The Week

A California appeals court ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that Leslie Van Houten, a follower of cult leader Charles Manson who participated in two murders at his direction, is entitled to parole. Since 2016, Van Houten, 73, has been recommended for parole five times, with the Board of Parole Hearings saying in 2020 she does not "pose an unreasonable risk to public safety." California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) …

When Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House after a grueling series of votes to solidify his fractious congressional majority, he did so thanks in part to a negotiated agreement that empowered his party's most extreme conservatives to oust him from his leadership perch at a moment's notice through a process called the "motion to vacate." Just months later, McCarthy is fac…

While tech companies have faced a reckoning in recent months, there is at least one corporation that is dominating its market, though many people may have never heard of it: microchip maker Nvidia. What is Nvidia? The Santa Clara, California, company "engages in the design and manufacture of computer graphics processors, chipsets, and related multimedia software," Forbes explained. Nvidia was fou…

While most people are probably used to weighing their luggage at the airport, international passengers on Air New Zealand will soon have to put something else on the scale — themselves. New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced Tuesday that the country's national airline will be weighing international passengers departing from the capital city of Auckland from May 31 through July 2, …

China on Tuesday launched its Shenzhou-16 space mission, which counted the nation's first civilian astronaut among its three-person crew, CNN reported. The astronauts were sent to China's Tiangong space station to take over for the Shenzhou-15 astronauts. This is China's fifth mission to the space station since 2021. The crew — Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao — will spend five months ab…

Scientists in many fields have been getting little attention over the last two years or so as the world focused on the emergency push to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. But labs and researchers have remained busy, recently reporting a dizzying series of major discoveries and achievements: 1. Nuclear fusion Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announ…

The Republican-led Texas House voted Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), immediately suspending him from office, and 12 newly appointed impeachment managers delivered the 20 articles of impeachment to the state Senate on Monday. The Senate then unanimously instructed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) to pick a date "not later than" Aug. 28 to start the trial. A seven-member committee will…

In late April, President Biden brought an end to one of the worst-kept secrets in Washington by announcing officially that, yes, he was indeed running for a second term in office to, as he exclaimed in a campaign launch video, "finish the job." The announcement, while conspicuously telegraphed over the past year or so, would nevertheless have surprised many in the run-up to Biden's 2020 campaign,…

If the Hollywood writers strike drags on, it may soon be slim pickings for TV fans. But that time hasn't come yet. Indeed, June is packed with week after week of exciting new and returning shows. The lineup includes a sequel to a massively popular series, a streaming show finally returning after a four-year hiatus, a highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, and a project that may spark…

Summer is almost here, and it's time to get ready for pool days, beach vacations, weekend camping trips, and quiet nights making s'mores and watching fireflies. Here are 11 items to add to your shopping list for a sunny and smooth summer: Courtesy of FUNBOY FUNBOY Floating Cabana Bar You'll never need to leave the pool again — cups, ice and your favorite beverages are right there next to you, saf…

Chinese hackers have hit American targets again . U.S. authorities recently announced the discovery of Chinese malware in critical telecommunications systems in Guam, The New York Times reported. That's alarming because Guam is home to an American air base that "would be a centerpiece of any American military response to an invasion or blockade of Taiwan." The attack came as no surprise, because …