Two Democratic senators are pushing for legislation to change the Federal Aviation Administration's standards around seat sizing and spacing on aircrafts. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin have introduced a new bill, which would also require the FAA to set new standards for aircraft evacuations that are more realistic in case of emergencies. The agency currently requires passengers to be able to evacuate within 90 seconds of an emergency. Advocates worry this may not be enough time given the cramped conditions.
BRAIN STUDY
It turns out the shape and size of our brains could have a lot to do with how our brains actually function. A new study published in the journal Nature challenges the idea that our thoughts, behavior and feelings are based on interconnected neurons communicating with each other. The study doesn't dispute the theory but found that the unique shapes and curves in each of our brains impact our thoughts and behavior. One of the researchers compares the brain to a pond saying the shape of a pond affects the waves and ripples created by a pebble. The study's lead author said the findings offer new opportunities to understand the effects of diseases such as dementia and stroke.
The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year's Day, it was estimated to stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.
UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow. Wisconsin-La Crosse fired Gow on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, after learning Gow and his wife have been producing and appearing in pornographic videos. Gow maintains the firing violated his free speech rights.
The U.S. military is now putting independent lawyers in charge of its investigations of sexual assault and other major crimes, what Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has called the "most important reform" to the military justice system in recent history.
A decades-old law bans Medicare from paying for weight loss drugs. Now, drugmakers and a wide-ranging bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are gearing up to push for that to change next year.
Barring a court order, in March Texas police will start being able to arrest people they suspect have entered the U.S. illegally, but increases in border crossings since a 2021 law authorizing some arrests shows the limits of that approach in the face of desperation that causes people to risk everything and travel thousands of miles to the U.S.
Mexico began clearing tents, both occupied and unoccupied, from the encampment in the border city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, starting Tuesday.
