Fauci Says Americans Don't Need to Change Holiday Plans due to Omicron — If They're Vaccinated

Photo: GettyWith the new, potentially highly-transmissibleCOVID-19 variant omicron now in the U.S.and coinciding with the start of the holiday season, Dr. Anthony Fauci says that families can move forward with their celebrations — as long as they’re vaccinated.Speaking at aCNN Global Town Hallon Wednesday, Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, reassured Americans that family gatherings are safe for vaccinated people.“Just as I said and I’ll say it again, if you have a vaccinated situation, enjoy the holidays with your family in a family setting,” he said....

March 16, 2025 · 7 min · 1400 words · Ricky Barrett

FBI Crime Scene Photographer Opens Up About Job: 'I See Things People Shouldn't See'

Buren Foster.Not everyone who works for the FBI carries a gun and badge. Take Buren Foster, who joined the bureau in 1988 and carries something else that’s indispensable: a camera.Foster, who has loved photography since middle school, joined the FBI in an administrative role but became a full-time photographer in 2006 after being trained in forensic photography. His job is taking photos of crime scenes — a technically challenging job that can have an emotional impact....

March 16, 2025 · 8 min · 1542 words · Ronald Johnson

Federal Mask Mandate on Airplanes Extended Until May 3 Due to New COVID Sub-Variant

Photo: Getty The nationwide travel mask mandate is being extended as a safety precaution against the BA.2 sub-variant of omicron. In anews releaseWednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the Transportation Security Administration is extending its mask mandate until May 3. Under provisions of the travel mask mandate passengers using public transportation, airplanes and trains are required to wear face masks. Meanwhile, the CDC will keep its mask order in place as it monitors COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the agency added in the news release....

March 16, 2025 · 2 min · 333 words · Stephen Wells

Feds Want Jail Time for Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, Says Source: 'Make an Example' of Them

Prosecutors want jail time forFelicity HuffmanandLori Loughlinin the high-profilecollege admissions cheating scandal, a source close to the investigation tells PEOPLE. “They want to send a clear message, and that message includes jail time,” the source says. “Prosecutors know this is a high profile case and they want to make an example of the defendants.” On March 12, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced that it had charged 50 people, including Huffman and Loughlin, in the cheating scandal....

March 16, 2025 · 2 min · 389 words · Erin Wilson

Felicity Huffman Is Helping Women Adjust to Life After Prison: She's 'Connected With Them'

WhenFelicity Huffmanwas given 250 community service hours as part of her sentence for her role in the college admissions scandal, she took the court mandate to heart. Already an active volunteer for numerous charities long before the legal trouble, Huffman looked to add a new meaningful venture. Huffman, 56, who served 11 days at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California before her release on Oct. 25, dove into the volunteer work at A New Way of Life almost immediately, and has been warmly welcomed....

March 16, 2025 · 3 min · 473 words · Philip Gomez

Felicity Huffman's Life in Prison: From 5 a.m. Wake Up Calls to Weekend Family Visits

Now thatFelicity Huffmanhas started serving her sentence the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif., for her role in the college admissions scandal, she’ll have to stick to a strict schedule. The formerDesperate Housewivesactress, 56, is expected to serve 13 days in FCI Dublin — a low security correctional institution for female offenders which currently holds 1,227 total inmates. It’s located just under 5 and a half hours from the Los Angeles area, where Huffman lives with her family....

March 16, 2025 · 3 min · 464 words · Amanda Green

Female Manatee Rehabilitated at Disney's Epcot Is Returned to Natural Habitat for a Second Time

Photo: Disney ParksA young female manatee is back in her natural Florida habitat after being rescued for a second time last year and moved temporarily to The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot in Walt Disney World for treatment.Walt Disney World Resort took in Plantaina the manatee for the second time last February after the animal lost weight following her first release into the wild,according to a Tuesday blog postfrom Scott Terrell, the director of animal & science operations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts....

March 16, 2025 · 7 min · 1399 words · Thomas Carter

Firefighter-Paramedic Who Survived Alligator Attack in Fla. Lake: 'I Shouldn't Be Alive'

A Florida firefighter and paramedic is speaking out after he was seriously injured in a gruesome alligator attack. Juan Carlos La Verde, 34, of Brandon, was swimming in Lake Thonotosassa on Aug. 3 when thealligator struck, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission previously told PEOPLE. The Oldsmar first responder suffered “significant injuries to his head and face” before he escaped, according to aGoFundMe campaignfor the victim. “If people want to see this any other way than a legit miracle, it’s silly to think that,” he told the outlet....

March 16, 2025 · 2 min · 340 words · Kerry Carpenter

First Look at Cassidy Hutchinson's Memoir: Trump Whistleblower Details Life After Jan. 6 Testimony (Exclusive)

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, is filling in the details of her journey more than a year after testifying against Trump and his top officials before the Jan. 6 House committee.Photo:Candace Dane Chambers; STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Candace Dane Chambers; STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty To most of the world,Cassidy Hutchinson’s story begins and ends on June 28, 2022, when she stood before the House committee investigating theJan. 6 Capitol riotand testified about shocking behavior she witnessed as an aide in PresidentDonald Trump’s White House....

March 16, 2025 · 8 min · 1665 words · Michael Williams

First Look at Natalie Portman's Mighty Thor Teased as Her Marvel Action Figure Hits Stores

Mighty Thor action figure.Photo: Hasbro Marvel fans' first look at Mighty Thor is here! The brand has revealed Hasbro’snew action-figure lineupfor the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcomingThor: Love and Thunder, which includesNatalie Portman’s Mighty Thor. Additionally, the newThor: Love and Thunderset willinclude Lego figures forThor, Mighty Thor, Korg and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) aboard the Viking ship known as “The Goat Boat.” There are also Mighty FX Mjolnir and Stormbreaker Hasbro toys, for little Thors and Mighty Thors to wield at home....

March 16, 2025 · 2 min · 327 words · Lisa Gill

First-Generation Americans Account for Almost Half of This Year's Rhodes Scholars

Photo: Getty The 32 American students who were selected as Rhodes Scholars stand to be the most diverse bunch in 117-year history of the program, which covers the cost to attend the University of Oxford for at least two years. The Rhodes TrustannouncedSunday that nearly half of the students heading to Oxford next year as Rhodes Scholars are first-generation Americans, and the group includes the first transgender woman selected, Hera Jay Brown, as well as two non-binary students....

March 16, 2025 · 2 min · 364 words · Tiffany Nelson

Fla. Mom Discovers 2-Year-Old Daughter Locked Inside Daycare After Employees Leave

Photo: Getty A Florida mother is filing a lawsuit against a daycare company after employees left her 2-year-old daughter alone inside one of their facilities before she was able to arrive for pick-up. Stephanie Martinez told ABC stationWPLGthat she arrived at Plantation KinderCare daycare center on Tuesday night and found her daughter, Anastasia Brathwaite, locked inside with the lights off. The employees had left for the day, Martinez said, and she had no way to get Anastasia out....

March 16, 2025 · 2 min · 401 words · Jane Moss

Fla. Special Ed Teacher Accused of Having Sex with Son's Teen Friend 'Several Hundred Times'

Photo: Escambia County JailA Florida teacher has been accused of having sex with her son’s teenage friend “several hundred times” for more than a year.Susan Weddle, 40, has been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, sexual assault and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, according to Escambia County Jail records.She was arrested Monday, the same day she resigned from her position as a learning resource specialist at the Escambia County School District’s J....

March 16, 2025 · 7 min · 1282 words · Kimberly Watson