News briefs

Tribune News Service on Dec 18, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Roll over, Ben Franklin: Trump wants to get rid of USPS again

President-elect Donald Trump is once again interested in getting rid of one of Philadelphia’s best-known inventions: the United States Postal Office.

Trump raised the idea of privatizing the post office — founded in 1775 in Philadelphia with Franklin as its first Postmaster General — during a news conference this week at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

“Not the worst idea I ever heard,” Trump told reporters, resurrecting a failed proposal from his first term that met bipartisan rebuke. “It’s a lot different today between Amazon, UPS, FedEx and all the things you didn’t have. But there is talk about that — it’s an idea a lot of people have had for a long time. We’re looking at it.”

The comments came after the Washington Post reported last week that Trump had expressed a “keen interest” in overhauling the Postal Service to transition officials, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chairs of his new “Department of Government Efficiency.”

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

Court records detail rocky home life of alleged Madison school shooter Natalie Rupnow

Alleged Wisconsin school shooter Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow reportedly had a rocky home life, according to court records, which show she was raised by parents who divorced one another three times before she was 12.

Her mother, Mellissa Rupnow, was divorced from another man when she first married the alleged killer’s father in 2011, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. She married Jeff Rupnow when Natalie was around 2 years old.

The Rupnows first divorced in 2014, those court papers show. They remarried in 2017, but divorced again in 2020. The pair gave it another shot months later, but were in divorce court once more by 2021, according to the Post. The judge who granted that split reportedly “admonished” the duo with regards to marrying a fourth time.

The couple shared custody during each period of divorce, with both parents at different points taking responsibility for providing Natalie’s primary residence. She was sometimes moved to a different home every few days. By 2022, Natalie was enrolled in therapy, designed to help her navigate the constant changes.

—New York Daily News

Bad news for Florida porn fans. You’ll be cut off from this adult website soon. Here’s why

MIAMI — Florida’s relationship with PornHub is over. As of Jan. 1, 2025, Sunshine State residents won’t be able to view X-rated content there anymore, thanks to a new law intended to protect minors online.

In just a few days, Florida’s stringent law will require companies with adult content on their websites to verify that all visitors are 18 years or older. The law further will require social media platforms to find and shut down the accounts of children younger than 14.

Officials from PornHub’s parent company, Aylo Holdings, confirmed it will deny access for all users geo-located in the state, Florida Politics reported. An email to the outlet said the restriction will happen “in protest of new age verification requirements.”

Pornhub appears to have already advised users about the change in plans. According to BNO News, a notification was sent to users lamenting the new law’s implementation and admonishing it as ill advised.

—Miami Herald

Turkey-backed Syria forces aim to push on against Kurdish groups

Turkey-backed forces are aiming to capture more territory in northern Syria from Kurdish groups, according to Turkish officials familiar with the matter, a move that could stir tensions with the U.S.

Turkey and the Syrian National Army, which is funded and advised by Ankara, are taking advantage of the collapse of the Assad regime, the people said. The SNA will likely try to capture areas to the west of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani by its mostly Kurdish inhabitants, said the people, who aren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The SNA has seized two northwestern towns since late November from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish group that has been a key ally in the U.S.’s fight against Islamic State.

The military push in the wake of Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s downfall is in line with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-term goals.

—Bloomberg News