Unbiased headline news – A coalition of Pacific Palisades residents and businesses affected by the Palisades Fire has initiated legal action in Los Angeles against the city’s Department of Water and Power, claiming that the agency and the city were ill-equipped to handle the disaster.
Filed in California Superior Court on Monday, the lawsuit seeks compensation for costs related to repairs and the replacement of damaged or destroyed property, alternative living expenses, lost wages, diminished earning potential or profits, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
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Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, pledged to uphold independence and impartiality during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
While Bondi did not refute disproven claims about the 2020 election or condemn the rhetoric of other Cabinet nominees, she sidestepped certain questions on those issues and instead emphasized concerns over perceived politicization within the Department of Justice.
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The World Economic Forum reported that the looming possibility of armed conflict between nation-states over the next year tops the list of concerns for global risk experts amid heightened geopolitical strains and global divisions.
Nearly 20% of the more than 900 surveyed risk experts, policymakers, and industry leaders attributed their concerns about war to the breakdown of the rules-based international order, the Switzerland-based organization noted in a press release.
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The Department of Transportation is intensifying its oversight of ongoing flight delays, filing a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and imposing a fine on Frontier Airlines.
The lawsuit accuses Southwest of repeatedly operating flights that were chronically delayed, disrupting passengers’ travel plans, and seeks “maximum civil penalties.” “Airlines are legally required to offer flight schedules that provide realistic expectations for departure and arrival times,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated.
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Since granting the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Service access to its records, the Social Security Administration has intercepted and reclaimed over $31 million in improper payments made to deceased individuals.
“These outcomes are just the beginning,” said David Lebryk, the Treasury’s Fiscal Assistant Secretary, in a news release. As part of the 2021 omnibus appropriations bill, Congress temporarily granted the Treasury access to the SSA’s “Full Death Master File” for a three-year period starting in December 2023 and continuing through 2026.
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The Congressional Budget Office has revised its 30-year projection for the U.S. population downward to 372 million residents, a 2.8% reduction from last year, citing lower birth rates and diminished expectations for immigration.
Last year’s estimate predicted 383 million U.S. residents within three decades, but the updated forecast reflects a reduction of 11 million people. The U.S. population stood at an estimated 341 million as of New Year’s Day and is projected to reach 350 million by the end of the year.
