Catch and kill. Checkbook journalism. Secret deals. Friends helping friends. Even by National Enquirer standards, testimony by its former publisher David Pecker at Donald Trump’s hush money trial this week has revealed an astonishing level of corruption at America’s best-known tabloid and may one day be seen as the momentContinue Reading

Chipotle says its employees can choose chicken once again. Last week, the chain asked its U.S. and Canadian employees to temporarily select another protein for their work meals to preserve the company’s supply of chicken. The directive applied to both corporate staff and restaurant employees. Newport Beach, California-based Chipotle hasContinue Reading

Scotland’s leader is facing a fight for his political survival after he ended a three-year power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green Party following a clash over climate change policies. Thursday’s decision by First Minister Humza Yousaf of the Scottish National Party to tear up the deal with the much smallerContinue Reading

The decision by New York’s highest court to overturn the rape conviction of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 and helped launch the #MeToo movement. Here’s what you need to knowContinue Reading

A Chinese container ship remains the focus of an investigation into what caused the damage last year to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline between NATO members Finland and Estonia, Finnish authorities said Thursday. It has been more than six months since substantial, human-made damage that caused a major drop inContinue Reading

Circumstantial evidence points to climate change as worsening the deadly deluge that just flooded Dubai and other parts of the Persian Gulf, but scientists didn’t discover the definitive fingerprints of greenhouse gas-triggered warming they have seen in other extreme weather events, a new report found. Between 10% and 40% moreContinue Reading

New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein ’s 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren’t part of the case. Weinstein, 72, will remain imprisoned because heContinue Reading

Anthony Roth Costanzo was hired Thursday as general director and president of Opera Philadelphia and will continue his career as a leading countertenor while taking over an ambitious company dealing with post-pandemic economic challenges. “Even though I’m an opera singer, it’s my job to ensure the health of this artContinue Reading

A U.S. citizen arrested on drug charges in Moscow amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions appeared in court on Thursday and had his case adjourned until mid-May. Robert Woodland is facing charges of trafficking large amounts of illegal drugs as part of an organized group — a criminal offense punishable by upContinue Reading

Ariel Henry resigned Thursday as prime minister of Haiti, leaving the way clear for a new government to be formed in the Caribbean country, which has been wracked by gang violence that killed or injured more than 2,500 people from January to March. Henry presented his resignation in a letterContinue Reading

The iconic windmill sails of the Moulin Rouge, a vibrant emblem of Paris’s bohemian lifestyle, collapsed Thursday after a show. No injuries were reported. The incident took place shortly before 2 a.m., after the last performance of the night had ended and the audience had left the historic cabaret venue,Continue Reading

A Moscow court on Thursday imposed a 50,000-ruble ($560) fine on a TV presenter and actress who gained notoriety for hosting an “almost naked” party, saying her social media posts calling for peace discredited the military. Anastasia Ivleeva sparked an explosion of public indignation in the increasingly traditionalist country whenContinue Reading

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez left Spain in suspense after announcing he may step down because of what he called an “unprecedented” smear campaign against his wife. Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018, stunned the nation Wednesday by announcing that he was canceling all official events until nextContinue Reading

Congo ’s government is questioning Apple about the tech company’s knowledge of “blood minerals” from a conflict zone in the African country that could be smuggled into its supply chains and is demanding answers within three weeks. A group of international lawyers representing Congo said Thursday that they sent lettersContinue Reading

A rapper in Iran who came to fame over his lyrics about the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and criticizing the Islamic Republic has been sentenced to death, his lawyer and rights activists said Thursday. Confusion still surrounds the death sentence issued against 33-year-old metal shop worker Toomaj Salehi, asContinue Reading

The nation’s economy slowed last quarter, growing at an annual rate of 1.6% in a sign that the high interest rates may be taking a toll on borrowing and spending. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and servicesContinue Reading

Ukraine worked Thursday to get much-needed new supplies of weapons and ammunition from a huge U.S. aid package to its eastern front line, where Russia was pressing forward with its efforts to take ground from outnumbered and outgunned troops. Ukraine is also seeking to reverse the drain of potential soldiersContinue Reading

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both lost money in the first quarter, and Southwest said Thursday that it will limit hiring and close operations at four airports. Southwest expects to end this year with 2,000 fewer employees than it had at the start of the year. Airlines are dealing withContinue Reading

Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday. The animals were among a group of four horses that broke free duringContinue Reading

A third man has been detained in a bribery case involving one of Russia’s most senior defense officials, Moscow’s court service said Thursday. It said businessman Alexander Fomin is suspected of paying bribes to Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was detained on Wednesday, as well as Ivanov’s associate, SergeiContinue Reading

Lawyers for an American believed to be held by the Taliban for nearly two years are asking a United Nations human rights investigator to intervene, citing what they say is cruel and inhumane treatment. Ryan Corbett was abducted Aug. 10, 2022, after returning to Afghanistan, where he and his familyContinue Reading

President Joe Biden has a great economic story to tell voters a decade from now, less so in 2024. On Thursday, the Democratic president will head to upstate New York to celebrate Micron Technology’s plans to build a campus of computer chip factories made possible in part with government support.Continue Reading

World shares were trading mixed Thursday as investors awaited a flood of global earnings reports, including updates from U.S. tech companies known as the “Magnificent Seven.” France’s CAC 40 lost 0.3% in early trading to 8,067.62, while Germany’s DAX dipped 0.4% to 18,008.84. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.7% to 8,098.24.Continue Reading

Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration’s most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the powerContinue Reading

Some of the 10 women and teenage girls who recently came to a medical clinic in eastern Venezuela for free contraceptives fidgeted a bit when a community health worker taught them how to use an IUD, condoms and birth control pills correctly. The health worker also asked what they knewContinue Reading

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline his vision for Europe to become a more assertive global power against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and other security and economic challenges, in a speech on Thursday ahead of pivotal European Parliament elections in June. The French president plans toContinue Reading

A warship — part of a U.S.-led coalition protecting shipping in the Mideast — intercepted an anti-ship ballistic missile fired over the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, the American military said, marking a new attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after a recent lull. The Houthis claimed the assault, which comesContinue Reading

Global automakers and EV startups unveiled new models and concept cars at China’s largest auto show on Thursday, with a focus on the nation’s transformation into a major market and production base for digitally connected, new-energy vehicles. Toyota and Nissan both announced tie-ups with major Chinese technology companies as theyContinue Reading

With graduations looming, student protesters doubled down early Thursday on their discontent of the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the country as universities, including ones in California and Texas, have become quick to call in the police to end the demonstrations and make arrests. While grappling with growing protests fromContinue Reading

A Russian attack on NATO would end in defeat for Moscow, but NATO must increase its defenses, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski told parliament on Thursday. Sikorski was describing the new direction of the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, explaining to a world audience and those at home howContinue Reading

Under the gaze of the world’s media, the fragile lagoon city of Venice launches a pilot program Thursday to charge day-trippers a 5-euro (around $5.35) entry fee that authorities hope will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents. Signs advisingContinue Reading

As the coffin bearing the body of Rosebella Awuor was lowered into the grave, heart-wrenching sobs from mourners filled the air. Her sister Winnie Akinyi, the guardian to Awuor’s orphaned son, fell to the ground, wailing. It was the latest of five deaths in this family attributed to malaria. TheContinue Reading

Rwanda says it’s ready to receive migrants from the United Kingdom after British Parliament this week approved a long-stalled and controversial bill seeking to stem the tide of people crossing the English Channel in small boats by deporting some of them to the East African country. There is even aContinue Reading

Military vehicles and red carnations return to the streets and squares of downtown Lisbon on Thursday as Portugal reenacts dramatic moments from the army coup that brought democracy 50 years ago. Thousands of people are expected to attend celebrations of the so-called Carnation Revolution, which ended a stifling four-decade dictatorshipContinue Reading

U.S. births fell last year, resuming a long national slide. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, according to provisional statistics released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest one-year tally since 1979. U.S.Continue Reading

A memorial at the National Cathedral in Washington on Thursday will honor the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza earlier this month. José Andrés, the celebrity chef and philanthropist behind the Washington-based World Central Kitchen disaster relief group, is expected to speak at theContinue Reading

Columbia University president Minouche Shafik is no stranger to navigating complex international issues, having worked at some of the world’s most prominent global financial institutions. At the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, for example, she tackled both the European debt crisis and the Arab Spring. It remains toContinue Reading

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking with local government officials in Shanghai. Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Chen Jining, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. He also planned to speak to students and businessContinue Reading

Armored vehicles roll slowly past Haiti’s National Palace as police scan the horizon for gangs. Every day, bullets whiz past the area, striking buildings and people alike. Gangs control most of the territory that surrounds the palace, but a transitional council charged with selecting a new prime minister and CabinetContinue Reading

The Connecticut Senate pressed ahead Wednesday with one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to rein in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm, including manufactured videos or deepfakes. The vote was held despite concerns the bill might stifle innovation, become a burden forContinue Reading

A woman who sued Mississippi’s capital city over the death of her brother has decided to reject a settlement after officials publicly disclosed how much the city would pay his survivors, her attorney said Wednesday. George Robinson, 62, died in January 2019, days after three Jackson police officers pulled himContinue Reading

There has been no final decision on whether or not all U.S. troops will leave Niger and Chad, two African countries that are integral to the military’s efforts to counter violent extremist organizations across the Sahel region, a top U.S. military official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Niger’s rulingContinue Reading

Eleven Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election were charged Wednesday with conspiracy, fraud and forgery, marking the fourth state to bring charges against “fake electors.” The 11 people who had been nominated to beContinue Reading

Tennessee’s Republican-dominant House on Wednesday spiked legislation that would have banned local governments from paying to either study or dispense money for reparations for slavery. The move marked a rare defeat on a GOP-backed proposal initially introduced nearly one year ago. It easily cleared the Republican-controlled Senate last April, butContinue Reading

Are you ready for some movies this summer? There’s action-adventure, romance, horror, franchises and anniversary re-releases of some of your favorites populating theaters and streaming services from May through Labor Day. You just have to know where to look. Things kick off in theaters in May with Universal’s Ryan GoslingContinue Reading

Some public school teachers in Tennessee could gain new powers to carry concealed guns into the classroom, a year after a deadly school shooting in the state’s capital city stirred impassioned debate about the best ways to curb such violence. The Republican-led Legislature in Tennessee gave final approval to theContinue Reading

A former senior U.S. official who until recently helped oversee human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance said Wednesday that he repeatedly observed Israel receiving “special treatment” from U.S. officials when it came to scrutiny of allegations of Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians. The allegation comes asContinue Reading

An unforgettable day for 4-year-old Stone Hicks. From the moment he got to the Orlando Police Department, he walked in the building and then suited up in his very own police uniform. “He’s been battling end-stage kidney disease. Our kids go through so much when they battle their critical illnessContinue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court heard its first test on Wednesday of state abortion bans that have been enacted since the court upended the Roe v. Wade constitutional right to abortion. While the current case involves an Idaho abortion ban, the court’s ruling could have implications beyond that state. Idaho lawmakersContinue Reading

Ford Motor Co.’s first-quarter net income fell 24% from a year ago as the company’s combustion engine vehicle unit saw revenue and sales decline. The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said Wednesday it made $1.33 billion from January through March, compared with $1.76 billion a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, Ford madeContinue Reading

Volusia County is debating building a huge motocross facility near the “World Center of Racing.” The 65-acre property the county is eyeing is just off Tomoka Farms Road just west of Port Orange. Right now, the county is in the middle of holding community meetings for resident feedback. “We haveContinue Reading

Nearly two months after the body of missing Florida 13-year-old Madeline Soto was officially recovered, Stephan Sterns — the man considered the prime suspect in the case — was charged with first-degree murder. Plenty of questions still surround Soto’s disappearance. As the investigation continues, below is a timeline of eventsContinue Reading

Eastbound Interstate 4 was shut down Wednesday afternoon in Seminole County after a military Humvee flipped, trapping one person, according to the fire department. The crash occurred in the area of mile marker 97, near West Lake Mary Boulevard, where all eastbound lanes were shut down as the patient wasContinue Reading

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. resolution sponsored by the United States and Japan calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 13 in favor, Russia opposed and China abstaining. The resolution calls on all countriesContinue Reading

President Joe Biden picked up the endorsement of North America’s Building Trades Unions at a Wednesday event where the president and his allies set out to dismantle Republican Donald Trump’s reputation as a successful real estate developer. “Donald Trump is incapable of running anything,” said Sean McGarvey, the organization’s president.Continue Reading

One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday. The pilot had made radio contact about the in-fight emergency shortly after takingContinue Reading

Oracle Corp.’s planned campus in Nashville, Tennessee, will serve as the business software giant’s world headquarters, placing it in a city that’s a center for the U.S. health care industry, CEO Larry Ellison said. Ellison spoke about Oracle’s plans for its Nashville offices during a conversation about health care technologyContinue Reading

Two occupants of a minivan were killed Wednesday in a crash when the vehicle struck a semitruck, then several trees before catching fire in Marion County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash occurred on southbound Interstate 75 near Reddick, troopers said. Troopers were dispatched around 10:20 a.m. toContinue Reading

The Orange-Osceola state attorney and Kissimmee police chief will give an update Wednesday on a “case of public interest.” State Attorney Andrew Bain and Kissimmee police Chief Betty Holland will speak from the Osceola County courthouse at 4 p.m. No other details have been provided. News 6 will stream liveContinue Reading

Italy’s Culture Ministry has banned loans of works to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, following a dispute with the U.S. museum over an ancient marble statue believed to have been looted from Italy almost a half-century ago. The dispute began in March 2022 when an Italian court ruled that theContinue Reading