New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday signed the bill mandating the displays. The GOP-drafted legislation requires a poster of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Opponents question the law’s constitutionality. Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union promised a lawsuit. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. Classrooms must display the Ten Commandments by the start of 2025.
Rifts seem to appear between Israel’s political and military leadership over conduct of the Gaza war
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army’s chief spokesman is apparently questioning the stated goal of destroying the Hamas militant group in Gaza in a rare public rift between the country’s political and military leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will pursue the fight against Hamas, the group running the besieged Gaza Strip, until its military and governing capabilities in the Palestinian territory are eliminated. But with the Israel-Hamas war now in its ninth month, frustration has been mounting. The Israeli military spokesperson said during a television interview that the “business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear — it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public.”
Scorching temperatures, humidity making life miserable for millions from Midwest to Maine
BOSTON (AP) — A blistering heat wave stretching from the Midwest to the tip of Maine is leaving millions of people sweltering through the Juneteenth holiday. Many cities have issued heat warnings and several places canceled activities planned for the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Some places closed cooling centers due to the holiday, forcing those who rely on them find other places to seek relief. The dangerous temperatures are expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday.
What’s known, and not known, about the partnership agreement signed by Russia and North Korea
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un say the strategic partnership they have signed is a breakthrough. But neither side has released the text of the agreement that resulted from Putin’s visit to Pyongyang, and its consequences for the near and long terms are uncertain. Relations between sprawling Russia and small, isolated North Korea — both of them nuclear powers — have warmed significantly in recent years amid Russia’s growing acrimony with the West over the invasion of Ukraine and suppression of all domestic opposition. The new agreements could bring them even closer, and pose new challenges to the international community.
Cooler temps and rain could help corral blazes that forced thousands to flee New Mexico village
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Air tankers dropped water and red retardant on Wednesday on a pair of growing fires in mountainous New Mexico. Flames have killed at least one person, damaged more than 1,400 structures, forced thousands to flee a tourist locale and may now threaten hundreds of firefighters amid high wind risks. The entire village of Ruidoso was evacuated on Monday with people given little warning. Meteorologists say weather patterns were shifting Wednesday with possible rains later in the afternoon and evening. But there was also a risk of high winds that could pose a danger to firefighters.
Tropical Storm Alberto forms in southwest Gulf, 1st named storm of the hurricane season
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Alberto has formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center said early Wednesday afternoon that Alberto was located about 180 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 295 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. A tropical storm is defined by sustained winds of between 39 and 73 mph, and one with stronger winds is a hurricane. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the hurricane season from June 1 to Nov. 30 is likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms.
Colombian family’s genes offer new clue to delaying onset of Alzheimer’s
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists studying a Colombian family plagued by early-in-life Alzheimer’s have found a rare gene variant that seems to delay initial symptoms by about five years. The first clue came from a woman who escaped her family’s genetic fate, apparently because she also had two copies of a different mutated gene that shielded her. Now researchers have found one copy of that variant was enough to delay disease onset in 27 other members of that family. If they learn how the protection works, it could lead to novel treatments. The finding was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Immigrant families rejoice over Biden’s expansive move toward citizenship, while some are left out
HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants had reason to rejoice when President Joe Biden unveiled a highly expansive plan to extend legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens but, inevitably, some were left out. Biden says his administration will allow spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency without having to first depart the country. To qualify, they must have lived in the United States for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. Every immigration benefit — even those as sweeping as Biden’s election-year offer — have cutoff dates and other eligibility requirements.
A US aircraft carrier and its crew have fought Houthi attacks for months. How long can it last?
ABOARD THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER IN THE RED SEA (AP) — Fatigue is setting in as a U.S. aircraft carrier nears its ninth month waging the most intense running sea battle since World War II. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, its strike group and about 7,000 sailors have been protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea from months of attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The length of the campaign has raised difficult questions as U.S. defense leaders wrangle over how to replicate the carrier’s combat power if the ship returns home to Norfolk, Virginia. Already the carrier’s deployment has been extended twice. A decision on what’s next is expected soon.
On Juneteenth, monument dedicated in Alabama to those who endured slavery
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Equal Justice Initiative nonprofit invoked the Juneteenth holiday as it dedicated a monument that honors the people who endured and survived slavery. The National Monument to Freedom is the centerpiece of the new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, Alabama. The monument is inscribed with the surnames that formerly enslaved people chose for themselves after being emancipated at the Civil War’s end. The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative said Juneteenth is a day to honestly confront the brutality of slavery but also honor the people who managed to remain hopeful despite what they faced.
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