China is imposing visa bans and other sanctions on Taiwanese political figures as it raises pressure on the island and the U.S. in response to successive congressional visits. The Communist Party office that announced the sanctions says they're designed to punish diehard supporters of Taiwan…
Local officials say a fire at an ammunition storage site on Crimea left two people injured. It comes a week after a series of explosion at an air base on the peninsula annexed from Ukraine by Russia. Russian media reported that the blaze and a series of explosions rattled the village of Mays…
The Associated Press preseason college football poll comes with the promise of an exciting season for teams that make the Top 25. AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo suggests a healthy dose of caution, unless you root for Alabama. Last season was especially volatile in the Top 25: 14 team…
Malaysia’s top court has ordered former Prime Minister Najib Razak to begin his final appeal after rejecting his request to throw out his graft conviction and 12-year sentence over potential judicial bias. The Federal Court said Tuesday it wasn't convinced the judge was biased in his ruling …
Giorgia Meloni is riding a wave of popularity that next month could see her become Italy’s first female prime minister and its first far-right leader since World War II. Meloni's message blends Christianity, motherhood and patriotism. Her Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots. But Me…
The United States and South Korea will begin their biggest combined military training in years next week in the face of an increasingly aggressive North Korea. Pyongyang has been ramping up weapons tests and threats of nuclear conflict against Seoul and Washington. The South’s military said …
Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, a leader in the Republican resistance to former President Donald Trump, is fighting to save her seat in the House on Tuesday. Voters in Alaska as well as Wyoming are weighing in on the direction of the GOP. Cheney’s team is bracing for a loss against a Trump…
The United States and South Korea will begin their biggest combined military training in years next week in the face of an increasingly aggressive North Korea. Pyongyang has been ramping up weapons tests and threats of nuclear conflict against Seoul and Washington. The South’s military said Tuesday the drills underscore Washington and Seoul’s commitment to restore large-scale training. They had canceled some of their regular drills and downsized others to computer simulations in recent years to create space for diplomacy with Pyongyang and because of COVID-19 concerns. The drills will almost surely draw an angry reaction from North Korea, which describes all allied trainings as invasion rehearsal.
Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, a leader in the Republican resistance to former President Donald Trump, is fighting to save her seat in the House on Tuesday. Voters in Alaska as well as Wyoming are weighing in on the direction of the GOP. Cheney’s team is bracing for a loss against a Trump-backed challenger, Cheyenne attorney Harriet Hageman, who has harnessed the full fury of the Trump movement in her bid to defeat Cheney. In Alaska, a new nonpartisan primary system is giving a periodic Trump critic, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an opportunity to survive the former president's wrath.
Authorities say a Miami-Dade police officer was critically wounded and an armed robbery suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire during a car chase. Officials say the suspect smashed his vehicle into a police cruiser and another car while trying to flee Monday night following a reported armed robbery near the Liberty City neighborhood. Police say “an altercation ensued and shots were fired.” The suspect died at the scene. The officer is hospitalized in critical condition. TV news footage showed a line of police cars outside the hospital where the officer was being treated.
The Justice Department is rebuffing an effort to make public the affidavit supporting the search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s estate in Florida. In court papers Monday, prosecutors argue the investigation “implicates highly classified material” and the affidavit contains sensitive information about witnesses. The government’s opposition came in response to court filings by several news organizations, including The Associated Press, seeking to unseal the underlying affidavit the Justice Department submitted when it asked for the warrant to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month. In a statement on his social media platform, Trump called for the release of the unredacted affidavit in the interest of transparency.
A mural painted by a Lithuanian immigrant in a Vermont synagogue more than 100 years ago has been painstakingly restored and moved. It was hidden behind a wall for years, and experts say it is a rare piece of art. The colorful triptych was painted by sign painter Ben Zion Black in 1910. It is now known as the “Lost Mural." Experts say it's a rare representation of art that graced wooden synagogues in Europe that were largely destroyed during the Holocaust. About $1 million was raised for the project. The renewed mural was unveiled this summer. Tours are ongoing.
A Chinese scientific research ship whose port call was earlier deferred due to apparent security concerns raised by India arrived at Tuesday a southern port in Sri Lanka. Yuan Wang 5 was welcomed by Sri Lankan port officials and Chinese officials from the ship company at the Hambantota port. The ship was originally set to arrive Aug. 11 but Sri Lanka asked to postpone its docking until further consultations took place. The ministry said last weekend that the ship was again given permission to dock in Hambantota until Aug. 22. It said the two sides had agreed the ship would keep its identification systems on and would not carry out any research activities while in Sri Lanka waters.
In the 1980s, Wilbur Slockish Jr. served 20 months in federal prison on charges of illegally poaching salmon from the Columbia River. His story represents the decadeslong fight for tribal fishing rights along the river. Native tribes who have lived in the Columbia River Basin for generations view stewardship of the river, the salmon and their habitat as part of a divine contract. They believe the Creator made the river and food sources to offer them sustenance. The people in turn were to be caretakers of these resources. Slockish says he went to prison to fight for his people's right to practice their faith.
The Columbia River, which natives call Nch’i-Wána, or “the great river,” has sustained Indigenous people in the region for millennia. The river’s salmon and the roots and berries that grow around the area, are known as “first foods” because of the belief that they volunteered to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of humans at the time of Creation. These foods are prominently featured in longhouse ceremonies and rituals. The foods and the river are still threatened by industrialization, climate change and pollution. Many Indigenous people still live along the river because their blood lines are here and the practice of their faith requires them to do so.
The Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest, which Natives call Nch’i-Wána, or “the great river,” has sustained Indigenous people in the region for millennia. The river's salmon and the roots and berries that grow around the area, are known as “first foods" because of the belief that they volunteered to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of humans at the time of Creation. These foods are prominently featured in longhouse ceremonies and rituals. The foods and the river are still threatened by industrialization, climate change and pollution. Many Indigenous people still live along the river because their blood lines are there and the practice of their faith requires them to do so.
Federal officials on Tuesday are expected to announce water cuts that would further reduce how much Colorado River water some users in the seven U.S. states reliant on the river and Mexico receive. Cities, farms and water managers in Arizona, Nevada and Mexico are widely anticipating Tuesday’s reductions. They are based on a plan states signed in 2019 to help keep more water in one of the river's key storage reservoirs. But the cuts come as Western states grapple with another, larger looming deadline on the Colorado River about how to share the dwindling water source as it yields less and less to go around.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused his predecessor Scott Morrison of “trashing democracy” after revealing that while Morrison was in power, he arranged to have himself quietly appointed to five ministerial roles without the knowledge of many other lawmakers or the public. Albanese said Morrison had been operating in secret, keeping the Australian people in the dark and misleading parliament over who was in charge of what portfolios. Morrison defended taking on the extra portfolios, saying they were a safeguard during the coronavirus pandemic and that he would have made the appointments public had he needed to use the powers involved.
President Joe Biden is preparing to sign Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill. It's the “final piece” of the president's pared-down domestic agenda as he aims to boost his party’s standing with voters ahead of midterm elections. The legislation includes the biggest federal investment ever to fight climate change — some $375 billion over a decade. It also caps prescription drug costs at $2,000 out-of-pocket annually for Medicare recipients, and helps an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure is paid for in part by new taxes on large companies.
Iran says it has submitted a “written response” to what has been described as a final roadmap to restore its tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency offered no details Tuesday on the substance of it response, but suggested that Tehran still wouldn’t take the European Union-mediated proposal, despite warnings there would be no more negotiations. Tehran under hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly tried to blame Washington for the delay in reaching an accord. Monday was reported to have been a deadline for their response. There was no immediate acknowledgment from the EU that Iran submitted its response. The EU has been the go-between in the indirect talks.
Democrats have pulled off a quiet first in legislation passed this month: the creation of a tax targeting stock buybacks. The bill includes a new 1% excise tax on companies’ purchases of their own shares, a tactic that companies have long used to return cash to investors and bolster their stock’s price. Democrats say that instead of buying back shares, big companies should use the money to increase employees’ wages or invest in their business. But is that likely to happen with the tax? Some experts are skeptical. The tax on stock buybacks is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.
Gov. Mark Gordon has a path to reelection while more competitive Republican races have shaped up for secretary of state and state superintendent of public instruction in Tuesday's primary in Wyoming. Gordon's primary opponents include Brent Bien, of Sheridan, and Rex Rammell, of Rock Springs. State legislators Chuck Gray, of Casper, and Tara Nethercott, of Cheyenne, are seeking the Republican nomination for secretary of state now that Ed Buchanan is leaving office to become a judge. Republicans Megan Degenfelder, of Laramie, and Jennifer Zerba, of Casper, are taking on recently appointed State Superintendent Brian Schroeder. Treasurer Curt Meier faces a Republican primary challenge from Bill Gallop, of Cheyenne.
Content by North Carolina Folk Festival. The annual North Carolina Folk Festival held in downtown Greensboro each September celebrates the proud heritage of folk through music, art, craft and food.
Content by Gray Legal Group. Mark V.L. Gray II is the managing attorney of Gray Legal Group, a Greensboro-based expert litigator in the personal injury arena. For those pondering a personal injury claim, Gray offers four key insights.
Content by Brand Ave. Studios. The annual Amazon Prime Day is here and will offer discounts on many of your favorite things.
Content by Brand Ave. Studios. The annual Amazon Prime Day is coming July 12 and 13, and per usual will offer discounts on many of your favorite things.
The Alaska primary on Tuesday will feature two elections. In one, Alaskans get their first shot at using ranked choice voting in a statewide election in a U.S. House special special in which Sarah Palin seeks a return to elected office. The former governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee faces Republican Nick Begich and Democrat Mary Peltola in the race to fill the remainder of Rep. Don Young's term. Young died in March. The winner may not be known until late August. The other election is the state primary in which the top four vote-getters in the races for U.S. Senate, House, governor and legislature will advance to the general election.
Giuliani targeted in criminal probe of 2020 election
U.N. says its special envoy for Myanmar has traveled to the Southeast Asian nation for the the first time since her appointment last October. The trip by Noeleen Heyzer follows the U.N. Security Council’s latest call for an immediate end to all forms of violence and unimpeded humanitarian access in the strife-torn country. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said late Monday that Heyzer “will focus on addressing the deteriorating situation and immediate concerns as well as other priority areas of her mandate.” He gave no details on whether she would meet with Myanmar’s military rulers or the country’s imprisoned former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
A judge has denied a family’s attempt to sue Lebanon on allegations that the country’s security agency kidnapped and tortured their family member before he died in the U.S., and the agency could not intervene in the case. The family’s lawsuit filed last year against Iran says Amer Fakhoury developed lymphoma and other serious medical issues while imprisoned during a visit to Lebanon. The family had sought to expand the lawsuit to also target Lebanon. Messages seeking comment were sent to lawyers on Monday. Fakhoury, a Lebanese American man, died in the United States in August 2020 at age 57 from stage 4 lymphoma.
Asian shares are mostly rising after a rebound on Wall Street, despite regional investor risks reflected in negative economic data out of China. The benchmark in Tokyo was little changed, erasing earlier gains, but indexes in South Korea, Australia and China gained in morning trading. Falling oil prices are one positive factor for the region. In Japan, recent economic data have shown a recovery, but high rates of COVID-19 are fueling fears people will hold back on travel and other economic activity. Stocks recovered from early losses and ended higher on Wall Street. Investors remain focused on the economy and upcoming reports from retailers this week.
Giuliani targeted in criminal probe of 2020 election
Authorities say migrants were stopped fewer times at the U.S. border with Mexico in July than in June, a second straight monthly decline. Flows were still unusually high, particularly among nationalities less affected by a pandemic-era rule, Title 42, that denies migrants legal rights to seek asylum on grounds of preventing spread of COVID-19. In theory, Title 42 applies to all nationalities. But costs, diplomatic relations and others considerations usually dictate who is expelled under the public health authority. Customs and Border Protection says authorities stopped migrants nearly 200,000 times at the Mexican border in July, down 4% from June.
The Taliban are marking a year since they seized the Afghan capital of Kabul. The rapid takeover triggered a hasty escape of the nation's Western-backed leaders, sent the economy into a tailspin and has fundamentally transformed the country. On Monday, bearded Taliban fighters staged victory parades on foot, bicycles and motorcycles in the streets of the capital. One small group marched past the former U.S. Embassy, chanting “Long live Islam” and “Death to America.” A year after the dramatic day, much has changed in Afghanistan. The former insurgents struggle to govern and remain internationally isolated. The economic downturn has driven millions more Afghans into poverty and even hunger, as the flow of foreign aid slowed to a trickle.
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