An Azerbaijani minister suggested Friday that an airliner that crashed this week was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor testimony indicating that the plane was struck from the outside. The statement from Rashad Nabiyev raised pressure on Russia. Officials in Moscow have said a drone attack was...
China Sanctions 7 Companies Over US Military Assistance to Taiwan
BEIJING — The Chinese government placed sanctions on seven companies on Friday in response to recent U.S. announcements of military sales and aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory. The sanctions also come in response to the recent approval of the U.S. government's...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wants to Ban Drug Ads on TV. It Wouldn’t Be Easy.
Since the late 1990s, drug companies have spent tens of billions of dollars on television ads, drumming up demand for their products with cheerful jingles and scenes of dancing patients. Now, some people up for top jobs in the incoming Trump administration are attacking such ads, setting up a clash...
Man Indicted in Burning Death of Woman Inside a New York City Subway Train, Prosecutors Say
NEW YORK — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train has been indicted on murder and arson charges, a prosecutor said on Friday, as authorities continue working to confirm the victim's identity. The indictment comes days after Sebastian Zapeta's arrest and...
What Sacramento Still Doesn’t Get About UC Merced
The misleading and misguided op-ed “UC Merced turns 20 years old yet remains California’s awkward stepchild” details a recent report from Sacramento that paints UC Merced as the black sheep of the UC system, lacking in economic impact and demanding too much aid. But what Sacramento bureaucrats and a CalMatters...
Most Americans Blame Insurance Profits and Denials Alongside the Killer in UHC CEO Death, Poll Finds
WASHINGTON — Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Slips as Technology Stocks Drag on Market
NEW YORK — Stocks fell in morning trading Friday as Wall Street closes out a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 fell 1.4%, with more than 80% of stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. Still, the index is managing to hold onto a modest gain for the week. The Dow...
New 2025 Laws Hit Hot Topics From AI in Movies to Rapid-Fire Guns
Artificial intelligence. Abortion. Guns. Marijuana. Minimum wages. Name a hot topic, and chances are good there's a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another. Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed this year. Others stem from ballot measures...
Israeli Military Forces Patients and Staff to Leave Hospital in Northern Gaza
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military forced patients and staff members to leave one of the last functioning hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday. The hospital, Kamal Adwan, has been caught in the middle of Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in the northern part of Gaza, and fighting has...
‘Morrison Hotel’ Made Famous by The Doors Goes Up in Flames in LA
LOS ANGELES — The former Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors and their 1970 album of the same name, was significantly damaged by a fire that erupted in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The four-story building, which has been vacant more than a decade, burned for nearly two hours...