Supreme Court makes it harder to charge Capitol riot defendants with obstruction, charge Trump faces
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday made it harder to charge Capitol riot defendants with obstruction, a charge that also has been brought against former President Donald Trump. The justices ruled 6-3 that the charge of obstructing an official proceeding, enacted in 2002 in response to the financial scandal...
Associated Press to create sister nonprofit to fundraise for state, local journalism
The Associated Press announced that it intends to raise money for and support state and local journalism through a new charitable sister organization. The new organization will be a nonprofit governed by an independent board of directors, the AP said Tuesday. The launching of the nonprofit is the latest effort...
How did CNN’s moderators do in the Biden-Trump debate? It almost didn’t matter that they were there
NEW YORK — To a large extent, it almost didn’t matter that Dana Bash and Jake Tapper were on stage. The two CNN journalists prepared meticulously to moderate Thursday’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the first ever between a sitting president and his predecessor, and asked several...
Supreme Court weakens federal regulators, overturning decades-old Chevron decision
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday upended a 40-year-old decision that made it easier for the federal government to regulate the environment, public health, workplace safety and consumer protections, delivering a far-reaching and potentially lucrative victory to business interests. The justices overturned the 1984 decision colloquially known as Chevron,...
Iowa’s Supreme Court tells lower court to let strict abortion law go into effect
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court said Friday the state’s strict abortion law is legal, telling a lower court to dissolve a temporary block on the law and allowing Iowa to ban most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy — before many women know they are pregnant....
Supreme Court allows cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court decided on Friday that cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors in West Coast areas where shelter space is lacking. The case is the most significant to come before the high court in decades on the issue and comes as a rising number...
Fact-checking the Biden-Trump debate
The much-anticipated first debate of 2024 between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump featured a relentless barrage of false and misleading statements from the two candidates on immigration, the economy, abortion, taxes and more. • Both candidates erred on Social Security, with Biden incorrectly saying that Trump “wants...
Slovak train and bus collision that killed 7 was likely caused by human error, minister says
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — A collision between a EuroCity train with a bus in southern Slovakia that left seven people dead was likely caused by human error, the Slovak transport minister said on Friday. Around 200 people were aboard the train traveling from the Czech capital of Prague crossing through Slovakia...
U.S. shifts assault ship to the Mediterranean to deter risk of Israel-Lebanon conflict escalating
WASHINGTON — The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea this week as the U.S. positions warships to try to keep fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon from escalating into a wider war in the Middle East. While the Wasp has the capability to assist in...
Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge shows price pressures easing further
WASHINGTON — A measure of prices that is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve suggests that inflation pressures in the U.S. economy are continuing to ease. Friday’s Commerce Department report showed that consumer prices were flat from April to May, the mildest such performance in more than four years. Measured...
Iran votes in snap poll for new president after hard-liner’s death, but turnout remains a question
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranians voted Friday in a snap election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, with the race’s sole reformist candidate vowing to seek “friendly relations” with the West in an effort to energize supporters in a vote beset by apathy. Voters face a choice...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: June 28
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
Princess Anne leaves hospital after treatment for concussion
LONDON — Princess Anne has left the hospital and returned to her southwestern England estate after an accident thought to involve a horse left her with a concussion. The king’s 73-year-old sister had been to Southmead Hospital as a precautionary measure and is expected to make a full recovery after...
Biden’s debate performance spurs Democratic panic about his ability to lead party against Trump
ATLANTA — Above all, Joe Biden’s allies wanted him to demonstrate strength and energy on the debate stage to help put to rest questions about the 81-year-old Democrat’s physical and mental acuity. But on the biggest stage in U.S. politics on Thursday night, Biden did not meet their modest expectations....
Watch: Presidential debate between Biden and TrumpVideo
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are taking part in Thursday night’s first general election debate of the 2024 election season in Atlanta. It is the first debate for either candidate in this year’s election. The debate is being moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Watch...
Former Uvalde school police chief and officer indicted over Robb Elementary response, reports say
AUSTIN, Texas — The former Uvalde schools police chief and another former officer have been indicted over their role in the slow police response to the 2022 massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, according to multiple reports Thursday. The Uvalde Leader-News and...
RFK Jr.’s campaign calls exclusion from debate ‘an act of collusion’
ATLANTA — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not qualify for the debate Thursday night, so he is having his own. In a news release, the Kennedy campaign said the candidate aims to reach voters during a simultaneous debate in front of a live audience in Los Angeles. Branded “The Real...
Oklahoma public schools leader orders schools to incorporate Bible instruction
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools Thursday to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms. The directive sent Thursday to superintendents across the state by Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters says adherence to...
Judge in Trump classified documents case grants his request for 1 hearing, denies bid for another
WASHINGTON — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case of former President Donald Trump granted a defense request for a hearing on whether prosecutors improperly breached attorney-client privilege when they obtained crucial evidence from one of Trump’s ex-lawyers. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon also denied a request...
Biden, Trump campaigns amplify Pa. presence ahead of first debate
In the run-up to Thursday night’s first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the rivals’ campaigns have boosted their presence in Pennsylvania by holding rallies, ramping up ad buys and opening campaign offices. So far, the Biden campaign efforts are outpacing those of the Trump camp....
Justice Department charges nearly 200 people in $2.7 billion health care fraud schemes crackdown
WASHINGTON — Nearly 200 people have been charged in a sweeping nationwide crackdown on health care fraud schemes with false claims topping $2.7 billion, the Justice Department said on Thursday. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges against doctors, nurse practitioners and others across the U.S. accused of a variety...
Giant sinkhole swallows center of a soccer field built over a limestone mineVideo
ALTON, Ill. — A giant sinkhole has swallowed the center of a soccer complex that was built over an operating limestone mine in southern Illinois, taking down a large light pole and leaving a gaping chasm where squads of kids often play. But no injuries were reported after the sinkhole...
Wisconsin Supreme Court says an order against an anti-abortion protester violated 1st Amendment
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an order barring an anti-abortion protester from coming close to a Planned Parenthood nurse violated his First Amendment free speech rights and must be overturned. The court, controlled 4-3 by liberals, ruled unanimously in ordering that the injunction be dismissed....
Oklahoma executes man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing 7-year-old girl in 1984
McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing his 7-year-old former stepdaughter in 1984. Richard Rojem, 66, received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was declared dead at 10:16 a.m., prison officials said. Rojem, who had...
What it means for the Supreme Court to block enforcement of the EPA’s ‘good neighbor’ pollution rule
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency will not be able to enforce a key rule limiting air pollution in nearly a dozen states while separate legal challenges proceed around the country, under a Supreme Court decision Thursday. The EPA’s “good neighbor” rule is intended to restrict smokestack emissions from power...
