Social Studies (general)

Federal election: Newfoundland riding flips to Conservatives after judicial recount

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Federal election: Newfoundland riding flips to Conservatives after judicial recount

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

ST. JOHN'S - A federal election riding in rural Newfoundland flipped to the Conservatives on Friday, netting the party another seat in the House of Commons.

After a recount process that took nearly two weeks, Elections Canada announced that Conservative Jonathan Rowe had defeated Liberal Anthony Germain in the Terra Nova—The Peninsulas riding by just 12 votes.

The result reverses the first tally of the ballots after the April 28 election, which had Germain ahead by 12 votes.

Rowe's win gives the Conservatives 144 seats in the House of Commons, and brings the Liberals down to 169, which is three seats shy of the threshold for a majority government. The Bloc Quebecois has 22, the NDP has seven and the Green Party has one.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

A voter leaves a polling station after casting a ballot in the federal election in Calgary, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobiles put on riveting race in Wienie 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Dave Skretta, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobiles put on riveting race in Wienie 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Dave Skretta, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Give the Borg-Wiener Trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Wienermobile affectionately known as Slaw Dog.

In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday's running of the Indianapolis 500.

It made a dramatic pass of the Wienermobile repping Chicago at the finish line to win the inaugural Wienie 500 on Friday.

The margin was about a half a bun.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles head into the first turn as they compete in the Wienie 500 following the practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes

Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes

Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday.

Under the “agreement in principle,” which still needs to be finalized, Boeing would pay or invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for the crash victims’ families, the Justice Department said.

In return, the department has agreed to dismiss the fraud charge against Boeing, allowing the manufacturer to avoid a possible criminal conviction that could have jeopardized the company's status as a federal contractor, according to experts.

“Ultimately, in applying the facts, the law, and Department policy, we are confident that this resolution is the most just outcome with practical benefits,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Inquiry must be called to get answers on sand mine scandal

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Inquiry must be called to get answers on sand mine scandal

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

It’s pretty clear by now that an inquiry should be called into the Sio Silica scandal.

Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor released his long-awaited report into the matter this week. He found that former premier Heather Stefanson, then deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then economic development minister Jeff Wharton, violated the province’s Conflict of Interest Act by attempting to approve a licence for a controversial silica sand mining project after their government was defeated in the Oct. 3, 2023 provincial election.

All three ministers pushed to have a Class 2 licence under the Environment Act approved for Sio Silica, days before the new NDP government was sworn into office.

They did so even though they knew, or ought to have known, that it violated the “caretaker convention,” a longstanding constitutional principle in Canada that prohibits governments from making major policy decisions once a general election is called (unless it’s related to an urgent matter of public importance).

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor found that former premier Heather Stefanson, then deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then economic development minister Jeff Wharton, violated the province’s Conflict of Interest Act.

Cohere asks U.S. court to toss complaint from media alleging copyright infringement

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Cohere asks U.S. court to toss complaint from media alleging copyright infringement

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

TORONTO - Cohere is asking a U.S. court to throw out complaints from media outlets that have accused the artificial intelligence company of infringing on their copyright.

In a dismissal motion filed in a New York court on Thursday, Cohere accused publishers including the Toronto Star, Condé Nast, McClatchy, Forbes Media and Guardian News of deliberately using its software to "manufacture a case."

The Toronto-based company said the outlets must have "stylized" prompts they entered into Cohere's software to elicit portions of their own work, which sometimes included inaccuracies.

It argued nothing in the complaint filed by the outlets suggests that any real customer has ever used the company's software to infringe on the publisher's copyright.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over ‘sanctuary’ policies

Mike Catalini, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over ‘sanctuary’ policies

Mike Catalini, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities over their so-called sanctuary city policies aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration officials, saying the local governments are standing in the way of federal enforcement.

The Justice Department filed the suit Thursday against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken in New Jersey federal court. The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the cities and an injunction to halt them from enacting the so-called sanctuary city policies.

“While states and local governments are free to stand aside as the United States performs this important work, they cannot stand in the way,” the suit says.

It's the latest case from Republican President Donald Trump's administration against sanctuary policies. The administration also sued Chicago, Denver, the state of Colorado, and Rochester, New York.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

FILE - Mayor Ras Baraka speaks to supporters and media after a court appearance in Newark, N.J., Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Alberta, Ottawa spending $7 million to fund six new urban wildfire teams

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Alberta, Ottawa spending $7 million to fund six new urban wildfire teams

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

STRATHMORE - Nearly $7 million in provincial and federal spending will create six teams of urban wildfire crews, Alberta's public safety minister announced Friday.

Speaking in Strathmore, Alta., Mike Ellis told a news conference that having six more teams means Alberta will have up to eight specialized crews that can respond to fires threatening communities.

"We've witnessed the immense destruction wildfires can cause at home and in other parts of the world," Ellis said.

"That's why we're focused on building more skilled, specialized and ready to deploy teams that can work to ensure communities, businesses and critical infrastructure are protected in the event of a wildfire."

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Firefighters work on the smouldering remains of houses in Slave Lake, Alta., on May 16, 2011. Slave Lake is one of six communities receiving funding to have an urban wildland firefighting team. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian Jackson

Leadership issues dominate opening session of teachers’ union AGM

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Leadership issues dominate opening session of teachers’ union AGM

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

Manitoba teachers want answers about how their top union officials plan to bring about stability at their Portage Avenue headquarters after “a rough year.”

More than 330 delegates are registered to take part in the 106th annual general meeting of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society this week.

Formal proceedings kicked off Thursday morning with an impromptu debate related to the organization being without a permanent executive director to oversee the day-to-day operations of supporting 16,600 members.

Three different people have served in that role over the last 18 months, a period during which MTS has grappled with infighting and low morale among support staff, as well as multiple workplace investigations.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
The Manitoba Teachers Society building in Winnipeg.

Man gets 10 years for trying to carjack car with 2 members of Justice Sotomayor’s security detail

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Man gets 10 years for trying to carjack car with 2 members of Justice Sotomayor’s security detail

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to carjack a car occupied by two U.S. Marshals Service deputies who were members of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security detail.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in handing down the sentence Thursday, also ordered Kentrell Flowers to have five years of supervised release after his prison term.

Flowers pleaded guilty in February to using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Around 1 a.m. on July 5, 2024, two deputies dressed in Marshals Service shirts were on duty in an unmarked government car in Washington when Flowers exited a minivan, approached the vehicle and pointed a loaded gun at one of the deputies through a window. The deputy fired four shots at Flowers, hitting him in the mouth.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

FILE - U.S. Marshals patrol outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Md., June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Bloc Québécois files legal challenge of Terrebonne riding results after one-vote loss

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Bloc Québécois files legal challenge of Terrebonne riding results after one-vote loss

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

TERREBONNE - The Bloc Québécois says it has filed a Superior Court challenge to overturn the election results in the federal riding of Terrebonne after losing by one vote.

In a news release, the party says there is doubt about who won the riding in the April 28 federal election because a mail-in vote from a Bloc supporter was returned to the sender.

Elections Canada has admitted that a misprint on an envelope used to mail a special ballot from Terrebonne led to one Bloc voter's ballot being returned to her.

Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste initially won the riding, but it flipped to Bloc candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné after the votes went through a validation process.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, May 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Josef Newgarden fastest in final Indy 500 practice. Takuma Sato and other contenders have problems

Dave Skretta, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Josef Newgarden fastest in final Indy 500 practice. Takuma Sato and other contenders have problems

Dave Skretta, The Associated Press 4 minute read Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josef Newgarden spent the final 2-hour practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Friday carving through a track full of cars.

He'll have to do the same thing when it counts on Sunday.

The two-time defending Indy 500 winner, who will start in the last row as punishment for an illegally modified part found during qualifying, had the fastest lap of the 2-hour final practice on Carb Day at 225.687 mph. Teammate Will Power, who will also start at the back, was fifth while fellow Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin was just 27th on the chart.

“We have the tools and the people to battle to the front,” Newgarden said, “which is what we plan to do.”

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Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

Josef Newgarden drives into the first turn during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

South Africa police minister says Trump ‘twisted’ facts to push baseless genocide claims

Gerald Imray And Michelle Gumede, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

South Africa police minister says Trump ‘twisted’ facts to push baseless genocide claims

Gerald Imray And Michelle Gumede, The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s top law enforcement official said Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that a video he showed in the Oval Office was of burial sites for more than 1,000 white farmers and he “twisted” the facts to push a false narrative about mass killings of white people in his country.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was talking about a video clip that was played during the meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday that showed an aerial view of a rural road with lines of white crosses erected on either side.

“Now this is very bad,” Trump said as he referred to the clip that was part of a longer video that was played in the meeting. “These are burial sites, right here. Burial sites, over a thousand, of white farmers, and those cars are lined up to pay love on a Sunday morning."

Mchunu said the crosses did not mark graves or burial sites, but were a temporary memorial put up in 2020 to protest the killings of all farmers across South Africa. They were put up during a funeral procession for a white couple who were killed in a robbery on their farm, Mchunu said.

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

South African businessman Johann Rupert, standing right, watches a video during a meeting between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Harvard has long been the world’s top college. Trump’s sanction puts its allure at risk

Collin Binkley And Michael Casey, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Harvard has long been the world’s top college. Trump’s sanction puts its allure at risk

Collin Binkley And Michael Casey, The Associated Press 7 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — For students around the world, an acceptance letter to Harvard University has represented the pinnacle of achievement, offering a spot among the elite at a campus that produces Nobel Prize winners, captains of industry and global leaders.

That allure is now in jeopardy. In its intensifying fight with the White House, Harvard was dealt its heaviest blow yet on Thursday, when the government blocked the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students. The move threatens to undermine Harvard’s stature, revenue and appeal among top scholars globally.

Even more than the government’s $2.6 billion in research cuts, the administration's action represents an existential threat for Harvard. The school summed it up in a lawsuit seeking to block the action: “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”

Within hours of the decision, the consequences started becoming clear. Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth, who just finished her first year in a Harvard graduate program, is waiting to find out if she can return next year, the palace said. The Chinese government publicly questioned whether Harvard’s international standing will endure.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

FILE - A sculler rows down the Charles River near Harvard University, at rear, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

OTTAWA - There surely won't be lions or tigers at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., next month, and officials are doing their best to keep bears away, too.

As many as 5,000 participants are set to descend on the area in a few weeks, and officials are already working to install security barriers and clear out the area of anything that might attract bears to keep both people, and the animals, safe.

Earlier this week more than 200 local kids began plucking buffaloberry bushes around Kananaskis in an effort to detract bears from venturing into the area.

The bright red berries are quite popular with bears.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

A black bear is seen near Lake Louise, Alta., in June, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Leader of neo-Nazi “murder cult” extradited to the US from Moldova

Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — The leader of an eastern European neo-Nazi group has been extradited to the United States from Moldova following his arrest last summer for allegedly instructing an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities, prosecutors said.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old from the republic of Georgia, was arraigned Friday before a federal judge in Brooklyn on multiple felonies, including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence.

He pleaded not guilty through an attorney, Samuel Gregory, who requested his client receive a psychiatric evaluation and be placed on suicide watch while in custody. Gregory did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili, who also goes by “Commander Butcher," as the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group that adheres to a “neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems ‘undesirables.’”

The Cannes Film Festival is over. Here’s some key things that happened

The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

The Cannes Film Festival is over. Here’s some key things that happened

The Associated Press 8 minute read Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

CANNES, France (AP) — This year's Cannes Film Festival is over, ending in dramatic fashion with a power outage ahead of the closing ceremony that bestowed the Palme d'Or trophy to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's film, “It Was Just an Accident.”

This year's festival included a strong slate as Cannes has become increasingly important to the Oscars’ best picture hopefuls. As the festival drew to close Saturday, it was clear that filmmakers are reckoning with geopolitical doom, climate change and other calamities that closely resemble current events.

This year's festival was an attention-grabbing affair since its start — from new rules for its red carpets, nerves about potential U.S. tariffs and the return of Tom Cruise.

Even in a normal year, Cannes is a lot to keep up with. Here's a handy guide of what's happened so far, what's left and what it may mean.

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Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

Rihanna, left, and A$AP Rocky pose for photographers upon departure from the premiere of the film 'Highest 2 Lowest' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP)

Lawyer challenging Trump’s trade war says tariffs are ‘illegal and abusive’

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Lawyer challenging Trump’s trade war says tariffs are ‘illegal and abusive’

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war is an "illegal and abusive" use of power, said a lawyer representing small businesses who are challenging the tariffs.

George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin, along with the Liberty Justice Center, represents five American small businesses who had a hearing before the U.S. Court of International Trade last week in an effort to block Trump's sweeping "reciprocal" tariff agenda.

"He's sort of breaking various precedents and doing things which are highly illegal and obviously our contention is that this is highly illegal," Somin said in an interview Thursday.

The president is facing at least seven lawsuits that argue Trump has acted beyond his powers by wielding tariffs through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A stabbing at Hamburg’s central train station causes multiple injuries. A woman is arrested

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

A stabbing at Hamburg’s central train station causes multiple injuries. A woman is arrested

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

BERLIN (AP) — A stabbing attack at the busy central train station in the German city of Hamburg left multiple people injured, some of them in life-threatening condition, authorities said. A woman was arrested as the suspect.

The attacker targeted people on the platform between tracks 13 and 14 in the station at around 6 p.m., according to police. The station in downtown Hamburg, Germany’s second-biggest city, is a major hub for local, regional and long-distance trains.

Police said that "several” people had life-threatening injuries, but didn't give specific figures. Late Friday evening, Hamburg's fire service said that 17 people were hurt in total — four of them with life-threatening injuries, another six with serious injuries and seven with light injuries, German news agency dpa reported.

Police said a 39-year-old woman, a German national, was arrested at the scene without putting up resistance and that they believe after watching video footage that she acted alone. They secured the knife.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Strike threat could push more customers away from struggling Canada Post

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Strike threat could push more customers away from struggling Canada Post

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

MONTREAL - Canada Post customers may face delays as tens of thousands of workers swear off overtime shifts, though a much bigger disruption was averted after the union backed down from a strike threat.

Nonetheless, the possibility of escalating job action could continue to scare off customers who pulled their shipments over the past couple of weeks, draining more business from the cash-strapped organization.

“I’m scared for the future,” said Edmonton mail carrier Dustin Ellis, who recently went on leave to study for a new career in social work.

He said the union should show more flexibility on key sticking points such as part-time weekend work and "dynamic routing" — where the path carriers take can vary day to day.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

A Canada Post employee returns to a delivery depot in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canadians warned to prepare for hurricanes regardless of how many storms are forecast

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canadians warned to prepare for hurricanes regardless of how many storms are forecast

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

HALIFAX - As the Atlantic hurricane season is about to start, a senior Environment Canada meteorologist says experts are predicting another active year for tropical storms.

But Bob Robichaud at the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax said Friday the actual impact on Canada is impossible to forecast. That's because there's no telling where these storms will go once they form over the ocean.

"Although we can predict the level of activity, we can't necessarily predict ... if any will make landfall and what the impacts might be," he told an online briefing. "Sometimes, you can have a very active season, but the storm track keeps most of the storms offshore."

As an example, he said last year's very active season produced 18 named storms — 11 of them hurricanes — but only one storm, Ernesto, made it into the so-called Canadian response zone and it didn't cause much of a fuss by staying offshore.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Damage from post-tropical storm Fiona at the wharf in Stanley Bridge, P.E.I. on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Brian McInnis

Venezuelan workers at Disney put on leave from jobs after losing protective status

Mike Schneider And Gisela Salomon, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Venezuelan workers at Disney put on leave from jobs after losing protective status

Mike Schneider And Gisela Salomon, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Almost four dozen Venezuelan workers who had temporary protected status have been put on leave by Disney after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to strip them of legal protections.

The move was made to make sure that the employees were not in violation of the law, Disney said in a statement Friday.

The 45 workers across the company who were put on leave will continue to get benefits.

“We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families,” the statement said.

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Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025

FILE - People visit the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

What issues to watch as ‘big, beautiful bill’ moves to the Senate

Mary Clare Jalonick, Matt Brown And Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

What issues to watch as ‘big, beautiful bill’ moves to the Senate

Mary Clare Jalonick, Matt Brown And Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans were jubilant after muscling through President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and immigration package by a single vote. But across the Capitol, senators were more cautious.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune can afford to lose three Republican senators and still pass the bill, and there are more than that, right now, who have problems with it. Like the House, he will have to balance the concerns from moderate and conservative members of his conference.

Republicans’ aspirational deadline is July 4, ahead of a potential debt default. Thune said groups of senators had already been meeting to discuss the legislation and that they would want to take some time to review it. “And then we’ll put our stamp on it,” he said.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Thune said. “What does it take to get to 51?”

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

File - The Capitol is seen in Washington, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

A sold-out Indy 500 packed with drama, from firings to Larson’s double to Newgarden threepeat bid

Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

A sold-out Indy 500 packed with drama, from firings to Larson’s double to Newgarden threepeat bid

Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There has been so much drama ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 that Kyle Larson's attempt to complete the 1,100-mile NASCAR double doesn't even crack the top attention-getters.

Roger Penske's credibility was tested this week and he fired the top three executives of his IndyCar team because the cars of two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection. The team had modified a spec safety part — something IndyCar insists provided no competitive advantage — and it forced Penske to act.

The second major infraction in just over a year at Team Penske put The Captain's reputation at stake. He owns his team but also IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500 — the most important race in the world to him, and one that the 88-year-old Penske has won a record 20 times.

“We had an organizational failure not once but two times. It hurts me in my gut,” Penske told new TV partner Fox Sports. “There’s a certain amount of credibility you have to have. We let people down. We’ll move on and our goal is to win the race.”

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Josef Newgarden prepares to drive before the start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Lebanon starts process to disarm Palestinian factions in refugee camps

Abby Sewell, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Lebanon starts process to disarm Palestinian factions in refugee camps

Abby Sewell, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

BEIRUT (AP) — A group tasked with making a plan to remove weapons held by Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s refugees camps met for the first time Friday to begin hashing out a timetable and mechanism for disarming the groups.

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, a government body that serves as an interlocutor between Palestinian refugees and officials, said the meeting was attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and that “participants agreed to launch a process for the disarmament of weapons according to a specific timetable."

The group added that it also aimed to take steps to "enhance the economic and social rights of Palestinian refugees.”

A Lebanese official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said work to remove the weapons would begin within a month.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

January 20, 2026