UFC fighting cage rises on White House lawn for bout celebrating America’s 250th anniversary
WASHINGTON — Yet another White House construction project is underway, though this one is meant to be only temporary. Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn that will host next month’s UFC bout, helping mark the nation’s 250th anniversary — and President Donald Trump ‘s 80th birthday....
Iran condemns U.S. strikes as a show of ‘bad faith’ and begins restoring internet after long shutdown
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war, and the Islamic Republic began restoring internet access after one of the longest nationwide shutdowns ever....
Southern Poverty Law Center seeks dismissal of ‘vindictive’ Justice Department indictment
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center is part of a “top-down” campaign of retribution against President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies and constitutes a vindictive prosecution that must be dismissed, lawyers for the nonprofit argued Tuesday in urging a judge to toss the case...
Trump wraps up 3-hour medical visit to Walter Reed and declares ‘Everything checked out PERFECTLY’Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump had another medical exam on Tuesday, putting his health under renewed public scrutiny after he has worked to dismiss concerns over his age and stamina. The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House...
Trump administration proposes NDAs for federal employees to stop leaks
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants all current and future federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, part of a continuing crackdown on leaks to the media. The notice in the Federal Register from the Office of Personnel Management posted Tuesday asked for comment on a draft NDA to be used...
At least 1 dead, 9 others missing in chemical tank implosion at Washington state mill
LONGVIEW, Wash. — The implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in Washington state on Tuesday killed one person and nine others are unaccounted for, authorities said. Emergency responders were still working on recovery efforts at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, the Longview Fire Department...
As stock market hits new highs, 2 of 3 Americans are cutting back on spending, survey shows
WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence declined slightly this month as gas prices stayed high and inflation remained elevated, a sharp contrast to soaring stock prices hover near record levels. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index slipped 0.7 points to 93.1 in May, the first decline after three months of gains....
Trump’s no-bond policy for immigrants in custody played out for years in Tacoma, Washington
TACOMA, Wash. — Four immigration judges in Washington state were years ahead of a sea change in immigration enforcement that has reversed a long American tradition. The denial of bond for many held on immigration charges has unleashed tens of thousands of lawsuits since July, alleging violations of constitutional rights...
4 dead, 5 injured in a crash between a train and a school bus in Belgium
BUGGENHOUT, Belgium — A crash between a bus and a train traveling at high speed in northern Belgium killed four people, including two children ages 12 and 15, and injured five other children, officials said Tuesday. The injured children were hospitalized in serious condition, said Lisa De Wilde, spokeswoman for...
Search continues for 7 villagers trapped in a flooded Laos cave
BANGKOK — Rescuers tried to reach seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave in Laos for the seventh day on Tuesday, with difficult terrain and weather impeding their efforts. There has been no contact with them since they became trapped. The villagers entered the cave in Xaisomboun province on May...
Exceptionally early heat wave shatters records and brings deaths in Europe
LONDON — Temperature records have toppled as a spring heatwave continued to scorch parts of Western Europe on Tuesday, triggering government warnings about risks to life. Several drownings were reported in Britain and France as people tried to cool down. London recorded a rare “tropical night,” defined as one in...
Turkish riot police use water cannons ahead of deposed opposition leader’s speech to rally
ISTANBUL — Riot police in Turkey used water cannons on Tuesday to prevent people from gathering to hear a speech by the deposed leader of the country’s main opposition party. Ozgur Ozel and the core leadership of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, were removed from their posts on Thursday...
America’s schools face a backlash on digital devices as screens saturate classrooms
Just a few years ago, America’s public schools were rushing to get every child a laptop. Los Angeles middle school teacher Anna Soffer remembers it well: “The idea was that technology is the future, so we need to put tech in every child’s hands.” Now, the conversation has flipped. After...
Democrats feud over stock trading as they sharpen anti-corruption case against Trump
DALLAS — After three terms in the U.S. House and two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate, Colin Allred said he’s heard plenty about voters’ suspicions that politicians are just trying to make a buck in Washington. “‘What about the stock trading in Congress? What about people getting rich in...
Officials lift evacuation orders for some California residents living near a damaged chemical tank
Emergency officials lifted an evacuation order for some of the people who live near a damaged tank containing a hazardous chemical in Southern California after temperatures inside the tank fell enough to eliminate the risk of a catastrophic explosion. While there’s no longer a risk of a major explosion at...
Israel’s military says it’s striking Hezbollah sites as Netanyahu vows to ‘increase the blows’
BEIRUT — Israel’s air force targeted sites belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon, including in the country’s eastern Bekaa Valley, late on Monday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to intensify attacks on the Lebanese militant group. Netanyahu’s warning came as Hezbollah has been firing fiber optic drones — a...
John Cornyn and Ken Paxton flood Texas airwaves in final day of GOP Senate runoff
SAN ANTONIO — Voters in Texas will see little of the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate on Monday. But that’s only if they stay away from screens. There were no public campaign events scheduled for Sen. John Cornyn nor state Attorney General Ken Paxton on the final day of their...
U.S. military says it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes in Iran, including on missile launch sites
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were “proceeding nicely.” The strikes were done “to protect our troops from threats posed...
Pope says AI should be disarmed to avoid dominating humanity
Pope Leo XIV said artificial intelligence should be “disarmed” to protect humanity from its dangers, adding his voice to a heated debate over the extent to which governments should regulate a technology that is reshaping the world. In a landmark address to the Catholic Church, which included a video presentation...
The origins of Memorial Day and how it has evolved
Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday that is officially about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it has come to signal the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of travel, as well as discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. This year, the occasion comes amid...
Risk of a catastrophic explosion has been eliminated at chemical tank in California, authorities say
The risk of a catastrophic explosion of a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has been eliminated following a close overnight inspection that confirmed a crack in the tank relieved pressure and cooled the chemical, authorities said Monday. Officials said crews conducted tank temperature checks at night to reduce risks...
Republicans who have drawn a hard line on Iran pan Trump’s emerging proposal to end the war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s emerging deal to end the Iran war is drawing heavy criticism from some fellow Republicans who favor a harder line against the government in Tehran and fear a lost opportunity to finally rein in a longtime Mideast nemesis. The deal the Republican president had said...
Oldest Pearl Harbor survivor is keeping the memory of the surprise bombing alive at 106Video
CENTERVILLE, Mass. — On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the country’s oldest living survivor of the Japanese bombing was far below deck helping repair one of the boilers of the USS St. Louis. Freeman Johnson, who turned 106 in March, never witnessed the surprise attack. He never heard...
Bystander in serious condition after fatal shooting near White House checkpoint
A bystander who was struck by gunfire after a man fired on a checkpoint outside the White House and was fatally shot by U.S. Secret Service officers remained in serious but stable condition Sunday. The Secret Service said the bystander, who has not been identified, suffered a gunshot wound described...
Trump’s Justice Department scrubs its website of news releases about Jan. 6 defendants
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is acknowledging it has removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, calling the information about the prosecutions “partisan propaganda.” The purge of news releases documenting criminal charges, convictions and sentencings is the latest step by...
