Activists protest EU migration policies at Croatian border
MALJEVAC, Croatia (AP) — Dozens of human rights advocates briefly blocked Croatia’s border with Bosnia on Saturday to protest the European Union’s migration policies.
National Politics
Bidens' older dog, Champ, has died; German shepherd was 13
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Saturday that Champ, the older of the family’s two dogs, had died “peacefully at home.” The German shepherd was 13.
Federal holiday pressures companies to give Juneteenth off
NEW YORK (AP) — The declaration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is putting the pressure on more U.S. companies to give their employees the day off, accelerating a movement that took off last year in response to the racial justice protests that swept the country.
Putin names Lavrov, Shoigu to United Russia elections list
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said his foreign minister and his defense minister will head the candidates’ list for the dominant United Russia party in September’s parliamentary election.
Amid reform movement, some GOP states give police more power
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After a year of protests over police brutality, some Republican-controlled states have ignored or blocked police-reform proposals, moving instead in the other direction by granting greater powers to officers, making it harder to discipline them and expanding their authority to crack down on demonstrations.
An architect of European unity moves ahead on sainthood path
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Robert Schuman, a French statesman who paved the way for the bloc that eventually evolved into European Union, has moved ahead on the Catholic church’s path toward possible sainthood.
Democrats see springboard for health care in high court win
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the Affordable Care Act now secure in the framework of the nation's health care programs, Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond.
AP FACT CHECK: Putin's twisted tale on rival; Biden GOP jab
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin faulted his imprisoned political rival for leaving Russia without legal permission, omitting the vital detail that the departure was, literally, an unconscious decision: Alexei Navalny was in a coma.
Voting debate roils Washington but leaves many voters cold
PLANO, Texas (AP) — Brenda Martinez, a 19-year-old community college student, thinks the government should help immigrant students more. Donald Huffman is worried about turning 50 next week with no work available because the federal government is delaying the pipelines he usually helps build. Binod Neupane, who just moved to Texas to research alternative fuels, wants action on climate change.
Hit by a ransomware attack? Your payment may be deductible
WASHINGTON (AP) — As ransomware attacks surge, the FBI is doubling down on its guidance to affected businesses: Don't pay the cybercriminals. But the U.S. government also offers a little-noticed incentive for those who do pay: The ransoms may be tax deductible.
Polarized by war, Armenia votes Sunday in an early election
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia's leader is facing a tough challenge at the polls after a humiliating defeat for Armenian forces in last year's fighting with Azerbaijan over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
California residents urged to conserve power amid heat wave
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California residents were asked to voluntarily conserve power again Friday as the heat wave that is baking the U.S. West strained the state's energy grid and raised the possibility of rotating outages.
Fierce Capitol attacks on police in newly released videos
Videos released under court order provide a chilling new look at the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, including body camera footage that shows a man charging at a police officer with a flagpole and tackling him to the ground.
Alaska special session limps toward its end, another looms
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The special legislative session limped toward a bitter end Friday, with the threat of a partial government shutdown looming and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and House majority leaders sharply disagreeing over the adequacy of the budget passed by lawmakers earlier in the week.
More help sought for Montana fires ahead of weather shift
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana’s firefighting aircraft returned to duty Friday as officials sought even more personnel and aircraft ahead of a shift in the weather that could stir up a large blaze on the Wyoming border.
Top US health official visits Colorado to promote vaccines
DENVER (AP) — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra visited a mobile vaccine clinic near Denver on Friday to promote COVID-19 shots among underserved communities of color that have some of the nation's lowest vaccination rates.
Conservative activists heckle Pence at conference in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Some attendees at a conference in Florida for conservative activists heckled former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday during a speech.
Declaration of Juneteenth holiday sparks scramble in states
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Congress and President Joe Biden acted with unusual swiftness this week in approving Juneteenth as a national holiday. That shifted the battle to the states, where the holiday faces a far less enthusiastic response.
EXPLAINER: What is the Catholic Communion controversy?
A committee of U.S. Catholic bishops is getting to work on a policy document that has stirred controversy among their colleagues before a word of it has even been written.
11 U.S. mayors commit to develop reparations pilot projects
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Eleven U.S. mayors — from Los Angeles to tiny Tullahassee, Oklahoma — have pledged to pay reparations for slavery to a small group of Black residents in their cities, saying their aim is to set an example for the federal government on how a nationwide program could work.
Appeals court upholds FCC subsidy ban for Huawei purchases
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court refused Friday to hear Chinese tech giant Huawei's request to throw out a rule used to bar rural phone carriers on national security grounds from using government funds to purchase its equipment.
Leaders of Germany, France urge vigilance over virus variant
BERLIN (AP) — The leaders of Germany and France called for vigilance Friday to prevent the spread of a coronavirus variant that this week prompted Britain to delay the planned relaxation of pandemic restrictions in England.
California unemployment rate dips as employers add new jobs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California has regained more than half of the 2.7 million jobs it lost at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Friday, a trend driven by restaurants and hotels hiring more people as the nation’s most populous state reopens its economy.
Apathy greets Iran presidential vote dominated by hard-liner
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians voted Friday in a presidential election dominated by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's hard-line protege after the disqualification of his strongest competition, fueling apathy that left some polling places largely deserted despite pleas to support the Islamic Republic at the ballot box.
