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May 20 2026POLITICS

Los Angeles delays higher wages for hotel and airport workers—what does this mean for the city?

The plan to raise Los Angeles’ minimum wage to $30 for hotel and airport employees just hit a major speed bump. City leaders agreed to delay the increase after business groups threatened to scrap a key city tax if the wage hike went through too soon. The original timeline would have brought workers

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May 20 2026POLITICS

When New York’s top bosses meet the mayor, who blinks first?

New York City’s business leaders had a golden chance to push back when Mayor Mamdani invited them for quick chats last week. The stated goal was smoothing feathers ruffled by his flashy social media post about billionaire Ken Griffin. Yet somehow Griffin’s name vanished from the private talks with J

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May 20 2026POLITICS

Austin’s Big Plan Falls Short on Business Growth

Austin’s next big development plan, set to be approved soon, promises big changes for the city. But so far, it’s mostly just words. The city talks about improving life here, yet the main focus seems to be on parks, trails, and housing—not business. Sure, some projects like new trails and a medical r

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May 20 2026POLITICS

Lawmakers want to help allies buy tech instead of China

U. S. senators from both main parties plan to introduce a new bill this week. The goal? To make American AI and technology more attractive to friendly governments overseas. Their idea is simple: set up a new team inside the State Department. This team would handle funding and paperwork so allies can

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May 20 2026HEALTH

Springfield’s Addiction Help Faces Major Shift Without Detox Beds

Western Massachusetts is losing one of its few detox centers this week, as the Carlson Recovery Center moves away from round-the-clock medical care for severe withdrawal cases. Instead, it will focus on stabilization services—less intense but still supportive treatment for most people seeking recove

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May 20 2026POLITICS

Behind the headlines: What’s really happening in Lebanon?

Southern Lebanon is facing heavy strikes again. Overnight airstrikes in villages near Tyre and Nabatieh left 19 people dead, including children and women. Rescue teams dug through rubble to pull out victims as families mourned. The government said one strike flattened homes, trapping people undernea

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May 20 2026HEALTH

Why Ebola in Africa is getting less attention than a cruise ship virus

Health experts are scratching their heads over why the world seems more worried about a handful of hantavirus cases on a cruise ship than a massive Ebola outbreak in Africa. While passengers played bingo on the water, a rare strain of Ebola was quietly tearing through the Democratic Republic of Cong

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May 20 2026BUSINESS

Power Plants Face a Costly Gamble: Gas or the Future?

Energy companies are investing heavily in natural gas power plants, betting they’ll stay profitable for decades. But here’s the catch—renewable energy is getting cheaper by the year, and soon, running a new gas plant might cost more than powering it. Gas plants once looked like a smart upgrade from

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May 20 2026TECHNOLOGY

A New Way to Build Homes Faster and Cheaper

Most people picture houses being built slowly on-site with cranes and lumber. One company, though, is doing things differently. They build entire homes in a factory, then fold them flat for easy transport. Once on site, these units unfold and lock into place like giant LEGO pieces. The idea isn’t ne

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May 20 2026SCIENCE

From lab-grown eggs to extinct birds: how artificial eggs could change farming and conservation

Nature’s egg is a masterpiece of simplicity. It fits all the essentials for life inside a single shell—no extra womb needed. Tiny pores let air in while keeping germs out, and a tiny embryo grows safely inside. Humans have spent centuries trying to mimic this design but never quite nailed it—until n

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