Author: Press Room

Famous banned books are cultural flashpoints that push us to think critically about the harms, … More experiences and consequences of our human experiences.getty Famous banned books disappear from shelves in America more often than we think, but the bigger question is why. Even though there’s no master list or government blacklist, books often vanish quietly after parents, politicians or school boards decide a book or its author has stepped out of line. The reasons can include anything from race, sex, politics or social thought that doesn’t fit the status quo. It can also include anything that makes people uncomfortable.…

VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. “I too address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,’” Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his remarkable election as pope, the first from the United States. Then too…

Today is the tenth anniversary of one of the two things that former President Bill Clinton believes cost his wife Hillary the 2016 election. Ten years ago, Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How Foreign Governments and Businesses Made Bill and Hillary Rich, was published. Its revelations launched an FBI investigation into Bill and Hillary Clinton’s family foundation. The book rocked official Washington, prompted widespread media coverage, including front-page write-ups in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Later reporting would confirm how much the book spooked the Clinton campaign team, which may have been why her…

Ankara is ready to help Moscow and Kiev pick up the settlement process “where they left off” in 2022, the president has said Türkiye has accepted Russia’s request to mediate direct peace talks with Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The country previously hosted negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, which ultimately collapsed after Ukraine walked out.In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan welcomed Putin’s recent statement suggesting that “talks between Russia and Ukraine would continue in Istanbul from where they left off,” adding that Ankara “was ready to host negotiations that would…

American last is out; America first is in. Fox News reported Friday that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a center for homeless veterans titled, “KEEPING PROMISES TO VETERANS AND ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL CENTER FOR WARRIOR INDEPENDENCE.” This order will create the National Center for Warrior Independence in Los Angeles, California on the Veterans Affairs campus. This funding, Fox says, will come from money previously used on illegal immigrants. If this is not a total reversal, then what is? According to the LA VA website, the center was established in 1887 through a grant from former Republican Sen.…

The Black Keys’ “The Night Before” hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, giving the … More duo its eighth leader, tying the band with U2 and Weezer. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 18: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys attend the 2020 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO at The Forum on January 18, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)Getty Images for iHeartMedia The Black Keys are in charge of a Billboard chart again this week. The group’s latest single, “The Night Before,” soars to the summit of one…

The Department of Transportation, led by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, has unveiled plans for a new “state-of-the-art air traffic control system” which leaders believe will be the “envy of the world.” Duffy made the point that the current infrastructure was put in place when Elvis was a star. “Really really old. It all has to be new, state-of-the-art,” he said. The plan involves the FAA replacing what the press release describes as “core infrastructure including radar, software, hardware and telecommunications networks to manage modern travel.” “We have a system that is built for the past, we are proposing a system…

Credit: Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office A deeply disturbing video released by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Albuquerque, NM, has ignited outrage and concern after showing two very young boys—believed to be just 7 and 9 years old—engaged in a standoff with deputies while holding a loaded handgun. The jaw-dropping incident occurred on February 16, but the footage was only made public Thursday. The five-minute video captures a tense and dangerous standoff as deputies confront two young children armed with a loaded handgun. In the background, the children’s terrified parents can be heard screaming, pleading with them to drop…

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 18: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE)Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman as he … More visits “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” at Fox Business Network Studios on September 18, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)Getty Images It’s easy to forget that Blackstone Group co-founder Stephen Schwarzman didn’t start out as a private equity investor. Private equity is what he and co-founder Pete Peterson (1926-2018) migrated to after successful investment banking careers. In private equity, they saw that “you could really improve the companies you bought.” What brought Schwarzman and Peterson to private equity rates serious thought…

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia’s offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start. Zelenskyy, writing on X, called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s counter-offer to start talks without a ceasefire a “positive sign,” and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.” He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.” Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared 3-day pause expired.…