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Biden OKs $60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of 'very long road ahead'BALTIMORE -- Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a "very long road ahead" to recover from the loss of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Meanwhile the U.S. ...
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Trump's team cites First Amendment in contesting charges in Georgia election interference caseATLANTA -- The charges against Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case seek to criminalize political speech and advocacy conduct that the First Amendment protects, a lawyer for the former president said Thursday as he argued that the indictment should be dismissed...
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Trump attends wake of slain New York officer, calls for 'law and order,' to show contrast with BidenMASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. -- Donald Trump attended Thursday's wake of a New York City police officer gunned down in the line of duty and called for "law and order," as part of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's attempt to show a contrast with President Joe Biden and focus on crime as part of his third White House campaign...
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House Republicans invite President Biden to testify at public hearing as impeachment inquiry stallsWASHINGTON -- House Republicans on Thursday invited President Joe Biden to testify before Congress in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to deliver on their stalled monthslong impeachment inquiry into the Biden family businesses. Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to the Democratic president, inviting him to sit for a public hearing to "explain, under oath," what involvement he had in the Biden family businesses. ...
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Suspect charged with murder, attempted murder in deadly Rockford rampageCHICAGO -- A 22-year-old man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in a frenzied stabbing and beating rampage that left four people dead in a matter of minutes in a northern Illinois city, authorities said Thursday. Christian Soto is also charged with seven counts of attempted murder and home invasion with a dangerous weapon following the attacks in Rockford on Wednesday. Seven people were injured...
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Obama, Clinton and big-name entertainers help Biden raise a record $26 million for his reelectionNEW YORK -- Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and some big names from the entertainment world teamed up Thursday night to deliver a rousing New York embrace of President Joe Biden that hauled in a record-setting $26 million-plus for his reelection campaign...
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Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prisonNEW YORK -- Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency...
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Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old is only survivorCAPE TOWN, South Africa -- A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said. The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo. They said the child was seriously injured...
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UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into GazaTHE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into the war-ravaged enclave...
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Israeli court halts subsidies for ultra-Orthodox, deepening turmoil over mandatory military serviceTEL AVIV, Israel -- Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an end to government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army -- a blockbuster ruling that could have far-reaching consequences for the government and the tens of thousands of religious men who refuse to take part in mandatory military service...
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Today in HistoryToday is Friday, March 29, the 89th day of 2024. There are 277 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 29, 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War...
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Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children (3/28/24)DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza -- An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel's war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned. One toddler died from a brain injury caused by an Israeli strike that fractured his skull. His cousin, an infant, is still fighting for her life with part of her face blown off by the same strike...
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Lawmakers in Thailand overwhelmingly approve a bill to legalize same-sex marriage (3/28/24)BANGKOK -- Lawmakers in Thailand's lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender. The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 of the 415 members of the House of Representatives in attendance, with 10 voting against it, two abstaining and three not voting...
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Security in Congo's mineral-rich east is deteriorating with rebel group expanding territory, UN says (3/28/24)UNITED NATIONS -- Security in Congo's mineral-rich east has deteriorated since recent elections, with a rebel group allegedly linked to neighboring Rwanda making "significant advances and expanding its territory," the U.N. special envoy for the conflict-wracked African nation said Wednesday...
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Indonesia's top court hears appeals from losing presidential candidates who want a revote (3/28/24)JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's top court heard appeals lodged by two losing presidential candidates who are demanding a revote, alleging widespread irregularities and fraud at the polls in appearances before the judges Wednesday. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto won the election with an overwhelming margin: 58.6%, or more than 96 million votes, according to the General Election Commission -- more than twice the runner-up's share in the three-way race...
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Today in History (3/28/24)Today is Thursday, March 28, the 88th day of 2024. There are 278 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 28, 1979, America's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred with a partial meltdown inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania...
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Judge issues gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting on witnesses, others in hush money case (3/27/24)NEW YORK -- A New York judge Tuesday issued a gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial, citing the former president's history of "threatening, inflammatory, denigrating" remarks about people involved in his legal cases...
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Biden and Harris argue that Democrats will preserve health care and Republicans would take it away (3/27/24)RALEIGH, N.C. -- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday promoted their health care agenda in the battleground state of North Carolina, arguing that Democrats like themselves would preserve access to care while Republicans would reverse gains made over the past decade and a half...
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Supreme Court seems likely to preserve access to the abortion medication mifepristone (3/27/24)WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to preserve access to a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year, in the court's first abortion case since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago...
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picks Nicole Shanahan as his running mate for his independent White House bid (3/27/24)OAKLAND, Calif. -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan on Tuesday to be his vice presidential pick, adding a wealthy but nationally unknown figure to his independent White House bid that's trying to appeal to voters disaffected by a rematch of the 2020 election...
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Pentagon urges Israel to protect civilians in Gaza as military chiefs meet at time of high tensions (3/27/24)WASHINGTON -- U.S. defense leaders pressed their Israeli counterparts Tuesday to ensure that any military operation in the southern city of Rafah unfold in phases to protect civilians and secure the delivery of aid, a senior Pentagon official said. Israel's defense minister was receptive, the official said, but it's not clear what impact the meeting will have on Israeli plans for Gaza or on growing tensions between the two nations...
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Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches deal to end securities fraud charges after 9 years (3/27/24)HOUSTON -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade. The announcement by special prosecutors in a Houston courtroom came less than three weeks before Paxton was set to stand trial on felony charges that could have led to a prison sentence. ...
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Children's author Kouri Richins hit with new charges alleging earlier attempt to kill her husband (3/27/24)SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah woman who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband in 2022, then published a children's book about grief, now faces another attempted murder charge for allegedly drugging him weeks earlier on Valentine's Day. Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of killing her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home in a small mountain town near Park City in March 2022. ...
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer says raids of the rapper's homes were 'excessive' use of military force (3/27/24)LOS ANGELES -- Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyer said Tuesday that the searches of the rapper's Los Angeles and Miami properties by federal authorities in a sex trafficking investigation were "a gross use of military-level force" and that Combs is "innocent and will continue to fight" to clear his name...
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NBC has cut ties with former RNC head Ronna McDaniel after employee objections, some on the air (3/27/24)NEW YORK -- NBC News cut ties Tuesday with former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel less than a week after hiring her as an on-air political contributor, a decision that followed a furious protest by some of its journalists and commentators...
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UK court says Assange can't be extradited on espionage charges until US rules out death penalty (3/27/24)LONDON -- A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can't be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won't get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site's publication of classified American documents...
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The presidents of France and Brazil meet and announce a $1.1 billion investment plan for the Amazon (3/27/24)SAO PAULO -- The Brazilian and the French presidents on Tuesday announced a plan to invest 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in the Amazon, including parts of the rainforest in neighboring French Guiana. The two countries' governments said in a joint statement the money will be spread over the next four years to protect the rainforest. It will be a collaboration of state-run Brazilian banks and France's investment agency. Private resources will also be welcomed, Brazil and France said...
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Israel and Hamas dig in as pressure builds for a cease-fire in Gaza (3/27/24)JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday blasted a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza cease-fire that his country's top ally, the United States, chose not to block. He said the resolution had emboldened Hamas and he vowed to press ahead with the war...
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Russia persists in blaming Ukraine for concert attack despite its denial and Islamic State's claim (3/27/24)MOSCOW -- Russian officials persisted Tuesday in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week's deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv and a claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group...
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With its soldiers mired in Gaza, Israel fights a battle at home over drafting the ultra-Orthodox (3/27/24)JERUSALEM -- As Israel battles a prolonged war in Gaza, broad exemptions from mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men have reopened a deep divide in the country and rattled the government coalition, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fellow War Cabinet members staunchly opposed to his proposed new conscription law...
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Ukrainian navy says a third of Russian warships in the Black Sea have been destroyed or disabled (3/27/24)KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has sunk or disabled a third of all Russian warships in the Black Sea in just over two years of war, the navy spokesman said Tuesday, a heavy blow to Moscow's military capability. Ukraine's Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk told The Associated Press that the latest strike on Saturday night hit the Russian amphibious landing ship Kostiantyn Olshansky that was resting in dock in Sevastopol in Russia-occupied Crimea. ...
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Today in History (3/27/24)Today is Wednesday, March 27, the 87th day of 2024. There are 279 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 27, 1973, "The Godfather" won the Academy Award for best picture of 1972, but its star, Marlon Brando, refused to accept his Oscar for best actor, and in what would become one of the Oscars' most famous moments sent in his place actor and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who spoke out about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood. ...
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Baltimore bridge collapses after powerless cargo ship rams into support column; 6 presumed dead (3/26/24)A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a terrifying collapse that could disrupt a vital shipping port for months. Six people were missing and presumed dead, and the search for them was suspended until Wednesday morning...
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Trump's New York hush money case is set for trial April 15 (3/26/24)NEW YORK -- The first of Donald Trump's four criminal trials will begin April 15, a Manhattan judge ruled Monday after tearing into the former president's lawyers for what he said were unfounded claims that the hush-money case had been tainted by prosecutorial misconduct...
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Republicans threaten to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden documents case (3/26/24)WASHINGTON -- House Republicans threatened to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress if he did not turn over unredacted materials related to the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents...
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Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in case that could restrict access to abortion medication (3/26/24)WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday in its first abortion case since conservative justices overturned the constitutional right to an abortion two years ago. At stake is the ease of access to a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year...
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US and Israeli defense chiefs to meet Tuesday as tensions rise over Gaza (3/26/24)WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with Israel's minister of defense on Tuesday and discuss ways to defeat Hamas other than conducting a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the Pentagon said, at a time of rising tensions between the two countries...
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New York City police officer fatally shot during traffic stop (3/26/24)A New York City police officer was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop, the city's mayor said. It marked the first slaying of an NYPD officer in two years. "We lost one of our sons today and it is extremely painful. It is extremely painful," Mayor Eric Adams said, addressing reporters at the hospital where the officer died...
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Some Republicans who supported Nikki Haley are still refusing to back Donald Trump (3/26/24)COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Now that Nikki Haley has shuttered her presidential campaign, one person who voted for her refuses to back former President Donald Trump and plans to reluctantly vote for President Joe Biden. Another Haley primary supporter acknowledges that he was probably always a "closet Trump fan" and will vote for the former president again in November...
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High school teacher and students sue over Arkansas' ban on critical race theory (3/26/24)LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- A high school teacher and two students sued Arkansas on Monday over the state's ban on critical race theory and "indoctrination" in public schools, asking a federal judge to strike down the restrictions as unconstitutional. The lawsuit by the teacher and students from Little Rock Central High School, site of the historic 1957 racial desegregation crisis, stems from the state's decision last year that an Advanced Placement course on African American Studies would not count toward state credit.. ...
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Spring storm lashes central US with snow and threatens South with severe weather (3/26/24)Snow, rain and gusting winds lashed a large swath of the Central U.S. on Monday, dashing spring hopes, as the South braced for thunderstorms and possible tornadoes and as the risk of wildfires in southern Texas reached critical levels. The storm hit with parts of the country still in recovery mode from their own severe weather, particularly in the Northeast. Tens of thousands of people still lacked power in Maine, where a storm coated parts of the state in thick ice...
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Putin says Islamic extremists raided concert hall but attack masterminds are yet to be found (3/26/24)Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that the gunmen who killed 139 people at a suburban Moscow concert hall are "radical Islamists," but he repeated his accusation that Ukraine could have played a role despite Kyiv's strong denials. Two days after the Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility for Friday night's attack at the music venue, Putin acknowledged during a meeting with government officials that the killings were carried out by extremists "whose ideology the Islamic world has been fighting for centuries.". ...
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A London court will rule on whether WikiLeaks founder Assange can challenge extradition to the US (3/26/24)LONDON -- A London court is scheduled Tuesday to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets one final appeal in England to challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Two judges are due to issue a judgment in the High Court that could put an end to Assange's long legal saga -- or further extend it...
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Court agrees to pause collection of Trump's massive civil fraud judgment if he puts up $175M (3/26/24)NEW YORK -- A New York appeals court Monday agreed to hold off collection of former President Donald Trump's more than $454 million civil fraud judgment if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. If Trump does, it will stop the clock on collection and prevent the state from seizing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's assets while he appeals. ...
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Boeing CEO to exit in broad management shakeup as manufacturing issues plague storied plane maker (3/26/24)Boeing CEO David Calhoun will step down from the embattled plane maker at the end of the year as part of a broad management shakeup Monday after a series of mishaps at one of America's iconic manufacturers. Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing's commercial airplanes unit, will retire immediately. Stephanie Pope, the company's chief operating officer for less than three months, has taken over leadership of the key division...
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Kyiv endures a third bombardment in 5 days as Russia steps up targeting of Ukrainian cities (3/26/24)KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia launched missiles against Kyiv for the third time in five days and also targeted other regions Monday as Moscow escalated its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities while the front line in the war remains largely stationary. Nine people were injured in the morning strike on the Ukrainian capital, the Ukraine Rescue Service said. ...
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UN demand for Gaza cease-fire provokes strongest clash between US and Israel since war began (3/26/24)UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began...
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Senegal's little-known opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye is named the next president (3/26/24)DAKAR, Senegal -- Senegal's little-known, 44-year-old opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye was named the country's next president on Monday, less than two weeks after being released from prison to run in the election. While official results of Sunday's vote were not yet available, the former prime minister who was the other frontrunner, and who was backed by incumbent President Macky Sall, conceded defeat based on preliminary results. ...
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Today in History (3/26/24)Today is Tuesday, March 26, the 86th day of 2024. There are 280 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 26, 1997, the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate techno-religious cult who committed suicide were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California...
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With all the recent headlines about panels and tires falling off planes, is flying safe? (3/25/24)DALLAS — It has been 15 years since the last fatal crash of a U.S. airliner, but you would never know that by reading about a torrent of flight problems in the last three months. There was a time when things like cracked windshields and minor engine problems didn’t turn up very often in the news. ...