Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Effort to Add Conditions to SNAP Funding

Mirra Andreeva emerges as young champion at the 2026 French Open

Rumours and speculation as fans forecast date of Taylor Swift's wedding

Three Lebanese soldiers killed in Israeli strike on vehicle

Ukrainian drones target St. Petersburg region in attack Russia calls 'unprecedented'

ISS Air Leak Forces Crew to Take Shelters in Docked Dragon Spacecraft

Ebola Case Count Decline in DR Congo: A Closer Look

West Bank Baby Killed in Israeli Fire: Palestinian Ministry Reports

Murder of 11-Year-Old Sparks Shock in France Over Suspect's Past Allegations

US‑Iran ceasefire rattled by new drone and missile clashes in Gulf

California Governor Race: Xavier Becerra Advances to General Election

Is Inflation Really Dropping in Blue States? A Data‑Driven Look Across the U.S.","description":"A neutral assessment of claims that inflation is easing in Democratic‑controlled states, examining regional data, core measures, and the ongoing rise in fuel and food prices.","summary":"While some officials argue that inflation is falling in blue states, recent data shows rising costs nationwide, driven by higher gas prices, tariffs, and core inflation measures. The debate illustrates how regional trends and methodological choices can shape perceptions of the U.S. economy.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/7917e97/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3696x2862+0+0/resize/599x464!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F4f%2Fc2%2F9d6523ab5d33dce5c0130bdcffe1%2F6a72d2f21d4f467eb9738d14dda2139f","text":"<div style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;margin:1.5rem;line-height:1.6\">WASHINGTON—Recent reports have sparked debate over whether inflation is subsiding in Democratic‑controlled (“blue”) states. In a Wednesday interview on Fox Business, CNBC’s Larry Kudlow asked Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, to clarify a claim that inflation was “on a deep downward dive” after northwesterner states are removed from the picture. Hassett cited a White House Council of Economic Advisers report that found only modest inflation differences between blue and red states, but critics point out that the data in that report pre‑dated the October‑2023 onset of the Iran‑War‑fuel‑price surge that has since evened the playing field. </div> \n\n<div style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;margin:1.5rem;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Regional Inflation Numbers</strong><br>When the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is broken down by Census Bureau regions, inflation is above the national average in all nine regions in April—3.8% versus the 3.5% in the Pacific (a blue‑state heavy region) and the 4.5% in the East South Central (a red‑state region). Texas‑based West South Central had a lower 3.2% rise, but that figure is still a sharp increase from the pandemic‑era 1% average. These numbers demonstrate that inflation is a nationwide concern, not confined to a particular political alignment.</div> \n\n<div style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;margin:1.5rem;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Fuel Costs and Their Impact</strong><br>Gasoline prices have surged more than 40% across the country since the Iranian war began. AAA reports show roughly $3.72 per gallon in Texas versus $5.98 in California, with year‑over‑year gains of 36% in Texas and 26% in California. Because fuel prices feed into transportation, air‑travel, and grocery costs, they disproportionately affect the CPI’s headline figure. Even core inflation—measured by the CPI aside from food and energy—has edged up to 2.8% in April from 2.5% in January, underscoring a broader inflationary trend. The Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, registered a 3.3% core rate in April, up from 3.1% in January. Insights from Texas economist Omair Sharif confirm that “gas is going up in every state.” </div> \n\n<div style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;margin:1.5rem;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Alternative Metrics: Trimmed Mean</strong><br>Hassett referenced the trimmed mean—a statistic that discards extreme price changes—reporting a slight decline from 2.5% to 2.3% for the PCE as of early March. However, the Dallas Fed’s own calculations show its trimmed mean has actually risen to 2.8% from 2.6%. The Cleveland Fed’s CPI‑based trimmed mean is likewise at 2.8%. Critics warn that the trimmed mean can mask the severity of price shocks, especially when volatile items spike. The Fed’s chair, Kevin Warsh, has recently cited trimmed mean figures, but their relevance has been contested by economists who emphasize headline CPI and PCE data for gauging the actual inflation experience of consumers. </div> \n\n<div style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;margin:1.5rem;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Expert Commentary</strong><br>Omair Sharif, chief economist at Inflation Insights, argues “It’s not a blue state story”—the rise in gas prices is a national phenomenon. A White House official, speaking anonymously, noted that core CPI remained lower than it was in January 2025. Economists stress that while the trimmed mean may be moving toward the Fed’s 2% goal, the headline CPI and PCE still exhibit higher inflation, meaning that average households are experiencing higher cost burdens. The regional songwriting scenario further suggests that differences between states can be exaggerated when data is filtered or when the most volatile items are removed from analysis. </div> \n\n<div style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;margin:1.5rem;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Conclusion</strong><br>The claim that inflation is easing specifically in blue states overlooks the broader national trajectory of higher prices. While some regional variations exist, the cumulative effect of fuel costs, tariff‑related price swings, and core inflation measures indicates a persistent upward trend. Policymakers and businesses must therefore consider a consistent, national strategy for mitigating inflation’s impact rather than treating it as an isolated political‑regional issue. This balanced, data‑driven perspective reflects an objective view of the current U.S. economic landscape.</div>

Paramedics’ Homicide Verdicts Reversed, New Trials Set for Colorado

Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump Immigration Policy Following National Guard Shooting

Actor James Handy Stabbed to Death; Police Arrest Alleged Suspect","description":"Los Angeles police report that veteran character actor James Handy was found stabbed to death outside his home on Wednesday. The 44‑year‑old man was arrested and booked for murder.","summary":"James Handy, the character actor known for roles in “Jumanji” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” was found stabbed outside his Los Angeles residence. Los Angeles Police Department said the murder suspect was arrested soon after a 911 caller claimed they had killed him. The suspect, 44‑year‑old Michael Gledhill, was booked on suspicion of murder with a $2 million bail.","image":"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1573489746956-1c3666f51ddc?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=800&q=80","text":"<p>James Handy, a veteran character actor known for roles in “Jumanji” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” was found stabbed to death outside his Los Angeles home early Wednesday morning.</p><p>Police said the 81‑year‑old man was knocked unconscious and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.</p><p>The department responded to a 911 call that read: “I am the son of man; I just killed the man of sin,” according to official statements.</p><p>Within minutes, officers arrested 44‑year‑old Michael Gledhill, who was identified as the man the police were looking for. He was taken to the county jail on a single count of murder with bail set at $2 million.</p><p>Gledhill, who lives at home with his mother, has not yet been reported to have an attorney. Jail records show no attorney listed, and communications with the county public defender were not returned.</p><p>Handy, born in New York, had a prolific career in film and television, appearing in many crime dramas such as “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Closer,” and “Cold Case.”</p><p>In a tribute, Pam Ellis‑Evenas of the Ellis Talent Group wrote, “I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy.”</p>

Los Angeles Jury Awards $176 Million in Wrongful Death Case Over Hit‑and‑Run Collision","description":"A Los Angeles jury has awarded $176 million to the parents of two young brothers who were tragically killed in a hit‑and‑run crash involving a California socialite’s car.","summary":"The case involved 11‑year‑old Mark Iskander and 8‑year‑old Jacob Iskander, killed on Sept. 29, 2020 in Westlake Village. The jury found the driver, Rebecca Grossman, and former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson negligent. Grossman was previously sentenced to 15 years to life for second‑degree murder. The parents are also pursuing civil damages.","image":"https://assets.apnews.com/bc/14/07cbbc37d3fa57cfba7e1029ee74/d42e8609f2644b2d9ffe3651b527b7ab","text":"<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles jury has awarded $176 million to the parents of two young brothers killed in a hit‑and‑run collision when a California socialite’s car struck them in a crosswalk nearly six years ago.</p><p>The jury found both Rebecca Grossman and former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson negligent in the deaths of 11‑year‑old Mark Iskander and 8‑year‑old Jacob Iskander. The damages awarded Wednesday were for wrongful death and emotional distress.</p><p>Court was scheduled to resume Friday as jurors must still decide whether to award punitive damages to the boys’ parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander.</p><p>Grossman was sentenced in 2024 to serve 15 years to life in prison after being convicted of second‑degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and hit‑and‑run driving in a separate criminal trial. She is a co‑founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of a prominent burn doctor.</p><p>The boys’ parents also filed lawsuits in civil court against both Grossman and Erickson, who was driving ahead of her when the Iskander brothers were killed. That trial began in April.</p><p>The deadly crash occurred on the evening of Sept. 29, 2020, in Westlake Village, a city on the western edge of Los Angeles County.</p><p>Brian Panish, the Iskander family’s attorney, argued that Grossman and Erickson were both driving recklessly after drinking margaritas together. The two were dating at the time when Grossman and her husband were separated.</p><p>Panish said Grossman was driving 73 mph (117 kph) when her car struck the boys in a crosswalk on a road where the posted speed limit was 45 mph (72 kph). He said Grossman was following Erickson, who was also speeding and narrowly missed the family.</p><p>\"This was a totally preventable collision,\" Panish told the jury in closing arguments Wednesday. \"They went out for a walk and they never came home.\"</p><p>Grossman’s attorney, Esther Holm, denied that her client was intoxicated. She said Grossman was distracted when she saw the boys’ mother dive out of the way of Erickson’s vehicle. \"Ms. Grossman was not driving impaired,\" Holm told the jury. \"She did not see the children, as her attention was diverted by Ms. Iskander.\"</p><p>Erickson’s attorney, Jeff Braun, called the boys’ deaths a tragedy but emphasized that the vehicle he was driving \"made no contact with the children.\"</p>

Hartford Officer Charged With Manslaughter After Fatal Shooting of Man in Mental Health Crisis","description":"White Hartford police officer, Joseph Magnano, faces manslaughter charges after shooting Steven Jones, a Black man with a history of mental illness, on Feb. 27, 2026.","summary":"The Hartford Police Department fired Officer Joseph Magnano after a Feb. 27 incident in which he shot 55‑year‑old Steven Jones nine times, despite other officers attempting to de‑escalate. The case highlights tensions over police protocols for mental‑health crises and raises questions about use of force. The officer entered a brief Superior Court hearing, was not represented, and the case now proceeds under a manslaughter indictment.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/4335643/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2516x1883+0+0/resize/599x448!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F31%2F19%2F5a0054362a603f0084a9e46a760f%2Ff90569b71cdd4fe69f34f050ca07e5b0","text":"<h1 style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:24px;\">Hartford Officer Charged With Manslaughter After Fatal Shooting of Man in Mental Health Crisis</h1>\n<img src=\"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/4335643/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2516x1883+0+0/resize/599x448!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F31%2F19%2F5a0054362a603f0084a9e46a760f%2Ff90569b71cdd4fe69f34f050ca07e5b0\" alt=\"Photo of Hartford officers in body‑camera footage from Feb. 27, 2026\" style=\"display:block;margin:20px auto;max-width:100%;height:auto;\">\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">On Friday, a brief hearing in Hartford Superior Court found White police officer Joseph Magnano on a manslaughter charge after he shot 55‑year‑old Steven Jones, a Black man with a known history of mental illness, nine times on Feb. 27, 2026. The shooting came after other officers unsuccessfully tried to de‑escalate the situation.</p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">Magnano was issued a former officer, dismissed by the mayor following the shooting, at the same time his brief statement was read in court. He later displayed a strong emotional reaction, hugging officers who were present in support of him.</p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">Body‑camera footage shows off‑duty officers giving repeated verbal orders for Jones to drop his large knife, while a senior officer repeatedly told him that officers were there to help. About 12 minutes after a 911 call, Magnano drew his firearm and shouted a warning—“You’re going to get shot”—before firing nine shots as Jones approached.</p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">Eliot Prescott, Connecticut Inspector General, documented that Magnano failed to use non‑lethal force and that Jones posed no imminent threat at the moment of the firing. The arrest warrant specifically noted that Magnano did not attempt to reposition bystanders away from any perceived danger.</p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">Union leaders defended the officer’s actions, claiming self‑preservation. Harsh criticism from civil‑rights attorneys, including Ben Crump representing Jones’s family, framed the shooting as a failure to provide necessary care for a man in crisis.</p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">The courtroom drew more than 60 police officers in support of the former officer, while a small group of supporters from the NAACP and Jones’s family stood in due regard; relatives of Jones were notably absent.</p>\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;\">The case now proceeds under the full weight of the state’s manslaughter statutes, and the Hartford Police Department’s policies surrounding mental health interventions are under close scrutiny, prompting ongoing debates across the United States about law‑enforcement response to crises.</p>

ISS crew directed to shelter aboard Dragon amid worsening air leak

ICE Ends Reporting on Detainee Deaths After Release, Raising Concerns About Accountability","description":"The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has discontinued its reporting of fatalities that occur within 30 days of a former detainee’s release, reversing a Biden‑era policy that aimed to keep the public informed about health conditions in detention. The change could make it harder for observers to assess the long‑term impact of the Trump administration’s mass detention strategy.","summary":"ICE has stopped documenting deaths that happen after a detainee has left its facilities, a move that critics argue will mask the true toll of post‑detention mortality. The policy reversal removes a mechanism designed to expose gaps in medical care, breathing new life into debates over accountability and the human costs of U.S. immigration enforcement.","image":"<img src=\"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/22eefdf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7952x5304+0+0/resize/599x400!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F0c%2F5c%2F6c4c9fa44933e8827518a58c3d9a%2F841c7bdc7e67435681cc8b1f968aad5f\" alt=\"Pedestrians slalom between traffic to cross the road in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday Jan. 8, 2019.\" width=\"599\" height=\"400\" loading=\"lazy\">","text":"<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">In a policy shift announced Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer report deaths that occur within 30 days of an individual’s release from its custody. The announcement follows a 2021 Biden‑era directive that required the agency to submit data to Congress and investigate such deaths, a measure that many analysts argued would prevent ICE from sidestepping accountability by releasing critically ill detainees.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">ICE’s “common sense” statement simply notes that once a person is no longer in the agency’s care, the responsibility for monitoring and reporting deaths ends. The agency also claims that it maintains procedures for timely notification of deaths that result directly from its custody conditions, but it has not released the full text of the revised policy.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">The policy reversal comes amid growing evidence that the number of detainee deaths has spiked. At least 18 individuals have died since January 1, a figure that is projected to exceed last year’s death toll—by far the highest in two decades. Data published by experts shows that many of these deaths involve suicide, while other fatalities from natural causes may have been preventable with earlier medical intervention.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">Health professionals such as Dr. Sanjay Basu of UCSF criticize the change. He has published an analysis of more than 270 ICE custody deaths, concluding that the elimination of post‑release reporting will make mortality statistics appear lower without improving the underlying health care conditions. \"The period immediately after release is when deaths attributed to inadequate care during confinement become apparent,\" Basu told a health news briefing. \"Missed diagnoses, interrupted medications, untreated infections, and decompensating chronic conditions often kill someone only after they leave the facility.\"\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">ICE has long denied allegations of medical neglect, claiming its detainees receive comprehensive health services. However, as of early April, the agency claimed to hold more than 60,000 detainees nationwide—an increase from 40,000 at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term—highlighting a growing demand for resources, especially medical care, that ICE has struggled to provide.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">The policy change follows a DHS statement in which acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said that there were no detainee deaths in May 2024, the first month without a fatality since November. Bis did not answer questions about whether reporting policies had altered, and she previously emphasized that deaths in ICE custody are exceptionally rare.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">Observers warn that the removal of this death‑reporting requirement could effectively narrow the view of ICE’s accountability. \"Tracking deaths immediately after custody is a standard approach that allows health systems in jails, prisons and immigration detention to learn about gaps in care that may occur before a person leaves a facility,\" said Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer of the New York City jail system. \"Eliminating reporting of these deaths represents a willful act of ignoring the most serious health outcome that can reflect inadequacies in care or help track outbreaks.\"\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0;\">The decision to halt death reporting underscores ongoing concerns about the transparency and public accountability of U.S. immigration enforcement practices, especially as public scrutiny of the Trump administration’s mass detention policies continues to intensify.\n</p>

Ebola in DR Congo: Falling Numbers Yet Complex Threats