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Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump (4/26/24)NEW YORK -- As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye. But when it came to the seamy claims by porn performer Stormy Daniels, David Pecker, the tabloid's longtime publisher, said he put his foot down...
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Tennessee lawmakers OK bill penalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care (4/26/24)NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee's GOP-controlled Statehouse on Thursday gave their final approval to legislation penalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent, clearing the way for the first-in-the-nation proposal to be sent to Gov. Bill Lee's desk for his signature...
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USC cancels graduation ceremony and dozens are arrested on other campuses as anti-war protests grow (4/26/24)The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony and dozens more college students were arrested at other campuses nationwide Thursday as protests against the Israel-Hamas war continued to spread. College officials across the U.S. ...
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Supreme Court seems skeptical of Trump's claim of absolute immunity but decision's timing is unclear (4/26/24)WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared likely to reject former President Donald Trump's claim of absolute immunity from prosecution over election interference, but several justices signaled reservations about the charges that could cause a lengthy delay, possibly beyond November's election...
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Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over Russian drone threats (4/26/24)WASHINGTON -- Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press...
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Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction is overturned by New York's top court (4/26/24)NEW YORK -- New York's highest court on Thursday threw out Harvey Weinstein 's 2020 rape conviction with a ruling that shocked and disappointed women who celebrated historic gains during the #MeToo era and left those who testified in the case bracing for a retrial against the ex-movie mogul...
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As some universities negotiate with pro-Palestinian protestors, others quickly call the police (4/26/24)The students at an encampment at Columbia University who inspired a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country dug in for their 10th day Friday, as administrators and police at college campuses from California to Connecticut wrestle with how to address protests that have seen scuffles with police and hundreds of arrests...
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Hamas again raises the possibility of a 2-state compromise. Israel and its allies aren't convinced (4/26/24)The Palestinian militant group Hamas has said for more than 15 years that it could accept a two-state compromise with Israel -- at least, a temporary one. But Hamas has also refused to say that it would recognize Israel or renounce its armed fight against it...
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Strict new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down (4/26/24)WASHINGTON -- Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration's most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation's second-largest contributor to climate change. ...
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US-China talks start with warnings about misunderstandings and miscalculations (4/26/24)BEIJING -- The United States and China butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and both men warned of the dangers of misunderstandings and miscalculations...
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A US-led effort to bring aid to Gaza by sea is moving forward. But big concerns remain (4/26/24)JERUSALEM -- The construction of a new port in Gaza and an accompanying U.S. military-built pier offshore are underway, but the complex plan to bring more desperately needed food to Palestinian civilians is still mired in fears over security and how the humanitarian aid will be delivered...
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With fear and hope, Haiti warily welcomes new governing council as gang-ravaged country seeks peace (4/26/24)PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haiti opened a new political chapter Thursday with the installation of a transitional council tasked to pick a new prime minister and prepare for eventual presidential elections, in hopes of quelling spiraling gang violence that has killed thousands in the Caribbean country...
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Dozens arrested on California campus after students in Texas detained as Gaza war protests persist (4/25/24)AUSTIN, Texas -- Police peacefully arrested student protesters at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, hours after police at a Texas university aggressively detained dozens in the latest clashes between law enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on campuses nationwide...
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Biden says the US is rushing weaponry to Ukraine as he signs a $95 billion war aid measure into law (4/25/24)WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he was immediately rushing badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots. The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed assistance for Ukraine, with Biden promising that U.S. weapons shipment would begin making the way into Ukraine "in the next few hours."...
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Arizona House advances a repeal of the state's near-total abortion ban to the Senate (4/25/24)PHOENIX -- A proposed repeal of Arizona's near-total ban on abortions won approval from the state House Wednesday after two weeks of mounting pressure on Republicans over an issue that has bedeviled former President Donald Trump's campaign to return to the White House...
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Arizona indicts 18 in election interference case, including Giuliani and Meadows (4/25/24)PHOENIX -- An Arizona grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump 's chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 16 others for their roles in an attempt to overturn Trump's loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The indictment released Wednesday names 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Trump won Arizona in 2020. ...
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Tennessee House kills bill that would have banned local officials from studying, funding reparations (4/25/24)NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee's Republican-dominant House on Wednesday spiked legislation that would have banned local governments from paying to either study or dispense money for reparations for slavery. The move marked a rare defeat on a GOP-backed proposal initially introduced nearly one year ago. ...
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Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by US to hit Russian-held areas, officials say (4/25/24)WASHINGTON -- Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday...
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West Virginia says it will appeal ruling that allowed transgender teen athlete to compete (4/25/24)CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on an appeals court ruling that allowed a transgender athlete to compete on her middle school teams, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday. "We're not going to allow the elites in the swamp to impose their values on West Virginia citizens," Morrisey said at a news conference in the state Capitol...
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Blinken, in Shanghai, begins expected contentious talks with Chinese officials (4/25/24)SHANGHAI -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking with local government officials in Shanghai. Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Chen Jining, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. He also planned to speak to students and business leaders before flying to Beijing for what are expected to be contentious talks with national officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi...
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Russia vetoes a UN resolution calling for the prevention of a dangerous nuclear arms race in space (4/25/24)UNITED NATIONS -- Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. resolution sponsored by the United States and Japan calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, calling it "a dirty spectacle" that cherry picks weapons of mass destruction from all other weapons that should also be banned...
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Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church (4/25/24)SYDNEY -- Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation...
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About 1 in 4 US adults 50 and older who aren't yet retired expect to never retire, AARP study finds (4/25/24)WASHINGTON -- About one-quarter of U.S. adults age 50 and older who are not yet retired say they expect to never retire and 70% are concerned about prices rising faster than their income, an AARP survey finds. About 1 in 4 have no retirement savings, according to research released Wednesday by the organization that shows how a graying America is worrying more and more about how to make ends meet even as economists and policymakers say the U.S. ...
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Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge US to prosecute the company (4/25/24)Boeing said Wednesday that it lost $355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers...
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Tabloid publisher says he pledged to be Trump campaign's 'eyes and ears' during 2016 race (4/24/24)NEW YORK -- A veteran tabloid publisher testified Tuesday that he pledged to be Donald Trump 's "eyes and ears" during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman...
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It began with defiance at Columbia. Now students nationwide are upping their Gaza war protests (4/24/24)NEW YORK -- What began last week when Columbia University students refused to end their protest against Israel's war with Hamas had turned into a much larger movement by Tuesday as students across the nation set up encampments, occupied buildings and ignored demands to leave...
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Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote (4/24/24)WASHINGTON -- The Senate has passed $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars. The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late Tuesday after the House had approved the package Saturday. ...
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Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature (4/24/24)WASHINGTON -- The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income...
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Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to allow armed teachers, a year after deadly Nashville shooting (4/24/24)NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Protesters chanted "Blood on your hands" at Tennessee House Republicans on Tuesday after they passed a bill that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds, and bar parents and other teachers from knowing who was armed...
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Woman charged with murder in crash that killed young brother and sister at birthday party (4/24/24)A Michigan woman was arraigned Tuesday on second-degree murder and other charges after prosecutors say she drunkenly crashed her SUV into a boat club that was hosting a child's birthday party, killing a young brother and sister and injuring several other people...
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Starbucks appears likely to win Supreme Court dispute with federal labor agency (4/24/24)The U.S. Supreme Court appeared to side with Starbucks Tuesday in a case that could make it harder for the federal government to seek injunctions when it suspects a company of interfering in unionization campaigns. Justices noted during oral arguments that Congress requires the National Labor Relations Board to seek such injunctions in federal court and said that gives the courts the duty to consider several factors, including whether the board would ultimately be successful in its administrative case against a company.. ...
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Tesla 1Q profit falls 55%, but stock jumps as company moves to speed production of cheaper vehicles (4/24/24)Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55%, but its stock price surged in after-hours trading Tuesday as the company said it would accelerate production of new, more affordable vehicles. The Austin, Texas, company said it made $1.13 billion from January through March compared with $2.51 billion in the same period a year ago...
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New federal rule would bar 'noncompete' agreements for most employees (4/24/24)WASHINGTON -- U.S. companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved by a federal agency Tuesday, though the rule is sure to be challenged in court. The Federal Trade Commission voted Tuesday 3-2 to ban measures known as noncompete agreements, which bar workers from jumping to or starting competing companies for a prescribed period of time. ...
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A Russian strike on Kharkiv's TV tower is part of an intimidation campaign, Ukraine's Zelenskyy says (4/24/24)KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian missile strike that smashed a prominent skyline television tower in Kharkiv was part of the Kremlin's effort to intimidate Ukraine's second-largest city, which in recent weeks has come under increasingly frequent attack...
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Moscow court rejects Evan Gershkovich's appeal, keeping him in jail until at least June 30 (4/24/24)MOSCOW -- Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain jailed on espionage charges until at least late June, after a Moscow court on Tuesday rejected his appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention. The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent over a year in jail, with authorities routinely extending his time behind bars and rejecting his appeals. ...
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UN calls for investigation into mass graves uncovered at two Gaza hospitals raided by Israel (4/24/24)UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations called Tuesday for "a clear, transparent and credible investigation" of mass graves uncovered at two major hospitals in war-torn Gaza that were raided by Israeli troops. Credible investigators must have access to the sites, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, and added that more journalists need to be able to work safely in Gaza to report on the facts...
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'Catch-and-kill' to be described to jurors as testimony resumes in hush money trial of Donald Trump (4/23/24)NEW YORK -- A longtime tabloid publisher was expected Tuesday to tell jurors about his efforts to help Donald Trump stifle unflattering stories during the 2016 campaign as testimony resumes in the historic hush money trial of the former president. David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher who prosecutors say worked with Trump and Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, on a so-called "catch-and-kill" strategy to buy up and then spike negative stories during the campaign, testified briefly Monday and will be back on the stand Tuesday in the Manhattan trial.. ...
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Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at Columbia (4/23/24)NEW YORK -- Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over Israel's war with Hamas...
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With homelessness on the rise, the Supreme Court weighs bans on sleeping outdoors (4/23/24)WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court wrestled with major questions about the growing issue of homelessness on Monday as it considered whether cities can punish people for sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking. It's the most significant case before the high court in decades on the issue, and comes as record numbers of people are without a permanent place to live in the United States...
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Arizona judge declares mistrial in the case of a rancher accused of fatally shooting a migrant (4/23/24)PHOENIX -- An Arizona judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of a rancher accused of fatally shooting a Mexican man on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border. The decision came after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision after more than two full days of deliberation in trial of George Alan Kelly, 75, who was charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 30, 2023, shooting of Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea...
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With graduation near, colleges seek to balance safety and students' right to protest Gaza war (4/23/24)CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The University of Michigan is informing students of the rules for upcoming graduation ceremonies: Banners and flags are not allowed. Protests are OK but in designated areas away from the cap-and-gown festivities. The University of Southern California canceled a planned speech by the school's Muslim valedictorian. ...
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Minnesota and other Democratic-led states lead pushback on censorship. They're banning the book ban (4/23/24)ST. PAUL, Minn. -- As a queer and out youth, Shae Ross was alarmed when she heard that conservative groups were organizing in her community to ban books dealing with sexuality, gender and race. So she and her friends got organized themselves, and helped persuade their school board to make it much harder to remove books and other materials from their libraries and classrooms...
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Satellite photos suggest Iran air defense radar struck in Isfahan during apparent Israeli attack (4/23/24)JERUSALEM -- Satellite photos taken Monday suggest an apparent Israeli retaliatory strike targeting Iran's central city of Isfahan hit a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery, contradicting repeated denials by officials in Tehran of any damage in the assault...
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Jury: BNSF Railway contributed to 2 deaths in Montana town where asbestos sickened thousands (4/23/24)HELENA, Mont. -- A federal jury on Monday said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened. The jury awarded $4 million each in compensatory damages to the estates of the two plaintiffs, who died in 2020. ...
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A cluster of earthquakes shakes Taiwan after a strong one killed 13 earlier this month (4/23/24)TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A cluster of earthquakes struck the island republic of Taiwan early Tuesday, the strongest having a magnitude of 6.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reports of casualties in the quakes, although there were further damages to two multi-story buildings that had been evacuated following a magnitude 7.4 quake that hit the island earlier this month, killing 13 people and injuring over 1,000. ...
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North Korean leader Kim leads rocket drills that simulate a nuclear counterattack against enemies (4/23/24)SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised salvo launches of the country's "super-large" multiple rocket launchers that simulated a nuclear counterattack against enemy targets, state media said Tuesday, adding to tests and threats that have raised tensions in the region...
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Review of UN agency helping Palestinian refugees found Israel did not express concern about staff (4/23/24)UNITED NATIONS -- An independent review of the neutrality of the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees found that Israel never expressed concern about anyone on the staff lists it has received annually since 2011. The review was carried out after Israel alleged that a dozen employees of the agency known as UNRWA had participated in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks...
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Biden marks Earth Day by going after GOP, announcing $7 billion in federal solar power grants (4/23/24)TRIANGLE, Virginia -- President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities -- while criticizing Republicans who want to gut his policies to address climate change...
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Autoworkers union celebrates breakthrough win in Tennessee, takes aim at more plants in South (4/22/24)DALLAS — The United Auto Workers’ overwhelming election victory at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee is giving the union hope that it can make broader inroads in the South, the least unionized part of the country. The UAW won a stunning 73% of the vote at VW after losing elections in 2014 and 2019. It was the union’s first win in a Southern assembly plant owned by a foreign automaker. ...
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Israeli strikes on southern Gaza city of Rafah kill 22, mostly children, as US advances aid package (4/22/24)RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 22 people, including 18 children, health officials said Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to Israel, its close ally. ...