‘Out of many, one,’ says a U.S. national motto. What does that push for unity mean today?
NEW YORK — The aspirations cut a wide swath through American history since 1776 — from the “All men are created equal” of the Declaration of Independence and the “We the people” of the Constitution, to the “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” of the Pledge of Allegiance. One...
Australian judge rejects U.S. Marine pilot’s appeal against extradition to U.S.
MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan to avoid extradition to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese military aviators more than a decade ago. Duggan is accused of training Chinese military pilots while working...
Pope blasts ‘tyrants’ ravaging the Earth during his visit to Cameroon
BAMENDA, Cameroon — Pope Leo XIV blasted the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging Earth with war and exploitation, as he preached a message of peace Thursday in the epicenter of a separatist conflict considered one of the world’s most neglected crises. Leo traveled to the western Cameroon city of...
Astronomers measure the mind-blowing power and speed of black hole jets for 1st time
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time, scientists have measured the instantaneous mind-blowing power of jets blasting from a black hole. The jet power from this relatively close black hole-star system is equivalent to 10,000 suns, an international research team reported Thursday. They also tracked the jet speed: roughly...
Nature puts heat on blast as scorching temperatures take aim at eastern U.S.
SEASIDE PARK, N.J. — A long-lasting weather pattern is poised to blast hot air like a furnace across the eastern United States, with the unusual heat wave threatening to shatter record high temperatures Wednesday in big cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. In the nation’s capital, forecasters were...
Floodwaters inundate Wisconsin streets, trapping drivers, as Midwest rebuilds after storms
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Floodwaters from record rainfall in Wisconsin inundated streets Wednesday, trapping drivers and forcing officials to close sections of a highway, as other Midwestern states worked to rebuild after storms. Cars were stranded in high floodwater on a highway in Milwaukee and video shared by the Milwaukee...
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...
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...
Jury finds that Ticketmaster and Live Nation had an anticompetitive monopoly over big concert venues
NEW YORK — A jury found Wednesday that entertainment giant Live Nation, which hosts tens of thousands of concerts a year, and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had a harmful monopoly over big venues. The ruling, in a lawsuit brought by dozens of states, won’t immediately bring relief for concertgoers who have...
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...
Prosecutors seek access to Federal Reserve building as Trump threatens to fire Powell
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit. Two prosecutors and an investigator from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office...
FDA to weigh easing limits on unproven peptides favored by RFK Jr. and other MAHA figures
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting this summer to consider easing restrictions on more than a half dozen peptide injections, a group of unapproved therapies that have become popular among wellness influencers, fitness gurus and celebrities. The meeting announcement Wednesday follows repeated pledges by Health...
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...
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...
