National News - Page 39

Four big things Congress did in 2025 — and how they could affect you

By Sahil Kapur WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Congress had a busy first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in 2025. From approving Trump’s signature tax-cut and spending legislation to repealing a record number of regulations under a fast-track procedure, the actions taken on Capitol Hill this year will have an impact on just about every American. It was also a dramatic year, with the party’s narrow House majority fighting bitterly among itself and Congress struggling to achieve bipartisan deals to pass funding bills, leading to a record 43-day shutdown last fall. Here are four big things Congress did in 2025. Made Trump’s

Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest National Park Service ranger, dies at 104

By Victoria Meza, NBC Bay Area Betty Reid Soskin, an iconic former National Park Service ranger, died Sunday, according to her family. She was 104. Soskin’s family said she died peacefully at her home in Richmond on Sunday morning. “This morning on the Winter Solstice, our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Betty Reid Soskin, passed away peacefully at her home in Richmond, CA at 104 years old. She was attended by family. She led a fully packed life and was ready to leave,” the family wrote. Soskin was the nation’s oldest park ranger. She became a permanent NPS employee in 2011. She

Flu is surging nationwide, and doctors say we’re nowhere near the peak

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Patrick Martin and Kaan Ozcan Flu is surging across the U.S., sending thousands more people to the hospital and hitting young children especially hard, as doctors warn the season still has a long way to go. Flu activity is at “high” or “very high” levels in 32 states and jurisdictions, based on data from the week ending Dec. 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday — up from 17 the week before. At least 7.5 million have gotten sick since the season began in October. Hospitalizations nearly doubled in a single week, rising to 19,053, up from 9,944 the week

HBCU professors explain Kwanzaa celebrations

By Tandy Lau Seven days, many ways to celebrate Kwanzaa this month for Howard University’s Scot Brown, associate professor of history and author of “Fighting for US: Maulana Karenga, The US Organization and Black Cultural Nationalism,” a book about Kwanzaa’s founder, Dr. Karenga. “There isn’t a rulebook, but there are rules,” said Brown. “Symbols mean what they mean, but you might have different activities for people to participate in [ranging from] poetry [to] music [to] communal dancing. There’s all kinds of things that build on the improvisational character of Afrikan American and Afrikan world cultures.” Huberta Jackson-Lowman, Florida A&M University

Higher Education as Diplomacy: Angola Deepens HBCU Engagement at the United Nations

By Ajong Mbapndah L As heavy rains swept across New York City, the Nelson Mandela Conference Room at the African Union Mission to the United Nations remained alive with ideas, ambition, and resolve. Inside, diplomats, university leaders, faculty, students, and development partners gathered not for ceremony, but for strategy—exploring how higher education can serve as a powerful tool of diplomacy, peacebuilding, and sustainable development across Africa. The occasion was The Future of HBCUs in Africa: A High-Level HBCU Leadership Meeting, convened by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Angola to the United Nations. From the outset, the gathering carried

Travel disruptions mount as strong storm system sweeps across the country

By Kate Reilly, Christine Rapp and Dennis Romero A powerful storm system continues to disrupt travel, placing 64 million people under winter weather alerts that span the eastern two-thirds of the country. A string of tornadoes erupted in central Illinois on Sunday, with preliminary National Weather Service reports saying eight homes and a garage were destroyed and two other homes sustained significant structural damage in Macon County. No injuries were reported. NBC affiliate WAND of Decatur reported that the roof of a home in Macon County was ripped off by a tornado’s winds but that multiple people and pets inside were able to escape uninjured. It

Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives

By Lawrence Hurley In his almost 45 years as a federal judge, John Coughenour has seen it all, including high-profile criminal trials that put his own safety at risk. But this year, the 84-year-old senior district judge did something he hadn’t considered for a long time: He retrieved a gun he had stored at the federal courthouse in Seattle years ago and brought it back to his home in case he needed it to defend himself. Coughenour is one of dozens of federal judges who have found themselves at the center of a political maelstrom as they have ruled against President

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to deploy National Guard in Illinois

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed the Trump administration over its plan to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois over the strenuous objections of local officials. The court in an unsigned order turned away an emergency request made by the administration, which said the troops are needed to protect federal agents involved in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area. Although the decision is a preliminary one involving only Chicago, it will likely bolster similar challenges made to National Guard deployments in other cities, with the opinion setting significant new limits on the president’s ability to do so. “This is an important step

FDA approves Wegovy weight loss pill from Novo Nordisk

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a pill version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight loss drug. The Wegovy pill, as it’s called, is first oral version of a GLP-1 drug that has been brought to market for weight loss. A second pill, from Eli Lilly, is also expected to be approved in the coming months. GLP-1 drugs — which include semaglutide, the drug in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, the drug in Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound — have soared in popularity in recent years. The compounds, initially approved for diabetes, can also

Zohran Mamdani to be sworn in as New York City mayor by Sen. Bernie Sanders and AG Letitia James

By Ben Kamisar Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be sworn into office in January by state Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., his fellow democratic socialist. Sanders will oversee the mayor-elect’s ceremonial swearing-in at a New Year’s Day block party, while James will formally swear in Mamdani at midnight when his term officially begins. In a news release announcing the events, the transition noted that Sanders’ “unapologetic progressive values inspired Zohran to run for office in the first place.” “It is an honor to be sworn in by two leaders I have admired for years: Attorney

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