Climate change can increase the frequency and severity of droughtsZhang Yu/VCG via Getty Images Severe droughts that persist for years have grown hotter, drier and larger since the 1980s. These long-lasting droughts – some of which are extreme enough to be classified as “megadroughts” – can be especially devastating to agriculture and ecosystems. Rising temperatures linked to climate change have increased the risk of drought because warmer air can hold more moisture, boosting evaporation from the land. Combined with changing precipitation patterns that lead to less rain, this can exacerbate and lengthen periods of drought – as witnessed in the…
Author: Team_NationalNewsBrief
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The United States will not abandon its allies in the Pacific and the incoming Trump administration should renew its commitment to providing Taiwan with the means to defend itself, former Vice President Mike Pence said in Taipei on Friday.Trump’s first administration, in which Pence served, offered strong support for Beijing-claimed Taiwan, including the regularization of arms sales.But Trump, who takes office on Monday for a second term, unnerved Taiwan on the campaign trail by calling for the democratically governed island to pay to be defended and accusing it of stealing U.S. semiconductor business.Making his first visit to Taiwan, Pence said he prayed for a peaceful future for the region.“I am convinced that…
The Spanish government this week announced a major overhaul to a program in which police rely on an algorithm to identify potential repeat victims of domestic violence, after officials faced questions about the system’s effectiveness.The program, VioGén, requires police officers to ask a victim a series of questions. Answers are entered into a software program that produces a score — from no risk to extreme risk — intended to flag the women who are most vulnerable to repeat abuse. The score helps determine what police protection and other services a woman can receive.A New York Times investigation last year found…
QUESTION: I made a bet that a friend was wrong that Roosevelt also confiscated silver. I never heard of that, only gold. He said I should write to you and you will decide who wins. Thanks FD ANSWER: Sorry, you lose. He must have been at one of my conferences when we discussed that if he told you to ask me. Most people have never heard that Roosevelt also confiscated silver – not just gold. On August 9th, 1934, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the seizure of all silver situated in the continental United States with Executive Order 6814 –…
A fire erupted at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County on Thursday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders and the closure of State Route 1. The incident began around 3 p.m. at a battery storage facility operated by Vistra Energy, according to CBS News. In response, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for areas south of Elkhorn Slough, north of Molera Road and Monterey Dunes Way, and west of Castroville Boulevard and Elkhorn Road to the ocean. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has issued Evacuation Orders for areas of Moss Landing South of the Elkhorn Slough, North of…
Friends of Wendy Williams’ family are seeking contributions from her fans to assist in speeding her return to “her rightful home in Florida.”The Fundraiser has a target amount of $50,000 and was reportedly set up before Williams’ explosive revelations on Thursday.The beloved television personality said she felt like a prisoner amid her conservatorship, adding that she wasn’t “cognitively impaired” as reported in the media.Article continues below advertisementGoFundMe Set Up For Wendy WilliamsGoFundMeFriends of the Williams Family organized the fundraiser, which seeks to raise $50,000. As of this post, $8,954 has been raised from 377 contributions.The fundraiser’s description reads, “A GoFundMe…
HOW A TIKTOK BAN WOULD WORK If TikTok is banned, users will not be forced to delete the app. But TikTok plans to shut down the service and will show users a message about the law and offer to let them download their personal data, Reuters previously reported. Even if TikTok was not planning a formal shutdown, the app would not work as well as it did before. App store providers are explicitly barred from distributing TikTok to US users, which means that Apple and Google will remove the app from their stores and will no longer distribute updates to…
China’s population continues to fall for third straight year due to declining birthrate and amid concerns for economy.China’s population fell for the third consecutive year in 2024, as a demographic crisis continues to loom over the East Asian superpower. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported on Friday that the Chinese population fell by 1.39 million over the past 12 months to 1.408 billion as deaths continue to outpace births. China’s population has been steadily declining since the 1980s, but the year 2022 marked the first time deaths outpaced births since 1961 when China was in the midst of the…
The Dallas Cowboys hiring Deion Sanders as their next head coach no longer seems inconceivable. On Thursday, Ed Werder of WFAA-TV in Dallas tweeted that the Colorado Buffaloes head coach’s inner circle is pushing him to take the job. “Regarding Deion Sanders: I’m being told that [Sanders] would almost certainly accept if [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones offers it, that those around him are encouraging him to pursue it and that Jones is enamored with the idea,” wrote Werder. Earlier this week, Sanders revealed he and Jones discussed the Cowboys’ head-coaching vacancy. He didn’t indicate he would accept the position.”To hear…
On Monday, Donald Trump is going to take the oath of office for the second time. During his first administration, there was a question of how he wields policy in the government. The question of how he wields and uses and raises money. We’re used to talking about that with politicians. But there was also the separate question of how he wields and uses attention and Trump whatever else he is. He’s a master at using and wielding attention. Donald Trump has met the media moment. Conflict is attention, and attention is influence. Donald Trump is a marketing genius. He…