Breaking News

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds. Vance, who made the announcement with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the administration was taking the action “in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money.” Oz, ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it was looking into whether it had improperly withheld documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files after several news organizations reported that some records involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against President Donald Trump were not among those released to the public. The announcement followed news reports saying that a massive tranche of records released by the Justice Department did not include several summaries of interviews that the FBI conducted with an unidentified woman who came forward after ...

Horoscope

The turn of Mercury brings an awareness of shifting contexts, nuanced meanings and timely semiotics. Communication skills require constant updates, as the times never stop a-changin’. What falls into the category? Language, certainly, but also fashion, music, hairstyles and more, all communicating something about identity, culture and ideology. ARIES (March 21-April 19). It is not worth spending time fixing problems that you will not even have once you do things correctly from the beginning. A do-over is your new teacher. A different recipe, plan or relationship has great potential. ...

Louvre Museum director resigns in the wake of October’s brazen French crown jewels heist

PARIS (AP) — The Louvre Museum’s director resigned Tuesday after months of pressure following the October theft of the French crown jewels, as the world’s most visited museum faced widening scrutiny over security failures, labor unrest and a suspected ticket fraud scheme. Laurence des Cars quit after a punishing year for the former royal palace — the high-profile jewels heist from the Apollo Gallery, a mid-February burst pipe near the “Mona Lisa,” water leaks damaging priceless books, staff walkouts and a wildcat strike over overcrowding and understaffing. The landmark ...

Hints From Heloise

Flowers are ‘for the dead’ Dear Heloise: While I agree with Daniel D.’s mother that flowers are best enjoyed by the living, I had to share with you that my late mom said “flowers are for the dead” when, as a kid, I presented her with a bouquet (from her garden). However, later in life, she really did seem to enjoy the birthday and Mother’s Day arrangements that I would send when I couldn’t be present to spend the day with her. — Lori, in Central Texas Lori, whenever I visited someone and stayed at their home, I arranged to have flowers sent to my hosts as thanks ...

Trump: Insulter-in-chief

Each time one thinks President Trump has reached the lowest level possible in insulting his enemies, he finds new depths to plunge. Following a 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court, which included three conservative justices he appointed, the president called the justices “fools,” a “disgrace to the nation,” and “unpatriotic.” His critics might say such language is a disgrace to the presidency. Calling people names, especially names that are incendiary in content, wins no arguments and creates opposition instead of a fair hearing for one’s counter arguments. The president ...