Top General News

Judge in Trump's hush money trial threatened to remove witness from court for behavior on stand

May. 20, 2024 20:53 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial cleared the courtroom of reporters Monday and then threatened to remove the defense's witness from the trial altogether because of his behavior on the stand, which included making comments under his breath and rolling his eyes, a court...

War crimes prosecutor seeks arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu

May. 20, 2024 19:48 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes court sought arrest warrants Monday for leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over actions taken during their seven-month war. While Netanyahu and his defense minister,...

What is the ICC and why it is considering arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders

May. 20, 2024 17:15 PM EDT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court could soon issue arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, more than seven months into the war between the two sides, based on a request by the court’s chief prosecutor. ...

What's next for Iran's government after death of its president in helicopter crash?

May. 20, 2024 20:37 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran's president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran's ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, was seen as a...

Judge blocks Biden administration from enforcing new gun sales background check rule in Texas

May. 20, 2024 19:42 PM EDT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new rule in Texas that would require firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores. The decision by U.S. District Judge...

Top US drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions

May. 20, 2024 20:58 PM EDT

In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. Over the next half...

The White House says FDIC chairman to step down following report on agency's toxic workplace culture

May. 20, 2024 18:27 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The White House said Monday that the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will step down, a departure that follows the release earlier this month of a damning report about the agency’s toxic workplace culture. The White House said Martin Gruenberg...

US says cyberattacks against water supplies are rising, and utilities need to do more to stop them

May. 20, 2024 20:35 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation's drinking water. ...

Haiti’s main international airport reopens nearly three months after gang violence forced it closed

May. 20, 2024 19:55 PM EDT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s main international airport reopened Monday for the first time in nearly three months after relentless gang violence forced authorities to close it. The reopening of the Toussaint-Louverture airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince is expected...

Is that 'Her'? OpenAI pauses a ChatGPT voice after some say it sounds like Scarlett Johansson

May. 20, 2024 18:57 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI says it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after some users said it sounded like Scarlett Johansson, who famously voiced a fictional, and at the time futuristic, AI assistant in the 2013 film “Her.” In a post on the social media platform X...

Latest General News

Top US drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions

May. 20, 2024 20:58 PM EDT

In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. Over the next half...

Saudi Arabia's national carrier orders more than 100 new Airbus jets as it ramps up tourism push

May. 20, 2024 20:53 PM EDT

Saudi Arabia's national airline ordered more than 100 new Airbus jets, a reflection of the kingdom's ambitious drive to lure more tourists. Saudia Group, which represents the Saudia airline and its budget carrier Flyadeal, said Monday that it ordered 105 aircraft from the French...

Judge in Trump's hush money trial threatened to remove witness from court for behavior on stand

May. 20, 2024 20:53 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump's hush money trial cleared the courtroom of reporters Monday and then threatened to remove the defense's witness from the trial altogether because of his behavior on the stand, which included making comments under his breath and rolling his eyes, a court...

Climber found dead on Denali, North America's tallest peak

May. 20, 2024 20:44 PM EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A climber was found dead on North America's tallest peak, Denali, on Monday, a day after a family member told rangers they had not heard from them in days, authorities said. The climber was using a satellite communication device to keep in contact with...

Over $450K recovered for workers of California mushroom farms that were sites of fatal shootings

May. 20, 2024 20:44 PM EDT

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — The owners of two Northern California mushroom farms where a farmworker killed seven people in back-to-back shootings last year will pay more than $450,000 in back wages and damages to 62 workers, the Labor Department announced Monday. The owners of...

Biden and Democrats raised $51 million in April, far less than Trump and the GOP's $76 million

May. 20, 2024 20:42 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee said Monday that they raised more than $51 million in April, falling well short of the $76 million that Donald Trump and the Republican Party reported taking in for the month. Biden's reelection campaign...

What's next for Iran's government after death of its president in helicopter crash?

May. 20, 2024 20:37 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran's president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran's ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday, was seen as a...

US says cyberattacks against water supplies are rising, and utilities need to do more to stop them

May. 20, 2024 20:35 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation's drinking water. ...

No points from Erdogan. Turkey's leader claims Eurovision Song Contest is a threat to family values

May. 20, 2024 20:32 PM EDT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president took a swipe at the Eurovision Song Contest on Monday, accusing the annual event of allegedly encouraging “gender neutralization” and threatening the traditional family. In a speech following a Cabinet meeting, Recep Tayyip Erdogan...

UN Security Council rejects Russia-backed resolution on banning weapons in space

May. 20, 2024 20:25 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States said Monday that Russia last week launched a satellite that could be part of weaponizing space, a possible future global trend that members of the United Nations Security Council condemned even as they failed to pass a measure against it. The...