NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died tragically last year at age 41, will likely be best known for his gifts with the roundball. He was one of the best to take the court and one of basketball’s greatest ambassadors, heralding the men’s and women’s game at its youth, college, pro and international levels. Yet the
Continue ReadingHere is a look at women in government, education, business and sports who have broken through the glass ceiling and become the first in their respective positions in the United States. Government 1872 – Victoria Claflin Woodhull becomes the first woman presidential candidate in the United States when she is nominated for the Equal Rights
Continue ReadingNBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died tragically last year at age 41, will likely be best known for his gifts with the roundball. He was one of the greatest to take the court and one of basketball’s greatest ambassadors, heralding the men’s and women’s game at its youth, college, pro and international levels. Yet the
Continue ReadingThe European Union is calling out vaccine makers AstraZeneca and Pfizer over delivery delays that could slow its recovery from the pandemic. Officials are even threatening to take legal action and introduce export controls on doses produced in the bloc as anger mounts. AstraZeneca will not be able to deliver as many doses of its
Continue ReadingHere is a look at Lebanon, a Middle Eastern country bordering Syria, Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. About Lebanon (from the CIA World Factbook)Area: 10,400 sq km (slightly larger than Connecticut) Population: 5,261,372 (July 2021 est.) Median age: 33.7 years Capital: Beirut Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% Religion: Muslim 61.1%, Christian 33.7%,
Continue ReadingSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday that he will allow the 50-50 Senate to officially organize so Democrats can take control of key committees in the chamber after a weeklong battle with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over the rights of the minority to stall legislation. The breakthrough came as GOP leaders were eagerly
Continue ReadingA teenager left to care for his family. One who found his faith, and another who watched his father relapse into addiction. They are the firsthand accounts of a group of New Jersey high school students living during the pandemic, brought together in one powerful memoir. The idea for the memoir came from Shawn Adler,
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Increases in air pollution are linked to an increased risk of irreversible sight loss, according to a new study. Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that even low exposure to air pollution across England, Scotland and Wales appears to impact the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of irreversible
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C.J. Diegel scrolled down the Arizona Secretary of State’s website until he saw the box for “no party affiliation.” He clicked it, ending his lifelong registration as an Arizona Republican, in just seconds. Diegel had hoped that his state party, after seeing the US Capitol insurrection earlier this month, would reverse course away from Donald
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One of the few US senators who led the effort to object to the electoral college results on January 6, Josh Hawley is now claiming that he was never trying to overturn the 2020 election. After being asked Friday by CNN’s Manu Raju about the rioters who believed the electoral vote could be changed —
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The pandemic could slam the brakes on a global economic turnaround this year despite mass vaccination programs and unprecedented levels of stimulus, according to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF expects the global economy to grow by 5.5% this year, it said on Tuesday, or 0.3 percentage points faster than its previous forecast in October.
Continue ReadingAround the world, the vaccine rollout has shone a harsh light on global income disparities. Rich countries take the lion’s share of inoculations, and poorer states scramble to have even the prospect of life after coronavirus. The Middle East is a microcosm of that global problem. While oil-rich Gulf Arab nations were among the first
Continue ReadingPizza Hut’s newest pizza doesn’t look like its other pizzas. The chain is launching a new Detroit-style pizza, which ditches the traditional round shape for a rectangular crust with cheese to the edges that’s popular in the Michigan city. It’s Pizza Hut’s second major product launch this month as the pandemic-era pizza wars show few
Continue Reading The Department of Homeland Security, largely hollowed out over the last four years, is moving with urgency to staff agencies with people who had front row seats to the hardline immigration limits rolled out under former President Donald Trump, in order to rescind them. The department — the third largest in the US government —
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President Joe Biden on Monday offered his most extensive comments since taking office on former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, telling CNN, “I think it has to happen.” Biden made the comment during a brief one-on-one interview with CNN in the halls of the West Wing. He acknowledged the effect it could have on his
Continue Reading It hasn’t even been a week since Chuck Schumer assumed his long-sought goal of becoming Senate majority leader. But he’s already been in a staring contest with Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, over the future of the institution. He faces outright opposition from Republicans over President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, including a $1.9 trillion
Continue ReadingLeon Black will step down as CEO of Apollo Global Management, the investment firm said, as it also announced that an internal investigation into Black’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein found no wrongdoing. Black will retire by the end of July and will be succeeded by Marc Rowan, a co-founder of the private equity firm, as
Continue ReadingChief Justice John Roberts has long been a student of history, but this is one part of history — presiding at the second trial of Donald Trump — he can do without. Roberts apparently believes the Constitution offers him a reprieve from another ordeal with Trump, a man who challenged judicial integrity, declared he could
Continue ReadingItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte handed in his resignation on Tuesday, in a tactical political maneuver that he hopes will allow him to build a new coalition. Italy was thrown into a fresh political crisis last week when Conte faced two confidence votes. He survived but lost his governing majority in the Senate after his
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A tornado described as “large and extremely dangerous” by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Birmingham, Alabama, left at least one person dead, others with serious injuries and caused significant damage throughout Jefferson County and surrounding areas Monday night, including ripping through a hotel and tearing off part of the roof of a church. Injuries
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