111 former GOP officials back Harris, calling Trump ‘unfit to serve’
— More than 100 former national security officials from Republican administrations and former Republican members of Congress endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday after concluding that their party’s nominee, Donald Trump, is “unfit to serve again as president.”
House defeats Johnson’s spending plan with shutdown looming
WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday defeated a $1.6 trillion stopgap spending bill to extend current government funding into March and impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements on voter registration, as Republicans and Democrats alike rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to avert a shutdown at the end of the month.
America’s oil country increasingly runs on renewables
HOUSTON — During the scorching summer of 2023, the Texas energy grid wobbled as surging demand for electricity threatened to exceed supply. Several times, officials called on residents to conserve energy to avoid a grid failure.
Deep links between alcohol and cancer are described in new report
Adults younger than 50 have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at increasingly higher rates over the last few decades, and alcohol use may be one factor driving the trend, according to a scientific report published Wednesday.
The Fed makes a large rate cut and forecasts more to come
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut interest rates Wednesday by half a percentage point, an unusually large move and a clear signal that central bankers think they are winning their war against inflation and are turning their attention to protecting the job market.
Alaska Airlines chief plans more routes after a deal with Hawaiian
The CEO of Alaska Airlines, Ben Minicucci, has big plans. Now, he has a second airline to help achieve them.
Ohio governor sending state police to Springfield after rash of bomb scares
Children across Springfield, Ohio, arrived at school Tuesday morning to the sight of state troopers, deployed by the governor after a wave of bomb scares rattled the community.
Dodgers can’t blame awful run of starting pitching injuries solely on misfortune
The party line for the Los Angeles Dodgers is that there is not one way to win a World Series. The 2023 Texas Rangers became champions pitching Max Scherzer at less than full strength in Game 3 and Andrew Heaney in Game 4. The 2021 Atlanta Braves did it going with bullpen games in Games 4 and 5.
Alaska Airlines’ acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines cleared by regulator
The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday that it would allow Alaska Airlines to close its $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, clearing the way for the first major U.S. airline merger in nearly a decade.
How AI, QAnon and falsehoods are reshaping the presidential race
This year’s presidential election has been polluted with rumors, conspiracy theories and a wave of artificial intelligence imagery. Former President Donald Trump has continued to sow doubts about election integrity as his allies across the country have taken steps to make election denial a fixture of the balloting process.
Amazon tells corporate workers to be back in the office 5 days a week
SEATTLE — Amazon told its corporate employees on Monday that they had to return to working in the company’s offices five days a week starting in January.
Tim Walz, a ‘snowman melting,’ tests his appeal in the Sun Belt
When Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, many Democrats hoped that his folksy charm, quick-witted jabs at Republican opponents and “Minnesota nice” values would draw in white, working-class voters from across the Midwest — and potentially beyond.
Man arrested at Trump golf course had a history of crusading for causes
MIAMI — The man arrested after apparently plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at one of his Florida golf courses Sunday appeared to tell Iran in a rambling self-published book last year that it was “free to assassinate Trump.”
Trump, outrage and the modern era of political violence
WASHINGTON — Within days of former President Donald Trump vilifying immigrants on national television with false stories about Haitian migrants eating pet dogs and cats in an Ohio town, someone began threatening to blow up schools, City Hall and other public buildings, forcing evacuations and prompting a wave of fear.
Three hostages were likely killed in November by Israeli strike, IDF Says
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military announced Sunday that, according to an internal investigation, three hostages were probably killed in November as a result of an airstrike targeting a senior Hamas commander.
Polaris Dawn astronauts return to Earth after first private spacewalk
After conducting the first-ever commercial spacewalk and traveling farther from Earth than anyone in more than half a century, the astronauts of the Polaris Dawn mission returned to Earth safely early Sunday.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is being investigated for whale carcass
GLENDALE, Ariz. — At his first major campaign event for former President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a crowd Saturday night that he was being investigated for his handling of a whale carcass decades ago.
Vance sticks by pet-eating claims and says he’s willing to ‘create stories’
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said Sunday that he stood by the debunked claims he and former President Donald Trump have spread suggesting Haitian migrants were eating pets, saying that he was willing “to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention.”
Climate lawsuits are exploding across the world. Are homicide charges next?
Lawsuits against fossil fuel companies over climate change are piling up. Legislators and activists are pushing prosecutors to pursue criminal charges. Children are suing governments, arguing that their right to a healthy environment is being trampled on.
Second assassination attempt raises new questions about Secret Service
WASHINGTON — A would-be killer got within shooting distance of former President Donald Trump for the second time in about two months — stopped only by the swift, keen-eyed response of Secret Service agents — raising new questions about the agency’s broader ability to protect candidates in its charge.
