To the Editor:Re “G.O.P. Embraces Pick for Defense at Testy Hearing” (front page, Jan. 15):The selection of Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense is deeply troubling in more than one way. The attention devoted to his questionable character and unseemly past behavior should not obscure an equally fundamental problem: his stunning lack of qualifications for so important a position.There is quite simply nothing in his résumé to suggest that he would be up to the daunting challenges he would face at the Pentagon. If one were to throw a dart at a list of 100 senior Pentagon officials currently…
Author: Team_NationalNewsBrief
Social Security Administration figures show that a record 4.2 million Americans will turn 65 in 2025. And with more Americans than ever reaching retirement age this year, where will they choose to live?Several factors can make a state a good place to retire. That’s why senior living technology company Seniorly looked at nine metrics (cost of living, income taxes, Supplemental Security payments, weather, entertainment options, doctor availability, long-term care spending, the community of older adults, and the overall health status of the state’s senior population) to formulate their recently released a study ranking all 50 states, and Washington D.C.Related: Are…
Stone plaques with sun motifs found on Bornholm island, DenmarkAntiquity Publications/John Lee, National Museum of Denmark Hundreds of mysterious engraved “sun stones” unearthed in Denmark may have been ceremonially buried because a volcanic eruption in about 2900 BC made the sun disappear. A total of 614 stone plaques and fragments of plaques engraved with decorative motifs of the sun or plants have been unearthed in recent years at the Vasagård West archaeological site on the Danish island of Bornholm. They were found in a layer that dates to some 4900 years ago, when Neolithic people were farming the area and…
Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s traditional inaugural lunch.Obama received an invitation but declined to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. Clinton also was invited but does not plan to attend, according to a second source familiar with the matter, while Bush’s office said it was not tracking an invitation to the luncheon. Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton also received an invitation to the inaugural luncheon but will not attend, according to a third source familiar with the matter.A spokesperson for Trump’s transition…
Feeling the sudden need to save your TikTok videos in case the site abruptly goes away? Here are a few methods for nontechnical users who want copies of the videos they personally uploaded or made on TikTok. You can also download a copy of your TikTok data right from your account, which doesn’t get you the video files themselves but will give other items including your direct messages and followers list.Here’s how.Download Individual VideosIf you just want to save a few favorite videos you made on the fly, snagging them one by one is fairly straightforward. To download a video…
ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: • NIKKEI 225 decreased 29.72 points or -0.08% to 38,444.58 • Shanghai decreased 13.82 points or -0.43% to 3,227.12 • Hang Seng increased 66.29 points or 0.34% to 19,286.07 • ASX 200 decreased 17.70 points or -0.22% to 8,213.30 • SENSEX increased 224.45 points or 0.29% to 76,724.08 • Nifty50 increased 37.15 points or 0.16% to 23,213.20 The major Asian currency markets had a mixed day today: • AUDUSD increased 0.00335 or 0.54% to 0.62280 • NZDUSD decreased 0.00010 or -0.02% to 0.56115 • USDJPY decreased 1.462 or -0.93%…
Are the Obamas headed for a divorce? The tabloids are abuzz after Michelle Obama skipped Jimmy Carter’s funeral and announced she won’t be attending Trump’s inauguration. Barack Obama attended Jimmy Carter’s funeral alone after his wife had a so-called scheduling conflict. Obama and Trump at Jimmy Carter’s funeral Credit: CSPAN “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.” – Michelle Obama’s spox said. Rumors are swirling that Michelle and Barack are on the outs. Hearing serious talk that the reason Michelle isn’t at the funeral…
Baldoni has now called on Disney and Marvel to preserve all documents related to the actor’s film “Deadpool & Wolverine,” in which he suspects a character was used to mock him.This comes after Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, alleging he created a toxic work environment during the filming of their movie, “It Ends With Us.”Article continues below advertisementJustin Baldoni Gears Up To Sue Ryan ReynoldsMEGABaldoni’s latest move implies that he’s going all out in his legal battle against Lively, his “It Ends With Us” costar.According to Variety, the actor has dragged Marvel president Kevin Feige,…
DISTANCING META FROM POLITICS Despite the headlines from Meta about its efforts in AI and hardware development, Meta is still primarily a social media company. In the third quarter of 2024, 98 per cent of its US$41 billion revenue came from advertising revenue on its social platforms. Zuckerberg wants to ensure that Meta avoids regulatory scrutiny and remains advertiser-friendly. The best way to do it is to steer clear of promoting political content. Before Meta’s decision to end its fact-checking efforts, Zuckerberg wrote a letter to the US Committee on the Judiciary highlighting his desire to distance Meta and himself from politics,…
US imports from China finished the year strong after some companies stockpiled shipments of apparel, toys, furniture and electronics ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose new tariffs that could revive a trade war between the world’s economic superpowers. Trump, who has threatened to slap tariffs of 10 percent to 60 percent on goods from China, will take office as president of the United States on January 20. During his first term, Trump mainly targeted Chinese parts and components. Economists and trade experts predict his next wave of tariffs could apply to finished goods. “There has thus been an uptick…