Author: Rana McCallister

Instagram revising teen account settings amid backlash Instagram is overhauling how it treats teenage accounts, rolling out a PG-13 style filter and other default safeguards aimed at younger users. Meta, the platform’s parent, announced the changes this week after rising criticism over how the app handles teens. The company says the new settings will limit exposure to explicit and violent material by default. The move builds on changes Instagram launched last year when it introduced dedicated teen accounts. In September 2024 the app made accounts for users under 18 private by default and began hiding messages from unknown senders. Meta…

Russia launched powerful glide bombs in overnight strikes on Ukraine’s second largest city, hitting a hospital and wounding seven people. The blast damaged wards, forced emergency evacuations, and left medical staff scrambling to care for patients amid chaos. Emergency teams rushed in as power flickered and windows shattered across nearby blocks, making evacuation chaotic. Glide bombs are winged munitions dropped from aircraft that glide toward targets, extending range and improving impact accuracy over unguided explosives. Their low flight paths and long standoff reach can make them hard to detect and deadly when used around civilians. That combination of reach and…

Trump to Host Zelensky in Washington Friday to Discuss Air Defense Support President Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Friday to discuss sending additional air defense systems to Ukraine. The visit is being pitched as a direct, high-stakes conversation on protecting Ukraine’s energy grid and civilian centers. Republicans see this as a moment for clear leadership and practical deliverables. The sit-down follows two phone calls where the leaders talked about Ukraine’s air defenses and long-range capabilities as Russian attacks have intensified. Zelensky said the phone calls “were not enough” to cover all the critical issues, so…

Arson suspect in Pennsylvania governor’s mansion fire pleads guilty Cody Balmer admitted guilt in court Tuesday, entering pleas on every charge filed against him. Prosecutors said the counts include attempted first-degree murder, numerous arson charges and terrorism allegations tied to the April attack. Balmer, 38, from Harrisburg, stood in person at the Dauphin County Courthouse for the hearing that began in the morning. The case drew sharp attention because it targeted the governor’s official residence and put a family at risk while they slept. Authorities say Balmer set several Molotov cocktails against the governor’s mansion around 2 a.m. on Sunday,…

Mamdani Flees Manhattan Rally After Pro-Israel Confrontation Zohran Mamdani, the left-leaning New York mayoral candidate, fled a crowd in Manhattan’s Foley Square after an angry pro-Israel demonstrator closed in. He had been at a rally backing New York Attorney General Letitia James when protesters began following him. That appearance came as James faced an indictment from federal authorities over alleged false statements on loan documents. Video from the scene shows a group trailing Mamdani as tensions spiked, and one of his aides got into a shoving match before leaving the area. The footage spread quickly online and captured the chaos.…

Obamacare Was Never Affordable: Republicans Must Stop Pretending Twelve years ago this week the federal government shut down over a fight that should have mattered more than any budget squabble: Obamacare. In 2013 Senate conservatives led by Ted Cruz and Mike Lee refused to fund President Obama’s budget unless the law’s worst provisions were removed. They warned it would crush Americans with skyrocketing premiums and limited choice. Instead of begging Democrats for a short-term continuing resolution, Republicans should force the debate they’ve been avoiding. They were right, and watching those predictions come true still stings. Democrats stayed disciplined on health…

Facebook Reboots Jobs: A Local Hiring Push from Meta Meta wants you to find your next gig on Facebook. The company has quietly reintroduced job listings inside the app, this time steering them toward local entry-level, service and trade roles. It’s a comeback: the platform first tried jobs in 2017 and stopped the formal program less than five years later. Meta routinely bolts new features onto its services, and this relaunch fits that playbook while aiming at neighborhood hiring. Where LinkedIn is built for resumes and long-term careers, this version looks designed for quick hires and walk-in shifts. That emphasis…

Christopher Columbus Belongs to All Americans “Let those who are accustomed to finding fault and censuring ask, while they sit in security at home, ‘Why did you not do so and so under such circumstances?’ I wish they now had this voyage to make. I verily believe that another journey of another kind awaits them, or our faith is nothing.” So wrote Christopher Columbus of his contemporary critics, demonstrating his humor, diplomacy, and faith. All three were instrumental in his tumultuous career as an explorer and colonial governor. When Columbus refused to let Spanish settlers enslave the native people of…

Speaker Johnson tries to rein in MTG following lawmaker’s criticism of GOP on healthcare costs House Speaker Mike Johnson stepped into a rising intra-party fight after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly blasted the GOP over healthcare costs and looming Obamacare subsidy expirations. He says he reached out by phone to calm tensions and move the debate into negotiations instead of headline wars. The timing matters because subsidies could lapse at year end while parts of the government remain closed. Johnson framed the call as constructive and explicitly offered Greene a way to shape policy rather than simply criticize it from…

DHS Releases Allegations After 13-Year-Old Arrested and Held by ICE After days of public outrage, the Department of Homeland Security has put specific allegations on record about a 13-year-old who was arrested locally and placed in ICE custody. The case ignited headlines and fierce debate about immigration enforcement and child custody. DHS says it has evidence that explains why federal agents got involved. The boy’s mother told reporters she had no idea why local police took him. She said she went to the Everett Police Department, only to be told ICE had him and he was being moved to a…