Federal judge blocks Trump effort to keep Harvard from hosting foreign students
BOSTON — A federal judge Friday blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to keep Harvard University from hosting international students. An order from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs preserves the ability of Harvard to host foreign students while the case is decided. It marks another victory for the Ivy League school...
Judge rules Trump administration can’t require states to help on immigration to get transport money
BOSTON — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in transportation funds from states that don’t agree to participate in some immigration enforcement actions. Twenty states sued after they said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to cut off funding to states that refused...
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving longstanding grievance
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. “Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!” Trump...
Aflac finds suspicious activity on U.S. network that may impact Social Security numbers, other data
Aflac says that it has identified suspicious activity on its network in the U.S. that may impact Social Security numbers and other personal information, calling the incident part of a cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry. The company said Friday that the intrusion was stopped within hours. “We continue to...
U.K. lawmakers back bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives
LONDON — U.K. lawmakers on Friday approved a bill to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives in a historic vote in Parliament that takes it a step nearer to becoming law. Members of Parliament voted 314-291 to back the Terminally Ill Adults...
Purdue Pharma’s $7B opioid settlement plan could get votes from victims and cities
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma ‘s $7 billion-plus plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids will go before a judge Friday, potentially setting up votes on whether to accept it for local governments, people who became addicted to the drug and other groups. This month, 49 states...
Appeals court lets Trump keep control of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — An appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids. The decision halts a ruling from a lower court judge who found Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers over...
Pro-Palestinian activists say they damaged planes on a U.K. air force base
LONDON — British police are searching for suspects and the military is reviewing security arrangements after pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force Base and damaged two planes with red paint, officials said Friday. The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used...
A week into their war, Israel and Iran launch new strikes even as diplomatic effort gets underway
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as President Donald Trump weighed U.S. military involvement and new diplomatic efforts got underway. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a...
Niger says it will nationalize a uranium venture operated by France’s Orano
DAKAR, Senegal — Niger’s government said Thursday it would nationalize the Somaïr uranium venture operated by French company Orano and accused it of taking a disproportionate share of the uranium produced at the site. The announcement comes as military authorities in the west African country tighten their grip on foreign...
Party like it’s 2018: Democrats look to 1st Trump midterms for 2025 races and 2026 momentum
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Abigail Spanberger opened her general election bid for Virginia governor Wednesday using her high school alma mater near Richmond. “I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,” the former congresswoman says as she walks past a bank of lockers in her first ad since...
Trump is silent about Juneteenth on a day he previously honored as president
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump honored Juneteenth in each of his first four years as president, even before it became a federal holiday. He even claimed once to have made it “very famous.” But on this year’s Juneteenth holiday on Thursday, the usually talkative president kept silent about a day...
Sunshine abounds as the summer solstice arrives
Peak sunshine has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere — the summer solstice. Friday is the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and...
Some U.S. restaurants and servers oppose Republicans’ ‘no tax on tips’ budget proposal
Some segments of the U.S. restaurant industry don’t support President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate federal taxes on tips, saying it would help too few people and obscure bigger issues in the way tipped workers are paid. The Independent Restaurant Coalition, which represents nearly 100,000 restaurant and bars, has appealed...
Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a 3rd time
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 90 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. Trump disclosed the executive order on the Truth Social...
Juneteenth celebrations across the U.S. commemorate the end of slavery
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Juneteenth celebrations unfolded across the U.S. on Thursday, marking the day in 1865 when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Texas and attracting participants who said current events strengthened their resolve. The holiday has been celebrated by Black Americans for generations,...
Napoleon’s world is on display for a landmark auction, from divorce papers to his iconic hat
PARIS — After the Hollywood epic “Napoleon” exposed the legendary emperor to a new generation two years ago, over 100 relics — which shaped empires, broke hearts and spawned centuries of fascination — are on display in Paris ahead of what experts call one of the most important Napoleonic auctions...
Europe and Iran will try diplomacy as U.S. weighs joining fight with Israel
VIENNA, Austria — Iran’s foreign minister will meet in Geneva on Friday with counterparts from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Iranian state media and European diplomats said, as Israeli airstrikes target his country’s nuclear and military sites and Iran fires back. Europe’s push for diplomacy is in sharp contrast...
Iranian missiles hit a hospital and wound over 200. Israel threatens Iran’s top leader
BEERSHEBA, Israel — Israel’s defense minister threatened Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday after Iranian missiles crashed into a major hospital in southern Israel and hit residential buildings near Tel Aviv, wounding at least 240 people. As rescuers wheeled patients out of the smoldering hospital, Israeli warplanes launched their latest attack...
Erick makes landfall in southern Mexico as a Category 3 storm
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, but there was no immediate report of injuries. The hurricane’s center was located about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at...
2 arrests in hit-and-run at Southern California ‘No Kings’ protest
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Two people were arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash at a weekend “No Kings” protest in Southern California that left a 21-year-old demonstrator seriously injured, authorities said. The SUV veered toward marchers Saturday night in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, and struck the woman, according to...
Erick strengthens into a Category 3 major hurricane approaching Mexico’s coast
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Hurricane Erick powered up into a dangerous Category 3 major hurricane Wednesday evening as it bore down on the southern Mexico coast, threatening to unleash destructive winds, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge on the region in coming hours, forecasters said. Swiftly strengthening from a Category...
Reporter recap: What it was like covering the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club
J.J. Spaun took home the title of champion of the 125th U.S. Open as the sole golfer under par Sunday night at Oakmont Country Club. The championship rounds during the past week reaffirmed Oakmont Country Club’s reputation as one of the toughest tests of the world’s best. The course’s slick...
Judge finds Florida attorney general in contempt over immigration law
ORLANDO — A federal judge on Tuesday found Florida’s attorney general to be in civil contempt over her ruling that put on hold a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said that Florida...
U.S. resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages...
