Spain population shrinks amid crisis Spain's population fell in 2012 for the first time in decades, as immigrants left the country amid a major economic crisis, official figures show. More
Obamas paid $112,000 in taxes in 2012 President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama paid more than $112,000 in taxes in 2012, an effective federal income tax rate of more than 18% for 2012, according to the White House. The Obamas and Vice President Biden and his wife released their tax returns Friday, three days before the April 15 tax filing deadline. More
China's first lady serenaded Tiananmen troops ...The country has no recent precedent for the role of first lady, and also faces a tricky balance at home. The leadership wants Peng to show the human side of the new No. 1 leader, Xi Jinping, while not exposing too many perks of the elite. More
In Transit Blog: The Red One, Next to the Fiat The Hertz Corporation recently expanded its Supercar rental offerings in Europe, increasing the number of cars and models available in Britain and Spain, and adding Italy, France and (beginning in April) the Netherlands, to the countries where the premium cars can be rented. More
“Outgoing North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R), who lost his bid for governor this month, said he is still deciding what his next step will be,” WRAL reports.
“But the Republican said another run for office — including the U. S. Senate in 2026 — is unlikely.”
Said Robinson: “That is not on my radar at all.
Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Hawaii this week with her husband Doug Emhoff for a nearly weeklong stay, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.
“Antiabortion advocates are moving aggressively in the wake of the election to devise new measures to punish people and organizations that help women get abortions, feeling emboldened to crack down on the flow of abortion pills into states with bans and no longer burdened by fear of political backlash,” the Washington Post reports.
“Antiabortion leaders are particularly energized by the prospect of their allies filling key posts in a Trump administration.”
“President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday instructed congressional Republicans to block the passage of a bipartisan federal shield bill intended to strengthen the ability of reporters to protect confidential sources, dealing a potentially fatal political blow to the measure — even though the Republican-controlled House had already passed it unanimously,” the New York Times reports.
“A Tennessee man who was among the first wave of rioters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on Wednesday of separate charges of plotting to kill the FBI agents who investigated his role in the attack,” the New York Times reports.