Every fall, the Social Security Administration makes an announcement that has a major impact on the 66 million people who receive benefit checks. The annual inflation adjustment is aimed at keeping seniors from losing purchasing power. The agency on Thursday said its 2023 cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, will be 8.7%, …
Read More »Court overturns conviction of woman accused of trying to convince her son to kill his father with rat poison
An appeals court has overturned a Mount Vernon woman’s conviction for soliciting to kill her former husband. The Washington Court of Appeals on Monday overturned Vanessa Valdiglesias LaValle’s conviction. The Seattle Times first reported the decision. She had been found guilty in 2021 for trying to persuade her son to kill his …
Read More »National Archives appears to refute Trump statement about George H.W. Bush’s White House records
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publicly refuted the falsehood that has been promoted by former President Donald Trump that former presidents have taken presidential records with them when they leave office or stored them in “substandard conditions.” “Reports that indicate or imply that those Presidential records were in …
Read More »Mortgage rates climb to their highest level in 16 years
Borrowing costs for home loans have reached their highest point in 16 years, with the interest on a conventional 30-year mortgage hitting 6.7% on Wednesday, according to Freddie Mac. Mortgage rates have now more than doubled since the beginning of 2022. As measured by their “effective” rate, which factors in …
Read More »Father, teen son charged in Los Angeles shooting death of rapper PnB Rock
A man and his 17-year-old son were charged Thursday with murder in the fatal shooting of rapper PnB Rock at a South Los Angeles restaurant, authorities said. Freddie Lee Trone, 40, who has yet to be arrested, and his son, who was taken into custody Tuesday, were each charged with …
Read More »Woman sues San Francisco after DNA retained in sexual assault case used to arrest her on unrelated charge
San Francisco — A rape victim whose DNA from her sexual assault case was used by San Francisco police to arrest her in an unrelated property crime on Monday filed a lawsuit against the city. During a search of a San Francisco Police Department crime lab database, the woman’s DNA …
Read More »New York judge says he will bar selective prosecution claim in Trump Organization criminal trial
A Manhattan judge indicated Monday he won’t allow attorneys for the Trump Organization to accuse Manhattan prosecutors of targeting the company out of animus for former President Donald Trump. New York County Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan said at an at-times testy hearing, six weeks before the company’s Oct. 24 …
Read More »Mortgage rates hit 5.89% — highest level since the 2008 housing crash
U.S. mortgage rates continue to rise, hitting the highest levels in almost 14 years and pushing even more would-be buyers out of the market. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate jumped to 5.89% from 5.66% last week. That’s the highest the long-term rate has been since …
Read More »Chicago mayor asks for donations, volunteers to help with immigrants bused from Texas
Chicago officials are asking the public for volunteers and donations to help immigrants being bused to the city from Texas, where the state’s GOP governor is waging a political battle against President Biden’s immigration policies. A busload of about 50 immigrants arrived Sunday in Chicago, days after the arrival of …
Read More »Student borrowers in these 13 states may owe taxes on Biden’s debt relief
The Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt is slated to lift a financial burden from millions of Americans. Yet the plan could add tax bills as high as $1,100 for borrowers in some states, according to a recent Tax Foundation analysis. That may catch …
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