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New Hampshire’s Juneteenth celebration culminates with dance event
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — By the time the drumming and dancing starts Thursday, an organization that promotes African American history and culture in New Hampshire will have hosted nearly a dozen events to celebrate Juneteenth.
The Black…
Rebuilding one of the nation’s oldest Black churches to begin at Juneteenth ceremony
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — A ceremonial groundbreaking will be held Thursday for the rebuilding of one of the nation's oldest Black churches, whose congregants first gathered outdoors in secret before constructing a wooden meetinghouse in…
Asian shares decline after mixed Wall Street finish and tensions simmer in the Middle East
Asian shares have retreated across the region as worries persist about conflict in the Middle East. Iran’s supreme leader rejected U.S. calls for surrender as President Donald Trump warned of the possibility of getting directly involved in…
Redemption Bank becomes the first Black-owned bank in the Rockies
Redemption Holding Co. has completed its acquisition of Utah-based Holladay Bank & Trust, making it the first time a bank has been owned by a Black-led investment group in the Western U.S.
The newly formed Redemption Bank will be the…
In Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, Democrats reprise a 2018 roadmap for opposing Trump 2.0
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (AP) — Abigail Spanberger opened her general election bid for Virginia governor Wednesday using her high school alma mater near Richmond.
“I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,” the former congresswoman…
Key takeaways from the acquittal of Karen Read in her Boston police officer boyfriend’s death
DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — Karen Read walked out of court a free woman after more than three years and two trials over the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who was found on the lawn of a fellow officer's home after a…
Trump’s latest judicial pick is someone that Joe Biden almost nominated
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to tap Chad Meredith, a former state solicitor general in Kentucky, for a federal judgeship in the state — a move that could face objections from Sen. Rand Paul, who opposed…
Longtime DEA informant charged in alleged scheme to extort high-level cocaine traffickers
MIAMI (AP) — A drug informant who helped the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration build some of its biggest cases has been arrested and charged with scheming to extort major cocaine traffickers facing extradition from Colombia and the…
Hundreds gather to remember prominent Minnesota lawmaker and husband slain in their home
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people, some clutching candles or carrying flowers to lay in front of a memorial, gathered outside Minnesota’s Capitol on Wednesday evening for a vigil to remember a prominent state lawmaker and her…
US starts evacuating some diplomats from its embassy in Israel as Iran conflict intensifies
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has begun evacuating nonessential diplomats and their families from the U.S. embassy in Israel as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify and President Donald Trump warns of the possibility of…
Government says Harvard researcher accused of smuggling frog embryos brought ‘biological materials’
BOSTON (AP) — Attorneys argued over whether a Harvard researcher accused of smuggling frog embryos brought “biological materials” into the U.S. in a court hearing Wednesday.
Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist conducting cancer…
Trump administration removing 988 hotline service tailored to LGBTQ+ youth in July
The 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will stop providing tailored support options to LGBTQ+ youth and young adults on July 17, according to a statement on a federal agency's website.
The decision preempts the Trump…
Trump remakes the White House with new flagpoles
WASHINGTON (AP) — The American flag has long flown from a pole on the White House roof, but that's always been too small for President Donald Trump, who wants everything to be bigger and more beautiful.
On Wednesday, massive new flagpoles…
Scientists warn that greenhouse gas accumulation is accelerating and more extreme weather will come
A team of 60 international scientists report that by early 2028 society will have emitted enough greenhouse gases that the Earth will be pretty much locked into hitting the internationally agreed upon preferred limit for global warming.…
Former Georgia jail guard abused inmates with Taser and lied about it, authorities say
ATLANTA (AP) — A former Fulton County jail guard has been indicted on federal civil rights charges after prosecutors said she used her Taser abusively against three inmates and then lied to cover it up.
Khadijah Solomon, a 47-year-old…
Michigan, environmental groups challenge federal order to keep power plant open
DETROIT (AP) — Environmental groups and Michigan's attorney general filed separate challenges Wednesday against a federal order that is keeping a coal-fired power plant open this summer.
The environmental coalition said there is no energy…
The US plans to open a fly factory in Texas as part of its fight against a flesh-eating parasite
The U.S. government plans to open what amounts to a fly factory by the end of the year, announcing its intent Wednesday to breed millions of the insects in Texas near the border with Mexico as part of an effort to keep a flesh-eating…
Families of trans kids worry about what’s next after Supreme Court rules on gender-affirming care
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court decision Wednesday upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors is leaving transgender children and their parents uncertain and anxious about the future.
The court handed…
US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
The U.S. State Department says it’s restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but says all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for review. The department says consular…
Heat dome will blanket much of the US, with worrisome temperatures in Midwest
Summer will make a dramatic entrance in the U.S. this week with a heat dome that will bring stifling temperatures and uncomfortable humidity to millions.
The heat will be particularly worrisome this weekend across wide stretches of…
Yes, more and more celebrities are entering the phone business. Here’s why
NEW YORK (AP) — More and more celebrities are looking to attach their names to your phone. Or rather, wireless services that could power it.
From cosmetics to snacks and signature spirits, brands launched or co-owned by high-profile figures…
NTSB urges quick fix on Boeing plane engines to prevent smoke from filling cabin after a bird strike
Safety experts recommended Wednesday that the engines on Boeing's troubled 737 Max airplanes be modified quickly to prevent smoke from filling the cockpit or cabin after a safety feature is activated following a bird strike.
The problem…
Senate Republicans hold hearing on Biden’s mental fitness as Democrats boycott
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly six months after Joe Biden left the White House, Senate Republicans are still scrutinizing his presidency, kicking off the first in what's expected to be a series of congressional hearings this year on his mental…
Czech coalition government survives no-confidence vote over bitcoin scandal
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech government survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote called by the main opposition party on Wednesday over a bitcoin-related scandal.
Only 94 opposition lawmakers in the 200-seat lower house of Parliament voted in…
The Latest: Jury finds Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder in death of police boyfriend
A jury found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend but guilty of a lesser charge of drunken driving. The jury handed down its decision after deliberating for at least 22…
Under a hot summer sun, South Carolina’s governor says energy law will keep air conditioners humming
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Under the hot South Carolina summer sun, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster held a ceremonial bill signing for a law he and other supporters said will make sure the rapidly growing state has the energy to run air…
Honda recalls more than 259,000 cars across the US due to brake pedal issue
NEW YORK (AP) — Honda is recalling more than 259,000 of its cars across the U.S. due to a problem that can cause the brake pedal to shift out of position, potentially interfering with a driver's ability to stop or slow down.
According to…
Lawmakers on edge as statehouse security tightens after Minnesota shootings
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Anxious lawmakers convened Wednesday under heightened security in Wisconsin’s state Capitol, one of the most publicly accessible statehouses in the country, days after a legislator and her husband in neighboring…
A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.
Michigan wildlife experts finally were able to trap a black bear and remove a large lid that was stuck around his neck — for two years.
“It’s pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself,” state bear specialist Cody…
Karen Read found not guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of drunken driving in boyfriend’s death
A jury has found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder in death of her Boston police officer boyfriend but guilty of a lesser charge of drunken driving. The jury handed down its decision Wednesday after deliberating for at least 22…
The world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV could stop transmission — if people can get it
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV. In two groundbreaking studies, Gilead Sciences’ shot, a drug named lenacapavir, nearly eliminated new infections in two groundbreaking studies…
Immigration raid at Louisiana racetrack ends with more than 80 arrests
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested upward of 80 people unlawfully in the country during a raid at a southwest Louisiana racetrack, the agency announced Tuesday.
ICE said it raided the Delta Downs…
Justice Department challenges Kentucky reg allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration has asked a federal judge to strike down a Kentucky regulation that it says unlawfully gives undocumented immigrants access to in-state college tuition.
The U.S. Justice…
Federal judge to deny Trump administration’s motion to dismiss lawsuit over block on wind projects
A federal judge in Massachusetts said Wednesday he plans to deny a motion by the Trump administration to dismiss a lawsuit over its blocking of wind energy projects, siding with a coalition of state attorneys general.
Led by New York…
Trump says supporters ‘more in love’ with him than ever, as MAGA world splits over Iran
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday downplayed any notion that his supporters are cooling on him amid uncertainty over whether he will order a U.S. strike on Iran, addressing a rift between some of his most vocal MAGA…
Former US ambassador to Ukraine who resigned in protest launches run for Congress in Michigan
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Bridget Brink, who stepped down as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine this year in protest of what she said was President Donald Trump's unfair treatment of the the war-torn country, announced Wednesday that she's running for…
What to know about the impacts of the Supreme Court’s ruling on transgender care for youth
The U.S. Supreme Court said Tennessee did not violate the constitution by banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The case is sure to resonate nationally. Twenty-six other states have passed similar laws, and nearly all of…
Supreme Court work goes on with 16 cases to decide, including birthright citizenship
The Supreme Court is in the homestretch of a term that has lately been dominated by the Trump administration’s emergency appeals of lower court orders seeking to slow President Donald Trump’s efforts to remake the federal government. But…
Average long-term US mortgage rate eases to 6.81%, the third consecutive weekly decline
The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage eased for the third week in a row, a welcome trend for prospective homebuyers at a time when elevated borrowing costs remain a drag on the housing market.
The long-term rate fell to 6.81% from…
Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates pushed up due to rising health care costs, new SSA law
The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security’s trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to closer projected depletion dates. That's according to an…
Family of British teen killed in crash involving US driver receive police apology after review
LONDON (AP) — A British police force apologized Wednesday to the family of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn who was killed by an American government employee driving on the wrong side of the road near a U.S. airbase.
In a statement following…
Josh Weil announces 2026 Senate run to challenge Ashley Moody in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Democrat Josh Weil, who raised millions of dollars for an unsuccessful U.S. House campaign in Florida, said Wednesday that he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2026.
If he were to become the Democratic nominee, Weil would…
Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a fight’ with Iran but stands ready to act to act if necessary
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he doesn't want to carry out a U.S. strike on Iran but suggested he stands ready to act if it's necessary to extinguish Iran's nuclear program.
Trump continued his increasingly pointed…