Israeli police arrest a man suspected of attacking a nun near Jerusalem’s Old City
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli police said Friday that they arrested a 36-year-old caught on video attacking a nun in the latest incident targeting Christians near Jerusalem’s Old City. Police said the unnamed man was arrested after the attack Wednesday near David’s Tomb — a holy site outside Zion’s Gate...
Man jailed after being charged with attempted murder in stabbings of Jewish men in London
LONDON — A 45-year-old man was charged Friday with attempted murder in the stabbings of two Jewish men in London, the latest in a string of attacks that have sparked fear and anger in Britain’s Jewish community. Essa Suleiman was remanded into custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates’ Court to...
Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval. The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary...
Congress approves short-term extension of divisive surveillance program hours before expiration
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved a short-term extension of a critical surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies, staving off a Friday expiration as disputes over a longer reauthorization remain unresolved. The House sent the extension to President Donald Trump’s desk Thursday after the Senate cleared it earlier in the...
Trump says he’s lifting certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after royal visit
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is removing certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after this week’s White House visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly...
U.S. seeks to deploy hypersonic missile for the 1st time against Iran
U.S. Central Command has asked to send the Army’s long-delayed Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran, seeking a longer-range system to hit ballistic-missile launchers deep inside the country. If approved, it would mark the first time the United States will have deployed its...
John Fetterman’s stock purchase draws scrutiny over timing and Senate committee role
A recent stock purchase by Sen. John Fetterman is raising eyebrows for its timing and because the company has reportedly received billions in federal funding that his committee oversees. Benzinga, a stock trading and news site, cited a post by an online stock tracker in reporting that Fetterman bought an...
What is Section 2, the provision of the Voting Rights Act at the heart of Louisiana redistricting case?
It remains to be seen how the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a congressional redistricting case in Louisiana will impact the political landscape. Critics say the court’s ruling Wednesday that the creation of a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana represented “unconstitutional racial gerrymander” could open the door for more challenges...
Trump order aims to help more people get retirement savings plans in time for new federal match
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday calling for a new government website where people in the United States can find and compare private-sector retirement savings accounts, aiming to help millions of workers whose employers do not offer such plans. The order is intended to help...
Trump pulls Casey Means’ stalled surgeon general nomination and says he’ll put forth Nicole Saphier
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s nominating former Fox News Channel contributor and radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after Dr. Casey Means’ path forward stalled in the Senate over questions about her experience and her stance on vaccines. In a social media post, Trump said he...
Trump signs bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, ending record shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump swiftly signed bipartisan legislation Thursday funding much of the Department of Homeland Security, but not its immigration enforcement operations, after it won final approval in the House, ending the longest agency shutdown in history. The White House had warned that temporary funding Trump had tapped...
Hegseth clashes for a 2nd day with Democrats in Congress over the Iran war
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed with Democratic lawmakers in Congress for a second day Thursday, rejecting senators’ accusations that the Iran war was launched without evidence of an imminent threat and waged with no coherent strategy. The three-hour hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee mostly traced the...
Maine Gov. Janet Mills drops Democratic U.S. Senate bid against Platner, lamenting a lack of campaign funds
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday dropped her bid for the U.S. Senate, pointing to a lack of campaign funds to keep up in one of the most competitive races in the country that quickly became a reflection of an internal party debate over which candidates can...
Germany faces a fresh Trump threat to cut U.S. troop numbers, but Europeans are used to it
MUNSTER, Germany — President Donald Trump has again threatened to pull U.S. troops out of Germany, a key NATO ally and the European Union’s largest economy. Europeans have heard this before. Trump’s threats came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this week that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by Tehran...
Prosecutors release video of armed man storming correspondents’ dinner
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say an armed man tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempt to kill President Donald Trump. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, posted the video on social media. She said it shows...
Iran’s supreme leader vows to protect nuclear and missile capabilities
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader defiantly vowed Thursday to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to curtail through airstrikes and as part of a wider deal to cement the war’s shaky ceasefire. In a statement read by a...
Louisiana congressional primaries suspended as a result of Supreme Court ruling, state officials say
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana’s congressional primaries won’t be going forward as scheduled in May, as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a majority Black congressional district, the state’s top elected officials said Thursday. Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a...
Supreme Court ruling will reshape American politics. The only question is when
The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday handed Republicans their biggest victory yet in the perpetual battle to control the House of Representatives and statehouses across the country — but it may have come too late to have much of an effect on this year’s midterm elections. The 6-3...
Texas tornado leaves 5 injured, buildings collapsed and homes without roofs
MINERAL WELLS, Texas — Vicious winds burst through the front door of Christopher Hester’s duplex apartment, then started ripping the roof apart. Hester and his wife grabbed their dog and ducked into a hallway to the sound of breaking glass, furniture hitting the walls and a howl like a monstrous...
New FDA analysis says infant formula supply is safe after testing for potential contaminants
A new analysis of chemicals in U.S. infant formula found reassuringly low levels of heavy metals, pesticides and other potential contaminants, federal health officials said Wednesday. The review was conducted as part of the Food and Drug Administration’s Operation Stork Speed project — billed as the “largest and most rigorous”...
Trump says he’s weighing reducing American troop presence in Germany after Merz’s Iran commentsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday leveled a new threat against NATO ally Germany, suggesting he could soon reduce the U.S. military presence there as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israel war against Iran. Trump made the threat after Merz earlier this week said...
USS Ford aircraft carrier heading home after record-breaking deployment
WASHINGTON — The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, will be heading home following a record-setting deployment of more than 300 days that included participating in the war against Iran and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, two U.S. officials said Wednesday. The Ford will be leaving...
10 current and former Mexican officials accused in U.S. indictment of aiding drug trafficking
NEW YORK — The governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former Mexican officials were charged with drug trafficking and weapons offenses in a U.S. indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York, accused of aiding in the massive importation of illicit narcotics into the United States. Some officials were members...
Deluzio, Hegseth spar during heated congressional hearingVideo
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday over accounts that a U.S. command post in Kuwait was unprepared for an Iranian drone attack that killed six troops and injured dozens more. When Deluzio asked Hegseth whether there was anything else that...
Florida legislature approves new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in midterms
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that President Donald Trump launched ahead of this year’s midterms. The vote came just two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal and the...
