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Investigation of North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards came as he dealt with new duties, staff turnover

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WASHINGTON — As U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards navigated allegations that he assaulted a man at a Rotary event in North Carolina — prompting an investigation that ended with no criminal charges — he did so without the top staffers that had led his team since he was elected to Congress.

Edwards parted ways, earlier this year, with Bronwyn Lance, ...Read more

Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Will taxpayers pay Donald Trump's Georgia legal bills? Here's what we know

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ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation this week that could allow President Donald Trump and others to recoup millions of dollars in legal costs in the Georgia election interference case. Here’s what we know:

What does the bill do?

Senate Bill 244 would allow a criminal defendant to recover “reasonable” attorney fees and legal ...Read more

Jonathan Brady/Pool/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

King Charles shares rare update on cancer diagnosis and treatment

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King Charles opened up on his cancer diagnosis during a Buckingham Palace garden party on Wednesday.

The king, who’s still receiving treatment since his diagnosis early last year, shared a heartwarming moment with a 22-year old student, Stamford Collis, who also has cancer. Collis said the duo swapped stories and the king offered him advice ...Read more

Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS

Schumer denounces 'welcome mat' for 'El Chapo' relatives transferred to San Diego

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MEXICO CITY — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday denounced as a “total disgrace” the Trump administration’s apparent decision to allow 17 relatives of Mexico’s most notorious drug trafficker—Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán— to enter the United States.

“Donald Trump and Republicans love to talk tough about how ...Read more

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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says video proves he was 'invited in' to ICE facility

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Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka has released footage he says proves he was invited onto the grounds of Delaney Hall, a new ICE detention center in New Jersey, where he was arrested for trespassing last week.

Baraka was taken into custody on Friday at the facility in Newark and detained for several hours before his eventual release. He said...Read more

Alyssa Pointer/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Lin Wood hit with $11 million verdict in battle with former law firm partners

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ATLANTA — A Fulton County jury returned an $11.4 million verdict Thursday against prominent former Atlanta attorney Lin Wood, finding him liable for contract breach and fraud in his yearslong battle with former colleagues over the division of client fees.

Wood is a one-time political candidate and an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump ...Read more

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Trump is a grandfather for the 11th time after Tiffany welcomes baby boy

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President Trump became a grandfather for the 11th time on Thursday when his youngest daughter gave birth to her first son.

“Welcome to the world our sweet baby boy, Alexander Trump Boulos,” Tiffany Trump posted on social media. “We love you beyond words! Thank you for coming into our lives!”

The latest edition to the Trump family is ...Read more

Tracy Glantz/The State/TNS

Transgender activist charged with threatening life of SC Congresswoman Nancy Mace

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A transgender activist has been charged with threatening the life of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace.

Samuel Theodore Cain, of Greenville, South Scarolina, is in custody at the Greenville County Detention Center charged with threatening the life of a public official. A bond hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Cain, 19, posted on social media he planned to ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Judge denies emergency motion to stop transfer of LA Zoo elephants Billy and Tina

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LOS ANGELES — A judge denied a temporary restraining order Thursday seeking to stop the Los Angeles Zoo from transferring two beloved elephants to a zoo in Oklahoma.

An L.A. resident sued the zoo May 9 over its decision to move elephants Tina and Billy to the Tulsa Zoo, arguing that they should instead be sent to an animal sanctuary. His ...Read more

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Justices skeptical of Trump plan to limit birthright citizenship and judges who blocked it

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court gave a skeptical hearing Thursday to a lawyer for President Donald Trump who was appealing rulings that blocked his plan to deny citizenship to newborns whose parents were in this country illegally or temporarily.

None of the justices spoke in favor of Trump's plan to restrict birthright citizenship, and several...Read more

Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman/TNS

Judge in University of Idaho killings open to special investigation of gag order violations

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BOISE, Idaho — The judge in the quadruple homicide case involving four University of Idaho students opened the door Thursday to appointing a special prosecutor to investigate potential violations of the court’s standing gag order less than a week after NBC’s “Dateline” revealed in an episode previously unreleased details about the ...Read more

Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

DeSantis signs Florida fluoride ban. What comes next?

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that will stop local governments from putting fluoride in water.

The bill DeSantis signed doesn’t specifically mention fluoride. Instead, it bans local governments from putting anything in the water that doesn’t help with improving water quality or reducing ...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMRICA/TNS

4 takeaways from birthright citizenship arguments before the Supreme Court

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday probed the Trump administration’s pursuit to end birthright citizenship by asking justices to limit the reach of lower court judicial injunctions.

The arguments in Donald J. Trump v. CASA, et al. stem from an executive order seeking to stop granting citizenship to children born in the United States...Read more

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs defense turns to tough cross-examination of Cassie Ventura at NYC sex trafficking trial

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NEW YORK — A lawyer for Sean “Diddy” Combs began grilling his longtime former partner, Casandra Ventura, on Thursday after the jury heard two days of devastating testimony from the R&B singer known as “Cassie” about being subjected to years of horrific and dehumanizing abuse.

Attorney Anna Estevao was tasked with carefully threading ...Read more

Nancy Lane/Boston Herald/TNS

Harvard's $27 copy of Magna Carta revealed to be extremely rare original

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A manuscript purchased by Harvard University as a cheap, water-stained copy of the Magna Carta is, in fact, “one of the world’s most valuable documents,” a British researcher said Thursday.

The Magna Carta (Latin for “Great Charter”) is a landmark legal document first issued by King John of England in 1215 that established limits on ...Read more

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's final flourish: Strategic vetoes, barbed warnings and a Trump pivot

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ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed headline-grabbing bills this year to limit lawsuits, enshrine “religious liberty” in state law and safeguard in vitro fertilization.

But the flurry of quieter decisions on the last day of the bill-signing period Wednesday also helped reveal his political playbook.

Here’s a closer look:

MAGA ...Read more

Monty Davis/madavis@kcstar.com/Kansas City Star/TNS

Missouri congressman seeks help from RFK Jr. on cancer cases among teachers at elementary school

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. Rep. Sam Graves has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to help investigate cancer cases at a Missouri elementary school where, in recent years, multiple teachers have faced cancer diagnoses.

In a letter this week to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Graves said that parents, teachers and staff at ...Read more

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Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump birthright citizenship challenge

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The Supreme Court Thursday heard arguments on President Donald Trump’s landmark effort to end birthright citizenship, which has been considered settled law for more than 150 years after being enshrined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

A majority of judges on the conservative-dominated court sounded skeptical about Trump’s effort to ...Read more

Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Church of Scientology withdraws plans for project in Clearwater, Florida

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Church of Scientology has withdrawn its request to purchase a downtown Clearwater strip of public land on the eve of a vote by the City Council. The item was removed from Thursday’s agenda.

“Based upon the discussions to date surrounding the application, the Church has determined to supplement its application with ...Read more

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial: Most shocking bombshells from Cassie Ventura's testimony

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NEW YORK — Cassie Ventura, who dated Sean “Diddy” Combs for over a decade until 2018, appeared in court as the star witness during his high-profile sex trafficking trial.

The pregnant R&B singer took the stand this week to testify against the disgraced music mogul. Her harrowing testimony revealed graphic details on everything from freak-...Read more