Author: Andrew Rogers

A panel of federal judges has allowed North Carolina to use a new congressional map designed to give Republicans an additional House seat ahead of the 2026 midterms. The redrawn map targets the state’s only swing seat, currently held by Democratic Rep. Don Davis. The 1st District has been represented by Black members of Congress for over 30 years. Under the new boundaries, the district’s Democratic share is projected to drop from 48% to 44%, according to analysis by CBS News. The three-judge panel unanimously denied requests for preliminary injunctions following a mid-November hearing in Winston-Salem. The same judges recently…

A West Virginia judge has ruled that parents can use their religious beliefs to opt out of school vaccine requirements for their children. Raleigh County Circuit Judge Michael Froble issued a permanent injunction on Wednesday, allowing children from families who object to the state’s vaccine mandate on religious grounds to attend school and participate in extracurricular activities. Froble found that prohibiting religious exemptions violated the Equal Protection for Religion Act, passed in 2023 by former Governor Jim Justice. Earlier this year, West Virginia allowed only medical exemptions from school vaccine requirements. Governor Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order permitting religious…

The suspected shooter in a targeted attack near the White House in Washington, D.C., entered the United States under a Biden-era Afghan resettlement program. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, arrived in 2021 via Operation Allies Welcome, sources from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI confirmed. President Joe Biden responded to the shooting before reports emerged about Lakanwal’s entry into the country. “Jill and I are heartbroken that two members of the National Guard were shot outside the White House,” he posted on social media. “Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and we must all stand united against it.” Lakanwal’s presence…

As firefighters worked overnight to find survivors in Hong Kong’s flaming Wang Fuk Court towers, another group of volunteers focused on saving the estate’s pets. Dozens of workers from local animal welfare groups brought oxygenated pet carriers and animal ambulances to search the flats. Social media showed elderly residents weeping for pets left behind while escaping the fire. Animal welfare workers coordinated with police to move through security cordons, allowing them closer access as the blaze continued. “Pet owners contacted our alliance and we compiled a list of more than 100 cases,” said Anson Cheng from Hong Kong Guardians. “We…

Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court towers have been devastated by a massive fire, leaving 44 people dead and hundreds missing. At least 45 others are in critical condition, authorities said. The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon at the 31-storey residential complex in Tai Po, northern New Territories. The eight towers house around 2,000 flats with roughly 4,800 residents. A special taskforce has been set up to determine the cause. Early Thursday, police arrested three men, aged 52 to 68, on suspicion of manslaughter linked to the fire. City leader John Lee said in the early hours of Thursday that…

Artificial intelligence company OpenAI projects that ChatGPT could have about 220 million paying subscribers by 2030, according to a report by The Information. This estimate would position ChatGPT among the world’s largest subscription services. The projection is based on an expected 2.6 billion weekly users of ChatGPT. OpenAI anticipates that roughly 8.5% of these users will pay for subscription plans, including “Plus” at $20 per month and “Pro” at $200 per month. As of July 2025, around 35 million users, or 5% of the weekly active base, were paying for these plans. If achieved, the growth would mark a massive…

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. saw its cloud business grow 34% in the September quarter, beating revenue expectations. However, heavy spending on AI, consumer subsidies, and new data centers caused profits to fall sharply. The company’s cloud division, home to the Qwen AI platform, helped overall revenue rise 5% to 247.8 billion yuan ($35 billion). Chinese e-commerce revenue increased 16%, showing Alibaba remains competitive against JD.com and Meituan. Despite the growth, net income fell to 20.99 billion yuan, a decline attributed to rising costs of AI development and marketing. CEO Eddie Wu dismissed concerns about an AI investment bubble, saying Alibaba…

President Trump continued the White House Thanksgiving tradition by pardoning turkeys Gobble and Waddle on Tuesday. First Lady Melania Trump joined him for the ceremony, which took place in the Rose Garden. Trump granted the turkeys a “full and unconditional pardon,” keeping with a practice that dates back decades. The event is one of his final activities at the White House before heading to Mar-a-Lago for the holiday. Gobble and Waddle spent the night at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C., before the ceremony. The alternate turkey, Waddle, was also brought to the White House briefing room ahead of…

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and other top officials could see a significant pay boost under a proposed 16% salary increase. The City Council is preparing to introduce legislation that would raise salaries for council members, the mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and borough presidents. The bill, introduced by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams of Queens, would raise council members’ pay from $148,500 to $172,500. If approved, Mamdani’s salary would rise from $258,000 to nearly $300,000, while other city officials would see similar increases. The legislation is scheduled for a hearing by the end of the year, aiming for a City Council…

Outgoing New York City Fire Department Commissioner Robert Tucker said ideological differences with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani influenced his decision to step down. Tucker, who was appointed in August 2024, announced his resignation the day after Mamdani won the mayoral election. In his first interview since leaving the post, Tucker described the decision as the right moment to depart despite leaving some unfinished work. “I don’t want to leave as much unfinished business as I am leaving, but I thought it was the right time to depart,” Tucker told CBS News. He added, “Ideologically, there’s no doubt that the mayor and…