National News - Page 7

Biden to deliver a farewell address to the nation on Wednesday

By Megan Lebowitz President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address to the country next Wednesday, the White House announced on Friday. His speech will be delivered from the Oval Office, a location typically reserved for momentous occasions and major news. The White House did not release additional details about what the president would discuss. Biden’s speech will come less than a week before his political rival, President-elect Donald Trump, is inaugurated. NBC News previously reported that Biden planned to deliver two major speeches — including a farewell address— about his legacy before he leaves the White House. His farewell address, according to sources familiar, is expected to

Inmates are fighting California wildfires in long-running and controversial practice

By Jaclyn Diaz Nearly 800 incarcerated people are among the more than 7,500 personnel helping fight the historic, and destructive, Southern California wildfires. The five raging wildfires have destroyed homes, businesses and landmarks throughout Los Angeles. “As of today, 783 Fire Camp firefighters have been working around the clock cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow fire spread, including 88 support staff,” California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement to NPR on Thursday. This is not a new practice. California has relied on incarcerated firefighters since 1915. And prison labor has been used to respond to

U.S. stock markets close to honor former President Jimmy Carter

By Maria Aspan Wall Street’s opening bells will remain silent on Thursday. The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq will both close for trading today, as the financial industry joins a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter. The global humanitarian died on Dec. 29, at age 100, and will be eulogized at a state funeral today in Washington. The rare mid-week trading shutdown continues a Wall Street tradition that goes back to 1865. After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the New York Stock Exchange closed for days. Since then, the U.S. stock markets have regularly shuttered to mourn deceased

10 people have now died in the wildfires spreading across Southern California

By Ayana Archie Fires continue to rage on in Southern California, as tens of thousands of acres of land have been decimated, and the flames have been partially contained. What you need to know Ten people have died due to the fires, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. Identification may take several weeks, the examiner said. About 180,000 people have had to evacuate and another 200,000 people are under evacuation warnings, the LA County Sheriff’s Department said. The fires More than 35,000 acres have been burned, with the Palisades and Eaton fires driving the destruction, according to the California Department

Biden signs bill to increase Social Security benefits for millions of public workers

/

By Lorie Konish President Joe Biden on Sunday signed the Social Security Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation that clears the way for teachers, firefighters, policeman and other public sector workers who also receive pension income to receive increases in their Social Security benefits. The benefit boost comes as the new law repeals two provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision, or WEP, and the Government Pension Offset, or GPO — that have been in place for more than four decades. The WEP reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pension or disability benefits from employment where Social Security payroll taxes were not withheld. As of December

Jimmy Carter Delivered a Positive Message About Hospice Care at Morehouse School of Medicine

/

By Shelia Poole and Ariel Hart Hospice advocates said the end-of-life journey of former President Jimmy Carter was a “powerful” message to terminally ill patients and their families about the benefits of hospice care. Carter, the nation’s 39th president, died December 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia, after being in home hospice care for 22 months. “It’s pretty remarkable that he got to celebrate his 100th birthday, he got to vote and, as I understand, it was important to him that he was able to do these things with the support of hospice,” said Dr. Vicki Jackson, president of

Congestion pricing begins in NYC in a high stakes test for the model’s U.S. viability

By Robbie Griffiths Congestion pricing was introduced in the center of New York City on Sunday, after a late attempt by officials in neighboring New Jersey to stop it in court failed. The measure — which charges many drivers $9 dollars to enter Manhattan during peak hours — is intended to bring relief to the country’s most populous city. According to traffic-data analysis firm INRIX, New York had the worst traffic in the world in 2023: drivers lost 101 hours to traffic during peak commuting times. Advocates say the new charge, which is the first of its kind in America, will ease traffic gridlock,

Biden reprises mourner-in-chief role, perhaps for the last time

By Adam Cancryn President Joe Biden traveled to New Orleans on Monday to offer condolences to those mourning the New Year’s Day terrorist attack, drawing from his own personal grief as he has done repeatedly during his term in response to horrific acts of violence. The president also vowed to stand by the community as it recovers from an attack by an Army veteran who drove his pickup truck into revelers in the city’s iconic French Quarter. “I know events like this are hard — the shock and pain still so very raw,” Biden said at a prayer service at

Biden bans offshore drilling across huge area of US

US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along most of America’s coastline, weeks before Donald Trump takes office. During his campaign, Trump pledged to “unleash” domestic fossil fuel production in a bid to lower gas costs, despite the US already seeing record high extraction rates. The ban announced by Biden covers the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska. It is the latest in a string of last-minute climate policy actions by

New Orleans HBCU President Calls for Unity Following New Year’s Day Attack

/

By Ashley Brown In a letter to the Dillard University community and the residents of New Orleans, President Monique Guillory expressed sorrow over the heartbreaking events that marred the start of the new year. “We are all heartbroken that the start to the New Year has been tainted by a local tragedy,” she wrote, acknowledging the city’s long-standing reputation as a sanctuary for visitors drawn to its vibrant culture. The New Year’s Day Attack The incident unfolded early on January 1st when a pickup truck drove into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, resulting in at least 15 fatalities

1 5 6 7 8 9 146