The United States national debt has surpassed $38 trillion for the first time in history, reaching $38,019,813,354,700.26 on October 21, 2025, according to Treasury Department data. This milestone comes just over two months after the debt crossed $37 trillion in mid-August, marking the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion in debt […]
Author: Dani Tietz
Trump Demolishes White House East Wing for $300 Million Ballroom Funded by Corporate Donors
President Donald Trump has completed the demolition of the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The demolition, which began October 20, was completed by October 23, ahead of the originally projected weekend timeline. Initially, Trump assured that the ballroom construction “won’t interfere […]
Senator Merkley Delivers Historic 22-Hour Speech Warning of Authoritarianism Under Trump
Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon concluded a marathon 22-hour and 36-minute speech on the Senate floor Wednesday evening, warning that the United States faces its “most perilous moment” since the Civil War under what he characterized as President Donald Trump’s authoritarian governance. The 68-year-old Democrat began speaking at 6:21 p.m. […]
Trump Declares No Declaration of War Needed, Vows to “Kill” Drug Traffickers
President Donald Trump stated Thursday that his administration will not seek a declaration of war from Congress before conducting military strikes against suspected drug traffickers, declaring bluntly, “I don’t think we’re necessarily going to ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing […]
U.S. Existing-Home Sales Rise 1.5% as Mortgage Rates Drop, Inventory Hits Five-Year High
U.S. existing-home sales increased for the second straight month in September, lifted by falling mortgage rates and growing inventory, according to the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The 1.5% month-over-month gain brings the seasonally adjusted annual sales pace to 4.06 million units, marking a continued recovery […]
Social Security Announces 2.8% Benefit Increase for 2026
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today that millions of Americans receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will see a 2.8 percent increase in their benefits beginning in 2026, intended to keep pace with rising living costs. This annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) applies to approximately 75 million recipients […]
U.S. Consumer Price Index Rises 3.0% Over Past Year, Driven by Energy and Food Increases
Consumer inflation continued its gradual climb in September, with the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rising 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the month. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.0 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). […]
Illinois Achieves Credit Rating Upgrade as Moody’s Raises State to A2
Moody’s Ratings upgraded Illinois’ credit rating to A2 from A3 on October 23, marking the state’s tenth credit rating improvement since Governor JB Pritzker took office in 2019 and bringing Illinois to its highest credit rating in more than 20 years. The upgrade, which applies to the state’s general obligation […]
Arizona Sues House Speaker Mike Johnson for Blocking Swearing-In of Rep.-Elect Adelita Grijalva
The State of Arizona and Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging House Speaker Mike Johnson’s monthlong refusal to swear in the newly elected congresswoman. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that Johnson […]
Danville to Celebrate Dick Van Dyke’s 100th Birthday with National Film Premiere and Festival
The Fischer Theatre is rolling out the red carpet this December to honor one of America’s most beloved entertainers — and one of Danville’s own. FischerFest: The Life and Legacy of Dick Van Dyke, presented by the Halloran Family Foundation, will take place December 6–7 at the historic Fischer Theatre in […]











