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Tom Williams/ZUMA Press/TNS

Senate clashes over fate of 'anti-weaponization' fund

Current News / News & Features /

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats sought to pass legislation to abolish the White House’s supposedly defunct “anti-weaponization” fund Tuesday, in a floor move blocked by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., attempted to pass via unanimous consent the measure to stop the $1.8 billion fund from the ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

NC Republicans advance sweeping elections bill with new auditor powers. What to know

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North Carolina House Republicans on Tuesday advanced a sweeping elections and voting bill as protesters descended on the legislature, accusing lawmakers of suppressing the vote.

The 36-page bill includes a grab bag of conservative policies, including banning election officials from encouraging voter turnout, banning ranked-choice voting ...Read more

Caelyn Pender/Bay Area News Group/TNS

El Niño turns crumbling California pier into climate battleground over what to save -- and who pays

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As a historic El Niño supercharges the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco experiences record high seasonal sea levels, the latest structural casualty of intense wave action is prompting San Francisco Bay Area politicians to call for help from the state and federal governments.

They want to rebuild a concrete pier shut down this month after ...Read more

Chemical Lab/Dreamstime/TNS

5 women wounded in Jersey City acid attack by 2 moped riders still at large

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Five women were wounded in New Jersey when two people riding a moped tossed “an acid substance” into the victims’ car on Monday night.

The women were treated in a Jersey City hospital with skin burns that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to city officials.

“My thoughts are with those hurt in this horrific attack, and...Read more

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images North America/TNS

US set to offer Iran broad financial gains in peace deal

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WASHINGTON — Iran is set to receive broad financial incentives as part of its agreement with the U.S., including the right to sell oil immediately, tap a $300 billion development fund and get eventual access to its frozen assets, according to a near-final draft of the deal.

While the contours of the memorandum of understanding have been ...Read more

Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Minnesota poll: Trump's approval takes a hit 5 months before midterms

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MINNEAPOLIS — A growing majority of Minnesota voters disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance in office, setting up a disadvantage for Republicans ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

The Star Tribune/KARE 11/Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication Minnesota Poll found 56% of respondents say they disapprove of ...Read more

Vladislav Lukyanov/Dreamstime/TNS

Long-awaited rule aims to boost ACA choices while embracing higher deductibles

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The Affordable Care Act seems to always be in a policy tug-of-war as its backers and critics spar over how it should work and who can qualify for coverage. This year is no different, with the Trump administration embracing standards it says will reduce fraud as well as steps that could further erode national enrollment.

Wide-ranging ACA changes...Read more

Palm Beach Sheriff's Office/ZUMA Press Wire/TNS

Jeffrey Epstein tried several nooses prior to his hanging in NYC jail cell, report says

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NEW YORK — Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein practiced making nooses before deciding on the one that appears to have ended his life in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Corrections officers found the 66-year-old predator hanging from a loop of orange fabric tied to a bunk bed on Aug. 10, 2019. Epstein, who had previously served time for ...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

Final rules for Medicaid work requirements are out. Here's what you need to know

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The Trump administration has issued final rules on how states should ensure that millions of Medicaid enrollees prove they’re working or completing other activities, such as job training, volunteering, or being enrolled in an educational program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the rules on June 1. That deadline was set ...Read more

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News/TNS

Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield's wife gets plea deal in embezzlement case

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LANSING, Mich. — Stephanie Chatfield, the wife of former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield who is accused of embezzling political funds, finalized a plea agreement Tuesday with the attorney general's office.

The deal makes Stephanie Chatfield the third close ally of the ex-political leader to publicly admit to a financial crime and means ...Read more

Rokas Tenys/Dreamstime/TNS

People are betting on elections in prediction markets. Congress is watching

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WASHINGTON — As Spencer Pratt fell behind in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, an unexpected group began claiming election fraud: people tracking the Republican’s success on prediction markets, the increasingly popular online exchanges on which people can make bets on almost anything.

“Crazy how much voter fraud can be done with mail in ...Read more

Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS

FBI stopped attack on UFC event at White House, Patel says

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WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel said that the agency and law enforcement arrested “multiple individuals” planning an attack on the UFC America 250 Event at the White House on Sunday evening.

“Thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now...Read more

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California sues Shasta County -- as expected -- after voters approve measure to eliminate most mail-in voting

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LOS ANGELES — The painfully slow vote count after California’s June 2 primary attracted national headlines and baseless claims of cheating by President Donald Trump, who was focused on the high-profile races for governor and Los Angeles mayor.

But the fight over election integrity continues to be played out in dramatic terms in rural Shasta...Read more

Steven Hirsch/Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS

Where's Luigi? Accused CEO killer Mangione misses key court date as DA drops the ball

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NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione was MIA at a highly anticipated hearing on Tuesday after the Manhattan district attorney’s office forgot to ask his federal jailers to bring him to court.

State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro rescheduled the appearance for Wednesday morning after lawyers for the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian ...Read more

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Surging stock market, Trump policies boost wealth for top 1%

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When SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and artificial intelligence company, began trading on the stock market last week, he became the world’s first trillionaire.

The SpaceX IPO made the world’s richest man even richer, grabbing headlines worldwide. But it is merely the most vivid illustration of a U.S. trend that has been accelerating since ...Read more

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump ballroom to cost $600 million, with half paid by taxpayers, report says

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President Donald Trump’s glitzy new White House ballroom is reportedly now expected to cost $600 million, with more than half the bill footed by American taxpayers, not private donors, according to a leaked estimate from contractors.

The skyrocketing price tag amounts to a 50% increase from the most recent estimates provided by Trump, the ...Read more

Ken Wolter/Dreamstime/TNS

5 University of Michigan threat case suspects were Democratic Party members, ex-chair says

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LANSING, Mich. — A former Michigan Democratic Party chairman asked current party leadership on Monday to review the conduct of five Democrats accused of orchestrating threats against University of Michigan officials over the school's ties to Israel.

The five Democratic Party members were among a group of eight individuals indicted last week ...Read more

Carl Juste/Miami Herald/TNS

More girls on boat testify for defense in George Pino deadly crash trial

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MIAMI — Two of the girls who were on the boat operated by Doral real estate broker George Pino when it crashed, killing a 17-year-old girl, described the moments leading up to the crash, saying the ride was like countless others they had been on as frequent boaters.

“It felt like nothing out of the ordinary,” Claudia Portocarrero, 21, ...Read more

Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS

Idaho judge blocks transgender bathroom ban from fully going into effect

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BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking an Idaho law that makes it a crime to use a restroom that doesn’t align with one’s sex assigned at birth from fully going into effect.

The order, issued Tuesday, found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claim that the law is unconstitutionally ...Read more

Chicago Police Department/TNS

Person in custody in connection to burning cross in Chicago's Grant Park

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CHICAGO — Chicago police said Tuesday an individual is in custody in connection to a cross found burning in Grant Park last week.

Police officers responded to the downtown park around 2:30 p.m. on June 9, where the wooden cross was burning, according to the Chicago Police Department. Officers extinguished the fire and an investigation has ...Read more