BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it a crime for transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity — even inside privately owned businesses. At least 19 states, including Idaho, already have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms and changing rooms that align with […]
CROWLEY, La. (AP) — Spring is peak season in Louisiana for crawfish, the hard-shelled star of outdoor parties. But a shortage of foreign workers is dampening the mood. Deep in Louisiana’s bayous, where crawfish production is a $300 million industry that is a key ingredient for backyard boils and buttery etouffees served in New Orleans’ […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — California lawmakers will vote Thursday to rename César Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day in an effort to reconcile the Latino labor icon’s legacy with explosive sexual abuse allegations before the state holiday March 31. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to quickly sign the bill. The change comes after allegations became […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro returns to a New York courtroom Thursday as he seeks to have his drug trafficking indictment thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees. Maduro’s lawyer contends that the U.S. is violating the deposed leader’s constitutional rights by blocking Venezuelan government funds from being used […]
HOUSTON (AP) — George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has become the symbol for how the ongoing partial government shutdown has wreaked havoc on the nation’s air travel system. While long security lines have hobbled airports across the U.S., Bush Intercontinental’s problems have been more pronounced. Frustrated travelers at Houston’s largest airport have confronted warnings […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker is asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts venue. In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent that the Kennedy Center […]
NEW YORK (AP) — The federal government has not yet replaced the bullet-pocked windows that serve as a grim reminder of an attack at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than seven months ago, the agency’s acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. CDC employees asked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about the broken windows during a staff […]
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Wednesday limiting face coverings worn by law enforcement, including federal ICE agents, making New Jersey the second state this year to enact such a law. Washington state’s Democratic governor, Bob Ferguson, signed a similar law earlier this month while Democratic-led legislatures in other states have […]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday opened applications for a major resilience grant program that the agency canceled last year, less than three weeks after a federal judge ordered FEMA to make the funding available. FEMA will make $1 billion available for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which helps states, local governments, […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit with Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying about phone conversations with a top Russian diplomat but was later pardoned. Court papers filed Wednesday do not reveal […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Political warning signs that have privately worried some Republicans for months are starting to flash red ahead of November’s midterm elections, as the war in Iran keeps gas prices high, travelers face unprecedented airport security wait times and Americans remain concerned about steep costs of living. The latest sign of trouble came […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two high-profile progressive lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment. The legislation by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders […]
SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be discharged from hospital on Friday to return home and continue serving his 27-year sentence for a coup attempt, his doctor said. Dr. Brasil Caiado told journalists in the capital Brasilia on Wednesday that Bolsonaro’s health status is stable and he can return to house […]
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.” The resolution also urges “the prompt and unhindered restitution” of cultural items — including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents […]
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida Democrats, beaten down by years of Republican domination in what was once the consummate battleground state, claimed new optimism Wednesday after a special election victory in President Donald Trump’s home district. Emily Gregory will represent the district that includes Mar-a-Lago, the president’s resort in Palm Beach, as a state representative. […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Air travelers are experiencing the highest wait times ever under the Transportation Security Administration, the agency’s acting head told Congress on Wednesday, as the latest offer to end a funding impasse and put restraints on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda met fierce resistance. The TSA’s Ha Nguyen McNeill described the mounting […]
As communities across Hawaii dig out from destruction caused by the worst flooding to hit the state in over 20 years, nonprofits, mutual aid networks and foundations are collecting donations to support households, farmers and animals affected across the state. Two Kona low winter storm systems roughly a week apart unleashed deluges over soil too […]
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ March 24 The Washington Post says cutting gas taxes is good politics, but bad policy With the Iran war driving up the average price of gas more than a dollar per gallon, politicians are calling to suspend the gas tax until the crisis ends. […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Jurors in Racine County on Tuesday found Harry Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony […]
As travel disruptions deepen and senators race to clinch a proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown, House lawmakers are holding a hearing at 10 a.m. ET to discuss the impacts of the funding lapse. Senators are chasing a deal that would fund much of the department, including Transportation Security Administration workers going without pay, […]
The NAACP, the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S., has hired a former Biden Justice Department official to head its legal advocacy work. Kristen Clarke, who previously led the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, will be the NAACP’s next general counsel, the organization announced on Wednesday. According to an announcement shared first with The Associated […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for the role. The nomination […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump showed off a classified map on a 2022 flight to his New Jersey golf club and held onto a record from his first term that was so sensitive only six people would have had access to it, according to a letter released Wednesday by a top House Democrat. The […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian military spokesperson mocked U.S. attempts at a ceasefire deal Wednesday, insisting that the Americans were only negotiating with themselves. Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the statement in a prerecorded video aired on state television. “The strategic power […]
