Answer: is
Explanation: The structure of sentences with “A lot of”:

★A lot of + singular noun + singular verb
★A lot of + plural noun + plural verb

In the above sentence, “A lot of” is followed by “news,” which is a singular noun, so the verb will be singular.
Therefore, the correct answer is “is.”

👉Now, answer the following question in the comments:

★There _____ a lot of people here waiting for the leader.

A. is

B. has

C. have

D. are