News

Politico reports: The House Ethics Committee closed investigations into at least four members Monday for violating campaign finance rules. The investigations involved Reps. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Wesley Hunt (R-Tex.), Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) and “other confidential matters that have been under review.” The committee declined to disclose further details on those cases. In a statement, Jackson hailed the …

The Times of Israel reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was awake and recovering after a successful prostate removal surgery at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, his office said in a statement late Sunday evening, adding that the premier had been moved to an underground, fortified recovery ward. “The surgery ended successfully without complications,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in …

ABC News reports: The discount chain Big Lots, which filed for bankruptcy protection in September, has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores and distribution centers open. Big Lots said Friday it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, a firm that specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will then transfer Big Lots’ stores, distribution centers …

NBC News reports: The office of New York’s attorney general released body camera footage Friday showing the fatal beating of a state prisoner this month by correctional officers who punched and kicked him repeatedly while he was handcuffed on an infirmary bed. The incident, which has drawn outrage from political leaders and was condemned by the officers’ union as “incomprehensible,” …

SF Gate reports: After a deep investment in electric vehicles — Hertz purchased 100,000 Teslas three years ago — the country’s second-largest rental car company is starting to scale back on its Tesla stock by selling off its electrified fleet at eye-raising prices. A Hertz customer posted a screenshot on Reddit last week with a deal to purchase a 2023 …

USA Today reports: A massive sinkhole formed Thursday off the shoulder of a heavily trafficked interstate highway in New Jersey, forcing motorists to take detours to avoid the area. The sinkhole formed after a section of the right lane and shoulder collapsed near the Wharton exit on Interstate 80 eastbound, about 40 miles west of New York City. Officials estimated …

Reuters reports: President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday dissolved Germany’s lower house of parliament to pave the way for snap elections on Feb. 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way coalition. “Especially in difficult times, like now, stability requires a government capable of acting, and reliable majorities in parliament,” which was why early elections were the right way forward …

The Associated Press reports: Florida condominium owners are looking at higher costs from condo associations in the new year, a consequence of a safety law passed by state lawmakers in 2022. It requires associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs and to conduct a survey of reserves every decade. Because of the law, older condos — found largely …

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: Texas gained more new people than any other state between July 2023 and July 2024, according to Census data. Texas’s population jumped by 562,941 people. Florida saw the second highest numeric growth with 467,347 new people and California the third with 232,570. Every state saw an increase in international migration. Texas saw the third largest …

The Telegraph reports: An Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed on Christmas Day was “likely shot down by a Russian military air defence system,” a UK-based aviation security firm has said. The crash immediately prompted speculation that the aircraft was shot down by Russia after it took a detour of hundreds of miles in the wrong direction and crash-landed with holes …

Hawaii News Now reports: A person has been found dead in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane at Maui’s Kahului Airport. “The Maui Police Department is currently conducting an active investigation regarding a deceased individual discovered on an incoming flight from the mainland this afternoon. At this time, no further details are available.” The flight reportedly originated from …

The Associated Press reports: All you have to do to become a South Dakota resident is spend one night. Stay in a campground or hotel and then stop by one of the businesses that specialize in helping people become South Dakotans, and they’ll help you do the paperwork to gain residency in a state with no income tax and relatively …

USA Today reports: President Joe Biden on Tuesday enacted the first federal anti-hazing law, marking the end of a yearslong push by victims’ families for more transparency and accountability on college campuses. The Stop Campus Hazing Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September and the U.S. Senate this month, requires universities to start collecting hazing statistics to …

Via press release from the state of Oregon: The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is alerting pet owners that samples of Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food tested positive for a H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus. Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) …

The Arizona Republic reports: A government watchdog group has filed a complaint against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, alleging that her recent pricey travel expenditures broke campaign-finance laws. The nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is accusing Sinema, I-Ariz., of breaking election rules that prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for strictly personal purposes. Sinema announced in March that she …

The Independent reports: Every Christmas Eve, Norad – the North American Aerospace Defense Command – provides real-time tracking of Santa’s sleigh as it navigates the skies. The cherished tradition dates back to 1955 when a misprint in a department store advert led a young child to call a Colorado military command center asking to speak to Santa Claus. Air Force …

Politico reports: Congress has long been home to aging politicians facing serious health woes. But the case of retiring Rep. Kay Granger is the latest evidence that a new generation of Washington players are growing fed up with the tradition of shielding officials’ infirmities from the world. The revelations are sparking a bipartisan backlash and drawing scrutiny to other elderly …

ABC News reports: A “technical issue” disrupted American Airlines flights nationwide early on Tuesday, the airline said, at the start of a busy Christmas Eve for travelers around the country. The Federal Aviation Administration said American requested a ground stop for all its flights. “We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights,” the airline wrote in a …

Courthouse News reports: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Governor-elect Josh Stein filed a lawsuit Monday over a bill that stripped appointment abilities from the state’s highest seat. Opponents heavily protested the bill, which lawmakers originally advertised as targeting disaster relief. It removed the governor’s ability to fill seats on the North Carolina State Board of Elections, instead administratively transferring …

The Associated Press reports: The Container Store has filed for bankruptcy protection as the storage and organizational goods retailer with roots dating back to the 1970s grapples with mounting losses and cash flow shortages. The Texas company has faced increasing competition from retailers like Target and Walmart at the same time that demand for its goods is under strain in …