"A series of criminal efforts to retain power”: The stench of American politics overwhelms us all
Imagine living in a country dominated by two political parties and a divided political climate. Imagine a people distracted by the pursuit of trivial matters and ridiculous entertainment. A nation of people so uneducated that it accepts corruption in its education, politics, entertainment, media, journalism, business and religion. The nation of extreme wealth and destitute poverty, run by a dozen …
Polarity: -0.021
Lamas, 66, was born in Santa Monica and raised in the Pacific Palisades. He is angry about the lack of preparedness for the recent Los Angeles fires. Lamas is recovering from hip replacement surgery in Idaho. He used to practice earthquake preparedness in school.
Polarity: 0.03104575163398694
Meta apologizes for Zuckerberg’s ‘inadvertent error’
Meta apologizes to India for CEO Mark Zuckerberg's comment that most incumbent governments lost elections in 2024. Indian Railways, Electronics, and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called out Zuckerberg for “misinformation” last week. New Delhi recently tightened its regulations concerning online misinformation.
Polarity: -0.021
Allison Agsten runs a climate journalism center at the University of Southern California and trains reporters on how to connect the climate crisis to what's happening in the world. She was disappointed by the lack of coverage of the wildfires in Los Angeles. Time published a powerful cover story headlined “The LA fires show the reality of living in a …
Polarity: 0.0939767573696145
80,000 American lives a year: The case for a congressional war on cartels
Fentanyl trafficked by Mexican drug cartels kills 80,000 Americans per year. Congressman Mike Johnson is calling on Speaker Mike Johnson to establish a Select Committee to Defeat the Mexican Drug Cartels. The committee would act as a central coordination hub for this multifaceted crisis.
Polarity: -0.021
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 41 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time. The S&P 500 was up 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite was 0. 1%. Morgan Stanley climbed 1.9% after reporting stronger earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected. UnitedHealth Group slipped 1%. PNC Financial sank 4.1%.
Polarity: 0.0664983164983165
Trump's challenge: where to house millions of immigrant detainees
There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US without legal status. Trump has promised to deport them. Before someone is deported, they are usually detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in one of around 130 facilities. The vast majority of those are owned or operated by private prison companies that contract with ICE.
Polarity: -0.021
Before the ceasefire in Gaza Donald Trump had begun to reshape the Middle East. He was influential in pushing Israel to a truce with Lebanon in November. The fragile deal between Israel and Hamas on January 15th further reduces the intensity of the fighting in the region and resets Israel's domestic politics. It will reinforce the president-elect's power over the …
Polarity: 0.0
All hail the U.S. consumer!
China has developed strategies to respond to U.S. tariffs during Trump’s second term. China has had years to figure out how to best respond to the new tariffs, so it has plenty of strategies to prepare for the new ones. China will respond to any new tariffs.
Polarity: -0.021
Rats in Houston have developed a taste for illicit drugs. They ate 400,000 pounds of marijuana stored in the police station lockers. The city will destroy any drug evidence collected before 2015 that is no longer needed to adjudicate a case. A senior attorney will work with the police to identify evidence that can be destroyed immediately.
Polarity:
For LA water issues, misinformation spreads nearly as fast as the wildfires
There is a general criticism about California’s water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires. Stewart and Lynda Resnick, co-owners of a massive agriculture company that has a majority stake in California's Kern Water Bank, have been accused of not donating enough water to fight the fires. The Wonderful Company has faced criticism over its extensive water use and …
Polarity: -0.021
Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorates the civil rights leader, Baptist minister and theologian. Since 1983, many Americans have observed the federal holiday to commemorate the life and legacy of King. Volunteers perform community service on MLK Day to build the "beloved community" as King said. The concept of the beloved community has its origins in 19th-century American religious philosopher …
Polarity: 0.30029581529581517
US retail sales rose modestly last month amid solid holiday shopping, boosting economy
Retail sales rose 0.4% in December from the previous month, though down from November’s upwardly revised 0.8%. The economy expanded at a healthy annual rate of 2.9% in the final three months of last year. Economists expect the Federal Reserve to cut its key rate further this year.
Polarity: -0.021
The Department of Justice released the final nationwide crime statistics under the Biden administration as the president prepares to leave office. In 2024, violent crime continued to go down, according to preliminary DOJ data from 85 major cities. President-elect Trump will assume office on Monday. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the Department has made progress against the most significant …
Polarity: -0.04007282974674277
How states will keep fighting for climate progress under Trump
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as president next Monday. He has called climate change a hoax and wants to increase fossil fuel production and stymie the expansion of renewable energy. In 2017, a bipartisan coalition of governors launched the U.S. Climate Alliance to collaborate on policies to address the climate crisis.
Polarity: -0.021
Pankaj Mishra's new book, The World After Gaza, is about the global polarization over the Gaza war and its causes. He argues that the cleavage in public opinion reflects the competing narratives that shaped our modern world: decolonization in the global south and post-Holocaust liberal order in global north. He will talk to FP's Ravi Agrawal about the shifting balance …
Polarity: 0.06363636363636363
LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and a growing risk
Millions of people in Los Angeles are being exposed to wildfire smoke as fires burn through homes and vehicles. Toxicologist Jason Sacks is concerned about the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke. Long-term smoke exposure is increasing as the acreage burned in wildfires in the U.S. has nearly doubled each decade since 1990. Smoke from wildfires is now the leading …
Polarity: -0.021
Millions of people in Los Angeles are being exposed to wildfire smoke as fires burn through homes and vehicles. Toxicologist Jason Sacks is concerned about the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke. Long-term smoke exposure is increasing as the acreage burned in wildfires in the U.S. has nearly doubled each decade since 1990. Smoke from wildfires is now the leading …
Polarity: 0.055901722391084104
LA wildfires: How can wildfire smoke affect your health?
Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive in the United States, especially in western states like California. Wildfire smoke from wildfires can have many harmful effects on the body, including on the lungs, heart and brain. People can protect themselves by leaving the area if they're in an evacuation zone, keeping their windows closed and staying indoors.
Polarity: -0.021
Mark Zuckerberg's company, Meta, is ending partnerships with third-party fact-checkers and will be jettisoning curbs on posts related to politics, gender identity, and immigration. The changes will have wider and more profound consequences for Meta's 3.59 billion users.
Polarity: 0.1351255960223352
Bitcoin price will hold $100K for good after three key events take place
Regulatory changes are set to play a pivotal role in Bitcoin’s path to broader adoption. Relaxing restrictions on retirement investments and increasing recognition of Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset similar to gold are also catalysts for Bitcoin's price rise. If investors anticipate a downturn in stock and housing markets, the demand for cash positions and short-term government bonds intensifies.
Polarity: -0.021
Beijing is a surveillance state with cameras on nearly every street and public space. Green license plates on electric vehicles, including Teslas and Chinese brands like BYD, are a common sight. Beijing has embraced mobile payments, sidelining physical credit cards in favor of platforms like Alipay. It's cold in Beijing and not really ‘in-season’ but there were few foreigners.
Polarity: 0.09666666666666665
Fleeing mountain lions and scorched earth: can wildlife survive California’s wildfires?
There are wildfires in California, killing 25 people and destroying a vast area of land. Chaparral vegetation covers about 10% of the state of California, which is one of the most flammable landscapes in the world. The chaparral ecosystem is adapted to high-intensity burning every 30 to 100 years. The shrub vegetation will probably take 10 years to recover.
Polarity: -0.021
Bitcoin's price is growing increasingly correlated with developments in the traditional financial system. Bitcoin's recent dip below $92,500 stemmed from concerns about the Federal Reserve’s tightening monetary policy for 2025. Markets are now expecting the first US interest rate cut to occur on June 18.
Polarity: 0.16472680472680473