World/National

A massive explosion at an Iranian port linked to missile fuel shipment kills 18, injures some 800

MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A massive explosion and fire has rocked a port in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant. State media said the blast killed 18 people and injuring around 800 others. Helicopters and aircraft dumped water from the air on the raging fire through the night into Sunday morning at the Shahid Rajaei port. The explosion occurred just as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.… Continue Reading

Judges blocks Trump push to cut funding to public schools over diversity programs

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools. The ruling Thursday came in a lawsuit brought by National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. In February, the Education Department told schools and colleges they needed to end any practice that differentiates people based on their race or they were at risk of losing their federal funding. The department ordered states to gather signatures from local school systems certifying compliance with civil rights laws, including the rejection of what the federal government calls “illegal DEI practices.”… Continue Reading

Trump science cuts target bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more

Hundreds of university researchers in the U.S. have had their National Science Foundation funding abruptly canceled to comply with President Donald Trump’s directive to end support of research on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the study of misinformation. The loss of funding has roiled academic laboratories that rely on NSF grants to conduct basic research. While some expected the cuts after making it onto on Sen. Ted Cruz’s target list of “woke DEI” projects last year, others said their work was only tangentially related to misinformation or encouraging more diversity in the study of science and engineering.… Continue Reading

Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans. Beginning May 5, the department will begin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department’s offset program, which withholds payments from the government, including tax refunds, federal salaries and other benefits, from people with past-due debts to the government. After a 30-day notice, the department will also begin garnishing wages for borrowers in default.… Continue Reading

Wall Street and the dollar tumble as investors retreat further from the United States

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street weakened as investors worldwide get more skeptical about U.S. investments because of President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which are shaking the traditional order. The S&P 500 fell 2.4% Monday to drop 16% below its record set two months ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 2.5%, and the Nasdaq composite lost 2.6%. Big Tech stocks led the way lower ahead of earnings reports coming this week from Tesla and others. Perhaps of more concern, prices also sank for longer-term U.S. government bonds, while the value of the U.S. dollar slid against the euro and other currencies.… Continue Reading

What to know about the death of Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Francis’ death was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell. The Irish-born Vatican camerlengo’s position will be important in the election of the next pope. Francis made his final public appearance a day earlier on Easter Sunday. Francis’ death now sets off the process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects. That will be followed by a funeral to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals and a conclave to elect a new pope.… Continue Reading

Alito’s dissent in deportation case says court rushed to block Trump with middle-of-the night order

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Samuel Alito has written a sharp dissent that castigates the seven-member majority for blocking the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th-century wartime law. The dissent was released Saturday night, hours after the court’s intervention against the Republican administration. Alito says the Supreme Court acted “literally in the middle of the night” and without sufficient explanation. Alito says there was “dubious factual support” for granting the request in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union. That group contends that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart such removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.… Continue Reading

Judge pauses Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire nearly everyone at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been paused by a federal judge, who says she’s “deeply concerned” about the plan. Friday’s decision leaves in limbo a bureau created after the Great Recession to safeguard against fraud, abuse and deceptive practices. Trump administration officials argue the bureau oversteps its authority. The Republican administration Thursday moved to fire 1,500 people, leaving 200. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson says she’s worried the layoffs would violate her earlier order stopping the administration from shutting the bureau. The judge is considering a lawsuit filed by an employee union that wants to preserve the bureau. There’s a hearing April 28.… Continue Reading

Trump administration takes aim at Harvard’s international students and tax-exempt status

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard, threatening to revoke the university’s ability to host international students, who make up 27% of the campus. The threat emerged as the president called for withdrawing the school’s tax-exempt status. The Department of Homeland Security ordered Harvard late Tuesday to turn over detailed records of the school’s foreign student visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities” by April 30. The move deepens the crackdown on Harvard. On Monday, it became the first university to openly defy the administration’s demands related to activism on campus, antisemitism and diversity. The federal government has already frozen more than $2 billion in grants and contracts to the Ivy League institution.… Continue Reading

Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists may have found a new Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system that orbits two failed stars. Located 120 light years away, the planet appears to take an unusual path around two brown dwarfs, whipping around at a right angle. Scientists know of over a dozen planets that orbit twin stars like the fictional “Star Wars” desert planet Tatooine. More observations are needed to confirm this latest planet exists. The research was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.… Continue Reading

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