U.S. consumer sentiment slipped slightly at the end of March, after shooting up in the mid-month preliminary report, but still recorded its highest level since 2004. The University of Michigan’s report showed consumer attitudes about the economy inched down to a reading of 101.4 at the end of March. Reuters economists expected the reading to Read More…

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaked away from California early Friday, boosting the fifth set of 10 Iridium NEXT relay stations into orbit, the latest step in the satellite telephone provider’s push to complete a globe-spanning constellation of next-generation spacecraft. Perched atop pad 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles, the Falcon Read More…

Workers in Idaho are leading the nation in earnings growth, thanks in part to a buoyant job market and pockets of labor shortages that are putting upward pressure on wages. In 2017, Idaho workers boasted a 5.3% increase in earnings—mostly comprised of annual wages and salaries—compared with the 2016 calendar year, according to the Commerce Read More…

Just more than a week after tiny Los Alamitos voted to defy California’s law protecting immigrants in the country illegally, Orange County is poised to become a counterpoint against the state’s resistance to the Trump administration’s policies. On Tuesday, Orange County supervisors may consider whether to take up a resolution to condemn and possibly take Read More…

BlackBerry smartphones have secure messaging as a matter of course, but for some that isn’t enough: there are custom models that are even more secure thanks to PGP-encrypted mail. However, it seems that these locked down models aren’t quite as safe as you’d think. The Netherlands Forensic Institute has confirmed a recent report that it’s Read More…

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration over its alleged practices of searching the electronic devices of passengers traveling on domestic flights. “The federal government’s policies on searching the phones, laptops, and tablets of domestic air passengers remain shrouded in secrecy,” Read More…

All five passengers aboard a helicopter that crashed into Manhattan’s East River Sunday night have died, authorities said. The red Eurocopter AS350, which officials said was operated by Liberty Helicopters and had been privately chartered for a photo shoot, apparently had engine failure. The pilot — who repeatedly radioed “May day! May day! and reported Read More…

The United States has yet to hear from North Korea after President Donald Trump accepted an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday. “We have not heard anything directly back from North Korea, although we do expect to hear something directly from them,” Read More…

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell believes Amazon played a role in keeping a lid on inflation over the past decade. The central banker was asked why inflation has been so low since the financial crisis. “It’s a global phenomenon. We don’t perfectly understand it. Since the [financial] crisis, a big factor that has been weighing Read More…

When a group that says it provides financial assistance “relating to the jihad” sought to improve conditions for fighters in a squalid, sandbag-fortified trench in Syria late last year, it turned to a new funding conduit: bitcoin. “There is currently no shelter to protect the food and ammunition from the rain,” the group, called al Read More…

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) – Multiple firearms, including a shotgun and two rifles, ammunition, replica grenades, a ballistic vest, and a journal were located at the home of student accused of bringing a loaded handgun and knife to Clarksburg High School last week. The alarming revelation was made during a bond review for Alwin Chen, Read More…

SpaceX’s big new rocket blasted off Tuesday on its first test flight, carrying a red sports car aiming for an endless road trip past Mars. The Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send men to the moon. With liftoff, the Heavy became the most powerful Read More…

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Sunday he has decided to keep many national parks open during the government shutdown because the tourist spots should not “be weaponized.” “Our public lands and our monuments really belong to the people and not the government,” he said. Zinke spoke with CNN on the National Mall in Washington as Read More…

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta was ridiculed across social media on Wednesday for declaring that President Trump has heart disease. White House physician Ronny Jackson said on Tuesday that Trump was in “excellent health” after conducting the president’s physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last week. Jackson answered a variety of Read More…

Multiple arrests involving phony cash have been making the media rounds in over 11 states, including New York, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan, in the last six months. Earlier this week, both New York City and Iowa reported cases of fraudulent cash popping up into the hands of local business owners. READ THE FULL STORY.

On Monday, October 2, 2017, Harvey Weinstein arrived at work earlier than usual. As was his custom, he barked orders and moved from room to room inside his spacious office suite at 375 Greenwich Street, the New York City headquarters of the Weinstein Company (T.W.C.), a beautiful old red-brick factory building that had been converted Read More…

A former adviser to Ronald Reagan’s administration has slammed the Russia probe, accusing Special Counsel Robert Mueller of “investigating everything but collusion.” In an interview with Fox News’ Hannity, Mark Levin suggested the Justice Department was wasting its time looking into allegations of collusion between Donald Trump’s team and Russia. READ THE FULL STORY.

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Friday it will pay a one-time $1,000 bonus to nearly 9,000 of its employees as a result of the recent tax reform bill’s passage in Washington. READ THE FULL STORY.

The wife of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen told the FBI just hours after the June 2016 rampage that she knew about her husband’s plot ahead of time, USA Today reported Friday. Noor Salman reportedly told authorities that she knew that Mateen was “going to do something bad,” and that she was aware that Pulse Read More…

NEW YORK — Donovan McNabb and Eric Davis have been dismissed from ESPN following an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct while employed at NFL Network. “They are no longer working for us,” ESPN said in a statement to CBS Philadelphia. The pair worked for ESPN Radio and were taken off the air Dec. 12, Read More…

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday rescinded a trio of memos from the Obama administration that had adopted a policy of non-interference with marijuana-friendly state laws. The move essentially shifts federal policy from the hands-off approach adopted under the previous administration to unleashing federal prosecutors across the country to decide individually how to prioritize resources Read More…

Tens of thousands of federal employees earn more money than any U.S. governor, according to a new report that reveals some eye-popping stats on government spending for the federal workforce. The 40-page report, titled “Mapping the Swamp” and released by government watchdog group OpenTheBooks, focused on the “size, scope and power” of the federal government Read More…

Southwest and American Airlines have joined a handful of corporate giants that have announced $1,000 employee bonuses following the GOP tax overhaul that President Donald Trump signed into law last month. In a pair of press releases on Tuesday, both airlines specifically cited sweeping new tax reforms that passed Congress on December 20. Among other Read More…

A few million people will start work this year with a bit of a raise. The minimum wage in 18 states is ticking up, giving workers increases of between 5 cents and $1 per hour. In half of those states, the minimums will be rising automatically, to keep up with inflation. The other half, including Read More…

Chief Justice John Roberts has ordered a “careful evaluation” of the judiciary’s standards of conduct and policies, saying the federal courts are not immune to the nationwide focus of sexual misconduct in the workplace. The remarks came in Roberts’ annual year-end report Sunday on the third branch of government, which he heads as chief justice. Read More…

Amazon has been quietly experimenting with various advertising products across its portfolio and off its website, according to interviews with half a dozen ad buyers and technology partners. And it’s getting ready to make waves in 2018. Most of the conversations are focusing on new ad opportunities on Amazon’s e-commerce search and video products, sources Read More…

Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter, who overcame the odds to build his home-delivery pizza chain into a national powerhouse against entrenched rivals, is stepping down. Schnatter, who founded the pizza chain in 1984, will remain as chairman of the board. No immediate reason was given for his decision, which takes effect Jan. 1. He is Read More…

The State Department says President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens of six mainly Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela is now fully operational. The announcement follows the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this week to allow enforcement of the ban as it is challenged in lower courts. The department said it began fully implementing the Read More…

Airbnb has a scary problem on their hands: People keep finding hidden cameras in their rental homes. Another host was busted last month trying to film guests without their knowledge — marking the second time since October that the company has had to publicly deal with this sort of incident. Officials have been forced to Read More…

ABC news reporter Brian Ross has been suspended over his erroneous story about Michael Flynn. The network tweeted an apology on Saturday for what it called a serious error. Ross reported on Friday that Flynn was preparing to testify that President Trump told him to contact Russians. The reporter quoted a single anonymous source and Read More…

A new study is warning mouthwash users to take it easy on the commonly used dental hygiene routine. Researchers at Harvard say using mouthwash products more than once a day can greatly increase your risk of developing diabetes. Professor Kamudi Joshipura of Harvard’s School of Public Health says the fresh-tasting cleaners kill both harmful and helpful Read More…

North Korea launched the missile at around 3am local time (6pm GMT) yesterday, sparking a furious response from Seoul. Within minutes of North Korea’s ICBM launch, South Korea had fired its own missile launch in retaliation. The North Korean missile was fired eastwards from the hermit state. The missile landed about 210km west of Japan’s Kyurokujima Read More…

The lawyer for President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn met Monday morning with members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team — the latest indication that both sides are discussing a possible plea deal, ABC News has learned. Trump’s legal team confirmed late last week that Flynn’s attorney Robert Kelner alerted the Read More…

The so-called corruption crackdown in Saudi Arabia over the weekend may be the beginning of a bigger power struggle by the heir apparent to the throne which destabilizes the region for a time and keeps oil prices elevated . Following the creation of an anti-corruption committee by current King Salman, security forces Saturday swept up Read More…

The number of private-sector jobs created in October rose more than expected, with construction jobs surging in the wake of destructive hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The ADP National Employment showed private-sector businesses added 235,000 jobs in the month. ADP was expected to show private employers added 200,000 jobs in October, up from 135,000 in September. Read More…

Majorities in many ethnic, identity and racial groups in America believe that discrimination exists against their own group, across many areas of people’s daily lives, according to a poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The poll asked a wide range of questions about where Read More…

An initiative launched by all five living former presidents has raised $31 million for hurricane relief from 80,000 donors. The One America Appeal initiative, launched Sept. 7 in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Florida, has distributed nearly $13 million to the Florida Disaster Fund, Rebuild Texas Fund, the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, Juntos y Read More…

Filings for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level since 1973 as workers affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma continued to return to their jobs, Labor Department figures showed Thursday. Highlights of Jobless Claims (Week ended Oct. 14) Jobless claims decreased by 22k to 222k (est. 240k), the lowest since March 1973 Period Read More…