News Syndicates

A trend towards hybrid and remote work since the pandemic may cut $800 billion from office property values by the end of the decade, according to a recent study by consulting firm McKinsey. McKinsey said that employees continued to spend far less time working at the office compared to the pre-pandemic era, The survey, published on July 13, reviewed nine major metropolises, Beijing,...

All of the top Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump excepted, braved questions from journalist Tucker Carlson at a summit in Des Moines, Iowa. While some met with a lukewarm or, at times, unfriendly reception from the very Christian audience, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was most definitely not among them. He even got a standing ovation. “It would seem that we’re...

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for August delivery fell $1.47 to $75.42 a barrel Friday. Brent crude for September delivery fell $1.49 to $79.87 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for August delivery fell 4 cents $2.64 a gallon. August heating oil fell 1 cent to $2.60 a gallon. August natural gas fell 1 cent to $2.55 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold for...

Commentary Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his usual appearance at this year’s Calgary Stampede, an event that draws over one million visitors to the rodeo and midway every year. Although he often gets a chilly reception at the 10-day festival which draws politicians of all stripes out of  the woodwork, Trudeau usually makes an appearance at the Stampede. On the...

The House has adopted its version of the proposed $886.3 billion Fiscal Year 2024 defense budget and dispatched it to the Senate, where many of the “culture war” amendments conservatives successfully attached to the must-pass annual appropriations package are likely to be rejected by the Democrat-led chamber. Do so at your own risk, House Freedom Caucus members and associated Republicans...

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on July 12, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray over the agency’s armed raid and arrest of Christian pro-life activist Mark Houck at his home last fall. ...

Commentary Back in March, people shopping at Target began noticing a new line of clothing on full display on mannequins at the front of the store—LGBT clothes, clothes from a Satanic brand, and merchandise with Satanic messaging. These included clothes for small children and onesies for babies. Also included were “tuck-friendly” clothing for males who identify as females and want...

Commentary Growing up in Orange County, I can still remember the trip in my high school years with my father to see the new University of California in Irvine. I saw barren rolling hills with newly built structures and minimal vegetation or trees. Decades later, as a State Senator representing the 37th District, which includes UCI, I attended the 50th...

Across the Western world, we’re hearing growing calls to stop eating meat—and especially beef—to combat climate change. But is this really about saving the planet? “They’re trying to take the animal and the soil out of our consumption model, and turn it into basically something that’s grown and produced in the labs,” argues Texas Slim, founder of The Beef Initiative. The...

Twitter asked a U.S. court on Thursday to terminate a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission that governed the social media company’s data privacy protections, arguing that the regulatory agency has made “unceasing demands.” In a filing with U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Twitter accused the FTC of bias and overreach, saying it had sent letters demanding actions...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram Threads, which some say could rival Elon Musk’s Twitter, has seen a drop-off in users and engagements in recent days after a relatively strong showing in early July, according to analytics companies. “The Threads launch really did ‘break the internet,’ or at least the Sensor Tower models,” Anthony Bartolacci, the managing director at Sensor Tower,...

Twitter said on Thursday that select content creators on the social media platform will be eligible to get a part of the advertising revenue the company earns. The content creators will get a share of revenue from ads displayed in their replies, Twitter said, adding that to be eligible the creators should be verified users with at least 5 million...

American small-business confidence slightly climbed to a seven-month high last month, but concerns about inflation remain persistent, according to a recent report. Pessimism over the U.S. economy diminished sharply, while sales expectations improved, but a persistently tight labor market is continuing to concern analysts about future inflation rates. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index, which...

Home prices hit a record high again in May, amid a worsening supply shortage in the housing market. The sharp jump in mortgage interest rates in last year caused an overheated housing market to slow down, but the slump did not last long. The cost for a home, which has been rising since the start of the year, rose 0.7...

President Joe Biden authorized the Pentagon to order up to 3,000 reserve troops to be ready to deploy to Europe. Mr. Biden said in his order that he determined “it is necessary to augment the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the United States European Command’s area of responsibility.”...

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta (formerly Facebook) will provide a “one-off funding boost” to third-party fact-checkers in the lead-up to a national referendum on whether to change the Australian Constitution. The tech giant will work with RMIT CrossCheck to monitor “misinformation trends” leading up to the contentious Indigenous Voice to Parliament proposal, and will share guidance on “combating false information” with journalists....

The Biden administration has announced stringent new rules to reduce the use of coolants used in most air conditioning units and other appliances in the name of fighting climate change, with experts warning it will likely mean Americans will have to pay more to stay cool. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week issued a final rule to slash the...

Delta Air Lines soared to a record quarterly profit of more than $1.8 billion as summer vacationers packed planes, especially to international destinations, and the airline enjoyed a tailwind from falling fuel prices. The results released Thursday beat Wall Street expectations, and Delta raised its forecast of full-year earnings. Delta officials said strong demand for tickets has continued into the...

An asphalt plant in Irvine that has repeatedly been criticized by nearby residents for producing foul odors and potentially dangerous pollutants is on track to close in November, according to Irvine city officials. The city council approved the $285 million purchase of All American Asphalt in April after filing a public nuisance lawsuit against it in 2020, which will be...

Commentary With a recession likely hitting California, now is the worst time for the Legislature to pass bills costly to state businesses. But that’s just what’s happening. Here are four of the worst bills currently on the 2023 Job Killer List of the California Chamber of Commerce. Senate Bill 399 is by Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward). From the summary of...