California is bracing for flooding as a new storm system brings heavy rain and the melting of the huge snowpack built up in the mountains. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the entire Bay Area, and the California Office of Emergency Services is urging residents to be prepared for potential flooding.
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Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has denied allegations that he was the mastermind behind a credit card skimming operation in 2017, as stated in a sworn declaration by his former roommate Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha. Santos claims he is innocent and that Trelha provided him with the materials and taught him how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines. The FBI and other federal law enforcement officials are currently investigating the allegations against Santos.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday, May 8, with a public holiday declared for the following day. To mark the occasion, celebratory lunches will be held across the U.K. and other Commonwealth countries, and a special service will be held at Westminster Abbey on May 7. The coronation will be the first since Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and will be a momentous occasion for the British royal family and the U.K. as a whole.
The US economy added 311,000 jobs in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and President Biden touted this as a sign of his agenda working. The unemployment rate rose to 3.6%, as more Americans began searching for work, and the Fed is monitoring the situation closely to ensure inflation remains in check. President Biden's agenda is having a positive impact on the US economy, and the Fed is likely to take steps to ensure inflation remains in check.
On Friday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) ordered the closure of Silicon Valley Bank, a major tech lender, due to sudden financial trouble. All insured depositors will have full access to their deposits by Monday morning, and the FDIC will pay uninsured depositors an advance dividend within the next week. The closure of Silicon Valley Bank is a major blow to the tech industry, and the long-term implications of the bank’s closure remain unclear.
A wild African serval cat, nicknamed "Cocaine Cat" by social media users, has been found with cocaine in its system after escaping from a traffic stop and is now being cared for by the Cincinnati Zoo. The cat's story has been trending online in the wake of the release of the horror comedy film "Cocaine Bear," and it remains to be seen if the cat will be able to make a full recovery and live out its days in the zoo.
The House of Representatives has voted unanimously to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, and the bill is now on its way to President Biden's desk. The bill requires Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to declassify any information about links between the pandemic and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Michael Turner has said that the American public deserves answers. The intelligence community has not yet definitively agreed on the origins of the pandemic, and the declassification of information is expected to provide more clarity.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley has announced the indictment of 11 current or former officers in the East Cleveland Police Department on charges of unlawful conduct, bringing the total number of officers indicted in the last 6 1/2 months to 16. The charges include felonious assault and violation of civil rights, and the investigation is ongoing. O’Malley has stated that the department is committed to “removing every tentacle of that cancer” in order to rebuild and grow.