Unbiased headline news – Violent crime dropped by 10.3% during the first half of 2024, according to preliminary data released by the FBI.
From January to June 2024, the Quarterly Uniform Crime Report noted the following: Murders declined by 22.7%, rapes by 17.7%, robberies by 13.6%, and aggravated assaults by 8.1%. Property crimes fell by 13.1%. The report is based on voluntary data from 14,809 of the nation’s 19,311 law enforcement agencies. The Midwest saw the largest regional decline, with violent crime down by 12%.
Violent crime in 2024, a top issue for voters in the upcoming presidential election, is continuing its downward trend from 2023.
Data released by the FBI last month found that violent crime was down 3% from 2022 to 2023, with murders down 11.6%.
The drop in murders represents the “largest drop” since the agency has been collecting data, an FBI official said of the 2022 to 2023 trend in a call with reporters.
In that period, the report noted that rape decreased by 9.4%, aggravated assault decreased by 2.8%, and robbery decreased by 0.3%.
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North Korea’s representative to the United Nations spoke at its 79th debate session in New York, outlining the country’s vision for the future of the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Song, the permanent representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, addressed the General Assembly, touching on issues like regional peace, nuclear capabilities, and societal advancements in North Korea. He also sharply criticized what he termed the ongoing “Israeli genocide.”
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As hospitals and healthcare centers work to restore services after Hurricane Helene hit Florida’s Big Bend and other states, the medical supply chain could face disruption.
Baxter International, a healthcare technology firm, announced it would be closing its largest plant in North Carolina due to flooding and storm damage caused by the hurricane. The plant, located in North Cove, 60 miles northeast of Asheville, primarily produces IV fluids and peritoneal dialysis solutions, according to the company.
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The total acres burned in California this year surpassed 1 million as extreme heat continues to fuel wildfires.
This development adds to the difficulties facing firefighters battling a persistent fire in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles that intensified over the weekend. Evacuation orders were expanded on Monday for rural communities northeast of the city as the Line Fire, which has burned for nearly a month, now covers about 68 square miles (176 square kilometers) in the San Bernardino Mountains, with containment falling from 83% to 76%.
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Julian Assange made his first public appearance since being released from prison.
Speaking to European lawmakers, he stated the U.S. had forced him to “plead guilty to journalism” to end his years of imprisonment and warned that his case still poses a dangerous precedent. Assange addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a human rights body, in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday.
He explained that he chose “freedom over unattainable justice” when agreeing to the deal that allowed him to walk free after 14 years in detention.
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U.S. job openings rose unexpectedly in August as the labor market continued to show strength.
The Labor Department reported Tuesday that employers listed 8 million openings in August, up from 7.7 million in July. Economists had anticipated little change. Job vacancies increased in construction and in state and local government. Layoffs declined in August. However, the number of Americans quitting their jobs — an indicator of confidence in finding new work — fell to its lowest level since August 2020, when the economy was still reeling from pandemic lockdowns.
