Author: admin

Washington CNN  —  Spending at US retailers last month was much weaker than expected, in a troubling sign that the American shopper could be starting to tap out. Retail sales rose 0.2% in February from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Monday, up from January’s downwardly revised 1.2% decline. That was much lower than the 0.7% increase economists projected in a FactSet poll. The figures are adjusted for seasonal swings but not inflation. President Donald Trump’s whipsawing trade spat with America’s biggest trading partners has spurred high levels of uncertainty among consumers and businesses. That skittishness has been evident…

Belgrade AP  —  Calls were mounting in Serbia on Monday for an independent investigation into reports that security forces used a prohibited sonic weapon on crowds at a huge peaceful anti-corruption rally last weekend, even though authorities vehemently denied it. Serbian rights groups and opposition officials allege that such a weapon that emits a targeted beam to temporarily incapacitate people was used at the protest Saturday, even though it is banned in Serbia. They said they will file charges with international and domestic courts against those who ordered the attack. Serbia’s authoritarian and pro-Russian President Aleksandar Vucic again on Monday…

Reuters  —  The Trump administration filed a motion to extend two deadlines in U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel’s lawsuit against a U.S. national security panel to give the government more time to wrap up merger talks with the firms, a filing showed on Monday. The filing is the clearest indication that President Donald Trump may allow the deal, scuttled by his predecessor Joe Biden, to proceed in some form. In January, the two companies filed a lawsuit against the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which scrutinizes foreign investments for national security risks, after it recommended that a…

CNN  —  A Brown University assistant professor and doctor was deported over the weekend from Boston to Lebanon after federal agents found photos of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s supreme leader on her cell phone, a source familiar with the case told CNN. Following Dr. Rasha Alawieh’s return Thursday from a visit to Lebanon, federal agents at Boston Logan International Airport found the photos, the source familiar said. It was not immediately clear why officers were examining her phone. Alawieh, 34, acknowledged to federal agents she had attended Nasrallah’s February 23 funeral – a public event attended by thousands…

Justin Bieber is expressing his vulnerability. On Sunday, the “What Do You Mean” singer took to Instagram to share his recent struggles with letting go of hate amid ongoing concerns surrounding his health. “I was always told when I was a kid not to hate,” Bieber, 31, wrote on his Instagram Story. “But it made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to have it and so I didn’t tell anyone I’ve had it.”JUSTIN BIEBER SAYS HE STRUGGLES WITH FEELINGS HE’S ‘UNWORTHY’ AND A ‘FRAUD’ Justin Bieber said he is “drowning” amid ongoing feelings of hate toward past experiences. (Justin Bieber/Instagram)”Which made me…

A new study is revealing which cities in America are considered the “best cities for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations,” and the top spots may or may not surprise you.WalletHub released its 2025 report after conducting research across 200 major cities. The cities that ranked were based on key metrics, ranging from the Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, hotel prices and weather forecast.Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said that St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by millions of Americans regardless of their ancestry.’HAPPIEST’ US CITIES REVEALED: SEE WHERE YOURS RANKS”The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combines rich traditions with tasty and…

The 2024 disappearance of a California mom of four is now being investigated as a homicide, according to authorities. Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain’s family reported her missing from her home in Anderson on May 22, 2024, after they last heard from her on May 18 of that year.”Since the initial investigation, Detectives have worked tirelessly to locate Nikki and to determine the events leading to her disappearance,” the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 14 press release. “Detectives have served numerous search warrants, including a prior search warrant at Nikki’s residence. Furthermore, Detectives have interviewed family members, friends and acquaintances…

CNN  —  Israeli police are seeking to keep a well-known Palestinian journalist in detention in Jerusalem on charges related to “incitement” and “support of terrorism,” despite an Israeli judge ordering her release on Monday. Latifeh Abdellatif is a freelance photojournalist whose work has appeared in Reuters, ABC News, BBC, Al Jazeera and TRT, according to her Instagram account biography. Israeli police said that she was apprehended at her home in the Old City on Sunday by Jerusalem District Police officers “on suspicion of incitement and support for terrorism.” Abdellatif’s lawyer and her mother said she was arrested in the street…

CNN  —  Over the weekend, the Trump administration invoked wartime powers to deport hundreds of alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from the US to El Salvador. After a lawsuit was filed, a federal judge ordered the administration to stop the deportations, for now. Here’s a timeline of where the deportation flights were as the legal case unfolded: March 15 before noon (all times Eastern) US District Judge James Boasberg issues a written order temporarily blocking the government from removing five specific individuals who sued the Trump administration over President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. March 15…

CNN  —  Over the weekend, the Trump administration invoked wartime powers to deport hundreds of alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from the US to El Salvador. After a lawsuit was filed, a federal judge ordered the administration to stop the deportations, for now. Here’s a timeline of where the deportation flights were as the legal case unfolded: March 15 before noon (all times Eastern) US District Judge James Boasberg issues a written order temporarily blocking the government from removing five specific individuals who sued the Trump administration over President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. March 15…