WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday will sign an executive order giving decisions on the prosecution of serious military crimes, including sexual assault, to independent military attorneys, taking that power away from victims' commanders. The order formally implements legislation passed by Congress in 2022 aimed at strengthening protections for service members,...
GOP Rival Criticizes DeSantis Over Florida’s Slavery Curriculum
ANKENY, Iowa — U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has criticized fellow Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting new standards that require teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that "could be applied for their personal benefit.” “What slavery was really about was separating families, about mutilating...
Trump Accused of Asking Staffer to Delete Camera Footage in Classified Documents Case
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump faces new charges in the classified documents case that accuse him of asking a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida in an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into his possession of the records, according to an updated indictment unsealed Thursday. The indictment includes...
Weekly US Applications for Jobless Benefits Slide to Lowest Level in 5 Months
The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits slid last week to its lowest level in five months, further evidence that the U.S. labor market continues to defy the Federal Reserve's attempts to cool it off. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell by 7,000 to 221,000 for the week ending...
Bluffing or Not, Putin’s Declared Deployment of Nuclear Weapons to Belarus Raises Tensions
Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto NATO's doorstep. The declared deployment of the Russian weapons on the territory of its neighbor and loyal ally marks a new stage in the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling over its...
Congressional Budget Office Predicts Slower Economic Growth and 4.7% Unemployment Into 2024
WASHINGTON — The Congressional Budget Office reported Wednesday that economic and job growth so far this year has been stronger than forecast in February, but an updated outlook sees parts of the economy as weakening through 2024. The latest 10-year budget and economic outlook from the nonpartisan office shows how...
Major Automakers Unite to Build Electric Vehicle Charging Network They Say Will Rival Tesla’s
DETROIT — Seven major automakers say they're joining forces to build a North American electric vehicle charging network that would rival Tesla's and nearly double the number of fast-charging plugs in the U.S. and Canada. General Motors, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and Stellantis said Wednesday that they will share...
Whistleblower Tells Congress the US Is Concealing ‘Multi-Decade’ Program That Captures UFOs
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims. Retired Maj. David Grusch's highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress' latest foray into the...
Sinéad O’Connor, Gifted and Provocative Irish Singer, Dies at 56
LONDON — Sinéad O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved...
Senate GOP Leader McConnell Freezes in Mid-Sentence, Exits News Conference
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell briefly left his own press conference on Wednesday after stopping his remarks mid-sentence and staring off into space for several seconds. The Republican leader approached the podium for his weekly press conference and began speaking about the annual defense bill on the floor,...