Vice President Kamala Harris has been making the rounds at holiday gatherings, but her recent appearances have sparked concerns over her demeanor and coherence. During a Christmas party at the Naval Observatory on Wednesday evening, Harris raised eyebrows with her tipsy-sounding remarks and signature cackling.
Illinois’ pension crisis continues to deepen, with the state's unfunded pension liability reaching $143.7 billion, according to the latest report from the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA). This figure is $1.5 billion higher than last year and marks the second-highest total since 2020, when the liability hit $144.2 billion.
The Department of Education under President Joe Biden has directed more than $1 billion toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives since 2021, according to a report by watchdog group Parents Defending Education (PDE).
In a decisive move, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday endorsed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a $884 billion package that significantly boosts military personnel pay while taking a stand against funding gender transition procedures for certain transgender children of military personnel.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is poised to challenge Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo over her reported rush to allocate the remaining CHIPS and Science Act funds before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. In a letter expected to be delivered Wednesday, Ernst calls Raimondo’s expedited spending plan “extremely concerning” and urges her to stop any “binge buying” of taxpayer dollars.
The United States announced on Tuesday that it has allocated $20 billion in funding for Ukraine, utilizing proceeds earned from frozen Russian assets. The funds are part of a larger $50 billion support package coordinated by the Group of Seven (G7) nations. This financial boost comes just 40 days before President Joe Biden is set to leave office, raising questions about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine under President-elect Donald Trump.
Hundreds of farmers drove tractors into central London, blocking major roads to protest Labour’s controversial inheritance tax changes. The No Farmers, No Food campaign gathered an estimated 500 tractors near Whitehall on Wednesday, demanding the government reverse plans that they say will devastate family farms. Protest organizers vowed to escalate actions if Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s administration does not relent.
The Biden-Harris administration has awarded semiconductor giant Micron Technology up to $6.165 billion in direct funding through the CHIPS Incentives Program, aiming to significantly expand U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
Google-backed AI company Character.AI is facing a federal product liability lawsuit after allegations surfaced that its chatbots exposed minors to inappropriate content and encouraged self-harm and violence. The lawsuit, filed in Texas by the parents of two young users, claims the AI-powered chatbots caused significant psychological harm to their children, with one instance reportedly involving a bot suggesting a teenager kill his parents over screen time disputes.
