Top General News

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

May. 20, 2024 21:33 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 23:48 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 22:23 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...

Australia and New Zealand sending planes to evacuate nationals from New Caledonia's unrest

May. 20, 2024 23:04 PM EDT

SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian and New Zealand governments announced Tuesday they were sending planes to evacuate their nationals from violence-wracked New Caledonia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two...

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. ...

Scarlett Johansson says a ChatGPT voice is 'eerily similar' to hers and OpenAI is halting its use

May. 20, 2024 21:29 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI on Monday said it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices that “Her” actor Scarlett Johansson says sounds “eerily similar" to her own. In a post on the social media platform X, OpenAI said it is “working to pause” Sky — the name of one...

Latest General News

Kentucky congressman expects no voter fallout for his role in attempt to oust House speaker

May. 21, 2024 00:12 AM EDT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Fresh off his role in a failed attempt to topple the House speaker, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie downplayed any political fallout back home in Kentucky as he looked to maintain his dominance in his solidly conservative district as Bluegrass State voters headed to the polls...

Defense witness who angered judge in Trump's hush money trial will return to the stand

May. 21, 2024 00:10 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A defense witness in Donald Trump's hush money case whom the judge threatened to remove from the trial over his behavior will return to the stand Tuesday as the trial nears its end. Trump's lawyers are hoping Robert Costello's testimony will help undermine the...

Voters to decide whether prosecutor and judge in Georgia Trump election case keep their jobs

May. 21, 2024 00:06 AM EDT

ATLANTA (AP) — Voters will decide whether two key players in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump will keep their jobs. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee are both on the ballot for Tuesday's...

State Supreme Court and Republican congressional primary elections top Georgia ballots

May. 21, 2024 00:05 AM EDT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's elections on Tuesday include a state Supreme Court race that's grown unusually heated by the sleepy standards of the state's nonpartisan judicial elections, as well as a five-way GOP primary for an open seat in the strongly Republican 3rd Congressional District south and...

Election deniers moving closer to GOP mainstream, report shows, as Trump allies fill Congress

May. 21, 2024 00:05 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the hours after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Ohio’s then-Republican senator, Rob Portman, voted to accept President Joe Biden’s win over the defeated former president, Donald Trump, despite Trump’s false allegations that Biden only won because of...

Today in History: May 21, Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross

May. 21, 2024 00:01 AM EDT

Today in History Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 142nd day of 2024. There are 224 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. On this date: In 1471,...

Iran's president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast

May. 20, 2024 23:50 PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. ...

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

May. 20, 2024 23:48 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,...

Britain slammed in inquiry for infecting thousands with tainted blood and covering up the scandal

May. 20, 2024 23:48 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — British authorities and the country's public health service knowingly exposed tens of thousands of patients to deadly infections through contaminated blood and blood products, and hid the truth about the disaster for decades, an inquiry into the U.K.’s infected blood scandal found...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline after Nasdaq ticks to a record high

May. 20, 2024 23:46 PM EDT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly fell Tuesday, even as most U.S. stock indexes finished higher, especially technology issues like Nvidia. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.2% in early trading to 39,141.08. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2% to 7,851.90. South Korea's Kospi...