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An artisanal miner holds a cobalt stone at a mine near Kolwezi, Congo, in 2022. About 20,000 people work there among toxic materials. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

The race to mine critical minerals for AI and clean energy is creating ‘sacrifice zones’ that harm water and health of world’s poor

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There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies – everything from AI to wind turbines, as well as cellphones, electric vehicles and defense systems – depend on critical minerals. But many of the communities where those minerals are mined end up with ...Read more

Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune/TNS

The Flores twins built a drug empire with El Chapo -- then betrayed him

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To build their billion-dollar drug empire, the Flores brothers worked together as a perfect machine.

Identical twins born in Chicago to Mexican immigrant parents, they could communicate without speaking — just a raised eyebrow or grunt would do.

Pedro, who went by Pete, had the smarts and discipline to manage a sprawling bi-national business...Read more

Luke Parker/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Pushback leads Homeland Security to compromise on some warehouse detention centers for immigrants

Current News / News & Features /

Some of the Trump administration’s controversial new warehouse immigration detention centers are getting scaled back and postponed as states and cities fight back and new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reviews actions taken by his ousted predecessor, Kristi Noem.

Some states and cities have seen more communication and compromise...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

New research suggests skipping this vitamin if you have cancer

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Vitamins are supposedly good for you, but some might also be good for cancer, Swiss researchers at the University of Lausanne found.

Cancer cells have a weakness. They depend on the protein glutamine to produce the energy needed to divide and grow. The Swiss researchers found that cancer cells can escape this weakness with the help of Vitamin ...Read more

Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Philadelphia invested in community violence interrupters to reduce crime. Now it's training them, too

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PHILADELPHIA — Andre Martin was close to hurting somebody.

The 51-year-old South Philadelphia man, incarcerated in his youth, recalled when a jailhouse conflict between him and another young man nearly became violent.

But before a tragedy occurred, an ex-gang member serving as a counselor in the facility de-escalated the situation, Martin ...Read more

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post/TNS

Westernaires horsemanship group to end all Native American portrayals -- including Battle of Little Bighorn

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DENVER — The Golden-based Westernaires youth horsemanship organization will end its long-controversial portrayals of Native American culture, including a reenactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn and an Indian dancing program.

The organization’s Board of Directors sent a letter to members, volunteers and alumni last week to alert them to ...Read more

Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America/TNS

GOP candidates revive anti-Islam attacks as midterms approach

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Republican lawmakers and candidates across the country have escalated their anti-Islam rhetoric in recent months, a strategy aimed at energizing voters by claiming without evidence that Muslim culture and religious tenets threaten American political values.

Political observers say Republicans are seizing on anti-Islamic sentiment to gin up ...Read more

Evgenyatamanenko/Dreamstime/TNS

Florida delays children's health insurance expansion as uninsured rate rises

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Like many parents, Tatiana Lafortune wants her children to get a good education, eat nutritious food, and see a doctor when they’re not feeling well.

Public schools and her church’s pantry help Lafortune accomplish the first two goals. But insurance to cover doctor visits has been the most difficult to secure.

As nursing assistants at a ...Read more

John Autey/St. Paul Pioneer Press/TNS

Walz reflects on eventful tenure in last State of the State speech, pushes for action in final legislative session

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In his final State of the State address Tuesday night, Gov. Tim Walz reflected on his achievements and challenges in the state’s top office, saying he was “deeply proud” of Minnesota after a “complicated” seven years.

And with just weeks left in his final regular legislative session, he called on lawmakers to pass his remaining ...Read more

Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

States seek a 'marriage counselor' in Colorado River brawl. Are they too late?

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The two teams of states battling over the Colorado River are nearing the end of a game they might both lose. Now, one of them is calling for last-minute, third-party intervention.

In a Thursday joint statement, the Upper Colorado River Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming called for “immediate mediation” in the yearslong ...Read more

WA seeks to force ICE facility owner to allow state health inspections

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Washington state health inspectors have repeatedly been prevented from entering the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, despite state law and a federal court order granting such authority.

The state is now seeking a preliminary injunction to bar GEO Group, the Florida-based private prison company that owns and operates the immigrant ...Read more

MELISSSA MONTALVO/Fresno Bee/TNS

An appeals court ruled against ICE's mandatory detention policy, paving the way for a likely Supreme Court showdown

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A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled against the policy of President Donald Trump's administration to mandate detention for nearly all undocumented immigrants encountered by federal authorities, a decision that will almost certainly send the controversial matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ruling from the New York-based U.S. Court of ...Read more

News briefs

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Trump ramps up ballroom push with sharply worded filing after shooting

President Donald Trump ramped up his push for a new White House ballroom on Tuesday by promoting an unorthodox and sharply worded legal filing after the shooting attack at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

Trump posted legal papers filed by his Department ...Read more

Handout/Mike Minogue/TNS

Minogue wins endorsements of Massachusetts RNC committeeman, woman

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After a dominant performance at the MassGOP Convention that saw him win the Republican endorsement for governor with support from 70.4% of delegates, Mike Minogue has now secured the endorsement of Republican National Committeeman Brad Wyatt and Committeewoman Janet Fogarty.

“He is organized, well-funded, and ready to take the fight to ...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Marimar Martinez testifies at Illinois commission: 'I just acted like any human being'

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CHICAGO — Marimar Martinez, the 31-year-old who was shot five times by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in October, told an Illinois commission on Tuesday that she did not see her actions on the day she was shot as political.

“I just acted like any human being would act,” Martinez said of her decision to warn neighbors about immigration agents ...Read more

Albert Gonzalez Farran/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Haiti gets royal visit: Jordan princess shines light on hunger hotspot

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As the king and queen of the United Kingdom visit the United States, Haiti is getting a royal visit of its own: Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan is visiting the Caribbean country — whose freed Blacks and future king helped fight for America’s freedom in the Battle of Savannah during the Revolutionary War — at the invitation of the United ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

Justice Department indicts James Comey over seashell photo

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WASHINGTON — The Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey again Tuesday, on allegations that an Instagram post he made last year showing seashells spelling out “86 47” was in fact an assassination threat against President Donald Trump.

The two-count indictment, brought in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District...Read more

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Sam Bankman-Fried's motion for new trial rejected by US judge

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NEW YORK — A federal judge rejected FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s do-it-yourself motion for a new trial based on what the former crypto king claimed was new evidence.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw Bankman-Fried’s 2023 trial and conviction before sentencing him to 25 years in prison, denied the request on Tuesday in ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

Former FBI Director James Comey indicted again under Trump

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WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for a second time since Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, with prosecutors alleging that he threatened the president’s life in a social media post.

A federal grand jury in North Carolina returned the indictment on Tuesday. It features two counts, accusing Comey of ...Read more

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Kanaiyah's Law among 197 bills signed by Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday

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Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed a sweeping slate of nearly 200 bills, including a crackdown on foster care placements after a teenager’s death and a first-in-the-nation effort to block grocery stores from using technology that quietly changes prices throughout the day.

This is the second time the governor has signed bills into law since the ...Read more