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Billionaire investor Leon Black is set to testify to Congress about $158M in payments to Epstein
WASHINGTON | Billionaire investor Leon Black is appearing before the House Oversight Committee on Friday as lawmakers seek to untangle the web of wealth and influence around Jeffrey Epstein that they say enabled decades of sexual abuse. Black is the latest powerful figure to sit for a closed-door deposition before the committee. Microsoft co-founder Bill […]
Massive Shiite crowds mark Ashoura amid fresh Iran-Israel-US war fallout
NABATIYEH, Lebanon | Shiite Muslims marked one of the most important days on their calendar Friday with large gatherings in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other parts of the world to remember the seventh-century killing of Hussein, the grand son of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The annual commemoration, known as Ashoura, is marked on the 10th day […]
Newsom urges a national ‘billionaires’ tax’ while fighting one in California
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is considering a run for president as he approaches the end of his term, called for a national “billionaires’ tax” on Friday even as he fights another proposal targeting the wealthy in his home state. Newsom also said the U.S. government should own a stake in artificial intelligence […]
Ukraine unleashes one of its heaviest drone bombardments of Russia
Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack on a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Friday, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv’s biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago. Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The […]
Trump blames Iran for a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON | U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for carrying out a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement with the United States. One drone damaged the upper deck of the ship, but the vessel was able to proceed, Trump […]
Missile alert goes off in Dubai but authorities quickly tell public to disregard the warning
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | Authorities in the United Arab Emirates on Friday sounded an incoming missile alert for Dubai but shortly afterward told the public to “disregard the previous warning,” an indication that it was likely triggered by mistake. The brief text message from the UAE’s Interior Ministry, the first of its kind during […]
Mamdani’s success in New York tests Democratic Party’s willingness to change
NEW YORK | New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stepped into the national spotlight this week as an ascendant political force within the Democratic Party. Democratic leaders aren’t so sure that’s a good thing. As progressives cheered across the nation, some of the most powerful Democrats in the country, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, […]
Key inflation gauge jumps to 3-year high in latest sign of affordability challenges
WASHINGTON | The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for President Donald Trump and his political party as midterm elections near. Consumer prices rose 4.1% in May from a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Thursday, […]
Supreme Court strikes down Hawaii law requiring permission to carry guns in stores and hotels
WASHINGTON | The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels on Thursday, in its latest opinion backing Second Amendment rights. The high court’s 6-3 decision means people can carry guns onto privately owned property like shopping malls and gas stations, unless the owners […]
Supreme Court ruling blocks thousands of lawsuits against maker of Roundup weedkiller
WASHINGTON | The Supreme Court sided with the maker of the Roundup weedkiller Thursday in a ruling expected to block thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people the product could cause cancer. The case came before the justices after a tidal wave of litigation that included some multibillion-dollar verdicts against the global agrochemical […]