AP

By Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the almost 7-month-long war, just as cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas appear to be gaining steam. Netanyahu’s comments came hours

By Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates began making historic changes in their policies on sexuality on Tuesday — voting without debate to reverse a series of anti-LGBTQ polices. The delegates voted to delete mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove their denomination’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office

By Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A panel of lawmakers dismissed on Monday an ethics complaint against Speaker Dean Plocher, breaking from a Republican who argued that Plocher used his power as the House leader to block an investigation. Members voted 7-2 to dismiss allegations against Plocher for misuse of taxpayer dollars, using his

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Columbia University vowed to expel protesters who occupied a building on the New York college’s grounds Tuesday as universities nationwide grapple with intensifying campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested in less than two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia,

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could

By Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda Portland State University The Conversation via AP Identifying with an activity is different from actually doing it. For example, 49% of Americans play video games, but only 10% identify as gamers. According to a recent survey we conducted, there’s also a small gap between reading activity and identity

By Associated Press MADRID — Carlos Alcaraz was put to the test and pulled through at the Madrid Open. Rafael Nadal couldn’t overcome his challenge and is done in likely his last appearance at his home tournament. Two-time defending champion Alcaraz needed nearly three hours to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4) and

By Associated Press NEW YORK — An insider trading trial began Tuesday for a financial executive charged with enabling his boss and others to make millions of dollars illegally on news that an acquisition firm would be taking former President Donald Trump’s media company public. In an opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hanft accused

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Twenty-three million families in the U.S. will have bigger internet bills starting in May. That’s because a federal broadband subsidy program they’re enrolled in is nearly out of money. Dozens of people joined Biden administration officials, advocates and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, at a Washington public

By Associated Press NEW YORK — More worries about inflation and interest rates staying high knocked U.S. stocks lower on Tuesday, as the market closed out its worst month since September. The S&P 500 tumbled 1.6% to cement its first losing month in the last six. Its momentum slammed into reverse in April, falling as

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated for the third straight month as Americans continue to fret about their short-term financial futures with prices and interest rates still elevated. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 97 in April from 103.1 in March. The

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pay and benefits for America’s workers grew more quickly in the first three months of this year, a trend that could contribute to higher inflation and raise concerns about the future path of price increases at the Federal Reserve. Compensation as measured by the government’s Employment Cost Index rose 1.2%

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released Tuesday that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings. Losses from scams reported by Americans over the age of 60

By Associated Press No woman had ever preached the keynote sermon at the Joint National Baptist Convention, a gathering of four historically Black Baptist denominations representing millions of people. That changed in January when the Rev. Gina Stewart took the convention stage in Memphis, Tennessee, — the Southern city home to Christ Missionary Baptist Church

By The Center Square via My Courier-Tribune A resolution to change how Missouri voters approve constitutional amendments was returned to the Senate for possible consideration this week. Currently, any constitutional amendment can be approved by a simple majority. By a vote of 103 to 48, the House approved Senate Joint Resolution 74, a ballot proposal

By Metro Creative Pulled pork is a popular staple at barbecue restaurants across the country. Though it begins with lots of fat and connective tissue, the pork butt, when cooked slowly, becomes a tender, melt-in-your-mouth culinary delight. Though often made in sandwich style, pulled pork can be served in a variety of ways, including in

By Metro Creative A cataract is a clouding of the naturally transparent lens of the eye that can occur as one ages. Natural proteins in the lens clump together and can cloud the eye. The National Eye Institute says most cataracts develop with age, as more than half of all Americans age 80 or older

By Associated Press TORONTO — Justin Turner hit two home runs, Danny Jansen added a solo homer and the Toronto Blue Jays held on to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Monday night. Turner hit a two-run home run in the first inning and had a leadoff homer in the third. The homers were

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — Republican legislators in Kansas failed Monday to override the Democratic governor’s veto of a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The vote was 82-43 in the state House to reverse Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto, but that was two votes shy of the necessary two-thirds majority. Two Republicans

By Associated Press NEW YORK | Former President Donald Trump met privately with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the weekend, marking a détente between the former rivals after a brutal Republican primary contest marked by insults and bruised egos, according to three people familiar with the discussion. The meeting, which lasted three hours, was organized

By Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel must still do more to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip and that he would use his Middle East trip — his seventh to the region since the Israel-Hamas war started in October

By Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s and North Carolina’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory, a federal appeals court ruled Monday in a case likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-6 in the case involving