Washington: Latest News

A Stag Arms retro AR-15 style semi-automatic 5.56mm rifle is displayed during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in Houston, Texas on May 28, 2022.

WASHINGTON - Tears and emotions erupted inside a D.C. Superior Courtroom Friday after a judge ordered 48-year-old Shanteari Weems to be held without bail. The Maryland daycare owner, facing assault and firearm charges, admitted to shooting her husband inside a D.C. hotel room last week after she confronted him on claims he had molested some of the children her facility cares for.The judge did not accept the self-defense argument and focused on the fact that Weems went to D.C.

WASHINGTON - A recent report from researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Boston found that rising inflation has made it difficult for millions of elderly Americans to afford basic needs. The report published in the university’s Elder Index states that half of older women as well as 45% of older men who live alone are classified as living under federal poverty standards.The index accounts for health care, food, housing and transportation costs. In 2020, the index found that 2 million senior couples were considered "financially insecure" based on their incomes compared with the cost of living. Despite these alarming findings, the cost of living isn’t going down.Inflation surged in June and workers' average wages accelerated in the spring — signs that Americans won't likely feel any relief from rising prices anytime soon and that the Federal Reserve will feel compelled to raise borrowing costs further.An inflation gauge closely tracked by the Fed jumped 6.8% in June from a year ago, the government said Friday, the biggest such jump in four decades. Much of the increase was driven by energy and food.On a month-to-month basis, too, prices surged 1% in June, the biggest such rise since 2005.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A Pennsylvania teacher who was suspended last year during an investigation into his attendance at, and social media posts about, the "Stop the Steal" rally — which later turned to a deadly insurrection on Jan. 6 — has been fired for refusing to return to work.Allentown School District board of school directors voted Thursday to fire Jason Moorehead, who was a middle school social studies teacher at the Allentown School District.The district said previously Moorehead’s social media posts about the events of Jan.

WASHINGTON - For years, universities have made millions of dollars off athletes' performances while the players received no compensation.But the economic inequities many athletes endured for decades in college sports have significantly changed with NIL deals. And one college athlete is showing everyone else how it’s done. NIL stands for name, image, and likeness.

The historic US$1.1 billion (around $1.4 billion) Mega Millions jackpot is just around the corner but Canadians can do much more than just watch from the sidelines.

DETROIT - The surprise deal by Senate Democrats on a slimmed-down bill to support families, boost infrastructure and fight climate change also is likely to jump-start sales of electric vehicles.The measure agreed to by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and holdout Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia would give EV buyers a $7,500 tax credit starting next year, through the end of 2032.

WASHINGTON - The Biden administration said Friday it has reached an agreement with Moderna to buy 66 million doses of the company's next generation of COVID-19 vaccine that targets the highly transmissible omicron variant, enough supply this winter for all who want the upgraded booster.The order of the bivalent shot follows the announcement last month that the federal government had secured 105 million doses of a similar vaccine from rival drugmaker Pfizer. Both orders are scheduled for delivery in the fall and winter, assuming regulators sign off on their effectiveness.The omicron strain has been dominant in the U.S.

JACKSON, Ky. - Search and rescue teams backed by the National Guard searched Friday for people missing in record floods that wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America. Kentucky’s governor said 15 people have died, a toll he expected to grow as the rain keeps falling."We’ve still got a lot of searching to do," said Jerry Stacy, the emergency management director in Kentucky’s hard-hit Perry County.

draw attention to any winner(s) whose identities are revealed — which arguably makes them a target for theft and other safety compromises.However, public disclosure laws actually vary by state, according to the Mega Millions.MEGA MILLIONS LOTTERY DRAWING: IF YOU WIN, HERE'S HOW TO STAY SAFE AND SECURE"Some states require their lotteries to publicly identify winners, while others do not," the lottery game's website states. "Check with the lottery in your jurisdiction."Here are a number of U.S.

WASHINGTON - What started as a $4 trillion effort during President Joe Biden's first months in office to rebuild America's public infrastructure and family support systems has ended up a much slimmer, but not unsubstantial, compromise package of inflation-fighting health care, climate change, and deficit reduction strategies that appears headed toward quick votes in Congress.Lawmakers are poring over the $739 billion proposal struck by two top negotiators, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and holdout Sen. Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat who rejected Biden's earlier drafts but surprised colleagues late Wednesday with a new one.What's in, and out, of the Democrats' 725-page "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" as it stands now:Launching a long-sought goal, the bill would allow the Medicare program to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, saving the federal government some $288 billion over the 10-year budget window.Those new revenues would be put back into lower costs for seniors on medications, including a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for older adults buying prescriptions from pharmacies.Money would also be used to provide free vaccinations for seniors, who now are among the few not guaranteed free access, according to a summary document.Matthew Buettgens, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, explains how the unwinding of Medicaid continuous coverage once the public health emergency ends will present certain challenges.The bill would extend the subsidies provided during the COVID-19 pandemic to help some Americans who buy health insurance on their own.Under earlier pandemic relief, the extra help was set to expire this year.

Psy’s ongoing ‘Summer Swag 2022’ series of concerts in South Korea could be under investigation from the authorities for transmission of COVID-19 among audience members.South Korean news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily reported on July 27 that South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters shared that it has received multiple reports from people who claim to have “contracted COVID-19 after attending a music concert that ‘sprays water'”.“We have launched an investigation to see what kind of actions are taking place during the event that could be risk factors in transmitting the virus,” an unnamed representative of the department told Korea JoongAng Daily. Psy’s ‘Summer Swag’ concert series is known for drenching the audience with water during the show, which the Korea Herald reported could use around 300 metric tonnes of drinking water in one event.This year’s series began with a three-day run in Seoul at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium earlier this month. Audiences at the Seoul kickoff received disposable raincoats and waterproof face masks, the Herald reported.Psy is currently touring South Korea for the ‘Summer Swag’ concert series, which will visit seven cities in total and conclude by August 20.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a hefty three-quarters of a point for a second straight time in its most aggressive drive in three decades to tame high inflation.The Fed’s move will raise its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, its highest level since 2018.The central bank’s decision follows a jump in inflation to 9.1%, the fastest annual rate in 41 years, and reflects its strenuous efforts to slow price gains across the economy. By raising borrowing rates, the Fed makes it costlier to take out a mortgage or an auto or business loan.

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. - A Philadelphia man charged in a double murder in central Pennsylvania two years ago is asking a judge to bar prosecutors from using statements he said he made to police while dealing with drug withdrawal symptoms.Isiah Payne, 34, is charged in the deaths of 28-year-old Mikal Jackson-Stevenson and 52-year-old Natalie Washington in Altoona in May 2020. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder.PREVIOUS: DA seeks death penalty against Philly suspect in western Pa. murder casePayne told a Blair County judge Tuesday that he regularly took pain medication and failure to do so left him irritable and unable to concentrate, The (Altoona) Mirror reported.

The new James Webb Space Telescope Forever stamp is pictured in a provided image. (Credit: U.S.

CHICAGO - The Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated $1.02 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing, a prize that will be the nation’s fourth-largest lottery prize ever.Following Tuesday’s drawing, in which no one matched all six numbers to win big, the Mega Millions prize continued to climb — and now has a $602.5 million cash option, too. The jackpot has grown so large because no one has matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15. That’s 29 consecutive drawings without a big winner.Only two billion-dollar jackpots have ever been higher: $1.537 billion won in South Carolina in October 2018, and $1.050 billion won in Michigan in January 2021, lottery officials said.The next drawing is Friday, July 29 at 11 p.m.

told The Post that the questions focused on the extent of Trump’s involvement in this effort. Until then, the DOJ has focused its investigation on Trump’s lawyers, John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani. Former Pence aid Marc Short confirmed to Fox News Special Report host Bret Baier that he had been recently interviewed by a grand jury in Washington but would not specify the details of the questioning. Former US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up during the America First Policy Institute's America First Agenda Summit in Washington, D.C., US, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 24: People cool off by playing in a fountain in Domino Park with the Manhattan skyline in the background as the sun sets during a heat wave on July 24, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The five boroughs of New WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government hopes a new website can help people and local governments beat the increasingly deadly heat of an ever-warming world.Days after nearly half the country — 154.6 million people — sweated through a blistering heat wave, which for the West, hasn’t quite finished, the Biden Administration Tuesday unveiled heat.gov, which includes maps, forecasts and health advice.

WASHINGTON - Ongoing food monitoring by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury revealed some concerning levels in the U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities in a Montgomery County community are reminding residents to lock their doors after an uptick home burglaries. The Norristown Police Department believe the suspected burglar has entered homes through unlocked doors and windows since June.The department shared a photo of a suspect, who they believe is between 16-25-years-old, and said he has hit homes between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. All but one of the burglaries, according to investigators, happened between Markley and Stanbridge streets, and West Washington and West Oak streets. The Norristown Police Department shared photos of a suspect they say has entered several homes through unlocked doors and windows.

WASHINGTON - The hearing for a woman who police say shot her husband in a D.C. hotel room after she alleged he was molesting children at her Maryland daycare, has been moved to Friday officials say.Shanteari Weems, 50, of Randallstown, Maryland, is facing assault and firearm charges after police say she shot her husband then barricaded both of them inside their room at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel last week.The Baltimore Police Department has confirmed that Weems' husband is James Weems, Jr. a former officer.He retired from the department in 2005.

BRAZIL - 2022/05/22: In this photo illustration, the homepage of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website seen on a computer screen through a magnifying glass. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - The IRS has been increasing its audit rates for earners making $100,000 or more based on data starting from the 2021 fiscal year. The IRS said "resource constraints" have limited the agency’s ability to conduct audits against high net worth individuals as well as major corporations and complex businesses," according to a statement released in May. "Audit rates for taxpayers with incomes of more than $200,000 decreased the most, largely because higher-income audits tend to be more complicated and require auditors to manually review multiple issues," Ken Corbin, chief taxpayer experience officer for the agency, told the House Oversight Subcommittee in May.A 2021 report found that IRS audits overall declined by 44% between the fiscal years of 2015 and 2019. The report found that Americans making more than $5 million per year only had a 2% chance of being audited, according to the report. The most recent announcement by the IRS comes as Democratic leaders push to boost taxes on some high earners and use the money to extend the solvency of Medicare. Under the latest proposal, people earning more than $400,000 a year and couples making more than $500,000 would have to pay a 3.8% tax on their earnings from tax-advantaged businesses called pass throughs.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON - Conflicting signs about the health of the U.S. economy have thrust the Federal Reserve into a difficult spot.With inflation raging at a four-decade high, the job market strong and consumer spending still solid, the Fed is under pressure to raise interest rates aggressively.But other signs suggest the economy is slowing and might even have shrunk in the first half of the year. Such evidence would typically lead the Fed to stop raising rates — or even cut them.For now, though, the Fed is focused squarely on its inflation fight, and this week it’s set to announce another hefty hike in its benchmark interest rate.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A statue of Amelia Earhart will be unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, commemorating her accomplishments as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and her influential advocacy for women’s equal rights.Earhart will become one of only 11 women represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection.(Original Caption) Amelia Earhart, (1898-1937), first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane. She is shown climbing into the cockpit.

Throughout his longstanding career in the music industry, Macklemore has been open about his struggles with addiction and the obstacles he's faced on his path to sobriety. Sprinkled throughout his discography, the «Thrift Shop» rapper has gotten candid about drug and alcohol abuse, relapsing, and relying on the addiction community for treatment. Now, Macklemore is opening up once again and sharing that during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, he found himself back in the throes of addiction. Sharing a video to TikTok, Macklemore wrote, «I relapsed during the first summer of Covid.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden likely contracted a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus spreading rapidly through the United States, and now has body aches and a sore throat since his positive test, according to an update from his doctor on Saturday.The variant, known as BA.5, is an offshoot of the omicron strain that emerged late last year, and it's believed to be responsible for the vast majority of coronavirus cases in the country.Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, wrote in his latest update on Biden's condition that Biden's earlier symptoms, including a runny nose and a cough, have become "less troublesome." O'Connor's earlier notes did not mention the sore throat or body aches.Biden's vital signs, such as blood pressure and respiratory rate, "remain entirely normal," and his oxygen saturation levels are "excellent" with "no shortness of breath at all," the doctor wrote.O'Connor said the results of the preliminary sequencing that indicated the BA.5 variant do not affect Biden's treatment plan "in any way."US President Joe Biden delivers remarks virtually during his meeting with his economic team to discuss lowering gas prices in the South Court Auditorium of the Executive Office Building on July 22, 2022.

WASHINGTON - Two children have been diagnosed with monkeypox in the U.S., health officials said Friday.One is an infant who is not a U.S. resident but was tested while in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump was convicted on Friday of contempt charges for defying a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S.

WASHINGTON - Chairman Bennie Thompson opened Thursday's prime-time hearing of the Jan. 6 investigating committee, saying Donald Trump as president did "everything in his power to overturn the election" he lost to Joe Biden, including before and during the deadly Capitol attack."He lied, he bullied, he betrayed his oath," charged Thompson, D-Miss.After months of work and weeks of hearings, committee co-chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming said "the dam has begun to break" on revealing what happened that day, at the White House as well as in the violence at the Capitol.This was probably the last hearing of the summer, but the panel said they will resume in September as more witnesses and information emerges."Our investigation goes forward," said Thompson testifying remotely as he isolates after testing positive for COVID-19.

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on a milkweed plant flower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on July 08, 2022. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - The monarch butterfly fluttered a step closer to extinction Thursday, as scientists put the iconic orange-and-black insect on the endangered list because of its fast dwindling numbers."It’s just a devastating decline," said Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University who was not involved in the new listing.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the former location of the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Massachussets, on July 20, 2022. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday morning, the White House said.According to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the president has "very mild" symptoms and is taking Paxlovid, the drug used to treat COVID-19.

US President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 today, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus as new variants challenge the nation's efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden was experiencing “mild symptoms" and has begun taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug designed to reduce the severity of the disease.

Kerry Washington is looking out for her fellow actors.

WASHINGTON - The House Jan. 6 committee is headed back to prime time for its eighth hearing — potentially the final time this summer that lawmakers will lay out evidence about the U.S.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Public officers, law enforcement officials, and faith-based organizations joined forces to hold a cookout for Atlantic City community members on Wednesday night. The Coalition for a Safe Community held the cookout to help strengthen the relationship between law enforcement officials and community members while also bringing necessary resources to a community that has been devastated by COVID-19. The coalition started back in 2010 when organizations from across the city took action to combat crime and violence. Tockeem Washington and his 4-year-old daughter, Kaabah, came out to the cookout to support the police because Washington says Atlantic City needs police to protect the community. "Law enforcement protects the kids and everybody else," Washington said.

According to The Washington Post, the name randomly came from a Twitter user before countries latched on to it. South Korea recently confirmed its first case of the BA.2.75 variant that was found in a sample analysis of a man in his 60s who lives in Incheon and first developed symptoms on July 8.RELATED: CDC endorses more traditional Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for adultsThe Netherlands also reported cases, saying it has joined other countries who have reported cases including India, Australia, Japan, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. So far, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not listed the variant on its website.Scientists say the variant – called BA.2.75 – may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infections.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska appealed face to face to U.S. lawmakers Wednesday for more air defense systems to help guard her country's skies, in an unsparing Capitol address showing the blood-stained baby strollers and small crumpled bodies left by Russian bombardment."We want no more airstrikes.

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 19: Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon salutes while arriving at the U.S. District Courthouse for his trial for contempt of Congress, on July 19, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s contempt-of-Congress trial will stretch into a second day after lawyers labored through a long Monday session trying to select a jury without preconceived opinions.

NEW YORK - Cars were submerged in floodwater in northern New Jersey and New York City subway stations turned into impromptu waterfalls after heavy rain drenched the area Monday. In the Bronx, heavy rains triggered a large sinkhole that eventually claimed two vehicles parked in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Doppler Radar estimated rainfall rates between 3-5 inches per hour as thunderstorms moved through just before 3 p.m.7 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FLASH FLOODSIn New York City, pedestrians sloshed through streets in Washington Heights.

FILE IMAGE - A person waves a rainbow flag during celebrations for Pride month on June 25, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - The House is set to vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority in overturning Roe v.

As the nation's COVID-19 cases trend upward due to Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariant activity, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Jul 15 renewed the public health emergency for 3 more months.

File: The Maryland State House in Annapolis. (Photo by Jonathan Newton /The Washington Post via Getty Images) ANNAPOLIS, Maryland - The Republican race for Maryland governor in Tuesday's primary election pits a candidate backed by outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan against a rival endorsed by Donald Trump.It’s an early showdown on Hogan’s home turf as he weighs a 2024 White House bid, potentially against the former president.On the Democratic side, the crowded candidate field includes the former head of the national Democratic Party, a bestselling author, the current state comptroller and a former U.S.

Steve Bannon, advisor to former President Donald Trump, speaks to the media outside of the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse on June 15, 2022 in Washington, DC.

drinking more than a small shot of beer at the pub per day could be detrimental to their health, a shock new study reveals.According to the research, women aged 39 and under should drink no more than two tablespoons' worth of wine, or just 100ml of beer.People aged over 40 can have larger quantities of alcohol because it can help ward off ailments like heart disease, strokes and diabetes when you pass that landmark birthday. READ MORE: Queen said 'thank goodness Meghan isn't coming' to Philip's funeral, author claimsExperts recommended that the weekly alcohol consumption should be spread across three days or more. Despite binge drinking being more common in younger generations, boffins said that young people face higher risks by getting sloshed than their older counterparts.

A text from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to Assistant Director of the United States Secret Service Anthony Ornato appears above members of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol during the seventh WASHINGTON - Secret Service agents deleted text messages sent and received around the Jan.

LOS ANGELES - Despite being at the center of several political controversies and losing the 2020 election, it appears former President Donald Trump has made up his mind about running in 2024 and he feels confident that he could win, according to a report from New York Magazine. "Look," Trump said in an interview with New York Mag’s Olivia Nuzzi. "I feel very confident that, if I decide to run, I’ll win.""Well, in my own mind, I’ve already made that decision, so nothing factors in anymore.

WASHINGTON - A Maryland man who used a lacrosse stick attached to a Confederate battle flag to shove a police officer during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to five months in prison, according to a Justice Department spokesman.U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also sentenced David Alan Blair, to 18 months of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution, said William Miller, a spokesman for the U.S.