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4 years running, Southern Baptists weigh tightening ban on churches with women pastors
When Southern Baptists gather Tuesday in Florida for their annual meeting, they’ll debate for the fourth year in a row whether to formally ban churches with a woman serving in any role resembling that of pastor — not just the top job. One thing they are unlikely to debate is the politics of many Southern […]
Senate blocks extending key surveillance program following backlash over Trump pick to lead intel
WASHINGTON | The Senate blocked an extension early Friday of a key surveillance program used by U.S. intelligence agencies as concerns mounted over President Donald Trump’s selection of federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte to serve as director of national intelligence. Some Republicans joined Democrats in the 47-52 vote against a a procedural motion that […]
A new kind of date makes personal to-do lists a reason to get together with friends
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. | Life tasks like paying bills, canceling subscriptions and answering overdue emails are becoming a reason to socialize for friends, couples, roommates and other people who get together for what’s known as “admin dates.” The low-pressure gatherings taking place in coffee shops, accommodating bars and private homes are intended to turn tedious and […]
Movie Review: Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas hit the right notes in ‘Power Ballad’
Let’s just say that the wedding band has never occupied the most exalted rung of the ladder in music. Playing “September” and “Celebration” is often what’s most required. As one member of the Bride and the Groove, the band at the center of John Carney’s new film, puts it: They’re not rock stars. They’re human […]
What to know about the growing opposition to Trump family-linked resort in Albania
TIRANA, Albania | A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, is facing growing resistance from protesters in Albania. Police fired water cannon and clashed with protesters on Wednesday in the latest demonstration in the capital, Tirana. The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would […]
A garbage crisis engulfs Havana as fuel shortages stall trash pickup
HAVANA | On a recent afternoon in Cuba, the temperature climbed and anxiety grew among the residents of a Havana street. Their focus was an improvised dump site on the sidewalk with rotting food scraps, torn bags, cardboard and rubble. Swarms of flies and stray cats gathered around the trash whose stench wafted on the […]
Shia LaBeouf gets probation after pleading guilty to punching bargoers during Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS | Actor Shia LaBeouf was sentenced to probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to punching three people outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras. LaBeouf must attend an alcohol treatment program under the sentence handed down by an Orleans Parish judge, according to Sarah Chervinsky, an attorney for the actor. LeBeouf, most widely […]
Police warn families of Tiananmen crackdown dead not to visit graves on 37th anniversary
BEIJING | Chinese authorities are snuffing out any remembrance of the deadly 1989 military crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, which happened 37 years ago Thursday, in a further tightening in a yearslong campaign to erase what happened from public memory. Police told relatives of the victims they would not be allowed to […]
Presidential museum showcases political and personal sides of Obama with sprawling community campus
CHICAGO | Former President Barack Obama’s influence in his presidential museum runs deep, from the location on Chicago’s South Side to textured stone adorning its dramatic tower to striped reading chairs that resemble ones in his own home. The Obama Presidential Center opens to the general public on Juneteenth after a celebratory dedication in Chicago […]
Hezbollah rejects latest ceasefire agreement as Israeli strikes kill 4 in Lebanon
BEIRUT | Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, and the militant group demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as continued fighting there hampered moves to end the Iran war. The Hezbollah announcement came as Israeli strikes killed at least four people, according to local authorities, […]