First lady Melania Trump will not be joining President Donald Trump on his upcoming trips to the G7 summit in Quebec and the highly anticipated summit between the United States and North Korea in Singapore. The 48-year-old first lady has not been seen in public since May 10, when she and the president welcomed home three American detainees from North Korea. On May 14, the White House announced that Melania Trump underwent a medical procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. She remained at Walter Reed Medical Center until May 19. Having not been seen in public for the last 24 days, questions have swirled about the state of her health and the hashtag #whereisMelania trended online. In response, she tweeted that she was “feeling great” and “working hard on behalf of children and the American people.”... [Read Full Story]
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his advisers are hard at work on plans for a busy campaign schedule this fall that could have him appearing at as many as a dozen events each week. As far as the question of a 2020 run for President, Biden himself has said he’s not ruled out what would be a third run for the White House, but a decision will not come until after the 2018 midterms. ... [Read Full Story]
The Trump administration said Thursday it will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe, Mexico and Canada after failing to win concessions from the American allies. Europe and Mexico pledged to retaliate quickly, and financial markets fell amid fears of a trade war. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the tariffs would be 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, and go into effect on Friday, as the administration followed through on the penalties after earlier granting exemptions to buy time for negotiations. President Donald Trump had announced the tariffs in March, citing national security concerns. The European Commission’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said Trump’s decision amounted to trade protectionism and that Europe would respond with countermeasures. “This is protectionism, pure and simple,” Juncker said.... [Read Full Story]
Tennessee authorities charged a woman with murder in connection with the slaying of Dickson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Baker as police searched Thursday for a second suspect. Erika Castro-Miles, 38, faces one count of first-degree murder for the Wednesday shooting. An affidavit said she told police she watched as Steven Wiggins shot and killed Baker. Police launched a manhunt for Wiggins, 31, in connection with the shooting after Baker’s body was found in his vehicle. Castro-Miles allegedly fled the scene after the shooting and police found her hiding underneath a house nearby. Police believe Wiggins to be armed and dangerous. He had multiple active warrants before the shooting, including for aggravated assault and theft.... [Read Full Story]
Harvey Weinstein was indicted Wednesday on rape and criminal sex act charges, the first criminal case to arise from a slate of sexual misconduct allegations against the former movie mogul. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said the indictment brings Weinstein “another step closer to accountability.” The announcement came hours after Weinstein’s lawyers said he’d decline to testify before the grand jury because there wasn’t enough time to prepare him and “political pressure” made an indictment unavoidable. Weinstein was charged Friday with rape and criminal sex act charges involving two women in New York. Dozens more women have accused him of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault in various locales.... [Read Full Story]
Starbucks shops across the U.S. closed early on Tuesday to hold training for employees on recognizing hidden prejudices. It was part of the coffee chain’s effort to deal with the outcry over the arrest of two black men last month for sitting in a Philadelphia Starbucks without buying anything. After the incident, the company’s leaders apologized, met with the men and scheduled an afternoon of training for 175,000 employees at more than 8,000 U.S. stores. Developed with help from the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and other groups, the training was not mandatory, but Starbucks said it expected almost all of its employees to participate. It said they will be paid for the full four hours.... [Read Full Story]
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Planned Parenthood’s request to challenge a new Arkansas law that strengthens health protections for women undergoing medication abortions. The 2015 Arkansas law requires any abortion provider who performs medication-induced abortions (the most common abortion procedure used in the first trimester) to have a signed agreement with a physician who has admitting privileges to a local hospital that can handle any complications from the procedure. The regulation is set to take effect in July. The law is similar to a Texas regulation that was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2016. Proponents of the law argue this rule ensures women who suffer from abortion complications or botched procedures will get the emergency aftercare that they need.... [Read Full Story]
Two people were killed as subtropical storm Alberto’s powerful wind gusts and heavy rains tore across the Gulf of Mexico coast and swamped the Southeast, officials and forecasters said Monday. Alberto, the first named storm of the hurricane season, made landfall on Florida’s Panhandle on Monday afternoon. In Polk County, two people were killed when a tree fell on a vehicle. The driver and passenger died, according to State Trooper Rico Stephens. Polk Countywarned residents on its Facebook pagethat the area where the incident occurred had become dangerous, and more flash flooding was possible through Wednesday. Forecasters also warned of life-threatening surf conditions and the possibility of a few brief tornadoes in much of Florida and parts of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.... [Read Full Story]
After more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America announced in October that this year it would begin letting girls join the 7- to 10-year-old Cub Scouts. More than 3,000 girls joined an Early Adopter program this spring. In 2019, the girls of Den 13 in McLean, Virginia, will be among the first female members of the newly named “Scouts BSA” program, which until the change will still be called “Boy Scouts” and only admit boys aged 11 to 17. ... [Read Full Story]
Top congressional leaders met with senior intelligence and law enforcement officials Thursday in a series of meetings to review highly-classified information about the Russia investigation, including possible details about a reported FBI informant who had contact with several Trump campaign advisers during the 2016 presidential campaign. S, the president’s new lawyer handling the Russia investigation, Emmet Flood, attended and participated in at least part of the briefings as did White House chief of staff John Kelly. Sources confirmed that the President’s new lawyer handling the Russia investigation, Emmet Flood, attended and participated in at least part of the briefings; as did White House chief of staff John Kelly.... [Read Full Story]
President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled the planned summitwith North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which was set to take place June 12 in Singapore. In a letter addressed to Kim and released by the White House, Trump blamed the cancellation on the “tremendous anger and open hostility” in a recent statement by the North Koreans. “I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” he wrote.“Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about you nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never be used,” the president added.... [Read Full Story]
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a White House senior adviser, has received a permanent security clearance. Kushner operated with an interim security clearance for more than a year inside the administration, giving him access to highly classified information while he underwent an FBI background check. His contacts with foreign government officials had raised concerns inside the administration and drew scrutiny during the process. HIs clearance was downgraded in February after procedures were revamped. Abbe Lowell, Kushner’s attorney, said that Kushner’s permanent security clearance “went through the normal process.”... [Read Full Story]
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump may not block people on Twitter over the political views they share on social media. Siding with the Knight First Amendment Institute in a lawsuit against Trump and his communications team, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in New York concluded that blocking people on Twitter violated their First Amendment rights. Trump was engaging in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by blocking critics in a “public forum,” the court ruled. “We hold that portions of the @realDonaldTrump account ― the ‘interactive space’ where Twitter users may directly engage with the content of the President’s tweets ― are properly analyzed under the ‘public forum’ doctrines set forth by the Supreme Court,” Buchwald said in her ruling. Twitter is often the first communication channel Trump turns to when making major announcements. ... [Read Full Story]
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams won the Democratic primary Tuesday, bringing her closer to becoming the nation’s first African-American woman governor. The former state House minority leader beat former state Rep. Stacey Evans. In the GOP gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp advanced to a runoff on July 24. The candidates needed 50% of the vote, plus one ballot, to avoid a runoff election. “We are writing the next chapter of Georgia’s future where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired,” Abrams said during her speech at her post-election party. “We are writing a history of a Georgia where we prosper together.” The candidates are vying to replace Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, who is term-limited. ... [Read Full Story]
President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that a planned historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un could be delayed. He said, “There’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out” for June 12. Trump raised the possibility that the meeting could be pushed back during a White House meeting with South Korea President Moon Jae-in, trying to coordinate strategy as concerns mounted over ensuring a successful outcome for the North Korea summit. “If it doesn’t happen, maybe it happens later. There are certain conditions that we want,” Trump said Tuesday. He added if they aren’t met, “we won’t have the meeting.” He declined to elaborate on those conditions.... [Read Full Story]
Backed by aircraft and trained dogs, police continued to search a greater Baltimore suburb early Tuesday, seeking up to 4 suspects believed armed and dangerous after the death of a female officer. Baltimore County Police Cpl. Shawn Vinson said Monday evening that the enormous manhunt was continuing in the suburban community of Perry Hall, Maryland, where witnesses reported hearing a pop before seeing a Jeep run over the officer Monday afternoon. The officer, who wasn’t immediately identified, was bleeding badly from significant injuries and was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital.... [Read Full Story]
Five women filed lawsuits on Monday against the University of Southern California, alleging the school’s former gynecologist had sexually abused them during medical examinations and that the university failed to protect students. More suits are expected to be filed by the end of the week. “There will be other women coming forward,” said Louanne Masry, a lawyer at Taylor & Ring, a law firm in Manhattan Beach, Calif., that represents one of the women. A second lawsuit, filed on behalf of four unnamed women, called the former gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall, a “serial sexual predator” and blamed the university for “actively and deliberately” covering up Dr. Tyndall’s predations for years.... [Read Full Story]
A teenage boy who allegedly shot and killed eight students and two teachers in Texas had been spurned by one of his victims after making aggressive advances, her mother has told the Los Angeles Times. Sadie Rodriguez, the mother of Shana Fisher, 16, told the newspaper her daughter rejected the aggressive advances from accused shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, for over four months while they both attended Santa Fe high school. As the investigation enters its third day on Sunday, no official motive has been announced for the massacre, the fourth-deadliest mass shooting at a US public school in modern history. Classmates at Santa Fe High School, with 1460 students, described the accused shooter as a quiet loner who played on the school’s football team. He wore a black trench coat to school on Friday before opening fire with a pistol and shotgun.... [Read Full Story]
U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Twitter on Sunday that the Justice Department look into whether his 2016 presidential campaign was infiltrated or surveilled by the agency or the FBI under the Obama administration. Federal investigators are looking into whether Russia tried to sway the election and if it worked with the Trump campaign to do so. Trump has denied any collusion and repeatedly dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt.” “I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!” Trump wrote on Twitter.... [Read Full Story]
A student and adult chaperone are dead after a full-size school bus collided with a dump truck on a major New Jersey highway Thursday, an accident that ripped the undercarriage completely off the bus and left it demolished on its side in the median. The bus came from East Brook Middle School in Paramus, a public school serving roughly 650 students in grades 5-8. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said at a news conference from the middle school that seven adults, including the driver, and 38 5th grade students were on board the bus. Apart from the two who died, everyone was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Some patients are in critical condition and undergoing surgery, Murphy also said. The crash occurred at 10:20 a.m. on Route 80 near exit 25 in Mount Olive Township, according to the New Jersey State Police.... [Read Full Story]
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting dusty ash about 30,000 feet into the sky. Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said the explosion came at about 6 a.m. local time, after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into neighborhoods. Residents who live in a nearby town reported light amounts of ash falling following the eruption. The lava that has emerged over the last two weeks has destroyed at least 26 homes and 10 other structures.... [Read Full Story]
President Trump’s financial disclosure were released on Wednesday, and they revealed for the first time that he paid more than $100,000 to his personal attorney, Michael D. Cohen, as reimbursement for payment to a third-party. Released by the Office of Government Ethics, the disclosure did not specify the purpose of the payment. However, Mr. Cohen has paid $130,000 to an adult film actress, Stephanie Clifford (also known as Stormy Daniels) who has claimed she had an affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen has said he made the payment to keep Ms.Clifford from going public before the 2016 election with her story about an affair with Mr. Trump.... [Read Full Story]
Michigan State University on Wednesday announced a $500 million settlement with more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar. Michigan State and lawyers for 332 victims announced the deal after negotiating privately with the help of a mediator. Under the agreement, $425 million would be paid to current claimants and $75 million would be set aside for any future claims. The statement doesn’t indicate how much money each victim would receive. It also doesn’t say how Michigan State will pay the bill.... [Read Full Story]
First Lady Melania Trump’s office has declined to offer further details about Melania Trump’s kidney surgery and resulting extended hospital stay, and asked for privacy. The First Lady underwent the procedure Monday with no leaks beforehand. President Donald Trump provided a brief update on his wife’s health Tuesday, tweeting, “Our great First Lady is doing really well. Will be leaving hospital in 2 or 3 days. Thank you for so much love and support!” The first lady’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, further said: “I am not going to expand beyond the statement I put out. The First Lady is in good spirits and she is resting. There are HIPAA laws to consider, but she also deserves personal privacy.” Mrs. Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful and there were no complications. The First Lady, who turned 48 last month, had been experiencing an issue with her kidney that her office described as benign but requiring medical attention. ... [Read Full Story]
Writer Tom Wolfe died Monday in a New York City hospital at 88 years old. Wolfe was a journalist and novelist renowned for his nonfiction writing and sartorial flair. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Wolfe moved to New York in 1962 when he began work as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune. Wolfe’s most notable works include 1968’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, about Ken Kesey; his1979 nonfiction epic about the space program, The Right Stuff, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning 1983 film of the same name; and his 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities, which was adapted into a Brian De Palma film. Wolfe was a major influence on the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and ’70s, which appropriated novelistic literary techniques into nonfiction writing. ... [Read Full Story]
The Supreme Court on Monday gave its go-ahead for states to allow gambling on sports across the nation, striking down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. The justices voted 6-3 to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1992 law that forbade state-authorized sports gambling with some exceptions. It made Nevada the only state where a person could wager on the results of a single game. Many states hope their cut of legalized sports gambling could help solve budget problems, and stock prices for casino operators and equipment makers surged after the ruling was announced.... [Read Full Story]
Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border on Monday as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fueled Palestinian anger and drawn foreign criticism for undermining peace efforts. Palestinian Health Ministry officials said 52 protesters were killed and more than 2,200 injured either by live gunfire, tear gas or other means. The Israeli military said it was responding to violence from the protesters to defend Israel’s border. ... [Read Full Story]
The Pentagon says three Americans released by North Korea have left a Washington-area hospital and have reunited with their families. North Korea released the men last week while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Pyongyang to help set up next month’s summit between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The men received a hero’s welcome from Mr. Trump when they arrived back in the U.S. early Thursday and were then taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. There the Americans had “decompression time” where doctors helped them establish a routine, make sure they rest and eat well. Pentagon spokeswoman, Maj. Carla M. Gleason says they now “have been reunited with their families. Their time together has been an incredibly joyous occasion. They ask for privacy as they transition home.”... [Read Full Story]
A new fissure opened early Sunday on Hawaii’s Big Island, splattering lava tens of feet into the air and forcing more residents to evacuate. The fissure is several hundred yards long and is the 17th crack in the ground to open on the island in the week since the Kilauea volcano erupted on May 3. Nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated since the volcano erupted May 3, sending lava flowing into communities and threatening a nearby geothermal plant. The Department of Public Works and Police said the new fissure opened on Hale Kamahina Loop Road and is emitting steam and lava.... [Read Full Story]
