U.S. probes suspicious oil trades made before Trump pivots
The top U.S. derivatives regulator is investigating a series of suspiciously well-timed trades in the oil futures market ahead of recent policy pivots by President Donald Trump related to the war in Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is leading the probe into...
Sonia Sotomayor apologizes for ‘hurtful’ criticism of Brett Kavanaugh
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a rare public apology for criticism she levied toward Brett Kavanaugh during a speaking appearance. “At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but...
California attorney who tried to help overturn 2020 election loses law license
SAN FRANCISCO — A California attorney who aided President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results has lost his license to practice in the state. The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered John Eastman disbarred and his name stricken from the state roll of attorneys. It caps...
2 men plead not guilty in alleged Islamic State-inspired bomb attempt outside New York mayor’s home
NEW YORK — Two men pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges they brought homemade bombs to an anti-Islam protest outside New York City’s mayor’s home in a failed attempt at a terror attack inspired by the Islamic State group. Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, entered the pleas during...
Homeland Security worker and another woman are killed in a series of Atlanta-area attacks
ATLANTA — An Atlanta man has been charged in a string of attacks over a matter of hours that left two women dead and a man in critical condition, drawing the Trump administration’s attention after one of the victims was identified as a Department of Homeland Security employee who was...
Trump stokes controversy by posting new AI Jesus image
President Donald Trump on Wednesday posted a controversial AI-generated image of himself and Jesus Christ just a day after he yanked a meme that appeared to depict him as the holy man amid widespread criticism. Trump re-posted an image depicting Jesus blessing him, which was first posted by a right-wing...
Pa. House sends budget proposal to Senate earlier than it has in nearly a decade
The state House sent a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year to the Senate on Tuesday — the earliest it has initially passed a spending plan in nearly a decade. The plan passed this week by the Democratic-controlled House has virtually no chance of making it through...
Data center boom meets resistance in Maine as lawmakers pass yearlong freeze
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine is set to impose the nation’s first statewide moratorium on energy-hungry data centers in a sign of growing political opposition to tech giants’ massive structures that have stoked fears about blackouts, rising electricity bills and voracious water needs. The legislation arose in a state that isn’t...
Senate Republicans reject effort to halt Iran war, but some eye future war powers votesVideo
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday rejected the latest Democratic attempt to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, turning aside a resolution that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action. The 47-52 vote was the fourth time this year that...
Camp Mystic security guard says an early evacuation order could have saved lives
AUSTIN, Texas — The security guard at Camp Mystic the night of last year’s deadly flood acknowledged Wednesday that if a general evacuation order came early in the storm, lives could’ve been saved. Glenn Juenke, who helped move some girls to a two-story building before getting trapped inside a cabin...
Sexual abuse allegations are spurring calls for a broader reckoning in Congress
WASHINGTON — Resignations came quickly this week from two congressmen accused of sexual misconduct toward staff members. Yet for many of the women of Capitol Hill, the moment of accountability was years in the making — and far from enough. Reps. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a...
Typhoon flipped over cars and ripped away roofs on U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean
The super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean that hammered the Northern Mariana Islands flipped over cars, toppled utility poles and ripped away tin roofs. So far, there have been no reports of deaths. Authorities were just beginning to assess the damage left behind by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which first hit...
What to know about the new direct talks between Lebanon and Israel
BEIRUT — Lebanon and Israel’s first direct talks in decades this week, spurred by the latest war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, have been met by both high hopes and condemnation. Officials have sought to temper expectations of what might come out of the negotiations, but...
Student kills 4, wounds 20 others in 2nd school shooting in Turkey in 2 days
ANKARA, Turkey — A student opened fire on two classrooms at a middle school in southeast Turkey on Wednesday, killing four people and wounding 20 others, an official said, in the second such shooting in the country in two days. The gunman, who was also killed, arrived at the school...
As energy costs rise, some states back off ambitious climate goals
ALBANY, N.Y. — Seven years ago, New York lawmakers set ambitious goals for slashing greenhouse gas emissions with clarion calls about saving the future. Now, with slow progress made and political realities shifting, Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking a delay, saying she wants to save consumers money. Times have ”...
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy pursues more arms deals with allies to help check Russia’s invasion
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s top diplomatic priority is securing its allies’ help to buy and build more air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday between meetings with European leaders, as Russia kept up its deadly attacks on civilians and public infrastructure. Russian strikes hit more than a half-dozen areas...
Why many Americans are turning to AI for health advice, according to recent polls
NEW YORK — When Tiffany Davis has a question about a symptom from the weight-loss injections she’s taking, she doesn’t call her doctor. She pulls out her phone and consults ChatGPT. “I’ll just basically let ChatGPT know my status, how I’m feeling,” said the 42-year-old in Mesquite, Texas. “I use...
As Vance rallies with Turning Point, some supporters bristle at Trump’s war, memes and feuds
ATHENS, Georgia — Fresh from a marathon trip to Pakistan that failed to reach a deal for ending the war with Iran, Vice President JD Vance jetted to this Georgia college town for a campus tour organized by the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA. But instead of showcasing the youthful...
Pakistani delegation meets in Tehran hoping for more U.S.-Iran talks before ceasefire endsVideo
CAIRO — Pakistan’s army chief met Wednesday in Tehran with Iran’s foreign minister in the latest diplomatic move to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war. The White House said any further...
Children killed in Lebanon as Israeli strikes hit homes far from front lines of war with Hezbollah
BEIRUT — Jawad Younes, 11, and his cousins were playing soccer in the lot between their houses, as they often did. His little brother, 4-year-old Mehdi, had joined them but grew tired, so Jawad took him home and handed him off to their mother before returning to the game. Minutes...
Raffle winner left stunned after scooping up $1M Picasso with a $117 ticket
PARIS — A Parisian man could not believe his luck on Tuesday when he found out he’d won a Pablo Picasso painting worth $1 million with a $117 raffle ticket. “How do I check that it’s not a hoax?” said Ari Hodara, 58, after organizers called him following the draw...
In apparent flub, Energy Secretary Wright says U.S. heading ‘in the wrong direction’
WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Chris Wright raised eyebrows Tuesday after saying the country “looks like we’re going in the wrong direction” in remarks hailing a new natural gas pipeline project. Speaking at a groundbreaking for a project that will transport natural gas from Pennsylvania into New York City and Long...
AI chatbots give misleading medical advice 50% of the time, study finds
Artificial intelligence-driven chatbots are giving users problematic medical advice about half the time, according to a new study, highlighting the health risks of the technology that’s becoming increasingly integral in day-to-day life. Researchers from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom evaluated five popular platforms — ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta...
Mexico’s Sheinbaum pushes back on Trump over migrant deaths and CubaVideo
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government on Tuesday protested the deaths of its citizens in U.S. immigration custody as President Claudia Sheinbaum pushes back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies on multiple fronts. The progressive Mexican leader has walked a careful line with Trump for more than a year, addressing...
Justice Department moves to toss seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to throw out the seditious conspiracy convictions of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders who were sentenced to prison terms for leading members of the far-right extremist groups in attacking the U.S. Capitol to keep President Donald Trump...
