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Month: July 2025

Ethics officials say Georgia PAC tied to Ponzi scheme illegally sought to influence elections

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Ethics Commission says a political action committee linked to what federal investigators have called a Ponzi scheme illegally sought to influence elections. The complaint, filed Wednesday, says the spending came from the now-dissolved Georgia Republican Assembly PAC between 2021 and 2024. The committee was headed by

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes a speech during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park

Meta’s ‘superintelligence’ isn’t here yet. But its AI bets are already paying off

By Clare Duffy, CNN New York (CNN) — If Meta investors had concerns about the company’s huge spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and talent — and its ambitious “superintelligence” goal — they’re likely to be assuaged by its blockbuster earnings report on Wednesday. The results, as one analyst put it, indicates that “AI is becoming

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Senate confirms Trump’s pick for counterterrorism agency, a former Green Beret with extremist ties

By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, on Wednesday evening as Republicans looked past his connections to right-wing extremists and support for conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Kent won confirmation on a

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American Eagle’s ‘good jeans’ ads with Sydney Sweeney spark a debate on race and beauty standards

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. fashion retailer American Eagle Outfitters wanted to make a splash with its new advertising campaign starring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney. The ad blitz included “clever, even provocative language” and was “definitely going to push buttons,” the company’s chief marketing officer told trade media outlets.

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People travel through Brown University's campus in Providence

Trump administration reaches $50 million deal with Brown University to restore funding

By Betsy Klein and Ethan Schenker, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration has reached a multimillion-dollar agreement with Brown University to restore federal funding – its second major deal with an elite university after last week’s $221 million settlement with Columbia University. In return for Brown agreeing to several measures aimed at dismantling certain diversity,

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12 members of Congress sue Trump administration to ensure access to ICE detention centers

By MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press A dozen Democratic members of Congress who have been blocked from making oversight visits at immigration detention centers filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Trump administration that seeks to ensure they are granted entry into the facilities, even without prior notice. The lawsuit, filed in the District of Columbia’s

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Bessent says new Trump child savings accounts are ‘back door for privatizing Social Security’

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the Trump administration was committed to protecting Social Security hours after he said in an interview that a new children’s savings program President Donald Trump signed into law “is a back door for privatizing Social Security.”

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Brown University strikes agreement with Trump administration to restore lost federal funding

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Brown University will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations in a deal with the Trump administration that restores lost federal research funding and ends investigations into alleged discrimination, officials said Wednesday. The university also agreed to several concessions in line with President Donald

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North Carolina lawmakers approve stopgap spending measure amid budget impasse

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislators gave final approval Wednesday to a stopgap spending measure to boost state government spending to prepare for fall classes, cover Medicaid expenses and continue construction projects while a Republican agreement on a comprehensive budget still remains distant. The GOP-controlled General Assembly took

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California governor signs executive order to support boys and men and improve their mental health

By SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press/Report for America SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at supporting men and boys and improving their mental health outcomes, in an effort to lower suicide rates among young men and help them feel less isolated. The order directs the state Health and

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‘Downton Abbey’ star Elizabeth McGovern brings Ava Gardner’s tumultuous life to the stage

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For all of Elizabeth McGovern’s acting career, someone else wrote her lines. Now it’s her turn. The “Downton Abbey” star pivots from British aristocracy to classic Hollywood royalty this summer to portray screen legend Ava Gardner in a play she wrote. “It’s an incredible feeling

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