Biden to establish Frances Perkins National Monument in Maine

Biden to establish Frances Perkins National Monument in Maine
Biden to establish Frances Perkins National Monument in Maine
London Express/Getty Images

(NEWCASTLE, MAINE) — President Joe Biden will sign a proclamation on Monday to establish the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine.

The location will “honor the historic contributions of America’s first woman Cabinet Secretary, the longest-serving Secretary of Labor, and the driving force behind the New Deal,” according to the White House.

Perkins served as labor secretary for 12 years under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

During that time, she “helped create Social Security; helped millions of Americans get back to work during the Great Depression; fought for the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively; and established the minimum wage, overtime pay, prohibitions on child labor, and unemployment insurance,” according to the fact sheet.

Perkins also created the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program that provided conservation and development jobs for manual laborers on government-owned rural land, according to Roosevelt presidential library.

Biden has dubbed himself the most pro-union president in American history. In 2023, he made the historic move of joining auto workers on the picket line.

The Perkins Family Home, built in 1837 and known as the “Brick House,” will be the centerpiece of the new monument, according to the White House.

“Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014, the Perkins Homestead is a 57-acre property along the Damariscotta River that supported the family for generations,” the White House said. “Visitors experience the same landscape, garden paths and wooded walking trails that were a lifelong source of inspiration and rejuvenation for Perkins.”

In addition to this monument, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will also announce five other monuments across the nation that will “increase the representation of women’s history in historic sites across America,” according to the White House.

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Failed ATM robbers crash truck into Walgreens storefront, leave empty-handed

Failed ATM robbers crash truck into Walgreens storefront, leave empty-handed
Failed ATM robbers crash truck into Walgreens storefront, leave empty-handed
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department

(TACOMA, WA) — Two individuals drove a flatbed truck through the front doors of a store in Washington state in what appears to be a failed ATM robbery, according to surveillance footage recently released by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Police are now seeking the two would-be robbers who quickly fled the scene after failing to remove the automated teller machine from the Walgreens where it was installed.

The attempted robbery took place just before 5 a.m. on Dec. 9, according to ABC News’ Washington affiliate KOMO.

It involved a flatbed truck backing into and shattering the front windows of the entryway to a Walgreens in Pierce County.

Once the truck has successfully smashed its way into the store, two individuals can be seen getting out and running toward the ATM.

The two individuals, who are wearing reflective garments and balaclava-style masks during what the police have labeled a “commercial burglary,” then attempt to loop a cable around the machine. However, they appear to be unsuccessful in their attempts to dislodge it.

Realizing that they have not been successful, the individuals then decide to give up and instead flee the glass-spackled scene, according to the store’s security video.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is now seeking information from the public about the crime.

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GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt: Tulsi Gabbard fits Trump’s ‘reform agenda’

GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt: Tulsi Gabbard fits Trump’s ‘reform agenda’
GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt: Tulsi Gabbard fits Trump’s ‘reform agenda’
ABC News

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said Sunday that he has no concerns about President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence.

Gabbard, a vocal non-interventionist, has seen her credentials come under scrutiny, particularly in light of a regime change in Syria and her covert meeting with former strongman Bashar Assad in 2017, which occurred after he had used chemical weapons on protesters. She later said Assad was “not the enemy of the United States.”

“I know Tulsi Gabbard. She’s a patriot. She served our country honorably. She, I think, fits the reform agenda. President Trump ran on disrupting permanent Washington and having people who are going to view things differently,” Schmitt told “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos. “There’s a lot of reform, George, that needs to happen in those agencies. Tulsi Gabbard is somebody who I think can execute on that.”

“I don’t think it’s unusual for members of Congress to visit foreign countries and talk to foreign leaders,” he said of the former Democratic congresswoman. “President Trump, I think, believes in engaging in diplomacy, solving these things.”

Gabbard has begun meeting with senators on Capitol Hill to try to get the votes she’ll need from them for confirmation, though her chances have coincided with a wider debate over the U.S. role in Syria.

Trump has said the U.S. should stay out of events there, although there are 900 U.S. troops in the country to fight remaining ISIS pockets. Trump has not definitively said what he plans to do with those troops.

“I think that’s a longer discussion, and a discussion that President Trump had in his first term,” Schmitt said. “I do think we’re entering a new phase, though, of realism in this country. President Trump would be less interventionist, and we get back to our core national interests, principally defending the homeland, the Indo-Pacific and China.”

“Understanding what terrorism means around the world is important, but having these trip wires in other regions that pull us into wars, I think the American people have had enough of that,” he added when pressed on the risks of an ISIS resurgence if U.S. troops leave Syria.

Gabbard is just one of many Trump picks who will need to win confirmation.

Stephanopoulos also pressed Schmitt on Kash Patel, the president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI.

Patel is a top Trump loyalist who has railed against the “deep state” and pushed to eliminate the FBI’s intelligence gathering capabilities, leading some critics to say that he’d politicize the bureau in Trump’s favor.

Asked about Patel’s book “Government Gangsters,” in which he included a 60-person “enemies list,” Schmitt dismissed that as a “footnote” in the book and insisted that Patel does not have an “enemies list.” Schmitt said Patel would bring change to an agency that many Republicans have grown to distrust.

“That agency is in desperate need of reform. Kash Patel is very qualified, and I think he’s going to get the support in the Senate,” Schmitt said.

On Trump’s promise to pardon Jan. 6 rioters, Schmitt said the president-elect would look at pardons on an individual basis and decipher between violent and non-violent offenders, which he said is the “exact right approach.”

“I think you do separate violent acts from non-violent acts, but I think he’s been pretty clear he’s going to view these individually,” Schmitt said.

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2 Russian oil tankers damaged off Crimea, emergency authorities say

2 Russian oil tankers damaged off Crimea, emergency authorities say
2 Russian oil tankers damaged off Crimea, emergency authorities say
Sofia Buti/500px/Getty Images

(LONDON) — Two Russian tankers believed to be carrying thousands of tons of oil were damaged off the coast of Crimea in the early hours of Sunday amid stormy weather, Russian emergency services and media reported.

The Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 vessels were both damaged while transiting the Kerch Strait waterway separating the occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia’s western Krasnodar Krai region, the country’s Emergencies Ministry reported on Telegram.

The ministry cited “bad weather in the Kerch Strait” for the damage, the extent of which is not yet clear. The state-owned Tass news agency cited an unnamed ministry source in its report that the ship’s bow was torn off. The vessel was around 5 miles from shore when it was damaged, the agency said.

An Emergency Ministry Mi-8 helicopter and a rescue boat were dispatched to the Volgoneft 212 vessel, which had 13 people aboard, the ministry wrote. “The crew requested assistance,” it said. The ministry later said that one sailor died and the remaining 12 evacuated alive.

“It is known that there are oil products on the ship,” the ministry added. “Information about the spill is being clarified.”

The Interfax news agency reported that the Volgoneft 212 was carrying 4,300 tons of oil.

The Emergency Ministry later said the Volgoneft 212 “was damaged and ran aground.”

The Volgoneft 239 had 14 people on board and was also carrying oil, the Emergency Ministry said.

The ministry reported that the vessel was drifting after sustaining damage.

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Mayorkas says federal authorities are addressing New Jersey drone sightings

Mayorkas says federal authorities are addressing New Jersey drone sightings
Mayorkas says federal authorities are addressing New Jersey drone sightings
Gwengoat/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the federal government is taking action to address the aerial drones that have prompted concern among New Jersey residents.

“There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” he told “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview on Sunday. “I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Apparent tornado in California flips cars, sends several to hospital

Apparent tornado in California flips cars, sends several to hospital
Apparent tornado in California flips cars, sends several to hospital
Via Scotts Valley Police Department

(LOS ANGELES) — An apparent tornado touched down in a small Northern California city Saturday, flipping cars, causing significant damage and sending several people to the hospital.

The National Weather Service said the apparent tornado touched down at about 1:40 p.m. local time in Scotts Valley, about 30 miles south of San Jose.

Several people were taken to the hospital with injuries, but there are no reported deaths, according to a press release from the Scotts Valley Police Department.

“Emergency medical teams are prioritizing those most in need of care, and we continue to monitor the situation closely,” police said in the news release.

The tornado caused “significant damage” in several areas, police said.

Photos shared by police on social media showed multiple cars turned on their sides along the roadway and in a shopping center parking lot.

The weather service confirmed the tornado based on videos, photos, witness accounts and radar and said a survey team would further investigate damage on the ground to determine how strong it was.

California averages about 11 tornadoes a year, typically in the fall and spring, according to the weather service.

Earlier Saturday morning, the weather service issued the first tornado warning for San Francisco, amid a strong storm that knocked out power for thousands, according to ABC station KGO.

The tornado warning in San Francisco was lifted about 20 minutes later.

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3 women found dead inside of Ohio home, homicide detectives investigating

3 women found dead inside of Ohio home, homicide detectives investigating
3 women found dead inside of Ohio home, homicide detectives investigating
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Three women were found dead inside a Columbus, Ohio, home on Saturday, according to police.

Shortly before 4 p.m., officers received a report from a person who found their friends in medical distress inside a home, officials said.

“We are working through the manner of death to determine what actually happened before we release any of that information,” said Sgt. James Fuqua, public information officer for Columbus Police.

Once at the home, responders found three female victims inside and all were pronounced dead at the scene, Fuqua said.

“It’s unfortunate when someone loses their life, but particularly this time of year during the holidays,” Fuqua said. “It’s going to be very difficult for all of these victim’s families to come to the grips that, unfortunately, these family members will no longer be in their lives.”

No drugs were found at the scene and officials are considering it an active homicide investigation and are working to confirm the manner of death, officials said.

No one is in custody at this time, and the person who called in the incident is not a suspect.

Fuqua called it a “very complex scene.”

“It’s going to take a little bit longer to make sure that we’re very careful and going through the scene meticulously, so we do not miss any key piece of evidence because unfortunately, it’s very unusual to have so many victims in one incident,” he added.

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Trump picks Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to head intelligence advisory board

Trump picks Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to head intelligence advisory board
Trump picks Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to head intelligence advisory board
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump tapped former California Rep. Devin Nunes as chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board in a series of announcements on Saturday.

Nunes has been a staunch Trump loyalist and serves as CEO of Trump Media and Technology Group, which runs the president-elect’s social media company, Truth Social.

“I am pleased to announce that I will appoint Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes as Chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which consists of distinguished citizens from outside of the Federal Government,” Trump posted in his announcement on Truth Social. “While continuing his leadership of Trump Media & Technology Group, Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities.”

Nunes represented California in the House from 2003 to 2022. He was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2015 until 2019, as well as ranking member from 2019 until his resignation from Congress on Jan. 1, 2022, to lead Truth Social. Nunes will remain in his role in the president-elect’s company while serving as chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.

The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, established in 1956, aids the president by offering independent analysis on the effectiveness of the intelligence community and the ability of U.S. agencies to meet “the nation’s intelligence needs.”

In addition to Nunes, Trump named longtime friend and donor Bill White as the U.S. ambassador to Belgium and Troy Edgar to be his deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Currently the CEO of Constellations Group, White was president of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum before he resigned amid allegations of improper financial dealings. He has denied any wrongdoing. White, also a member of the Log Cabin Republicans, organized multiple pro-Trump LGBTQ fundraisers and events this past election.

Edgar, currently an executive at IBM, previously was Trump’s chief financial officer for the DHS and the associate deputy undersecretary of management for homeland security.

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Daniel Penny takes in Army-Navy game with Trump, Vance days after acquittal

Daniel Penny takes in Army-Navy game with Trump, Vance days after acquittal
Daniel Penny takes in Army-Navy game with Trump, Vance days after acquittal
John Lamparski/Getty Images

(LANDOVER, Md.) — Daniel Penny, the former Marine who was charged but acquitted in killing Jordan Neely, a Black homeless man, in a New York City subway, shared the spotlight with President-elect Donald Trump and his entourage on Saturday at the Army-Navy game in Landover, Maryland.

Penny, who has received praise in conservative circles and jeers from others for his actions in May 2023, was seen chatting with Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, who invited the 25-year-old to the game.

He did not speak to the press.

Trump, who attended the same game in 2016 after winning the election, did not make any speeches but saluted during the national anthem and gave a fist pump and wave to a crowd.

In addition to the president and vice-president elect, Penny joined Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense; former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s selection to be director of national intelligence; House Speaker Mike Johnson; incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Pennsylvania Sen.-elect David McCormick at the game.

Penny’s invitation came days after a Manhattan jury acquitted him of criminal charges for the incident on the F train on May 1, 2023. Neely, who was homeless at the time, boarded a subway car at the Second Avenue stop and was described by witnesses as yelling and moving erratically when Penny put Neely in a chokehold, which prosecutors alleged lasted for six minutes, according to officials.

Some of the incident was captured on video.

The city’s medical examiner concluded Penny’s chokehold killed Neely and ruled he died due to compression of the neck.

Neely, a 30-year-old former street performer who would impersonate Michael Jackson, had a history of homelessness and schizophrenia.

He had been convicted of assaulting people at subway stations, according to police. However, passengers on the train the day Neely died said he did not touch anyone during the incident.

However, Neely had expressed a willingness to die or even kill while on the train, according to investigators.

Penny was charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide but received praise from some conservative leaders, right-wing media pundits and others for what they claimed was an act of self-defense.

“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance posted on X this week.

Others, however, criticized the former Marine for taking the life of a homeless Black man in need of mental health services.

The Manhattan jury deliberated for 24 hours over five days and was deadlocked on the manslaughter charge, which carried a 15-year prison sentence, forcing the judge to dismiss it. The jury delivered a verdict of not guilty on the negligent homicide charge on Monday.

In an interview with Fox Nation, Penny described himself as being in a “vulnerable” position.

“He was just threatening to kill people,” Penny told host Jeanine Pirro about Neely. “He was threatening to go to jail forever, to go to jail for the rest of his life.”

Penny has been named in a lawsuit by Neely’s father, Andre Zachery, for negligent contact, assault and battery that led to Neely’s death.

“I promised this family justice — we are still going to do that,” Donte Mills, the attorney representing Zachery, said following Penny’s conviction. “The district attorney did a good job, but the jury in this case let us down.”

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One dead in ‘isolated shooting’ at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia

One dead in ‘isolated shooting’ at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia
One dead in ‘isolated shooting’ at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images/STOCK

(AUGUSTA, Ga.) — One person was shot and killed in an “isolated” shooting in on-post housing at Fort Eisenhower on Saturday, according to the base. The shooter has been apprehended and the base reopened after it had gone into lockdown.

“Fort Eisenhower is actively supporting the victim’s family and assistance will be available to anyone impacted by this tragedy. The safety of our residents and personnel remains our primary concern,” Fort Eisenhower said in a statement Saturday.

No information regarding the victim will be released until next-of-kin has been notified.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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