El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Central American nation of El Salvador marked a full year Monday under anti-gang emergency measures that were originally supposed to last only a month.
Fed raises key rate by quarter-point despite bank turmoil
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Reserve extended its year-long fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point despite concerns that higher borrowing rates could worsen the turmoil that has gripped the banking system.
TikTok sends influencers to Washington, D.C. as its troubles grow
WASHINGTON, D.C. — TikTok is ramping up a public relations campaign to fend off the possibility of a nationwide ban by the Biden administration, and it’s bringing some unconventional advocates to help: online influencers.
Trump lawyer ordered to turn over Mar-a-Lago case documents
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal appeals court in a sealed order Wednesday directed a lawyer for Donald Trump to turn over to prosecutors documents in the investigation into the former president’s retention of classified records at his Florida estate.
Fox, Dominion argue over legal standards to prove defamation
WILMINGTON, Del. — Lawyers for Fox News and a voting machine company tangled Wednesday over the high bar to prove defamation in a $1.6 billion lawsuit that has embarrassed the conservative network over its airing of false claims related to the 2020 presidential election.
A hectic week for abortion policy with laws and lawsuits
Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court ended a nationwide right to an abortion, the landscape is far from settled, with lawmakers considering broader bans or stronger protections and legal challenges popping up nationwide.
Ukraine: Russia hits apartments and dorm, killing civilians
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine on Wednesday, killing students and other civilians, in a violent follow-up to dueling high-level diplomatic missions aimed at bringing peace after 13 months of war.
Analysis: China’s sway over Russia grows amid Ukraine fight
MOSCOW — It was a revealing moment during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s tightly scripted visit to Moscow: Standing in the doorway of the Grand Kremlin Palace, he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two of them were “witnessing the changes that haven’t been seen in more than a century, and we are pushing them together.”
Macron wants French pension plan implemented by end of year
PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron is stubbornly resisting growing discontent on the streets of France, saying on Wednesday that the pension bill he pushed through without a vote in parliament to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 must be implemented by the end of the year.
War on gangs forges new El Salvador. But the price is steep
SOYAPANGO, El Salvador — For the family of 44-year-old Maritza Pacheco, opening a corner shop outside their home four months ago was a small miracle.
A quarter of world population lacks safe drinking water: UN
UNITED NATIONS — A report issued on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in over 45 years says 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation.
Trump’s potential indictment caps decades of legal scrutiny
NEW YORK — For 40 years, former President Donald Trump has navigated countless legal investigations without ever facing criminal charges. That record may soon come to an end.
Biden creates national monuments in Nevada, Texas mountains
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is establishing national monuments on more than half a million acres in Nevada and Texas and creating a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii. The conservation measures are “protecting the heart and soul of our national pride,” Biden said.
Ukrainian soldiers near finish of Patriot missile training
FORT SILL, Okla. — Several large, 12-wheeled military vehicles carrying mobile missile launchers rumbled across the southwest Oklahoma prairie on Tuesday as part of a training exercise at the Fort Sill Army Post.
Pence seeks ‘common sense’ Social Security, Medicare reform
As he mulls a 2024 presidential bid, former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called for “common sense and compassionate solutions” to reform entitlement programs and the nation’s debt burden, suggesting changes to Social Security and Medicare programs hurtling toward insolvency, particularly for younger generations, without naming specific recommendations.
Arkansas restricts school bathroom use by transgender people
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday signed a law prohibiting transgender people at public schools from using the restroom that matches their gender identity, the first of several states expected to enact such bans this year amid a flood of bills nationwide targeting the trans community.
Ukraine, Russia trade claims after blast rocks Crimean town
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian and Ukrainian officials gave conflicting accounts Tuesday of what appeared to be a brazen attack on Russian cruise missiles transported by train in the occupied Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula.
Japan’s PM offers Ukraine support as China’s Xi backs Russia
KYIV, Ukraine — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit Tuesday to Kyiv, engaging in dueling diplomacy with Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Beijing’s peace proposal for Ukraine that Western nations have all but dismissed as a non-starter.
11 killed as strong earthquake rattles Pakistan, Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — A magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattled much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending panicked residents fleeing from homes and offices and frightening people in remote villages. At least 11 people died in the two countries.
Israel repeals 2005 act on West Bank settlement pullout
JERUSALEM — Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday repealed a 2005 act that saw four Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank dismantled at the same time as Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip. The development could pave the way for an official return to the abandoned West Bank areas in another setback to Palestinian hopes for statehood.