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On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine (5/15/24)BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says his regime is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor...
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Slovakia's prime minister injured in shooting (5/15/24)BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Media reports say Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital. The incident took place in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometers northeast of the capital, according to the news television station TA3. A suspect has been detained, it said...
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Biden proposes 2 Trump debates but won’t participate in nonpartisan commission's debates (5/15/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday on social media that he won’t participate in the campaign debates sponsored by a nonpartisan commission, instead challenging Republican Donald Trump to a pair of debates. “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020,” Biden posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal.”...
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US inflation eased last month in the first slowdown of 2024 (5/15/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer inflation in the United States cooled slightly last month after three elevated readings, likely offering a tentative sigh of relief for officials at the Federal Reserve as well as President Joe Biden’s re-election team. Prices rose 0.3% from March to April, the Labor Department said Wednesday, down slightly from 0.4% the previous month. ...
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Senators urge $32 billion in emergency spending on AI after finishing yearlong review (5/15/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of four senators led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is recommending that Congress spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and place safeguards around it, writing in a new report released Wednesday that the U.S. needs to “harness the opportunities and address the risks” of the quickly developing technology...
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Check stubs, fake receipts and blind loyalty: Cohen offers insider knowledge in hush money trial (5/14/24)NEW YORK (AP) — It wasn't until after a decade in the fold, after his family pleaded with him, after the FBI raided his office, apartment and hotel room, Michael Cohen testified Tuesday, that he finally decided to turn on Donald Trump. That decision led to a 2018 guilty plea to federal charges involving a payment to the porn actor Stormy Daniels to bury her story of an alleged sexual encounter with Trump and to other, unrelated crimes. ...
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Blinken in Kyiv says US arms will make a difference as Ukraine reels from a new Russian offensive (5/14/24)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought Tuesday to rally the spirits of glum Ukrainians facing a fierce new Russian offensive, assuring them that they are not alone and that billions of dollars in American military aid on its way to the country would make a “real difference” on the battlefield...
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Russian assault opens new front, diverting Ukraine forces as Western aid trickles in (5/13/24)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops were locked in intense battles with Ukrainian soldiers around the embattled town of Vovchansk in northeast Ukraine on Monday, pushing ahead with a ground offensive that opened a new front and put more pressure on overstretched Ukrainian forces...
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Misery deepens in Gaza's Rafah as Israeli troops press operation (5/13/24)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Aid workers struggled Monday to distribute dwindling food and other supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by what Israel says is a limited military operation in Rafah, as the two main crossings near the southern Gaza city remained closed...
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'Make sure it doesn't get released'; star witness Michael Cohen implicates Trump in hush money case (5/13/24)NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's fixer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen, directly implicated the former president in a hush money scheme Monday, telling jurors that his celebrity client approved hefty payouts to stifle stories about sex that he feared could be harmful to his 2016 White House campaign...
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Report: Trump may face a $100 million-plus tax bill if he loses IRS audit fight over Chicago tower (5/13/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump may face an IRS bill in excess of $100 million after a government audit indicates he double-dipped on tax losses tied to a Chicago skyscraper, according to a report by The New York Times and ProPublica that drew on a yearslong audit and public filings...
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Solar storm hits Earth, producing colorful light shows across Northern Hemisphere (5/12/24)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth produced stunning displays of color in the skies across the Northern Hemisphere, with no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated. ...
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Russia says it has captured 5 villages in northeast Ukraine as more than 1,700 civilians flee (5/12/24)VOVCHANSK, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian Defense Ministry says Moscow's forces have captured five villages in a renewed ground assault in northeastern Ukraine. Associated Press journalists in the city of Vovchansk described multiple buildings destroyed after Russian airstrikes and barrages of Grad rockets. ...
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Israel moves deeper into Rafah and fights Hamas militants regrouping in northern Gaza (5/12/24)RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces are battling Palestinian militants across Gaza, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it cleared months ago. Neighboring Egypt has issued its strongest objection yet to Israel's growing offensive on the southern city of Rafah, saying it intends to formally join South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. ...
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US aims to stay ahead of China in using AI to fly fighter jets, navigate without GPS and more (5/12/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — When two U.S. fighter jets recently faced off in a dogfight in California, only one was piloted by a human. The other was flown by AI, in a display of how far the U.S. military has come in its use of artificial intelligence. But it's only a hint of the technology on the horizon. ...
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America's debt tops $34 trillion, but a commission to address it appears dead in Congress (5/12/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — A promising start has given way to challenging political realities for supporters of a bipartisan commission to tackle the federal government's growing debt challenges. House Speaker Mike Johnson lauded the idea of establishing such a commission on his first day in office. ...
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Trump tells Jersey Shore crowd he's being forced to endure 'Biden show trial' in hush money case (5/12/24)WILDWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Donald Trump is blaming President Joe Biden for the criminal charges he's facing as the presumptive nominees prepare to face off in the November election and called his New York hush money case "a Biden show trial." Blasting the Democratic president as "a total moron" and "a fool," Trump told a crowd of tens of thousands on the Jersey Shore that the cases against him were politically motivated and timed to harm his ability to campaign. ...
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UN assembly approves resolution granting Palestine new rights and reviving its UN membership bid (5/10/24)UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider Palestine's request to become the 194th member of the United Nations...
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Judge directs Michael Cohen to keep quiet about Trump ahead of his hush money trial testimony (5/10/24)NEW YORK (AP) — With Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen expected to take the witness stand Monday, the judge in the former president’s hush money case issued prosecutors a stern warning: Get Cohen to stop his taunting posts and jabs at Trump...
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US says Israel’s use of US arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete (5/10/24)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes...
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US says Rafah offensive would jeopardize cease-fire talks as Biden threatens to halt more Israel aid (5/10/24)WASHINGTON -- The United States warned on Thursday that Israel will be dealing a strategic victory to Hamas if it carries out plans for an all-out assault on Rafah, the militants' last major stronghold in Gaza. The warning was backed by a new threat from President Joe Biden: He says he will pause more offensive military assistance to Israel if it goes through with the operation in a city where more than 1 million civilians are sheltering...
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Netanyahu on US threat to withhold arms: Israel will fight with its 'fingernails' if needed (5/10/24)JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally...
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Biden administration will seek partial end to special court oversight of child migrants (5/10/24)SAN DIEGO -- The Biden administration will seek to partially end the 27-year-old court supervision of how the federal government cares for child migrants traveling alone, shortly after producing its own list of safeguards against mistreatment, an attorney involved in the case says...
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Failure to oust Speaker 'MAGA Mike' Johnson shows strength and weakness of his alliance with Trump (5/10/24)WASHINGTON -- It was Donald Trump who bestowed the "MAGA Mike Johnson" nickname on the House speaker the day he won the gavel. It is the Republican speaker himself who is proving whether it sticks. Johnson survived an ouster vote this week by one of Trump's biggest supporters in Congress, far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, his job secured only after House Democrats turned out in force to put an end to the GOP chaos, for now...
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The Biden-Netanyahu relationship is strained like never before. Can the two leaders move forward? (5/10/24)WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have long managed a complicated relationship, but they're running out of space to maneuver as their views on the Gaza war diverge and their political futures hang in the balance...
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Stormy Daniels delivers shocking testimony about Trump, but trial hinges on business records (5/10/24)NEW YORK -- Donald Trump's defense attorney on Thursday accused Stormy Daniels of slowly altering the details of an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, trying to convince jurors that a key prosecution witness in the former president's hush money criminal trial cannot be believed...
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Body camera video shows fatal shooting of Black airman by Florida deputy in apartment doorway (5/10/24)FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida sheriff released body camera video Thursday showing a deputy outside an apartment door and firing immediately when it was opened by a Black man carrying a handgun pointed downward, a killing the family denounced as "unjustifiable."...
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Senate passes bill improving air safety and service for travelers, a day before FAA law expires (5/10/24)WASHINGTON -- The Senate has passed a $105 billion bill designed to improve safety and customer service for air travelers, a day before the law governing the Federal Aviation Administration expires. The bipartisan bill, which comes after a series of close calls between planes at the nation's airports, aims to boost the number of air traffic controllers amid a shortage, improve safety standards and make it easier for customers to get refunds after flights are delayed or canceled, among other measures.. ...
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Russia celebrates victory in World War II as Putin accuses the West of fueling global conflicts (5/10/24)MOSCOW -- Russia on Thursday wrapped itself in patriotic pageantry for Victory Day, as President Vladimir Putin celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II by hailing his forces fighting in Ukraine and blasting the West for fueling conflicts around the world...
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Airman shot by deputy doted on little sister and aimed to buy mom a house, family says (5/10/24)FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Just two days before a sheriff's deputy in Florida shot him dead, U.S. Air Force airman Roger Fortson called home to find out what his 10-year-old sister wanted for her birthday. It was a typical gesture for the 23-year-old from Atlanta, who doted on the girl and was devoted to helping her, a younger brother and his mom prosper, his family says...
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2 skiers killed after being caught in Utah avalanche following late spring snowstorms, sheriff says (5/10/24)SANDY, Utah -- Two backcountry skiers were killed and one was rescued after they were swept up and buried in an avalanche Thursday in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said. A rescue team went to the area mid-morning after the avalanche was reported near Lone Peak in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said. ...
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Storm-battered South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life (5/10/24)COLUMBIA, Tenn. -- Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street...
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TikTok to start labeling AI-generated content as technology becomes more universal (5/10/24)TikTok will begin labeling content created using artificial intelligence when it's been uploaded from outside its own platform in an attempt to combat misinformation. "AI enables incredible creative opportunities, but can confuse or mislead viewers if they don't know content was AI-generated," the company said in a prepared statement Thursday. ...
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Powerful storms kill 3 as tornadoes tear through central and southeastern US (5/9/24)COLUMBIA, Tenn. -- Severe storms tore through parts of the U.S. again Wednesday, spawning damaging tornadoes, producing massive hail, and killing two people in Tennessee and one person in North Carolina. A storm that rumbled across northeastern Tennessee brought high winds that knocked down powerlines and trees. Claiborne County Sheriff Bob Brooks said a 22-year-old man was in a car struck by one of the trees...
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Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered (5/9/24)JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after days of closure, but the U.N. said no humanitarian aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side after workers fled during Israel's military incursion in the area...
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Palestinians flee chaos and panic in Rafah after Israel's seizure of border crossing (5/9/24)RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- Tens of thousands of displaced and exhausted Palestinians have packed up their tents and other belongings from Rafah, dragging families on a new exodus. The main hospital has shut down, leaving little care for people suffering from malnutrition, illnesses and wounds...
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Biden says US won't supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to ally (5/9/24)WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah -- the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza -- over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there...
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Police clear pro-Palestinian protest camp and arrest 33 at DC campus as mayor's hearing is canceled (5/9/24)WASHINGTON -- Police used pepper spray to clear a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University and arrested dozens of demonstrators on Wednesday just as city officials were set to appear before hostile lawmakers in Congress to account for their handling of the 2-week-old protest...
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House rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, but chaos lingers (5/9/24)WASHINGTON -- Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried and failed in a brazen push to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, but the resounding rejection by Democrats and Republicans does not guarantee an end to the political chaos. One of Donald Trump's biggest supporters in Congress, Greene stood on the House floor late Wednesday and read a long list of "transgressions" she said Johnson had committed as speaker, from his passage of a $95 billion national security package with aid for Ukraine to his reliance on Democrats to wield power.. ...
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Southern Brazil is still reeling from massive flooding as it faces risk from new storms (5/9/24)PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil -- As major floods engulfed entire cities in the northern part of the Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state last week, meteorologist Estael Sias knew the water would drain into capital Porto Alegre's metropolitan region and that she would need to find a safe place...
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Florida deputies who fatally shot US airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says (5/9/24)MIAMI -- Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday...
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Defense attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial (5/9/24)NEW YORK -- Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defense tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet...
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Biden administration will propose tougher asylum standards for some migrants at the border (5/9/24)WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration plans to propose a new rule Thursday aimed at speeding up the asylum claims process for some migrants -- a potential prelude to broader actions from President Joe Biden later this year that would impose a bigger crackdown at the border...
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Georgia appeals court agrees to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to stay on Trump election case (5/9/24)ATLANTA -- A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump. The move seems likely to delay the case and is the second time in as many days that the former president has gotten a favorable ruling that could push any future trials beyond the November election, when he is expected to be the Republican nominee for president. ...
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Transitional council in Haiti embraces new changes following turmoil as gang violence grips country (5/9/24)PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- A transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for Haiti is changing the way it operates in a move that surprised many as gang violence consumes the country. Instead of having a single council president, four longtime politicians will take turns leading the council every five months, according to two members who were not authorized to publicly share the changes because they had not yet been announced...
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Former Las Vegas casino executive sentenced to year of probation in bookmaking money laundering case (5/9/24)LOS ANGELES -- A former top executive for major Las Vegas casinos was sentenced to a year of probation Wednesday after admitting he allowed an illegal bookmaker to gamble millions of dollars at the MGM Grand and pay off debts in cash. Scott Sibella pleaded guilty in January to violating federal anti-money laundering rules that required the casino to file reports of suspicious transactions. ...
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Biden lauds new Microsoft center on the same site where Trump's Foxconn project failed (5/9/24)STURTEVANT, Wis. -- President Joe Biden on Wednesday laced into Donald Trump over a failed project in the previous administration that was supposed to bring thousands of new jobs into southeastern Wisconsin and trumpeted new economic investments under his watch that are coming to the same spot...
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Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial (5/8/24)NEW YORK -- With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later...
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Israel seizes Gaza's vital Rafah crossing, but the US says it isn't the full invasion many fear (5/8/24)CAIRO -- Israeli troops seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday in what the White House described as a limited operation, as fears mount of a full-scale invasion of the southern city and talks with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release remain on a knife's edge...
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Some colleges that had been permissive of pro-Palestinian protests begin taking a tougher stance (5/8/24)CHICAGO -- Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the University of Chicago on Tuesday after administrators who had initially adopted a permissive approach said the protest had crossed a line and caused growing concerns about safety. University President Paul Alivisatos acknowledged the school's role as a protector of freedom of speech after officers in riot gear blocked access to the school's Quad but also took an enough-is-enough stance...