Supreme Court turns away veterans who seek disability benefits over 1966 hydrogen bomb accident

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal on behalf of some U.S. veterans who want disability benefits because they were exposed to radiation while responding to a Cold War-era hydrogen bomb accident in Spain. The justices not did comment in turning away an appeal from Victor Skaar, an Air Force veteran in his mid-80s. Skaar, of Nixa, Missouri, filed class-action claims seeking benefits for him and

Lawyer Eastman faces a disciplinary hearing over a plot to keep Trump in power after his 2020 loss

LOS ANGELES (AP) - An effort to disbar conservative attorney John Eastman, who devised ways to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after his defeat in the 2020 election, will begin Tuesday in Los Angeles. Eastman is expected to spend the day testifying before the State Bar of California in a proceeding that could result in him losing his license to practice law in the state. He faces

Inside the deepening rivalry between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom says there's no chance "on God's green earth" he's running for president in 2024, but he wants to make clear that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running, is "weak" and "undisciplined" and "will be crushed by Donald Trump." DeSantis, meanwhile, likes to mock Newsom's apparent "fixation" on Florida while insisting that the Democratic governor's "leftist government" is destroying California. Welcome to

Andrew Tate is charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Divisive social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women, prosecutors in Romania said Tuesday. Romania's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said prosecutors filed the charges against the brothers, who are both British-U.S. dual citizens, along with two Romanian women in a court in the capital Bucharest. In a statement, the agency

Hunter Biden charged with failing to pay federal income tax and illegally having a weapon

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden's son Hunter has been charged with failing to pay federal income tax and illegally possessing a weapon and has reached an agreement with the Justice Department, according to a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware. As part of the agreement, made public Tuesday, Hunter Biden will plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and is expected to reach an agreement with prosecutors on

Juneteeth festival canceled after double shooting in Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A two-day Juneteenth Festival in a popular North Carolina tourist city came to an abrupt halt after two juveniles were wounded in a shooting. The News & Observer reports that all activities planned for Sunday at Asheville's Pack Square Park were canceled after the shooting occurred on Saturday as festivities drew to a close on the first day of the festival. "We are saddened that a

The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday

Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion - it was only in 2021 that President

Americans mark Juneteenth with parties, events and reflection on the end of slavery

Detroit (AP) - Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War. While many have treated the long holiday weekend as a reason for a party, others urged quiet reflection on America's often violent and oppressive treatment of its Black citizens. And still others have remarked at the

Criminalizing Poverty Practices

By DR. JOYNICOLE MARTINEZ, Staff Writer In 2015, the U.S. Justice Department concluded that Ferguson, Missouri was using its police department largely as a collection agency for the city. The court practices exacerbated the harm of Ferguson’s unconstitutional and abusive police practices and placed, “particular hardship upon Ferguson’s most vulnerable residents…Minor offenses can generate crippling debts, result in jail time because of an inability to pay and result in the

Blinken heads to China this weekend on mission to salvage sinking ties and keep communications open

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China this weekend as part of the Biden administration's push to repair deteriorating ties between Washington and Beijing and keep lines of communication open, the State Department said Wednesday. Blinken will be the most senior U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office. His visit had initially been planned for earlier this year but was