25 mins read

Inside a taxpayer-funded treatment center for adoptees, tales of abuse, neglect and little oversight

LAKE OZARK, Mo. | A facility deep in rural Missouri promises relief for desperate parents whose adopted kids are struggling — a lakeside, summer camp-like academy where kids can heal by bonding with golden retrievers, and where caring employees “create joy.” The company that operates the place known as Calo Programs says it exists “to […]

8 mins read

With a stalemate in Ukraine and discontent at home, Putin seems ready to escalate his war

Facing a battlefield stalemate in Ukraine and growing war fatigue among Russians, President Vladimir Putin appears ready to try to change the narrative around the conflict. He looks likely to sharply escalate the Russian aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the hope it will shore up his sagging domestic approval ratings and persuade an […]

7 mins read

Russian drone launched against Ukraine crashes in Romania, injuring 2

KYIV, Ukraine | A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine slammed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people in the NATO member country, Romanian authorities said, adding to concerns that the four-year war could spread across the alliance’s borders. In response to the crash in the city […]

7 mins read

US and Iranian negotiators reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire and start new nuclear talks

WASHINGTON | U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Iran did not immediately confirm any deal. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday […]

3 mins read

Fire rips through a dormitory at a girls’ school in Kenya, killing at least 16 students

GILGIL, Kenya | Flames ripped through a dormitory at a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya on Thursday, killing at least 16 students and injuring scores of others in the latest deadly school fire in the East African country. Police questioned surviving students about how it started. The fire happened at the Utumishi Girls School, […]

3 mins read

Judge refuses to block Trump order to limit mail voting. There’s no immediate effect on the midterms

A federal judge has declined to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, late Wednesday rejected the request […]

3 mins read

Justice Department opens investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of assault: AP source

WASHINGTON | The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has said Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store 30 years ago, lied during the course of civil litigation against the Republican president, according to a person familiar with the matter. The […]

4 mins read

Zelenskyy says he’s pressing US for more Patriot missiles for Ukraine to counter Russian strikes

KYIV, Ukraine | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that he’s being “very persistent” in pressing the United States to provide his country with more Patriot air defense missiles that can counter devastating Russian ballistic missile attacks. Zelenskyy said he hasn’t yet received a reply to a letter he sent earlier this week to U.S. […]

3 mins read

Key inflation gauge worsens as Americans’ income and spending power erodes

WASHINGTON | A key inflation gauge accelerated in April to the highest level in three years, squeezing Americans’ finances and creating political challenges for President Trump and congressional Republicans with midterm elections just five months away. Inflation jumped to 3.8% in April compared with a year ago, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from 3.5% […]