Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing backlash after her city was engulfed by wildfires while she was on a trip to Africa. Just weeks prior, Bass had touted her administration’s achievements in making Los Angeles "greener," including surpassing water conservation goals and creating sustainable water supplies.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has delayed its Oscar nominations announcement by 48 hours due to the deadly wildfires devastating Los Angeles. Originally scheduled for January 17, the announcement will now take place on January 19, the BBC reports.
As wildfires rage across California, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and President-elect Donald Trump offered starkly different explanations for the devastation. Sanders attributed the fires to climate change, calling it an "existential crisis" and urging swift action. Trump, meanwhile, placed the blame on California’s Democratic leadership, citing poor water management and restrictive regulations as contributing factors.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the company is ending its third-party fact-checking initiative, replacing it with a user-driven “Community Notes” model. The decision comes after years of criticism over the program’s alleged suppression of conservative voices and promotion of left-leaning agendas.
U.S. Border Patrol agents continue to face escalating challenges at the southern border, regularly apprehending gang members, convicted felons, and Special Interest Aliens attempting to enter the country illegally. Recent arrests in the El Paso sector provide a glimpse into the ongoing crisis.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass traveled to Ghana on Tuesday as part of a U.S. delegation attending the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama, sparking frustration as her city faced devastating wildfires. The taxpayer-funded trip, led by Shalanda D. Young, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, also included U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia E. Palmer and Frances Z. Brown, a senior director for African affairs.
Haiti continues to spiral into chaos, with more than 5,600 people killed in 2024 as gangs tighten their grip on the nation. A U.N. report released Tuesday highlights a 20% rise in killings compared to 2023, alongside over 2,200 injuries and nearly 1,500 kidnappings. Gang violence has displaced more than 700,000 people, leaving many in overcrowded, unsanitary shelters.
Tensions between China and Taiwan escalated Friday as a Hong Kong-owned freighter allegedly severed a vital undersea communications cable near Taiwan. The incident, echoing earlier sabotage in the Baltic Sea, has heightened fears of a potential Chinese "quarantine" of Taiwan, aimed at isolating the island from the global community.
A Gallup poll released Tuesday found that President Joe Biden is ranked as the second-worst president in American history, surpassed only by Richard Nixon. Despite efforts by Biden and his aides to frame his presidency as one of historic significance, the data paints a starkly different picture.
