Top General News
Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday while greeting supporters at a event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe weeks before an election. ...
Biden and Trump, trading barbs, agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and September
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for their first presidential face-off to play out in just over a month. ...
Netanyahu fends off criticism at home and abroad over his lack of a postwar plan for Gaza
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday fended off criticism that he is not planning for a postwar reality in the Gaza Strip, saying it was impossible to prepare for any scenario in the embattled Palestinian enclave until Hamas is defeated. Netanyahu...
Lies, loyalty and a gag order upheld: Tuesday's Trump hush money trial takeaways
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's attorneys started grilling prosecutors' star witness in his hush money trial Tuesday, portraying former attorney Michael Cohen as a media-obsessed liar who's determined to see the former president behind bars. Cohen endured intense questioning by...
On the eve of his visit to China, Putin says Russia is prepared to negotiate over Ukraine
BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin 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. “We are open to a...
What is the celebrity 'blockout' over the war in Gaza?
NEW YORK (AP) — Some social media users are calling out celebrities for what they say is inaction in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and they've taken to a “blockout” to pressure the stars to take a stand. For the blockout, users put a block on seeing any and all...
Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final...
Pickup driver with lengthy record held in Florida bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers
OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man with a long record of dangerous driving pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to driving under the influence-manslaughter in the deaths of eight Mexican farmworkers whose bus was sideswiped by his pickup truck in central Florida. Dozens more were injured. Bryan...
Ukrainian troops pull out of some areas and Zelenskyy postpones foreign trips amid Russian offensive
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face. ...
United Methodists scrap their anti-gay bans. A woman who defied them seeks reinstatement as pastor
Twenty years ago, Beth Stroud was defrocked from her beloved job as a United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia. In a church trial, she was found guilty of violating “Christian teaching” because she had acknowledged living in a committed relationship with another woman. Earlier...
Latest General News
Top US and Chinese officials begin talks on AI in Geneva
GENEVA (AP) — Top envoys from the U.S. and China huddled in closed-door talks in Geneva on Tuesday to discuss ways to ensure that emerging artificial intelligence technologies don't become existential risks. The talks, which Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping agreed to launch in...
Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday while greeting supporters at a event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe weeks before an election. ...
Man pleads guilty in theft of Arnold Palmer green jacket, other Masters memorabilia from Augusta
CHICAGO (AP) — A former warehouse assistant for the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to transporting millions of dollars' worth of stolen Masters tournament memorabilia and historic items, including one of Arnold Palmer's iconic green jackets. ...
Biden and Trump, trading barbs, agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and September
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday agreed to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for their first presidential face-off to play out in just over a month. ...
CEO of Brazil’s oil and gas giant Petrobras steps down following dustup over dividends
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The head of Brazil’s state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras has stepped down, the company said Wednesday, following months of tensions with the federal government. Petrobras opted not to pay extraordinary dividends to its shareholders earlier this...
Palestinians recount painful history with war in Gaza as a reminder
Dawud Assad still has nightmares of the day Jewish militias attacked his village of Deir Yassin outside Jerusalem 76 years ago. Assad, then 16, peered out his front window to see his village ablaze. As his uncles shot back at the militias firing upon them, Assad escaped. But more...
Boat strike causes oil spill, partial collapse of bridge between Galveston and Pelican Island, Texas
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although...
This, too, could pass: Christian group's rule keeping beaches closed on Sunday mornings may end
OCEAN GROVE, N.J. (AP) — In this seaside community that calls itself “God's Square Mile at the Jersey Shore,” all the land is owned by a religious group that has for generations enforced an 11th Commandment: Thou shalt stay off the beach on Sunday morning. But there are signs...
Why the speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker was embraced at Benedictine College's commencement
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker may have stirred controversy in some quarters for his proclamations of conservative politics and Catholicism on Saturday, but he received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees of the May 11 commencement ceremony at Benedictine College in...
Canadians are hopeful shifting winds may push wildfire away from the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Favorable winds are expected to push an “out of control” wildfire away from Canada’s oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, officials said Wednesday, a day after thousands were evacuated. Wildfire season has started early in Canada this year with...
