News archive — Page 308
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California rail watchdog flags over $2M in consultant travel costs
California High-Speed Rail Authority’s inspector general flagged over $2 million in consultant travel costs that did not comply with state rules or contract requirements. A July 31 report said the authority may run out of money by December 2027. -
Reports say knee surgery would end Giants QB Jaxson Dart’s 2026 season
Reports say Giants QB Jaxson Dart is expected to have surgery that would end his 2026 season after Monday’s 28-6 loss to the Rams. Reported damage involves his left MCL, PCL and meniscus, but not the ACL; coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday he remained under evaluation. -
Authorities probe two Ole Miss student deaths after kratom packages found
Authorities are investigating the deaths of two Ole Miss students after kratom packages from a retail store were found at both scenes. Neither student has been identified, and narcotics investigators have not confirmed whether the deaths are connected. -
Texas agents rescue four migrants from tank; driver arrested in smuggling case
Texas Border Patrol agents rescued four migrants trapped in a pickup’s portable water tank on Sept. 14 and arrested the 19-year-old U.S. citizen driver, who faces an alien-smuggling charge, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. -
Alice Walton's $750 million Arkansas health campus breaks ground
Alice Walton’s AWSOM Whole Health Campus broke ground in Bentonville, Arkansas, after seven years of planning. The $750 million project includes a 250-bed hospital and cancer center, with the goal of expanding specialty care in Arkansas. -
Paramount’s planned CNN and CBS News board faces questions over its independence
Under a 12-state settlement, Paramount must create a five-member board to monitor editorial independence at CNN and CBS News, but its directors will appoint all five. The company has up to 180 days after the Warner Bros. Discovery deal closes to form it. -
Poll finds most Americans say AI companies fall short on safety
A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,277 U.S. adults found 73% say AI companies have not done enough to prevent serious societal harm. Only 11% see AI’s impact on society as positive, while 39% view it negatively, the highest share in the poll’s tracking since March 2026. -
Lian Yunzhi, 6, breaks women’s Rubik’s Cube average record twice in three days
Six-year-old Lian Yunzhi of Chengdu, China, broke the women’s 3x3 cube average record twice in three days, with 4.52- and 4.27-second results at two WCA-certified competitions; the latter made her the only female player to average below 4.5 seconds. -
Texas Rangers sought Camp Mystic owners’ communications in probe of 27 flood deaths
Texas Rangers are probing possible manslaughter, negligent homicide or child abandonment charges after 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors died in the July 4, 2025, flood. They sought the owners’ electronic communications; no charges have been filed. -
Ethiopia and Tigray trade offensive claims as airline cancels all Tigray flights
Ethiopia's government says Tigrayan forces seized airports in Tigray and attacked Afar and Amhara, while Tigray's authorities say their forces are fighting defensively against a federal invasion. Ethiopian Airlines has cancelled all flights to the region. -
Opinion: Corsino-Blair calls for monthly phone-free gatherings to ease loneliness
Annette Corsino-Blair says weakened social spaces contribute to loneliness and urges local organizations to host monthly, free or low-cost, phone-free gatherings for a year. The 2025 WHO report she cites says roughly one in six people worldwide experience loneliness. -
Sanders and Casar introduce bill for AI pause, federal oversight
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar introduced a bill Wednesday to pause AI development until the government can ensure it is safe, establish a federal agency to vet models before release, and bar companies from building superintelligent AI beyond human control. -
DNA from Jefferson’s hair adds evidence he fathered a child with Sally Hemings
DNA from Thomas Jefferson’s hair, compared with samples from living descendants of Sally Hemings’ sons, showed a 99.9% chance he fathered a child with the woman he enslaved, researcher Richard Kurin told TODAY. The result adds to earlier evidence. -
Louisa Moats’ LETRS course reached 700,000 enrollees in 2025; student impact remains uncertain
Louisa Moats’ LETRS course grew from fewer than 25,000 enrollees in 2020 to 700,000 in 2025, Lexia says. As science-of-reading laws spread to 42 states and D.C., its effect on student reading remains uncertain; study results are not expected until 2029. -
Melania Trump says she speaks frankly, though Donald sometimes doesn’t want to hear it
Melania Trump said on Fox & Friends Wednesday, Sept. 23, that she tells President Donald Trump what she really thinks, even when he “sometimes doesn’t want to hear it.” She praised his delivery and U.N. General Assembly speech the day before. -
Madonna to open 2026 VMAs with 13 nods, tying Lady Gaga’s record
Madonna is set to open Sunday’s 2026 MTV VMAs and leads this year’s nominees with 13, tying Lady Gaga’s single-year record. It will be her first VMA performance in 23 years; her 2026 album “Confessions II” was a surprise critical and commercial hit. -
Four NFL offenses offer mixed fantasy signals after two weeks
Fantasy analysis sees mixed results: the Chargers have fewer plays and more pressure on Justin Herbert, while Tennessee showed signs of improvement in Week 2 and Seattle is 2-0. Tampa Bay needs a steadier short passing game, the writer says. -
DoorDash driver shooting: ICE agent who fired was hired last year and wasn't wearing bodycam, reports say
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash driver, was shot once in Austin on Sunday while making deliveries. Reports citing DHS officials say the ICE agent who fired was hired last year and was not wearing his issued body camera. -
Miliband says US aid cuts have ended America’s role as global aid ‘anchor’
IRC chief David Miliband said US aid cuts have ended America’s role as the global aid system’s “anchor,” but improving the lives of the most vulnerable remains solvable. He said the Trump administration’s $60bn USAID cut last year directly cost 700,000 lives. -
University of Kentucky tests voluntary face scans at residence halls
The University of Kentucky has installed Alcatraz AI facial-recognition scanners at several Lexington residence halls for a test. Participation is voluntary for now; the company says the system is meant to help security detect tailgating. -
Three George Floyd siblings seek records on fundraiser said to raise about $19 million
Zsazsa, LaTonya and Rodney Floyd are seeking financial records for the GoFundMe organized by their brother Philonise after George Floyd’s death. Their attorney’s letter says it collected about $19 million and argues the siblings, as heirs, are entitled to part of the funds. -
Star Meat Delivery recalls about 167,639 pounds of meat over false USDA marks
Star Meat Delivery is recalling about 167,639 pounds of uninspected raw pork, beef and goat products nationwide, all bearing a false USDA mark. The USDA classified it as a Class I recall; no related illnesses or injuries have been reported so far. -
Mediaite opinion piece challenges AP’s lynching framing of Tasia Fortune’s death
A Mediaite opinion article accused an Associated Press video about Tasia Fortune, found hanging in a Mississippi tree on Aug. 3, of framing her death around lynching history. The writer says Fortune’s mother saw no racial motive and claims both people charged in the killing are. -
Harris faces online claims of a changed accent at Detroit NAACP event
Kamala Harris faced online criticism over what users described as a changed accent during a Detroit NAACP speech Tuesday, where she urged Democrats to vote in the 2026 midterms. She said she has not decided whether to run for president again in 2028. -
Sully Sullenberger describes early memory changes after Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger says he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in August 2025. In his first interview since disclosing it in July, he described trouble recalling names, forgetting things and repeating himself. Monthly infusions are intended to slow, not stop, the disease. -
Vikings climb to No. 10, top NFC North team in Week 3 NFL rankings
Minnesota climbed from 17th to 10th in Yahoo Sports’ post-Week 2 NFL rankings, leading the NFC North at 2-0. Its offense ranks last in league yardage; Kyler Murray, who has played 11 snaps, is expected to return from a concussion in Week 3. -
Phil and Penny Knight give $1 billion to launch University of Oregon engineering college
Phil and Penny Knight are giving the University of Oregon $1 billion to create the Knight College of Engineering, the largest gift in the school’s history. The university has not offered a traditional engineering degree; the college will broaden its work beyond bioengineering. -
Federal judge dismisses Michigan antitrust suit accusing oil firms of curbing EVs and renewables
Judge Jane Beckering dismissed Michigan’s antitrust suit accusing BP, Chevron, Exxon, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute of conspiring to hinder electric vehicles and renewable energy. She said the alleged conspiracy was too remote to link to energy overcharges. -
Goldman expects one more Fed hike, then a pause if oil prices retreat
Goldman Sachs expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates once more, at its Oct. 27 meeting, then pause if a sustained oil-price pullback cools inflation. It forecasts Brent at $85 a barrel by December and rate cuts beginning in late 2027. -
Trump administration invokes national security to reshape Washington
Trump’s administration cites national security for an East Wing ballroom and other Washington projects; he says a planned arch will house drones and snipers. The National Guard deployment is extended through his term; the Pentagon estimates it will cost another $1.4 billion.
