Health Canada is introducing warning labels on individual cigarettes in an effort to reduce smoking rates in Canada. The labels, which will be in English and French, will include messages such as "poison in every puff," "tobacco smoke harms children" and "cigarettes cause impotence." King-size cigarettes will be the first to feature the warnings, with regular-size cigarettes and little cigars with tipping paper and tubes following by the end of April 2025. This makes Canada the first country in the world to have warning labels on individual cigarettes.
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The CDC reported that the number of babies born in the U.S. in 2022 was lower than in 2021, indicating that the rebound from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. The teen birthrate also reached a record low, with a 3% decrease from the previous year. This is a smaller decrease than in previous years, suggesting that the nation is reaching a plateau due to years of progress.
Congress is close to passing a bill to raise the debt limit and avoid a U.S. default, but 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls are expressing their disapproval of the deal. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have called it a “horrible deal” and “will only add to our already unsustainable debt” respectively. Other hopefuls, such as Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo, have also voiced their concerns about the country’s debt and spending.
John Boehner, former House Speaker, praised current Speaker Kevin McCarthy for his handling of negotiations to raise the debt ceiling and trim the federal budget deficit. The bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support, and is expected to be taken up by the Senate in the coming days. If passed, it would be the first major legislative achievement of the Biden administration.
North Korea attempted to launch a military spy satellite on Tuesday, but it crashed shortly after launch. Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, condemned the international community's reaction to the launch. The failed launch has sparked alarm among North Korea's neighbors and the United Nations Security Council is expected to meet to discuss the matter.
Kim Cattrall is set to make a brief return to the small screen as Samantha Jones in the finale of the second season of the "Sex and the City" spinoff series, "And Just Like That...". Variety reported that the actress will reprise her iconic role for the show's finale, which will air June 22. Cattrall filmed her cameo March 22 in New York and will only appear in one scene of the season finale. Fans of the show will be eager to see how her return will be incorporated into the finale.
Clifford Walters, a Hawaii resident, has pleaded guilty to a federal charge and been fined after helping a bison calf out of the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park. The calf was later euthanized, and the National Park Service has warned visitors to never approach, feed, or intentionally disturb wildlife. Walters was fined $500, along with a $500 community service payment, a $30 special assessment and a $10 processing fee.
Federal prosecutors have obtained a recording of former President Donald Trump discussing a sensitive military document during a July 2021 meeting at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The recording is a crucial piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation of Trump's handling of classified documents, and could be seen as obstruction of the investigation. It has been presented in grand-jury proceedings by special counsel Jack Smith's office, and the outcome of the investigation is yet to be determined.