Author: admin

DENVER (AP) — Tucked deep in the thousand-plus pages of the multitrillion-dollar budget bill making its way through the Republican-controlled U.S. House is a paragraph curtailing a court’s greatest tool for forcing the government to obey its rulings: the power to enforce contempt findings.It’s unclear whether the bill can pass the House in its current form — it failed in a committee vote Friday — whether the U.S. Senate would preserve the contempt provision or whether courts would uphold it. But the fact that GOP lawmakers are including it shows how much those in power in the nation’s capital are…

WASHINGTON (AP) — For generations, official American documents have been meticulously preserved and protected, from the era of quills and parchment to boxes of paper to the cloud, safeguarding snapshots of the government and the nation for posterity. Now, the Trump administration is scrubbing thousands of government websites of history, legal records and data it finds disagreeable. It has sought to expand the executive branch’s power to shield from public view the government-slashing efforts of Elon Musk’s team and other key administration initiatives. Officials have used apps such as Signal that can auto-delete messages containing sensitive information rather than retaining…

CNN  —  International mediators are making renewed efforts to reach a truce in Gaza after Israel launched a major new offensive in the territory, as the health ministry there reported more than 100 people killed in intense overnight strikes. On Saturday, Hamas and Israel started indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha to reach a ceasefire and hostages deal. Senior Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu confirmed the resumption of talks in Doha, saying, “We have agreed to the current round of negotiations without preconditions,” according to Hamas-run al Aqsa TV. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel claimed Saturday that its new military operation…

CNN  —  The 21st of July looms for Kamala Harris and the much smaller world of advisers left around her. It’s the day she’s set to lose the US Secret Service protection that former vice presidents are granted for six months — six months from the inauguration that she believed would be her own after Joe Biden gave her 107 days to win the 2024 election when he ended his reelection bid last July 21. By this date, multiple people close to her say they increasingly believe Harris will have finally ended the intrigue over her political future and be…

CANNES, France (AP) — Much of the cinema world has descended on the Cannes Film Festival as the French Riviera extravaganza holds its 78th edition. Robert Pattinson, left, and Jennifer Lawrence pose for photographers at the photo call for the film ‘Die, My Love’ at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP) Robert Pattinson, left, and Jennifer Lawrence pose for photographers at the photo call for the film ‘Die, My Love’ at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)Read More…

A shopper passes a jewelry display in the window of a Van Cleef & Arpels luxury goods store, operated by Cie. Richemont SA, on via Montenapoleone in Milan, Italy.Bloomberg | Getty ImagesWith a diamond encrusted ring here and a rare gemstone necklace there, the world’s wealthiest are continuing to adorn themselves with the finest jewelry even as broader luxury shoppers pull back.But make no mistake, one mother-of-pearl bracelet is not to be confused with another. As the super rich grow even more selective, increasingly only the best will do.That spells positive news for Swiss luxury group Richemont, which boasts some…

CNN  —  Russia has battered Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the war began, Ukraine’s military said Sunday, as Moscow intensified its military assault despite holding direct peace talks with Kyiv Friday. Russia launched 273 Shahed drones in one night, the Ukrainian Air Force said, predominantly targeting the central Kyiv region. A 28-year-old woman was killed, and three others including a four-year-old child were injured, according to Mykola Kalashnik, the governor of the Kyiv region. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the head of Ukraine’s parliament, said in a social media post Sunday: “The air raid alarm lasted almost nine hours. This…

London CNN  —  Austria won its third Eurovision Song Contest after a glittering grand final in neighboring Switzerland, with singer JJ earning the continent’s votes for the operatic pop anthem “Wasted Love.” The song, which showcases the classically trained Austrian-Filipino singer’s remarkable vocals and was staged in a dramatic style that evoked a shipwreck, dazzled the crowd in Basel and saw Austria triumph for the first time since Conchita Wurst’s victory in 2014. Israel came second in the leaderboard, with Yuval Raphael – a survivor of Hamas’ October 7 attacks – winning support for her performance of “New Day Will…

VIENNA (AP) — Austrian fans enthusiastically welcomed classically trained singer JJ back home at Vienna airport on Sunday after he won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest with “Wasted Love.” As JJ walked through the gate, hundreds of fans cheered, some played JJ’s song, and others surrounded the new star, hugging him and asking for autographs.The 24-year-old countertenor, whose winning song combines operatic, multi-octave vocals with a techno twist, and who also sings at the Vienna State Opera, held up his trophy in one hand and a big bouquet of roses in the other. He smiled, wiped away tears and told…

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A British mountain guide has scaled Mount Everest Sunday for the 19th time breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest mountain by a non-Sherpa guide.Kenton Cool, 51, from southwest England, scaled the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak on Sunday along with several other climbers and he was doing well and on way down from the summit, said Iswari Paudel of Himalayan Guides Nepal, which equipped his expedition.Cool first climbed Mount Everest in 2004 and has been doing it almost every year since then.He was unable to climb Everest in 2014 because the season…