Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees say they observed incidents perceived as political interference within the federal agencies that may have altered or suppressed scientific findings,  a new federal report has found. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) interviewed 16 employees at the CDC, FDA and the […]

More than 700 individuals in north Mississippi were arrested during a month-long U.S. Marshals led operation in the state, Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The operation, dubbed “Operation MPACT” (Mississippi Partnering Agencies Coming Together), led to the arrests of hundreds of individuals in the state on a variety of charges including homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated […]

The United States has “credible information” that Russian forces executed Ukrainians who were trying to surrender near Donetsk, a U.S. official said Wednesday. “We now have credible information that a Russian military unit operating in the vicinity of Donetsk executed Ukrainians who were attempting to surrender, rather than take them into custody,” Ambassador-at-Large for Global […]

Attorneys for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on Monday asked an appeals court to overturn his conviction in the death of George Floyd. A 72-page filing dated April 25 (pdf) asks the appeals court to either reverse Chauvin’s conviction, reverse his conviction and remand for a new trial in a new venue, or return […]

A 20-year-old soldier was killed and two others injured during a unit exercise at the Yakima Training Center in central Washington state, officials said. Army Pfc. Joseph A. Marquez, of Dover, Delaware, died on April 25 after a “vehicle accident” at the training center, the 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, said in a statement released […]

Southern California’s water supplier on Tuesday asked about 6 million people to limit their outdoor watering to one day a week amid a water shortage emergency owing to the ongoing drought. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the largest supplier of treated water in the United States, asked residents in parts of Los […]

Thousands of nurses at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in California are striking this week over contract issues, staff shortages, burnout, and exhaustion. Nurses began their strike on Monday morning. The labor union representing the nurses, the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) announced the strike on Sunday, saying 93 percent […]

Big Tech platforms have censored criticism of President Joe Biden more than 600 times over the past two years, according to a new report. The Media Research Center (MRC), a Virginia-based American content analysis and media watchdog group, through its CensorTrack database, found that between March 2020 and March 2022, social media platforms including Facebook, […]

Health officials in the UK say they are focusing on a possible adenovirus link to cases of severe hepatitis—or liver inflammation—in children. There have been at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” recorded worldwide, and one death, while 10 children in the UK alone have needed liver transplants. Hepatitis can be life-threatening […]

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expected to provide testimony this week at a hearing set by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on urgent issues in freight rail service. The STB said hearings will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday on recent rail service problems and recovery efforts involving several Class I carriers. Freight rail companies […]

The Pentagon on Wednesday said Russia notified the United States ahead of its test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Russia’s first test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, a new addition to its nuclear arsenal, was not deemed as a “threat” to the United States and its allies, the Pentagon said. Russian President […]

The state of Alabama on Tuesday reached a $276 million settlement agreement with Endo Pharmaceutical, Johnson & Johnson, and McKesson for their role in exacerbating the opioid crisis. The settlement will see pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson pay $70.3 million in a lump-sum payment to Alabama state and its subdivisions this year, and Endo Pharmaceutical […]

Two men accused of impersonating federal agents have been indicted on multiple counts by a federal grand jury. Haider Ali, 35, and Arian Taherzadeh, 40, were indicted in Washington on false impersonation of an officer or federal employee and unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device. The pair were arrested on April 6 on […]

A rapidly-moving wildfire in Arizona fueled by “unprecedented” high winds has forced the evacuation of more than 750 homes. Flames as high as 100 feet (30 meters) raced through an area of scattered homes, dry grass and Ponderosa pine trees on the outskirts of Flagstaff as wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) […]

Former President Donald Trump on Monday called on Russia and Ukraine to reach an agreement to end the war, which began on Feb. 24. Trump said on the 55th day of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that “it doesn’t make sense that Russia and Ukraine aren’t sitting down and working out some kind […]

Violence and crime, the economy, and housing top the list of important community issues for black Americans, according to a survey conducted by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center. Pew released its report on black identity on Thursday, which drew data from 6,513 panelists who were sampled from Oct. 14 – 17 last year. All respondents were aged […]

The Biden administration’s mask mandate will not be enforced while federal agencies review a federal judge’s ruling that the mandate was unlawful, an official said Monday as major U.S. airlines and other transportation entities moved to drop the policy. “The agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps. In the meantime, today’s court […]

At least 23 people were injured when tornadoes slammed central Texas on Tuesday, causing widespread destruction, a local official said. Judge David Blackburn of Bell County, Texas, said 23 people were injured, and one of them critically. Twelve of the injured were taken to hospitals, the county’s top elected official said. “There’s not much left,” […]

Three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights by not aiding him the day he was murdered by fellow officer Derek Chauvin, rejected plea deals last month, prosecutors revealed on Monday. Former Officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng are charged with aiding and abetting both manslaughter and murder […]

A major storm slammed Western and Central regions of the United States this week, bringing severe weather conditions, powerful winds, and snow. By Monday, nearly 9 million people were under red flag warnings for dangerous fire weather conditions owing to powerful winds and dry conditions. Tornado watches covered states from Texas and Iowa to Minnesota […]