Top General News
Trump prosecutor focuses on 'cover-up' in closing arguments while defense attacks key witness
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump engaged in “a conspiracy and a cover-up,” a prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday in the former president's hush money trial, while a defense lawyer branded the star witness as the “greatest liar of all time” and pressed the panel for an...
Israeli strikes kill at least 37 Palestinians, most in tents, near Gaza's Rafah as offensive expands
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday — pummeling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced...
Democrats plan to nominate Biden by virtual roll call to meet Ohio ballot deadline
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will be formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee through a virtual roll call ahead of the party’s official convention in Chicago in August — a maneuver that will allow Biden to appear on the November ballot in Ohio. The...
Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. The ruckus that ensued underscored how the church’s official teaching about homosexuality often bumps...
A look at Pope Francis' comments about LGBTQ+ people
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' apology Tuesday for using a vulgar term to refer to gay men was the latest comment to make headlines about the Catholic Church's teachings on homosexuality. Francis has made a hallmark of reaching out to LGBTQ+ Catholics, but his 11-year...
Storms batter Texas again, leaving more than 1 million customers without power
Strong storms with damaging winds and baseball-sized hail pummeled Texas on Tuesday, leaving more than 1 million businesses and homes without power as much of the U.S. recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 25 people during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. ...
Voter outreach groups targeted by new laws in several GOP-led states are struggling to do their work
WASHINGTON (AP) — During the presidential election four years ago, the Equal Ground Education Fund hired over 100 people to go door-to-door and attend festivals, college homecomings and other events to help register voters across Florida. Their efforts for this year's elections look much...
Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognize a Palestinian state as EU rift with Israel widens
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three Western European nations to add international pressure on Israel to soften its response to last year’s Hamas-led attack. Israel condemned the diplomatic...
Still hurting from violence, Mexican priests and families hope for peace ahead of elections
CHIHUAHUA, México (AP) — José Portillo Gil, the gang leader known as “El Chueco” — the Crooked One — lowered his gun. The Rev. Jesús Reyes then spoke what he feared might be his final words: Please, don’t take my brothers’ corpses away. Next to him, at the altar of...
Albert Ruddy, Oscar-winning producer of 'The Godfather' and 'Million Dollar Baby,' dies at 94
NEW YORK (AP) — Albert S. Ruddy, a colorful, Canadian-born producer and writer who won Oscars for "The Godfather" and "Million Dollar Baby," developed the raucous prison-sports comedy "The Longest Yard" and helped create the hit sitcom "Hogan's Heroes," has died at age 94. Ruddy...
Latest General News
Russia's wealthy elite could face higher income tax as authorities propose a new, progressive system
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's wealthy elite could face higher income taxes, according to a proposal the country's finance ministry floated on Tuesday. The proposal, which would likely have to go through parliament for approval and subsequently a signoff by President Vladimir Putin, comes...
Federal investigation of former Ohio House speaker ends with no charges filed
COLYUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Federal officials have notified Ohio’s former House speaker that they have closed their investigation of him and he will not face any charges. Cliff Rosenberger, a Republican from Wilmington, had resigned the post in 2018 after it went public that he was...
Indianapolis officer fatally shoots suspect in armed carjacking after suspect reaches for something
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis police officer fatally shot a suspect in an armed carjacking Tuesday after the suspect dropped something while fleeing on foot and reached to pick it up, police said. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched...
Chicago police fatally shoot stabbing suspect and wound the person he was trying to stab
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police fatally shot a stabbing suspect and wounded the person he was trying to stab after the suspect refused to drop his weapon, police said. Officers were patrolling the city's west side about 11 p.m. Monday when they saw a male attempting to stab a male in...
The Latest | Prosecution delivers closing arguments in Trump's criminal trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Closing arguments in Donald Trump 's historic hush money trial began Tuesday morning in a Manhattan courtroom, giving prosecutors and defense attorneys one final opportunity to convince the jury of their respective cases before deliberations begin. Defense lawyer...
Almost 2 months after embassy raid, Ecuador is 'ready' to talk with Mexico and reach solution
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Almost two months after police raided the Mexican embassy in Ecuador, the South American country’s government wants to re-establish communication with officials in Mexico and reach a solution to the diplomatic rift that followed the extraordinarily unusual use of force. ...
The Latest | Fighting escalates in Rafah as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive
Palestinian residents of the southern Gaza city of Rafah have reported an escalation of fighting Tuesday as Israeli forces pressed their assault on the border town once seen as the territory's last refuge. Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the...
Stock market today: Most of Wall Street slips in quiet trading after returning from a 3-day weekend
NEW YORK (AP) — Most U.S. stocks fell in a quiet day of trading Tuesday after a tick higher in bond yields tightened the screws a bit on Wall Street. Nearly three out of every four stocks fell within the S&P 500. But strength for a handful of highly influential Big Tech stocks...
US files a labor complaint over claims that a Volkswagen plant in Mexico fired union activists
MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. trade authorities said Tuesday they have filed a labor complaint with Mexico over allegations that a Volkswagen auto plant in central Mexico unfairly fired union activists. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said Tuesday the complaint includes the...
Texas’ first-ever statewide flood plan estimates 5 million live or work in flood-prone areas
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — More than 5 million Texans, or one in six people in the state, live or work in an area susceptible to flooding, according to a draft of the state’s first-ever flood plan. The plan by the Texas Water Development Board is an effort to reduce the risk for those...
