North america

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — About 400 workers at Planned Parenthood offices in five states said Thursday they plan to unionize as their employer deals with the potential loss of business in states where abortions may become illegal if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Workers for Planned Parenthood North Central States in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota said they have signed cards showing majority support for unionization, and on Thursday they formally filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, said Ashley Schmidt, a training and development specialist for Nebraska and western Iowa. They plan to join SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union that has about 1 million members in 29 states, including doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians. SEIU locals represent Planned Parenthood workers in other regions, including those serving Oregon and … [Read more...] about Planned Parenthood workers in 5 Midwest states seek union

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week for the second week in a row, though interest rates on the key 30-year home loan remain at decade-high levels. Economic uncertainty and weakened homebuyer demand continue to loom over mortgage rates. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate declined to 5.1% from 5.25% last week. By contrast, the average rate stood at 2.95% a year ago. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, dipped to 4.31% from 4.43% last week. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve intensified its fight against the worst inflation in 40 years by raising its benchmark interest rate by a half-percentage point and signaling more big rate hikes to come. The Fed’s move, its most aggressive since 2000, means higher costs for mortgages as well as credit cards, auto loans and other borrowing for individuals and businesses. Higher borrowing rates appear to be slowing … [Read more...] about Average long-term mortgage rates fall; 30-year loan at 5.1%

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 38 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's defiant former Prime Minister Imran Khan called off a planned, open-ended sit-in in Islamabad on Thursday, temporarily assuaging fears of a protracted civil conflict after he led thousands on a march toward Parliament and demanded the government's resignation. Khan's followers began converging on the Pakistani capital on Wednesday, with some 10,000 reaching the city center around midnight. Khan himself entered Islamabad as part of a large convoy of cars, buses and trucks, with demonstrators waving flags and rallying overnight. Some of his supporters clashed with police outside Parliament. Khan gave Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif — who replaced him in … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s ex-premier calls off planned sit-in, demands vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — BTS, the Grammy-nominated South Korean boy band, will join President Joe Biden next week to talk about “Asian inclusion and representation” and to address hate crimes and discrimination against Asians, the White House announced Thursday. The musical group's White House visit next Tuesday follows Biden's trip last week to South Korea, a U.S. ally. Biden has been outspoken about being committed to combating a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Last year, the Democratic president signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law. Biden and BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, also will discuss diversity and the K-pop group's platform as youth ambassadors. The band received its first Grammy nomination last year after releasing the song “Dynamite” as a gift to fans isolated by the coronavirus pandemic. … [Read more...] about K-pop band BTS and Biden to meet to discuss Asian inclusion

close Video Bugatti Chiron breaks 300 mph Test driver Andy Wallace piloted a specially-prepared Bugatti Chiron to 304 mph, setting a new mark for street legal cars. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! SSC North America has achieved new top speed mark for its Tuatara supercar. The $2 million mid-engine coupe laid claim to the production car top speed record of 282.9 mph last year on the former Space Shuttle landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center, and returned to the three-mile-long stretch of pavement this month to see if it could go even faster. The car has received several upgrades to its 1,750 hp twin-turbocharged V8 powertrain and suspension to help increase its speed and make it more stable as it closes in on maximum velocity. The car was scheduled to give the record another shot last May, but the trailer that was bringing it from SSC's headquarters in Washington state tipped over in high winds on a Utah highway … [Read more...] about See it: American SSC Tuatara supercar hits 295 mph on Space Shuttle runway

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 4 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to console families and honor victims of Tuesday’s mass school shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. The White House said the Bidens would “grieve with the community that lost 21 lives in the horrific” shooting at Robb Elementary School. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would meet with the community and religious leaders and victims' families. Jean-Pierre, the parent of an elementary school student, delivered an impassioned plea at the White House for lawmakers to come together to address gun violence. “These were elementary school kids, they should be losing their first teeth not losing their lives,” she said. Asked about the propriety of the National Rifle Association going ahead with its planned conference in Houston this … [Read more...] about Biden to console families in Uvalde, press for action

(CW44 News At 10 | CNN) –The US Center of Diseases Control and Prevention is investigating more cases of monkeypox across the United States after nine cases have been identified in seven states. The CDC has identified nine monkeypox cases in seven states as of Wednesday, Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday. READ MORE: Actor Ray Liotta, 'Goodfellas' Star, Is Dead At 67 Cases have been identified in Massachusetts, Florida, Utah, Washington, California, Virginia and New York. All of the cases “are within gay [and] bisexual men and other men who have sex with men,” she said. Walensky called for an approach “guided by science, not by stigma.” “This is a community that has the strength and has demonstrated the ability to address challenges to their health by focusing on compassion and science,” she said in an apparent reference to the AIDS epidemic. “While some groups may have a greater chance of exposure right now, infectious diseases do not care about state or … [Read more...] about The CDC Has Identified 9 Cases Of Monkeypox in 7 States

Twitter shareholders have filed a lawsuit accusing Elon Musk of engaged in “unlawful conduct” aimed at sowing doubt about his bid to buy the social media company. The lawsuit filed late Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California claims the billionaire Tesla CEO has sought to drive down Twitter’s stock price because he wants to walk away from the deal or negotiate a substantially lower purchase price. San Francisco-based Twitter is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which seeks class action status as well as compensation for damages. A representative for Musk did not immediately respond to a message for comment on Thursday. Twitter declined to comment. Musk last month offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, but later said the deal can’t go forward until the company provides information about how many accounts on the platform are spam or bots. The lawsuit notes, however, that Musk waived due diligence for his “take it or leave it” … [Read more...] about Twitter shareholders sue Musk, say he ‘deflated’ stock price

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers could soon ban the declawing of cats solely for the convenience of humans, advancing a bill on Thursday to halt what animal rights activists say is a painful procedure used primarily to prevent torn furniture and scratched skin. Claws on cats grow from the bone, not skin. Removing them sometimes requires amputating bones, while other procedures sever tendons to prevent a cat from extending its claws. Animal rights activists have long said declawing is inhumane when done solely for the benefit of humans, arguing the procedure is painful, leaves the animal defenseless and can cause other health problems. The American Veterinary Medical Association “discourages declawing as an elective procedure," saying it is not medically necessary in most cases. But the association says it is sometimes necessary “when a cat's excessive or … [Read more...] about California considers banning declawing of cats in most cases

Thousands of students staged walkouts at schools and college campuses across the country Thursday to demand stricter gun control in the wake of the Texas school massacre that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Starting at noon (ET), waves of students — some wearing orange, which is the color of the gun violence prevention movement — abandoned their classes and headed outside to protest, often accompanied by their teachers and cheered on by their parents. “I think there is something so devastating about 10-year-olds being killed and students across the country are realizing this could have been any of us,” said Maddie Ahmadi, a 17-year-old junior at Essex High School in Essex Junction, Vermont. Outside Los Angeles, more than 150 students at Crescenta Valley High School walked out their classes at noon. "Unfortunately this has not been the first time we students have been forced to act," said 17-year-old senior Roan Thibault, who remembered being in middle school the … [Read more...] about Students stage walkouts across U.S. to protest Texas school massacre