Hope Hicks, who served as Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign press secretary, has taken the witness stand in his New York hush money case. Her testimony on the trial’s 11th day is the latest in a frenzied second week of witness testimony. She follows forensic analyst Douglas Daus and paralegal Georgia Longstreet in testifying. Prosecutors say Trump and his associates orchestrated a scheme to buy and bury stories that might hurt his 2016 campaign. He is accused of falsifying internal business records to hide the true nature of those payments. Читать дальше...
Kent State University is marking another solemn anniversary of the National Guard shootings that killed four unarmed students and wounded nine others on May 4, 1970. Dean Kahler was at that protest against the Vietnam War, and was left paralyzed by a soldier’s bullet. Now the shootings have taken on fresh relevance as thousands of students are arrested in campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war. Some are calling again for National Guard intervention. Kahler says the responses have been heavy-handed. Читать дальше...
An experimental F-16 fighter jet has taken Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on a history-making flight controlled by artificial intelligence and not a human pilot. Kendall said he came out of Thursday's flight in California, witnessed by The Associated Press, confident enough in AI's capabilities that he would trust it to fire weapons. The flight is serving as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military is planning to use the technology to operate an unmanned fleet of 1,000 aircraft. Читать дальше...
The government and Google are making their closing arguments in a high-stakes antitrust trial to a federal judge in Washington who must now decide whether the tech giant’s search engine constitutes an illegal monopoly. The Justice Department argued Friday that Google’s preeminence as an internet search engine is an illegal monopoly propped up by more than $20 billion spent each year by the tech giant to lock out competition. Google argues that its ubiquity flows from its superior product and its... Читать дальше...
Police have moved in to clear an encampment at New York University at the request of school officials, the latest development in weeks of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses nationwide that have resulted in nearly 2,200 arrests. They have sometimes used riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings. At Columbia University, one officer accidentally discharged his gun inside an administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside. Читать дальше...
China has launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with the U.S., still the leader in space. China already landed a rover on the moon’s far side in 2019, the first country to do so. The rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe lifted off... Читать дальше...
The nation’s employers pulled back on their hiring in April but still added a decent 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to slow the robust U.S. job market. Last month’s hiring gain was down sharply from the blockbuster increase of 315,000 in March. Yet the moderation in the pace of hiring, along with a slowdown last month in wage growth, will likely be welcomed by the Federal Reserve, which has kept interest rates at a two-decade high to fight persistently elevated inflation. Читать дальше...
The second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money case will wrap up after jurors heard a recording of the Republican ex-president that's central to the case. Prosecutors have used detailed testimony about meetings, email exchanges, business transactions and bank accounts to build on the foundation of their case. Trump’s defense has worked to poke holes in the credibility of prosecutors’ witnesses and show Trump was trying to protect his reputation and family — not his 2016 campaign — by paying women who had damaging claims about him. Читать дальше...
A U.K. High Court judge has ruled that the government acted unlawfully when it approved a plan to meet climate targets without evidence it could be delivered. It was the second time in two years that the government’s main climate action plan was found unlawful and insufficient in meeting legally-binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Justice Clive Sheldon sided Friday with three environmental groups that brought the case. He ruled that the government’s decision to approve its Carbon Budget... Читать дальше...
Asian shares are mostly higher ahead of a report on the U.S. jobs market. Several markets, including Tokyo and Shanghai, were closed for holidays. Oil prices and U.S. futures were higher. The Japanese yen strengthened slightly against the U.S. dollar amid signs of heavy central bank intervention to tamp down the dollar's advance. On Thursday, U.S. stocks closed higher and trimmed their losses for the week. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9%, a day after swinging sharply when the Federal Reserve said it’s likely delaying cuts to interest rates. Читать дальше...
The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell their rugs under its ancient arches, their world has only unraveled since the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and wider tensions with the West. Two decades ago, rug exports were worth more than $2 billion a year. They have plummeted to less than $50 million in the 12 months that ended in March. With fewer tourists and more difficulties in making international transactions... Читать дальше...
It’s a dilemma no business owner should have to face: whether to reopen after a mass shooting. The answer didn’t come easily to Justin and Samantha Juray. But when they did decide to reopen their Maine bowling alley, they didn’t hold back. The reopening is planned for Friday, six months after a gunman killed eight people at the bowling alley before driving to a nearby bar and pool hall and killing 10 more. Patrons will be welcomed with inspiring pictures at the end of each lane, bright paint on the walls and new floors. Читать дальше...
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a bill to repeal a ban on most abortions. The action Thursday relegates the 1864 law approved before Arizona became a state to the past. The repeal won’t go into effect until 90 days after the legislative session ends, which typically is in June or July. Hobbs says signing the bill is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. It won final legislative approval Wednesday in the Arizona Senate, with two GOP lawmakers joining Democrats.
