US drops off list of happiest countries for first time

(NEXSTAR) – The grass may indeed be greener on the other side – or at least in 22 other countries around the world. The United States dropped to 23rd place in the annual World Happiness Report released Wednesday.

It's the first time ever the U.S. has been outside the top 20 list in the report's 12-year history.

The drop in America's happiness score was due in part to a big drop in the wellbeing of young people. If you just look at the happiness of...

Freedom Caucus votes to remove Ken Buck

The House Freedom Caucus voted to remove Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) from the group Tuesday night, three members of the conservative group told The Hill, a dismissal that comes days before he is set to retire from Congress.

One of the Freedom Caucus members, who requested anonymity to discuss the internal proceedings, said the group decided to oust Buck because he has not been a member in “good standing” and has not regularly attended meetings of the body “in months.”

...

Nostalgic for the Trump years? That’s because his draconian budget cuts never passed.

A New York Times poll released this month revealed that more voters believe Donald Trump’s policies benefitted them personally than feel that way about Joe Biden’s policies. We have news for these Americans. The policies you miss are actually Barack Obama’s.

Yes, President Trump passed a massive tax cut for large corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Those voters may rightly cheer the boost to their pocketbook. But what really helped everyone else was that Trump was unabl...

Trump calls Milley a ‘loser’ after hearing on Afghanistan withdrawal

Former President Trump called retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a “loser” Wednesday after a hearing on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Mark Milley is a loser who shamed us in Afghanistan and elsewhere!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

This is far from the first time Trump has lashed out at his appointee.

Milley has become a critic of Trump and referred to him as a “wannabe dictator” in his retirement ...

Parnas calls out GOP rep at hearing for ‘doing the bidding’ of Russia

Lev Parnas, a convicted former aide to Rudy Giuliani, named members of Congress on Wednesday he alleged were “doing the bidding” of Russia by attempting to dig up “dirt” on President Biden during his 2020 campaign.

At a GOP-led House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing titled “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office,” Parnas named Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) during his testimony as collaborators i...

Fed Chair Jerome Powell holds press conference: Watch live

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will provide an update Wednesday on decisions reached by the nation’s central bank in meetings over the past two days.

The Fed had in recent months indicated it might roll back interest rates by this point. But no change in rates is expected at present because February’s inflation remained higher than hoped at 3.2 percent. The institution’s goal is 2 percent.

A decision to stay the course will likely disappoint progressive...

Fed holds off on rate cuts after hot jobs, inflation data

A committee of Federal Reserve officials voted Wednesday to keep interest rates at a 22-year high after unexpectedly high job gains and inflation delayed likely plans for rate cuts.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the panel of Fed officials responsible for setting borrowing costs, voted to keep its baseline interest rate at the range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent set last June. The FOMC voted unanimously to hold rates steady.

“We believe that our policy r...

You can’t buy Mega Millions or Powerball tickets in 5 states: Here’s why

(NEXSTAR) – For most of the country, buying a lottery ticket is as simple as driving to the nearest convenience store or gas station. But for some, getting their hands on a Mega Millions or Powerball ticket requires a trip to another state entirely.

Forty-five states (as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) currently allow the sale of lottery tickets or scratch-offs under the laws in each jurisdiction. But five — Alaba...

It’s Brown vs. Moreno in Ohio: What to know

*{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img+div{display:none} @media (max-width:620px){.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100...