Washington — John Podesta, a senior adviser to President Biden and longtime fixture in multiple Democratic administrations, has been named senior adviser to the president on international climate policy, the White House announced Wednesday. John Kerry, 80, is departing the White House after serving as special presidential envoy for climate since the creation of the position at the beginning of …

Aircraft laser strike reports soared to a record high in 2023, jumping 40% from the previous year, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday. “The FAA takes this threat very seriously,” said FAA Administrator Michael G. Whitakerin a videotaped statement. Laser incidents have soared since 2020 – more than doubling in three years. Pilots reported more than 13,000 laser strikes …

Federal Reserve officials capped their first monetary policy meeting of 2024 by leaving the central bank’s benchmark interest rate unchanged,a decision that was widely expected on Wall Street. But policymakers signaled they want to see more progress made on battling inflation this year, heightening investor focus on exactly when the Fed might release the brakes on the U.S. economy for …