Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — A bench trial began last week in Baltimore federal court in a civil case over affirmative action at American military academies. Attorneys for the U.S. Naval Academy say the school should be allowed to continue using race as an admissions factor because prioritizing diversity in the military makes it stronger
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran’s president accused Israel on Monday of seeking a wider war in the Middle East and laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict. Masoud Pezeshkian told about two dozen media representatives that Iran doesn’t want to see the current war in Gaza and airstrikes across the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s military says at least 30 bodies were found on a boat drifting off the coast of Dakar along a route used by migrants. The military spokesperson said that the advanced state of decomposition of the bodies is making the identification process difficult. In recent years the number of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — With holiday shopping season around the corner, experts recommend caution when your favorite store offers you a credit card. According to the Federal Reserve, outstanding credit card balances reached $1.14 trillion as of August 2024, meaning credit card debt is increasingly a concern for millions of Americans. Bankrate found
Continue ReadingMADRID, Spain (AP) — A Champions League match next month between Atletico Madrid and Lille could see a record number of fans with disabilities in the stands. The Spanish club has teamed up with AccessibAll, a group promoting better access to sport for disabled fans, with the aim of breaking the record for the highest
Continue ReadingNEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ vast music catalog has seen a jump in streams since his arrest and the unsealing of an indictment against him. Data and analytics company Luminate said the disgraced music mogul saw an average 18.3% increase in on-demand streams during the week of his arrest compared to the prior
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Violent crime in the U.S. dropped in 2023, according to FBI statistics that show a continued trend downward after a coronavirus pandemic-era crime spike. Overall violent crime declined an estimated 3% in 2023 from the year before, according to the FBI report Monday. Murders and non-negligent manslaughter dropped nearly 12%.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Unseasonably late snowstorms battered coastal areas of South Africa over the weekend, killing two people and forcing the closure of some of the country’s major highways. The deaths were attributed to hypothermia after the two people were stuck in vehicles stranded by heavy snowfall on the N3 highway, which is
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Jeanine Tesori becomes the first woman composer to open a season in the Metropolitan Opera’s 141-year history when a revised “Grounded” starring mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo is featured at Monday night’s gala. Thirty-five minutes have been cut since the six Kennedy Center performances last year. Based on George Brant’s play,
Continue ReadingDAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s new prime minister has named his Cabinet with a new foreign minister. Sabbagh was a deputy to former Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who was appointed the vice president for foreign and information policies. President Bashar Assad earlier this month named former Communications Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali as the head of
Continue ReadingAP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ transition team has reached an agreement with the government to accept federal support to prepare for her potential presidency. The General Services Administration is required by law to offer office space, technology support and other resources to major party nominees. It posted the agreement
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police have arrested Tanzania’s most prominent opposition figures whose party has called for protests against what it says is a crackdown targeting its supporters. Hundreds of backers of the country’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, were arrested last month and the party’s secretariat member Ali Kibao was abducted and later
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Israel is bombing targets across many parts of Lebanon, striking senior militants in Beirut and apparently hiding bombs in pagers and walkie-talkies. Hezbollah is firing rockets and drones deep into northern Israel, setting buildings and cars alight. But no one is calling it a war — not yet. Israeli officials say they are
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SMITHTON, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump sat in a large barn in rural Pennsylvania on Monday, asking questions of farmers and offering jokes but, in a rarity for his campaign events, mostly listening. The bombastic former president was unusually restrained at an event about China’s influence on the U.S. economy, a roundtable during
Continue ReadingAP Auto Racing Writer IndyCar has finalized a charter system for 25 entrants that pales in comparison to the contentious deal reached between NASCAR and its teams but does give 10 open wheel organizations some guarantees. The initial agreement runs through the 2031 season and ensures the 25 chartered cars a starting spot in all
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WYOMING, Iowa (AP) — Taking a late-summer country drive in the Midwest means venturing into the corn zone, snaking between 12-foot-tall green, leafy walls that seem to block out nearly everything other than the sun and an occasional water tower. The skyscraper-like corn is a part of rural America as much as cavernous
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Armorion Smith pressed his palms together over the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and leaned against the kitchen sink. The 21-year-old Michigan State defensive back needed a moment in the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home he shares with five younger siblings. He has a lot on his plate,
Continue ReadingGENEVA (AP) — A U.N.-backed human rights expert monitoring President Vladimir Putin’s Russia has decried increased violence in the country caused by former prisoners who have their sentences shortened or pardoned to fight in Ukraine and then return home to commit crimes including rape and murder. Mariana Katzarova, who is observing rights in Russia under
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio (AP) — Stubborn drought in Ohio and shifting weather patterns appear to be affecting North America’s largest native fruit, the pawpaw. Avocado-sized with a taste sometimes described as a cross between a mango and banana, the pawpaw is beloved by many but rarely seen in grocery stores in the
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