Lightening struck the US Capitol and the Empire State Building on the final night of 2024, with many wondering if it might be a good “omen” ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Social [...] The post An Omen? Lightning Strikes US Capitol On New Year’s Eve appeared first on The People's Voice.

The story of the exhilarating early ’60s birth of the Rolling Stones

Neil Young headlined Glastonbury in 2009, but it looks like he won't be back anytime soon

House Republicans unveiled on Wednesday a rules package for the 119th Congress that, if adopted, would make it more difficult to cast out a speaker for at least the next two years. Lawmakers in the lower chamber are slated to consider the measure on Friday after the House votes on the speakership. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is running to keep the gavel and has been “working the phones” over the Christmas break while some members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have been searching for an alternative pick or discussing possible concessions from the current speaker, according to Punchbowl News. Near the top of the 36-page rules package is a provision requiring nine majority party members to initiate a privileged “motion to vacate” the speaker of the House. That would be a sizable increase from the current threshold of one member who could force a no-confidence vote that could lead to a speaker’s ouster. CBS News reported that leaders of the Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus announced in November that they had reached a deal on raising the threshold. Lawmakers have tinkered with the threshold for the motion-to-vacate procedure multiple times over the past several years. A Democrat-led House changed the rule in 2019, as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) began her second stint as speaker, to do away with a one-member threshold in favor of requiring a majority of either party to bring a motion to vacate to the House floor after Republicans filed one against then-House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in 2015 before he eventually stepped down. But the House rules package approved for the next Congress, agreed upon by a new GOP majority that secured then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) the speaker’s gavel following 15 rounds of voting in January 2023, restored the ability of a single member to trigger the process that could lead to a no-confidence vote in the speaker. And, by early October 2023, the House had booted McCarthy from the role after the House passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown. A weeks-long stalemate ended in late October 2023 when the House elected Johnson as its 56th speaker. Johnson is now running to stay in the role boosted by President-elect Donald Trump‘s endorsement but is also facing resistance from a couple of Republicans holding out support after yet another clash over spending. A simple majority is needed for victory. The GOP narrowly won control of the House in the 2024 election, and it was, as of Wednesday, unclear if any Democrats would cross the aisle and support Johnson. The new rules package has a number of other provisions beyond tweaking the motion-to-vacate threshold, including the authorization of subpoenas related to investigations into President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, setting up consideration of a dozen bills that focus on issues ranging from immigration to imposing sanctions in response to the International Criminal Court going after any “protected person” of the United States and its allies and renaming the Office of Congressional Ethics to the Office of Congressional Conduct.

The FBI said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that agents “do not believe” that the presumed ISIS supporter who carried out a terror attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter acted alone. “We are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” said FBI Assistant Special Agent In Charge Alethea Duncan. “We’re aggressively running down all the leads to identify the possible subject’s associates. We’re working to ensure that there is no further threat.” “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” she continued. “We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates. That’s why we need the public’s help.” Duncan said later during the press conference that she did not want to name a specific number of suspects that the FBI was looking at because she did not want to limit the possibility that there were more unknown suspects. BREAKING: FBI says that they “DO NOT BELIEVE” that 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone in his terror attack on New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/bDv6xzuwEa — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 1, 2025 This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Governor Jeff Landry confirmed during the press conference that law enforcement officials were hunting down suspects. Kennedy (R-LA) said the FBI was “in the process of trying to catch the other bad guys.” Landry said moments later that law enforcement was “hunting some bad people down.” BREAKING: Officials say that they are hunting down other suspects involved in the ISIS terror attack Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) says the FBI is "in the process of trying to catch the other bad guys" Governor Jeff Landry says that law enforcement is "hunting some bad people down" pic.twitter.com/4JLB0GO2iV — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 1, 2025 RELATED: MORNING WIRE: New Orleans Terror Attack 1-1-2025

Almost exactly one year after her release from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard is a mom. Her boyfriend, Ken Urker, shared the news on Instagram with a family picture captioned, “Welcoming 2025 with the greatest gift of all.” Gypsy and Ken announced the pregnancy in July and a month later shared they would welcome a baby girl. Their daughter, Aurora Raina Urker, is finally here, and it seems everyone is happy and feeling well. Ken’s photo shows Gypsy Rose in her hospital room, cradling Aurora as her dad looks at their baby with a smile. It’s a sweet photo of the new family. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ken Urker (@kenurker) Gypsy Rose And Her Husband Gave Their Baby A Special Name She shared with People that her daughter’s name has a deep meaning. “Back whenever Ken and I were together seven years ago, both of us have a fascination with the Northern Lights, and the proper term is the Aurora Borealis,” she explained. The pair had the same idea for a baby’s name years ago. “I think it was maybe in 2018, we wrote each other’s future kid’s name on pieces of paper and Aurora is what we both picked without even knowing each other was picking it,” Gypsy Rose said of her baby girl’s name. She added that she and Ken want to see the Aurora Borealis in person one day. “After I’m off parole we’re going to go. We’re going to go to Sweden.” After Ken announced the baby’s birth on Instagram, the well-wishes began. One person wrote, “What timing for a grand entrance! Congrats to papa, mama and the fam!” This person agreed, “Congratulations Brother! You’re gonna be a fantastic father.” “Now we can scream it out to the world,” another person shared. May this year be filled with love and light for Gypsy Rose, Ken, and their new baby girl. This story’s featured image is by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images. The post Gypsy Rose Blanchard Welcomes Her First Baby, “Welcome To 2025” appeared first on InspireMore.

Scuba divers get to explore places most travelers never get to see. Land dwellers can see the beauty of the Cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula through their eyes. The vast underwater cave system offers a unique view of past life through two million years of change. They are a window that shows the changes levied by time and glaciation cycles. The beauty is unparalleled. During the ice age, the caves were mostly above ground. This allowed the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. When sea levels rose later, the caves flooded and were preserved as they stood. Divers equate the experience of swimming through the underwater cave system to diving in a time capsule. Covering an expansive portion of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the underwater cave system is accessed via cenotes (natural reservoirs or sinkholes). Water from rainfall fills the underground cave system when it leaks through limestone. Image from Wikimedia Commons. The cenotes were a sacred space when the Mayans roamed the region about 4,000 years ago. Because freshwater is vital to any civilization, many Mayan cities are located near the access points to the underground cave system. Image from Wikimedia Commons. Diving through the underground waterway is a fantastic adventure. Several diving companies offer guided dive excursions. Many of the tours are for experienced divers only. However, some areas of the underwater cave system are accessible and safe for snorkeling. Vloggers Kara and Nate have snorkeled and scuba-dived in the caves. In a YouTube video, they recorded their diving experience through the underground cave system. If you are a scuba diver looking for a new place to explore, the Cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula might be perfect. Please share if you like scuba diving and time travel. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Scuba Divers Explore World’s Largest Underwater Cave System In Stunning Footage appeared first on InspireMore.

'She’s at the center of the biggest scandal going in American politics'