California’s committee to study reparations for African Americans will meet in Oakland Wednesday to discuss what form reparations could take and eligibility requirements to receive possible payments. The first-in-the-nation task force previously voted to limit reparations to Black California residents whose ancestors were living in the United States in the...
Oregon Governor Commutes All 17 of State’s Death Sentences
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that she is commuting the sentences of all of the state's 17 inmates awaiting execution, saying their death sentences will be changed to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brown, a Democrat with less than a month remaining in office, said she...
Ukraine: Russian Strikes Thwarted, Wreckage Hits Buildings
Ukrainian authorities said they thwarted a Russian attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region Wednesday as their air defense system destroyed 13 explosive-laden drones, although wreckage damaged five buildings without causing casualties. The attempted strikes underlined how vulnerable Ukraine's capital remains to the regular Russian attacks that have devastated infrastructure and population...
Biden Signs Gay Marriage Bill at White House Ceremony
President Joe Biden signed gay marriage legislation into law Tuesday before a crowd of thousands, a ceremony that reflected the growing acceptance of same-sex unions. “This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms," Biden said on the South Lawn of the White...
Messi, Argentina Beat Croatia 3-0 to Reach World Cup Final
Lionel Messi is back in the World Cup final with Argentina on his mission to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time. And, at 35, he could hardly be playing any better. Messi converted a penalty and had a hand in the other two goals by Julián Álvarez, leading Argentina to...
Donors Pledge Millions to Get Ukraine Through Winter, Bombs
Dozens of countries and international organizations threw their weight and more than 1 billion euros (dollars) in aid pledges behind an urgent new push Tuesday to keep Ukrainians powered, fed, warmed and moving as winter approaches. An international donor conference in Paris quickly racked up substantial promises of financial and in-kind...
US Poised to Approve Patriot Missile Battery for Ukraine
The U.S. is poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, finally agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian attacks, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The approval is likely to come later this week and could be announced as early...
Massive US Storm Brings Tornadoes to South, Blizzard Threat
A massive storm blowing across the country spawned tornadoes in parts of Oklahoma and Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as much of the central United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest braced Tuesday for blizzard-like conditions. An area stretching from Montana into western Nebraska and Colorado was under blizzard...
Cornered in Ukraine, Putin Ditches Annual News Conference
President Vladimir Putin has ditched his annual marathon news conference following a series of battlefield setbacks in Ukraine — a tacit acknowledgment that the Russian leader's war has gone badly wrong. Putin typically uses the year-end ritual to polish his image, answering a wide range of questions on domestic and foreign policy...
A Slowdown in US Inflation Eases Some Pressure on Households
Inflation in the United States slowed again last month in the latest sign that price increases are cooling despite the pressures they continue to inflict on American households. Consumer prices rose 7.1% in November from a year ago, the government said Tuesday. That was down sharply from 7.7% in October and a recent...