BEIRUT — As U.S. troops beef up in eastern Syria to protect oil fields, residents hope their mission will bring stability and prosperity to the remote and resource-rich region —and keep the Syrian government out. Their hopes reflect the expectations being piled onto the operation, even as President Donald Trump...
Michael Bloomberg Opens Door to 2020 Presidential Campaign
WASHINGTON — Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, is opening the door to a 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, signaling his dissatisfaction with the current crop of candidates vying to take on President Donald Trump. Bloomberg has not made a final decision on whether to run, according...
Judge Fines Trump $2 Million for Misusing Charity Foundation
NEW YORK — A judge Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to pay $2 million to an array of charities as a fine for misusing his own charitable foundation to further his political and business interests. New York state Judge Saliann Scarpulla imposed the penalty after the president admitted to a series of...
Iran Alleges UN Inspector Tested Positive for Explosives
VIENNA — Iran alleged Thursday that the U.N. inspector it blocked from a nuclear site last week tested positive for suspected traces of explosive nitrates. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it disputed Iran's account, without elaborating. The allegation made by Iranian representative Kazem Gharib Abadi...
California Justices Skeptical of Requiring Trump Tax Returns
SACRAMENTO — California Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical Wednesday of a state law requiring President Donald Trump to disclose his tax returns if he wants to be a candidate in the state's primary election next year. The justices wondered in a rapid-fire hour of questioning if the nation's first such...
Iran to Fuel Centrifuges in New Step Away From Nuclear Deal
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran will start injecting uranium gas into over a thousand centrifuges at a fortified nuclear facility built inside a mountain, the country's president announced Tuesday in Tehran's latest step away from its atomic accord with world powers since President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal over a...
US Diplomat Acknowledges Ukraine Aid Tied to Investigation
WASHINGTON — "I now do recall." With that stunning reversal, diplomat Gordon Sondland handed House impeachment investigators another key piece of corroborating testimony Tuesday. He acknowledged what Democrats contend was a clear quid pro quo, pushed by President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, with Ukraine. Sondland, in...
US Trade Trade Deficit Falls to $52.5 Billion in September
WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit fell in September to the lowest level in five months as imports dropped more sharply than exports and America ran a rare surplus in petroleum. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the September gap between what America buys from abroad and what it sells...
Elections in 4 States Offer Tests of 2020 Voter Enthusiasm
Gubernatorial and legislative elections in four states Tuesday will test voter enthusiasm and party organization amid impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump and a fevered Democratic presidential primary scramble. Results in Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia won't necessarily predict whether Trump will be reelected or which party will control...
Sanctuary City Initiative Divides Liberal Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is widely credited as the birthplace of the 1980s Sanctuary Movement, an effort by churches to help refugees from Central America and shield them from deportation. Now, as President Donald Trump's immigration policies put renewed focus on the treatment of people who come to the United States without authorization,...