Nation
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
WEDNESDAY NEWS IN A RUSH: Top headlines in today’s NewsMinute video
Read more Toon in Wednesday Read more Aurora breaks ground on $51.3 million animal shelter project, slated to open in 2028 Read more Aurora City Council to review proposed decorum changes for public speakers
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 […]
Trump taps housing finance director Pulte as acting director of national intelligence after Gabbard
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the acting director of national intelligence — putting a real estate scion and fierce Trump loyalist in a key national security post as the U.S. remains at war with Iran. Trump made the surprise announcement Tuesday on […]
Iran stops talking to mediators over Israel fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian reports say
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | Iran stopped communicating with mediators after Israel threatened to bomb Beirut as it fights the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah, two semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday. Halting communication likely is a means to further pressure U.S. President Donald Trump over negotiations on the ceasefire, which include trying to loosen Iran’s […]