By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press UNITED NATIONS — The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution on Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the United States opposed and two abstentions. The resolution would have recommended that the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, approve Palestine becoming the 194th member of the United Nations. Some 140 countries have already recognized the state of Palestine, so its admission would have been appro ..read more

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied defense lawyers’ request to put the civil cases seeking to hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on hold while the criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his election defeat to President Joe Biden plays out. It’s the latest legal setback for the presumpt ..read more

Nancy Cook | Bloomberg News (TNS) WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s presidential campaign wants other Republicans to pay up, if they use the former president’s name, image or likeness in any fundraising solicitations, according to a new campaign memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Related Articles National Politics | Biden is off on details of his uncle’s WWII death as he calls Trump unfit to lead the military National Politics | Poland’s president becomes the latest leader to visit Donald Trump as allies eye a possible return National Politics | Columbia’s president rebuts claims she has allowed t ..read more

Justin Sink | Bloomberg News (TNS) President Joe Biden will be endorsed by more than a dozen members of the Kennedy family at an event Thursday in Philadelphia, as he looks to blunt the outsider presidential bid of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Biden will be introduced by Kerry Kennedy — the sister of the third-party candidate — and joined by fellow siblings including Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a former Maryland lieutenant governor; filmmaker Rory Kennedy; former Congressman Joe Kennedy II, Christopher Kennedy, and Maxwell Kennedy Sr. Other attendees include Ted Kennedy Jr., the son of the longtime Ma ..read more

By ZEKE MILLER (AP White House Correspondent) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday misstated key details about his uncle’s death in World War II as he honored the man’s wartime service and said Donald Trump was unworthy of serving as commander in chief. While in Pittsburgh, Biden spoke about his uncle, 2nd Lt. Ambrose J. Finnegan Jr., aiming to draw a contrast with reports that Trump, while president, had called fallen service members “suckers” and “losers.” Finnegan, the brother of Biden’s mother, “got shot down in New Guinea,” Biden said. The president said Finnegan’s body was ..read more

By JILL COLVIN and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump met Wednesday in New York with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the latest in a series of meetings with foreign leaders as Europe braces for the possibility of a second Trump term. The presumptive Republican nominee hosted Duda at Trump Tower, where the two discussed the war in Ukraine and Duda’s push to boost NATO members’ defense spending, according to a readout from Trump’s campaign. Duda, who has long expressed admiration for Trump, is also a staunch supporter of Ukraine and has encouraged W ..read more

By Trân Nguyen | The Associated Press A Los Angeles lawmaker wants to require business owners and landlords to disclose their identities under legislation aimed at cracking down on opaque ownership structures that have enabled some companies to skirt state laws without facing consequences. Limited liability companies and similar corporations in the United States are often formed to protect a business owner’s personal assets. In California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, such businesses are already required to register with the Secretary of State and share information including the name of ..read more

By Illia Novikov | Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three Russian missiles slammed into a downtown area of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, hitting an eight-floor apartment building and killing at least 17 people, authorities said. At least 61 people, including three children, were wounded in the morning attack, Ukrainian emergency services said, as rescue workers searched through partially demolished buildings and tall mounds of rubble. Chernihiv lies about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of the capital, Kyiv, near the border with Russia and Belarus, and has a popul ..read more

By COLLIN BINKLEY and ANNIE MA WASHINGTON, D.C. — Columbia University’s president took a firm stance against antisemitism in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, but she faced bruising criticism from Republicans who say her actions haven’t supported her words, especially when it comes to disciplining faculty and students accused of bias. Nemat Shafik’s visit to Capitol Hill was a reprise of a December hearing that led to the resignations of presidents at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. It’s part of a Republican campaign to investigate antisemitism at America’s most prestigious uni ..read more

Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former U.S. Sen. and two-term Florida Gov. Bob Graham, who gained national prominence as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks and as an early critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 87. Graham’s family announced the death Tuesday in a statement posted on X by his daughter Gwen Graham. “We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a visionary leader, dedicated public servant, and even more importantly, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather,” the family said. Graham, who served ..read more