Author: Press Room

CNN  —  A man in northern New York pleaded guilty to federal charges Wednesday over sending threatening voicemails to Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene last March. Joseph Morelli pleaded guilty to three counts of interstate threatening communications in federal court in Syracuse, New York, according to court records. Morelli, who plainly identified himself in the voicemails, left seven threatening messages at the congresswoman’s office and threatened to harm any law enforcement if they responded to his calls, according to the complaint. Morelli said in a voicemail to Greene, “You promote violence, and I think as a true patriot and…

Tim Bieber | Photodisc | Getty ImagesAmid stock market gyrations, recession fears and loftier payouts, consumers pumped a record sum of money last year into annuities, a type of insurance that offers a guaranteed income stream.Buyers funneled $310.6 billion into annuities in 2022, according to estimates published by Limra, an insurance industry trade group.That figure is a 17% increase over the prior record set in 2008, when consumers purchased $265 billion of annuities. That year, the U.S. was in the throes of the Great Recession and the stock market ultimately bottomed out with a 57% loss.More from Personal Finance:Why it…

A rivalry game between the Iowa men’s basketball team and the Illinois Fighting Illini this weekend has taken an interesting turn after the Hawkeyes announced Wednesday that they canceled 200 tickets purchased by Illinois’ student section after claiming that they were falsely purchased “on behalf” of a local Boys and Girls Club.  The Orange Krush, the largest student-run charitable organization, released a statement on Twitter Wednesday night revealing that the group has lost out on nearly $6,000 after getting a late notice from Iowa’s athletic department that its ticket purchase for Saturday’s game had been canceled.  “Unfortunately, the University of Iowa…

While some roses stand the test of time, others wilt before the Neil Lane engagement ring can be resized.
The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002 with Alex Michel dubbed the world’s most eligible Bachelor. More than 20 women competed for his heart and one of the most successful reality TV franchises was born. The following year, The Bachelorette debuted. Since the show’s initial premiere in 2002, 47 men and women have been named the Bachelor or Bachelorette. Brad Womack remains the only star to lead the series more than once, but in 2020, the reality series shocked viewers with…

Authorities in Minnesota say a puppy was thrown out of a stolen vehicle during a police chase and the canine is currently recovering from its injuries and being cared for by employees of the police department. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office says the dog was thrown out of the window while deputies were pursuing a stolen vehicle driven by suspects who were believed to have shot someone, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.The suspects refused to stop and at one point reportedly brandished a gun and tried to carjack another vehicle but were stopped from doing so by deputies.”The suspects still refused to…

The Canadian Armed Forces will be conducting driver and convoy operation training on a number of highways in southern and central Ontario this weekend. The army says reserve personnel from 31 Service Battalion and 23 Support Company will conduct driving training between Hamilton, Ottawa and Petawawa from Feb. 3 to 5.Activities will include convoy training on a planned, return highway route transiting Hamilton, Trenton, Kingston, Ottawa, Petawawa and Peterborough.“This is regular, scheduled training that keeps our Combat Service Support personnel and units ready to respond to missions in Canada — like floods and wildfires — and in support of international stability…

CNN  —  Activists from the campaign group Greenpeace have boarded a ship in the Atlantic Ocean and scaled a Shell oil platform that is currently being transported to the North Sea. “Stop drilling. Start paying,” the activists’ banners say. The protest comes as the oil giant on Thursday announced record annual profits of almost $40 billion for 2022, more than doubling what it posted in 2021. The company has benefited from very high oil and gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Greenpeace called the action “a peaceful protest against the climate devastation around the world caused by Shell and…

Prospective buyers at an open house in Florida.Mike Stocker | South Florida Sun Sentinel | Tribune News Service | Getty ImagesThe average rate on the 30-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen to 5.99%, according to Mortgage News Daily.The housing market hasn’t seen the rate with a five handle since a brief blip in early September. Before that, it was in early August.The rate started this week at 6.21% and fell sharply Wednesday after the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said inflation “has eased somewhat but remains elevated,” which was a shift from previous language.That sent bond yields lower, and mortgage…

Washington CNN  —  Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address, according to an announcement from GOP congressional leaders. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Thursday that Sanders will give the Republican address to the nation from Little Rock, Arkansas, after the conclusion of Biden’s speech. The president is scheduled to offer remarks before a joint session of Congress next week, on February 7. In a joint statement, McConnell and McCarthy both touted Sanders as a representative for a new generation of…

CANTO, the cryptocurrency that powers Canto’s Decentralized Finance (DeFi) focused layer-1 blockchain protocol, has been exploding higher in 2023. CANTO/USD is up a staggering around 530% since the turn of the year and hit record highs earlier on Thursday in the $0.60s. This time last month, CANTO was changing hands for close to $0.07.The cryptocurrency has been benefiting from a broad surge in crypto markets that has seen the likes of Bitcoin gain more than 40% so far this year, mostly as a result of bets that the 2022 bear market is over with the macro backdrop for 2023 looking…