Ex-FBI informant agrees to plead guilty to lying about Bidens
A former FBI informant accused of fabricating a claim that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter were each paid a $5 million bribe by a Ukrainian oligarch has agreed to plead guilty to a range of federal charges, according to a court filing Thursday.
FBI is investigating whether crime group may be targeting athletes’ homes
The FBI is investigating whether a transnational organized crime group may be responsible for a handful of recent burglaries at the homes of professional athletes in the Midwest, according to local police agencies and professional sports league memos.
Can the US climb out of its ‘unprecedented’ housing crisis?
A young family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been looking for a larger house for three years, losing countless bidding wars. In Portland, Maine, a 29-year-old data analyst has been anxious to get out of their rental for a year, but hasn’t found a home to buy.
Supreme Court poised to curb scope of environmental reviews
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed prepared Tuesday to rule that a federal agency had done enough to consider the environmental impact of a proposed 88-mile railway in Utah. Such a ruling could limit the scope of environmental reviews required by federal law in all sorts of settings.
Syria’s new leaders vow punishment for atrocities under Assad
DAMASCUS, Syria — The rebel alliance that overthrew the Assad government in Syria vowed Tuesday to hunt down and punish senior officials of the previous regime who are implicated in torture and other abuses, but said rank-and-file conscripted soldiers would receive amnesty.
Trump calls Trudeau the ‘governor’ of ‘the great state of Canada’
President-elect Donald Trump mocked Canada’s prime minister in a post late Monday that described him as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.”
US transfers $20 billion loan to Ukraine backed by Russian assets
The Biden administration transferred $20 billion to Ukraine on Tuesday, providing an urgently needed economic lifeline in the form of a loan that will be repaid using interest earned from Russia’s frozen central bank assets.
Taiwan says China has deployed largest fleet of ships in decades
Taiwan said Tuesday that China was conducting its largest maritime operations in nearly three decades, sending nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels into waters stretching from the southern Japanese islands to the South China Sea.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour grand total: A record $2 billion
For the past 21 months, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been the biggest thing in music.
Nation and world news — at a glance — for December 11
Review finds Trump-era hunt for leaks extended deep into Congress
Hunt for CEO’s killer leads to arrest in Pennsylvania
The tipster’s call to local police came in shortly after 9 a.m. Monday from a McDonald’s in western Pennsylvania.
Judge pauses sexual abuse lawsuit against Trump’s education secretary pick
A federal judge in Maryland has paused a lawsuit against Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive whom President-elect Donald Trump chose for education secretary, while another court weighs a recent state law involving such cases.
The cryptocurrency you may not even know you own
Bitcoin has had a phenomenal year. But its rich returns are paltry compared with those of MicroStrategy, a company dedicated to a risky business: buying bitcoin with money provided by you and other shareholders.
No one should go hungry in America
It is an astonishingly large number: 5.3 billion. That’s how many meals were distributed by the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, Feeding America, in 2023 alone. In a country of more than 330 million people, it is evidence of how widespread and persistent food insecurity remains in the United States.
Inside the 4-day workweek experiment
LONDON — On a recent Wednesday morning, Matt Kimber did not sign into his job as a senior engineer at a software company. Instead, he went for a walk around his London neighborhood, picked up lunch at a cafe, and played with his two greyhounds.
Trump signals an aggressive opening, threatening ‘jail’ for Cheney and others
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump outlined an aggressive plan for opening his second term in an interview that aired Sunday, vowing to move immediately to crack down on immigration and pardon his most violent supporters while threatening to lock up political foes such as Liz Cheney.
Syria’s government battles multiple rebel uprisings
President Bashar Assad’s political survival was under threat Saturday as the Syrian government battled opposition rebellions around the country and the strategic city of Homs was breached by the main rebel coalition, according to the fighters and a war monitor.
Melania Trump credits Barron Trump with helping his father win
In her first interview since her husband won the presidential election, former and future first lady Melania Trump said Friday that their son, Barron, had played an important role in President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, advising him to appear with media personalities popular with younger voters.
South Korea’s leader survives impeachment vote after his power grab
South Korean lawmakers’ attempt to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol ended in failure on Saturday night, prolonging the political upheaval and uncertainty that has roiled the country since his short-lived imposition of martial law this past week.
Nation and world news — at a glance— for December 8
Want a job in the Trump administration? Be prepared for the loyalty test.
