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Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Dubai's glitz dims for Russians on costs, US sanction pressures

Current News / News & Features /

Two years ago, Dubai became a hot favorite with Russians looking to park money or build new lives after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. That allure is now dimming as the cost of living in the glitzy emirate surges and its banks get stricter in enforcing U.S. sanctions.

Russian money flows into the United Arab Emirates...Read more

Jeff Swensen/Getty Images North America/TNS

Punxsutawney Phil and his wife had BABY GROUNDHOGS!

Current News / News & Features /

PHILADELPHIA — We're pleased to bring you very serious and important breaking news regarding cute, furry, baby animals and Pennsylvania lore: Punxsutawney Phil and his wife, Phyllis, have babies.

As first reported by ABC27 News, the iconic groundhog couple has welcomed two baby groundhogs into their family. Although we don't know their names,...Read more

Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Judge recommends disbarring attorney who aided Trump

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Another defendant in the Georgia election interference case may lose his license to practice law for aiding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

John Eastman devised questionable legal theories that Trump used to try to persuade state legislators and Vice President Mike Pence to reject Democrat Joe Biden’s ...Read more

Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Yellen: Bridge collapse impact on economy being 'tracked very closely'

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ATLANTA — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday during an event in metro Atlanta the federal government is watching closely the economic impact of the Baltimore port closure in the wake of Tuesday’s collapse of Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Yellen, who visited the Suniva solar panel plant in Norcross, was asked about ...Read more

Will doughnut-eating DEA agent's sweet tooth disprove Aryan Brotherhood prosecution? One lawyer thinks it could

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Within some seedy enclaves of Northern California, Brian Nehring is known as a master of disguise for the Drug Enforcement Administration with the uncanny ability to convince seasoned and suspicious drug dealers that he’s not a cop.

But this sly government chameleon may now be trapped by his own apparent sweet tooth. ...Read more

Andre Ribeiro/TheNEWS2/Zuma Press/TNS

Bolsonaro tells Brazil's top court he didn't seek asylum with Hungary

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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s defense told the Supreme Court that is “illogical” to suspect him of having sought political asylum with Hungary when there is no adequate reason for him to be arrested in his home country.

His lawyers told the court on Wednesday that Bolsonaro has been “highly collaborative” with the ...Read more

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America/TNS

Baltimore bridge collapse reverberates from cars to coal

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The 1.6-mile-long bridge collapsed in a matter of seconds. The catastrophic consequences are set to stretch out for weeks.

As much as 2.5 million tons of coal, hundreds of cars made by Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., and lumber and gypsum are threatened with disruption after the container ship Dali slammed into and brought down ...Read more

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

US and Israel are working to reschedule canceled meeting on Gaza

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WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has agreed to reschedule his delegation’s visit to Washington to discuss possible military operations in Rafah after canceling a planned meeting earlier this week, the White House said.

Netanyahu scrapped plans to send high-ranking advisers to meet with President Joe Biden�...Read more

Andrew Burton/Getty Images North America/TNS

Alaska lawmaker proposes constitutional amendment to unify management of subsistence hunting and fishing under the state

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Alaska lawmaker is pursuing a state constitutional amendment in hopes of resolving a decades-old conflict between state and federal management over subsistence hunting and fishing.

The measure from state Rep. Thomas Baker of Kotzebue, a Republican appointed to his seat by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in November, could revive an ...Read more

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images North America/TNS

Judge skeptical of Hunter Biden's effort to dismiss tax case as politically motivated

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LOS ANGELES — Lawyers for Hunter Biden asked a federal judge in Los Angeles to throw out nine tax-related charges, arguing that the president’s son is being vindictively prosecuted by the Justice Department and had his rights trampled by two IRS agents who publicly revealed his confidential tax records.

At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District...Read more

Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/TNS

What we know about the 6 workers killed in Baltimore bridge collapse

Current News / News & Features /

BALTIMORE — Seven men left home Monday evening for a night shift on the Francis Scott Key Bridge repairing the Interstate 695 roadway.

Six members of the crew — fathers, husbands and at least one grandfather — did not return to their families in Baltimore, Dundalk, Owings Mills and Glen Burnie when the sun rose Tuesday over the wreckage ...Read more

Daniel Ramirez/Idaho Statesman/TNS

'Probably a done deal': University of Phoenix purchase on the rocks after state Senate kills bill

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BOISE, Idaho — A potential truce between lawmakers and the University of Idaho fell apart Wednesday, leaving the future of the university’s planned purchase of the University of Phoenix in doubt.

An effort to restructure the University of Idaho's purchase of the University of Phoenix failed on the state Senate floor Wednesday, potentially ...Read more

Glen Stubbe/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura gets into the cannabis business, launching his own line of edibles

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MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura announced Wednesday he's getting into the cannabis business, partnering with a Columbia Heights hemp company to produce Ventura-branded lines of edibles.

"I can finally announce that today, Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, is in the cannabis game. I can't tell you how truly amazing this feels," ...Read more

Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

A 'once-in-a-career situation': Baltimore's Key Bridge dive team faces many challenges

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BALTIMORE — Extend your arm in front of your body. Now imagine you can see no farther than your forearm. Next imagine a flurry of fine silt clouding your already darkened view to almost nothing in every direction. Now picture yourself doing this in frigid water, pulled by a strong current.

Those challenging conditions are among the hurdles ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Colorado man indicted in federal court on charge of defrauding COVID-19 relief programs of nearly $2 million

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DENVER — A federal grand jury indicted a Parker, Colo., man this week on suspicion of fraudulently applying for and receiving nearly $2 million from COVID-19 relief programs over a three-year period and using the money for his “personal benefit.”

Tarek Kassem, 63, is alleged to have received more than $1.4 million in Economic Injury ...Read more

John Long/Hartford Courant/TNS

Joseph Lieberman, an iconoclast who frustrated the Democratic Party, dies at 82

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Former Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent who sometimes baffled his original party over four terms in office and was the first Jewish vice presidential nominee, died Wednesday at age 82.

According to a statement from his family, Lieberman died in Manhattan from complications from a fall. First elected as a ...Read more

News briefs

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US agency calls for audits of AI systems to ensure accountability

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Wednesday issued a report calling for establishing a system of audits for artificial intelligence systems that would ensure transparency as well as hold tech companies accountable for potential risks and harms.

...Read more

Evan Simko-Bednarski/New York Daily News/TNS

Congestion pricing toll plan gets key approval of NYC transit board, setting stage for June rollout

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NEW YORK — Five years after state lawmakers wrote congestion pricing into law, the board of the MTA voted Wednesday to approve the final tolling plan, setting a base toll of $15 to drive into Midtown and lower Manhattan.

“Big day for the MTA, huge day for the region,” agency Chairman Janno Lieber said Wednesday following the vote. “New ...Read more

Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Jerry Jackson

How long will it take to rebuild the Baltimore's Key Bridge following its collapse?

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BALTIMORE — The Francis Scott Key Bridge could rejoin Baltimore’s skyline in as little as two years or as many as 15, with some experts eyeing a number in between.

The Key Bridge crossed the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s outer harbor until early Tuesday morning, when a cargo vessel struck the bridge and sent it into the frigid waters ...Read more

Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/TNS

NTSB analyzes ship's onboard data for clues to collision that caused collapse of Key Bridge

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BALTIMORE — Data capturing the moments before the container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge has been secured by the National Transportation Safety Board and is being analyzed by the federal agency’s lab, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Large ships are required by international regulations to carry voyage data recorders that, ...Read more