An unstable world could get even more dangerous if NATO does not remain strong and united, the head of the alliance said Thursday at the end of a summit where Western leaders labeled Russia “a direct threat” to the security of their nations. During their three-day meeting in Madrid, NATO members...
Anti-Black, Gay, Asian Bias Fuel California Hate Crime Surge
Hate crimes driven by homophobia and racism resulted in a 33% surge in reported incidents in California last year, following a similar spike in hate-driven attacks the year prior and confirming what officials have been hearing anecdotally since the pandemic began, the state's attorney general said Tuesday. Attorney General...
California Budget Won’t Cover out-of-State Abortion Travel
While Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged to make California a sanctuary for women seeking abortions, his administration won't spend public money to help people from other states travel to California for the procedure. Newsom's decision, included in a budget agreement reached over the weekend, surprised abortion advocates who have...
Aide: Trump Dismissed Jan. 6 Threats, Wanted to Join Crowd
Donald Trump rebuffed his own security’s warnings about armed protesters in the Jan. 6 rally crowd and made desperate attempts to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol, according to dramatic new testimony before the House committee investigating the 2021 insurrection. Cassidy Hutchinson, a little-known former White House aide, described...
Pelosi Receives Communion in Vatican Amid Abortion Debate
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights. Pelosi attended the morning Mass marking the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul, during which Francis...
Ukrainian Survivor: Only a ‘Real Monster’ Would Attack a Mall
KREMENCHUK, Ukraine — The mall was nothing extraordinary, but in the middle of a war it was an escape for those in this Ukrainian city who had decided not to flee. Then it exploded in a Russian airstrike. In moments on Monday afternoon, a summer hangout became a hellish...
Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years for Helping Epstein
Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The stiff sentence was the punctuation mark on a trial that explored the sordid rituals of a predator power couple...
Arrest of Indian Muslim Journalist Sparks Widespread Outrage
Police in New Delhi have arrested a Muslim journalist for allegedly hurting religious sentiment in what many slammed as the latest example of shrinking media freedom under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Mohammed Zubair, a co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, was arrested Monday evening over a tweet...
US Consumer Confidence Slumps to Lowest Level in 16 Months
U.S. consumer confidence slipped to its lowest level in 16 months as persistent inflation and rising interest rates have Americans as pessimistic as they've been about the future in almost a decade. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index slipped to 98.7 in June from 103.2 in May, the second...
Facebook Blocks Posts Offering Abortion Pills. Leaves Gun, Weed Sale Offers Up
Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure. Such social media posts ostensibly aimed to help women living in states where preexisting laws banning...