UNITED STATES

The first openly transgender Oscar nominee for Best Actress, Karla Sofía Gascón, spoke out after being criticized for past controversial social media posts.The Academy Award contender, who starred in "Emilia Pérez," has been in hot water the past week after numerous old tweets emerged criticizing a variety of groups. These posts ranged from slamming multiple religions as the "f---ing beliefs of morons that violate human rights," to referring to George Floyd shortly after his death as a "drug addict swindler." In that latter post, Gascón appeared to criticize both sides of the debate over Floyd’s death, such as those who "still

Amid scrutiny over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to transfer his financial interest in vaccine lawsuits to his family, legal experts have criticized the move but note that Kennedy's approach is not significantly different from actions taken by other public officials in the past.During Kennedy's confirmation hearings last week, the potential next secretary of Health and Human Services was probed over his financial stake in personal-injury lawsuits tied to vaccines, in particular his ties to a suit against pharmaceutical company Merck and its Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine. While Kennedy would not initially commit to letting go of his stake against

A nonprofit voter engagement group founded by high-profile Georgia perennial candidate Stacey Abrams reportedly suffered dozens of layoffs two weeks after facing a six-figure state ethics fine for campaign finance violations.Scores of workers at the New Georgia Project (NGP) have been laid off since Dec. 27, with a dozen more being pink-slipped at the end of January, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.The group describes itself as a "nonpartisan effort to register, civically engage, and build power with the New Georgia Majority… the growing population of Black, brown, young and other historically marginalized voters."It received attention for helping Democrats flip Georgia

Oklahoma State School Superintendent Ryan Walters pushed back after a clash on CNN over his openness to allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into schools – with Walters doubling down and rejecting "sanctuary schools."Walters had told local media that he would not rule out allowing federal agents into schools to remove illegal immigrants, amid an ongoing deportation operation since President Donald Trump took office.The Trump administration has lifted a Biden-era "sensitive places" mandate, which prevented agents from entering schools amid concerns that illegal immigrants could use such places to hide from enforcement. It has sparked pushback from some local

During his confirmation hearings, senators understandably questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on health, ranging from abortion to vaccinations.It’s not surprising people would hesitate to accept some of Kennedy’s most unusual claims. Americans who have Red Dye No. 3 in their favorite breakfast cereal and McDonald’s Big Macs for dinner clearly have the most to lose. From fluoride in our water to beef tallow to vaccines, RFK Jr. is asking questions about our health no one else has bothered to ask.RFK Jr. is willing to push against our unhealthy habits, something no one else has considered. Is that really a bad thing?According to the latest CDC reports, an estimated 129 million Americans have at least one major chronic disease – including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Most are women, often with several diagnoses.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent the weekend speaking with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who could effectively stop his confirmation process for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in its tracks. The Louisiana senator's office confirmed Sunday evening that the two men had been speaking that day. Cassidy is a doctor and also one of the few remaining Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH'S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH'S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW'S ALLEGATIONSHis vote on the 27-member Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday could decide whether

A U.S. Capitol Police recruit died in a fatal car crash in Georgia over the weekend, as details are still emerging from the incident that also sent several other recruits to the hospital.Democratic congressional leadership were first to confirm the death of United States Capitol Police Recruit Officer Christopher Katz in a statement Monday morning. "Our prayers are with his family and we will honor his memory when the House returns on Tuesday," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle, both from New York, said. "It is a tragic day with the news that

JOHANNESBURG - President Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to cut off all foreign aid to South Africa because he claimed it is "confiscating" land "and treating certain classes of people very badly" in "a massive human rights violation" has provoked strong reaction from the South African presidency and commentators. "The South African government has not confiscated any land", South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded in a statement, adding "We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest. We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and