Trump says he has ‘no problem’ with Russian oil tanker bringing relief to Cuba despite blockade
ABOARD AIRFORCE ONE — President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a U.S. oil blockade. “We have a tanker out there. We don’t...
Why is NASA spending $100 billion to return to the moon? Depends on who you ask
NASA pulled off the moon landing in 1969 with a clear goal from the outset — to be the first nation to put people on the lunar surface. The U.S. was locked in a space race with the Soviet Union, and the Apollo 11 landing helped cement America’s lead in...
Dozens arrested for failing to disperse after ‘No Kings’ rally in Los Angeles
Authorities in Los Angeles deployed tear gas near a federal detention center and made dozens of arrests following one of thousands of “No Kings” rallies held this weekend across the United States and in Europe to protest President Donald Trump’s actions and the war in Iran. Los Angeles police said...
As U.S. threatens, Cubans look ahead, with hope and trepidation
HAVANA — Yenisey Taboada’s small apartment on the outskirts of Havana is filled with photos of her imprisoned son. Duannis was 22 and watching soccer at a cafe when he spontaneously joined Cuba’s biggest antigovernment street protest in decades. He was beaten by security forces, arrested and sentenced to 14...
Corn tortillas in California now must contain folic acid. More states are looking at it
Fifteen years after she lost her first baby to a rare and devastating birth defect, Andrea Lopez takes comfort in knowing that other Latina mothers might finally avoid the same pain. In January, California became the first state to require food makers to add folic acid, a crucial vitamin, to...
Hacked hospitals, hidden spyware: Iran conflict shows how digital fight is ingrained in warfare
WASHINGTON — As they fled an Iranian missile strike, some Israelis with Android phones received a text offering a link to real-time information about bomb shelters. But instead of a helpful app, the link downloaded spyware giving hackers access to the device’s camera, location and all its data. The operation,...
Worries about global economic pain deepen as the war in Iran drags on
WASHINGTON — U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have driven up prices, darkened the outlook for the world economy, sent global stock markets reeling and forced developing countries to ration fuel and subsidize energy costs to protect their poorest. Ongoing strikes and counterstrikes on Persian Gulf refineries, pipelines, gas fields...
North Korea conducts engine test for missile capable of targeting U.S. mainland
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal, state media reported Sunday. While the test was in line with Kim’s...
Pakistan says it will host US-Iran talks, while Iran warns U.S. ground troops would be ‘set on fire’
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan announced Sunday that it will soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether the talks on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect. “Pakistan is very happy that both Iran...
North Korea conducts engine test for missile capable of targeting US mainland
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of a high-thrust, solid-fuel engine for weapons and hailed it as a development to boost the country’s strategic military capability, state media reported Sunday. The test likely indicates Kim is intent on enlarging and modernizing an arsenal...
TSA pay may be coming, but airport delays could persist and ICE agents may not leave soon
Even after President Donald Trump ordered emergency pay for Transportation Security Administration agents to ease long security lines, major U.S. airports on Sunday were still urging travelers to arrive hours early — and federal immigration officers brought in to help may not be leaving anytime soon. Trump’s executive order on...
Bills to pay FAA and TSA workers during shutdowns get introduced but keep stalling in Congress
The Aviation Funding Solvency Act. The Keep America Flying Act. The Keep Air Travel Safe Act. The Aviation Funding Stability Act. Again and again, members of Congress have dusted off the same idea: ensuring the federal employees who control air traffic and screen passengers and bags at U.S. airports get...
A judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit over Minnesota in-state tuition for students without legal status
Minnesota public universities can continue to offer in-state tuition and scholarships to some immigrants in the country without legal status, a federal judge ruled on Friday, dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice last summer that attempted to halt the programs. The decision follows a series of clashes...
TSA workers might get paid Monday, but their worries and airport woes could linger for longer
NEW YORK— Transportation Security Administration officers could get their first full paychecks in more than six weeks as early as Monday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday instructing the Homeland Security secretary to pay them immediately. But travel experts and labor leaders said the mammoth security...
Pro-Iranian group claims credit for hack of FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal account
WASHINGTON — A pro-Iranian hacking group claimed Friday to have hacked an account of FBI Director Kash Patel and posted online what appear to be years-old photographs of him, along with a work resume and other personal documents dating back more than a decade. “Kash Patel, the current head of...
He suddenly couldn’t speak in space. Pittsburgh astronaut says his medical scare remains a mystery
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The astronaut who prompted NASA’s first medical evacuation earlier this year said Friday that doctors still don’t know why he suddenly fell sick at the International Space Station. NASA astronaut and Pittsburgh area native Mike Fincke said he was eating dinner Jan. 7 after prepping for...
Georgia’s Fulton County and the Trump administration square off in court over seized 2020 ballots
ATLANTA — Attorneys for Georgia’s Fulton County and President Donald Trump’s administration squared off in court Friday over the county’s demand that the FBI return seized ballots and other materials from the 2020 election. Abbe Lowell, representing Fulton County, noted that the January raid was “unusual” because it involved an...
Plot to firebomb Palestinian activist’s home disrupted by FBI and NYPD
NEW YORK — Law enforcement officials disrupted a plot to firebomb the New York City home of a prominent Palestinian activist, according to a criminal complaint and an interview with the targeted activist. Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder of the group Within Our Lifetime, said she was informed by an FBI official...
Another PlayStation price hike means the gaming console will cost 30% more than it did last year
The price of a PlayStation is going up by another $100, the second time in less than a year that Sony has upped the price tag on its popular gaming console. Citing “continued pressures in the global economic landscape,” the Japanese company said that as of next Thursday, the PS5...
Analysis: 1 month into war, Iran is using insurgent tactics and holding the world economy hostage
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — One month into their war with Iran, the United States and Israel find themselves confronting an opponent that fights more like an insurgency than a nation — using increasingly limited resources to inflict maximum pain. Despite being battered daily by airstrikes from two of the...
Catholic churches see a surge of new converts
People are joining the Catholic Church in surprising numbers. This Easter, the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have its most in 15 years. In the Diocese of Des Moines, the count is jumping...
Arctic sea ice hits lowest winter level as unprecedented heat hits smashes records all over Earth
WASHINGTON — Vital Arctic sea ice shrank to tie its lowest measured level for the winter, the season when ice grows, as a warming Earth shattered records across the continents. Arctic sea ice levels, especially in the summer, are crucial to Earth’s climate because without the ice reflecting sunlight, more...
Hegseth strikes 2 black and 2 female officers from promotion list
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotion of four Army officers to be one-star generals, a highly unusual move that has prompted some senior military officials to question whether the officers are being singled out because of their race or gender. Two of the officers targeted by...
Costa Rica to accept more than 2 dozen ‘3rd country’ deportees from U.S. every week
SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Costa Rica said Thursday that it would accept 25 migrants deported from the United States per week as part of an agreement to help the Trump administration’s latest policy of deporting immigrants to “third countries.” The Central American nation joins a growing number of countries...
Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredients
WASHINGTON — Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings. The FDA was holding a public meeting...