U.S./World category, Page 7
Trump vowed to crack down on fraudsters, but he’s pardoned dozens
Salomon Melgen was an immigrant who came to the United States and wound up committing fraud, ripping off American taxpayers by $42 million. “Melgen devised a scheme to enrich himself by defrauding Medicare to the tune of tens of millions of dollars,” an FBI official said when Melgen was sentenced...
U.S. Jews grapple with a surge in attacks and bitter rifts over Israeli policies
For many U.S. Jews, following current events these days can be emotionally tumultuous. Simultaneously, there is widely shared anger at the upsurge of attacks targeting their communities, and deep divisions within those communities over whether to support or oppose various policies and actions by Israel in the conflict-wracked Middle East....
States seek to unmask federal immigration agents — and their own police
Proposals to prohibit federal immigration agents from masking their faces have gained new life in states — thanks in part to a court ruling that blocked the nation’s first such law, in California. A little over a month after the California law was suspended, Washington state’s Democratic governor, Bob Ferguson,...
RFK Jr. makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the science
In the Trump administration’s campaign to promote healthy eating, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not stopped at his slogan urging people to “eat real food” to prevent disease. In recent speeches and podcast appearances, the nation’s health secretary also has claimed that diet can “cure” schizophrenia and diabetes and allow...
Rapper Afroman wins lawsuit against police over mocking their 2022 raid in viral music videos
The Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him over music videos in which he used home security footage to mock their raid of his home. “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Right on! Right on!” the...
Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a sizable amount that is certain to be met with questions from Congress, which would need to approve any new money. The department sent the request to the White House, according to a senior administration...
Ozempic is about to go generic for billions of people
The blockbuster weight loss drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy will soon go generic in countries that are home to 40% of the world’s population, significantly lowering the price of a costly medicine that had been largely unaffordable to nearly all but the wealthiest people. On Saturday, Novo Nordisk, the...
EU leaders blast Viktor Orbán over a Ukraine loan veto, accusing him of playing election games
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders on Thursday lashed out at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, accusing him of hijacking critical aid for Ukraine and undermining EU decision-making in an effort to win an election at home. In a rare public tirade against a member of their ranks, leaders insisted that...
Iran intensifies attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Gulf after Israeli strike on key gas field
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran intensified its attacks on oil and gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday, dramatically raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy. The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent...
Joe Kent’s resignation over Iran war reignites antisemitism fears and debate over Israeli influence
It was no surprise when Joe Kent showed up on Tucker Carlson’s podcast a day after quitting his counterterrorism job in President Donald Trump’s administration. Here was a top official who resigned to protest the war with Iran turning to right-wing media’s leading critic of the conflict. “The Israelis drove...
Uber to invest up to $1.25B in Rivian to help launch robotaxis
NEW YORK — Uber says it will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian Automotive to help launch up to 50,000 robotaxis. Uber, or its fleet partners, are expected to buy 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis, with the option to purchase up to 40,000 more in 2030. The companies...
Trump says the U.S. will retaliate if Iran attacks Qatar again
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump pledged that Israel would make no more attacks on Iran’s major South Pars gas field, but if Iran attacked Qatar again, the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field. Trump made his threat on social media Wednesday...
César Chavez accused of sexually abusing labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and others
Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by César Chavez, the widely admired Latino icon who brought to light the struggles of farmhands while leading the United Farm Workers union. The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than...
Democrats storm out of Justice Department leaders’ briefing on the Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday stormed out of a closed-door briefing on the Jeffrey Epstein files by Justice Department leaders, and said they would push to force Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions under oath about the case that has plagued the Trump administration. Bondi and Deputy Attorney...
How to monitor airport security lines at U.S. airports while TSA officers go without pay
Scenes of airport security lines spilling out of terminals may be adding a new layer of stress for travelers as the busy spring break season unfolds. Some airports have seen wait times stretch well past an hour. In recent days, passengers reported waiting up to two hours in line at...
An abandoned Russian tanker is drifting at sea. Will anyone stop it?
ROME — For weeks, a huge, unmanned Russian fuel tanker has been drifting aimlessly in the Mediterranean Sea, after its crew abandoned ship following a drone attack, according to the Russian government. The 900-foot ship has a gaping hole in its green hull, aerial footage shows, and in the words...
What to know about the resurgent war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon
BEIRUT — The latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has escalated quickly. Israeli strikes hit multiple neighborhoods in central Beirut, bringing down a multistory apartment building on Wednesday on a main thoroughfare and blasting out walls in others. The bombardment came after Hezbollah launched a barrage...
Fed projects 1 rate cut this year as Powell vows to stay on until DOJ investigation is finished
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials expect the Iran war will worsen inflation this year while having little impact on economic growth, but they still expect to cut their key rate once in 2026. For now, Fed policymakers left short-term interest rates unchanged Wednesday for the second straight meeting at about...
U.S. says Anthropic is an ‘unacceptable’ national security risk
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. government said Tuesday that it had deemed the artificial intelligence company Anthropic an “unacceptable risk” to national security because the startup could disable or alter its technology to suit its own interests, rather than the country’s priorities, in a time of war. In a 40-page...
What to know about the Jones Act as the Trump administration unveils a 60-day waiver
NEW YORK — As the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran continues to upend energy markets and supply chains worldwide, the Trump administration says it will temporarily waive maritime shipping requirements under a more than century-old law known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act requires that goods hauled between...
U.S. eases Venezuela oil sanctions as Trump seeks to boost world oil supply during Iran war
WASHINGTON — U.S. companies will be allowed to do business with Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company after the Treasury Department eased sanctions, with some limitations, on Wednesday as the Trump administration looks for ways to boost world oil supplies during the Iran war. The Treasury issued a broad authorization...
Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s push to cleanse his past online
An email sent to Jeffrey Epstein in September 2010 presented an intriguing opportunity. “Would you be interested,” it read, “in having all that crap that comes up on Google search on your name basically disappear?” Epstein had been released from jail about a year earlier after a conviction for sex...
What to know about the resignation of Joe Kent as Trump’s counterterrorism chief
The U.S. counterterrorism official who resigned Tuesday had been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump through his 2020 election defeat, the Jan. 6 riots and years of conservative media advocacy and failed congressional bids. But Trump’s war in Iran and his alliance with Israel against the Islamic clerics who...
Iran war has U.S. farmers worried about the cost and availability of fertilizer
BISMARCK, N.D. — Tennessee farmer Todd Littleton expects to pay $100,000 more for fertilizer this season, a 40% spike from his bill last year thanks to the war in Iran — and he is scrambling to cover that extra cost. “The problem is, is we’re so strained financially coming into...
Trump’s tariffs are hurting American manufacturers instead of helping them
WASHINGTON — Jay Allen is a fan of President Donald Trump, and voted for him on the belief that the Republican would cut taxes and trim regulations, helping his manufacturing business in northeast Arkansas. But the tariffs at the core of Trump’s economic agenda have wreaked havoc on his company,...
