Quality of new vehicles sold in the United States is declining as factors such as growing use of

First baseman Dominic Smith and right-hander Cory Abbott have been designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals

President Joe Biden welcomed hundreds to the White House for a delayed Pride Month celebration aiming to demonstrate his administration’s support for the LGBTQ+ community. Advocates have recently been warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses. The event, which the administration described as the largest Pride event hosted at the White House, was initially scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed because of poor air quality from hazardous air flowing in from Canadian wildfires. But the haze that blanketed a huge swath of the East Coast this past week had lifted over the nation's capital, allowing the president and first lady Jill Biden to hold their South Lawn party. “So today, I want to send a message to the entire community — especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You belong,” Biden said. Pride Month is being celebrated this year as state lawmakers have introduced at least 525 bills and enacted 78 bills that whittle away at LGBTQ+ rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights. That tally includes a recent flurry of bills that affect transgender people, including legislation recently passed by Republican governors vying for the 2024 presidential nomination. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youths. Earlier in the week, a federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a law that DeSantis signed shortly before announcing that he was running for president. In North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum last month signed a bill that prohibits public schools and government entities from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. Burgum, who like DeSantis has made culture issues a central part of his tenure as governor, joined the White House primary field. Josh Helfgott, an LGBTQ+ activist and social media influencer from New York City, said marking Pride Month at the White House felt like one of the most important moments of his life. But he said the tide of legislation added another layer to this year’s celebrations. “Pride this year is so important because we cannot be silent when faced with hate and bigotry,” Helfgott said “The other side is so loud, incredibly loud. ” Anjali Rimi of San Francisco attended the White House event with her mother, who recently immigrated from India. Rimi came to the United States more than 20 years ago because, she said, she was shunned by family and society as a transgender person. Times were tough in the United States, too, she said. She was pushed out of a job after she came out, was homeless for a time, and took asylum in Canada for about a decade before returning to the United States. “It’s a moment that we are going to cherish for a lifetime,” said Rimi, an activist in San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. "This is a joyful moment, but it’s also one that reminds us that we have so much work to do.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 5:40 a.m. Trump pledges to endorse Mark Robinson for North Carolina governor US confirms China has had a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019

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NEW YORK & PARIS & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2023--

After a week of bitter court filings, federal prosecutors and Donald Trump's defense lawyers are scheduled to appear in Washington, DC, federal court Friday morning for the first hearing before the judge assigned to oversee the special counsel's election subversion case against the former president.

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Watch live as Pope Francis arrives in Portugal on Wednesday, 2 August, for World Youth Day. The event was created by the late Pope John Paul for young Catholics in their teens or early 20s. It is held every two or three years in a different city and is often dubbed the "Catholic Woodstock." This year's event is the first time it has been held since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pontiff will take part in a welcoming ceremony at Figo Maduro Air Base in Lisbon before visiting the Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, later this morning. As part of the festival, young people will meet for Masses, vigils and other social and religious gatherings. Around 330,000 young people have registered and many more are expected to attend, the Vatican has said. Portuguese authorities have predicted more than one million attendees. Read More Pope Francis will be in Portugal for 5 days. Here's what he will visit As the pope heads to Portugal, he is laying the groundwork for the church's future and his legacy A rebounding Pope Francis adds an overnight visit to France to his busy travel schedule

Russian dissident journalist Elena Kostyuchenko has revealed how she was traveling to Berlin by train last autumn when she was abruptly taken ill, in a case that has led German authorities to investigate a suspected poisoning attempt.

Fitch downgraded the United States' top-tier credit rating by a step on Tuesday, citing a growing federal debt burden and an "erosion of governance" that...