervised release…
The FINANCIAL — The Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) Task Force has leveraged extensive multilateral coordination to block or freeze more than $30 billion worth of sanctioned Russians’ assets, freeze or seize sanctioned persons’ high-value goods, and heavily restrict sanctioned Russians’ access to the international financial system. REPO members have achieved these successes through…
BY LYDIA SAAD – 67% of Americans, up from 52%, say gas prices causing financial hardship; Majorities also report driving less (62%) and altering summer plans (55%); Economic confidence now the worst since 2007-2009 recession. Two-thirds of Americans say recent increases in the price of gas are causing them hardship, which is up from 52%…
By Leo Sands – BBC News — At least 46 people have been found dead in an abandoned lorry on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas. A fire official said 16 people, including four children, had also been taken to hospital. The survivors were “hot to the touch” and suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion. San…
The US Senate has passed a gun control bill – the most significant firearms legislation in nearly 30 years. It imposes tougher checks on young buyers and encourages states to remove guns from people considered a threat. In a rare bipartisan breakthrough on gun control measures, 15 Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate to approve…
The FINANCIAL — A Eugene, Oregon man who formerly resided in Southern Oregon was sentenced in federal court today for violating the Lacey Act by illegally importing and exporting hundreds of live scorpions. Darren Dennis Drake, 39, was sentenced to two years’ federal probation, 250 hours of community service, and a $5,000 fine payable to…
BY JEFFREY M. JONES— The vast majority of U.S. adults believe in God, but the 81% who do so is down six percentage points from 2017 and is the lowest in Gallup’s trend. Between 1944 and 2011, more than 90% of Americans believed in God. Gallup’s May 2-22 Values and Beliefs poll finds 17% of…
A record-high 50% of Americans rate the overall state of moral values in the U.S. as “poor,” and another 37% say it is “only fair.” Just 1% think the state of moral values is “excellent” and 12% “good.” Although negative views of the nation’s moral values have been the norm throughout Gallup’s 20-year trend, the…
On June 14 and 15, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram hosted the first-ever DEA Family Summit on the Overdose Epidemic for families from across the country who have experienced the profound loss of a child due to a drug overdose or poisoning. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco delivered the opening remarks. “Last year alone, over…
