White House blocks release of Biden’s special counsel interview audio, says GOP is being political
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur that’s at the center a Republican effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, the Justice Department told lawmakers on Thursday. It comes as the the House Oversight...
U.S. Navy flagship carrier USS Ronald Reagan leaves its Japan home port after nearly 9 years
YOKOSUKA, Japan — A U.S. Navy strike group’s flagship aircraft carrier left its Japanese home port on Thursday, wrapping up nearly nine years of deployment in the Indo-Pacific, where it served a key role in the U.S. effort to bolster defense ties with Japan and other partners in the region....
U.S. military says Gaza Strip pier project is completed, aid to soon flow as Israel-Hamas war rages on
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process...
China and Russia reaffirm ties as Moscow presses offensive in Ukraine
BEIJING — Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his effort to resolve the Ukraine conflict at a Beijing summit Thursday, where the two leaders reaffirmed a “no-limits” partnership that has grown deeper as both countries face deepening tensions with the west. Putin’s two-day state visit to...
Slovak politicians call for cooling political divisions after shooting of prime minister
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia — Slovak politicians have called for calm in the Central European country after Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times by a would-be assassin on Wednesday, a rare instance of political violence that prompted soul-searching among leaders in the deeply divided society. Fico was in serious...
The Mirage casino, which ushered in an era of Las Vegas Strip megaresorts in the ’90s, is closingVideo
LAS VEGAS — The iconic Mirage hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip will shut its doors this summer, the end of an era for a property credited with helping transform Sin City into an ultra-luxury resort destination. The July 17 closure will clear the way for major renovations and construction...
Hearing delayed for Utah author of children’s book on grief who is charged in husband’s death
PARK CITY, Utah — A Utah judge on Wednesday postponed a hearing to determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed to trial in the case of a woman charged with fatally poisoning her husband before she published a children’s book about coping with grief. Judge Richard Mrazik delayed the...
Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district in 2024 vote
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander. The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations...
Boat operator who fatally struck a 15-year-old girl in Florida has been identified, officials sayVideo
MIAMI — Investigators have identified the man who was operating the boat that fatally struck a 15-year-old girl off a South Florida beach and then left the area, but no criminal charges have been filed, according to a report released Wednesday. The 78-year-old man owns the Coral Gables home where...
Social media reacts to upcoming Biden-Trump presidential debate
It’s official — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to take the debate stage together, and their first matchup is coming soon. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the two presidential candidates agreed to hold two campaign debates in June and September, and the first will...
Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday fended off criticism that he is not planning for a postwar reality in the Gaza Strip, saying it was impossible to prepare for any scenario in the embattled Palestinian enclave until Hamas is defeated. Netanyahu has faced increasing pressure from critics...
Barge hits bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island, causing partial collapse and oil spillVideo
GALVESTON, Texas — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although officials said one...
Biden administration planning more changes to quicken asylum processing for new migrants
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing more changes to the nation’s asylum system meant to speed up processing and potential removal of migrants who continue to arrive at the southern border, an interim step as President Joe Biden continues to mull a broader executive order to crack down on...
Deadly overdoses fell in the U.S. for the 1st time in 5 years, new estimates show
Deaths from drug overdoses fell last year in the United States as fewer people lost their lives to fentanyl and other opioids, marking the first time the death toll had dropped in five years, according to newly released estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal officials said...
On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine
BEIJING — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of a visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. “We are open to a dialogue...
Slovakia’s populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday while greeting supporters at an event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe weeks before an election. Doctors were still fighting for his life several hours after...
United Methodists scrap their anti-gay bans. A woman who defied them seeks reinstatement as pastor
Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked from her beloved job as a United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia. In a church trial, she was found guilty of violating “Christian teaching” because she had acknowledged living in a committed relationship with another woman. Earlier this month, delegates at a United Methodist...
Palestinians across the Middle East mark their original ‘catastrophe’ with eyes on the war in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Palestinians across the Middle East on Wednesday are marking the anniversary of their mass expulsion from what is now Israel with protests and other events at a time of mounting concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” refers to the 700,000 Palestinians who...
Biden and Trump agree on presidential debates on June 27 and in September
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates in June and September — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks. The quick agreement on the timetable to...
70 years ago, school integration was a dream many believed could actually happen. It hasn’t
WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools by race was unconstitutional. On paper, that decision — the fabled Brown v. Board of Education, taught in most every American classroom — still stands. But for decades, American schools have been re-segregating. The...
Biden administration is sending $1 billion more in weapons, ammo to Israel, congressional aides say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it would send more than $1 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday. But it was not immediately known how soon the weapons would be delivered. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be...
Miniature poodle named Sage wins Westminster Kennel Club dog show
NEW YORK — It was a Sage bet. A miniature poodle named Sage won the top prize Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, an event that often has proven to be a poodle’s realm. It was the 11th triumph for poodles of various sizes in the United...
GOP advances Senate candidates in West Virginia, Maryland who could flip Democratic seats
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Republican voters advanced strong Senate contenders in Maryland and West Virginia on Tuesday, giving the GOP a big boost in its push to claim control of Congress’ upper chamber. At the same time, Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump sought to project strength in...
Wong will be sworn in as Singapore’s prime minister, as Lee Hsien Loong bows out after 20 years
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Singapore’s deputy leader Lawrence Wong is set to be sworn in Wednesday as the nation’s fourth prime minister in a carefully planned political succession designed to ensure continuity and stability in the Asian financial hub. A U.S.-trained economist, Wong, 51, succeeds Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who...
California to make $3.3B available for mental health, substance use treatment centers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hammered by mounting pressure to address the growing homelessness crisis in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday his administration will make $3.3 billion available ahead of schedule for counties and private developers to start building more behavioral health treatment centers as part of his efforts to fund...
