70° Fair
National Interest
First Name With Most Negative Baggage Revealed In New Survey First Name With Most Negative Baggage Revealed In New Survey
First Name With Most Negative Baggage Revealed In New Survey First impressions may begin before anyone says a word. A new survey finds that many Americans admit they make assumptions about people based solely on a first name, and one name stood out above all the others. Karen was named the most-judged first name in the survey by Talker Research. The survey of 2,000 Americans found that 18 percent of respondents said they make assumptions about someone based entirely on a first name. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to do it. Twenty-nine percent of Gen Z respondents said they judge people by first name alone, compared with 21 percent of m…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Full Ransom Notes Released: Savannah Guthrie Issues New Plea In Missing Mom Case Full Ransom Notes Released: Savannah Guthrie Issues New Plea In Missing Mom Case
Full Ransom Notes Released: Savannah Guthrie Issues New Plea In Missing Mom Case A family’s six-month nightmare has led to a new plea directed at the person who may hold the answer. NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie appealed for help on Saturday, Aug. 1, as her family marked six months since her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was taken from her home near Tucson, Arizona. “Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night. We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since,” Guthrie wrote in the Instagram post. The appeal followed the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s release of two ransom notes on Fr…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
New Rankings Reveal America's Most Loved Cities New Rankings Reveal America's Most Loved Cities
New Rankings Reveal America's Most Loved Cities A new travel ranking is giving vacation dreamers a fresh reason to argue over the map. Travel + Leisure released its 2026 World's Best Awards list of the best cities in the US on Monday, July 7, after readers weighed in on their favorite travel experiences. The magazine’s readers put Santa Fe, New Mexico, at No. 1 with a score of 88.85, ahead of Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, according to Travel + Leisure. Santa Fe also ranked No. 19 among the best cities in the world. Travel + Leisure highlighted its sunshine, food, skiing, and cultural stops, including the Georgia O'K…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Netflix’s August Schedule Brings Fresh Releases, Major Farewells Netflix’s August Schedule Brings Fresh Releases, Major Farewells
Netflix’s August Schedule Brings Fresh Releases, Major Farewells Netflix is closing out summer with final adventures, dark mysteries, workplace chaos, and a deep bench of familiar favorites. The August rollout begins Saturday, Aug. 1, with a large collection of licensed movies, according to the full release calendar published by Tom’s Guide. The opening-day additions include “The Fast and the Furious,” “Fast Five,” “Furious 7,” “Clueless,” “Field of Dreams,” “Minions,” “Nightcrawler,” “Selma,” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” Netflix’s first major original movie of the month arrives Friday, Aug. 7. “The Last House” stars Greta Lee and Wagner Moura as parent…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Popular Fast-Food Chain Offering Deep Discounts Amid Sales Slide Sparked By Parasite Outbreak Popular Fast-Food Chain Offering Deep Discounts Amid Sales Slide Sparked By Parasite Outbreak
Popular Fast-Food Chain Offering Deep Discounts Amid Sales Slide Sparked By Parasite Outbreak A fast-food heavyweight is reaching for throwback prices after a health scare sent customers heading for the exits. Taco Bell has rolled out a series of $1, lettuce-free promotions after US same-store sales fell two percent from mid-June through Monday, July 27, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, July 30. Customer visits fell by nearly 30 percent at the height of the decline in mid-July. The limited promotions included $1 Enchiritos on Wednesday, July 22, and $1 Mexican Pizzas on Tuesday, July 28. Neither item is served with lettuce. The discounts followed federal findings conn…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Vincent Pastore Found Dead: Beloved Actor Starred On 'The Sopranos' Vincent Pastore Found Dead: Beloved Actor Starred On 'The Sopranos'
Vincent Pastore Found Dead: Beloved Actor Starred On 'The Sopranos' A familiar face from one of television's greatest dramas has died after a career filled with tough guys, comic turns, and one unforgettable betrayal. Deadline reported on Saturday, Aug. 1, that Vincent Pastore, best known as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on HBO's "The Sopranos," was found dead at his Bronx residence. He was 80. A neighbor discovered Pastore after he had not been heard from for three days, according to Deadline. Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. A cause of death had not been released. Pastore appeared throughout the first two seaso…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
US Water Systems Cyberattacks Expand To At Least 7 States: Federal Alert US Water Systems Cyberattacks Expand To At Least 7 States: Federal Alert
US Water Systems Cyberattacks Expand To At Least 7 States: Federal Alert A widening digital assault reportedly linked to Iran is reaching deeper into infrastructure Americans depend on every day. The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency are warning that water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states have reported cyberattacks. The incidents were reported beginning Monday, July 27, and some water operations were degraded, according to the joint FBI and EPA announcement. The attacks targeted internet-connected programmable logic controllers. The devices monitor or control pumps, pressure, wastewater equipment, and other industrial processes. Hackers …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
UPS Mysteriously Delivers $89K In Marijuana To Funeral Home UPS Mysteriously Delivers $89K In Marijuana To Funeral Home
UPS Mysteriously Delivers $89K In Marijuana To Funeral Home A routine UPS delivery turned into an unexpected drug bust after employees at a Pennsylvania funeral home opened a 27-pound package filled with marijuana and hashish that had been mistakenly delivered to one of its chapels, according to Heffner Family Services. The package arrived Friday afternoon, July 24, at Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory on Kenneth Road in West Manchester Township after UPS had unknowingly returned it to the funeral home's address, company president Ernie Heffner told Daily Voice. The strange delivery came about 10 days after accounting staff noticed an unusually…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
National Interest
Boy Experienced These Symptoms Before Diagnosis Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Spreading Rapidly Boy Experienced These Symptoms Before Diagnosis Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Spreading Rapidly
Boy Experienced These Symptoms Before Diagnosis Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Spreading Rapidly Three cases of a rare tick-borne illness have been confirmed on Long Island, prompting a warning from health officials, multiple news outlets are reporting. Tularemia, more commonly known as rabbit fever, has been detected in three people in Suffolk County, NBC4 reports.  Tularemia is a potentially serious bacterial illness that can spread through tick or deer fly bites, contact with infected animals such as rabbits and rodents, contaminated food or water, or inhaling contaminated dust, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common form of…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
National Interest
70 Officials Descend On 'Exorcist' Star Linda Blair's California Property 70 Officials Descend On 'Exorcist' Star Linda Blair's California Property
70 Officials Descend On 'Exorcist' Star Linda Blair's California Property An early-morning operation brought more than 70 officials to the Southern California property of one of Hollywood’s most recognizable horror stars. Authorities executed an investigative warrant at actress Linda Blair’s home on Friday, July 31, according to multiple reports. The action was not connected to suspected criminal conduct. It was a multi-agency code-enforcement inspection involving the large-dog rescue operation housed on the property. TMZ, which first reported the search, said Blair had authorization to house approximately 60 dogs. Officials found about 200 dogs on the 2.5-acre …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Food Safety Fears Are Reshaping Americans' Eating Habits: What To Know Food Safety Fears Are Reshaping Americans' Eating Habits: What To Know
Food Safety Fears Are Reshaping Americans' Eating Habits: What To Know A fast-growing parasite outbreak is no longer just changing public-health numbers. It is changing what Americans put on their plates. Four in 10 Americans are buying or eating less fresh produce because of the Cyclospora outbreak, according to a CBS News/YouGov survey released Sunday, July 26. Women were slightly more likely than men to report cutting back. Older adults were also more likely than younger people to change their habits. Those following the outbreak very closely were especially likely to say they were buying or eating less produce. A sizable share of Americans says th…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
'Her Life Is In Your Hands': Chilling Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes Released In Full By Sheriff 'Her Life Is In Your Hands': Chilling Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes Released In Full By Sheriff
'Her Life Is In Your Hands': Chilling Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes Released In Full By Sheriff Six months after Nancy Guthrie vanished, investigators are betting that a stranger's words may finally break the case. Click here for a new, updated story - Savannah Guthrie Begs Public To Help Break Missing Mom Case After Ransom Notes Released CBS affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson, Arizona, reported on Friday, July 31, that the Pima County Sheriff's Department released the contents of two emails sent by someone claiming to have abducted the 84-year-old mother of NBC "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Both communications were sent to the station's news tip account with the subject line "…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi