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Fortnite is refunding D4vd cosmetics after singer appears in court in murder case

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LOS ANGELES — One of the world's most popular video games, Fortnite, is offering a refund to players who bought in-game items connected to musician D4vd, who is accused of killing a 14-year-old girl.

Players of the game have called on Epic Games to remove emotes and cosmetics associated with D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. Some ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'This is like the Russian mafia': LA judge elections see unusual drama

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LOS ANGELES — One judge claims his colleagues have adopted a "gangster mentality" in order to shut him up.

Another compared the state board accusing him of serious misconduct to "the Russian mafia."

Judicial elections are usually sleepy affairs, subject to little political fanfare or interest. But two battles on the June ballot in Los ...Read more

Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Tupac's stepbrother files wrongful death suit, cites new turns in 29-year-old murder case

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LOS ANGELES — As a trial approaches for the sole suspect charged in the slaying of Tupac Shakur, the rapper's stepbrother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit stating that for "the first time in nearly 30 years, threads are starting to come together" regarding the various parties involved in the infamous murder.

Maurice Shakur, known by his ...Read more

Kirill Kudryavtsev/Getty Images North America/TNS

Putin's WWII parade cuts tanks and missiles for use in Ukraine war

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Russia will stage its traditional May 9 parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II without heavy military equipment for the first time since 2007, as the war in Ukraine takes its toll on President Vladimir Putin’s army.

No armored vehicles or missile systems will roll across Red Square during the parade “due to the current ...Read more

Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

The king charms Trump, but Starmer's US ordeal will continue

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In one legislative chamber, a British king appealed to centuries of shared history in a bid to preserve his country’s most important alliance. In another, an ocean away, a British prime minister watched his agenda get sidelined again by his past efforts to protect the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship.”

The twin scenes, playing out in ...Read more

Hussein Faleh/Getty Images North America/TNS

Oil rises with elusive outlook for US-Iran deal over Hormuz

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Oil rose as a U.S.-Iran standoff over the crucial Strait of Hormuz dragged on, prolonging an unprecedented supply shock that has roiled energy markets.

Brent rose more than 3% above $114 a barrel. In the latest escalation of rhetoric, President Donald Trump said “Iran can’t get their act together” in a social media post with an image of ...Read more

Christian Bruna/Getty Images Europe/TNS

UAE bristled at Saudis for years before Iran war tipped scales

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The United Arab Emirates’ worsening rift with Saudi Arabia was at the heart of its shock decision to quit OPEC.

The rivalry has been building for years but it was the fallout from the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran that provided the opportunity for Tuesday’s announcement from the UAE, according to several people familiar with the matter. ...Read more

Christian Bruna/Getty Images Europe/TNS

UAE bristled at Saudis for years before Iran war tipped scales

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The United Arab Emirates’ worsening rift with Saudi Arabia was at the heart of its shock decision to quit OPEC.

The rivalry has been building for years but it was the fallout from the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran that provided the opportunity for Tuesday’s announcement from the UAE, according to several people familiar with the matter. ...Read more

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

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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

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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