8 mins read

The White House as a stage: Trump’s hosting streak meets America’s 250th birthday and the World Cup

WASHINGTON | When nearly all the scheduled musical performers pulled out of a concert series marking America’s 250th anniversary — fearing the event had become too closely tied to President Donald Trump — he responded by making it official. Trump announced he’d now be the headlining act of the Great American State Fair. That put […]

5 mins read

Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal before the Russian city hosts economic forum

Ukrainian long-range drones struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and set it ablaze, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, as the Russian city hosts an annual international economic forum that is a banner event for President Vladimir Putin. The drones flew more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to hit the terminal, Zelenskyy said on social […]

7 mins read

Raúl Castro turns 95 as Cuba celebrates enigmatic figure

Raúl Castro turned 95 on Wednesday, a landmark birthday for a man still helping lead one of the last communist countries in the world. His name and face became synonymous with the 1959 revolution led by his brother, Fidel Castro. Decades after the triumphant revolution, Fidel Castro stepped down, and Raúl Castro served as Cuba’s […]

6 mins read

Trump confirms he called Netanyahu ‘crazy,’ as he says Israel is complicating peace talks with Iran

BEIRUT | President Donald Trump in an interview released Wednesday confirmed an earlier report that he criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “crazy” in a Monday phone call, saying he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting of Hezbollah in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran. But even as the U.S. […]

3 mins read

Australian judges weigh Indigenous activist’s bid to prosecute King Charles for genocide

MELBOURNE, Australia | Three Australian appeals court judges reserved their decision Wednesday on whether an activist can prosecute Britain’s King Charles III for alleged genocide of Australia’s Indigenous people. Uncle Robbie Thorpe, 68, turned to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Victoria state after two lower courts rejected his bid to launch a private prosecution […]

9 mins read

Takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries as Democrats try to make Iowa inroads and defend California

WASHINGTON | The contours of a premier U.S. Senate race took shape Tuesday night in Iowa, while President Donald Trump’s endorsement streak ran into a roadblock there. Democrats chose a nominee for a U.S. House race in New Jersey that could decide control of the chamber. But much of the focus is on California, home […]

6 mins read

California governor’s primary pitted experience against promises of change

SACRAMENTO, Calif. | California’s crowded primary for governor remained unresolved early Wednesday after three leading candidates tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or promises of sweeping change. Though votes were still being counted, Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer and Republican Steve Hilton started looking to November, laying out their visions for leading the […]

4 mins read

Attitudes toward same-sex marriage and transgender issues are shifting, Gallup poll shows

Acceptance of same-sex marriage and relationships in the U.S. has flattened after more than two decades of steadily increasing support, with an ongoing decline among Republicans, according to a new Gallup poll. About 65% of U.S. adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal, down slightly from 71% in 2022 and 2023. Most of the change […]

6 mins read

Trump administration is scrapping $1.8B fund meant to compensate president’s allies, Blanche says

WASHINGTON | The Trump administration is scrapping plans to create a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of the Republican president, the Justice Department’s top official said Tuesday in retreating from a program that faced setbacks in the courts and a fierce political backlash that had threatened to stall key elements of the White […]