Author: admin

By DAVID KLEPPER, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, giving President Donald Trump the second member of his new Cabinet.Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the CIA, the nation’s premier spy agency. The Texas Republican is a former federal prosecutor who emerged as a fierce Trump defender while serving as a congressman during Trump’s first impeachment.The vote was 74-25.At his Senate hearing last week, Ratcliffe said the CIA must do better when it comes to using technology such as artificial…

The last two years, the Rams have walked two parallel paths. After a Super Bowl title in 2021 and a doomed-by-injury encore, the front office had to reset the books, commit to cost-controlled draft picks and college free agents to fill the roster. By the end of the 2024 season, 26 of the 53 players on the active roster were in their first or second years in the NFL.But the Rams insisted heading into 2023 that this was no rebuild, simply a “remodel” around a Super Bowl core that, after the retirement of Aaron Donald, was led by quarterback Matthew…

By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWalletWhen it comes to launching a side hustle after years of experience in the working world, Kathy Kristof, founder of the website SideHusl.com, says you have a choice: Either start your own business or join an existing side-hustle platform that matches people with opportunities.The former can be riskier but gratifying, while the latter allows you to take advantage of the many existing websites that offer side hustlers options for short-term contract work, hourly gigs, focus group work and much more.“Today, there are thousands of side gig companies and they span every type of work you can possibly…

By LISA MASCARO and CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders change the state’s approach on its management of water.In a Fox News Channel interview on Wednesday, Trump repeated false claims that the state’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. He says the blame for Los Angeles’ struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a political foe who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the state fights the blazes.“I don’t…

The Trump tax cuts are set to expire later this year, and that poses a real challenge for policymakers, businesses and taxpayers alike. Americans face a $4 trillion tax hike as key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act sunset. The stakes are too high to ignore, and it has to be done right.Failure to make most of the cuts permanent would be detrimental to economic growth, something we can ill afford. And while Republicans control the White House, House and Senate, the path is fraught with political and fiscal obstaclesFor budgetary reasons, the tax reductions were made…

This column goes out to anyone who has lost a home to a natural disaster.My heart goes out to the thousands of people in Los Angeles County who are displaced and dealing with this very scenario.Perhaps you plan on rebuilding your burned down home. Maybe you don’t.Either way, you’ll need to make important long-term housing decisions and arrangements.Also see: California’s home insurance prices set to soarIf you decide to buy another home, and you don’t have the ability to pay cash, you’ll need to come up with a down payment (in most cases) and closing costs. And you’ll need credit and…

By GEOFF MULVIHILL and CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press An executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day back in office offers a new federal government definition of the sexes that could have a major impact on transgender people nationwide. The order calls for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and policies such as federal prison assignments. As for federal spending, it’s not clear what his vow to end broader gender classifications will mean on the ground. Many of the provisions…

“CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, in her live coverage of the inauguration of President Donald Trump, said: “I have to say, I’m looking at this crowd, I do not see many people of color. Does any — does anybody else besides me observe that? I’m fascinated by why that is.”The implication, of course, is that Trump, despite getting a greater percentage of the black vote than any Republican presidential candidate in the last 48 years, is racist.ABC’s “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, who is black, had the opposite complaint. She slammed black entertainers, like rappers Snoop Dogg and Nelly, for…

By GEOFF MULVIHILL | Associated PressMembers of the family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreed to pay up to $7.4 billion in a new settlement to lawsuits over the toll of the powerful prescription painkiller, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday.The deal, agreed to by Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family members who own the company and lawyers representing state and local governments and thousands of victims of the opioid crisis, represents an increase of more than $1 billion over a previous settlement deal that was rejected last year by the U.S. Supreme Court.It’s among the largest settlements…

Firefighters held the Hughes fire in check overnight, keeping the blaze at 10,176 acres with 14% containment as crews prepared for another day of critical fire weather, authorities said.The fire, burning near Castaic in the Antelope Valley, was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, and exploded in size thanks to strong Santa Ana winds, prompting evacuation orders and warnings and, at one point, a short shutdown of the 5 Freeway.More than 4,000 personnel were assigned to the fire and about a dozen aircraft were sent up to the Santa Clarita area to help ground crews, authorities said.Hughes fire…