By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ (Associated Press) MEXICO CITY (AP) — If a woman wins Mexico’s presidency on June 2, would she rule with gender in mind? The question has been raised by academics, humans rights organizations and activists ahead of the voting that will likely elect Mexico’s first female president for the term 2024-2030. Out of three candidates, the frontrunner is Claudia Sheinbaum, who has promised to keep President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s legacy on track. Next comes Xóchitl Gálvez, representing several opposition parties, one of which is historically conservative. The triumph o ..read more

By DAVID BAUDER (AP Media Writer) NEW YORK (AP) — Even as many Americans say they learn about the 2024 election campaign from national news outlets, a disquieting poll reveals some serious trust issues. About half of Americans, 53%, say they are extremely or very concerned that news organizations will report inaccuracies or misinformation during the election. Some 42% express worry that news outlets will use generative artificial intelligence to create stories, according to a poll from the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found ..read more

Three years after the legalization of recreational marijuana in Connecticut, the state is moving to curb the proliferation of unregulated cannabis and hemp products now being sold in convenience stories, vape shops and gas stations. The House voted 130-16 Tuesday night for House Bill 5150, a bipartisan measure intended to set clear rules for THC-infused beverages and other intoxicating products made from hemp and sold under a loophole in federal law. “We can’t ban them, but we can regulate the hell out of them,” said Rep. Mike D’Agostino, D-Hamden, co-chair of the General Law Committ ..read more

Avelo Airlines will begin flying non-stop Wednesday from Tweed New Haven Airport to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Charlotte, N.C.’s Concord-Padgett Regional Airport, the airline announced Wednesday. They will be Avelo’s 26th and 27th destinations from Tweed. The airline has flown 2 million travelers from Tweed since its first flight in November 2021. Introductory one-way fares will begin at $88 to Atlanta for travel between May 30 and June 27, and $85 to Charlotte for travel between June 2 and 30. Passengers must also pay for baggage and seat choices. Avelo will operat ..read more

From avocado toast and smoked salmon to marinated bulgogi and Japanese fried chicken and waffles, Blossom Café is serving brunch and lunch with an Asian twist. The Simsbury café, located on Fiddler’s Green, 6 Wilcox St., is hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow, May 2 at 5 p.m., according to a release. “Our menu blends traditional favorites with innovative twists using locally sourced, fresh ingredients,” as per their website. “From soufflé pancakes to signature avocado toast, we cater to diverse tastes.” RSVPs can be made to simmainst@sbcglobal.net ..read more

By PETER SMITH (Associated Press) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers. Delegates voted 692-51 at their General Conference — the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate ..read more

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Wednesday she would call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson, forcing her colleagues to choose sides in a difficult showdown after Democratic leaders announced they would provide the votes to save the Republican speaker’s job. Speaking outside the Capitol, Greene ranted against Republican Party leaders at the highest levels and pushed back against their public entreaties, including from Donald Trump, to avoid another messy political fight so close to the Novembe ..read more

Archbishop Christopher Coyne officially succeeded Archbishop Leonard Blair on Wednesday as the spiritual leader of 469,000 Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford. “After a year of listening and learning the joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of God’s People here in Hartford, I am excited to set out with you on this new stage of our journey together as Church,” Coyne said in a statement. Coyne was named archbishop coadjutor on June 25, 2023. He had served as  bishop of the Diocese of Burlington, Vt., since 2014. Archbishop Coadjutor Christopher Coyne at the Pastoral Cente ..read more

A Connecticut home at the center of a high-profile murder conspiracy case will soon be for sale in Farmington. The multi-million dollar home at 4 Jefferson Crossing in Farmington is the former home of missing New Canaan mother Jennifer Farber Dulos and is tied to her disappearance. The luxury home on the border of Farmington and Avon is where Farber Dulos’ estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, lived with his then-girlfriend Michelle Troconis when Farber Dulos vanished in May 2019. Police search Fotis Dulos home and a judge orders his re-arrest as he clings to life in a New York hospital after a sui ..read more

By BRIAN MELLEY (Associated Press) LONDON (AP) — German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found Wednesday he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds. Becker fell far short of repaying his creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million) he owed, but Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs said it would be “perverse” not to end the case given the efforts Becker made. “On the spectrum of bankrupts who range from ‘difficult as possible and doing everything to frustrate the t ..read more