Category Archives: World/National

What to know about the death of Pope Francis

What to know about the death of Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Francis’ death was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell. The Irish-born Vatican camerlengo’s position will be important in the election of the next pope. Francis made his final public appearance a day earlier on Easter Sunday. Francis’ death now sets off the process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects. That will be followed by a funeral to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals and a conclave to elect a new pope.… Continue Reading

Alito’s dissent in deportation case says court rushed to block Trump with middle-of-the night order

Alito’s dissent in deportation case says court rushed to block Trump with middle-of-the night order

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Samuel Alito has written a sharp dissent that castigates the seven-member majority for blocking the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th-century wartime law. The dissent was released Saturday night, hours after the court’s intervention against the Republican administration. Alito says the Supreme Court acted “literally in the middle of the night” and without sufficient explanation. Alito says there was “dubious factual support” for granting the request in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union. That group contends that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart such removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.… Continue Reading

Judge pauses Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Judge pauses Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire nearly everyone at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been paused by a federal judge, who says she’s “deeply concerned” about the plan. Friday’s decision leaves in limbo a bureau created after the Great Recession to safeguard against fraud, abuse and deceptive practices. Trump administration officials argue the bureau oversteps its authority. The Republican administration Thursday moved to fire 1,500 people, leaving 200. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson says she’s worried the layoffs would violate her earlier order stopping the administration from shutting the bureau. The judge is considering a lawsuit filed by an employee union that wants to preserve the bureau. There’s a hearing April 28.… Continue Reading

Trump administration takes aim at Harvard’s international students and tax-exempt status

Trump administration takes aim at Harvard’s international students and tax-exempt status

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard, threatening to revoke the university’s ability to host international students, who make up 27% of the campus. The threat emerged as the president called for withdrawing the school’s tax-exempt status. The Department of Homeland Security ordered Harvard late Tuesday to turn over detailed records of the school’s foreign student visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities” by April 30. The move deepens the crackdown on Harvard. On Monday, it became the first university to openly defy the administration’s demands related to activism on campus, antisemitism and diversity. The federal government has already frozen more than $2 billion in grants and contracts to the Ivy League institution.… Continue Reading

Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say

Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists may have found a new Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system that orbits two failed stars. Located 120 light years away, the planet appears to take an unusual path around two brown dwarfs, whipping around at a right angle. Scientists know of over a dozen planets that orbit twin stars like the fictional “Star Wars” desert planet Tatooine. More observations are needed to confirm this latest planet exists. The research was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.… Continue Reading

US judge presses Trump administration on its refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia

US judge presses Trump administration on its refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge says she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison last month. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to return him. But the administration has so far refused. It claims he’s in the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys deny the allegations and say he was never charged with a crime. The president of El Salvador also said he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”… Continue Reading

Autism rates in US rise again to 1 in 31 kids, CDC says

Autism rates in US rise again to 1 in 31 kids, CDC says

ATLANTA (AP) — Newly released federal statistics show an estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, marking another jump in a long string of increases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the numbers on Tuesday. Its data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate in 2020 was 1 in 36. Boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black. The CDC’s estimate is considered the most rigorous and the gold standard.… Continue Reading

A look at the universities with federal funding targeted by the Trump administration

A look at the universities with federal funding targeted by the Trump administration

Harvard University has joined the growing list of institutions targeted by the Trump administration for federal funding cuts. Seven universities have been faced with cuts so far. Six of them are Ivy League schools. The Trump administration has increasingly used funding cuts as a tool to influence campus policies to comply with his political agenda. Most universities were targeted due to allegations of antisemitism on campuses after a wave of pro-Palestinian protests last year. Trump’s strategy was mostly successful at Columbia University after the institution agreed to several of the administration’s demands.… Continue Reading

El Salvador President Bukele says he won’t be releasing a Maryland man back to the US

El Salvador President Bukele says he won’t be releasing a Maryland man back to the US

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s top advisers and El Salvador president Nayib Bukele say that they have no basis for the small Central American nation to return a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month. Trump administration officials are emphasizing that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and that U.S. has no say in his future. And Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said “of course” he won’t release him back to U.S. soil. The Supreme Court has called for the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia to the U.S.… Continue Reading

Stocks rally worldwide after Trump eases some of his tariffs on electronics, for now

Stocks rally worldwide after Trump eases some of his tariffs on electronics, for now

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rallying worldwide after President Donald Trump relaxed some of his tariffs, for now at least. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5% Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 441 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 2%. Apple, Nvidia and other big technology companies led the way after Trump temporarily exempted smartphones, computers and some other electronics from some of his stiff tariffs. Perhaps more importantly for Wall Street, the bond market also showed signals of increasing calm. Treasury yields eased following last week’s sudden and scary rise, which seemed to rattle not only investors but also Trump himself.… Continue Reading

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