US & World News

Moderate Sen. Jacky Rosen urges Noem's impeachment as Dem fury grows over Minneapolis shooting

Moderate Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying that her “attempt to mislead the American public” about the fatal shooting of a 37 year-old protester in Minneapolis is “deeply shameful.” The call from the Nevada senator comes amid a growing fury from congressional Democrats who have also vowed to block funding for the Homeland Security Department. A Democratic House resolution to launch impeachment proceedings against Noem has the support of more than 100 Democrats, but few Senate Democrats have so far weighed in.

Trump says US used secret weapon to disable Venezuelan equipment in Maduro raid

President Donald Trump says the U.S. used a secret weapon he called “The Discombobulator” to disable Venezuelan equipment when the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro. The president also renewed his threat to conduct military strikes on land against drug cartels, including in Mexico. Trump made the comments in an interview Friday with the New York Post. The Republican president was commenting on reports that the U.S. had a pulsed energy weapon and said, “The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it.” He said the weapon made Venezuelan equipment “not work.”

Roger Penske's team wins third consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona in thrilling finish

Roger Penske's team won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, marking a three-peat in the prestigious endurance race. The Penske squad becomes the third team in the event's 64-year history to achieve the feat. The Porsche Penske Motorsports team joins Chip Ganassi Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing in this accomplishment. Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr, the only constant in the lineup, helped secure the win. Nasr held off Action Express Racing's Cadillac in the final hour. The race had a record-long caution because of foggy conditions, lasting more than six hours. The event featured 60 cars and 228 drivers from 32 countries.

NBA postpones Grizzlies-Nuggets game because of the winter storm

A game between the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies has been postponed because of a massive winter storm that’s moving across much of the United States. NBA officials announced less than three hours before tipoff that the game would be rescheduled because of conditions in the Memphis area, where a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain began falling early Saturday morning and continued Sunday. Both teams and the officiating crew had arrived in Memphis. That wasn’t the case in Milwaukee, where the Bucks were set to host the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. The Mavs were unable to fly in Saturday night.

Minnesota CEOs issue joint letter urging de-escalation in Minnesota after shooting

More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies signed an open letter posted on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce website on Sunday calling for state, local and federal officials to work together, as businesses grapple with how to address tensions in the state and across the country following two fatal shootings by federal agents amid a massive immigration enforcement operation that has spurred protests. CEOs that signed the letter included 3M CEO William Brown, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, Target incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Helmsley, and others. Over the past two weeks protesters have targeted some businesses they see as aiding federal immigration enforcement, including Minneapolis-based Target.

Israel launches 'large scale operation' to locate last hostage in Gaza

Israel says its military is conducting a large-scale operation to locate the last hostage in Gaza. This comes as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire. On Sunday, Israel’s Cabinet was meeting to discuss opening Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Returning the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been seen as removing the main obstacle to this move. The ceasefire's first phase, which began on Oct. 10, includes the return of all remaining hostages. Israel accuses Hamas of delaying the recovery of Gvili's remains, while Hamas claims it has provided all available information.

'Mercy' unseats 'Avatar: Fire & Ash' atop the box office on snow-blanketed weekend in theaters

With a winter storm blanketing a large swath of the country, Hollywood had its quietest weekend of the year at the box office. The Amazon MGM sci-fi thriller “Mercy” dethroned “Avatar: Fire and Ash” from the No. 1 spot with $11.2 million in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. Hundreds of theaters were forced to close due to the storm spreading from Texas to Maine. But the weekend was never going to be a blockbuster one. “Mercy,” starring Chris Pratt, arrived with withering reviews and an equally poor reception from audiences. But it was still enough to finally dislodge James Cameron’s third Pandora epic from its monthlong perch atop the box office.

A man is under arrest for assaulting U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost at the Sundance Film Festival

A man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost at a party during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Frost writes on X that he was punched by a man who claimed President Trump would deport him. The altercation occurred Friday night at a private party hosted by the talent agency CAA. Frost is thanking venue security and police for their help. The suspect, identified as Christian Young, reportedly crashed the party. The Sundance Film Festival is condemning the assault and emphasizing attendee safety. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expressing horror at the attack.

Some Republicans call for investigation after fatal shooting in Minneapolis

Some Republicans are calling for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis. And those calls are an early sign that the accounting of events by President Donald Trump’s administration may face bipartisan scrutiny. The Republican congressman who heads the House Homeland Security Committee is seeking testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Two Republican senators are pressing for more information about the shooting. Meanwhile, administration officials remain firm in their defense of the hard-line immigration enforcement tactics in the Minnesota city,

Democrats vow to oppose homeland security funding bill. That increases the chance of a shutdown

Democratic senators are vowing to oppose a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security following the shooting death of a man in Minnesota. And that opposition increases the prospect of a partial government shutdown by week's end. Six of the 12 annual spending bills for the current budget year have been signed into law. Six more await Senate action. If senators fail to act by midnight Friday, funding for agencies covered under those remaining six bills will lapse. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says what's happening in Minnesota is “appalling” and he's pledging that Democrats will block a funding package that includes homeland security money.

Carney says Canada has no plans to pursue free trade agreement with China as Trump threatens tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with China. He was responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with a trade deal with Beijing. Carney says he merely cut some tariffs on a few sectors that were recently hit with tariffs. He says under the free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico there are commitments not to pursue free trade agreements with nonmarket economies without prior notification.

Massive winter storm across the US brings ice, frigid temperatures and widespread power outages

A massive winter storm continues to hit large parts of the country, dumping snow, sleet and freezing rain. Frigid temperatures, power outages, and treacherous road conditions were widespread. The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to continue through Monday. Heavy snow is forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while ice threatens the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southeast. The number of customers without power was approaching 800,000, according to poweroutage.us, and the number was rising. More than 10,000 flights have been canceled. President Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states by Saturday.

American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes

American rock climber Alex Honnold has ascended the Taipei 101 skyscraper without any ropes or protective equipment. Cheers erupted from a street-level crowd as he reached the top of the spire of the 1,667-foot tower about 90 minutes after he started on Sunday. Wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, he waved his arms back and forth over his head. Honnold's free solo climb of the iconic building in Taiwan's capital was being broadcast live on Netflix. The ascent was delayed for 24 hours due to rain.

Sleep-tracking devices have limits. Experts want users to know what they are

Millions of people rely on wearable devices to monitor how well they're sleeping. Sleep trackers don’t necessarily measure sleep directly but instead infer states of slumber from signals like heart rate and movement. Experts say it's therefore important to understand what the devices can and cannot measure. A University of Michigan math professor who researches the science behind sleep wearables says the algorithms used by major brands are highly accurate in determining when someone is asleep and somewhat helpful for estimating sleep stages. But a neurologist at the Morehouse School of Medicine says some wearers become fixated on their sleep scores. There's even a medical term for an unhealthy obsession with ideal sleep: orthosomnia.

How Americans are using AI at work, according to a new Gallup poll

A new Gallup poll finds that American workers have adopted artificial intelligence into their work lives at a remarkable pace over the past few years. Some 12% of employed adults say they use AI daily in their job, while nearly half say they've used it at least a few times a year. That compares with 21% who were using AI at least occasionally a few years ago. The findings point to the impact of the widespread commercial boom that ChatGPT sparked for generative AI tools that can write emails and computer code, summarize long documents or help answer questions. The Gallup Workforce survey of more than 22,000 U.S. workers was conducted last fall.

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