News

Politico reports: Florida is once again the fastest growing state in the U.S., according to a Census report released Thursday, reclaiming the top spot for the first time in more than 60 years. The Sunshine State saw a 1.9 percent population increase from 2021 to 2022, surpassing population growth in any other state for the first time since 1957. Since …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate on Thursday adopted a sprawling, roughly $1.7 trillion bill that would fund the government through most of 2023, as Democrats and Republicans resolved a last-minute standoff over immigration and voted to avert a shutdown in the final days of the year. The bipartisan 68-29 vote teed up the measure for debate in the House, …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia to again put the cardinals, bishops and priests who work …

The Times of Israel reports: Benjamin Netanyahu informed President Isaac Herzog late on Wednesday that he has come to agreements with his coalition partners to form Israel’s 37th government, delivering a promise of right-wing and religious-led political stability seven weeks after the country’s fifth election since 2019 and minutes before the expiration of his mandate to form the next government. …

Via press release from NASA: NASA’s InSight mission has ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars. Mission controllers at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude the spacecraft’s solar-powered batteries have run out of energy – a state engineers …

CNN reports: A 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Northern California’s Eureka area early Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, and thousands are without power in its wake. The quake, recorded at 2:34 a.m. PT, was centered in the Pacific just off the coast, about 7.5 miles from the Humboldt County city of Ferndale, the survey said. Most homes and businesses …

The Washington Post reports: A bipartisan bill that would make changes to how members of Congress could object to electoral will be included in the omnibus spending bill lawmakers need to approve in the coming days, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Monday night. The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, sponsored by Collins and Sen. Joe Manchin III …

Semafor reports: “Ron to the Rescue,” founded by Republican strategist John Thomas, emerged just after the midterms with an ad declaring that “America needs Ron DeSantis” and pitching his success as Joe Biden’s failure to keep a good state down. According to Thomas, the super PAC will likely focus on “exploit[ing] some of the former president’s vulnerabilities” on topics like …

The Associated Press reports: The House committee investigating the Capitol riot will make its final public presentation Monday about the unprecedented effort by Donald Trump to overturn the results of the presidential election he lost in 2020. The committee has called it an “attempted coup” that warrants criminal prosecution from the Justice Department. Monday’s meeting will be the committee’s 11th …

CNBC reports: Epic Games, the developer and publisher of the video game Fortnite, will pay $520 million in fines to settle with the FTC over violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FTC had alleged that Epic paired children and teens “with strangers,” exposed them to “dangerous and psychologically traumatizing issues,” and failed to introduce adequate parental …

CNN reports: Drew Griffin, CNN’s award-winning Senior Investigative Correspondent, known for getting even the cagiest of interview subjects to engage in a story, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer, his family said. He was 60. A gifted storyteller, Griffin had a well-earned reputation for holding powerful people and institutions accountable. Griffin worked on hundreds of stories and multiple …

The New York Daily News reports: An Arctic air mass will descend upon the U.S. this week with plenty of precipitation and dangerously low temperatures, making for potentially nightmarish holiday travel conditions, forecasters say. As last week’s mega storm wound down before the first day of Chanukah, the possibility of a white Christmas for the eastern half of the country …

Hawaii News Now reports: Thirty-six people were injured Sunday, including 11 seriously, when a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu hit severe turbulence about 30 minutes before landing. The turbulence sent passengers flying out of their seats. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians treated patients — ranging in age from 14 months to adults — for a long list of …

The Guardian reports: California congressman Adam Schiff said Sunday that he believes there is “sufficient evidence” to criminally charge Donald Trump in relation to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Schiff’s dramatic statement on CNN’s State of the Union came one day before the House January 6 select committee to which he belongs is poised to release an outline …

The Washington Post reports: Lionel Messi finally won the biggest prize in soccer as Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout Sunday to claim a third World Cup title despite Kylian Mbappé scoring the first hat trick in a final in 56 years. Gonzalo Montiel scored the clinching penalty kick as Argentina won after a 3-3 draw. Both countries …

CBS News reports: The House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. The bill, which passed 233-191 with some Republican support, would offer voters in the U.S. territory …

The New York Times reports: Pet stores in New York State will soon be prohibited from selling dogs, cats and rabbits under a legislative ban meant to stem the sale of animals from breeding facilities that animal rights groups say subject pets to inhumane conditions. The legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday means that New York will join …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: Decades-old evidence stored inside an NYPD warehouse has now been completely destroyed by a Tuesday fire. NYPD officials said it will take some time to figure out exactly what was lost and the impact it will have on cold case and cases up for appeal. The fire at the Erie Basin Auto Pound, a …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: The MTA is sniffing around on testing pee-detection technology that alerts staff to clean wet and smelly messes in subway elevators. Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit, said Monday at a City Council transportation committee hearing that the agency is exploring urine sensors in station elevators that sometimes double as de facto …

The Associated Press reports: France and Kylian Mbappé are headed back to the World Cup final for a much-anticipated matchup with Lionel Messi after ending Morocco’s historic run at soccer’s biggest tournament. France will head into Sunday’s title match against Argentina looking to become the first team to retain the World Cup title since Brazil in 1962. France will be …