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During testimony behind closed doors, former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers he believed he could prove President Donald Trump engaged in a "criminal scheme" in order to overturn the 2020 election. NBC News' Ryan Reilly reports on Smith's investigation and what members of Congress had to say. Summary Former special counsel Jack Smith testified in a closed-door House Judiciary Committee hearing on December 17, 2025, after being subpoenaed by Republicans. He defended his investigation into President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, stating that his team found proof beyond a reasonable doubt of Trump's involvement in a criminal...

Shares in Birkenstock plunged 9% Thursday after the German shoe retailer warned tariffs will likely weigh heavily on its profit margins. The company – known for its chunky cork sandals – said it expects its annual gross margins will drop by a full percentage point due to US tariffs in the new fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30, 2026. Birkenstock, which listed in New York in 2023, still operates the majority of its production in Germany – leaving it exposed to the Trump administration’s 15% tariff on the European Union, which it reached after a trade deal with the...

California's gas prices have reached crisis levels—and drivers across the Golden State are demanding answers. This video exposes the complex web of factors keeping California's fuel costs the highest in the nation. Discover how the state's strict refinery requirements, low-carbon fuel standards, and environmental regulations create a perfect storm for sky-high prices at the pump. Learn why California's unique fuel blend can only be produced by a handful of refineries, how the Cap-and-Trade program adds hidden costs to every gallon, and why even minor supply disruptions send prices skyrocketing. We'll explore the refinery shutdowns threatening California's fuel supply, the oligopoly...

Long Beach police have arrested two men accused of stealing plaques from the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK Park late last month, authorities announced Thursday. According to the Long Beach Police Department, the theft occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 27, when two suspects removed several plaques from the MLK statue and loaded them into the bed of a pickup truck before leaving the area. Detectives launched an investigation immediately, collecting security camera footage, canvassing the surrounding area and reviewing Automatic License Plate Reader data. That work ultimately led to the identification and arrest of...

A man from El Salvador who ICE says is illegally in the country is now charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing a man in Reston on Wednesday. Authorities say Marvin Morales-Ortez had just been released from jail the day before the killing, which happened inside a home at 12307 Fan Shell Court in Reston. Court records and other sources indicate Morales-Ortez was allegedly a member of the MS-13 gang. ICE says it had put a detainer on Morales-Ortez, yet he was still released from jail by the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office. When 7News asked why Morales-Ortez was...

Police probe potential ties between Brown University attack and MIT professor slayingPROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Police are investigating possible ties between Saturday’s shooting at Brown University and Monday’s slaying of a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Target 12 investigators have learned. Senior law enforcement officials tell Target 12 that federal, state and local authorities are now examining a potential connection between the two crimes. Multiple people familiar with the investigation said they have discovered evidence showing the two may be linked. The possible connection marks a shift in the investigation. Ted Docks, special agent in charge of...

European researchers have achieved a milestone in paleogenomics by sequencing RNA from a woolly mammoth specimen dating back approximately 39,000 to 40,000 years, roughly three times older than the previous record for ancient RNA. The RNA was recovered from a well-preserved juvenile mammoth known as Yuka, discovered in northern Siberian permafrost in 2010, according to Love Dalén, a professor of evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University and lead author of a study published in the journal Cell. Dalén told the Wall Street Journal that the findings could aid in identifying the genetic traits responsible for the mammoth’s distinctive woolly coat. The...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday announced a series of proposed regulatory actions to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order directing HHS to end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children. During a news conference broadcast on Newsmax, Kennedy said doctors "assume a solemn obligation to protect children," but argued that medical groups have promoted "needless and irreversible" interventions for minors with gender dysphoria. The sweeping proposals are the most significant moves the Trump administration has taken so far to restrict the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical interventions for transgender children....

SummaryThe discussion centers on Venezuela being described as a mafia-run, cartel-controlled state rather than a legitimate government, heavily involved in narco-trafficking with Marxist allies in Honduras as a transit point, importing massive quantities of drugs into the US and causing American deaths.Key points raised:Actions against Venezuela are framed as stopping drug trafficking, Chinese influence, and related threats, not regime change or foreign wars.Claims of substantial evidence that a Venezuela-affiliated election machine company interfered in US 2020 and 2024 elections, with references to connected machines, manipulable data, and cases like Tina Peters.Chinese Communist Party has a sophisticated spy base and missiles...

In a move that’s raising alarms across the nation, BlackRock through its 2024 acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) has surged into direct ownership of U.S. energy infrastructure, shifting from passive investor to hands on controller of critical utilities and grids. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a $6.2 billion takeover of Allete, parent of Minnesota Power, by a BlackRock led consortium with Canada Pension Plan in October 2025, granting private equity majority control over power serving 150,000 customers. Meanwhile, GIP is in advanced talks for a potential $38 billion acquisition of AES Corporation, a major player with renewable assets...

BREAKING: RFK Jr. announces moves to ban transgender drugs and surgeries for children. "The Trump admin will not stand by while ideology, misinformation and propaganda push vulnerable young people into decisions they fully cannot understand and that they can never reverse."

President Trump on Thursday delivered the biggest federal policy win yet for marijuana reform advocates in signing a “common sense” order to no longer classify the drug as serious as heroin and LSD. The landmark action will move pot from “Schedule I,” the most restrictive Controlled Substance Act designation for drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical value, to Schedule III alongside ketamine — but the change stops short of full legalization. Trump stressed the order doesn’t sanction recreational pot smoking, but rather opens the door for medical research for patients in pain. “I promised to...

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Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Leslie Jones on Monday called for Democrats to arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers if they take back Congress after the midterm elections. “I don’t know. It just feels like the upside down world,” Jones told MS NOW host Nicolle Wallace on her “The Best People” podcast. “You see somebody that’s doing something completely terrible, like some of these influencers, these crazy folks, and we let them go because freedom of speech, of course, but there should be accountability.” “Like gravity,” Wallace said, “things should fall.”

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to speed up the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to the less severe Schedule III, with the stated goal of expanding cannabis research. “The executive order the President will sign today is focused on increasing medical research for medical marijuana and CBD — cannabidiol,” a senior administration official said in a press briefing. “The president is very focused on the potential medical benefits, and he has directed a commonsense approach that will automatically … start working to improve the medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors. That’s...

Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua has come under fire after devising a touchdown dance which includes an offensive Jewish stereotype during a live stream with two YouTubers. Nacua, who is in his third season with the Rams, appeared on a stream with popular content creators Adin Ross and N3on earlier this week ahead of their crucial Thursday night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. As well as taking a swipe at NFL referees and Taylor Swift, the 24-year-old receiver sparked a more alarming type of controversy when he was captured working on an antisemitic touchdown dance with Ross, who is...

The U.S. government sued the U.S. territory, its police department and Police Commissioner Mario Brooks on Tuesday, accusing them of obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess and carry guns. The U.S. Virgin Islands requires that applicants demonstrate “good reason to fear death or great injury to his person or property,” and to have “two credible persons” to vouch for their need of a firearm. Local law also requires that someone have “good moral character” to obtain a gun permit, which is valid for up to three years and applies to a single weapon. The lawsuit states...

The WWE legend is done with the company.WWE legend and bestselling author Mick Foley announced on Tuesday that he has informed WWE he will no longer make appearances for the company, and will not renew his contract with the company due to their ongoing relationship with President Donald Trump. In a statement posted to Facebook, Foley said that he had been long concerned with WWE’s relationship with Trump, but the administration’s treatment of immigrants, along with the president’s comments following the death of Rob Reiner represented a “final straw” for the wrestler. Foley began his career as a “Cactus Jack”...

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - A plane crash at an airport in Iredell County resulted in multiple deaths on Thursday, the sheriff confirmed. The Cessna C550 airplane crashed at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 18. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CBS News that six people were aboard the plane. It was not immediately clear whether there were any survivors. A picture from the airport showed the plane in a massive ball of flames after it crashed on the runway. Flight tracking records showed a Cessna 550 that took off from Statesville Regional Airport at 10:06 a.m. is...

Gangland shootings and bombings that have plagued Sweden's biggest cities have spread to quieter suburbs and towns A 12-year-old child assassin has been arrested for allegedly shooting the wrong person in a botched £20,000 hit job. ‌ The boy is accused of murdering a 21-year-old man in a drive-by shooting in Malmö, Sweden, last Friday. ‌ Local media reports the child shot the wrong target and was supposed to hit someone else in the vehicle. Police believe the victim was shot while travelling in an Audi with his friends travelling along Galgebacksvägen in the Oxie area at around 10.30pm when...