Cherfilus-McCormick, indicted Dem accused of stealing FEMA funds, reluctantly sits for rare Congress ethics trial — as her lawyer begs for mercy

WASHINGTON — Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) was forced to appear Thursday at a rare ethics “trial” on whether she violated House rules by allegedly stealing as much as $5 million in federal funding to finance her political aspirations. Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, allegedly took the millions of dollars after the funds were mistakenly deposited in a bank account of a health care company owned by her family and contracted with the government to help with COVID-19 vaccinations. An investigative panel of the House Ethics Committee debated the ethical violations stemming from her receipt of the funds and channeling a large portion of…

Trump insists MAGA ‘loves’ his war on Iran: ‘MAGA people are smart’

President Donald Trump said the Make America Great Again base “loves” his aggressive military campaign on Iran in a wide-ranging interview Thursday on “The Five.” “MAGA loves the fact that they’re not going to have somebody with a nuclear bomb over their head,” Trump said on “The Five.” “We have people that…

Trump taps David Sacks for powerful new White House AI, crypto role

White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks was appointed as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), expanding his role within the Trump administration. President Donald Trump established PCAST through an executive order on Wednesday, aimed at bringing together leading figures in science and technology to advise…

Tony DeAngelo to miss 1-2 weeks in Islanders crusher during playoff push

Tony DeAngelo will miss 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury, the Islanders announced before their match Thursday against the Stars.  DeAngelo hurt himself while getting back to defend an odd-man rush against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, leaving the eventual 4-3 loss in the first period and not returning.  The Islanders…

Five Guys CEO rewards workers with .5M after anniversary deal chaos: ‘We really screwed it up’

Five Guys is rewarding employees after an unexpectedly overwhelming promotion put heavy pressure on store crews. The burger chain said it was distributing about $1.5 million in bonuses to workers after a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deal on Feb. 17, which was launched to celebrate its 40th anniversary but quickly exceeded expectations. “The promotion spread far beyond what…

Arizona finally clears Sweet 16 hurdle with dominant win over Arkansas

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Arizona finally got over the Sweet 16 hurdle under coach Tommy Lloyd, getting 23 points from Brayden Burries and a dominant offensive effort in a 109-88 win over Arkansas in a West Region semifinal of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. Fellow freshmen Koa Peat added…

Dodgers rout Dbacks to kick off pursuit of third-straight World Series

It took the Dodgers four innings to knock the rust off. Then, the two-time defending World Series champions finally started looking like themselves. In an 8-2 Opening Day win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, the Dodgers began their season exactly as advertised –– riding a relentlessly deep lineup and…

Pentagon considering sending 10K troops to the Middle East: report 

The Pentagon is reportedly considering a plan to send an additional 10,000 troops to the Middle East amid the war with Iran.  The potential deployment would likely include infantry and armored vehicles and would be on top of the 5,000 Marines and members of the 82nd Airborne Division who have…

Netflix hiking prices on all subscriptions again — here’s how much

Netflix has increased prices on all its plans in the US, as the streaming giant pushes into new programming formats such as video podcasts and live sporting events. The company’s ad-supported tier will now cost $8.99 a month, compared with $7.99 earlier, while prices for its standard plan rose $2 per…

US judge blocks Pentagon’s blacklisting of Anthropic, for now

A U.S. judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Pentagon’s blacklisting of Anthropic, the latest turn in the Claude maker’s high-stakes fight with the military over AI safety on the battlefield. Anthropic’s lawsuit in California federal court alleges that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth overstepped his authority when he designated Anthropic a…

Iconic steakhouse Delmonico’s eyes another potential Midtown NYC expansion

The lease that Delmonico’s Hospitality Group just signed for a nearly 12,000-square-foot restaurant at 1330 Sixth Ave. might not be the great steakhouse’s only planned expansion from its historic home at 56 Beaver St. downtown. Sources said Delmonico’s owner Dennis Turcinovic and partner Max Tucci have scouted at least one…

The most effective way to stop smoking is… not actually that healthy

Dirty habits die hard. Slightly less dirty habits don’t go any easier. A new, worldwide review of smoking cessation from 2014 to 2023 found the best way to quit cigarettes is to swap in nicotine-filled e-cigarettes. Progress? Evidence shows that nicotine-laden e-cigarettes were better at kicking butts than nicotine replacement…

Phillies reward Cristopher Sanchez with new 7 million contract

After signing a modest $22.5 million extension in the summer of 2024, it didn’t take long for star southpaw Cristopher Sanchez to prove he was severely underpaid. It took even less time for Philadelphia brass to do something about it. The Phillies and Sanchez have agreed to a new contract…

Top 5 states with the highest number of safe hospitals, according to new report

Hundreds of hospitals across the country are being recognized for keeping patients safe, and a handful of states stand out for having the highest number of top performers. Healthgrades, a platform for finding doctors, health care providers, and hospitals, released its 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Awards this month, naming 438 hospitals in…

AI is making the hard choice between consumer safety and privacy even trickier

The arrival of artificial intelligence has already had a transformative impact on society, and experts say it’s only the beginning. But with progress comes an inevitable downside, as the tech revolution threatens something Americans have long valued and fiercely guarded: privacy. Several recent high-profile incidents underscore the volatile intersection where…

Why do some people still believe that aliens shaped ancient civilizations?

Could ancient humans really have built the pyramids without extraterrestrial help? Or do such questions reveal more about modern anxieties than the past itself?The idea that aliens assisted the builders of ancient monuments was promoted by the Swiss author Erich von Däniken in his bestselling book Chariot of the Gods…

A secret weapon to fight carbon emissions was just discovered: Beavers

Beavers’ dams and ponds can turn a stream corridor into a net annual carbon sink, drawing in more carbon than it released over the course of a year, a new study finds.The finding has big implications for the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) across Europe after centuries of being…

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