Town Hall News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. troops at risk by sharing sensitive plans about an upcoming military strike in Yemen on his personal phone, according to a Pentagon inspector general’s report made public Thursday that criticized the use of unapproved messaging apps and devices across the Defense Department. Hegseth had the authority to declassify the material he shared with others in a Signal chat, the watchdog found. […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — An effort to regulate college sports backed by the NCAA, the U.S. Olympic organization and the White House has faltered in Congress, with opponents raising concerns over the wide-reaching power it gives the NCAA and its most powerful programs. House Republican leaders had planned to push the bill, known as the SCORE Act, to a final vote this week. But those plans were abruptly scrapped after a […]

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh signed a three-year, $12.3 million contract extension Thursday. McDonagh, 36, has six points (three goals, three assists) in 15 games this season while playing in the final campaign of a seven-year, $47.25 million contract. He currently is on injured reserve. McDonagh is one season removed from leading the NHL with a plus-43 rating. “Mac is one of a kind,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said […]

By Daniel Wiessner Dec 4 (Reuters) – Unions representing U.S. State Department employees have asked a federal judge to block the agency from laying off more than 1,300 workers on Friday, the latest legal battle over mass job cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration. The unions in a filing in San Francisco federal court late Wednesday said the looming cuts, which include 1,100 civil service jobs and nearly 250 U.S. […]

Dec 4 (Reuters) – The United States Geological Survey said on Thursday that its automatic earthquake detection system had erroneously sent out a report earlier in the day that a 5.9 magnitude earthquake had struck near Dayton, Nevada. A spokesperson for the USGS said there was no such temblor in the region, about 12 miles northeast of the state capital Carson City, saying the report was “a bogus event.”  The […]

MONS, Belgium, Dec 4 (Reuters) – NATO must be ready to respond to increasing hybrid threats in order to defend its member states’ territory, the alliance’s top military commander said on Thursday. Hybrid threats refer to both military and non-military tactics designed to undermine an adversary’s security and typically include cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, sabotage of key infrastructure and use of drones or irregular armed groups. “Hybrid threats are a real […]

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday it has approved AT&T’s deal to buy some wireless spectrum licenses from U.S. Cellular in a $1.02 billion deal after the Texas-based carrier committed to end DEI programs. The FCC has been requiring telecom carriers to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs as a condition of approving transactions since President Donald Trump took office. The FCC said the deal […]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to a three-year extension worth $12.3 million. General manager Julien BriseBois announced the deal Thursday. McDonagh will be 37 when the new contract kicks in that counts $4.1 million against the salary cap through the 2028-29 NHL season. McDonagh helped the Lightning win the Stanley Cup back to back in 2020 and ’21 and reach the […]

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Austin McNamara’s journey to becoming one of the NFL’s top young punters began on a computer screen. The New York Jets ‘ first-year standout loved playing soccer and basketball while growing up in Gilbert, Arizona, but never participated in organized football until he got to high school. That’s when McNamara thought, just for kicks, he’d give a new sport a try. And with his soccer […]