The Smithsonian removes a Trump impeachment reference from an exhibit but says it’s temporary
NEW YORK — The Smithsonian Institution has removed from an exhibit a reference to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments, a decision that comes as the White House exerts pressure to offer a more positive — and selective — view of American history. A spokesperson said the exhibit eventually “will include...
Jury orders Tesla to pay more than $240 million in Autopilot crash case
MIAMI — A Miami jury decided that Elon Musk’s car company Tesla was partly responsible for a deadly crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver assist technology and must pay the victims more than $240 million in damages. The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology...
Trump orders U.S. nuclear subs repositioned over statements from ex-Russian leader Medvedev
WASHINGTON — In a warning to Russia, President Donald Trump said Friday he’s ordering the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines “based on the highly provocative statements” of the country’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who has raised the prospect of war online. Trump posted on his social media site that,...
Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, is transferred to a prison camp in Texas
WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas as her criminal case generates renewed public attention. The federal Bureau of Prisons said Friday that Maxwell had been transferred to Bryan, Texas, but did not explain...
Astronauts launch to the space station after sidelined by Boeing’s troubled Starliner
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts sidelined for the past year by Boeing’s Starliner trouble blasted off to the International Space Station on Friday, getting a lift from SpaceX. The U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four rocketed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. They’ll replace colleagues who launched to the space station in March...
Brazil’s Supreme Court stands firm on Bolsonaro trial despite foreign pressure
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Friday that the country’s top court will not yield to sanctions or foreign pressure over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, which is expected to take place later this year. De Moraes, who is overseeing the criminal case...
1 killed, 1 injured in Outer Banks pier shooting
One person was killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon at a popular tourist spot in the Outer Banks. According to news reports, the incident happened around 2:37 p.m. at the Avalon Fishing Pier in Kill Devil Hills. The Kill Devil Hills Police Department said a suspect...
Trump calls on the Federal Reserve board to take full control of the central bank from Powell
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the Federal Reserve’s board of governors to usurp the power of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, criticizing the head of the U.S. central bank for not cutting short-term interest rates. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Powell “stubborn.” The Fed...
Tropical Storm Gil expected to become a hurricane in eastern Pacific but won’t threaten land
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Gil was expected to become a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday but wasn’t expected to threaten land, forecasters said. The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm is about 870 miles southwest of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. Gil had...
South Korea’s jailed ex-leader Yoon resists questioning by taking off prison uniform
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s jailed ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol again refused to attend questioning by investigators Friday, using a new method to resist: He took off his prison uniform and lay down on the floor at his detention room. Yoon, removed from office in April over his ill-fated...
U.S. envoy visits distribution site in Gaza as humanitarian crisis worsens
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff visited southern Gaza on Friday during international outrage over starvation, shortages and deadly chaos near aid distribution sites. Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee toured one of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites in Rafah, Gaza’s...
Bessent says new Trump child savings accounts are ‘back door for privatizing Social Security’
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the Trump administration was committed to protecting Social Security hours after he said in an interview that a new children’s savings program President Donald Trump signed into law “is a back door for privatizing Social Security.” Bessent said Wednesday evening that...
Trump revives the Presidential Fitness Test, a rite of passage for schoolchildren for decades
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test for American children, a fixture of public schools for decades that gauged young people’s health and athleticism with 1-mile runs, sit-ups and stretching exercises. “This is a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back,” Trump said of the...
Virginia Giuffre’s family expresses shock over Trump saying Epstein ‘stole’ her
The family of Virginia Giuffre, who was among Jeffrey Epstein’s most well-known sex trafficking accusers, said that it was shocking to hear President Donald Trump say the disgraced financier “stole” Giuffre from him and urged that Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell remain in prison. Giuffre, who had accused Britain’s Prince...
Heavy rain pummels East Coast and sparks isolated flash floodingVideo
Strong rain storms lashed the East Coast on Thursday, delaying flights throughout the region and prompting emergency rescues of motorists trapped in deep water on busy highways from the Philadelphia area to New York City. In New York, flash flooding briefly closed sections of major roadways across the city just...
Childhood vaccination rates fall again as exemptions set another record
NEW YORK — U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up from 3.7% the year before. It’s the third...
Search for answers after Texas’ deadly floods brings lawmakers to devastated Hill Country
KERRVILLE, Texas — A rural Texas county needed but lacked an updated warning system, local officials testified Thursday, when flash flooding swept away homes and vehicles and left families begging for rescue on the roofs of their homes earlier this month. Texas lawmakers searched for answers during a hearing on...
Turbulence forces Delta flight to land, sends 25 people to hospitalsVideo
Serious turbulence on a Delta Airlines flight headed to Europe sent 25 people to hospitals and forced the plane into an emergency landing in Minneapolis, the airline said. Some aboard the flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam weren’t wearing seat belts and were thrown about the cabin, one passenger...
Teacher admits to fatally stabbing couple on a hike with their kids in a random attack in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK — A teacher admitted he fatally stabbed a couple he didn’t know who were hiking with two of their children in an Arkansas state park, authorities said Thursday, after a five-day search and hundreds of tips led to his arrest. State Police arrested 28-year-old Andrew James McGann on...
A new $200M White House ballroom to break ground in September, the first major upgrade since 1948
WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday announced that construction on a new $200 million ballroom will begin in September and be ready before President Donald Trump ‘s term ends in early 2029. It will be the latest change introduced to what’s known as “The People’s House” since the Republican...
U.S. and NATO allies warn of increasing Iranian threats in Europe, North America
WASHINGTON — The United States and many of its NATO allies are accusing Iran of a growing number of threats throughout Europe and North America and demanding that it end its attempts to harm dissidents and others. “We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services...
China summons Nvidia over ‘backdoor safety risks’ in H20 chips
WASHINGTON — China’s cyberspace regulators on Thursday summoned Nvidia over security concerns that its H20 chips can be tracked and turned off remotely, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on its website. In the meeting, Chinese regulators demanded that the U.S. chip company provide explanations on “backdoor safety risks” of...
Tropical Storm Gil strengthens in the eastern Pacific but isn’t expected to threaten land
MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Gil was strengthening in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday but wasn’t expected to threaten land, forecasters said. The storm is forecast to remain over open water and become a hurricane on Friday, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It’s about 785 miles south-southwest...
Vatican strikes a solar deal that aims to make it the world’s 1st carbon-neutral state
ROME — Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 1,000-acre field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm that will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of Vatican City and turn it into the world’s first carbon-neutral...
Trump injects new dose of uncertainty in tariffs as he pushes start date back to Aug. 7
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Donald Trump was promising the world economy would change on Friday with his new tariffs in place. It was an ironclad deadline, administration officials assured the public. But when Trump signed the order Thursday night imposing new tariffs on 66 countries, the European Union, Taiwan...
