California may have to pay $300M for COVID-19 homeless hotel program after FEMA caps reimbursement

California may have to pay 0M for COVID-19 homeless hotel program after FEMA caps reimbursement

SAN FRANCISCO — California cities and counties still don’t know how much they’ll have to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic program to house homeless people in hotel rooms after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the number of days eligible for reimbursement. State and local officials say they … Read more

Jon Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show’ felt familiar to those who missed him while he was away

Jon Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show’ felt familiar to those who missed him while he was away

NEW YORK — No, Jon Stewart really wasn’t sitting at his desk at Comedy Central for the last nine years, waiting for someone to turn the lights back on. Yet it almost felt that way during Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” Monday night. His signature moves — blunt satire, facial grimaces, incisive use of … Read more

Mental health emerges as a dividing line in abortion rights initiatives planned for state ballots

Mental health emerges as a dividing line in abortion rights initiatives planned for state ballots

CHICAGO — The weeks after Kaniya Harris found out she was pregnant were among the hardest in her life. Final exams were fast approaching for the college junior. Her doctors told her she had an ovarian cyst, and the risk of ectopic pregnancy was high. The wait times for abortion clinics near her city of … Read more

Super Bowl was the most-watched program ever in the US, averaging 123.4 million viewers

Super Bowl was the most-watched program ever in the US, averaging 123.4 million viewers

The longest Super Bowl game will also go down as the most-watched program in U.S. television history. According to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco on Sunday night averaged 123.4 million viewers across television and streaming platforms. That shattered last year’s mark of 115.1 million for Kansas City’s last-play … Read more

Thailand looks set to crack down on legal pot market with ban on ‘recreational’ use

Thailand looks set to crack down on legal pot market with ban on ‘recreational’ use

BANGKOK — Two years after Thailand made pot legal, the country appears set to crack down on its freewheeling drug market with a ban on “recreational” use. Legal cannabis has fueled Thailand’s tourism and farming trades and spawned thousands of neon green shops, but it’s facing public backlash over perceptions that under-regulation has made the … Read more

Super Bowl thriller was the most-watched program ever, averaging 123.4 million viewers

Super Bowl was the most-watched program ever in the US, averaging 123.4 million viewers

The longest Super Bowl game will also go down as the most-watched program in television history. According to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco on Sunday night averaged 123.4 million viewers across television and streaming platforms. That shattered last year’s mark of 115.1 million for Kansas City’s last-play victory … Read more

New Orleans’ Carnival season marks Fat Tuesday with celebrities and pretend monarchs

New Orleans’ Carnival season marks Fat Tuesday with celebrities and pretend monarchs

NEW ORLEAN — New Orleans’ Carnival season is nearing its “Fat Tuesday” climax, with the last lavish Mardi Gras parades set to roll through historic neighborhoods while narrow streets of the old French Quarter host a raucous, continuous street party of revelers overflowing its bars and restaurants. Two of the city’s favorite parades — the … Read more

Elderly Alaska man is first reported person to die of recently discovered Alaskapox virus

Elderly Alaska man is first reported person to die of recently discovered Alaskapox virus

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An elderly man has died from Alaskapox, the first known fatality from the recently discovered virus, state health officials said. The man, who lived in the remote Kenai Peninsula, was hospitalized last November and died in late January, according to a bulletin last week from Alaska public health officials. The man was … Read more

Usher and longtime partner Jenn Goicoechea married after the Super Bowl, records show

Usher and longtime partner Jenn Goicoechea married after the Super Bowl, records show

LAS VEGAS — Usher and longtime partner Jenn Goicoechea married in Las Vegas just hours after the R&B superstar’s headline appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show, according to officials and documents. The couple married Sunday at Vegas Weddings, according to a marriage certificate made public Monday. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Ronald … Read more

Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?

Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?

The Florida Supreme Court is hearing arguments Wednesday on whether a ballot measure to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution should go before voters in November. It’s one of several states where abortion might be on the ballot this year. There has been a major push across the country to put abortion … Read more