Top General News
Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. Doctors were still fighting for his life...
Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, in June and in 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 the first presidential face-off in just weeks. The...
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...
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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...
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. ...
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...
Investigation continues into 4 electrical blackouts on ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse
BALTIMORE (AP) — The electrical blackouts experienced by the container ship Dali before it left Baltimore’s port were “mechanically distinct from” those that resulted in the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge hours later, according to congressional testimony Wednesday. ...
The Latest | Palestinians mark 76 years of their dispossession as more catastrophe unfolds in Gaza
Palestinians are marking 76 years of dispossession on Wednesday, commemorating their mass expulsion from what is today Israel, as a potentially larger catastrophe unfolds in Gaza where over a quarter of the population has been displaced by fighting in the last few days alone. Israel...
Colorado teen pleads guilty in death of driver who was hit in the head by a rock
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A second teen pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the death of a 20-year-old driver who was hit in the head by a rock that crashed through her windshield in suburban Denver last year. Under a plea deal with prosecutors, Nicholas Karol-Chik, 19, pleaded guilty to...
Remains of Michigan soldier killed in 1950 during Korean War have been identified, military says
GRANT, Mich. (AP) — The remains of a 17-year-old soldier from Michigan who was killed in the Korean War in 1950 have been identified and will be buried in his home state, military officials said. U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas A. Smith's remains were identified in September by military...
Senate primaries set up a marquee race in Maryland and a likely Republican flip in West Virginia
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Republican voters advanced strong Senate contenders in Maryland and West Virginia on Tuesday, giving the GOP a big boost in its push to claim control of Congress' upper chamber. Former Gov. Larry Hogan claimed the Republican nomination in what will be a...
