Several congressional races have resulted in history-making victories, breaking barriers and ushering in new representation. Delaware State Rep. Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, while Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester is the first woman and first Black person to represent Delaware in the Senate. Additionally, Angela Alsobrooks is set to be Maryland’s first Black senator, and Julie Fedorchak is North Dakota’s first female representative in Congress. Further, Andy Kim is the first Korean American elected to the Senate, and Bernie Moreno is the first Latino elected to the Senate from Ohio. These victories signify a step forward for diverse representation in American politics.
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The Denton County DA has rejected 23 criminal cases against alleged prostitutes presented by the Lewisville PD due to concerns about inappropriate conduct by the police officers involved. The cases, part of an undercover operation targeting local massage parlours, were undermined when it was discovered the police officers had made inappropriate physical contact with the suspects. An internal review led to 13 officers being disciplined, with three fired, one demoted, and seven suspended without pay. The cases reviewed took place over a two-year period, from 2022 to 2024, and led to the police department having to return two seized vehicles and $247,807 in seized cash. Despite the internal action taken, no officers are currently facing criminal charges.
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The average age of homebuyers in the US has increased from 49 in 2023 to 56 in 2024, indicating that younger Americans are being priced out of the market due to high ownership costs. The National Association of Realtors’ report also reveals the median age of first-time buyers has gone up to 38, and their share among all buyers dropped to 24%, the lowest since tracking began in 1981. This trend is primarily attributed to rising homeownership costs, with median U.S. home price increasing by 39% to $435,000 since 2020 and the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate more than doubling to over 6% in the same period.
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During a visit to flood-affected Valencia, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were pelted with mud and other objects by protesters, who also hurled abuse at them. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, was similarly targeted and hastily evacuated. The anger stems from a view that authorities offered inadequate warning and insufficient support during the floods, which resulted in the death of over 200 people. While the royal couple attempted to engage with the protesters, their planned visit to another affected town, Chiva, was postponed. King Felipe later expressed understanding of the protestors’ anger and frustration.
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Jesse Watters, a leading figure at Fox, has been promoted to the coveted 8 p.m. slot, formerly hosted by Tucker Carlson. This comes after having his own primetime show since January 2022. Watters’ personal life has also undergone changes, with him having met his now-ex wife, Noelle Inguagiato, at Fox News and having two children with her. Despite their eventual divorce, he humorously referred to their union by stating that attractive partners can make differing political beliefs tolerable. The circumstances of their divorce led to his new marriage.
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Donald Trump, the former US president, seemed to forget what state he was in during a rally speech in Kinston, North Carolina. He discussed his hopeful ousting of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, making light of McConnell’s previous endorsement of him. Trump proceeded to laud “great Republicans,” erroneously referencing David McCormick, a Senate candidate running in Pennsylvania, to a North Carolina crowd. This mistake seemed to stem from the fact that Trump had been in Pennsylvania earlier in the day.
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Three Chinese astronauts have safely returned to Earth after a six-month stay on the Tiangong space station, as part of the country’s efforts to lead in space exploration. China, which has previously brought back moon rocks and landed a rover on Mars, aims to put a person on the moon by 2030. Meanwhile, a three-person crew is carrying out a six-month mission to conduct experiments and protect the station from space debris on the Tiangong station, which was completed two years ago. China has been in negotiations to train astronauts from other nations for space missions, in its quest to become a space science research leader by 2050. China is excluded from the International Space Station program due to US concern about the Chinese military’s role in the country’s space program.
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A female student in Iran stripped to her underwear and left her hair uncovered outside a university in Tehran as a protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code. Amnesty International, which shared the video on social media, claimed the woman was “violently arrested” after protesting the forced compliance to the country’s dress code at the Islamic Azad University. The woman had previously been harassed by an Iranian paramilitary group, the Basij, who according to reports had torn her headscarf and clothes. The university’s PR director responded, calling her act indecent and suggesting she was suffering from mental health issues. This unconventional protest comes after the death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of the morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf correctly, which sparked widespread protests across Iran.
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Democratic secretaries of state from seven US states are calling on social media companies to detail their content moderation plans during and after the elections to combat potentially inflammatory and misleading information spreading online. The public officials sent the letters to Google, X, and Meta expressing their deep concern regarding the absence of clear plans to counter false election-related content influenced by artificial intelligence or perpetuated by users. They addressed instances throughout the 2024 election where misinformation has spread, with claims of election fraud possibly leading to real-life violent outcomes. Furthermore, they requested information on how these companies are promoting official and trustworthy sources, countering conspiracies, and dealing with potential artificial intelligence threats.
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After a brush fire started on Blue Mountain on Saturday and expanded significantly, community members donated so much support to the Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co. that they had to inform the public they no longer need material donations. The department’s Facebook page went as far to encourage people to keep anything they’d already purchased for the contribution drive for their own usage. The department is still accepting monetary donations on a Square page. As of Sunday, the fire company is being stationed at numerous residences along the mountain for structural protection, and several roads have been closed. Fire Commissioner Rick Hildebrand Jr. estimates the fire covered about 40 acres before potentially doubling or tripling overnight, and noted the fire’s spread being eastward from Route 248 on the mountain, has been difficult to combat due to location, terrain, and drought conditions.
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John Q. Hosedrinker
Trump’s Mental Decline: Mocking McConnell While Forgetting Where He Is
Donald Trump, the former US president, seemed to forget what state he was in during a rally speech in Kinston, North Carolina. He discussed his hopeful ousting of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, making light of McConnell’s previous endorsement of him. Trump proceeded to laud “great Republicans,” erroneously referencing David McCormick, a Senate candidate running in Pennsylvania, to a North Carolina crowd. This mistake seemed to stem from the fact that Trump had been in Pennsylvania earlier in the day.
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