Politics

Washington —The Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a federal rule enacted during the Trump administration thatoutlawed bump stocks, devices that greatly increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons. The6-3 rulingfound that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its authority when it issued the ban in 2018, following the2017 mass shootingat a music festival in Las Vegas, …

West Palm Beach, Florida — Former President Donald Trump Friday night celebrated his 78th birthday in a packed Palm Beach Convention Center filled with supporters — including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio — while he continued his familiar attack lines on President Biden regarding immigration and foreign policy. “Under my leadership, we had no wars,” Trump declared. “Instead of a globalist …

Washington — The Justice Department said Friday that it will not prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland after the House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas for audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. Carlos Uriarte, assistant attorney general, told House Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter that it is the Justice …

Pope Francis, the first pope to attend a G7 summit, urged the leaders of the world’s wealthy democracies Friday to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using artificial intelligence, warning that the technology risks turning human relations into mere algorithms. Francis was invited by Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, the host of the summit, to address a special session …

Washington — The arrests of eight Tajik nationals with alleged ties to ISIS have renewed concerns about the terrorist group or its affiliates potentially carrying out an attack in the U.S. The arrests in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia came as U.S. officials have been warning for months about the potential for a terror attack and as the U.S. …

Washington — The State Department sanctioned an Israeli extremist group that it said has been mounting attacks aimed at thwarting the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, it announced Friday. The U.S. accused members of the group, called Tsav 9, of blocking, harassing and damaging convoys carrying assistance to Palestinians in Gaza for several months. The group has blocked roads …

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a possible vice presidential pick for former President Donald Trump, defended Trump’s previous remarks on immigrants “poisoning the blood of our country” in a Spanish-language interview Wednesday with Telemundo. “I think he speaks that way and in that manner,” Rubio said in Spanish, with an English-language translation provided by the network, when asked if Trump could …

The Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday that preserves nationwide access to the abortion medication mifepristone was a narrow one, and with some states already preparing other litigation, the political debate about the pill continues. What Trump has said about the abortion pill Former President Donald Trump has kept quiet about his position on the medication, which was used for over 60% …

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed Wednesday that if elected president, he’d slash the military budget by half. “I will push for [a] 50% reduction in military expenditures in my first four years in office, with more cuts to come thereafter,” Kennedy said. “A way to keep the dollar strong is to keep the country strong. We can …

Washington — The House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garlandin contempt of Congress, escalating a fight over audio recordings related to President Biden’s handling of classified documents. Garland has defied subpoenas from the Republican-led House Judiciary and Oversight committees demanding that the Justice Department hand over the audiotapes of the president’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur as …