July 2026
Senate panel delays vote on Blanche attorney general nomination as key Republicans withhold support
WASHINGTON | Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general stalled Wednesday as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote after key Republicans demanded more assurances about the settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The Senate Judiciary Committee had been expected to vote Thursday on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination to the […]
‘Super Troopers’ at 25: A quarter-century of mustaches and maple syrup — and a new film
NEW YORK | A quarter of a century is a long time for mustache rides and syrup binges, but “Super Troopers” has gotten a lot of mileage out of the simple joys of friends goofing around. The comedy troupe Broken Lizard, a group of college buddies who began performing together at Colgate University, broke through […]
Japan’s horror master Kurosawa’s first samurai film arrives at US theaters
TOKYO | Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the Japanese director known as “the master of horror,” was a bit nervous about how viewers might react to his first samurai film. He needn’t have worried. “The Samurai and the Prisoner,” opening in New York and Los Angeles on July 31, followed by a rollout in major U.S. cities through […]
Austria’s 16th-century bell foundry adds modern technology to keep the casting process alive
INNSBRUCK, Austria | Wearing protective gear to shield from the extreme heat of molten bronze, workers at one of the last bell foundries in Europe are casting bells weighing several tons. One after another, the artisans carefully pour the molten metal into specially shaped molds held together with steel bands to create 12 bells for […]
KFC founder Colonel Sanders’ signature bow tie and personal planner sell at auction
SHELBYVILLE, Ky. | KFC founder Colonel Sanders ‘ signature black bow tie, original cash register and dozens of other personal items sold Tuesday night in a public auction, while his former home and another restaurant he owned were up for auction later in the week. With his distinctive wardrobe and goatee, Harland Sanders built global […]
Teen gets life without parole for killing 4 at Georgia’s Apalachee High School
A judge on Tuesday sentenced a teenager who killed two students and two teachers in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, calling his crimes “deliberate, contemplated evil.” Colt Gray, 16, had pleaded guilty Friday to 55 counts, including murder, in the Sept. 4, […]
Loss of work authorization sows confusion for thousands of Haitian immigrants and their US employers
KEY WEST, Fla. | For more than a month, Bobby Kuchinsky arrived at his restaurant each morning worried about whether he still had enough staff or if this might be the last shift for some of his Haitian workers, who have spent over a decade as cooks, busboys and oyster shuckers. On Tuesday, he suspended […]
Russia accuses Telegram CEO Pavel Durov of aiding terrorism in its latest digital crackdown
Russian authorities said Wednesday they had charged Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, with aiding terrorism, the latest step by the Kremlin to bring the internet and digital communications under its control. The charges against the Russian-born Durov, who lives abroad, came as authorities have sought to restrict the […]
Fauci repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment in a contentious Senate committee hearing
WASHINGTON | Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer dozens of questions from senators in a Republican-led committee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, at least for now, shielded Fauci from answering questions that could expose him to accusations of lying under oath. Though […]
‘She killed the kids!’ 911 call from Lindsay Clancy’s husband brings tears to the courtroom
PLYMOUTH, Mass. | Lindsay Clancy sobbed in court Wednesday as jurors listened to the anguished 911 call her then-husband made after returning from an errand to find she’d strangled their three children in their Massachusetts home. On the roughly 7-minute recording, Patrick Clancy can be heard speaking with his wife upon finding her badly injured […]