Maisie Wenger

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. US labor market exits 2024 with strong job gains, drop in unemployment rate U.S. job growth unexpectedly accelerated in December while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% as the labor market ended the year on a solid footing, reinforcing views that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged this month. The Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday also showed a decline last month in the number of people who have permanently lost their jobs and a shortening in the median duration of unemployment. A rise in these measures had raised concerns about labor market deterioration. US agency declares California wildfires a public health emergency The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday declared a public health emergency for California to address the health impacts of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County. The wildfires have devastated Los Angeles neighborhoods on the east and west sides of the sprawling metropolis and have so far killed 10 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures, with those figures expected to grow. California firefighters and fire victims flock to Rose Bowl camp Thousands of jubilant fans packed Southern California's Rose Bowl on New Year's Day for a college football playoff game. Nine days later, hundreds of firefighters and other emergency workers were streaming in for a grim task and making this Pasadena landmark their temporary home for the foreseeable future. Delta resumes flights at Atlanta hub, cancels 700 flights Delta Air Lines said on Friday that departures and arrivals at its Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta hub have resumed after extreme winter weather forced the closure of all five runways for more than two hours. The carrier canceled approximately 700 flights across its network on Friday and warned that additional adjustments to its flight schedule are possible throughout the weekend. Trump avoids jail or punishment at hush money sentencing days before inauguration U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will not go to jail or face any other punishment for his criminal conviction stemming from hush money paid to a porn star, a judge ruled on Friday but said Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration would not erase the jury verdict. Justice Juan Merchan's sentencing of Trump, 78, to unconditional discharge places a judgment of guilt on his record and closes a case that had loomed over Trump's bid to retake the White House. Justice Department says there are 'credible reports' law enforcement took part in 1921 Tulsa massacre Some law enforcement members participated in arson and murders that occurred during the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report released Friday. The report, which was released in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration, follows decades of advocacy efforts from massacre survivors, descendants and civil rights groups. Supreme Court appears inclined to uphold TikTok ban in US The Supreme Court seemed inclined on Friday to uphold a law that would force a sale or ban the popular short-video app TikTok in the United States by Jan. 19, with the justices focusing on the national security concerns about China that prompted the crackdown. During about 2-1/2 hours of arguments, the nine justices pressed lawyers representing TikTok, its Chinese parent company ByteDance and app users about the risk of China's government exploiting the platform to spy on Americans and carry out covert influence operations - while also probing free speech concerns. Los Angeles firefighters make progress as intense winds ease Firefighters finally started gaining control over two major wildfires on the eastern and situs porno western flanks of Los Angeles on Friday as fierce winds that supercharged the fires for days finally eased. Six simultaneous wildfires have devastated Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday, have killed at least 10 people over and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures. Those totals are expected to grow. US Supreme Court to hear Obamacare preventive care dispute The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide the legality of a key component of the Affordable Care Act that effectively gives a task force established under the landmark healthcare law known as Obamacare the ability to require that insurers cover preventive medical care services at no cost to patients. The justices took up an appeal by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's ruling that sided with a group of Christian businesses who objected to their employee health plans covering HIV-preventing medication and had argued that the task force's structure violated the U.S. Constitution. Meta, Amazon scale back diversity programs ahead of Trump inauguration Facebook owner Meta Platforms and Amazon.com are winding down diversity programs ahead of Republican Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency as conservative opposition to such initiatives grows louder. Some of America's biggest businesses have been scaling back their diversity initiatives, years after pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests against the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020.