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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch election campaign was on the home stretch Tuesday, a day before the country goes to the polls in a knife-edge vote with anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders seekin...
By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A young boy in New Zealand needed emergency surgery and lost part of his...
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of swans descended from a pair gifted to the central Florida city of Lakeland by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s were rounded up Tuesday for their annual health checkup. The 54 swans were scooped up in a net by a parks and recreation staffer in a boat on [...]
Tel Aviv Fashion Week commenced on Sunday night after a two-year hiatus due to the war, with several captivity survivors and their family members being the first to stride down the runway.
Advisory committee to Katz: Shut Army Radio down or suspend current affairs programming • Galgalatz, Army Radio's music station, is expected to remain open...
See how they reacted when a viewer asked what really goes on behind the scenes.
By I. Edwards HealthDay ReporterTUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hormel Foods is recalling 4.87 million pounds of ready-to-eat frozen...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Charlie Kirk Prize will be awarded through private donations from the Florida Education Foundation, with hopes to memorialize Turning Point founder Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
OpenAI said it has reorganized its ownership structure and converted its business into a public benefit corporation. A crucial regulator, Delaware Attorney...
Trump met with new Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, who heralded the start of a “new golden age” in the bilateral relationship following tricky trade talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting with Japan's newly elected, ultraconservative leader in Tokyo during one of the busiest days of his Asia trip. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may look to build a personal connection with Trump to ease...
NBC News' Valerie Castro takes a look at Javier Milei's relationship with President Donald Trump following his sweep of the midterms in Argentina.
(Corrects spelling of White House press secretary to Karoline in paragraph 1)TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will nominate...
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as both face increased protectionism from the United States, an...
As eastern India's Bihar state -- a key electoral battleground -- gears up for polls in November, social media users have falsely claimed a video of a crowd ...
China has signed an expanded free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
President Donald Trump began one of his busiest days of his Asia trip on Tuesday by warmly greeting the new Japanese prime minister. He plans to later speak to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier and mingle with business leaders.Sanae...
By Ben BlanchardTAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Tuesday that he was not worried that U.S. President Donald Trump...
A four-year study found a surprising cause of nearly 1 in 5 UTIs: E. coli bacteria linked to contaminated meat from the grocery store.
Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points in just 29 minutes, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 116-95 on Monday night for their third straight victory. The Cavaliers had a 14-0 run in the second quarter that turned a seven-point...
Melissa could be the worst hurricane Jamaica has experienced since recordkeeping began -- but some residents on the Caribbean island say they will believe it when they see it.
The midterm election outcome is a win for President Trump and free markets, and a big loss for the Peronists and pollsters.
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has struck in open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and was felt throughout the eastern Caribbean.
The gains reflected optimism that President Javier Milei’s win will shore up support from the Trump administration.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Tronox Holdings plc (“Tronox” or “the Company”) (NYSE: TROX ) for violations of §§10(b)...
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II missed the second half against Dallas on Sunday with a shoulder injury. After a 44-24 win over the Cowboys, Broncos coach Sean...
Hurricane Melissa, now Category 4, begins assault on Jamaica; Touring the city by the Bay with the Vampiress of San Francisco
First Period_1, Calgary, Kadri 2 (Hanley, Huberdeau), 1:42. 2, Calgary, Bahl 1 (Frost, Kadri), 9:21. 3, N.Y. Rangers, Laba 1 (Gavrikov, Cuylle), 9:31....
A report says at least 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups remain worldwide and face growing threats from logging, mining, missionaries and organized crime
Held inside a notorious prison among some of California’s most dangerous felons, the San Quentin Film Festival is not your typical Hollywood affair. Red-carpet interviews take place just yards (meters) away from a now dormant execution chamber where hundreds of death-row inmates met grisly ends. Convicted murderers sit alongside famous actors and journalists, applauding films [...]The post Prison film fest brings Hollywood and healing to US jailhouse appeared first on Digital Journal.
Ten people go on trial in Paris on Monday for sexist cyber-harassment of Brigitte Macron, in the latest case sparked by unsubstantiated gender claims thrown at the French first lady for years by some in France and beyond. The trial comes after she and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States [...]The post Ten people to stand trial over online harassment of French first lady appeared first on Digital Journal.
Washington is in a standoff and the chips are down — with the government shuttered for weeks, federal workers stuck in limbo and millions who rely on health insurance subsidies scared of losing the shirt off their backs. Behind the scenes, it’s not just about budgets — it’s about who’s winning the blame game. Democrats [...]The post US shutdown poker: Which side has the winning hand? appeared first on Digital Journal.
He was the subject of the 2021 documentary 'The Most Beautiful Boy in the World,' a quote about him from Luchino Visconti, his Italian director on the film.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (AP) — A U.S. warship docked in Trinidad and Tobago 's capital Sunday as the Trump administration boosts military pressure on neighboring Venezuela and its President Nicolás Maduro.
For Japan's new leader, the key to connecting with Trump could be a Ford F-150 truck
This week’s Hometown MVP takes us to North Andover, and is all about a young man who may be the busiest guy in town.From hard hits to singing hits, the future is bright for Alex Phillips.“I’m a very outgoing and determined person,” Phillips said.You can describe Phillips in a lot of ways. He’s definitely tough, really strong and a leader.“I have to lead by example,” Phillips, a senior football captain said.He’s a multisport athlete. He also throws discus and the shot put.The thing about Phillips is that you really can’t keep him in a box.He’s in the school choir and even sings the national anthem before his own games.“I just love the fact that I get to make people think and feel something,” he said.It’s not just signing. He auditioned at the Actors Studio of Newburyport and landed a role.“As a football player, you’re supposed to be this big macho guy, uniform’s on and when he takes that off, he’s just this well-rounded, artistic kid,” North Andover High Head Coach Matt Cerullo said.He gives back to the community as well, donating his time to a leadership program called Core 4.“I think Al one day will be the eventual mayor of North Andover,” Cerullo said.But right now, he’s just thinking about college.“I will work my way to get there because that is my dream, is to play football at the collegiate level,” he said.Phillips recently got his first offer from Saint Lawrence University — and more are surely on the way.
Al-Hammadi was convicted of committing an "indecent act" and possessing drugs by a Houthi-run court, a verdict that the actresses' lawyer says was "marred...
For Japan's new leader, the key to connecting with Trump could be a Ford F-150 truck
Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has won decisive victories in key districts across the country in midterm elections. He clinches a crucial vote of confidence that strengthens his ability to carry out his radical free-market experiment with billions of dollars...
President Javier Milei’s party won Argentina’s midterm vote Sunday, a result that will give the libertarian leader a stronger foothold in Congress as he seeks to pass major reforms to boost the nation’s beleaguered economy.
The main wreckage of a cargo plane that veered off a Hong Kong runway and plunged into the sea has been recovered.
The retrofitted aircraft is said to have 25% more premium capacity across Flagship Suites and premium economy cabins.
Households would ‘inevitably feel the impact’ of a surtax on business rates, say retailers in letter to the chancellorFood prices in the UK could climb even further if the chancellor raises taxes on supermarkets at the next budget, the industry has warned.Supermarket bosses, including those at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, have said in a letter to Rachel Reeves that households would “inevitably feel the impact” of potential tax rises on the sector. Continue reading...
Russia has tested a new nuclear-capable cruise missile, moving closer to deploying it, according to President Vladimir Putin. The Burevestnik missile, which has been in development for years, reportedly covered 8,700 miles in a key test last Tuesday. Putin claims...
With the cost of health insurance set to rise, some Americans are asking a surprising question: Is it actually cheaper to get medical care without it?The short answer: Sometimes. But not often. And it may require a little — or a lot — of homework. Some hospitals and clinics offer self-pay or cash only discounts for patients who pay without insurance, skipping the paperwork and administrative fees that come with having coverage. Hospitals are required by federal law to make their discounted cash prices publicly available online. An allergy test or an X-ray, for example, may be a few hundred dollars cheaper this way, especially for people with high deductible plans. Nonprofit hospitals must provide charity care, which is free or discounted, to people who can’t afford it, even for those with insurance.But paying outside of health insurance means that cost doesn’t count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket limit — and if you end up needing more medical visits than expected, you could wind up worse off financially.“You have to be really careful,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. “The price that you pay with cash, even if they give you some sort of advertised discount, can be more than what you might actually pay through health insurance overall.”health careJun 23Health insurers promise changes to prior authorization process. What to knowHealth & ScienceJun 20Taking on goliath: brain surgeon's clash with UnitedHealthcare shows insurer's hardball tacticsThe question of whether to opt out of insurance and pay in cash is surfacing as many Americans are expected to face higher premiums next year. Enhanced subsidies, which kept Affordable Care Act premiums lower for many middle-class people, are set to expire at the end of the year without action from Congress. Premiums for people who get their health insurance through their jobs or outside the ACA are also expected to rise next year.Some ACA enrollees are debating whether to drop their coverage entirely — a decision that experts warn could leave them exposed to major medical bills if an unexpected emergency hits. “If you like Russian roulette, then you’ll like to approach health care this way,” said Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, a law firm and nonprofit advocacy group that helps people dispute medical bills. Johnson said “part of the fallacy is that as American consumers, we’re all about, ‘How do I bargain the best deal?’”“Health care is not this way,” she said. “If you’re healthy, you’re basically pushing all the chips out onto the table in hopes that you basically will mostly be healthy.”Losing benefitsInsurance, for all its frustrations, can provide crucial protections: caps on out-of-pocket costs, access to negotiated rates and free preventive care, such as cancer screenings, annual physicals and routine vaccinations.For non-emergency care, a doctor or hospital may require the patient who isn’t using insurance to pay the entire cost upfront or see a different provider, said Erin Duffy, director of research training at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.“It does seem risky,” Duffy said. “If you were thinking that you could keep going to the primary care doctor that you’d go to when you were insured, you might find that there’s different financial obstacles.”For those who are healthy, paying in cash can be a smart move for predictable, lower cost-services — such as an X-ray or CT scan, Dusetzina said.“This comes up all the time in the prescription drug world,” Dusetzina said. “People will often fill generic drugs out of pocket because it happens for them to be cheaper to do that than paying with health insurance in some cases.”But patients wouldn’t have access to their insurer’s negotiated rate — the amount an insurance company agrees to pay for a medical service, Dusetzina said. Even if people haven’t reached their deductibles, they still get the negotiated rate, which might be cheaper than paying cash. And whatever they pay wouldn’t go toward their deductible or out-of-pocket limit. “What has historically happened is, if you went to a medical site and you wanted to pay in cash, the price that they start with is often twice as high or more than what the health insurance price would be,” she said. “So, you do lose the benefit of having a negotiated rate going without health insurance.”A person’s savings can disappear fast if something unexpected happens, Johnson said. Emergency room visits, hospital stays or surgeries — even at discounted rates — can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Uninsured patients are billed the full amount. It’s generally not possible to sign up for health coverage after an emergency has already happened, she said. There’s also a narrow period to enroll; in most states, ACA enrollment is Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. Open enrollment for people who get health insurance through their jobs is generally around the same time.“That’s the only time you can sign up until the next year, so essentially, you’re left holding the bag, not just for emergency visits, but for all the follow-up care,” she said. Johnson said that before people even think about negotiating care with a doctor or provider, they must first check if they have a federally qualified health center nearby. The health clinics receive federal grants to provide low-cost care to underserved populations, including the underinsured and the uninsured. “If you need primary care, you can often get primary care at a federally qualified health center,” she said. If specialty care is needed, doctors may negotiate, but they often require people to pay the full amount upfront, Johnson said. If you want to get an idea of how much you could pay, websites like Turquoise Health show the average cash price hospitals may charge for certain medical procedures. If you do get a lower rate from a doctor, the process might not end there, Johnson said. Depending on how complicated the medical procedure is, you may need to get an agreement with the entire health care team involved.“Even if you have a doctor who says, ‘I will do this for you,’ then somehow you have to get an anesthesiologist to do it, and you have to get labs to do it, and you have to get nurses doing it as well,” she said.Duffy said to call the billing office and “ask really specific questions about when you would have to pay, what are the full range of options for both assistance and payment plans that could be helpful to someone who’s uninsured or lower income or just facing a bill you might not be able to pay all at once.”For those in need of emergency care or hospital care, Duffy noted, there is a federal law — the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act — which requires Medicare-participating hospitals to provide care to anyone who comes to the emergency department, regardless of their ability to pay. After that, the person may be able to negotiate with the hospital or provider, or get a payment plan. None of these strategies are particularly useful for people who are not healthy and are likely to use a high amount of health care, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.“The self-pay option will be most attractive to the healthy and well-off patient, who may forgo adequate health insurance,” he said.
Suspects arrested over the theft of crown jewels from Paris' Louvre museum
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Litigation Partner Brandon Walker Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses In Semler (SMLR) To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options.
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Litigation Partner Brandon Walker Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses In Dow To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options
Catherine Connolly, a left-wing independent, has been elected as Ireland's president
The decisions fell mostly along party lines, with Trump touting on social media Wednesday that he had “won BIG” in Alaska in the last three presidential elections.
East Timor has been formally admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the group’s first expansion since the 1990s. The integration of the region’s youngest and poorest nation — with just 1.4 million people — is being hailed...
TORONTO (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches first World Series complete game since 2015 and Dodgers beat Blue Jays to tie matchup 1-1.
Rookie Cedric Coward scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Memphis Grizzlies pulled away for a 128-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Ja Morant finished with 19 points and Jaren Jackson Jr....
Tucker Kilcrease and Jordan Lovett each have a pair of touchdown runs to lead Troy past Louisiana-Lafayette 35-23 on Saturday night. This marks Troy's fifth straight win. Tony Sterner kicked two field goals for Louisiana-Lafayette, bringing them within five points...
Jamaica braces for Hurricane Melissa after it passes by Dominican Republic; Paris cemetery draws millions to American rock star’s grave
East Timor joined the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc as its 11th member state on Sunday, after 14 years of campaigning. Its Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao joined ASEAN leaders for a summit and signing ceremony in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, before posing for photographs together in interlocking arms. “This is [...]The post East Timor joins ASEAN after 14-year campaign appeared first on Digital Journal.
Japan’s space agency has successfully launched its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft for its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station
INDORE, India (AP) — Two cricketers from the Australian women’s national team were inappropriately touched by a motorcyclist in the central Indian city of Indore, where they played in the Women’...
Two cricketers from the Australian women’s national team were inappropriately touched by a motorcyclist in the central Indian city of Indore, where they played in the Women’s Cricket World Cup. Cricket Australia says the two players were walking to a...
A man is dead after his ATV rolled over while he was scouting for deer hunting season in Rumford, Maine, on Friday afternoon.The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says 78-year-old Jeffrey Lang was driving a Yamaha 450 Grizzly on a steep hill in the woods near Wyman Hill Road around 12:30 p.m. when the ATV rolled, NBC10 Boston affiliate News Center Maine reports.Lang became trapped beneath the vehicle. His wife ran to get help, according to the department, and a nearby resident called 911, but Lang was pronounced dead on scene, News Center Maine reports. Officials say the steep and uneven terrain appears to be the primary factor in the deadly crash, but an investigation is ongoing.
Revenues of INR 10,533 Million. EBITDA of INR 2,361 Million.
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Litigation Partner Brandon Walker Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses In V.F. Corporation (VFC) To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options
Tropical Storm Melissa has neared hurricane strength, threatening the northern Caribbean with massive rainfall, flooding, and landslides. Forecasters have warned of up to 35 inches of rain in southwest Haiti. The storm has already killed at least three people in...
TOKYO (AP) — Just days after taking office, Japan's new leader faces a series of back-to-back foreign policy tests, with a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo sandwiched between Asia-region summits in Malaysia and South Korea.
TOKYO (AP) — Just days after taking office, Japan’s new leader faces a series of back-to-back foreign policy tests, with a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo sandwiched between As...
Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday. She was 93.
Stunned by the arrest of head coach Chauncey Billups in a sprawling alleged poker scheme, the Portland Trail Blazers took to the court Friday night under an interim coach as they navigated an unexpectedly tumultuous start to the new season....
A funeral procession will take place next week for La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven, who was struck and killed Monday by a vehicle on Interstate 8 while aiding a vehicle involved in a crash.
Bam Adebayo scored 24 points and the Miami Heat won their first game since guard Terry Rozier was arrested on gambling-related charges, building a first-half lead and coasting to a 146-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. The...
Lionel Messi shines in Inter Miami's 3-1 win over Nashville SC, opening the Major League Soccer playoffs
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 13 rebounds and the New York Knicks rode a huge second quarter to a 105-95 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday night and a 2-0 start to the...
Standout rookie starter Trey Yesavage didn’t have his best stuff but limited the Los Angeles Dodgers to two runs over four innings for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series. The 22-year-old Yesavage was making just...
Standout rookie starter Trey Yesavage didn’t have his best stuff but limited the Los Angeles Dodgers to two runs over four innings for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series
Trae Young scored six of his 25 points in the final 46 seconds, leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 111-107 win over the Orlando Magic. Franz Wagner scored a game-high 27 points for Orlando, which led by 12 early in...
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Friday he was "deeply disturbed" after Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups were among those arrested in a far-ranging FBI probe into illegal gambling.
By Xinghui KokKUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Top economic officials from the U.S. and China kickstarted talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to avert an...
Lawmakers from both political parties are blaming the other for the hardship that would ensue if SNAP benefits stop due to the government shutdown.
Authorities plan to give an update on the massive blast in Tennessee that killed 16 people earlier this month at an explosives plant. The briefing Friday will...
Some seniors say the Social Security Administration's cost-of-living adjustment won’t help much in their ability to pay for their daily expenses. The agency announced Friday the annual cost-of-living adjustment will go up by 2.8% in 2026, translating to an average...
Bo Bichette has been added to the Toronto Blue Jays' roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He returns after recovering from a sprained left knee that kept him out for over a month. Bichette, a two-time...
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Marex Group plc (“Marex” or “the Company”) (NASDAQ: MRX ) for violations of §§10(b)...
“But in the end Ukraine will have a dramatically improved level of air power projection — the likes of which the no one had seen in this part of the world before,” said a Ukrainian defense enterprise executive.
By Camillus EbohABUJA (Reuters) -A Nigerian court on Friday adjourned the terrorism trial of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu until October 27, after...
The president continued furiously posting on Truth Social after calling off trade talks over the advertisement
The leader of Canada’s most populous province posted remarks by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan on social media on Friday showing Reagan opposed tariffs, hours after President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a...
Security noticed that a sliding door at the Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot had been forced open and a display case containing gold and silver coins had been broken into.
Police in Pakistan say that three police officers have been killed when a powerful roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s northwest. Authorities said that the blast killed a city...
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against WPP plc (“WPP” or “the Company”) (NYSE: WPP ) for violations of §§10(b) and...
After the U.S. Supreme Court said it will hear a case focused on the same federal law, a judge put on hold a lawsuit about whether Florida medical-marijuana patients can be barred from having guns.
LONDON (Reuters) -A Sudanese national has been found guilty of murdering a 27-year-old woman working at a hotel housing asylum seekers in central...
LONDON (Reuters) -The ringleader of an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London last year was on Friday jailed for 17 years for what...
Vance and Rubio praise peace deal while meeting with Netanyahu; Reporter's Notebook: The forgotten daughter of a U.S. president finally comes home
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky heads to London Friday for a meeting of its key backers, where Britain’s prime minister has said he will call on Europe to deliver more long-range missiles. Kyiv’s Western allies have ratcheted up pressure on Moscow as the war enters its fourth winter, with the United States and European Union both [...]The post UK to press ‘coalition of willing’ for more long-range missiles for Ukraine appeared first on Digital Journal.
A man suspected of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a La Mesa police officer and another driver earlier this week was arrested, authorities said in a news release Thursday.
Troy Terry snapped a tie in the third period, and the Anaheim Ducks held off the Boston Bruins for a 7-5 victory. Mikael Granlund had two goals and three assists for Anaheim in its second straight win. Terry and Jacob...
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican authorities on Thursday deported Chinese national Zhi Dong to the United States to faced alleged drug trafficking...
President Donald Trump approved major disaster declarations for Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe late Wednesday, while denying requests from Vermont, Illinois and Maryland and leaving other states still waiting for answers.The decisions fell mostly along party lines, with Trump touting on social media Wednesday that he had “won BIG” in Alaska in the last three presidential elections, that he won “THREE times” in the “beautiful State of North Dakota,” and that it was his “honor” to deliver for the “incredible Patriots” of Missouri, a state he also won three times. Additionally he said Nebraska “is a special place.”The disaster declarations authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support recipients with federal financial assistance to repair public infrastructure damaged by disasters and, in some cases, provide survivors money for repairs and temporary housing.While Trump has approved more disaster declarations than he’s denied this year, he has also repeatedly floated the idea of “phasing out” FEMA, saying he wants states to take more responsibility for disaster response and recovery. States already take the lead in disasters, but depend on federal assistance when the needs exceed what they can manage alone.Trump has also taken longer to approve disaster declaration requests than in any previous administration, including his first, according to an Associated Press analysis.Approvals fell mostly along party linesThe states approved for disaster declarations include Alaska, which filed an expedited request after experiencing back-to-back storms this month that wrecked coastal villages, displaced 2,000 residents and killed at least one person. Trump approved a 100% cost share of disaster-related expenses for 90 days.North Dakota and Nebraska will also receive public assistance for August severe weather, and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota was approved for both public and individual assistance for a June storm that felled thousands of trees across its tribal lands.Trump denied four requests, including Maryland’s appeal for reconsideration after the state was denied a disaster declaration for May flooding that severely impacted the state’s two westernmost counties.Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, denounced the decision in a statement Thursday, calling the final denial “deeply frustrating.”“President Trump and his Administration have politicized disaster relief, and our communities are the ones who will pay the price,” said Moore. The state has been supporting impacted individuals itself, deploying over $450,000 for the first time from its State Disaster Recovery Fund.Maryland met the conditions necessary to qualify for public assistance, according to a preliminary damage assessment, but Trump, who has the final decision on the declarations, denied the state’s July request. Maryland appealed in August with further data showing the counties experienced $33.7 million in damage, according to the state, more than three times its threshold for federal assistance.Trump also denied Vermont a major disaster declaration for July 10 floods after the state waited over nine weeks for a decision. The damages far exceed what some of the small towns impacted can afford on their own, said Eric Forand, Vermont’s emergency management director.“It’s well over the annual budget or two years’ budget (of some towns), to fix those roads,” Forand said.The other denials included an application from Illinois for individual assistance for three counties impacted in July by severe storms and flooding, and one from Alaska to rebuild a public safety building that burned in a July electrical fire.Asked why the states were denied, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him.” She said Trump was “ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.”Assistance granted after weekslong waitSeveral states and one tribe still await decisions on their requests.Not knowing whether public assistance is coming can delay crucial projects, especially for small jurisdictions with tight budgets, and sometimes leaves survivors without any help to secure temporary housing or repair homes now too dangerous to live in.Before its approval Wednesday, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe was straining to cover the costs of clearing thousands of trees felled across its reservation by a June thunderstorm. As a tribe, it is entitled to apply for assistance independently of the state where it is located.The tribe had spent about $1.5 million of its own funds so far, said Duane Oothoudt, emergency operations manager for the Leech Lake Police Department.The tribe was “doing a lot of juggling, using reserve funding to operate and continue paying our contractors,” Oothoudt said just hours before being notified of the disaster declaration, nine weeks after submitting the request.With federal funding approved for both public and individual assistance, Oothoudt said Thursday his one-man emergency management department would focus on helping survivors first.“There’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “People were hurt by the storm.”Associated Press writer Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed.
Independent reporters and members of "new media" reportedly dominate the list.
Candidates in Ivory Coast's presidential election have held their last campaign rallies before Saturday's election
What it means to seek refuge in the U.S. has been transformed, casting aside an ethos of helping the persecuted nearly as old as the country itself. One Afghan family’s story of separation across the world shows the human consequences.