A spokesman for Mike Pence said Wednesday that the former vice president will not appeal a judge's order compelling him to testify in the Justice Department's investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The decision sets up a possible appearance by Pence...
Amid Polarization, Minority Party Lawmakers Face Penalties
Oklahoma Republicans removed the state's only nonbinary legislator from House committees after the lawmaker provided refuge to a transgender rights activist. In Florida, two Democratic leaders were arrested for participating in a protest over abortion restrictions. And in Tennessee, three Democratic House members are facing expulsion for using a bullhorn in the House chamber to show...
Russian Charged With War Crimes Denies Abducting Ukrainian Kids
Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, who is being sought for war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine, told a U.N. meeting Wednesday that the children were taken for their safety and Moscow is coordinating with international organizations to return them to their families. Ambassadors from Western countries boycotted the informal U.N. Security Council...
Kansas Bans Transgender Athletes From Women’s, Girls’ Sports
Kansas is banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college, the first of several possible new laws restricting the rights of transgender people pushed through by Republican legislators over the wishes of the Democratic governor. The Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s third veto in three...
New Report Details ‘Staggering’ Catholic Church Sex Abuse in Maryland
More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday that revealed the scope of abuse spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups. The report paints...
China Vows ‘Forceful’ Measures After US-Taiwan Meeting
China vowed reprisals against Taiwan after a meeting between the United States House speaker and the island's president, saying Thursday that the U.S. was on a “wrong and dangerous road.” Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in a show of U.S. support for the self-ruled island, which China...
Rockets Fired From Gaza Raise Tension as Passover Begins
Palestinian militants fired a barrage of rockets early Thursday, setting off air raid sirens in southern Israel, as violence erupted for the second day in a row during a sensitive period of overlapping holidays. The Israeli military said seven rockets launched from the Gaza Strip all exploded in midair. No...
Violence at Jerusalem Holy Site Raises Fears of Escalation
Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City early Wednesday, firing stun grenades at Palestinians who hurled stones and firecrackers in a burst of violence during a sensitive holiday season. Palestinian militants in Gaza responded with rocket fire on southern Israel, prompting repeated Israeli airstrikes. The fighting, which...
Former California Vice Detective Admits to Running String of Sex Parlors
A former San Diego police detective who used his badge and his knowledge to run a string of massage sex parlors in California and Arizona pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges. Peter Griffin and three other defendants entered pleas in San Diego federal court to racketeering-related conspiracy, conspiracy to commit...
Deadly Shooting by California School Safety Officer Brings $13M Settlement
The Long Beach Unified School District will pay $13 million to the family of an 18-year-old woman who was shot by a school safety officer as she sat in a car, their attorneys announced Tuesday. The money settles a wrongful death lawsuit filed over the Sept. 27, 2021 killing of...