Martin Indyk, an Australia-born former U.S. ambassador died, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which he helped found, announced. He was 73 years old. ... Read full Story
The Biden-Harris administration Friday announced new artificial intelligence actions as Apple signed on to voluntary commitments in line with the administration's previous AI executive order. ... Read full Story
A key inflation indicator showed another sign of its slowing effects on Friday with the personal consumption expenditures price index increasing 1% for June and 2.5% from where it was in 2023, the Commerce Department rep ... Read full Story
A week after a routine CrowdStrike IT update led to the worldwide crash of the Microsoft Windows operating system, CEO George Kurtz said that 97%of the Windows sensors are back online. ... Read full Story
In one of Vice President Kamala Harris' biggest endorsements to date, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama announced their support in a video released Friday morning. ... Read full Story
The United States indicted a North Korean hacker for cyberattacks that helped steal military and nuclear secrets and offered a $10 million reward for information about him, multiple agencies announced Thursday. ... Read full Story
Miscalculations in the value of weaponry the United States has sent to Ukraine has again been uncovered, increasing the Pentagon's purse to supply its besieged ally by another $2 billion. ... Read full Story
Families of Americans held hostage by Hamas said they feel "optimistic" about the prospects of securing a cease-fire deal with the Iran proxy militia and the release of their loved ones. ... Read full Story
Two people, including a Chinese national, have pleaded guilty to bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent as part of a Beijing-backed scheme targeting the U.S. tax-exempt status of a controversial religious movement. ... Read full Story
Eight members of a human smuggling ring that operates in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States were indicted and two were arrested, the Justice Department announced Thursday. ... Read full Story
Two top leaders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, one of Mexico's most dominant criminal organizations, have been arrested by U.S law enforcement personnel, the Justice Department announced Thursday. ... Read full Story
A California man was arrested early Thursday on accusations of starting the massive Park Fire that erupted a day earlier with a flaming car, fire officials said. ... Read full Story
The judge in former President Donald Trump's civil $464 million fraud case has refused to recuse himself, he announced Thursday, denying that he had an improper conversation with a lawyer. ... Read full Story
President Joe Biden hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday to discuss the United States' relationship with Israel amid growing pressure to end the war in Gaza. ... Read full Story
Federal weather experts and veterans officials have inked an unusual agreement to share data and scientific information that will benefit two prominent agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ... Read full Story
A man is dead after being shot by police in the Little Havana section of Miami, authorities said Thursday. The suspect may have been shooting at buildings, according to police, who reported that no officers were injured. ... Read full Story
The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday it is moving forward with a proposal to make AI-generated political content more transparent. ... Read full Story
Open AI said Thursday it has created a prototype AI search engine called SearchGPT and will test it, eventually integrating it into its chatbot ChatGPT. ... Read full Story
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday issued an executive order directing state agencies to urgently remove homeless encampments while providing support and assistance to people living in them. ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2024 is:
herald \HAIR-uld\ verb
Herald is a verb meaning "to give notice of"; it is synonymous with announce, publicize, and foreshadow. Herald may also mean "to greet especially with enthusiasm."
// The appearance of robins heralded the advent of spring.
// She is being heralded as the year's best new author.
"Trumpets herald the arrival of the players at the arena." — Simon Webster, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2023
Did you know?
While herald the verb is more common today, herald the noun is older. When the word was first welcomed into English in the early 14th century, it referred to an official at a tournament (one of those knightly sporting events the Middle Ages are famous for). The herald's duties included making announcements, hence the word's uses relating to announcements both literal and metaphorical. The word is ultimately Germanic in origin, though like so many words of 14th century vintage, it came to English by way of Anglo-French. The resemblance between herald and the name Harold is not coincidental: Harold is a modern form of Chariovalda, the name of a 1st century C.E. leader of the Batavi, a tribe who lived on the lower Rhine. The Germanic source of Chariovalda, haria-, is also the source of herald.