National

UNITED STATES—Alice Marie Johnson was granted a full pardon from her life sentence with no parole on Friday, August 28. Her case received national attention in 2017 after an interview with Mic went viral. Johnson's story brought attention to America's drug punishments, as many called for criminal justice reform. The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act declared a war on drugs and...

WESTWOOD—According to US News & World Reports inaugural Best Global University rankings, UCLA stands as the No. 8 university worldwide and the No. 2 public institution behind rival University of California Berkeley. The rankings, covering 500 universities across 49 different countries, are based upon an institution's influence in both the academic and research communities. UC Berkeley, only ranked behind Harvard and...

CALIFORNIA—The Center for Disease Control, in collaboration with state health officials and the US Food and Drug Administration, is investigating an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (listeriosis), which has sickened 32 people, hospitalized 31 and killed seven. The disease is determined to have been spread by Granny Smith apples produced by Bidart Brothers of Bakersfield, who have recalled all of their...

SAN FRANCISCO—Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, an Rialto-based firework company, produces more than a thousand shows all over the world, including this years Fourth of July show at Pier 39. Over the weekend, San Francisco locals will be able to catch a laser light show at 9 p.m. followed by a 10,000-firework sequence during the 25-minute show at 9:30 p.m., which...

UNITED STATES—Freshman Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will face competition for her congressional seat in the 14th District from Scherie Murray. Murray, who is a Republican hails from New York and immigrated from Jamaica as a child. She announced her intent to run for Congress and possibly unseat Ocasio-Cortez. According to her website, Murray started her own business in 2004, known as the...

UNITED STATES—On Saturday, April 23, Texas Rangers, Texas Army National Guard, DPS Officers, and first responders continued their search for a missing National Guard Soldier assigned to Operation Lone Star. The solider dove into the Rio Grand River to save migrants from drowning on Friday, April 22. According to reports, two of the migrants the missing soldier attempted to save...

SEATTLE— On Wednesday, September 2, a 36-year-old Seattle man was arrested in connection to a bomb threat that was submitted to a Portland Oregon Police precinct on July 24.  According to U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran, a person, who was later identified as Kyle Tornow, submitted a message through Track IT, a platform that people can use to communicate with...

SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, August 21, a San Francisco man pled guilty to charges of violating federal laws that protect endangered or threatened wildlife after attempting to sell two black rhinoceros horns to an undercover federal agent for $55,000. The suspect, identified as Lumsden Quan, is a 47-year-old art dealer, but was posing as a broker for the horns' owners. He and his partner, Edward Levine,...

UNITED STATES—Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified for two consecutive days on Capitol Hill this week. He first testified for 5 hours before a joint session of two Senate committees on Tuesday, April 10. Wednesday’s hearing was in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The hearings generated questions from privacy advocates and free speech protectors. Facebook was under a...

NEW YORK—Actress Amanda Bynes appeared in court on Friday, May 24 after allegedly throwing a bong outside her midtown Manhattan apartment building. Bynes, 27, was charged with possession of marijuana, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors requested a bail of $1,000, however, Judge Neil Ross had the actress released on her own recognizance. Bynes is scheduled to appear back...