New Congress convenes with Republicans in charge
REPUBLICANS assumed full control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in eight years, on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Republican leaders met keenly to get President Barack Obama’s signature…
Category: USA
Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the United States for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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LA breaks tourism record with 43.4 M visitors in 2014
LOS ANGELES – For the fourth consecutive year, the city hit record-breaking tourism with 43.4 million visitors in 2014. “LA is serious about being the destination for people who are…
Construction underway for California’s bullet train
Project estimated to cost $68 billion AFTER years of legislative battles and planning, construction for the first segment of California’s $68 billion high-speed bullet train has begun. Gov. Jerry Brown, who…
Jury selection begins for trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber
THE process of jury selection for the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began this week under tight security. The case could be the nation’s most closely watched…
LA breaks tourism record with 43.4 M visitors in 2014
LOS ANGELES – For the fourth consecutive year, the city hit record-breaking tourism with 43.4 million visitors in 2014. “LA is serious about being the destination for people who are…
OneWest Bank to offer Filipinos financial assistance
The National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) has teamed up with OneWest Bank to offer financial education services to Filipinos. On Tuesday, Dec. 23, representatives from OneWest Bank visited Island Pacific…
Thousands of undocumented immigrants apply for driver’s licenses in Calif.
LOS ANGELES – Undocumented immigrants in California can now obtain driver’s licenses under Assembly Bill 60, also known as the Safe and Responsible Drivers’ Act, which went into effect on…
Plastic manufacturers push to kill California ban on grocery bag
AN effort to end California’s exclusive state ban on single-use plastic grocery bags advanced this week after manufacturers spent millions on a campaign to gather signatures for a proposed ballot…
Number of police gun deaths increase nationwide
California is leading state IN 2014, 126 law enforcement officers were killed nationwide in the line of duty—a 24 percent jump since 2013, according to an annual report from the…
New strict gun laws for California
WITH the New Year comes new laws, and in 2015 tougher gun laws will change the kinds of guns that can be purchased in California. In July 2014, Governor Jerry…
US jobless claims rise, labor markets setting
The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected during the last week, but the trend remained consistent with sustained strength in the labor market….
GM announces three recalls on New Year
General Motors on Thursday, Jan. 1, announced three new recalls affecting more than 92,000 SUVs and pickup trucks. The recall includes certain 2011 to 2012 models and some 2007 to…
Smartphones are reshaping human brains, study finds
Smartphones have been accused of adversely affecting the brain, but researchers have found that fingertip interaction with touchscreens also results in increased brain activity. A new study published in the…
Oil industry headed for worst price plunge in years
On Dec. 31, the last trading day of the year, the selloff in oil markets continued even as US data showed a greater-than-expected decline in inventory. Oil is headed for…
United, Orbitz sue 22-year-old for cheap airfare website
United Airlines and and online travel company Orbitz are suing a 22-year-old who founded a website that helps travelers book cheaper flights. Aktarer Zaman from New York City founded Skiplagged.com,…
Apple faces lawsuit for allegedly misrepresenting device storage capacity
Two iPhone users have launched a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the company misrepresents storage on certain devices after users upgrade to the iOS 8 operating system. Miami residents Paul Orshan…
US marks end of 13-year war in Afghanistan
IN a ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 28, in Kabul, the United States and NATO formally ended the 13-year war in Afghanistan. “Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and…
Executive actions on immigration could affect agriculture industry
IN California, a leading producer of fruits, vegetables and nuts, many farmers are already fearing a major labor shortage that could be caused by President Obama’s executive actions on immigration…
OneWest Bank to offer Filipinos financial assistance
The National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) has teamed up with OneWest Bank to offer financial education services to Filipinos. On Tuesday, Dec. 23, representatives from OneWest Bank visited Island Pacific…
Nearly 1.2M cards affected in Staples security hack
About 1.16 million customer payment cards were affected in an October security breach at Staples, compromising cardholder names, card numbers, expiration dates and verification codes. The office retailer stated in…
USPS looks to e-commerce to boost mailing business
With eight years of fiscal losses in the books, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is turning to e-commerce to boost its money numbers. “Really it started almost at the…
About 1,400 Walmart stores affected by minimum wage hikes in 2015
National minimum wage hikes set to take place in 2015 will affect the base salaries of workers at 1,434 Walmart locations in the United States, according to an internal memo…
FCC to adopt net neutrality rules in early 2015
THE Federal Communications Commission will adopt net neutrality rules in early 2015, possibly as soon as February, though observers have not predicted what those rules will look like. The FCC…
LA Christmas Day fire rips through motel
ON Christmas evening, six people, including two who were severely burned, were hospitalized after a sudden fire ripped through a three-story residential motel in the Westlake area of Los Angeles,…
Black teen shot by white cop in Berkeley, Mo.
A WHITE Missouri police officer fatally shot a black teenager at a gas station on Tuesday, Dec. 23 in Berkeley, Mo. a neighboring town just two miles from Ferguson, where…
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Obama’s immigration plans
A FEDERAL judge on Tuesday, Dec. 23, turned down an Arizona sheriff’s lawsuit claiming that President Barack Obama’s recently-announced executive action on immigration was unconstitutional. US District Court Judge Beryl…
LA Christmas Day fire rips through motel
ON Christmas evening, six people, including two who were severely burned, were hospitalized after a sudden fire ripped through a three-story residential motel in the Westlake area of Los Angeles,…
Police departments warned after assassination of two New York City cops
POLICE departments and union leaders nationwide are warning officials to wear bulletproof vests and avoid making inflammatory comments on social media after two New York City Police Department officers were…
Driverless cars are perplexing for California
THE California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will miss a Jan. 1, 2015 deadline for regulations regarding future cars, as regulators are still determining how safe driverless units are. Until…
Sprint sued for ‘cramming’ unauthorized phone charges
THE Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday, Dec. 17, sued Sprint for “cramming” its customers by illegally billing them for millions of dollars in unauthorized charges. “Consumers ended up paying…